A New Year, but same old stuff!

As usual, we are well into another year in the blink of an eye. No sooner have we finished singing Auld Lang Syne than it's Pancake Day (notice that Valentine's Day doesn't feature on my calendar's list of memorable dates lol). However, something positive has been achieved - our holiday in Cornwall has been booked! We are making it a two-site break this year, in recognition of the fact that our grandson is leaving school this summer. (So where did those 16 years go??)

At the moment, big upheaval is taking place at his home - think Bunny Fluff's Moving Day, without leaving the house! When his new siblings arrived 6 years ago, two for the price of one, he knew that it would mean giving up his large bedroom for the littlies to share when they got to the age they are now. Give him his due, he has never (to my knowledge) moaned about this. He is moving into a room which is probably half the size of his old one, and he is a strapping 5'9" lad, probably end up 6' tall! But, who knows, after 2 years in college he may well be ready to fly the nest to some university or other.

Where has the year gone?

I haven't posted since April, I have had lots happening both happy and sad. Suffice it to say that 3 funerals, particularly that of one of my younger brothers, have left a cloud hanging over the rest of the year's events.

Before the funerals,in May we had a wonderful month in France, visiting the War Cemeteries in the Somme area before moving on to the Vendee area. We found the Vendee to be re-inventing itself and it was lovely to experience cycling on the many dedicated routes through forest and on sea front. The weather was really good overall, and we will probably visit at this time of year again. Talking only recently to other AS owners who visited France in June, we discovered that June was not good weather-wise!

In July, we took our GS to Cornwall because he had a work experience placement at the Eden project,in the Mediterranean Biome. He had a lovely week and was well received by the gardeners there, who gave him lots of contact information.

August saw us back in Cornwall for our traditional holiday with GS, 'enjoying' the usual August weather. This year, our DD came down to Cornwall at the same time as us, but brought a tent for their holiday. Complete with twins and dog, they made the most of their time down in St Blazey Gate, not allowing the weather to cast a damper on their 12 day break. At the beginning of our stay, our DS and his family joined us for a long weekend, - our caravan and awning were bulging at the seams ;)

Needless to say, after a damp August, my DH and I needed a holiday! Luckily, we had booked a cruise for September earlier in the year. So the 17th saw us waved off by DD and GS at the local services on the motorway, and later that day we sailed away to enjoy glorious weather in the Mediterranean! We had visited this area in April 2009, but this trip included stops at a few new places, so there was plenty to discover, including Alhambra, Rome and Florence. But the Sagrada Familia holds a special place in our hearts - the interior is now complete and is spectacular. We are seriously thinking of driving down into Spain with our motorhome, so that we can have some 'quality' time there, instead of being rushed through.

Now we are in November, and the heat is on for Christmas. The cake was finally made yesterday, only two weeks late! But I'm sure we won't notice the difference, by the time I've fed it a little more alcohol ;)

Anniversary

No, not out wedding anniversary, or the anniversary of when we met, but the 30th anniversary of us moving into our home! It was the first Tuesday of the school Easter holiday in 1981 and it was a lovely day. Our new neighbour, Jean, made a cup of tea for us all during the move, which we were able to have outside. The move was accomplished without any major mishap as we had hired a removal firm to do the bulk of the hauling. DH made a couple of trips with the trailer, and also brought the caravan over - but we did only move a mile or so! One notable thing about the Easter holiday was the contrast in weather - rather like this year, where we have had some lovely warm days, but then it has become cold again, we had snow by the end of the holiday in 1981!

We are in the middle of sorting out our muddle in the bedrooms, because we have DD's 3 children coming to stay over the weekend while she and SIL fly to Scotland for a wedding. We need to have visitors more often, then the bedrooms won't get in such a mess.....artist's materials and textiles all over the place!! Either that or we extend to have a dedicated craft workshop......

Last Sewing Session this term

I was late arriving at my social sewing group today, despite my best efforts! I was so busy this morning, cutting more 9" squares of cream fabric, turning a tiny hem on each side and pressing them, that I forgot how time was ticking on, so lunch was late and so was I! My DH kindly acted as taxi driver and so I arrived some ten minutes late, late enough for my absence to be put down to me enjoying another holiday!

