Neil's Blog and Photo Blog

Last Friday, 21st October, Pam, Harriet, Reenee and I went to Swindon as arranged. The journey was boring but efficient and we arrived late afternoon. The children all seemed pleased to see us and there was plenty of excitement. The purpose of the visit of course was Amelia's birthday due the next day. I could not believe how she had grown since we last saw her. There were other people also invited but not due to arrive until the next day, the actual date. Daniel was still at work but due home later. He had arranged to have the following week as holiday as it was the half-term break for the local schools.

The next day, Saturday, the other quests arrived though not all together since they were coming from different places. Included were Hannah and Jessica, Kate's sisters and some friends of Dan's. I didn't count them all up but there were two babies as well as Abby who is almost two. Fun and games yes, peace and quiet no. Amelia certainly did very well for presents although her sisters tried to have a go too, which was not always popular.

Later on, once the children were all in bdd and officially asleep we adults were able to have some more time to catch up on things. In the end we automatically split up into two groups, the younger ones in the kitchen and the older ones in the lounge where, of all things, we watched a repeat of Jonathan Creek. I thought we had seen them all, but I did not recognise this one at all. And in fact Harriet went to bed quite early and Pam and I were not far behind.

The next day, Sunday, all the 'extras' had left by late morning, just leaving the immediate family. Knowing the long journey ahead and that Harriet was due to go to work on Tuesday we left early afternoon and made straight for the local Asda!! I waited in the car. On the way home we stopped off once at a service station and eventually arrived home about 6 0'clock. A bit tiring but it was lovely to catch up with the children and the rest of the family and friends. The next visit planned is for Christmas, which will be here very soon.

Rufus has been a member of the family for a long time now. Here is a picture of him looking rather thoughtful. Although in cat terms he is getting rather old, he keeps in pretty good health, if a bit thinner than he once was. I have had a look around for some photographs of him and could not find any, so I have taken a few today and here is the first example. I will add some more another time.

As the above photo of Rufus was not well received, here is another one.

We had the grandchildren to stay recently. One day we took them to Rosemoor garden as a day out. When we arrived we found that there was an event for children that day, called Eco Warriors. This seemed a great idea so we went along to it after stopping for the usual drink in the restaurant. We had to go into the wooded area to build a hut from the loose branches lying around. This took some time and was great fun. Below is a photo of the finished edifice!

When we had finished that we were invited along to another part of the woods to have a go at building and lighting a fire. This was all supervised by staff from the RHS who made sure that everyone was safe. I am not sure which proved the most enjoyable for the girls, making the hut or lighting the fire. After all this excitement we went back to the restaurant for a well earned drink and scones. I think we all had a good time, especially as it was unexpected, not knowing about the event beforehand.

And here is a picture of the finished hut.

As mentioned we needed some refreshment after all that work so before going home we went to the restaurant again, this time for some drinks and scones and butter. The ladies had some jam as well!!

This year Pam has spent a lot of money on plants for the garden, mainly flowers and some new hanging baskets. I think the result is great. I include a couple of pictures of some particularly colourful begonias which are a pleasure to see. This is one of the best years for the garden since we have lived here. We also have some tomato plants which are doing very well and I am looking forward to eating them when they are finally ready.

Here is a hanging basket

Last Saturday Pam and I went to Arlington Court, a National Trust property not far from Barnstaple. The weather was not very promising when we left and it rained quite hard just after we had arrived at the Coach Museum which is part of the property. The purpose of the visit was for Pam to demonstrate the rag rugging she does as part of the Lifton Hookers group. Some other members of the group were there the previous day but Pam was all by herself today.

The weather improved a lot shortly after we set up the display which gave hope for some visitors. In the event it turned out to be a very busy time and Pam was kept at it most of the day. We stayed there until the place closed at five o'clock. A lot of interest was shown and several had a go at it, although mostly children. Many of the adults seemed a bit too shy to have a go, but the youngsters were happy to try it out. A very successful day for Pam and an enjoyable day for me.

I did take the opportunity to have a quick look around the house which is about a quarter of a mile away. I also took the chance to buy a book mark and a coaster as mementos. Here is a picture of part of the display.

This picture of a hawthorn tree in flower was taken in May 2011. There is a saying about this which advises that you should ne'er cast a clout till the may be out. (Note that it says the may, not just May). Many people think that this refers to the month of May. Actually it refers to the may flower or hawthorn. It is recommending that you should not leave off any winter clothing until the hawthorn is in blossom As you can see from my picture this happens before the end of the month of may.

One of my early photographs in our back garden in Holsworthy is this one of a fuchsia flower. It was not until I looked at the result on the computer screen that I noticed the piece of spider's web on it. Just a bit of luck really as I finished up with a picture that I felt came out a bit better for it.

And here is another photo taken in the same garden