Ramblings from the 'Boro.

Phorpres House

2011-11-14T16:50:00.000Z

The impressive looking four storied square building that stands on the corner of what was once called Mile End Road but is now called St Margarets Road and London Road in Fletton, is called Phorpres House. It was built in 1896 for a John Cathles Hill. Hill, a developer-architect was at that time the owner of the London Brick Company. It's history has been very difficult to research and I'm sure it would more to say if I could only locate the records.
I don't believe it was built as a home as, after an unsuccessful application for an alcohol license in August 1899 it became known as The Coffee palace an was a Gentleman's Coffee House. The layout of rooms inside do not lend themselves to a great house that it would have been considering the size of the building.

John Cathles Hill

The Coffee Palace 1909

In 1917 the building was sold to Peerless Foods and was used as offices and goods depot. By 1928 it had been repurchased by the London Brick Company given the name Phorpres House (after the Phorpres brick) and used as their District Offices.

The trade-name Phorpres came about because Fletton Bricks, made from the local Oxford clay, are pressed twice in each direction so that they are literally 'four pressed' if the phrase is pronounced quickly it becomes Phorpres!

Phorpres House with its rather grand entrance.

The building stood empty and neglected for years until sometime in the 1980's an enterprising property developer converted it into flats. This is now where Grandson Number 1 resides. In a spacious one bedroom flat on the third floor with its own kitchen and a full bathroom. A much improved residence to the rather down market one room in a shared house that was his previous residence.

The view from London Road

Remembrance and Getting the Festive Feel

2011-11-12T09:49:00.001Z

I haven't been going into the City for a coffee fix after my morning swim as often as I use to. Last weeks trip cheered me up though. Normally the approaching Christmas season depresses me but this time was different. Queensgate had decorated for the festive season.

The last three years have seen the same old lights and decoration being strung across the squares and galleries. Not very inspiring and the City Center lights have been diabolical for the same period. This year however a completely new festive theme has brightened the Mall.

A plethora of blue and white twinkling lights add a sparkle to the recession gloom. They really do look pretty and festive. The photos really doesn't do the space justice.

Yesterday outside Queensgate, in the City Center, the Christmas lights had been erected. I didn't get a chance to go outside onto Cathedral square to see them. The official stitch on isn't until the 19th. Maybe I'll get to saunter outside to see the changes next week.

yesterday I was getting a coffee fix with my other swim mates and waiting for 'Himself' to appear.

At 11 an there was an almighty boom to mark the start of the Remembrance Day 2 minutes silence. The cafe fell silent and all chatter ended for the 2 minute span. Another boom marked the end of the 2 minutes and soon after 'Himself' appeared. He had been on Cathedral square with the Royal British Legion and hundreds of shoppers marking the silence.

After an amble back through Queensgate and around John Lewis's where we had a bite of lunch we parted. 'Himself' to go for his weekly drink with ex-work colleagues, past and present, at the Ostrich Pub and me to drive home. On the way home I was listening to Jeremy Vine on the radio He was interviewing Mothers who had lost Sons in the warring conflicts around the world and playing the sons

favourite music. In the end I just had to switch the radio off as I just could not bear to listen to the heart wrenching stories of the bereaved Mothers. I could not hold back the tears, not good when your driving.

Some more History -The early beginnings of 'The boro'

2011-11-09T23:53:00.001Z

The Celts

Sometime during the period between 1365BC and 976BC a timber causeway construction was erected by the indigenous Fen people. Using over 1,000,000 timbers it lay buried in the marshy, fen soil to the east of the present City. The archaeological site of Flag Fen is situated to the east of today’s City. It connected ‘Whittlesey Island’ to the ‘Peterborough’ Neolithic and later Bonze and Iron Age Settlements across the wet Fenlands.

There was great environmental changes happening during this period and the land began to get much wetter. The land was about a meter lower than todays levels. It is thought the Causeway was also used as a religious platform where people came to make offerings to the Gods. Probably to ask for their homes and farmsteads to be protected from the environmental changes. Many artifacts have been retrieved from the excavations of the causeway in Flag Fen.

Around 700 BC the Celts crossed from Europe bringing with them Iron Ore Extraction, their language and an introduction to gold, silver and bronze as coinage and jewelry, although most trade at this time was conducted by barter. The Celts called Britain the Pretanic Islands, which evolved into the modern word Britain.

Around this time a settlement was known to be in existence somewhere between Westwood and Spital Bridge. A natural spring water stream that became a tributary to the Nene, and much later called Tom Lockes Spring, originated near Westwood Bridge continued to Spital Bridge and then following along what is now Long Causeway (boats were moored along this stretch) through what is now Cathedral Square and on to the River Nene.

Small agricultural settlements continued to thrive in and around the Fens until the Roman’s first expedition in 54 BC then the invasion in 43AD.

This is a map is a reconstruction of the Greek, Potolemy’s, map of the Celtic tribes of Britain. The original was drawn in about 150AD.

It’s not really clear what tribe the people of the Fens fell into. People of this area were on the western edge of the Iceni Tribe and the northern edge of the Catuvellaundi Tribe. I suspect the Fenlanders secure in in their dangerous watery habitats were very much their own people.

The Romans.

After the Roman invasion of England, most of the Iron Age tribes in the South of the country accepted the Roman lifestyle, and were generally peaceful. However, the Iceni the tribe based in East Anglia and the Fens, were not so peaceful and the Roman had the need to build Military Forts near Water Newton and another at Longthorpe in order to guard crossings of the River Nene at those positions. The Longthorpe Fort (found in the Nene Valley under what is now the Western edge of the Thorpe Golf course) was built to house half a Legion, around 3000 soldiers. The first mention of a Military presence at Water Newton was in AD43. Some 17 years later units of the infamous Roman Ninth Legion, based at Longthorpe were massacred by local Iceni warriors.

The great Roman road of Ermine Street (it eventually became the Great North Road and now the A1) was constructed between London and York and passed through Durobrivae, Another Roman road ran eastwards through the Fens called the Fen Causeway. It was actually was built over the now buried Bronze Age Flag Fen Causeway site and the foundations of this road can now be seen at the Flag Fen archaeological site.

The Roman town of Durobrivae grew up in the Nene Valley around the Military Garrison. This was close to the presence day small village of Water Newton, close to Chesterton and Alwalton (on the A1 just west of Peterborough) Durobrivae was also to become one of the richest Roman towns due to its flourishing pottery industry. It’s importance was such that it has been suggested that Durobrivae was probably a regional capital and market centre.

Due to the prosperity of Durobrivae, Roman Villas sprung up all over the area. One in particular, a Pretorium (or Praetorium, a large palace like building) at Castor, was mistaken for a small village when it was first discovered, and has turned out to be the second largest Roman building ever found in this country. There was even a Temple here, which stood where Castor Junior school stands today. The current church of St Kyneburgha at Castor stands in what was the courtyard of this Pretorium. A section of Roman wall can still be seen in the wall surrounding the garden of the old Vicarage.

The Roman rule continued for 400 years. Paganism and Christianity existed side by side until 379 AD when a decree stated worship of all Heathen Gods was decreed illegal. The spread of Christianity was hindered after the Roman withdrawal and the invasion of the Jutes in 499 and the Saxons in 475. There followed some 600 years of saxon rule. Reconversion to Christianity began once more in 597 AD with the arrival of St Augustine from Rome who introduced the Benedictine Order of Monks to Britiain. They were to build many Abbeys in the country, including the one in Medehamstede, now Peterborough.

The Saxons

Medehamstede, was the name given to a village built by the Saxons, It means Meadow Homestead, another meaning is given as The home by a deep well. Medehampstede was in the Kingdom of Mercia. One of the severn Saxon Kingdoms. It’s King was Penda and his son Peada married into a Christian family. A mission of Benedictine monks came to this area and in 655AD, a monk, known as Saxulf, founded a monastery on the solid ground that is now where the Cathedral is standing. The Abbey was abandoned around the year 870AD when the Danes, or Vikings, were invading and plundering the area. Some years later a new Benedictine Abbey was built between 960 and 970AD. A wall around the settlement was built to protect themselves against further attacks from the Danes.

