Simple Pleasures

iPhone Photo Friday 4

2012-02-10T21:27:00.001Z

Well, here it is, Friday again and that means a round up of the week according to my iPhone and Instagram.

Rarely do we get a Sunday newspaper anymore. However, William went out for one last Sunday and mid-morning we sat down together with a cup of tea and trawled through it. Sunday papers are content heavy aren't they? It can take me nearly a full week to get to the end of one! As a point of interest - see the smaller headline in the top left hand corner. It's pointing out an article on bloggers. It's not unusual anymore is it, to be a blogger?
A photo from that same paper. The building is the 17th century Tan Hill Inn way up on top of the Yorkshire Moors. Those lights are the Northern Lights! I had no idea they could be seen from anywhere in Great Britain. This spectacular photo was captured by a press photographer last week and has been reproduced around the world. Apparently stargazers have been up there every night since hoping the phenomenon will recur. Now that is one sight I would love to see!
Monday morning I collected Charlie from Nursery School. This is the glorious view, looking over to the Pennines, from his school.
Wednesday and the wool I had ordered to begin my new obsession, crochet, arrived. After watching several Youtube tutorials I made a start that night.
Midweek William surprised me with a little pressie. A pretty mini azalea in full bloom.
Thursday night my first crochet hat almost completed.
I had an appointment at the optician's this morning. While waiting the 20 minutes or so for the eye drops to dilate my pupils I wandered over the road to the Coach House Visitor Centre but it was closed. However the Greek restaurant within the Coach House building was open and the owner spotted me hanging around. He kindly invited me to take a seat in his restaurant and read a magazine or something while I waited. Now wasn't that nice and friendly?
Charlie happily scoffing an ice cream this affy at the Lake Visitor Centre. That little chap loves his ice cream!
Et voila! My first ever crocheted anything, completed this evening. My daughter, Caroline, is going to look just lovely in this little creation.

Kathleen.

That cold snap...

2012-02-08T19:40:00.001Z

...I mentioned last week is still with us and by all accounts it's here to stay for a little while longer.

And that's ok with me. Mind you I don't have to get up at the crack of dawn and de-ice the car before I get in it and go to work. I might mind a bit if I had to do that! Happily I don't have to do that and so was able to go out in the icy cold fresh air today on foot and just enjoy it.

Victoria, my elder daughter, came round this morning and we took the dogs for an energising walk round the neighbourhood. Muffin badly needs a haircut but it's far too cold for that at the minute and for that he is truly thankful. He hates going to the groomers.

Kathleen.

iPhone Photo Friday 3

2012-02-04T21:12:00.001Z

I know it's Saturday, but better late than never. Time is flying by. A week seems to take no time at all. And I can't believe we are already in February!

George, my 8 year old grandson, stayed for tea on Monday night.
Didn't feel so good yesterday so I got me some reading matter, a cup of tea and took it easy for most of the day.
The weather has been cold, bright and sunny this week. I took this photo in the living room yesterday when the sun was streaming in through the window and brightening my otherwise yucky day.
One of my favourite houseplants, a miniature orchid. I'm waiting patiently for it to bloom again. Also, one of my favourite little things, a little Cardinal of Love glass bird. Handmade and also purchased in Arkansas, USA.
My all-time favourite little clock.
A Fish Eye Lens pic of framed pics. I really quite like that little App.
Charlie had a sleepover here last night. He was so excited and thrilled to be staying with us. Although he has slept here several times before, it must have been awhile and we've never called it a sleepover before. The whole thing really floated his boat!
A screenshot of the weather App on my phone. Just like the picture suggests it is snowing hard outside!
A photo of my dear mother taken a long time ago. The old ceramic figure of a drunken Scotsman clinging onto a lamppost belonged to my mother. It's musical and plays the old song, "I Belong to Glasgow".

Another photo that brings back happy memories. My mother was born in Cleveleys and loved it. She also loved the neighbouring towns along the coast. In fact, I don't think she was ever happier than when she was back there by the sea. This photo was taken over at Knott End on Sea. Mother, my two girls, then only little, and I had gone over on the ferry from Fleetwood. We were staying for the weekend in a Bed & Breakfast just off the prom in Fleetwood. We had a lovely time together just tootling around and taking in that fresh sea air. Happy times.

Kathleen.

A Walk on the Wild Side

2012-02-02T20:41:00.001Z

The wild side of our local lake that is. Here in my neck of the woods we are enjoying (or maybe enduring depending on your point of view) a cold snap in the weather just now.

Yesterday afternoon a couple of friends and I arranged to meet for a walk round the lake and a coffee and natter afterwards. Boy, was that hot drink welcome at the end of that walk. Believe me, it was freezing out there. I thought my ears were going to drop off!

There they are above. Poor Diane has had surgery on her foot and is temporarily using a walking stick. Vanessa joked that we were not unlike the characters in the telly programme, The Last of the Summer Wine.

Thinking about that remark reminded of this photo of William taken on a rather steep uphill walk at Bolton Abbey a couple of years ago. Now I'd say he was a dead ringer for Compo wouldn't you?

On another note I was in Hebden Bridge on Tuesday and noticed this display of needlecraft books in a bookshop window. See the little lilac book, "Keep Calm and Cast On". That's exactly what I'm itching to do. I'm desperate to learn how to crochet and...

Photo from Ravelry.com

... then I can whip up a granny squares blanket like this one!!! There's nothing like positive thinking. I'm off now to search the internet for the necessary goodies.

Until next time.

Kathleen.

iPhone Photo Friday 2

2012-01-27T19:49:00.001Z

Well, it's Friday again and like last week I'm here with a roundup of this week's iPhone pics.

In an unplanned trip to Manchester's Arndale Centre last Saturday with Caroline, Trev and Charlie I spotted a Waterstone's bookshop. And inside it I spotted Pioneer Woman's book! I didn't expect to see that in a UK bookshop. In blogland Pioneer Woman is huge and I even have one of her cookbooks which I posted about here in 2009.
The Arndale Centre isn't a place I ever shop so some of the names were new to me. Hotel Chocolat being one in particular. I was mesmerized by it's classy displays. It's got to be a chocoholic's paradise!
I am familiar with Apple and was happy to see one if its stores on Saturday. I popped inside and had a word with a sales assistant. I wanted to make sure that Face Time is free UK-USA just as it is within the the UK. Happily it is. I want my sister in Arkansas to get an iPhone now so we can chat face to face and knowing that it's free I'm hopeful she'll be getting one soon.
My lovely cousin, Sylvia, and her equally lovely twin daughters came over to visit on Sunday. Sylvia brought me a little gift. A china teacup and saucer, (made in England) that holds a fragranced candle. Very pretty, thank you, Syl!
I collected George and Nicholas from school on Tuesday because their mum wasn't well. They were both so happy to see me. I must make a point of doing that more often.
A self portrait. Don't know what to say about that.
Nicholas stayed for tea last night while George was at football practice. We played "Hide the Thimble". He was as good as gold.
"Curious Case of the Vanishing Killer" was a headline in the paper today. Deaths from heart disease have dropped remarkably in the UK in the last decade! Good news for once - but it didn't make the front page. It was tucked away inside somewhere. Shame isn't it? You'd think that good news like that would be welcome on the front page once in a while.
And finally, we've got snow. Picture taken with a new little App on my iPhone. Fisheye lens, it was free and it's fun.

And that's it for now.

Kathleen

It's a Boy Thing

2012-01-23T21:16:00.001Z

I collected Charlie from Nursery at lunchtime.

There's some work being carried out at the back of the railway station in our little town. I parked the car and let Charlie have a close up view of the diggers in action. There was another lady there too with her little boy in his buggy watching the goings on.

It's plain and simple. Little boys love diggers.

Kathleen.

Photos taken with my iPhone.

iPhone Photo Friday

2012-01-20T20:09:00.001Z

A few iPhone pics from an uneventful week. By the way I have nothing against uneventful. Uneventful is relaxed and easygoing.

Plenty of fruit in the house. Trying to eat more of it.
Tuesday was a day without rain, Charlie and I went for a walk in the park after Nursery.
I took Charlie to the visitor centre at the lake yesterday. We spent ages following the road sweeper around, he was fascinated by it!
Charlie made a train in the visitor centre theatre. I bought a ticket for Devon.
I'm really enjoying the library. Spent a leisurely hour there this morning. There was a knitting group in full swing. Like I told you, this library is a friendly place.
My books.
The dreary, rainy view from my computer room window.
Pretty new shoes - a sweet pressie from my daughter, Caroline.
One of my very, very favourite photos of all time! It's of me and my girls taken many moons ago. I remember the day clearly. We had gone to Manchester to meet my lovely cousin, Sylvia. We are in St. Ann's Square sitting outside a cafe, not something we did very often in those days. Sylvia took the photo. Do you remember that day, Syl? I wonder if you girls do?

Do you know, I think I could write a full post on that little photograph. The little brass frame is one of a set of three I bought that year with money my dad gave me for Christmas. I got them from Marks and Spencer. I made the pinafore dress Victoria is wearing. I remember her modelling it in the garden for me when it was finished and my next door neighbour, Muriel, saying what a good job I'd done. Muriel was ever such a lovely lady. Caroline's was a little sailor dress from Marks and Spencer and I loved it. I thought both the girls looked really nice that day. Just a couple of weeks after the photo was taken we went to Arkansas to my sister's home for our summer holiday and had one of our best holidays ever.

Ok, I'm done reminiscing, it was nice though.

Kathleen.

Wycoller Country Park

2012-01-15T22:02:00.001Z

A sharp frost covered the ground this morning but that didn't stop us from enjoying a day in the countryside. Actually, for me, it only enhanced the pleasure. I love to get all wrapped up and get out in the fresh air when it's cold.

Victoria, Gary and the boys joined William and I today for an outing to the village of Wycoller and its surrounding Country Park. Wycoller is said to be one of the prettiest villages in Lancashire and is only a 45 minutes or so drive away from our doorstep.

None of us had ever been to Wycoller before so we were all in for a treat. Quaint and pretty to say the least and mainly traffic free too.

Wycoller is in Bronte country, follow this link for info on that connection.

Above you can see the remains of 16th century Wycoller Hall on the left. A visitor information centre is in the barn on the right of the photo.

The boys loved it. There was plenty of room for them to run around and ride their bikes. I imagine it's a different story on a summer's day when the place will be heaving with visitors. It was fairly busy today in the depths of winter.

Seven bridges cross Wycoller Beck and I think it's the one above that is reported to be around 1,000 years old! That's George above, I guarantee he was wishing he'd got his wellies on so he could go paddling.

Lots of old houses, quite a few of them for sale. Pretty as this village is, I don't think I'd like to live right in the middle of it, it must be like living in a goldfish bowl!

Picnic area complete with duck pond.

Another bridge - maybe it's this one that's 1,000 years old?

Did I mention it was cold!

Beautiful landscape.

An abundance of dry stone walls. Little boys just have to climb don't they?

Rich farming country I think. Tons of sheep in the fields.

It was a lovely day and we had a great time. George posing for me!

Here I am in the ruins of Wycoller Hall with George. He particularly seemed to be having a good time today and wants us to take him back again. I think that can be arranged, no problem!

Kathleen.

Puppy Guide Dog

2012-01-10T20:52:00.001Z

Whilst taking our little dog, Muffin, for a walk round the neighbourhood the other day I met this lady and her little dog, a beautiful Labrador puppy.

We stopped to chat, how you do, dog owner to dog owner.