The squares are for my cathedral window patchwork, which is proving to be a challenge. No matter how careful I am when cutting out, and pressing the hems, the squares turn out to be not quite square, they refuse to tesselate exactly, and generally cause a headache! Fellow members of the group sympathise with me. They did cathedral windows patchwork round about Christmas, so know exactly what problems I'm experiencing.

This was our last session before Easter, and as DH and I are going to France in May it will be some time before I attend my sewing session again.

Our new car was fitted with a tow-bar today! Now we are back to normal. Until now I feel as if I have been deprived by not having the option of going off in the caravan! We have had the car since the end of November, over four months, DH putting off calling the specialist fitter until the weather was 'suitable'! Now we just need the opportunity to try the outfit out.

April, but no showers!

The weather is being incredibly kind to us this spring. We, that is my DH, DS, DD and their respective offspring, have spent most of the day in our orchard, with the children enjoying the space our bigger garden gives them. And yesterday was a similar day, and the day before, and the ...you catch my drift! It's only two weeks since we came back from our two week break in Cornwall, but already I miss the sound of the sea. We were so lucky that the sun shone (though there was a stiff breeze quite a bit of the time). We were down in Cornwall to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the opening of the Eden Project. Even though the official source I contacted at Eden stated that there was no one event planned for the 17th March, I had decided some time ago that we should be down there on the exact date anyway. We were there bright and early on the 17th, which was a bright but chilly morning, and who should be in the Tropical Biome but Tim Smit (Sir) being interviewed by a couple of young journalists from Sky News. Naturally, I stopped and waited for the interview to finish so that I could get Tim's autograph (again!) and in the conversation mentioned that we had come down from Nottingham for the opening day. Tim, with a nod to the journalists and towards us, indicated that we would be prime choice to be interviewed! So we gave an interview, but no one could find it on the Sky News or the internet, so probably the news editor decided that he had better things to do with his air-time!

It should be spring

Although the sun is shining brightly, there is a keen wind which makes being outside something of a chore instead of a pleasure. I went out to put some peanut butter on the bird table to see if any bird was interested, then detached a Christmas wreath from our neighbours' side of the fence, and unfastened all the fiddly little bits of garden twine which I had used to secure the circle of ivy, holly and leylandii. But I didn't stay out long! However, signs of spring are showing in the bursting buds of cotoneaster, flowering currant (ribes sanguineum) and forsythia. There is a cheeky primula hiding its rosy petals beneath a large sage plant, and snowdrops nodding in agreement with the wind.

I have used my time indoors this week to indulge in a touchy feely experience - I have been making new curtains for the bedroom. The fabric is a patchwork square pattern called 'Vinny', in my favourite colours of shades of pink, lilac and aqua.......delicious! I am toying with the idea of using the leftovers to cut up into the squares of colour and creating a Cathedral Windows patchwork, perhaps making a couple of scatter cushions for the bed, or a 'runner' to place across the bed, near the foot, as is the fashion at the moment. The colours are intoxicating me!!

Grandson

Today has been spent in the company of our 15 year old grandson. He has a scout/guide outing to the Snowdome next Saturday, and was in dire need of some decent suitable footwear for the activities. Having looked at websites for Decathlon and Go Outdoors, we saw on the Yeoman's Outdoors website that they had a pair of waterproof walking shoes at a reasonable price, so I rang the branch in Ilkeston and yes, they had the same stock as the website at the same price. So we duly picked up Big T and sorted him out with the shoes (size 11 arghhhh!) and then a pair of waterproof over trousers, and I decided to have a pair of walking boots, very dainty ones, for the occasions when I go for a tramp. This shopping was completed in time for us to consider it to be lunchtime, so went to a local mill shop and had lunch there.

We had been aware of the poor condition of Big T's bed mattress, and considering his back problems took the opportunity of having him with us to go and 'test drive' a few mattresses. We drove to a retail park in Nottingham and had the benefit of the expertise of a senior salesperson, who discussed our needs with us and allowed us time to test the various products with no pressure. We were lucky that the mattress Big T found most comfortable was available from stock and came in a roll that was easily transportable in the back of the car, avoiding a £35 delivery charge!