Having fortified the settlement, the place then was called St. Peters Burgh. Soon, a market was built, and the city continued to prosper and grew to become a small town.

The Normans

However, in 1070AD, an army of Danes, together with some Saxons, attempted to overthrow William the Conqueror, in the process, attacking and burning down Peterborough. William the Conqueror appointed Abbot Thorold who built a Garrison, Tout Hill, to protect the Abbey. During the Dark Ages, Peterborough was under the rule of the Abbots, making it a humble and trivial town at the time. Fire attacked the city again, but just like before, the City got by and began to rebuild again. One fire broke out in a bakehouse setting light to the Church and town and it is said the Abbey tower burnt for nine days. A second Abbey was rebuilt, in its present form, between 1118 and 1238AD.

Sometime between 1262-1273 the growing town received its Town Charter.

The Abbey of Peterborough was Sacked just again in 1539, by Henry VII, but, as his first wife Katherine of Aragon was buried here in the Abbey it wasn’t totally destroyed The Abbey became the Cathedral of the new Diocese of Peterborough in 1541 and it is now known as the Cathedral Church of St Peter, St Paul and St Andrew. The city's population now increased to 1500 people, making Peterborough a small yet official city.

We Get Some New Residents

2011-10-27T23:25:00.000+01:00

During the night the dour weather hitting the West of Britain finally caught up with us. We woke to a dark grey rainy morning. Mustn't complain though, we've had some great sunny warm days over the last two months since we've been home from our travels. The garden is desperate for rain and I need the soil moist to be able to plant some spring bulbs.

There's not much to be done outside today so after my morning swim and when 'Himself' had finished cleaning out the fish tank we decided to go out. The tank needs some new lighting and our fish stocks of little guppies had dwindled to five. So we needed to hit the Aquatic stores.

First though, lunch. We decide to try one of the new food outlet that have opened up across the 'Boro during the Summer. This one is a new build Pub on a brand new housing estate called Cardea. The Pub is called The Apple Cart'. As soon as you push the doors open you can smell the newness. Allot of wood has been used in the decor and that's the predominate smell. The decor was disappointing for a brand new building. It was done with no flair, almost a 1980's style decor and with such a mismatch number of prints and photograph crammed on all the empty wall spaces.

It's seems a friendly place though. The waiter showed us to a table and explained how they worked. Most pubs of this sort have a table number and you decide on the food you want and order at the bar. This system was a table waiting service. The food came quickly after we ordered. The menu was quite large and varied but with a pub of this size serving mainly food it had to be bulk ordered and mostly pre-cooked.

Lots of seating outside but not for today!

eclectic styling somewhat retro!

They had a good selection of beers.

After lunch we walked across to the brand new Morrisons store serving the estate to do some shopping. The problem with shopping with 'Himself' is that I find food in the trolley that is luxury not necessity and my bill gets expensive! The store holds no surprises. All these new food stores are built in the same style.

Three aquatic stores later we have a stylish new 'intelligent' lighting system for the Orb fish tank and a dozen new colourful residents.

Darned fish refuse to pose!

Back into the Fens!

2011-10-26T12:55:00.000+01:00

Yes, I know I've change the blog title. But I'm still a Fenlander at heart. This map shows that the Boro was and is right on the Western edge of the Fens. This map from the Doomsday period was at least 600 years after the Romans started on Fen Drainage It was still a wet marshy place though until the a Dutchman continued with the project during the 18th century.

Lots of major drainage dykes criss cross the area with the result the land has shrunk below many of the old causeways through the marshes that later became roadways.

Another new roadway has been forged across the drained fenlands. A new route from Peterborough to Spalding, bypassing Eye. The Road builders underestimated the unpredictable structure of the land and the road developed cracks before it could be opened. It's taken over a year for the contractors to strengthen the foundations of the road. Never under estimate the substructure of fen soil. The Market Deeping to Boston road bypassing Spalding suffered the same fate when it was opened some years ago.

This is the substantial bridge is built over the ancient Roman canal called Cardyke. It was built to carry Roman provisions between Peterborough and Lincoln. Now days it occasionally disappears from the landscape. The canal here, is really nothing to look at it could easily be mistaken for an ordinary drainage dyke.

The suns still shinning away here despite torrential downpours and floods across in the West of the Country. After lunch we decided to take a trip on the new road and visit our Home town of Spalding. The road has several very long stretches with gentle curves where there's ample opportunity for idiot, impatient drivers to show of their lack of driving skill. We had some prime examples of such idiot manoeuvres coming home at peak driving time.

We pulled in at Springfield's, Spalding Outlet shopping precinct. It's quite a while since our last visit here. Some shops have gone and new shops opened. A whole new Avenue of shops have been opened and a Travel Lodge has been added.

We saunter round the shops for a while. My favourite shop has gone. A shop selling card making paper and accessories but further along, where the Information and Museum was, is a new craft outlet. The Museum is still there but smaller. The new shop has a good range of papers but not such a good selection of art and craft materials, although it does have a limited range of knitting wool. Oh yes, and a small area selling teas and coffees, much cheaper than the Costa's outlet further along.

The last time I actually went around the gardens was many years ago when the Boys were still small and Springfields was still a garden to showcase Spalding's speciality, spring bulbs. When the Shopping Outlet village was built all the gardens were redesigned and replanted.

I still haven't managed all the gardens yet as walking distances give me much pain. But I managed just a short distance around a few gardens. One day I'll get to the see the gardens before going to the shops!

The small areas I ambled around were still splendidly colourful in the late Autumn sun. The rill running across the area that divides the shops from the gardens had been changed quite dramatically. Sections of the rill going under the bridge at the entrance to the gardens had been widened. The large Koi carp had been restricted to each ends of the remaining rill. The enlarged sections of water now have fountains and lights added and large Bose speakers stand on each side of the bridge. The next evening musical secessions will be at the 'Firework night' and the switching on of the Christmas lights.

One the way back to the car we just had to visit the Outlet's Garden Center. It's well stocked and had some colourful displays in the outdoor plant area. I managed to resist getting the purse out though!!

Cyclamen and ornamental cabbages.

Winter Heathers

are they gourds or squashes?

On the way home we could see dark blue black clouds and lightning flashing across the Fen skies. The rain we could see in the distance, drenching some parts of the fens managed to miss us completely. All we got was a few spots that hardly made the road wet. So were still in a drought situation while the West floods.

To change or not to change?

2011-10-23T16:13:00.000+01:00

That was the question....... after some deliberation I decided to change. The title of the Blog that is. Why? Well Peterborough is affectionately know as 'the Boro' by many people and its actually right on the Western edge of the Fens. Now days we don't seem to venture far into the Fens. Most of our Fenlander relatives and friends have passed on and some like us have moved on. Very little of my blog content was actually about the Fens any way. So I thought why not try a change of title.

The newspapers headlines have for a couple weeks now been giving us dire warnings about expected bad weather Last week according to them we should be knee deep in snow, rain and gales. While it's been decidedly on the chilly side for a few days and we had one middle of the night frost for the main part the weather has been quite comfortable for mid Autumn. Plenty of sunny days tempered by chilly winds. Today the wind is coming up from the South through France and is a pleasant warmish blustery breeze. Suns a little Hazy but a nice Autumn day.

Wandering round the garden I couldn't help wishing I'd taken cutting earlier from these prolific flowering golden leafed fuchsias They all flowering away as if it was early summer. They come through the harshest of winters and give such a spectacular flower display. I must have more.