This 16 weeks old Lab is a Guide Dog Puppy in Training. I discovered through our little chat, perhaps everybody else knows this but I didn't, that the Puppy Walkers keep the puppies for around 12 months. Their task is to socialize them and give them basic training. The puppies are taken everywhere with the walkers, on buses, trains, in crowds, mixing with other animals etc. At the end of the 12 months the puppies then go on for actual Guide Dog Training.

He looks angelic doesn't he? The walker was telling me though that he was really lively and quite a handful to look after. I'm sure she'll sort him out. After 7, or was it 8 puppies, I think she knows what she's doing!

Kathleen.

Worsthorne and Hurstwood.

2012-01-08T22:29:00.001Z

The plan today was to take a hike.

In particular, this little hike.

Which I came across in this recently purchased little book.

So, William and I got our act together and even though it was raining, drove the 30 minutes or so to Worsthorne. Ever the optimist, I was sure the rain would stop before we got there and that we would, as promised in the guide book, be able to drink in the "sweeping views of hauntingly beautiful countryside".

I was wrong, it didn't stop. We got to the start of the hike and looked out across the field and the "gentle ascents" that would lead us up to Hurstwood Reservoir. The hilltops were shrouded in very low lying mists. It didn't look like we were going to see much of that "hauntingly beautiful countryside" today.

So we beat a slow retreat and decided instead to explore the village of Worsthorne. (He loves that hat. Me, not so much).

I have to say Worsthorne is a pretty village, unfortunately today it was a pretty smelly one. One of those "healthy" country smells was in the air.

I think the farmer and his bovine friends had been doing a bit of team work.

Lots of quaint cottages.

This charmingly named Foxglove Cottage is for sale. I looked it up when we got home. If you fancy a nosy here's the link to the estate agent selling it. Although pretty inside at £169,950 it's not cheap!

I love the rolling green hills and dales and dry stone walls of our beautiful English countryside. I just wish the rain would stop for a while so that we could enjoy it!

Kathleen.

Bramsche

2012-01-04T18:38:00.001Z

William, unusually for him, had the afternoon off work today.

So we went out for lunch. Not far, just to Bramsche. No, not the town in Germany but the new cafe bar in Todmorden that I've taken a liking to.

I particularly like to be in a cosy cafe reading the paper when the weather outside is wet and miserable - just like it was today. I snapped this photo as a group of ramblers all togged up in waterproof clothes passed by on the other side of the road. It gives you an idea of just how wet it was - and still is!

Both images taken with the Instagram App on my iPhone. I don't know how I ever managed without Instagram. I think I'm addicted to it!

Kathleen.

Kids today...

2012-01-03T18:25:00.001Z

... have all manner of super duper high tech, computerised games and gadgets to play with. My grandsons are no exception. Eight year old George for instance got an iPod Touch for Christmas. He and his brother, and dad too for that matter, play on the PlayStation, play games on the iPad etc., etc. They're very lucky little boys at their house.

But ... when my grandsons come to my house we (I say we because I'm usually in the thick of it!) play different kinds of games. Very often we play games with lots of pretend in them but often too, it'll be a "proper" game such as Hide and Seek, Hide the Thimble, Draughts or a game of cards.

George stayed over with us the night before last and we played cards and then Ludo. Funny isn't it? All the technology that's around but you still can't beat a good old board game like Ludo!

I wonder what games George will be playing with his grandchildren?

Kathleen.

The Library

2011-12-31T16:58:00.001Z

Yesterday I took my books back to the library and chose a few to bring home with me again.

When did libraries get so friendly? Whilst there yesterday I had a mince pie, a free one, courtesy of the library. I could've had a hot drink too had I wanted one.

As children my cousin Sylvia and I spent many, many happy hours in our local library but in those days we had to be quiet. Not anymore, children play, chatter and do crafts, completely unhindered by anybody telling them to sshhhh!

I haven't been a member of the library for a long time and things have changed, for the better I might add. It's not that I ever stopped reading but that I've been buying my books mainly from charity shops. However, recently I've re-joined the library and am loving it. Sadly though, libraries are under threat in these times of economic crisis and are closing down at a steady pace throughout the country to save money. Such a shame!

Kathleen.

Towneley Park

2011-12-30T21:36:00.001Z

On Wednesday Caroline, Trev and Charlie along with William and I took a ride over to Towneley Park.

I wanted to take a look at all the Christmas stuff that I knew would be on sale in the park's garden centre..

I really don't need another thing in the line of Christmas decorations but when things are half price it's hard to resist and, big spender that I am, I bought these two lovely little baubles for the tree.

Charlie had great fun in the play area. He loves these diggers.

The last time we were here in the summer Charlie could hardly reach those controls.

He's grown a lot it would seem and is doing better with them now. A helping hand from his daddy is always welcome though.

After time in the play area for Charlie we strolled up towards the very imposing Towneley Hall. Actually it was a bit cold for strolling and the rain had started to come down so hurried, would be a more accurate term to use.

What we needed was shelter from the cold and windy, rainy weather. Our destination therefore was the converted stable block, above, which is now the cafe. We enjoyed a hot drink sitting by the window with this lovely view to admire before we once again braved the elements, spent a little more time in the play area and headed back home.

“Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.”
― Anthony J. D'Angelo

Who cares about the weather when you're with good company!

Kathleen.

Christmas Catch Up

2011-12-29T15:57:00.001Z

Well, can you believe Christmas has been and gone? No, me neither.

I've been neglecting this blog over the holidays but things are beginning to calm down now, so here I am playing catch up.

On the Thursday evening before Christmas Day Caroline rang and asked me if I'd like to go out for a quick Starbuck's with her, Trev and Charlie. Of course, I said yes. The little outing also involved a quick look round just a couple of shops. Fortunately there was nothing any of us were wanting to buy. Thankfully Christmas shopping was all done for us.

I had the Eggnog Latte at Starbucks. It was delicious!

Christmas Eve we all, (except Caroline's husband who was working) went for a wet and windy walk round the lake. Above, Nicholas saw me with the camera in hand and promptly pulled his hat over his face! Little monkey!

Here's our littlest grandson, Charlie. As well as a wet and windy afternoon it was cold and I think Charlie was feeling it!

We stopped at the cafe at the far side of the lake for a warming hot drink. I caught Gary and Victoria looking a bit glum in this picture. They weren't, they were just cold. Having said that, our surroundings were very grim looking. The sky was so grey and it rained on and off but I for one enjoyed the walk and there were lots of other people out doing the same thing too.

Just a few images from Christmas and that I think is it for today. My daughter has just turned up with her boys, George and Nicholas, and they want me to play!

Kathleen.

We've got snow.

2011-12-18T13:36:00.001Z

It's a man thing. As soon as it snows they're all out there with their snow shovels having a great time.

Or at least it looks like they're having a great time! I'm glad they seem to enjoy it because we live at the bottom of a hill and if these neighbours didn't all get out there and work together shifting all the snow it'd be a whole lot more difficult getting up that hill in our cars.

I hope it doesn't stay around too long though. Snow can easily outstay it's welcome to my mind! It always looks so pretty though.

Kathleen.

If you do stuff stuff gets done.

2011-12-14T21:11:00.001Z

Well, today I got stuff done and it looks like I'm going to have Christmas in the bag by weekend! I have been known to still be traipsing round the shops on Christmas Eve in previous years, but not this time, thank goodness.

One of my jobs today was to go to The Post Office and get my Christmas cards sent off. As a matter of interest I post cards to Ireland, Wales, the USA, Australia, New Zealand and France as well as some much closer to home.

Anyway, in and amongst my errands I made time for a coffee in a favourite coffee shop at lunchtime and this was the view (Instagram image) I had as I sipped my latte and read Sunday's paper with it. Yes, last Sunday's paper. The Bear Cafe doesn't provide daily newspapers only weekend ones for its customers. No problem there for me, I prefer a Sunday paper, there's always more in them. The view was a bit dreary, it's very cold and very wet in these parts just now.

This afternoon I watched George's school Christmas play. It was called Pirates of the Curry Bean, not exactly Christmassy but it was funny and entertaining. 8 year old George was a sailor in it, he looked really cute. Last week I watched Nicholas and Charlie in their concerts too. I also attended a Police Carol Concert with Caroline last week. That was a good night, the singing was loud and enthusiastic accompanied by the Police Brass Band. What more can one ask? That's it for another year now though.

Kathleen.

Lunch at the Lake

2011-12-13T21:15:00.001Z

Yesterday I had lunch with these two lovely ladies. We called it our Christmas Do. Just the three of us, in the restaurant by our beautiful local lake. A light lunch, laughter and lots of chat. We had a whale of a time.

Insomnia is still bugging me. I decided to do something useful instead of reading in bed this morning. I got up before dawn and wrote out my Christmas cards. I've read somewhere about people who suffer with insomnia so much that some nights they don't even go to bed and instead do housework and other productive things. I'm hoping I don't get that bad!

Online shopping. I bought some goodies from The Body Shop recently. They had 50% off everything for one day only last week. Now that was my kind of shopping!

I don't usually have a colour theme with my decorations but this year I'm going with red and green as much as I can.

And lastly, one little dog who is always hungry. This photo was taken at about 10 p.m. last night. Muffin wanted his supper. I know he's eating too much these days and putting weight on, but he's getting on in years and he just stares at me until I give in. So, sooner or later, I give in. I can't stand that staring business!

All pics taken with my iPhone.

Kathleen.

Skating and the City

2011-12-10T20:40:00.001Z

Bright and early this morning William and I along with Victoria and her family set off to catch the train into Manchester. The purpose of the visit was to take the boys ice skating at the open air rink in Spinningfields.

Neither of the boys had ever been ice skating before and both needed a bit of help to get going. Nicholas hit the ice first- buttocks first, that is!

George gets a helping hand from his daddy.

And so does Nicholas.

And then a bit of help from a sturdy penguin.

George takes a breather with his mum.

William and I took a breather in a nearby coffee shop.

Then before too long George (centre of the photo) found his balance and was off on his own.

Even 4 year old Nicky Noo got the hang of it before the 45 minute session was over. Both boy's jeans and gloves were wet through when they came off the ice. Next time a spare pair of trousers in a bag for each of them will be taken along. I'll bet there's a few bruises to be found on their little bodies tomorrow! Gary might have the odd bruise too, poor man, even he took a tumble!

After the ice skating we walked back into the city centre through the crowds of shoppers and the very busy Christmas Markets. I have posted photos of them here and here over the last couple of years.

Amongst the street entertainment today was this "human statue". He was a bit different to others I've seen before. He looked like the wind was blowing his clothes away. How they stand still for so long I do not know. I couldn't do it.

The Manchester Wheel. I've been up in that a couple of times and I have no desire to go up in it again. I'd much rather have my feet on terra firma.

It was a fun day, something a little bit different and just right for the season too.

Kathleen.

This is what...

2011-12-05T14:34:00.001Z

...it looks like in my neck of the woods today.

It's the middle of the afternoon with the temperature at 39 degrees. It's cold, windy, overcast with intermittent showers of rain and we've got a light scattering of snow. It's also invigorating, wild and wonderful and just right for taking the dog a walk. And that's what I've just done with my older daughter and her little dog.

It's also good to be back inside drinking a cup of hot coffee.

Kathleen.

This and That.

2011-12-03T19:06:00.001Z

I've been playing with my new toy lately. All these pics were taken with my iPhone. All but the first one was taken with the Instagram App.

This photo is a photo of George and Nicholas's school photo from September. I think it's one of the best school photos I've ever seen, of anybody, ever. There are more, all excellent too, but this is the only one I took a picture of.

Been reading my Scott Kelby digital photography books. They were a Mother's Day present a couple of years ago, I read them a lot and have learned a lot from them.