A very productive day!

New Year

Yes, Happy New Year to everyone!

We had a busy Christmas, with Granny being delivered to us by my nephew and his family on Tuesday 21st. It was lovely to start the Christmas celebrations this way. Lunch was a family affair around the large table in the dining room - 5 adults and a 5 year old (who actually liked the Spanish sauce I cooked the chicken in!). And the playmobil we keep here for the granchildren to play with was much admired by the said 5 year old -and his mum!! We have received the ultimate accolade - Sam would be happy to visit again!

Christmas lunch went smoothly, with the turkey resting for 1.5hrs under 3 tea towels, as recommended by Jamie Oliver. It certainly helped to free the oven for the roast potatoes and parsnips, sausages in bacon, and 2 kinds of stuffing. I served the prawn cocktails in cups on saucers for a change, it looked very 'designer'! But why is it that the Christmas lunch seems to take longer to eat with each successive year?? We (+Granny, DD and family) sat down at 1.30, and I only got up to fetch the dessert at 2.55! Well, that's one way to fill an afternoon...

DD and family left at around 8pm, DD needing to chill in her own home because she is still under the weather from a bug.

Boxing Day brought our DS and his 2 girls for the day, with DIL joining us after she had finished work (in the retail sector).

Monday, DB and his wife suffered the stress of a trip (slow) down the motorway, to join us for tea and then take Granny back to her 'cottage'. DS and family joined us at around 5 pm, so that the girls could enjoy the silliness of DB!

So that was Christmas..

By the time New Year's Eve arrived, I decided my DH and I should join Granny for the celebrations, her first New Year in her 'cottage'. So I phoned her and warned her we were going to her place, then shopped for something nice for dinner at M&S! We opened champagne (M&S)and toasted the New Year with Granny's next door neighbour, Sue, and sent a glass of champers back with her for her mum who was unable to join us.

We stayed with her until Monday, having had a trip to Chatsworth on Sunday and enjoyed Sunday lunch there, and doing a little shopping in the farm shop; a Tesco trip on Monday morning made sure that she was stocked up enough should the snow show up again!

DH's birthday

My DH celebrated (is that the right word to use? Read on and you'll see why I wonder) his birthday today. The reason I query the use of the word 'celebrated' is that as a result of the continued winter weather, visitors have found it difficult to get to us. Our DD and her children did eventually brave the freezing temperatures and the slippery hill, leaving the car parked in a local car park (and paying for the priviledge!)and spent an hour with us. They brought cards and a present, and it cheered the afternoon up.

But that visit brought its own 'problem'. The cat is now out of the bag that we have taken delivery of a brand new car!

We were booked to pick it up on Tuesday, and it was with some trepidation that we watched the weather as the afternoon advanced. At the time we had to go to the dealer's it was quite clear, but as we signed the documentation, then had the 'handover' procedure, the weather closed in and it became a little nervewracking. By the time we got the car to our house, sufficient fresh snow was on the road and our drive to make negotiating through parked vehicles a white knuckle ride. We couldn't turn into our drive because there were vehicles parked too close to our entrance. Ultimately, DH just reversed into the space at the top of the drive and abandoned it! Needless to say, in the subsequent days it has been stressful, wondering if anyone might lose control of their vehicle while negotiating the narrow space left between our car and the ones on the opposite side of the road.

We hadn't said anything to the offspring about the new Galaxy,so it became the subject of many questions, and DD discussed with us her own ideas about leasing a vehicle. However, private leasing can be quite expensive, judging by the few websites we looked at.

Although the weather had stayed bright today, with no snow showers, it has started again this evening. I'm worried about my Christmas shopping, not to mention the depleting fruit and vegetables!

Snow, snow, snow no more!

