Christmas

Christmas Eve tomorrow.  How quickly that came round again.

I have done all the shopping.....I think! :)

The snow is still laying around as the temperature is still under freezing and too low for it to melt.  Just as long as we don't have any more.

Off to my parents' tonight for a drink at theirs for their Diamond Wedding Anniversary - 60th!
Will be nice to be together with my brother and his wife and the children.  Although all our children are 16-23 now!

Mum & Dad were married at the church in Leytonstone, East London in 1950.  All the bridesmaids wore cherry red velvet dresses and it was snowing.   What a picture that must've made.   I think I will ask them to get their wedding album out tonight! :)

I remember asking mum why I wasn't a bridesmaid!  Nowadays that wouldn't be such a funny question!

I will take Lewis for a walk in the snow on Christmas day across the fields.   Every year since I can remember I have always looked across fields and thought of the fact that while we are all rushing about like idiots, the foxes, rabbits and deer have absolutely no idea it is any different day than usual!!

However, to those of you who have received a card, here is another set of best wishes, and for those I speak to on Facebook, Talk Photography Forum etc, I wish you and your families all the very best of happiness and health for Christmas and the New Year.

Janice, Roger, Thomas & Adam xxx

Goodness, it has been a month since my last post... how remiss is that!!!

It is f-f-f-freezing here at the moment, -4C but still no snow, although other parts of the country are chin-deep in it.

I was watching Countryfile on the BBC last night and there was an item about medlar trees and their fruits.
I was particularly interested as there are not many around these days and we have 2 of the trees in our garden and the house is named The Medlars, as I believe I mentioned in an earlier blog.

The whole garden used to be full of them and also an orchard that was originally joined to the house and is now an estate called Medlars Mead.

Now I know how to make Medlar Jelly by adding sugar, cooking and straining I will try to make a jarful  with what is left on the tree.

I had lots of work last week which is good, every day.     Not sure what this week will entail though.. it is so fickle just depending on orders which may or may not come.

I have some wedding photography to do in March in Saffron Walden which I am looking forward to as I haven't done one for a while now.
It is quite a bit of pressure but once the day gets underway, I always find it fun. :)

 

Lockets and Lads

Thirteen months ago was my 50th birthday.
 
My two lovely lads gave me a gorgeous silver heart-shaped locket with a purple stone on the outside and spaces on the inside for their photos.

I have to say I have been very remiss at sorting out photos, making them small enough, then getting them to fit.

I haven't done a wonderful job but I am so pleased that I have finally got them there.. close to my heart, as they are in real life and where they belong.

Thank you boys.

Landscapes and leaves

Well it's been a long time since I have posted as I really don't seem to do anything worth mentioning!

Made a wonderful lemon drizzle cake yesterday.  Wonderful flavour and not too difficult so I can see myself making it again... and again... and again!! :)

As it is my favourite time of the year, I went for a nice walk this morning.  It can stay cold and bright like this all year as far as I'm concerned :)

Lewis, my little walking companion and my best friend.

Chimneys and kettles

It has started to turn cold today.   Glad I have got my Slanket (http://www.theslanket.com) sorted out for the cold nights.!

Not had any work all week, or most of last, bad news :(

We have two very large chimneys downstairs.  We are sure the warm air from the radiators goes up them and also the cold wind blows down.
The heating bills are very high in this house, with its high ceilings and old wooden sash windows with no double glazing.  Hence the purchase of the Slanket!  But I have Lewis to keep me warm :)

Our Tefal jug kettle was leaking a lot over the past couple of weeks, all over the counter when you poured it.   So Roger bought a new one, and when he boiled it, it leaked all over the counter....it had a split down the side!  doh!!

Im watching the Chilean miners being pulled to safety at the moment.  Loved the commentary when they said some of them had "minor injuries"  haha  just my cuppa tea that was!! :)

Shadows in the kitchen

~Medlars and Fleas ~

Well, that's the first week of October nearly over. I have been moaning about people mentioning Christmas so early, but now it really IS in sight!!

There is a brilliant product we use on Lewis, called Frontline Combo.  The combo part means it kills fleas, larva, eggs etc. The whole shebang!
However, you have to produce a vets prescription before buying online in the UK.
I found a great place in the States where they buy packs of the pipettes of the stuff which is made for large dogs, then split them and sell those to owners of smaller dogs, along with a pot with a plastic lid for storage, and a syringe (no needle) for dropping the right dose onto your dog.
It works out at £11 for 6 pipettes-worth, instead of £34 for 6 pipettes over here!

 HERE

That's my tip of the day! :)

Now some photos - all clickable as usual for a larger size:

Berry nice!

Leaf off!

 These are the fruits of the medlar tree (obviously called medlars), the name of the house.
They are an old fruit mentioned in Shakespeare.  Meldar jam and jelly are still made but not easy to find.

Rain and puppies

What a rubbishy week of weather, followed by a rubbishy weekend too!
Although on the very day I had decided to do my October Photo Challenge on the theme of RAIN, it was a nice sunny day!!!
Arsenal playing Chelsea this afternoon...  I don't hold out too much hope. :(

Lewis had his friend Lara the Sheltie over the other day so I have put some photos of the rain and some photos of the pups :)        All photos clickable.

Lewis is just growing his tail.  It looks lovely when it is held up, but I will have to catch that another day!

And the gorgeous Lara!

Poor horse chestnut tree

We have a humungous horse chestnut tree in the front garden.

Three years ago it got a disease and started to turn brown in mid summer.
We noticed lots of other trees over the whole of the country were doing the same :(

It is a combination of a leaf miner and a canker.  However, after 2 years of having it, it was fine last year.

Back again this year though.  It produces a vast number of conkers still, so perhaps it will be fine again next year.