Across on the ivy covered gazebo wasps and this hugh bumble bee were feeding away on the nectar from the insignificant flowering heads of the ivy.

one hungry bumble bee

The wasps were taking advantage too.

Despite the sun and temperate days all around there are signs that winter is approaching and the balmy days will all to soon come to an end. The Fatsia Japonica or Castor oil plant, is quite late preparing to bloom. It's little fluffy white flowers will change into black berries to feed the birds

All the fruiting shrubs and trees around have an abundance of berries this Autumn. The tree along the walk at the rear of our garden are having their berries plundered my the noisy Magpies. The Japanese honeysuckle has flowered once and produced an abundance of shiny black berries. Unusually though it has had a second period of blooming which is just about coming to an end. Shame as the blossom has a delicious perfume.

such a shame they're inedible.

All this year fine dry weather has followed us around. It only rained here in 'the Boro' when we were in Vancouver. In Vancouver it only rained when we were out of the City. Back home again we've had only a sprinkling of rain. The garden soil is so dry and the dryness goes down deep into the soil. Leaves that have fallen from the trees blow about waiting for me to get the rake out. I have Spring bulbs I need to plant out but the soil is just too dry and hard to work. So as much as it grieves me to say this .... Please we need some rain and a few days of it.

where's the besom broom?

A knitting review

2011-10-22T16:40:00.001+01:00

Some years ago during my dormant knitting period I disposed of all my knitting paraphernalia. I'd tried to rekindle my youthful enthusiasm when my grand children were born but to no avail. I just couldn't manage those needles or concentrate on a pattern. The needles, patterns and anything else connected to knitting were eventually consigned to a Charity shop.

Just a part of my new needle collection.

It all began with a knitted bear project from the Knitting and Stitching show in The Alexander Palace in 2004. Then followed a big project, a jacket for me. A knitted hat requested from my grown up granddaughter. Baby jackets followed for great nieces and nephews. Then came socks scarfs, hand warmers and gloves.

The knitting bug had definitely taken over and once more. I began to accrue knitting accoutrement's again. I found the style of needles had changed. Circular needles were much easier to manage than the old straight ones. Yarns were so much improved and the choice of yarn was vast, especially over in North America. Knitting was becoming a fashionable pastime once more. Enthusiastic young fashion designers were rewriting the pattern books.My stash of Canadian wool grew each time we came home. Membership of Ravelery came next. The online Knitting community started in America and spread worldwide.

Every now and again the needles are pushed into hibernation. But another trip to Canada soon resurrects the habit once more. An afternoon in Urban Yarns in Kitsalo and I came away with a pattern and wool for a head band with knitted flower

A trip to the well stocked yarn shop in Victoria on Vancouver Island found me purchasing this quite complicated pattern and the lovely soft alpaca wool. We're away once more.

a pair of hand warmers

Before we pack to return home from our extended summer break Nancylee decided she needed to downsize her yarn stash. I finished up with a hugh bag of various yarns that had to be compressed into our reduced luggage allowance.

the ever increasing yarn stash

The boxes on my office shelf are bursting with yarns. All packed in sealed ziploc bags to protect from dust and moths! (mainly dust though!!!) I get knitting. A pair of beanies emerge from my original stash.

a pair of contrasting 'Jared Flood' beanies

One keeps number three sons head warm while on a smoke break in the garden! Grand daughter Grace takes home a chunky mobius scarf, a slant eyed lace scarf and a pair of hand warmers. Some organic dyed wool knits up into a jacket for youngest great grand son. Not so pleased though after a trip into town to purchase a zip only to find that John Lewis has the very colour and style of zip I need but not the right length.

Warm zip up jacket for master Nathan ( minus zip!)

The cast on for yet another mobius scarf proved challenging I used Cat Bohordini's UTube method, but had no pattern for this thickness wool. I was winging it! After two attempts I hope I've cracked it. I decided to use a moss stitch or seed stitch as it's called in North America. I'll update later on how it turns out. This is a trial run for a silk and wool yarn I want to use later so I hope it knits up as I want it to.

another mobius scarf.

Have to keep knitting there's not long to Christmas and it's going to be a home made christmas this year. No time for house work. I'll consign that to the lodger!

A Top up of Sun and Ozone

2011-10-21T16:35:00.000+01:00

Last Sunday we had Youngest Granddaughter over for a visit with her Dad, Number Three Son. The morning began bright and sunny so I suggested a trip to the coast for us all. Which coast? Why, the North Norfolk coast of course, good old 'Sunny Hunny', or 'Peterborough on Sea' properly known as Hunstanton. This resort was the haunt of our youth. Coats and binoculars hastily thrown in the boot of the car and we set off. The drive over to the coast was uneventful and for once unimpeded with traffic delays.

Tides out and so is the sun.

During the journey the weather began to look distinctly grey and misty. Oh dear, had I misjudged the weather? Oh well the fresh air will do us all good. The sun eventually overcame the morning's mistiness and the skies cleared to a lovely cloudless blue.

Father and daughter.

On reaching Hunstanton we found parking easily, at the center close to the beach. Not a feat usually so easily done on a sunny Sunday. The Sunday market and a Car Boot event was in full swing in the car park behind us so we all ambled off around the stalls. Other peoples junk doesn't really appeal to me overly much, but it's a good place to sell your own junk if you have the time and inclination. By the time we had all seen enough of the market and boot stalls it was time for some lunch. It seems to be a tradition to have a fish and chip lunch when by the sea. So we went to Cassies, on The Green, and indulged. Tasty they were too. Possibly having the taste edge on our favourites chippy, Pa Jo's in Steveston, Canada!

A seaside fish & chip lunch.

Across the Green, down by the sea front, the new generation of Middle Age Bikers congregate on a Sunday afternoon. Their bikes all gleaming paint and chrome, parked neatly side by side. The leather clad owners ambling along the prom or eating fish and chips 'al fresco'. Gone are the days of the young roudy bikers tearing along the sea front. These sedate bikers are the reincarnation of the once lively youngsters, reliving their youth on powerful bikes they would have died for in their youth.

A new older generation of Bikers,

After lunch we walked along the sea front towards the cliffs. 'Himself and I at a sedate pace along the promenade and Jason and Grace romping along the shore line, shell hunting and beach combing.

When the promenade that protects the town from the vicious North Sea gales run out 'Himself' has to go down to the sands by the cliffs to do a bit of beach combing as well.

The cliffs are left to the ravages of the North Sea
and frequently crumble onto the beach.

I stay up on the Promenade and patiently wait for the for them to return. The ageing joints needed a rest period before the return walk. Eventually though I got fed up waiting and amble back until I came to a food van selling cups of tea, snacks and ice creams. They have tables and chairs set out. I need no prompting and cross to the van. No, not a sensible cup of tea, it has to be a soft swirly ice cream. By the time I had almost finished it the missing beach combers had turned up.

We ambled back to the sea front prom. in front of where the car was parked. I opted to sit and soak up the remains of the afternoon sun while the others walked along to the Amusements at the other end of the promenade. Plenty of other people had turned out to make the most of the warm sunny day and I spent a peaceful hour just people watching before retreating to the car and the Sunday newspapers. A lovely day not one that will be repeated any more this year but we do have an urge for sea air during the winter months, so who knows?

As we plunge headfirst into Autumn....

2011-10-20T15:19:00.000+01:00

We have has some cracking late Autumn days. Cold at night but clear blue skies with morning to evening sunshine. Daytime temperatures hovering around 17/19 degrees. Quite a few days have been spent pulling the garden back from its summer neglected growth to some sort of readiness for its winter rest. One of the fence posts from the wooden perimeter fence was found to be completely rotted out at the base and was held up by one of the evergreen Euronymus shrubs covering the fence. The rotten post is too difficult to get to, to replace, so 'Himself' has prepared a secondary 'bracing' post to prevent the fence from being blown over and destroyed by winter gales.