We are well and truly in the grip of Siberian weather! It started snowing in earnest on Tuesday afternoon, and has subsequently laid sufficiently to make transport a bit of an issue. Being on the side of a hill our drive is quite steep, then our road slopes down, joins another which continues the downward journey - and guess what, the return journey is all uphill!! Given that our roads are too minor to be gritted as a priority, winter weather produces a challenge!

It has to be said that this type of weather is usually a once a decade event, but given the length of last winter's harsh temperatures and continual snow cover, and now this early start, one wonders if 'climate change' is truly becoming a major problem.

So much to do....

I can't believe it's so long since I wrote here. So much has NOT happened, along with so much that has!

Let me explain. The incredibly long winter this year (and not much has been mentioned about global warming recently!)has confined us to the house much more than we would like. Normally we would go for a break round about February Half Term week, and you feel that the new holiday season is getting under way. That didn't happen this year, we were still snowed in. Then as soon as the weather bucked up, it was time to move Granny out of her 3 bedroomed house into her brand spanking new 2 bedroomed Housing Association bungalow. Although she had been sorting out cupboards, deciding what she would like to keep and what needed to go to the charity shops, there was still enough to do in the 2 days between signing the Tenancy Agreement and my nephew turning up with a van and moving the furniture into her new abode. I have never seen a serving officer in the Army in action as a removal expert before! It was astounding! Picking up the fridge complete with its (meagre)contents, similarly the under-counter freezer! And then the cooker........! Well, actually my brother helped with that - he held the sack cart still while the cooker was placed on it! In a day and a half, things were in place for Mum to move in. Since then, it has been a case of 'titivating' - new lampshades, bits for the bathroom, that sort of thing.

So she officially has a new address, even though we can still access the old property as it isn't on the market yet and we still have keys. The one thing that is still preying on a lot of people's minds is the fact that Granpy is still buried in the walled border at the old house! Not to worry, he won't be forgotten!

Valentine's Day

My DH and I came to an agreement over Valentine's Day, considering that we had my DM here (since last Tuesday)- we agreed that we would ignore it! My DB and his wife had arranged to come down for Sunday lunch, so that they could take DM back home with them. We had a very pleasant few hours with them; our DS visited with his girls for an hour or so this a.m. and the girls delighted Granny; then this afternoon, having given us time to eat our lunch, our DD arrived with her younger two children and entertained us all with their antics! Our elder grandson had been resident with us since Friday, after we collected him for tea before delivering him to scouts.

Saturday was a busy day. I helped grandson's scout group to bag pack at Sainsbury's for two hours, then did a little shopping before dashing home to prepare a quick pizza lunch, before preparing fillings for sandwiches for the quick tea needed by Brenda and Rob before going to Liz for their pre-holiday haircut! Dash, dash, dash!!

Then what with the excitement of entertaining guests for lunch, it's only now I'm writing all this down that I realise how busy I've been and how exhausted I am!! lol

Big Garden Birdwatch

This weekend is the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch, when we are asked to spend an hour watching and counting the different birds in our garden. We officially counted them last year (entering the results onto the RSPB website) and previous to that we had done an informal count. What annoys me, and this is the reason we haven't entered our results in previous years, is that the birds seem to disappear at this time!! We had three blackcaps in the garden earlier this week, but today we saw one! Sometimes we have as many as six great tits, but today we had a paltry two! It's frustrating to say the least.

On Wednesday, we went to Barnsley to see DM. The original intention was to have a leisurely day, have a run out to Darfield to see the area that she is moving to, etc. However, our friends in Leeds, hearing that we were coming as far as Barnsley, invited us to bring DM up to them, so that we could perhaps see the bullfinch that has been visiting their garden, and maybe the red kite which has been flying over their property, being hassled by gulls. As luck would have it, we saw both!! And of course, our chatting inevitably overspilled our 'timetable' so it was dusk as we left Leeds, leaving no time to go over to Darfield, so that pleasure awaits us.

A good thing which came out of this visit is that we have the promise of a motorised scooter/chair for DM when she moves home and has somewhere to store it. We had been offered this vehicle when our friend's father had died, but the problem was the storage. Now we look forward to the independence this will give to DM.