  All photos can be clicked to enlarge.

 Still makes a mess of the garden though!  This is about a 5th of the ground beneath it, much to the local children's delight!  I allow everyone to come and collect conkers, seeing as they are no longer allowed to play conkers at school...booo...hissss!!!

Incey Wincey

Virginia Creeper by the front door.

Sheffield and back

Early start yesterday morning, off to deliver in Hillsborough, Sheffield. It is the far end of Sheffield and almost into the Peak District.  I always take Lewis, he is good company!
On the way back I stopped in Sheffield for 5 mins to take a couple of shots of the buildings, and then on to Anston Stone Woods, a lovely area with a really high rail embankment one side and  an even higher embankment (about 100 ft) up to the road the other side.
Down in the valley between it is magical.  Woodland, a brook running along beside you all the way, lots of stone arches and rocky outcrops.   We both love it there.
Now the pics!

First the architectural ones:

   

  Capita Hart Building            

Capita Hart Building 2

The new

Old and new together:

In the woods:   tunnel 

Sitting on top of the bridge over the stream

And the stream that runs along the bottom of this lovely place, its is next to your all along your walk with lovely sounds and birds singing.

Hedgerows

Lewis and I went along the hedgerows for some blackberries today, but the summer has gone so fast this year that I had missed them all!!
So it was our lovely cooking apples from the tree in the garden, along with a bit of cinnamon, made into an apple crumble with some Cornish Ice Cream for dessert tonight.

Went down well after sausages, jacket potatoes done in the oven, and home grown tomatoes cooked in the pan with the sausages.

Simple but lovely  (a bit like me!!) :)

And to round the evening off... Arsenal beat Spurs in a Carling Cup match 4-1.. yessssss!!!

Birthday

Well folks, today I was 51.  I think the person most bothered about it was my Mum who couldnt quite believe her youngest child was 51! :)

A few snaps to honour the day:

Thomas left me this as he went work for the day!  He also left me a PowerPoint slideshow as his "card", it was very nice.

In case you can't see, it is a page of A4 paper on each window pane, spelling HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

....some lovely cards and a great DVD and Carva from Adam... 

....a tad to drink!!...

..and a lovely cake baked by my Mum.

A Victoria Sandwich with apricot jam and cream.. mmm.  Thanks Mum x

Today's theme - Communication

Snoozes and splashes

After a completely sleepless night, I finally had to go to bed at 9:30am to try to get a few hours kip!
Luckily I eventually managed to sleep till 12:30 so felt quite a bit better then.


I havent let Lewis into the big part of the garden for a while now,  what with all the rain etc.  But today it was sunny, so I did.    Half an hour later he came rushing in all excited, and when I bent down to talk to him it hit me!!!  YUK!     His first encounter with fox poo!  :(

I thought we were going to get away with it as he has  not shown and interest in rolling in it while we have been walking across the fields, but now I guess it has started and will carry on.

So, it was bath time in the garden (him, not me!)  water then shampoo then water, then conditioner then hose!

Then,,, run round the garden like a lunatic! :)  He loves that bit!

I tried to dry him indoors with a fan heater which suddenly stopped. Grrr.
So he had to dry in the wind while playing with me!
He looks gorgeous now, all his white bits are SNOW white.

Dont know how a fox got into the garden, jumped the 4 foot fence I guess, but it can bugger off as soon as it likes!!!

One of Lewis from earlier in the summer, looking rather scruffy!

Didn't cook tonight as I had been at work, and Roger wasnt coming home till later and the boys were out.
So a nice surprise when Thomas arrived home from working at Tesco at 8:30pm with a hot whole roast chicken in a bag.........64p!!  
RESULT!!  :)

Toms & Tim

Finally my tomatoes are ready in numbers.  I have had a few dribs and drabs but there are now lots ready.  They are an easy type to grow with no nipping in the bud needed, and they are just a little bigger than a cherry tomato.   Lovely to put a few on the plate when having a sandwich.

I was tumble drying Lewis's bedding that he uses at work the other day, and when I went out to check if it was ready, I found Tim lazing on the top of the dryer which is itself on top of the washer!  I suppose it was warm and had a lovely comforting movement and noise, like his mother purring! 

6/116 The Puppies! ;)

I had no work today, so I went to see my friend, Juliet, on the farm.

I had been looking forward to it for a while as Lewis, my 10 month Cavalier King Charles pup, was able to meet Juliet's puppy, Doug, Jack Russell x Border Terrier for the first time!

They adored each other and I made a video to remember the moment!

Im sure you will love it, and ........


PUT YOUR SOUND ON!


.

5/116

Another exciting day at work, but left Lewis at home today as I was only there a few hours and Adam was at home till 1pm.
Finally managed to get my laptop to connect to the wireless there, so I can now do Facebook and forums in my "spare" time, while things are engraving and I just have to wait!
Pouring at the moment, good for my tomato plants but the grass has shot up since last week.
So as it is currently raining.. my theme will be WATER!


As always, all photos can be seen bigger by clicking on them.


Janice

View from Snake Pass

Early morning on the River Stort

Aren't I beautiful

PSSST.... d'you want to hear secret?

God, I'm just SO funny!!!

3/116

Well, here we are on day three.   I can see I'm not going to manage a daily blog, mostly due to time and access issues :(

I have been out at work from 8:30am and got home at 5pm, then did washing, food etc etc.

Have had no time to take photos, and worst of all, I have done nothing interesting enough to fill a blog!

You were right, Rog, I think a theme a day for the photos was a bit ambitious!!

I will try to post each day but the themes will come as often as I can manage.

Some days it will just be photos in general, I  might even add some I took years ago!

I will leave you with some black and whites.

Frosty Oakham

Chepstow Castle

Chepstow Castle

Forth Rail Bridge