The popular 'News Rags' are predicting a bad winter once again. Even a plunge into a Mini Ice Age! Well, we've heard it all before. What about the horrible wet summer they said would be a 'barbecue summer'. Today's headlines - 'Thousands will die because of cold weather.' 'Pensioners will not be able to afford heating bills to keep themselves warm over the icy winter!' For goodness sake most of today's pensioners were brought up in cold homes warmed only by a cold fire in the living room. Ice on the inside of bedroom windows. Much colder, snowier winters than we get now toughened us all up.
With a new efficient gas central heating boiler and new insulation in the roof we should be cosy enough this winter, not to mention a posh new bespoke fireplace we have, built by Number three son, to add a cosy winter warmth to our lounge.

We have now found a Blacksmith who has made the fireplace a new fire basket, so we should be all set to face what ever the winter throws at us. The News Rags sensationalism don't scare us!

What does scare me though is the evidence everywhere of the coming Christmas season. John Lewis has its Christmas decorations up in the store and windows.

Christmas cards are in all the shops Food outlets and restaurants are advertising the Christmas fare. Television adverts are gearing up for an all out assault on us. The one thing we don't have yet, thank goodness are the non stop Christmas song, piped over the speakers of stores and the Queensgate mall.

I have a feeling this year, for us Christmas is going to be a 'homemade' Christmas with definitely no over spending on goodies that never get eaten. This summers prolonged vacation in beautiful British Columbia with our dear Canadian friends have drained the coffers to an alarming low. A period of restrained spending is much needed to aid the replenishment.

A couple of weeks ago we had a phone call from Canadian friends who were were touring Britain before catching up with their vacationing group and flying off to Spain for the next leg of their tour. They were driving from York down to Frinton on Sea to stay with old friends there. As we were on their route along the A1 they called in for a brief 'flying pit stop'

Wieman is a retired Nurse who worked in England before Emigrating to Vancouver where she found herself working with my friend Nancy who use to work with me here in Peterborough. We've met them several times in Canada over the years we've been going. Hopefully next time they come over to the UK they can have a longer stay with us.

Photo Memories

2011-09-19T08:00:00.000+01:00

I love my photos archive. It hold lots of memories. Many that my poor knocked about brain will not hold. So here's a few if 2011's memories for you.

The year began cold and snowy....

......making the garden a winter wonderland.

Feb. brought yet another Family Funeral. Aunty Linda's this time
on her 98th birthday. The up side was we saw family from South Africa.

When the snow went the sun came out so a trip to the coast was made.

You can't beat the coast in winter....Fish and Chips in Wells Next the Sea.......

.......and of course Afternoon tea in Sherringham

Television came to town in February with 'Flog It'
at the Cathedral. We took the opportunity to have a walk
around our beautiful Cathedral

The sunny spell saw us taking a trip to Anglesey Abbey
This birch grove looked stunning in the winter sunshine.

......as did the working water mill

In March I found long lost relatives living almost on our doorstep
Cousin Kay was born in Peterborough.

I hadn't seen her since she was a baby and I was a nipper!

April was sunny and warm so we took a trip to Barnsdale Gardens.
The Late Geoff Hamiltons creations are kept looking good by his family.

The lush spring growth made the gardens a pleasure to walk around.

May Day and we're at Silverstone for an 'Aston Martin' thrill......

.....007 aka "Himself' Races round the track.

Birthday cup cakes for Nathans 2nd birthday. Made by Stephanie

Nathan our great grand son loves his hats but not his pants!

June 1st we skip the country and go to Canada.

Here we are about to embark on the

Tall Ships for a sail out to sea

On a cruise to Alaska we marvel at the magnificent Hubbard Glacier.

almost midnight near the Artic Circle on the summer solstice.

In Calgary we see the World famous Stampede for the first time.

Watch the Cowboys and Girls do their stuff with bulls and horses,

watch First Nation people dance and make music,

and eat Pancakes and bacon in the street

street pancakes taste good.

In the hot desert Alberta Badlands we see Dinosaur bones from the
worlds largest dinosaur grave yard.......

......and strange rock shapes called Hoo Doos.

back in BC in the little village of Ladner we visit a wonderful

Farmers market and eat Greek food with friends.

beautiful sun flowers.

Visit Vancouver's historic Gastown.....

......travel along the Sea to Sky highway to Swallow Falls near Squamish.

Cross to Vancouver Island and see the wonderful Butchart Gardens ....

...eat Posh food in the Empress Hotel.

..take a sea trip out to Coal Harbour on Steve Galloway's 30ft yacht.

Take a Harbour cruise on a Paddle Steamer.

and see Vancouver's city skyline from a different viewpoint.

on Vancouver's North shore we visit Deep Cove..

such a beautiful sheltered place. We decided we could live there.

Whale watching in the Georgia Straits.

eat wonderful food all over Vancouver and Richmond

with lovely friends.

We came home to a brand new look in our lounge.

Lost and Found

2011-09-19T07:22:00.000+01:00

Just recently I've had a problem with Apple iphoto. A potentially bad problem. This program is where I store all my digital photos. My photographs had been carefully stored and sorted by years, dates and events. Many of my older film photographs were digitized and stored. All my family history photos, some that were loaned and digitized and there fore very precious were all there. All our holiday photos, from when the kids were small to our recent Canadian adventures.

You can imagine my consternation, when one morning I went to open iphoto only to find no photos. Nothing. Zilch. I panicked. They couldn't be missing. Why should they be missing. But there was the iphoto software totally empty. Not a single photograph in evidence whatsoever!

I sat and searched my Apple Mac, through all the folders and applications Not a sign of them. Now I know they have to be somewhere in the deep recesses of the system but I could not locate them. Surely Apple software, Apple, who prides themselves on their reliability couldn't have really lost them. I knew I had most of them on a separate hard drive and all the resent holiday photos were secure on the little Acer net book.

I opened Picasa my second storage program. Phew! they were all there. So why weren't they in iphotos? I went to online forums. Mmmh so, I'm not the only one this has happened to. But there wasn't any real help retrieving them. I could connect with an online Apple Teck. guy and pay him £36 if he was successful in retrieving them. Blanching at that, I thought, 'no, no, no, this is not going to beat me.' I figured if they were still in Picassa there had to be a way of exporting them back into iphotos. I couldn't see it though.

Eventually, after much clicking back and forth through all the options, I worked out how to do it. It was a long, laborious process that took me four really long sessions to restore iphotos back to how I want my photos stored securely. Maybe I'll use the Acer net book with Windows 7 as a second hard drive. So far Windows has never done anything so drastic.

Saying a Sad Farewell

2011-09-15T23:08:00.000+01:00

After my morning swim I decided to forgo coffee in town today and go straight home. I had a task to get through. Not one I was looking forward to. In fact I really didn't want to do this but I'm afraid she has to go. Poor Astra. Her age was catching up with her. She is rusting slowly away. I've had my lovely girl since she came out of the showroom all shiny red paint and with that 'new car' vinyl smell. She's been a faithful companion for 15 years now. She never let me down. Starting her trusty engine when ever I asked her in sun, rain, fog, frost and deep snow.

She's helped the kids in their numerable house moves and never once complained. Shes hauled boot loads of fire logs to keep Jase warm in the winter. Enumerable loads of garden rubbish have been transported to the tip. So many loads of unwanted acquisitions have gone to charity shops and Car Boots. Vast quantities of shopping from the supermarkets have been transported home. She's ferried Kids and Grand Kids about the County. Took us from one end of the country to the other without a hitch and carried me back and forth to town most days for the last 15 years.

Sadly now her care is getting expensive at I time when I need to conserve the finances. Her taxes are far more than her larger successor because she's so old. The last two harsh winters have taken a toll on the fading red paint work.

So this morning so reluctantly I make phone calls, to the dealers 'Himself' has pulled from the paper to make sure I do this. I haggle. Apparently She's too old to resell and too old for parts. I know they're all spinning me yarns. Eventually find a nice chap who will come and look her over and if he likes her he will take her for her final journey to the 'antique' car scrap yard.