When we went to Barnsley, we took with us a selection of small items from the Baby Cake Boutique, on a sale or return basis. At the last minute we added a larger bouquet to the items to take; this was sold to our friends in Leeds, and they have requested a second one so both daughter-in-laws have one!

So a good day was had by all, and a profitable one was had by Baby Cake Boutique!

Time flies

I can't believe that it is so long since I last wrote on my blog!

The weather is much better at the moment than it has been of late, we are actually having a lttle sun. It's amazing how much better you feel if the sun is shining!

I went to art class this morning and we focussed on painting skies. I started out with a blue wash, and tried the 'sponging off' technique, to create clouds, and I also tried (using wet - in - wet technique) to run colours in together, and that worked very well. my teacher was complimentary about my 'loose' painting! But it is amazing how much the colour of the paint changes when it's dry. What looked quite strong when wet faded almost to nothing when it was dry.

Last night I did a little more to the quilt I have been making on and off for several months. It is a piece (almost all) of a child's pink gingham curtain, which I bought from a charity shop. It has the most delightful pictures of child-friendly insects, you know the kind, the ones with faces, and they're smiling at you! I cut off the faded part of the fabric and I have surface-decorated the insects, some with beads, some with colourful buttons and some with stitching patterns, then I quilted around the shapes. Finally, I am putting a plain pink border around the whole. I'm in two minds about whether to create some butterfly shapes with stitching around the border. I'll see how I feel when the border is actually finished.

The DD's wedding is 'coming along' ok. We have sorted out the reference for people who know already that they are invited and who need to book rooms at the hotel where the reception is being held. We ourselves have had to book an executive family room in order to accommodate us and the grandchildren! I have had to chivvy DD to visit florists in order to secure the wedding date, even if we don't know for sure the exact flower requirements. I am making the cake myself, as I really can't justify paying the cost of a shop bought one - even with discount from M&S it would be a shocking expense. And considering that everyone is so complimentary about my Christmas cake each year, I'm sure I could make a very acceptable set of cakes to stack as a wedding cake.

Granny will be moving house in March. She has been offered, and has accepted, a new build Housing Association bungalow at Darfield. It won't be ready until March, I'm not sure if there has been any delay with the severe winter weather we have experienced. It will be wrench for her in some ways, I'm sure, with this having been the home which she shared with her husband for thirty years, and where she raised three children. But the move will allow her to have a mobility scooter, and this will give her the freedom she has been denied for the last couple of years. We are going to visit her tomorrow, and we will drive out to see the area where the bungalow is for ourselves.

We see a change

We awoke this morning to pouring rain, a real change to the ice and snow of late. The day has proceeded to be wet and consequently dull, but the birds have been having a feast at the feeders, irrespective of weather conditions. We have had blue tits, great tits, coal tits, greenfinches, chaffinch, goldfinches, dunnock, blackbirds, fieldfare - we have our own nature reserve right here!

I decided to help to clear the pantry by using up a pack of bread mix, (only a month out of date!). I was dubious as to whether it would actually rise, but thought it was worth a chance, so gave it a go. I put the four moulded loaves on baking trays and lodged them between the radiator and the linen basket in the bathroom, which is just about the warmest place in the house. It took a little longer than specified on the pack, but the loaves eventually rose the required amount and I baked them for 15 minutes. By the time I was ready to make lunch, they had cooled down to a 'new bread' temperature, and I sliced two of them and made mini sandwiches with slices of double gloucester cheese. I have made this type of pack mix before, and can't say that I have noticed a strong taste of salt in the past, but when my DH comments on the salty taste, then it must have a lot. I looked at the pack for the nutitional information - to my horror, the whole pack contained 8g of salt, and we had just consumed half the pack between us! That means my cheese sandwich cost me my (self regulated) day's allowance of salt! Not good. And my mouth is certainly telling me I've had more than I'm used to!!

Moving swiftly on

On opening the curtains in the bedroom this morning, we discovered a sight to compare with an Austrian winter wonderland! With the trees' branches decorated in the most wonderful white icing and the ground covered with the same, it was certainly a picture postcard scene. Gradually though, a sneaky thaw crept across the landscape during the morning, and without us being aware of it the snow was gently erased from the trees.