This picture is of my mother as a young woman. I think she was maybe 21 or so when this photo was taken. I think she looks beautiful! The original photo is sepia with quite a bit of damage. I've tidied it up in Photoshop Elements, turned it to black and white and I think it looks a lot better now.

I went Christmas shopping on Wednesday. I could not have picked a worse day. Millions of public sector workers were on strike that day and it seemed like every one of them was on the M60 motorway going in the same direction as me. In fact they were all going to the same place as me - The Trafford Centre shopping mall. I spent more time in the car in traffic jams than in the shops. In the end I drove right past the Trafford Centre, it was packed to overflowing, and went to John Lewis at Handforth Dean. Unfortunately John Lewis was also overflowing with opportunistic shoppers. But, I found somewhere to park and went in the store. Did I buy anything? No, not a sausage! Hence the photograph above. This parcel was ordered by Caroline over the internet and delivered right to my doorstep. No fuss, no wasted time and no fraught nerves. Now, that's the way to go Christmas Shopping!

Christmas decorating has commenced in my home, albeit in a very small way. It's a start though.

Insomnia is bugging the life out of me just lately. Wonder if this strong coffee has got anything to do with it?

Oh, and I'm liking my new toy.

Kathleen.

When I Am an Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple

2011-11-26T21:27:00.001Z

Well, not a lot of any great importance going on round here but I still thought I'd put fingers to keyboard and report anyway.

An assortment of stuff here to say the least. Starting top left and moving on clockwise.

Last weekend my lovely sister in law, Brenda, gave me a sweet little Wedgewood bud vase which matches the little vase she gave me some time ago. Also, showing are my two winter cyclamen, aren't they lovely? They were just £1 each from Morrisons. Good value don't you think?
William, busy repositioning pictures and my Portmeirion plates on the kitchen walls for me.
A little reminder of what's just around the corner.
I spotted this little Father Christmas night light in Costco yesterday and had to bring him home with me.
I paid a visit to Housing Units and rather liked this leather sofa. I think we'll be buying a new 3 piece suite in the New Year.
This afternoon my girls came round with their boys to visit. The boys turned my dining room into a zoo. I play the zookeeper, George and Charlie are monkeys and Nicholas is always a guard dog!
Gary came round a little later with their little dog.
It's a mad house here at times.
I wouldn't have it any other way.
The little Father Christmas and the Wedgewood vase are my Simple Pleasures this week.

Yesterday afternoon I snagged a couple of bargains. The frame was £5, you'd pay a lot more than that in somewhere like John Lewis. I found this one in a curtain factory shop. I had no idea they sold things like that. The book was 40p in a local charity shop and the Guinness As Usual mug was in the same shop.

Guinness is a favourite tipple of mine and that's why this little cup caught my eye. When I discovered it was actually made in Ireland and was only 30p I brought it home with me.

So, why the title? Well, I bought the purple fleece you see in the picture yesterday. When I came home I changed out of my "good" clothes into some more comfortable clothes. I reached into my drawer and chose a purple sweater to wear and what was I taking off? - yep, a purple sweater!

The poem Warning, When I Am An Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple by Jenny Joseph immediately came to mind. Click on the link to read the poem, - I'm sure it'll bring a smile to your face.

Kathleen.

Llandudno and Betws Y Coed

2011-11-21T23:46:00.001Z

Friday night when William got home from work we loaded up the car with all the paraphernalia needed for a weekend away and drove down to north Wales for the weekend to visit with William's sister and her husband. They live only an hour and a half away so it's a very comfortable drive after a day at the grindstone.

Here we are, Saturday morning, on Llandudno beach.

And here's William with his sister and brother in law tucking into pie and chips from the chippy. Brenda is just about to crack open a flask of hot coffee. That was our lunch on Saturday and boy did it taste good in the bracing sea air after we had done a fair bit of traipsing around Llandudno's shopping streets! Traipsing which included a Craft Market and an Antiques Fair.

We had a full day Saturday. After taking in Llandudno, at my request, we made a visit to Jackson's Garden Centre at Dysserth for afternoon tea. I have mentioned this Jackson's in a previous post. Not only is it in a beautiful countryside setting, they have a lovely restaurant and sell all sorts of gorgeous interior decor stuff and of course just now it's jam packed full of Christmas goodies.

By the time we were leaving Dysserth the sun was setting and putting on a spectacular show. Shame about the overhead cables, I know, but the sunset was so beautiful I had to include it.

Sunday, Brenda and Arthur took us inland to breathtakingly beautiful Betws Y Coed, a little town and a magnet for tourists, in Snowdonia National Park. We have been here several times over the years but never in autumn. It was a sight to behold for sure.

Brenda and Arthur beside the rocky River Conway which flows right through the centre of Betws Y Coed.

My pictures don't do it justice.

If you are ever in north Wales take the time to visit Betws Y Coed, you won't be sorry you did.

As our visit drew to a close a look inside St. Mary's Church seemed a good way to finish the day off. Our car was parked in the church car park. Quite properly, it's a pay and display one. Anyway, William and I had just completed our tour of the church when we heard a magical sound. A male voice choir was practising in the church hall! I dashed to the car to get Brenda so that she could have a listen too. Wales is renowned the world over for its history of singing and male voice choirs. Shivers went up and down my spine as I stood and listened. It was one of those moments I'll always remember.

Kathleen.

I've Been Digi-Scrapping Again.

2011-11-17T21:43:00.001Z

I've managed to finish a few digital scrapbook pages recently. I'm good at starting these things but not always as good at finishing them!

The page above features photos from last Saturday morning of my son in law and grandson. I have been wanting to do a layout around this poem for this father and son duo for ages. I made one a few years ago for my other son in law and I know that Trev liked that one. I hope he likes this one too when he sees it.

This layout features photos of my two little grandsons taken on a recent Sunday morning walk through Cragg Vale.

And lastly this layout will keep the memories alive from our autumn holiday in Devon.

And that's what I love about photographs and digital scrapbooking - they both keep memories alive. Without photographs like these, the everyday little things that aren't really important would be forgotten, or at best a hazy recollection. But in years to come with photographs and digi-scrapped pages to look over, those everyday things (and out of the ordinary things) will be clear as a bell treasured memories.

Credits for the kits used in these pages can be found over on My Digi-scrapping World blog.

Kathleen.

A Little Bit More...

2011-11-15T22:33:00.001Z

...on our autumn holiday in Devon.

A late afternoon stroll down toward the Donkey Sanctuary.

Caroline and Charlie found a sandy patch on pebbly West Bay beach for Charlie to dig in.

One afternoon William and I embarked on a hilly hike up Peak Hill which is on the outskirts of Sidmouth.

Part way up I stopped to capture the view looking back to Sidmouth with Jacob's Ladder in the near distance. That's the white structure climbing up the cliff face to Connaught Gardens. Those steps are high and steep and not for anyone suffering in the slightest from vertigo.

William takes a breather on the way up.

It really was quite a steep climb up Peak Hill but the views were worth it.

Another view taken on the way back down into Sidmouth. As we got further down the hill we could hear the intermittent sound of a brass band being carried on the wind.

We followed the sound into Connaught Gardens. There we found a local brass band playing their hearts out to a small but appreciative Sunday afternoon audience. I was thrilled to bits, I love a brass band. Our younger daughter, Caroline, was in the school band all the way through senior school.

And what do you know! Here she is, looking very lovely, relaxed and happy on Sidmouth front.

And finally, William checking in with the folks back home on his mobile.

That's the last of our October week in Devon photographs. I've enjoyed going through them again to post on here too.

Until the next time.

Kathleen.

Where does the time go?

2011-11-14T21:28:00.001Z

No, really, where does the time go? I just don't seem to have enough of it lately. I haven't been near this blog in almost a week and I really don't want to get behind with it if I can help it, 'cause this I know - catching up is far harder than keeping up.

Anyway here's some of the fun stuff I've been doing this past week.

Friday afternoon I got the train into Manchester to meet my lovely cousin, Sylvia. We had lunch and a good old chinwag. We mooched in and out of the shops, all the time having a good old chinwag. Stopped for a coffee break and had a good old chinwag. I think it's safe to say there was a lot of chinwaggin' going on!

As you can see Manchester is definitely gearing up for Christmas. Kendal's Christmas window displays were gorgeous. The Christmas Markets were just in the process of being set up. All the Christmas street lights were up and glittering. They were very pretty, as usual. And as usual Sylvia and I had a lovely time together and I'm hoping we can do it again before Christmas.

The two photos above were taken with my iPhone. (Have you ordered yours yet, Syl?)

Now, then, for something completely different. Guess who that is in the riding gear? Yep, it's me! My son in law Trev got a new motorbike recently and had promised to take me for a spin on it.

True to his word, Saturday morning he took me for that spin.

Trev managed to borrow a helmet and biker jacket for me from a friend. I'll tell you something, those helmets are not the most comfortable hats in the world. They're heavy and have to be a very snug fit. Very snug. I didn't think I'd get my head inside this one, but I did - just!

Here we are ready for the off. Uppermill was our destination, not too far but far enough. Caroline followed behind in the car with Charlie. It was exciting, exhilarating and extremely draughty round the ankles. Thanks for the experience, Trev!

Coffee and cakes were on the agenda too. (An Instagram picture)

River Tame runs alongside the park in Uppermill.

Charlie had a great time crossing back and forth on the stepping stones with his daddy.

Looking back, I'm happy to say, it wasn't that bad a week after all. It was just all the hassle with my internet provider, wi-fi, my iPhone connection to it and the interminable amount of time I had to spend on the phone with the people at Orange to solve the problems.

Kathleen.

Dove Stone Reservoir

2011-11-08T12:15:00.000Z

Autumn. What's not to love about autumn I ask you? Sunday was an absolutely glorious autumn day. Blue skies, crisp, dry and not too cold. Perfect in fact for a walk in the country.

William and I did just that. We took a ride over to Dove Stone Res Sunday afternoon and joined tons of other people with the same idea.

Stunning scenery at every turn.

A babbling brook, perfect to sit beside with a picnic. I'm going to do that next time.

I got a new toy on Friday, an iPhone. One of the first things I did on it was download Instagram. I used it to take this picture of William walking ahead of me. I think I'm going to get a lot of use out of this little app.

Not a particularly good photo of the two of us but the background is so lovely I couldn't not include it.

Toward the end of the walk William decided we should take a shortcut down this hill. It doesn't look it for some reason in this picture but that was one steep hill. One of those where it's best to zigzag as you go. We made it though. There's life in the old dogs yet!

Another picture taken with my new toy. After our walk a little bit of sustenance was called for. Therefore we called in at the garden centre just outside Uppermill and look what I had. Yes, a mince pie! A reminder that Christmas is less than seven weeks away!!

And before I go wanted to include this picture of my First Born's First Born playing footie. He's only recently taken up football and is now goalie on the team. That's him in the white shirt. William and I went to watch him play before going to Dove Stone's. Football isn't my thing, I'd rather watch paint dry than watch a game of football. But when your 8 year old grandson is one of the players it's a whole different ball game.

Kathleen.

Saturday afternoon...

2011-11-07T19:48:00.000Z

...I needed some fresh air and wanted to go for a walk. Not wanting to go on my own I asked if the boys wanted to come with me. I asked their mother too but she was busy ironing. Charlie was asleep at his house so it was me, George and Nicholas. Oh, and my little dog, Muffin.

We didn't go far, just up the road to Ealees. We all like it there and of course, winter or summer, the water is a big attraction for the boys. We played Follow My Leader along the way until I nearly fell over with all the twizzes we were doing!

George and Nicholas both had their wellies on but it was inevitable that one of them would go too deep. George's right foot got a good old soaking of icy cold water.