'Himself' supervised her loading onto the transporter.

She's all tethered down ready to go.

the last farewell!

going.. going..

Gone...Farewell Old friend.

Oh dear, there's such and empty space on the drive. What have I done. What am I going to do with out her?

A Musical Interlude

2011-09-11T10:15:00.001+01:00

The BBC Promenade Concerts or The Proms as they are known Have a long history. Promenade Concerts had existed in London’s pleasure gardens since the mid 18th century but on the 10th August 1895 impresario Robert Newman arranged the first series of indoor promenade concerts in the Queen’s Hall in Langham Place. Newman hired Henry Joseph Wood as conductor for the series of concerts he called ‘Mr Robert Newman’s Promenade Concerts’. Wood built up the Queens Hall Orchestra and the concerts gained a popular following and reputation. After Newman became bankrupt in 1902 Edgar Speyer took over funding the popular concerts. Newman continued the artistic planning of the Concerts.In 1914 anti German feeling forced Speyer out and music publishers Chappell & Co took over. After Newman’s death in November 1928 Wood became the name most closely associated with the concerts.

The broze bust of Sir Henry Wood attends every Prom concert.

In 1927 The BBC took over running the concerts and they have been known as the BBC Promenade Concerts ever since.Wood continued conducting until his death in 1944 when Sir Adrian Boult and Basil Cameron took on the duties. In 1947 Malcolm Sargent took over the chief conductor duties until 1966. In 1941 the Proms moved to the Royal Albert Hall and apart from a brief spell in the Bedford Corn Exchange in 1944 when the risk from war bombing was at its highest, have been there ever since.

Between July and September the BBC Proms are an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral Classical music concerts and other events held annually, Most in the Royal Albert Hall but over the last few years an additional venus and ‘Proms in the Park’ events have been held across the United Kingdom.

the enthusiastic last 'nighters'.

The soloist Susan Bullock dressed for her rendition of Rule Britannia
a last night tradition.

On the most popular and eagerly attended Last Night, the program is relayed to an open air venue in Hyde Park and is joined by huge events in Ireland Scotland Wales and England. The last night in the Royal Albert Hall is so popular that people have been know to queue up for up to three weeks in advance to get a ticket.

Dress code is unusual, from fancy dress to dinner jackets to patriotic T shirts. Party poppers, balloons whistles horns are welcome and a sea of flags and banners are waved from the central standing area. and the tiers seats.

Last Night Conductor. The youngest ever Edward Gardner.

From the radio performances until we acquired a small black and white television I have listened and watched the Last Night since I was a kid. There have not been many years when I’ve missed this stirring performance of jubilant music. Last night featured the Chinese concert pianist Lang Lang in the first half and the soprano soloist Susan Bullock was the vocalist. The Actress Jenny Agguter read lines in humorous poetic format to introduced the many sections of a full orchestra.

The unchangeable tradition of the last half of the last night is Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance march, Rule Britannia and Jerusalem. The Promenaders, then after the conductors traditional speech, unprogrammed, sing Auld Lang Syne.

As I read one of my dear Canadian friend, Scorpio- Cancer’s blog this morning and to quote him

“And there on the corner of Burrard and Davie was a 15 piece band with singer...the music was fantastic...had all of us moving to the beat! Now, I have to admit this was a time when the thought of cancer was NOT in my mind! Only memories, and the feeling a good band does to the soul!”

I wondered how the atmosphere and music of the ‘Last night’ would feed his soul. To overflowing I would think. It certainly does mine. As those classic Shakespeare lines go “ If music be the food of love , play on and give me excess of it”

Conquering the Car fears

2011-09-09T00:00:00.003+01:00

Well I've done it. Got the better of the new Vectra's gear box. I said it wouldn't beat me. We've has this car for a year now, but because I still had my old faithful red Astra estate. A good old work horses that had been good to me for 15 years now. I automatically got in it when ever I went out alone in the car. Going out with 'Himself we went in the Vectra of course. I never have the inclination to drive when 'Himself' is in the car. We work better when he drives and I navigate and that's how it's been for 48 years! I drove it once when we first bought the shiny new Vectra but then kept faith with old Astra. I didn't like Vectra's six gears. I mean why do you need six gears?
Now, sadly my old faithful Astra has to go. She's never ever given me any bother and always started on cue. The sad fact is I can't afford to run two cars now and her poor body work is suffering from winter weather exposures. She has slow creeping rust problems on her bodywork.
Since we came home from Canada I've been stuck in the house. Astra has no Tax insurance or MOT so she has to stay immobile. Tempting! Anyway I'd had enough of Cabin Fever and demanded to go out. I need to be able to drive. I really can't imagine why I find driving a different car so daunting I never have before. Do I feel unfaithful to poor old Astra? After a short drive out on Tuesday I decided today I'd conquer this reluctance once and for all.
Off then on our jaunt then this afternoon, out of the estate, the long way round passed Chequers and out on the Elton road then cutting over to Wansford through to the A1 then North up to Stamford. Out of Stamford towards Barnack and through to Helpston stopping for afternoon tea at Willowbrook Farm Granary. While we were there we booked ourselves in for their Sausage night in November and a Pudding Night next week. Next stop, into the butchers shop, for some fresh local meat. Well we had to have some of their own made Willowbrook Farm sausages for tonight's dinner. Then back in the car through to Bretton with a stop at Aldi to stock up on their cheap but excellent products then home. Sorted. Got these gears sussed and I'm relaxed with the driving. Guess there's no reason not to get out early in the mornings now. So no reason not to go for a swim. Well my legs still not quite recovered from the allergy. So I guess I could wait a day or two longer. But at least I can get out to the shops now when I want to!

Monday Blues

2011-09-05T14:41:00.003+01:00

It's Monday and it's not a good day. The weather doesn't know whether to rain or shine. The winds rather blustery and cool. Tempers here are a little fraught today. It must be the weathers effect. Every one is doing stuff in different areas of the property. Keeping their distance. Hopefully as the day passes nerves will calm.

I had a wander around the garden this morning. There's still lots of work to do here. But to cheer me up I took this photo of this little sunflower. Now it's only small and It's in a place where it shouldn't be but it's so cheerful I left it be. I'm assuming the seed is from the bird food we put out in the winter. The birds are usually so thorough in picking up all the scattered seed that I'm not sure how this one escaped

The seed center is so perfect but I suspect it will never produce seeds the same size as it developed from. Note the minuscule baby snail under the seeds to the right!

Elsewhere in the garden plants have been prolific and productive. The fuchsia is still flowering away. I love these lovely dancing bell like flowers and there are several dotted around the garden. This one is a dwarf variety, I think called Thumbellina but I may be wrong.

The dwarf peach tree my sister gave me several years ago has up to now been a disappointment. The peaches are small, white fleshed and so sweet, that is when they manage to stay on the tree long enough to ripen. When they have done they've generally been attached and guzzled by ferocious wasps. This year however the tree is laden. They look ready to eat but they are still like little rocks. I'm undecided to pick them and ripen them on a windowsill or leave them hoping that this year the wasps will not find them.

The grape vine is slowly making it's way up to the roof of the garage. Such an abundance of verdant growth. Sadly though, the grapes this year are rubbish. They're always small and have fiddly seeds in them, but are usually sweet. Daisy the resident tortoise loves them. as does the wasp population. Maybe that's why the peaches have been left alone this year. No grapes to attract them.

Blogger has changed the style of it's dashboard once again. I hope this one will not give me the grief the last design did otherwise I will have to change blog sites.