With the thaw producing more favourable conditions for travelling around, I dared to suggest to my DH that after lunch we took the opportunity to visit the hotel where the wedding reception is to be held, and sort out the problem of 'which room do we need with two four year olds and a fourteen year old?' The receptionist was very patient with us, as we explained that we were more used to being in a touring caravan than a hotel room! She contacted 'Roger', from sales, and he took us up to see the executive room, which consists of a double bed, double sofa bed, and has space for a zed-bed for the older grandson. That sorted and booked, it was another item to cross off the list of 'things to do in preparation for the wedding'!

Is it too early yet to shop for an outfit for the big day? DH seems to think it is. I put it to the readers' votes!

More weather

This is becoming a bore. The snow has been falling (in tiny flakes) for the entire morning, and the street is a sheet of ice outside our drive. My DH took the car in for its MOT and this is one of his rare excursions during this extended cold period. I feel that our lives are on hold until this extreme winter weather has run its course.

I have consoled myself this morning by doing some baking! I have been watching The Hairy Bikers, whose current series is all about 'Mums know best' - focussing on recipes which have been passed from Mums to daughters through the generations. So this morning I made an oatmeal bran fruit loaf and some butterfly buns - lovely!

More white stuff

How picturesque it was this morning. We drew back the curtains to enjoy the scenery while having our morning tea in bed, and the air was full of white flakes, the size of half crowns (giving my age away!!). Although the shower didn't last that long, it fell on top of a fairly substantial covering of snow from last night.

All sorts of concerns about the conditions crept through my brain as the morning progressed, including my DD's trip into work first thing today. When I spoke to her later, it was to find that she had persuaded her partner to drive her in and fetch her back! Apparently Next had to delay its opening time this morning, as the person with the safe keys was struggling to get the car out from under the pile of snow!. And last night the store closed early, round about 7p.m, to allow staff to get home.

Wedding arrangements have moved on a little, we have had dialogue with the hotel as to a ref. number for guests to quote for the 'wedding rate'. We will be able to pass this on to the guests as soon as the hotel emails it to us!

My DH has occupied himself with assembling a new bike, purchased from Tesco yesterday. It was a bit of an 'impulse buy' on his part, which surprised me a little, but the attraction of the bike was that it has 18 gears and weighs less than 15kg, which is the 'average weight' limit for the bike carrier on the motorhome. Having assembled it, he then had to find space in the garage for it. The problem is, he bought two of these bikes, one for our grandson as well, for when we all go off in the motorhome! Ah well.....

But thinking of motorhomes, it must be time to look at the 'Sites for Holidays' in the Camping and Caravanning Club Magazine! I'd better sign off now, and look for the magazine. I'll just say that as I write, the sky is a beautiful pink/mauve at the point of the sunset, with the rest of the sky being a clear blue.
So beautiful!

Snowdays

Happy New Year!

It should have been our first art lesson of the new term this morning,but Elaine rang last night and said she wasn't going in, in view of the weather, and I totally agreed with her. Our drive is a nightmare to get out of in the snow and ice,(assuming you can clear the car of ice) and then you have to tackle the slopes on two roads before you get to the area guaranteed to be gritted... Far better to stay at home and continue tidying the Christmas chaos!

New Year's Eve

Here we are, another quiet New Year's Eve. The time seems to have slipped by and we got nothing organised for tonight, a repeat of last year. The year before that, I was ill with an ear infection, and although we kept our date with our friends in Leeds, and ate out at a posh Chinese restaurant, I must have been very poor company!
So it was three years ago we last celebrated properly!

We had our DD's three children to stay again last night, to facilitate her getting to work easily this morning. So I felt it only the proper thing to do to invite our DS and his two girls over to join in! They stayed over lunchtime, but had to leave shortly afterwards to prepare for a visit to Rotherham again, to see in the New Year Yorkshire style!!

I have enjoyed watching Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest - and now my DH has put on an old Doris Day film, in preference to Graham Norton ! lol!