Nicholas just got filthy. He's really good at that. Bless his little cotton socks!

I'm including this snap of the cottages we pass en route because of the beautiful autumn colours in the background.

Saturday was Bonfire Night and for the first time in a long time we didn't have a bonfire party in our garden. The ground was far too wet so we'll just have to have one another weekend when the weather and grass are both dry.

However, we did drive up and park on Blackstone Edge, one of the highest points in this hilly area of ours with panoramic views for miles around. Victoria, Caroline and I took a flask each and they brought goodies to eat while we all watched the fireworks from our vantage point. In theory it was a great idea but in actual fact we saw very few fireworks. With hindsight we should've gone an hour later at 7 o'clock-ish for a better show. So after the no-show we finished the night off back at our house with a hot drink and of course there's always next year. It was still an experience though for the boys to be out after dark.

Kathleen.

Stepping It Out

2011-11-03T14:56:00.001Z

My first born daughter, Victoria, and I have been stepping it out this week. Three times we've walked round this lake and chances are we'll be doing it again tomorrow. The distance is just about 2.5 miles. Not a great distance I don't suppose but my thighs are telling me it's far enough!

See you in the morning first born.

Kathleen.

Our Autumn Holiday...

2011-11-01T21:54:00.001Z

...in Devon seems to have receded into the distance very quickly even though we only got back last Wednesday. So here are a few pictures to help keep it alive just a little bit longer.

We really had a good holiday. The weather was mixed but that was to be expected in late October. As you can see though we still managed to eat breakfast al fresco on Beer beach. The sun was shining and a mist still hung over the sea, very atmospheric. We ate breakfast at Ducky's beach cafe and the owner, a very friendly sort of fellow, was telling us that surprisingly his busiest week of the year had been in October. I imagine the Indian summer we had a taste of had a lot to do with it.

The fishing boat photo was taken on a different day to the breakfast on the beach day. I love their happy colours.

In the top right hand picture Caroline and her little boy are sitting on the pebbles at Sidmouth watching the waves roll in.

The skies were beautiful no matter what the weather was doing. The bottom left picture is one of my favourites from the week. I wish I could get a picture of the sky at night from our campsite, what a sight to behold that is!

Last but not least is William with a slightly amused look on his face.

And below a view of Beer beach with barely a soul on it!

That's it, short and sweet. More to come over the next couple of days.

Kathleen.

A Walk Through Cragg Vale

2011-10-30T20:36:00.001Z

Cragg Vale is just about a 15 minute drive away from our doorstep and it's one of my favourite places. It's so peaceful and ideal for a walk in the crisp autumn air.

This morning that's where you would have found Caroline, Charlie, Nicholas and I. Victoria had taken George to play in a football match so they couldn't come with us and the men were all busy building a shed up at Caroline's house.

Charlie and Nicholas - I asked them to stand together so I could take a nice picture of them both. They stood together alright but not once did they look my way! Never mind, maybe next time.

Nicholas collected a bag of stones to throw in the river.

Our weather is definitely autumnal now and I'm enjoying it. I'm just hoping we get a lot more autumn before we get the extra cold winter that is being forecast.

More on Cragg Vale can be found in this post from last winter.

Kathleen.

Happy as a Sandman.

2011-10-29T19:41:00.001+01:00

Here's one of the reasons why I've been absent from blogging. William, Caroline, Charlie and I have been to Devon for our final week's holiday of the year.

Charlie, in his element, digging on Westbay beach.

More to follow soon.

Kathleen.

Max

2011-10-28T20:58:00.001+01:00

I'm babysitting tonight. My girls and their boys have all gone to a Hallow E'en party and Victoria didn't want to leave Max in all on his own so she left him with me.

He looks like a sad little puppy doesn't he? He can't settle tonight. I think he's tired and wants to go home.

I know it's been a while since I posted but I'll be back over the weekend with a catch-up of the last few week's doings.

Kathleen.

A Look Back Over the Week.

2011-10-09T19:23:00.001+01:00

The week started with a birthday. A big one. My son in law, Trev, reached the big four 0. Caroline invited us all round to celebrate. The first picture shows my two sons in law, Trev and Gary. Gary turned 40 in August and because Caroline wasn't around on the day she lit the candles a second time and we sang Happy Birthday to Gary as well.

Tuesday afternoon Charlie and I made apple pies. Our lovely neighbours John and Lesley have an apple tree in their garden and they kindly gave us a big bag full of apples. So, Charlie and I got stuck in. He did a great job of rolling the pastry, turning it every which way just like I showed him to keep it in shape.

Thursday rolled around and was a good day. I dropped Charlie off at nursery school and drove over the tops to Hebden Bridge. When I said it was a good day I didn't mean weather wise. In fact it was quite the opposite, with heavy skies producing heavy rain. For some reason when it's bad weather like that I love to go to my favourite cafe in Hebden Bridge, grab a good daily newspaper (provided by the management), a cup of coffee and sit and read the paper with nothing to distract me but the river gushing by outside the cafe windows. Yep, it's a little oasis of calm and contentment!

On the way back I drove via Blackstone Edge Old Road and took some photos. The rain was lashing it down most of the time so the landscape picture was taken from inside the car. I don't like to get my camera wet if I can help it besides I prefer to look at the bad weather rather than be out in it!

Also this week I made another digital scrapbook page. I love this photo of Nicholas, my four year old grandson, and knew I wanted to build a page around it and this is what I came up with. Details over on My Digiscrapping World blog.

Friday night was a hectic night. Victoria's boys and her little dog spent the night with us and then all of Saturday. We were on the go all the time and believe it or not my camera hardly saw the light of day, hence no photos until today.

George has recently been learning how to play chess. Here he is with granddad having a game this afternoon. Just as a matter of interest the game they are playing with is Victoria's childhood one. William taught her how to play. I've never seen the attraction of the game myself.

Draughts was always the game I enjoyed. George also found an old set of that in the cupboard yesterday and that game is mine from my childhood. I taught George how to play and he cottoned on in no time at all. Nicholas was fascinated with the draughts and I "taught" him how to play too.

Caroline and Trev came round yesterday afternoon and ever present rain not withstanding Caroline and I took three little boys and two little dogs out for a walk. This little face peered up at me in the rain and I snapped the only picture of the day. He's a little cutie pie!

There we are, all up to date once again.

Kathleen.

Digital Scrapbooking

2011-10-03T21:08:00.001+01:00

It's hard to believe but my youngest grandson, Charlie, he's only three, started Nursery School a few weeks ago. He attends for three hours each morning and has taken to it like a duck to water - thank goodness! You see, it's my job quite often to take Charlie to Nursery and pick him up and because he likes it it's a very easy job. For some parents though it's not so easy. There are a couple of children who have been crying because they don't want to go in. I feel so sorry for them and their parents.

Anyway, here's the digital scrapbook page I've made to remember this big step in this little boy's life. Doesn't he look a little cutie in his "Don't you look like a big boy?" school uniform?

Details can be found over on "My Digiscrapping World" blog.

Kathleen.

Indian Summer

2011-09-29T21:32:00.001+01:00

Last week our weather was wet, windy and cold. This week it's hot, sunny and the temperatures have been in the high 70s all week, this combined with autumn leaves falling like rain to the ground.

A very nice combination too!

Both yesterday and today after I collected Charlie from nursery school I took him to the local park where we had a picnic lunch. Today Charlie got lucky - the ice cream van came into the park. I got lucky too. Charlie sat still and I was able to take loads of photographs of him. Have I ever mentioned I love taking photos?

This is the view out over our pretty little park. We have the splendid Pennines for a backdrop.

I have so enjoyed taking Charlie to the park this week. We've both had fun, he playing alongside other children, me chatting to other nans while soaking up the sun's rays. Also, I've taken a million photographs and am happy with quite a few of them. All of these things are just plain old simple pleasures which is handy because today is my day to post my weekly Simple Pleasure. So there we are.

Until next time,

Kathleen.

Men at Work.

2011-09-26T20:37:00.001+01:00

There was work to be done on the homestead yesterday. What was left of a huge sycamore tree needed to be felled. The other half of this tree came down in a wild storm we had here a couple of years ago. The remaining trunk was leaning on the garden shed and threatening to squash it. It had to go.

Billy called in a few favours, well, that's what they always say on the telly. Actually, he asked John, our next door neighbour and son-in-law Gary to come round and help him.

The offending tree trunk can be seen here behind the shed. The junk on the right is just some of the stuff that came out of that little tardis-like shed.

The men take up their places. Of course, it rained practically throughout the whole operation.

There was a whole lot of pulling, pushing and shoving going on. It seems that even little sheds can weigh a ton!

There, they got it just where they wanted it. Out of the way of the falling tree trunk. William built that shed all by himself and he didn't want his hard work being smashed to smithereens by that tree.

John had brought his chainsaw with him. It was time to get serious.

The tree trunk was lassoed.

John got the chainsaw busy. The other two heaved on the rope.

There she goes!

Gary striking a pose for the camera - bless him!

Three happy chappies, they deserved a cup of coffee after that. I was relieved that the tree felling had gone according to plan and with no casualties. However, a pickaxe and a regular axe were broken during the proceedings.

Of course, it didn't end there. The trunk had to be sawn and chopped up - no easy task, it has to be said. We now have enough firewood to last forever. Oh, and the shed had to be put back where it was and refilled with all the stuff that came out of it.

All in all it was a lot of hard work but I know that all three had quite a bit of fun too. Thanks John and Gary for all your hard work!

Kathleen.

Two Little Robins

2011-09-22T20:18:00.001+01:00

Cross-stitching. I used to be obsessed with cross-stitching and completed a fair few in my time. I first got the habit from my sister's sister-in-law, Sherry, who lives in Arkansas. Sherry had so many wonderful cross-stitch pictures on her wall and I thought they were all amazing. Sherry kindly gave me the basic instructions in how to, my sister took me to a Michael's store, where I purchased the necessities and I was off to a very enthusiastic start. That was back in the late 80s and for several years I always had one on the go. I would frame them myself too. I also passed the bug onto a few other people. One of whom is still ploughing her way through the Flower Fairies series. Which reminds me I have one of those kits tucked away waiting to be done.

Then I lost the bug for a while. Then it made a brief come back a couple of years ago and that's how long this cross-stitching of two cheery little robins has been hanging around.

Today though, I finally got motivated and framed this little, it measures 7" x 5", project. The frame is an old one I already had so I have no excuse at all for not finishing this project a couple of years ago, just lack of inclination.

However, I am thrilled to bits with the result and think the time of year is just right to get it hung on the wall. Now, I would usually link up with Dayle over at A Collection of This and That for her weekly Simple Pleasures party but sadly Dayle has decided to shut up shop (her words) and there will be no more link ups. But because this blog is after all entitled Simple Pleasures I'm going to continue once a week listing that little something that has given me pleasure, raised my spirits or made me smile.

Actually I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone and that's why the robins are perched in my nasturtiums patch. I love nasturtiums and this year they have been such a vivid shade of orange and are a source of joy every time I see them that they are also a Simple Pleasure this week.

Kathleen.

Red Squirrels

2011-09-22T10:22:00.001+01:00

I just came across this image of baby squirrels on the Yahoo home page.

Aren't they adorable?!

The Sky news article says the poor babies were a victim of Hurricane Katia and were knocked out of their nest by the high winds in Northumberland. A passer-by found them and took them to a vet's surgery who passed them onto Sanctuary Wildlife Care Centre in Morpeth. The mother squirrel was nowhere to be found.

The beautiful russet red colour of these sweet creatures reminded me that autumn is officially here. Before we know it it'll be Christmas and I'm definitely not ready for that!