Home to Blighty

2011-09-03T17:14:00.000+01:00

Saturday September 3rd

It's September already and we're back from our extended Adventures in Canada. Where did the time go to. We've done so much in the last three month and it seems to have gone by in a flash. Friends here at home thought the Canadian blog was more a foodie blog. I don't see how it could be as there was accounts of all the other adventures we went on. Eating out and socializing, especially in the Chinese community, is such an integral part of the Canadian way of life that writing about it seemed just part of the overall picture of what we did. Anyway eating out will not be playing a large part of our life anymore for a while!

The Pacific ocean seemed to feature greatly in this Adventure. A cruise to Alaska, as far North to the Great Hubbard glacier, just 400 miles from the Arctic Circle and back through the Inner Passage of the Pacific coastal Islands. Two trips out on small fast moving Whale Watching boats into the Straits of Georgia and around the Islands. A ferry over to Vancouver Island to Victoria and back. A yachting experience on Steve Galloway's 30ft yacht called Bellefonte and finally a Harbour tour on a Paddle Steamer around the Coal Harbour and Burrard inlet.

We've already been home a week. My first job was to get the car taxed and then order groceries online. I got a delivery slot on Saturday evening and we managed on Jason's meager stores until then. Unpacking and finding homes for the new cloths took a while. Our storage capacity has been reduced since Jason has been home. A ruthless cull of old clothes before we went on our adventures still didn't improve our space issue. We finally managed to squeeze it all in and stash the cases back in the attic.

I haven't managed to do much since I've been home. It's taken me all week to sort out my swollen feet and ankles. Resting helped the knee and back problem and I finally managed to get the allergy rash almost clear. The medication I needed ensured I rested as well! Hopefully I will get back to a morning swim soon. I've missed all the local Lido season. It closes tomorrow until next May.

The internet has also been giving me grief all week. Poor coverage over the house and intermittent download speeds drove me up the wall trying to do anything online. I've finally decided this service has to go. Talk Talk I've decided is just rubbish. I'm going back to BT hoping to use their new Infinity service. Today the only way I have been able to write blogs today was to bring the laptop downstairs and connect it to the router box with an Ethernet cable.

Our garden looks as if it's been a picture over the summer. Shame, as it now looks sad and overgrown. Jason's not a gardened by his own admission! 'Himself' spent a couple of day sorting it out and bringing it back to a reasonable state. It still will need allot of cutting back before winter sets in.

Time to Evacuate

2011-06-02T13:53:00.002+01:00

Hi, the Brits have headed to Canada for the summer. 'Himself and I left sunny dry East Anglia for cool wet Vancouver yesterday. Number 3 Son, Jase, has been left in charge of Chateau Ilett and Daisy.
To continue to read these ramblings go to the Canadian blog

The New Spymaster

2011-05-04T14:21:00.012+01:00

For more than 60 years Silverstone has carved its mark as one of the leading motor sport venues, and is Internationally renowned as the host of world class events,

The Silverstone Racing Track is built on the site of a World War II Royal Air Force bomber station, RAF Silverstone which opened in 1943.

The Stations runways were first used for motorsport by an group of friends who set up an impromptu race in September 1947. One of their number, Maurice Geoghegan, lived in nearby Silverstone village and was aware that the airfield was deserted. He and eleven other drivers raced over a two mile circuit, during the course of which Geoghegan himself ran over a sheep that had wandered onto the airfield. The sheep was killed and the car written off, and in the aftermath of this event the informal race became known as the Mutton Grand Prix.

The next year the Royal Automobile Association took a lease on the airfield and set out a more formal racing circuit. Their first two races were held on the runways themselves, with long straights separated by tight hairpin corners, the track demarcated by hay bales.

Over the next few years the track and racing continued to develop and the 1949 Trophy Meeting soon became known as the Grand Prix.

'Himself' has been going to Silverstone for most of his life, off and on. In this youth he use to fly down from Spalding with his Father and Fathers friend Jim in their Auster plane. In those days if you had driven to the Circuit you could drive your own car around the Circuit after the Meeting.

In the 70's and 80's 'Himself' and his friend David use to acquire free tickets from Davids sister who worked for one of the Racing Teams. It's been several years now since he's been to the circuit. Tickets nowadays for the Silverstone race meetings are prohibitive expensive, so he contents himself with watching all the world wide Grand Prix on the television.

When the retirement present of an Aston Martin Thrill was presented to him the choice of which track to experience it on was a 'no brainer'. It had to be Silverstone.

Thank you Nancy, Nancy and John. Our lovely Canadian Friends.

So on a warm sunny day, May Day in fact, were set off to drive the 53 miles towards Towcester The drive should have taken about 90 minutes. The roads were not too busy and we made good time. UNTILL.

'Himself' had an unexplained senior moment. As we approached the M1. I had the Sat Nav. on for the last few miles of the journey to get us on the right road for the new approach to Silverstone. The Sat Nav. said, continue on the A45. I said, continue over the M1, keeping on the A45. So, 'Himself' turn down the slip road onto the M1. I shout, but too late, we had no option but to continue. 15 miles to the next junction with 'Himself' chuntering to himself that he couldn't believe he done that. 15 miles back. We almost reached the turning we needed when we hit backed up traffic. Then signs notifying us that the M1 was closed after the next Junction due to an accident. No option now, we had to crawl with the traffic and exit at the junction. I then had to backtrack and navigate back to the A45 to get back on the road we needed. Luckily I had built in extra time in our schedule for road holdups.

We eventually found the entrance to the Race track and navigated rather rough, narrow roadway system to the Silverstone Experience Centre. Silverstone was not at all what I was expecting. Having seen all the swish new tracks and facilities on tracks around the world courtesy of the Television, I was shocked to see how basic and unglamorous most of Silverstone was. Basic elevated seating was being erected ready for the British Grand Prix. It was all supported by a complicated frame of scafolding. Not what I would have expected at all. 'Himself' commented on how it had all changed and improved since the debacle of Bernie Ecclestone removing the British Grand Prix from the circuit. The race to improve the track and facilities to get it back. The gleaming new Hospitality Building and the Team garages were nowhere near we needed to be.

About a half a mile into the site along narrow roads and over a strange dark high sided wooden bridge we found the Experience Centre. We parked up and went in. Whooo... it was busy and noisy and warm.

'Himself' signed in and got his instructions. He would be called along with the other drivers for a half hour briefing, mean while we had a short wait. Plenty to look around and he had some leaflets to read up.

This was the Circuit he would be driving on and below the briefing notes to read . All looked straight forward.

During his briefing I settled down in one of the comfy sofas with a cup of coffee and my Kindle. Shutting out all the loud music and chattering I got lost in my book.

Out side the sun shone but the cool wind kept the temperatures to a reasonable 20 degrees.

This two seater racing car was kept busy with a professional driver taking people out around the circuit at G Force speeds. When himself signed in I was asked if I would like to take a turn around the track in it. The cost today was a reduced £30. I gracefully declined. Well, I might get in the car but I'd never get myself out of it!

Parked to one side were some of the cars that are used in the Silverstone Experience The track was just beyond the bank behind.

Briefing over we all had to get our cars and drive to another building along the circuit where he was kitted out with a helmet and assigned a car and an instructer. His car was to be 009. I scampered along with other drivers families up to the roof of the building where we were told we would have a far better view.

Scanning the drivers being called to their cars I luckily saw 'Himself' being taken to car 007 not 009.

I did get some reasonable photos but I would have done better with a camera with a long lens. It was a work of art trying to access when he would appear along the track then to pan around with the car until the right place to get the shot. At those speeds not easy at all. The track camera came to the rescue and took much better pictures than mine.

Aston Martin Thrill:
Blast the iconic Aston Martin V8 Vantage around Silverstone for three sensational laps.

Well that's what it said on the 'tin'. I'm not sure blast was the appropriate word here. It was a little more complicated than that, but with a few more laps I'm sure it could be achieved! Getting in the right position for the bends, the time to brake and the right time to accelerate all took around the three laps to master. But then it was all over.