Kathleen.

It's a Bit Nippy Out There.

2011-09-21T13:34:00.001+01:00

It's a lot windy too, mind you it always is up at Watergrove Reservoir.

A couple of hours ago when the skies were blue I decided to take Muffin out for a walk. By the time I got to the Res...

...the skies looked like this! Muffin and I had a bracing walk along the edge of the Res. I decided not to walk all the way around it in view of those menacing clouds.

Muffin was skipping about like a spring lamb. Well, he was once we turned back and headed for the road home. He's not too keen on going for long walks anymore.

There were quite a few walkers out this morning, mostly people walking their dogs. All clothed in waterproof jackets and winter wear. All but for one woman who was braving the elements clad in just a tshirt (of course she had trousers on too). She had to be freezing and crackers!

Guess what? I'm looking out of the window at brilliant blue skies now that I'm back in.

Kathleen.

Catchlights

2011-09-15T10:26:00.001+01:00

This beautiful little face belongs to my 4 year old grandson, Nicholas.

I took this photograph last Sunday when he was in my garden playing with his little cousin, Charlie. I think it's a very sweet photograph of Nicholas and I'm really happy with it. But what really floats my boat about this photo are the catchlights in those beautiful deep blue eyes. The colours reflected therein - blue and white and a speck of orange - are tiny images of his cousin, Charlie, his Aunty Caroline and me, his Nanny, with camera up to my eye.

Catchlights, I love 'em, especially in this little fellow's eyes and they are my Simple Pleasure this week.

I'm joining Dayle for her weekly Simple Pleasures Party.

Kathleen.

Blustery Weather

2011-09-14T12:00:00.001+01:00

I love blustery weather and that's exactly what it was yesterday. I like that word, blustery, don't you?

The wind was blowing so hard yesterday as Victoria and I walked round the lake that in parts when the wind was against us I could hardly push the buggy forward at all! Victoria carried Max some of the way. He weighs very little and she was scared he was going to get blown away. Believe me, in that wind it was definitely a possibility.

At one stage Charlie got out of the buggy to have a little run around. Max, (Victoria's baby Yorkie who is approximately 5 months old now), jumped right up in there practically before Charlie's feet had hit the ground!

Charlie played for a little while in the park and then it was back to facing that wind again.

Exhilarating, that's what our walk was yesterday and we all three loved it.

Kathleen.

West Bay, Dorset

2011-09-13T19:10:00.001+01:00

Another post on our August summer holiday in Devon. During the fortnight we spent in Devon last month Caroline introduced William and I to another new place to visit, West Bay in Dorset. I loved West Bay so much that we went right back for another visit the day after.

There's something for everybody at West Bay - beautiful pebbly beaches, I love the crunchy sound when you walk on them; cliff top walks for the energetic giving awesome sea views..

Boats for the nautically minded.

Old and new property sits side by side in West Bay. The apartments seen here are in a great location. A ground floor one had a For Sale sign in the window. I rang the number out of sheer curiousity to find out the price. How much do you think? I'll tell you, it was £335,000. Whether that's a bargain or not I wouldn't know.

Lots of places to eat. There are several take-away food bars like this one. Also there are some rather nice coffee shops and restaurants. The coffee shop we particularly liked was Ellipse facing the sea.

Plenty of ice cream to be found for this cheeky little chappy. Charlie Chops is passionate about ice cream, I think he inherited that little trait from me.

Father, daughter and grandson posing on the prom. We had a lovely walk up and down and all around this pretty little seaside town.

Fancy messing about on the river? West Bay has that on offer too.

Kathleen.

Standedge Visitor Centre

2011-09-11T19:32:00.001+01:00

Britain is expecting gale force winds this weekend courtesy of ex-Hurricane Katia but while we wait for them to hit we're having the calm before the storm kind of weather. Fortunately for me I love this kind of weather. Yesterday it was windy at times but at other times it was very calm and warm. In fact for me it was perfect weather to be out in.

Happily, Caroline and I had an outing planned and at about 10 a.m. we headed off through spectacular countryside...

...over the moors to Huddersfield. In particular to the Huddersfield Christian Fellowship. Caroline had found this little gem of a place on the internet and it fitted the bill perfectly. This church is not only a place of worship. Included in the complex is a bookshop , which is what I was interested in, a children's play area and a coffee shop - in fact something for each of us. We spent a good couple of hours here and after enjoying a snack in the cafe fresh air was needed to complete the day.

That's where Standedge Visitor Centre came in. Another suggestion of Caroline's. It's a place she knew about but had never been to. All about the canal and Standedge Tunnel - the highest, longest and deepest canal tunnel in the UK. You can just see the tunnel underneath the bunting in this picture. It travels for 3.25 miles through the hill above it.

I like how Caroline has got a firm grip of Charlie's shoulders in this picture. No way is she going to let him fall into that canal!

They didn't look it but I'll bet this father and son duo were as happy as Larry in their patient sitting and waiting for the fish to bite.

A beautiful setting located in Marsden, Yorkshire amidst lush green fields and hills, I thought Standedge a beautiful haven of peace and quiet. I'm planning on a return visit en famille. Perhaps in a few weeks time when the leaves are turning we'll pack a picnic, get out the walking boots and have a good old tromp around Marsden Moor Heritage Trail. Sounds good to me!

Well done, Caroline, two outings in one and both wonderful in different ways.

Kathleen.

My Orchid

2011-09-08T16:32:00.001+01:00

I'm in love with orchids.

I rave about orchids to anyone who will stand still and listen to me. I have three of them just now and I can't believe how easy they are to care for - just water them once a week and they're happy. It seems that they bloom forever too. What more can one ask for in a houseplant? This little beauty lives in my computer room where I see it all the time and I get so much pleasure from it you wouldn't believe it! Its colours are deep and vibrant and a pleasure to behold, especially on days like today when outside is plain old grey, wet and miserable.

I haven't linked up to Dayle for her weekly Simple Pleasures party for a few weeks but I'm getting back in the swing of things and am happy to be linking up today.

Kathleen.

Harlyn Bay

2011-09-07T21:21:00.001+01:00

While William and I were enjoying our summer holiday with my younger daughter in Devon my older daughter and her family were in Cornwall enjoying their summer holiday. So it was only natural that we would drive the couple of hours or so over there and spend the day in Cornwall with Victoria and her men.

Happily the day we chose was sunny, bright and beautiful.

We spent the day on the beach. Gary and the boys all have body boards and Harlyn Bay is superb for this kind of fun. Those waves might not be Bondi Beach big but believe me they were big, big enough to knock yours truly off my feet. Yes, I got in there and had a go at body boarding! It was exhilarating and I was quite proud of myself but I won't be buying my own body board anytime soon!

Nicholas gives his daddy a hug while they wait for the next big one to roll in.

George would stay in the water all day if he was allowed.

Nicholas too.

Here's granddad watching Nicholas jump into the water. Granddad was on pins though because Nicholas can't swim yet, he's only four, and that inlet of water was quite deep in places.

I can see why these little boys love Cornwall and going to stay in Aunty Sylvia's cottage - it's a veritable paradise, that's why!

Kathleen.

Ealees Again.

2011-09-04T20:47:00.001+01:00

I can't believe that we are in September already! Where did the time go? Anyway, ready or not, here it is and here I am with a few images from today.

The weather hasn't been too good of late and the risk of rain is never far away. Today though we risked it and took the boys for a walk through Ealees. Victoria knew that George and Nicholas would want to play in the water no matter what so she went prepared with swim shorts and a change of clothes. Charlie was asked if he wanted to paddle but he wisely said "no thanks".

The boys start back at school tomorrow after the long summer holidays and somehow that always signals a change in the weather. The nights are drawing in and the leaves are starting to fall - autumn it seems is just around the corner. Autumn is my favourite season but somehow I'm not ready for summer to end just yet. Does anybody else feel like that?

I'll be back soon with photos from our summer holiday in Devon.

Kathleen.

Trying to get back to normal...

2011-09-02T19:35:00.001+01:00

...after our fortnight's holiday hasn't been easy. It's the old game of playing catch up all the time. Catching up on the washing, the ironing, the cleaning, the shopping, sleep, sorting all the photos I took and last but not least blogging.

I really haven't caught up with my photos yet but until I do I thought I'd post just a couple of my favourite landscape views. The one above really pleases me. It's a view I hadn't seen before, William and I happened upon it driving from Otterton to Sidmouth and I thought it was just beautiful!

And this is a view over Sidmouth and beyond. Even though it was taken from the moving car while it was raining I just love it!

Hope to be back soon with more photos and I'm looking forward to catching up on what's been happening in blogworld while I've been gone.

Kathleen.

Just popping in to say...

2011-08-12T21:34:00.001+01:00

... I won't be blogging for a couple of weeks because it's holiday time again. Bright and early in the morning I'll be heading...

... toward this beautiful part of the world.

William wants to be in the car and on the road by 6 a.m. and that means a very early start.

I know I'm a lucky girl and I will go to bed tonight counting my blessings for sure.

Also I am so relieved that all the mindless rioting that has been happening on England's streets just recently seems to be over. It was horrendous to see such things happening in a civilised and free society. I don't understand anybody who can behave like that and am glad that our justice system is cracking down swiftly and severely on the guilty and that our government is helping the innocent people who were adversely affected.

Kathleen.

Lazy Sunday Afternoon.

2011-08-07T20:38:00.001+01:00

I'm having a quiet lazy day today. It has rained more or less all day so no incentive to go outdoors.

Instead I've been doing some digital scrapbooking in Photoshop Elements and here is the page I've made. This layout records the day in Newquay, Cornwall William and I spent with my sister and brother in law on our holiday together in June. Details for this layout can be found on My Digiscrapping World blog.

A quiet day it is but not without its moments. We're looking after Max overnight tonight. Max is 13 weeks old now and still very much a baby. A lively, tiny (we're frightened to death of standing on him), very cute, but un-housetrained furry baby! As I type Max is curled up asleep next to my feet. I think he loves me!

Kathleen.

A Good Day.

2011-08-06T20:53:00.001+01:00

Yesterday was a good day. I had a lovely day mooching round the shops in The Trafford Centre with my lovely cousin, Sylvia. We hadn't seen each other for about four weeks so we had plenty to chat about.

We started the day off on the right note with elevenses at the new Starbucks behind the Trafford Centre. That is, when Sylvia finally got there. Poor girl drove around the area for 20 minutes before locating the car park. The Starbucks building is visible from the road but Sylvia couldn't find her way into the car park. In Syl's defence it is confusing - the car park is approached via the Drive Thru entrance but nowhere does it say that the car park is in the same direction!

The above Cath Kidston sales point is inside Selfridges. Lovely stuff. We did plenty of picking up, admiring and putting back down again in this department.

We did lots of browsing in and out of a handful of stores and by 2.30ish we both felt the need to take the weight off our feet and have some lunch. Pret A Manger inside Selfridges fitted the bill. Then of course there was still lots more browsing to do.

Here's Sylvia in John Lewis. We had both bought birthday cards for members of each other's families and needed to write them out. I spied this rather nice garden table and chairs set, it was just what we needed. We made ourselves at home and wrote the cards out! Cheeky, eh? I'm glad we didn't leave any ink marks or anything, the table alone was priced at £695!

Sylvia and I'd had a great time together - shopping, nattering, laughing, coffee shopping and lunching and had just about decided it was time to go home when we both spotted Gareth. He was being filmed by the BBC. Gareth Malone is a choirmaster of note. He has presented several television programmes, in some of which he has used his expertise and charm to turn groups of kids and adults who maybe didn't even know they could really sing into competent choirs. Sylvia and I have both seen his documentaries and like him a lot.