Back on solid ground your given a certificate and a chance to buy the official track photos. All three on a CD with a glossy A4 size photo of your choice was almost the same price as the photo on it's own.

Outside 007 was parked up waiting for fuel. Had to have a photo along side it of course.

The back to the Experience Centre for coffee, cake and a debrief before heading home. With no diversions! An enjoyable expirence and day well apart from the M1 diversion!

Me, well I went along for the ride!

The Sunday Garden Trail. April 10th

2011-05-02T17:10:00.007+01:00

The weather in April has been unusually warm. It seemed a shame not to take advantage and go out for a ride. Another Sunday, so poking two fingers up to the horrendous Gas station prices we set off.
I'm not sure why we keep going out on Sundays as we could go out on any day of the week and miss the weekend crowds. Habit I guess. We'll change in time!
Anyhow this Sunday we headed for Baytree Nurseries near Holbeach. I know how predictable for us. It's spring what do you expect!

Baytree must be the largest Garden center in the UK. You need your hiking boots on to go around it. We haven't been this way for a couple of years and its changed once more.
The fragrant perfume of the flowers in the warm sunshine was delicious. Pots and Planters of Spring blulbs and flowers were all over the the site.

The sky couldn't have been any bluer and the newly emerged leaves on the trees are so fresh and bright..
We headed for the restaurant first and had a Baytree Sunday roast dinner. Very filling. Then wandered over the plant center, tool center, craft center, furniture center. Furniture? That new.
The clothes range has expanded too and there's Hotter Shoes as well. None in my size of course!
Bamboos, Planters, Pet store, garden machinery. Oh gosh, time to head back to the restaurant for a tea break and rest the tootsies.

This place is wacky. Always has been. The owners always adding excentric bits from Parades and exhibitions. Or from antiques and junk shops.

.......like an old 1940's mangle. My Mam had one like that, before a washing machine was installed!

Did we purchase anything. Of course, but strangely not plants. Just a metal ring frame support for my paeony growing in our garden.
Couldn't resist this shot!
Back in the car we decide we had time for a visit to some old friends. We hadn't seen them for 10 years. Too long. We sat and had a good long chat with several cups of tea before we headed home across the fens.

The previos Sunday

2011-05-02T17:10:00.001+01:00

Barnsdale. April 17th

2011-05-02T13:54:00.005+01:00

I just can't believe I haven't written a blog since the incident of the strange tomatoes! Time passes just too rapidly nowadays.
Anyway back in April when I was feeling too lazy to cook the Sunday roast we decided to go out for lunch. We went to the Millstone at Barnack as we hadn't been there for such a long time. The meal was adequate but not as good as it was then Aubrey owned the place. Post lunch 'Himself' suggested a trip to Barnsdale Gardens. Another place we haven't been too for a long time.
The gardens were the inspiration of the Television Gardener Geoff Hamilton. A hugely popular BBC Gardener. After graduating from Agricultural Collage he became a Nurseryman and a Self Employed landscape Gardener. He started writing for Garden News magazine, then presented Gardening Diary for Anglia Television. He join the popular BBC's 'Gardeners World' team in 1976 as an occasional presenter. By 1979 he had joined the team full time . Around 1983 Geoff and his family moved into a large Victorian farmhouse with 5 acres of land and Barnsdale Gardens were conceived. Geoff was now fronting the program from his own garden.
Over the years Geoff presented the show from this stony clay plot. Transforming the poor farm land into a series of small delightful Gardens. His popularity as a presenter never wained. He fronted the Garden Shows from Chelsea and Hampton Court and presented spin off series like 'The Paradise Garden'.

In 1996 whilst on a charity bike ride he suffered a massive Heart attack and died. The nation was stunned.
We last visited the Gardens a short time after Geoff had died and his son Nick and the family had taken over the running of the gardens.

Today the site has matured and is spread over 8 acres. All Geoff television gardens have matured and developed. The whole site is now a connected sereis of garden rooms with new gardens having been designed to connect the Television gardens into a cohesive pleasant walk around.

A new Tearoom has been added were light snacks and refreshments are served The old plant nursery has been enlarged and the small shop redesigned with space for the courses they run from the gardens. The car park had also been added to allow parking for the continued stream of Geoff fans that continue to visit the gardens.

This bronze bust of Geoff was sculpted by one of his sons and sits on a great reclaimed garden plinth.
I'm sure we won't leave it so long before we visit these delightful gardens again.

A Strange Phenomenon

2011-03-18T15:09:00.004Z

I've been around tomatoes all of my life. My Dad use to grow glasshouses full for sale I've grown then in the garden and I've eaten them all my life.........BUT.... I've never ever seem such an odd sight as the seeds sprouting inside an uncut tomato.........

I know researchers were doing trials on radiating fruit and vegetables to make them have a greater shelf life but I'm fairly sure radiated produce hasn't been allowed in this country. Or even that it would produce such a strange phenomenon.

I cut another tomato for a salad yesterday and found yet another on with just a few seed beginning to sprout. Not as advanced as this one though.

March 14th. A Gardeners Delight.

2011-03-17T16:06:00.012Z

Monday has turned out to have been the best day of the week. On arriving home from my morning swim 'Himself' suggested a trip to Angelsey Abbey. It's a National Trust property we had been meaning to visit for some time now. I knew we had missed their renown snowdrop display so I wasn't sure if I really wanted to go out. We'd also seen Carol Kline visit the Winter Garden on Television's 'Gardeners World' program on the previous Friday. Then, having remembered seeing photographs of the magnificent Himalayan Silver Birch grove in the gardens I decided I wanted to go.

The journey wasn't a long one as the Abbey is just a little north east of Cambridge but we were disappointed that the lovely sunny day had turned overcast. Arriving at around lunch time we were surprised by how busy the car park was. We had thought Monday wouldn't be a busy day especially as we knew the Mill and the Abbey wouldn't be opened! Quite a few people were coming aways from the Gardens as we walked in. 'Himself' soon sussed out why. Prince Charles had been for an official visit and and was now having lunch in the closed Abbey restaurant. The up side of his visit was the Mill was opened to visitors.

As we had a nice light lunch in the modern light airy restaurant the cloud layer dispersed and the sun made a welcome appearance once more. We set off in the sunshine to walk around some of the the gardens. The grounds of the Abbey are essentially divided in to four main gardens, Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter garden

The winter garden didn't disappoint despite the snowdrops and the fragrant Virburnum Bodnantence Dawn being over. The Hellebore's were still all out in flower and daffodils were making their splendid sunny appearance.

The main appeal of the Winter Garden though is the colourful stems of the shrubbery and the wonderful tactile tree barks.

Such vibrant colours made more so by the sunshine.......

....and then round a corner you stumble on this plantation of young Himalayan Silver Birch. It truly is a beautiful sight. Their brilliant white trunks gleam in the sunlight.

Out of the winter garden and round another twist in the path you come across the mill. This is a water powered flour mill. It shouldn't have been open but for the Royal visit, so we took the opportunity to pay it a visit as well. 'Himself' climbed the steep ladder to the top but I elected to stay at ground level. The volunteer guides were most informative and actual started the hugh mill wheel turning to grind fresh flour. I had to buy some, so now I have a kilo of freshly ground wholewheat flour sitting on the shelf in my kitchen.

The body of water that runs the mill is called a Lode. It's clear, clean water that sparkles in the sunlight. The leaves of the emerging water lilies are clearly to be seen sprouting towards the surface.

The present mill dates from the 18th century but there are records of a mill on this site in the Doomsday Book of 1068. The cogs and wheels of this machinery are a work of art. Some of the cog wheels are made from wood and interlock so perfectly. The main upright beam that turns all the machinery is one massive tree trunk of a sweet chestnut tree.