Seeing Gareth Malone was a high note (pun intended) to end the day on and what a good day it had been!

Kathleen.

Afternoon in the Park.

2011-08-04T10:07:00.001+01:00

Yesterday afternoon I was looking after my little grandson, Charlie. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining and it was hot. I decided we'd go to the park. We had been in the play area for a while then wandered over to the bowling greens. There were several games in play. We parked up on a bench. I remembered that, many moons ago, my wonderful parents in law would go and watch the bowling on a sunny afternoon. I think now I see the attraction. It's such a tranquil game and the people, mainly retired, with all the time in the world on their hands are only too happy to stop and chat.Charlie found a little playmate, a little girl who was there with her grandparents. They ran around quite happily together and I was very happy to sit and watch and soak up a few rays. Did I say it was hot?This cottage garden border was absolutely glorious. I'd love a cottage garden, but then who wouldn't? Actually I'd also love a cottage, maybe down in Devon somewhere, yep that would be very nice!

All in all it was a very pleasant way to spend a couple of hours, a summertime simple pleasure for certain.

I'm joining Dayle at this week's Simple Pleasures party.

Kathleen.

I used Lynn Grieveson's Worn Photo Edges to give the photos an aged look. Edited in Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.

Sun, Sand and Saltburn by the Sea.

2011-07-31T20:49:00.000+01:00

Last week Caroline invited William and I to go to the beach on Saturday with her, Trev and Charlie. I, of course, said "yes, please" but William stayed at home. He had to take the car for it's M.O.T. and also had some work in the garden to do.

Saltburn by the Sea is up on the northeast coast about a two hour ride away. We packed a picnic and all the other assorted necessities for a day on the beach and set off around 9.30 a.m. Charlie was excited and asked the age old question "Are we there yet?" before we were even on the motorway!

It was a bit overcast when we got there and a bit breezy too but nevertheless we claimed a spot on the beach and enjoyed our picnic. Charlie and his daddy played in the sand. A text message from Victoria informed us that the sun was cracking the flags at home! However by the time we were strolling down the pier the sun had come out where we were too.

Saltburn is a lovely place and is a magnet for surfers. There were tons of them in the water on Saturday. It was fun to stroll down the pier and watch them do their thing from the vantage point the pier provided. Charlie found looking down at the water through the gaps in the boards more fascinating though.

We had a lovely, long, refreshing, easy going kind of day by the sea and this much I know - it was definitely my kind of day! Thanks Caroline and Trev!

Kathleen.

A Sleepover and S'mores

2011-07-27T20:30:00.001+01:00

Throw a BBQ into the mix and that was Monday night at our house. George and Nicholas had been promised a week or so ago that they could sleepover at our house once the school holidays arrived. Well the holidays are here and Monday they were both excited to be staying the night with us.

The weather was good so burgers on the barbeque was the easy answer to what to feed them. Followed by a little "campfire" and S'mores.

Nicholas looks a bit glum in the pictures above, he wasn't feeling too well. However he still managed a smile for this photo when granddad was doing silly things behind my back.

Caroline and Trev brought Charlie round for the S'mores but I didn't get a good picture of him. Today however I snapped this picture while he was watching Baby Looney Tunes. I wonder how much longer he's going to be sucking that thumb? For now though it still looks cute.

George asked if we could all go back to Ealees on Tuesday afternoon. Kids just love water don't they? I'm so glad that John and Lesley recently re-introduced me to this lovely little neck of the woods.

And talking about John and Lesley takes me back to Saturday night. It was another night when Billy lit our little campfire. John and Lesley came round and we sat outside with a drink and chatted until it was too cold to sit out there any longer. At which time we migrated indoors to have a game of cards, a bite to eat and perhaps one or two more drinks. We had a good time together, as always, even though I was well and truly thrashed at cards. I didn't win a single hand all night!

Kathleen.

Edited to add:-

I didn't think I had a Simple Pleasures post this week but then a blogger friend pointed out that all of the above post qualified one way or another. I thought about it and realised how right she was - thanks Debbie! Particularly the playing cards on Saturday night. I've always enjoyed playing cards and can well remember playing Snap and Fish etc. as a child and being totally unable to hold the cards fanned out in my hands or shuffle a pack of cards without dropping them all over the floor.

Over the years there have been so many games of cards with different people and all of them hold happy memories, even last Saturday night when I didn't win a single game. So here I am happily linking up with Dayle at her Simple Pleasures Party.

I wonder how many others share this simple pleasure?

Messing About on the River.

2011-07-21T20:06:00.001+01:00

Well, actually, we were messing about but not so much on a river as in a stream.

The long school summer holidays started yesterday and I know lots of parents are going to be praying for good weather to help them along the way. Sadly if the Meteorology Office is to be believed then the outlook is not too good!

Anyway, today was fine and Victoria and I were able to take the boys out for some fresh air and fun this afternoon. We didn't go far, just a very few minutes away in the car, parked up and then followed a public footpath which runs alongside this stream. The boys had a great time, paddling, throwing stones into the water, getting wet through and just generally having fun.

This isn't an area of our little town that we have frequented much over the years but I think this summer it might just turn into a favourite picnic and play spot. So that is my simple pleasure this week -watching the boys messing about on the river.

Of course an added bonus for me to these little outings is that I enjoy taking the photos and then coming home and playing around in Photoshop with them. This template is a freebie from The Coffee Shop Blog and the background paper is a Katie Pertiet design and can be found at Designerdigitals.com.

As usual I'm joining Dayle for her weekly Simple Pleasures party.

Kathleen.

Picturesque with a capital P.

2011-07-17T17:42:00.001+01:00

Today's post is a continuation of Friday's post and the final instalment of our trip to Devon with Maureen and Jerry.

Sauntering further up the village of Branscombe, the graceful St. Winifred's Church came into view. According to Wikipedia this church "probably dates back to around 995"! Happily the church was open, choir practice was about to begin, so we took a quick look inside.

Just along from the church was this pretty hillside garden. Open to the public and any donations given went toward the upkeep of St. Winifred's.

Down at the bottom of the garden runs this tranquil little stream, frequented by more species of ducks than I've ever seen in one place before.

The view, above, looking back up the garden. Speaking to the friendly couple who were outside the cottage we were told that the cottage is a holiday rental owned by the lady who lives just across the road...

...in this thatched, whitewashed, dripping in blooms, cottage. Mrs Owner happened to be out watering all the plants but wasn't too busy to stop and chat. Easily in her seventies, fully made up and hair immaculately coifed, she wasn't frightened of getting dirt under her fingernails, it turned out she did all the gardening! I don't know how she does it, just dead-heading all the hanging baskets would be enough for me!

Different view of the same cottage.

Looking back over to the church. I really like this photo, the church, the countryside around it, gardens in front of it - it just appeals to me.

It's thirsty work all that walking and admiring all that beauty that is Branscombe. Therefore it was only natural that we would end up at the village pub and have a cold drink while we sat and rested our weary legs.

The last photo is one I took with Maureen's camera for her and she has emailed back to me. See she is holding a magazine in her hand. There's a long story attached to that magazine but I won't go into it here. However I will say that if anybody reads "501 Life Magazine", a magazine distributed in Greater Central Arkansas, you might just see this photo in there too.

It was a great holiday and we had a wonderful, fun filled time together. The weather was good too, what more can one ask?

Kathleen.

Breakfast on Beer Beach and Branscombe.

2011-07-15T21:41:00.001+01:00

Thursday of our holiday in Devon with my sister and her husband was another beautiful day.

Bright and early we headed to Beer for breakfast on the beach.

What to have, what to have - important decisions had to be made.

I can't think of a better start to the day than a hearty breakfast with the sweet sound of the ocean on one side and the "song" of seagulls overhead. Mmmm, heaven!

After breakfast we drove the few minutes to Seaton Hole. A private, tucked away little beach reached by a climb down a rather steep path.

It's worth the climb for these views though.

From there it was over to Branscombe, just a couple of miles away. I know I use the word favourite a lot but this place is definitely one of my favourite places. We'd brought a picnic lunch. Sea air gives one an appetite. A lot of walking will do that too and we did a lot of walking!

Talking of which we set off along the footpath to the village of Branscombe. Branscombe's claim to fame is that it's the longest village in England. I would say one of the most picturesque too.

A lot of the area is owned by The National Trust. For instance the property above, Manor Mill and...

...The Forge are both National Trust properties.

The Forge is a working forge open to the public and full of handmade stuff, both useful and decorative, for sale. Made by a father and son team. That's the son in this picture.

The Old Bakery is another National Trust property. Picture postcard perfect. Maureen is peeping her little head out from behind the rose bush in front of the cottage, do you see her?

A garden outside to enjoy the cream teas in and preserved inside in it's original state.

The inside of this bakery brought back a whole lot of memories for Maureen and I. As children we both spent a lot of time in a bakery with lots of the same equipment. That was Mrs. Street's bakery. A baker's shop on the corner of the street where we lived when Adam was a lad. All those loaf tins stacked on the mantel are identical to the ones we remember also the paddles to get the tins in and out of the stoves. Mrs Street's tables had marble tops on them I believe. Am I right Maureen?

Mrs Street didn't have any children of her own and looking back I think it's safe to say that we were her substitute children and thereby lies a-whole-nother story.

This day was one of the highlights of the holiday for me. I've been to Branscombe more times than I can remember but never actually walked through the village. We've always driven through it in the past in a hurry to get to the beach before the sun went in. In future I think maybe the village will take precedence over the beach.

Well, this post has turned into rather a long one and there are lots more pictures to share. I'd better come back tomorrow and finish off then.

Kathleen.

This and That

2011-07-15T19:18:00.001+01:00

This is the book I've just finished reading, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It's a good book and I really enjoyed it.

I was able to sit out in the garden yesterday and finish it. The weather was just wonderful, note the sun lotion and the temperature - 86.5 degrees. Now that's what I call hot but not unbearably hot. All was peaceful as I sat there reading in the sun. I hate the sound of electric lawnmowers and strimmers with a passion but yesterday I didn't hear a one of them, it was bliss.

And this is one of our colourful, loaded to the brim, hanging baskets. William makes them up each year, waters them and the rest of the garden for that matter, and I do the dead-heading.

I hope to be back later with more photos from our holiday in Devon.

Kathleen.

Max

2011-07-14T13:48:00.001+01:00

Meet Max.

Max is a 10 week old Yorkshire Terrier and belongs to my daughter, Victoria.

He's absolutely adorable.

Everybody has fallen in love with him.

I ask you, what's not to love?

These pictures were taken last week when my daughter first got him. He's grown a little bit since then, he's gotten bolder, friskier and like my nearly eight year old grandson, George, says has become part of the family. He is just very, very cute! No surprise then that he is my Simple Pleasure this week.

Kathleen.

A Little Walk

2011-07-12T21:55:00.001+01:00

Victoria and Nicholas came round to visit yesterday morning. Charlie was already here with me.

The weather was good so we put Muffin on the lead and happily strolled around the neighbourhood.

Later in the afternoon I had another walk with my lovely neighbours and our dogs, this time through Ealees up to the lake. For some reason I didn't take my camera with me! I really should've done. The sun shone, and Ealees which is barely five minutes away in the car is so pretty. Not to worry, I'll make sure I take it next time.

Kathleen.

Newquay, Bedruthan Steps and Padstow.

2011-07-11T21:32:00.001+01:00

I'm now up to Wednesday of our holiday with Maureen and Jerry in the West Country.

And on the Wednesday we journeyed over to Newquay in Cornwall. This was a special day for my sister, it was a trip down Memory Lane for her. Many moons ago, as a young girl, Maureen and a good friend had set off on an adventure, i.e. to work in the popular seaside resort of Newquay for the summer. They ended up a little way up the coast from Newquay at Bedruthan Steps Hotel where Maureen worked as a receptionist. That's Mo and me above paddling and trying not to get our pants wet on Towan Beach.

Seen on many postcards of Newquay, the suspension bridge above links the one house on that huge rock to the mainland. I remember walking across that bridge as a teenager with my cousin, Sylvia, and it wasn't something I cared to repeat when I was there on this holiday thank you very much.

Leaving Newquay behind we took the coast road and drove past some beautiful bays. This picture and the one below were both taken from the car as we drove along.

Pretty as a picture and so very uncrowded.

Finally we reached Bedruthan Steps Hotel. When it comes to property the experts say it's "location location location" that counts and this hotel above the beach at Mawgan Porth is in a location with a capital L! Follow the link and you'll see what I mean.

The four of us boldly went into the hotel and had a good look around. We traipsed through the public areas, around the gardens, swimming pools, tennis courts etc. and took in the beautiful sea views. Maureen reminisced as we went along and told us tales of the antics she and her friends got up to all those summers ago. The happy memories all came flooding back to her and it made me happy that William and I had been able to take her and Jerry on this special day out.

Maureen above is standing outside the room she lived in that summer. The guests lived in the lap of luxury but not surprisingly the staff accommodation didn't come up to quite the same standard. The window on the left was Maureen's room.

Moving on we travelled further up the Cornish coast to Padstow. I've mentioned Padstow more than once or twice on this blog, it's very close to where my cousin Sylvia and her husband have their cottage.

A gorgeous little place and like everywhere else in this sunny part of England is bedecked with beautiful blooms.

A last view of Padstow Harbour as we made our way back to the car for the journey home to Sidmouth.

This had been one of those extra special days and we all enjoyed it. Toward the end of the day Jerry made the comment to me that he'd seen everywhere else that Maureen had ever been and now having seen Bedruthan Steps Hotel and Newquay he could picture her at every stage of her life and that made him happy. And that made me happy.

Still more to come.

Kathleen.

Today in my neck of the woods...

2011-07-09T22:10:00.001+01:00

..was a nice easy day. Caroline, Charlie and I set off this morning for an ice cream at Frederick's at the Chill Factore.

Of course that's something we all enjoy. Turkish Delight is still my favourite flavour, I think that's what Charlie had too. Caroline tried a Lemon Meringue and loved that.

Then round to Starbucks for a coffee. It had rained earlier but the sun shone brightly while we sat outside Starbucks and enjoyed our drinks.

Back home Victoria brought the boys round for a visit. This is a snapshot of George, my oldest grandson. We'd had a great time playing all sorts of pretend games such as, Meercat Rescue Centre, pretending to be puppies, then monkeys at the zoo, also being soldier spies in the Navy (mmm I know?) and good old Hide & Seek.

Just an ordinary day, but my kind of day.

Kathleen.

More From Our Holiday in Devon.

2011-07-09T20:35:00.001+01:00

To say that our holiday in Devon with my sister and her husband was for only one week we seemed to have packed an awful lot in. There seemed to be a full schedule each day even though my initial plan was to make it a relaxing holiday for all of us. So much for the best laid plans etc.

Today's photos tell the story of what we did on the Tuesday.

Sidmouth was on the list for a spot of shopping. It's the nearest town to where we stay, is full of interesting shops, including one or two charity shops :-) and is smack bang on the coast too. The shop in these pictures is a splendid old place.

With all original cabinets in excellent shape and...

...to my delight has a lovely little cafe at the back. I've been in this shop just once or twice before but I must've walked round it with my eyes closed. Like I've said before when I have my camera with me I see more of my surroundings. Anyway, this little cafe is right up my street and when I return to Devon in August my daughter, Caroline, will be with me - guess where we'll be going for a coffee and a cake? Yep, that little cafe up there at the back of Trumps!

Coming out of one of the shops I could hear the sound of beautiful music somewhere in the vicinity. I knew it was a busker and at first thought it was a violinist. It wasn't, it was this curly haired little old man playing the mouth organ. I had no idea a mouth organ could sound so sweet. I chatted to him, he'd been making music since he was a little lad, played by ear and said he could play anything anybody asked him to play. He was amazing!

After traipsing round the shops we grabbed a pasty each and ate them on the seafront.

Pasties consumed our next stop was Sidmouth Garden Centre.

We all love flowers and plants and I wanted to take Maureen and Jerry there - a. because I wanted us to sit out on the decking, relax a little, enjoying a cream tea while overlooking this luscious landscape which just happens to be one of my favourite views of all time. Oh, and b. because it's also a great garden centre.

Later on that evening the men indulged in a spot of sea fishing off Seaton beach...

while...

...we ladies watched and indulged in a glass of wine. And that's what I call a fitting end to a busy day. To be honest this wasn't the end. There was another stop in one of those previously mentioned very quaint old pubs for a thirst quenching cold drink and back at the ranch a game of Rummikub before bedtime.

Once again more to follow tomorrow.

Kathleen.

Weymouth and Burton Bradstock

2011-07-07T20:42:00.001+01:00

Monday we decided to take a trip to Weymouth.

Weymouth is quite a big seaside town and one of its star attractions has got to be the beach. It is huge. A wide sweeping bay of beautiful sands and clear water. It's great for families, there's even a traditional Punch and Judy Show.

Our favourite part though is the harbour and my sister and her husband loved it too. There were hundreds of boats, some big, some small and some outright spectacular.

We strolled around taking in all the sounds and scenes of a busy harbour. Maureen was able to do quite a bit of souvenir shopping in a wonderful little shop we came across. I think she was happy with her purchases and glad to have that bit of shopping behind her.

Naturally a cream tea was called for. William and I have had cream teas at this cafe before and enjoyed them so we knew we were in for a treat. After this and a bit more strolling around it was a mad dash back to the car before the parking ticket expired or rather before William blew a gasket at the thought of it. He can't stand to be late for anything, least of all something that might mean a parking fine!

Burton Bradstock is just a little detour off the main road on the way home and that was one place we definitely wanted our visitors to see. You can see more photos of Burton Bradstock in a previous post here.

We absolutely have fallen in love with this beautiful windy bay. The coastal path runs up either side of the beach and we took an exhilarating walk along the path that runs closest to the edge of the cliffs. I asked a passerby to take a photo of the four of us and he kindly obliged.

You have to have a good head for heights taking pictures like the one Maureen's taking above!

Heading back down the path and home. Actually we called in at Lyme Regis for a brief visit, and then after that there was a stop at The Harbour Inn, Axmouth for a drink before we actually made it home. In fact nearly every day on the way home from wherever we'd been we would call in at one quaint little pub or another to quench our thirst and talk over the day's happenings. It just seemed the natural thing to do and there really are some very quaint pubs in this neck of the woods.

I'll be back again tomorrow with another instalment.

Kathleen.

Down in Devon

2011-07-06T22:19:00.001+01:00

Depending on who's driving the journey down to our part of east Devon can take anywhere between four to six hours. I don't mind the journey at all and think of it as the part of the holiday. So Saturday morning we left the house at 6 a.m. and after a leisurely journey with a couple of pit stops and hardly any traffic jams Maureen, Jerry, William and I were on Beer Head, looking out over The Jurassic Coast, eating a pasty from Woozie's Deli in Beer at noon. ('Struth that was a long sentence!) To my mind Woozie's have the best pasties around.

It didn't take too long between the four of us to set up our holiday home on wheels. That's not to say it didn't have it's challenges. Zips on caravan awnings can be tricky things. You had to be there to know what I mean but you know what I mean don't you Maureen and Jerry?

Anyway before we knew it we were all happy "to be beside the seaside beside the sea"! This particular seaside being beautiful, genteel Sidmouth. That's Billy and I in the deck chairs. We only sat in them long enough to have the picture taken then scurried off before the attendant came asking for any money from us.

A walk down the promenade and through the town brought us to Sidmouth Cricket Tennis Croquet and Hockey Club. I think I'd call that an enviable location wouldn't you?

A rather nice clubhouse too, complete with thatched roof.

Sunday morning was bright and sunny with a low lying mist enveloping the coast. One of our Must Do's on our holidays down here is breakfast al fresco at the Tea Caddy on Axmouth harbour. We were so thankful for good weather.

A walk along the harbour revealed this unfortunate event taking place.

Some poor soul's boat had sunk. The RNLI had been called out but we're pretty sure there were no casualties involved.

Plenty of strong helpers were on hand to haul it back to shore.

The tractor's help was needed to drag it those last several yards right out of the water.

Jerry and Maureen on the jetty where we watched it all happening. You can see how bright and sunny it was in this picture and fortunately it stayed that way practically the whole week.

Be back tomorrow with more.

Kathleen.

Making Hay While the Sun Shines

2011-07-05T20:45:00.001+01:00

We're back from a wonderful week in Devon with my sister and her husband. We couldn't have picked a better week weather-wise and that of course helped to make the week extra enjoyable.

So, while I sort out my photographs and do a lot of editing, (my lens must've been full of dust for the last couple of days of the holiday and I didn't notice), here's a picture I took on Sunday. It's the view from our back garden. The farmer was out there making hay in glorious sunshine all day long.

Sunday was also my older daughter, Victoria's, birthday which we celebrated at her home with a barbeque in the afternoon sunshine. A smashing bbq it was too with lots of good food and an ice cold drink or two.

Last night there was another barbeque this time at my niece, Lindsey's, home. A Farewell Party for Maureen and Jerry. Their three weeks here were up and this morning they jetted off back to Arkansas. As I write this they'll be killing time in Chicago O'Hare Airport.

I'll be back soon with our holiday photos.

Kathleen.

My To Do List

2011-06-22T22:16:00.001+01:00

I had a couple of things on my To do List today. A very much needed appointment at the hairdressers was first on the list. Pick up a prescription at the doctor's surgery, go to the chemist, run over to Costco to exchange a couple of polo shirts for a different size. You know the ordinary everyday kind of stuff but also on my list was the extra-ordinary "ring Mo and Jerry and see if they have any plans for today".

And if they hadn't any plans I thought I'd suggest taking them for a little stroll down by the canal in Uppermill and that's where these pictures were taken. We were doing too much talking for me to snap many photos but I did get a couple. That's my sister and her husband in the photo above.

We watched a 70 foot narrow boat go through the locks and the "driver" gave us the low down on the whole procedure. All three of us more or less knew the basics but it's always good to hear an explanation from an expert. He was quite a comedian too.

A cute little family of ducklings having an afternoon nap caught our attention. Mother duck kept a beady eye on us.

In a side street we came across this novel way to display flowers outside your front door. Those scales would go very nicely in my kitchen, shame they didn't have a for sale sign on them.

It's been a good day today but my To Do List still has a couple of things on it. Never mind though, there's always tomorrow.

Kathleen.

The last photo has been aged in Adobe Photoshop with Lynn Grieveson's Worn Photo Edges with Retro Texture available at www.designerdigitals.com.

Imperial War Museum

2011-06-21T20:41:00.001+01:00

On Saturday William and I took Maureen and Jerry to the Imperial War Museum at Salford Quays.

All the exhibits make you stop and take note.

We were all moved and impressed by this War Museum. The displays were not just facts and figures, artefacts and photographs but also survivors' memories both in the form of letters and the spoken word.

A few of those facts and figures. I couldn't believe my eyes when I read that first line!

Billy, Maureen and Jerry standing in front of a Russian tank right outside the museum.

I should be able to, but can't, remember what this type of gun is called. What I do remember is that my brother had a miniature replica of one when we were kids. It used to fire matchsticks. I remember playing with it on the hearth in front of the fire in our back living room. It seems looking back that there was always a coal fire in that room, no matter the season. Completely irrelevant I know but I just thought I'd mention it.

After this we brought the visitors up to our house for tea. William made a very nice Chinese chicken stir-fry. Our girls and their families came round to visit and we were able to spend time out in the garden, having a drink, playing garden boules etc.

Sunday was a special day for my sister, Jean. Her eldest daughter was Confirmed and made her First Communion. It was a lovely service and went off without a hitch.

This coming Saturday we are taking the Bakers off to Devon for a week's holiday. I'm hoping and praying for good weather. I know we're going to have a good time no matter what but a bit of sunshine would be the icing on the cake.

Kathleen.

Antiques and Coincidences

2011-06-17T21:53:00.001+01:00

After our excursion to Manchester yesterday afternoon Maureen, Jerry, Sylvia and I all went back to my sister, Jean's, house to visit and natter some more. We talked about all sorts of things, as you do.

Today I needed to go to the supermarket but first I popped into a local antiques shop. Among the random things talked about yesterday afternoon was old-fashioned traditional deckchairs. Maureen said she would like one. Not that it will fit in her suitcase, but by coincidence, I found her one in the antiques shop.

We also talked about old school desks. That one was a long discussion! I found one of them too. Curious how much that desk costs? I'll tell you, £225. At that price I'm glad I don't want one!

Now here's the best coincidence. Sylvia has been saying for a while that she wants a chest just like this one I came across in the antiques shop. I was just getting my mobile phone out of my handbag to take a picture of it to send to her when a text message came through. Lo and behold it was from Sylvia. Now how's that for a coincidence? I really like it when coincidences happen. I get a little kick out of them. They seem to happen to me a lot too. Do you think it's because I like 'em or is it just a coincidence?

This is my favourite corner in the shop. I love all the glass and china. I'm wanting a little reading lamp and there's one up there just underneath the big oval mirror on the back wall that I fancy. I'll have to go back soon and hope it's still there. Oh, and that the price is right too, of course.

That's all for now,

Kathleen.

They're here!

2011-06-17T20:31:00.001+01:00

My sister, Maureen and her husband, Jerry, who live in Arkansas, USA are here in Blighty for a three week visit. They arrived early on Tuesday morning of this week and it's good to have them here. They were last home in 2008 and although we keep in regular touch via telephone and email three years is still a long time without actually seeing each other. So, we're all going to make the most of the next three weeks!

Yesterday afternoon we arranged to go into Manchester for a spot of shopping and Afternoon Tea in the Town Hall's cafe. Our lovely cousin, Sylvia, joined us and we had a really good time chatting and laughing together. Maureen and Jerry are staying with our other sister, Jean, but because of ill health Jean couldn't join us on this little outing.

I took a photograph, above, then handed the camera to Sylvia and she took a photograph.

A very nice young woman sitting at the table next to us offered to take a photo of all four of us together but unfortunately the picture she took turned out blurred.

Prior to the Town Hall we had been in Marks and Spencer's and by sheer happy coincidence we bumped into Sylvia's brother, Jim, and his lovely partner, Shirley. Naturally we spent a good while chatting away to them.

Well, the time flew by as it does when you're enjoying yourself and before we knew it we were heading back to the train station. It wasn't only the time that was flying we all had to make a mad dash for the train. We didn't want to miss it, the next one was in an hour's time. After running up and down more steps than was good for people our age we made it just in the nick of time! (I wonder if that expression's in my new book?).

Tomorrow afternoon we're all off to the Imperial War Museum at Salford Quays. There's an exhibition on about the children who were evacuated overseas during WWII and we'll all find that interesting - I hope.

Kathleen.

Red Herrings and White elephants.

2011-06-12T20:17:00.001+01:00

Do you ever wonder where the everyday sayings we use come from?

I do, but I need wonder no more. All I have to do now is go to my bookshelf and look it up in this book. It's a little gem and I love it. I found it in a charity shop on Thursday, it's a hardback copy, in excellent condition and at 99p it was a bargain to boot! Now I wonder if that's in it -"to boot"?

Thursday was one of those nice easy going days for me. I needed to get a gold chain repaired and the place to have that done was at Max the Jewellers in Hebden Bridge. I was hoping he wouldn't be too busy and able to repair it while I looked round the shops and sure enough he had it fixed inside a half hour. The charge was only £3 and I thought that was a bargain too.

Recently I came across this cute little idea on a crafty blog of how to make personalized fridge magnets from flat glass marbles. I'm into all things crafty at the minute. So, I'd been looking for suitable glass marbles to use without success. Until Thursday that is when I found several in a charity shop in Todmorden on my way back from Hebden. They were mixed in with a vase load of colourful marbles. I fished around and found a handful of clear ones, took them to the counter and the nice lady gave them to me for nothing. Another bargain!

In this same shop I bought a paperback for my daughter, Caroline, Twilight by Stephanie Meyer, for the bargain price of £1.

My good fortune didn't stop there. In Hebden Bridge after happily wandering in and out of the shops I decided to go for a coffee and who should be sat outside the cafe I was going to but John and Lesley. Now how was that for good luck?

Yep, Thursday was a nice, unhurried, unplanned, easy going day. My kind of day.

Kathleen.

Bents Garden Centre

2011-06-06T21:38:00.001+01:00

William and I spent most of Saturday with two of the nicest, most fun to be with people we know, John and Lesley, and lucky for us they just happen to live right next door.

We set off at 11 a.m. and our destination was Bents Garden Centre over on the way to St.Helens, just about 40 minutes away. John and Lesley have been before several times and wanted to take us because they knew we would like it.

They were right, we did like it.

Bents is definitely the most impressive garden centre I have ever been to. Talk about big, this place is ginormous! The restaurant is to die for, the range of goodies to eat is huge and very tempting. Naturally this is where we went first for a coffee while we planned our strategy for looking around. We drank our coffee out on the decked terrace overlooking a pretty landscaped area complete with pond.

There are some beautiful plants. The greenhouse is a vast space. I really didn't take a lot of pictures, there are signs up saying no photography allowed. I had taken these pics before Lesley pointed that out. As well as the usual everyday plants on offer you can buy yourself a fully mature palm tree if the fancy takes you. It'll only set you back about £1,200! I wonder if they sell many?

We spent a good couple of hours mooching around and enjoyed every minute of it. The day didn't finish there, back at the ranch we had a couple of drinks and an impromptu barbeque in J & L's garden. The sun had more or less disappeared by this time and it was a bit chilly but we're a hardy lot and just put our jackets on. However when the wind got up and started to blow a gale we called it quits and headed indoors.

I've just been reading Bents' website and apparently there's a "garden of distinction" next door to the garden centre and next time we visit we'll definitely have to take a look at it. Have you and John visited it, Lesley? (Lesley reads my blog, don't you Lesley?)

Kathleen.

Charlie's Workshop

2011-06-03T20:12:00.000+01:00

William has been hard at work recently building a "workshop" for Charlie. It's actually Charlie's main birthday present form his parents. They supplied the materials and Grandad supplied the labour.

Here it is in place in Charlie's garden, very near completion.

The interior needs painting and a door knob putting in place. You can just see Charlie's little tools on the shelf inside ready and waiting for action.

Looks like they didn't wait for long. I think it's safe to say he loves it.

Maybe after Charlie has finished screwing the windows securely in place he can wash them!

Kathleen.

A Wet Weekend cont'd

2011-05-31T20:28:00.000+01:00

Bank Holiday weekends are meant to be for fun not for being ill. Poor Victoria has not had much fun this weekend. Poor thing has got a bad case of tonsillitis and is feeling rough! With a really sore throat, so sore that it even hurts to swallow her saliva and a temperature of 103 degrees I think I'd feel rough too!

Gary, her husband, has therefore been in charge of keeping the boys entertained and out of the house as much as possible so that Victoria can get some rest and recuperation. After taking the boys to the park and playing there for ages Gary called in at our house for a visit on the way home.

With a cup of coffee in hand Gary and I chatted and watched the boys ride their bikes behind our house.

An adjustment to Nicholas's saddle was needed, hence the wrench in Gary's hand. Nicholas has only been riding his bike without stabilizers for a couple of weeks, hence the tongue sticking out of his mouth for concentration.

A little bit of climbing is always fun.

As you can see it didn't rain all the time, it only felt like it did.

Vicki is on a course of antibiotics and hopefully will soon be feeling better.

Kathleen.

A Wet Weekend

2011-05-30T21:12:00.001+01:00

Well, mainly wet anyway. Which is typical, because it's also a Bank Holiday weekend. Just when the workers have an extra day off work the sun hides from us. So what do we do? We find somewhere indoors to go and hope the sun might just come out at some stage of the day and that's what happened on Saturday.

My daughter,Victoria, her four year old, Nicholas and I went to Uppermill garden centre for a look around, a coffee and a bite to eat. In particular I was looking for a pot to put my Hen and Chicks succulent plant in because it's not doing what it's supposed to. It's supposed to give off shoots which grow into young plants and look wonderful but it's just not doing that. Unfortunately I didn't find a new pot but I'll keep on looking until I do.

After the garden centre the sun did come out and we were able to take Nicholas to the park a short walk away. Where I thought I'd take some photos of him.

Would this little bundle of fun look at me?

I was stood right in front of him.

He looked this way.

He looked that way. Did he look my way? No way, did he heck!

But he did when we were in the garden centre...

... and here's the proof. Bless his little cotton socks!

Kathleen.

Bookmarks

2011-05-26T15:53:00.001+01:00

My daughter, Caroline, asked me recently to make her a new bookmark.

She knows I like to play about in Adobe Photoshop and so I was happy to oblige. This is what I came up with. It didn't take me very long. I made two, one for each of my girls. I think they like them.

I love silhouettes and I found this particular one of a girl blowing bubbles on a fascinating creative blog called Scherenschnitte. It's all about the intricate art of papercutting. I don't think I have a steady enough hand to be any good at this craft but I do like to see Cindy Ferguson's (owner of Scherenschnitte) creations. Not only is Cindy very talented but very generous too, this silhouette is a free download on her blog and is really a template for papercutters.

So, two simple pleasures this week - playing around in Photoshop and browsing through Scherenschnitte.

As usual I'm joining Dayle over at A Collection of This and That.

Kathleen.

Another Birthday

2011-05-24T18:41:00.001+01:00

Last Friday Charlie turned three!

I know it's a very over-used phrase but, where does the time go? It doesn't seem two minutes ago since Charlie was born and now look at him!

Friday morning I was invited to go along with Caroline and Trev when they took Charlie to an Open Farm as a birthday treat. The weather wasn't just the best but we made the best of it. There were donkey rides to go on, tractors to ride and all manner of animals to see and lots of other stuff besides for Charlie to do.

Yep, including these sweet little creatures. I'm sure there was another couple of piglets underneath these. All I can say is I'm glad I'm not a pig!

I thought this picture was cute with Charlie peeping in the background.

After the farm we stopped at a McDonald's on the way home for a bite to eat. Those places all seem to have undergone a much needed refurbishment of late, they don't feel quite so samey anymore. Anyway, I have to say I rather like a McDonald's latte now and then and I'm not opposed to one of their burgers either. I'm not a food connoisseur, it just has to be edible for me. Suffice it to say, it wasn't only Charlie who enjoyed his lunch.

Later on in the afternoon there was a party for the birthday boy, he was excited about that. So that's it for birthdays now until July when we'll be singing the Happy Birthday song to my first born, Victoria, and I really will be saying "where did the time go" then!

Kathleen.