Pressing on along the winding paths we came across various sculptures all around the gardens. This guy must have felt a little chilly this winter!
The original Abbey on this site was an Augustinian priory and was built in 1236. Religious life of the Priory came to an end in 1536 when it was dissolved by Henry VIIIth. The Priory then became a private house with various owners. In 1928 it was bought by Lord Fairhaven who renovated and restored it. He eventually left it to the National Trust.

After we had covered about half the grounds I decided that was enough for my dodgy joints. A sit down in the restaurant with a cup of tea was definitely called for. We'll save the rest for another time of the year and on a day when the Abbey is opened to view.

Most definitely a place to be placed on the list for further visits, a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon.

Feb 25th A Cathedral Flog it

2011-03-15T15:48:00.009Z

Friday and another fine sunny if somewhat cooler day. A morning swim was the first order of the day followed by coffee at 'Sundays' in town. 'Himself' was coming in by bus and we were meeting up for coffee.

After coffee we strolled over the brand new revamped Cathedral Square, remarking of the bland emptiness of it and the numerous disgusting blobs of chewing gum trodden in the new expensive sandstone paving blocks. Twelve million pounds and two years of work for a very unimposing monument to modernness.

Anyway rant over. We were heading to the Cathedral to have a nose at the filming of a popular BBC2 television program called 'Flog It'. Members of the public take in their antiques for valuation and appraised by experts and if their item is deemed interesting enough they get to be filmed with the 'Television antiques experts' and their item is then sold at an upcoming auction.

There were queues of people. They got longer and never seemed to reduce. Inside rows of patient people clutching their precious goods sat patiently waiting their turn with the experts.

The television crews waited for their next victim with the Antiques celebrity expert Philip Serrell.
The shows presenter Paul Martin wandered about and talked to the waiting punters.

We bypassed the waiting queues and went straight in. Its a few years since our last visit and I always find churches and Cathedrals fascinating places. It's their history and architecture that interests me. Despite the vast size and height of the building it was kept warm by these hugh ancient heating stoves.

We wandered around past the Cathedrals two notable memorial edifices, namely Katharine of Aragon and Mary Queen of Scots, looked again at the ancient silver ware and marvelled at the stone carving. Always finding bits that we'd missed on previous visits.

Since the building was cleaned and restored after the disastrous arson attack of a few years ago, the pale Barnack sandstone of building gleams and radiates light around from the magnificent stain glass windows.

Our Cathedral always attracts lots of visitor because of its history and architecture but today there was understandably extra milling around, along with us, watching the proceedings in the central aisle.

February 24th - From the Roof to the Sea.

2011-03-15T14:24:00.008Z

No swimming this morning. We were expecting the roof insulators to arrive sometime this morning. The Government have been giving grants to householders in an effort to get their homes up to modern insulation standards to help save on energy costs. Our loft was badly in need of upgrading so we took it up. The last three dusty days had been spent clearing out all the last 45 years worth of accumulated junk.

This required some ruthless decision. Stuff had to go! So my trusty old car was load up to the roof and duly went to the local tip. Another load to the Charity shop. The dustbin and recycle bins were filled and the local Auctioneers called to come.

The Insulation guys came early, so early in fact we weren't even up! Well 'Himself' wasn't. They set to work and gave our roof space a extra thick layer of insulation, relagged pipes, gave the water tanks posh new overcoats, draft proofed and insulated the loft hatch.

It was all over so quickly and they were off to their next job. We carefully replaced the essential items that couldn't be junked like the suitcases and the emergency camping gas cooker. Very necessary if we have power cuts!

Job done and it was still early, and sunny. Not too many pleasant days this winter so we make the most of them when they arise. A trip out was called for.

Not surprisingly we headed for the coast and after a fish and chip lunch break in Wells Next the Sea we set off once more on the coast road around Norfolk. A brief stop at one of the 'twitchers' regular meeting places to take a look at the feeding birds and wild fowl. before arriving at our destination fro the afternoon. Sherringham.

Thank goodness we dont have to load up modern cameras with film nowadays. This old sign was on the Sherringham Steam Railway Station wall. Naturally we had to have a wander around it.

It's a well kept station...............
With lots of authentic artifacts............
Even the diesel engine gets an outing .............
I was first here back in 1958 with some school friends on a sketching Holiday. We've made brief days out here over the years. One notable day was on my own with the Boys in a gale. The boys were dodging the huge waves crashing over the promenade. Over the years the little town went into a decline but not its had some renovations and is not a much smarter place once more.
Just off the main town street was this delightful row of freshly whitewashed Fishermen's cottages
I'm not too sure on the relationship of an imposing blue lobster is to an Ironmongers shop is but I like him
There's a brand new museum and community center down on the sea front. Strange name to give it though I suppose it must have some significance.
After a while people and wave watching and at the sea front we headed of up a side street where we had seen a quaint old fashioned tea shop.......

........across the road from the Oddfellows Hall. Ooooo look, two oddfellows!

The teashop was really nice. A double fronted bay windowed shop. Inside had low ceilings whitewashed walls and exposed wooden beams. Tables had lace cloths and the table wear was mismatched bone china. Very civilised. An old fashioned cream tea was the perfect ending to the day.

A January Outing

2011-02-27T16:22:00.005Z

On a cold sunny day in early January, after the snow had disappeared we decided a trip out would blow away the cobwebs. All wrapped up against the cold we set off. Rutland Water was the finally the decided destination after setting out with no clear idea of where we were heading to.

This natural looking lake is actually a reservoir. This was needed to provide water for the highly populated area of the East Midlands. Several sites were considered by Anglian Water but the twin valleys of the River Gwash was the site chosen. The site was controversial as the land was fertile farming land that had been farmed for centuries. The clay subsoil was thought to be ideal to construct the reservoir. So, in 1971 construction began. In 1975 they began pumping the water, drowning several farms and the village of Nether Hambleton. In 1976 the reservoir formerly known as Empringham reservoir was officially opened with a new name of Rutland Water. It took until 1979 to fill, covers 3100 acres and has 25 miles of shoreline.

Today the site is a destination for water sports, fishermen, bird watchers , cyclist and walkers. There are several hotels along the shoreline amongst the many other attractions.

The Normanton Church was the one building saved from the flooded valley It was a medieval Church of St. Matthews, rebuilt in the 18th century It was saved by raising the floor by 3 metres and water proofing the foundations. Today its a museum housing the many archaeological finds from the valley during construction

After a less than brisk (I don't do brisk any more!) but stimulating walk we had a refreshing cup of tea at the Crazy Fox Cafe before departing to another area of the shore line
There we watched a lovely sunset over the water before heading for home.

I feel the urge to write.

2011-02-19T14:29:00.005Z

I can't believe my last posting to this blog was back in December. I suppose because January and thus far in to February has been so awful. Hopefully as winter progresses into the spring of 2011 our lives will start to improve. I still find our lifestyle somewhat unsettling. With 'Himself' now retired and both of us at home I'm finding the lack of routine some what disquieting. January was so cold with ice and snow for several mornings I couldn't find the energy to get out early to deice the car ready to go for my morning swim. Then we had colds that terminated in prolonged irritating coughs. A flood in the bathroom and two family deaths plus other ongoing family dramas all added stress to the cold gloomy winter weather.

Now, though there are signs all over that spring is slowly emerging from the depth of the coldest winter for decades. Yellow catkins dangle from the road side shrubbery. Green shoots are beginning to show on the hawthorn bushes, The garden is covered with white once more , only this time it is from the dainty dangling bells of thousands of snowdrops. Little patches of colour from the blue, purple or sunny yellow crocuses are interspersed through the carpet of white. Daffodils are shooting up through the snow compacted earth. Their buds growing larger by the day, soon to be cheering us up with their nodding bright yellow trumpets.

Three Freezing Days

2010-12-22T22:30:00.003Z

Its been a very, very cold three days with a mixed bag of weather. Monday we thought we had better make our Christmas visit to the Cemetery in Spalding to put a wreath on 'Himselfs" Ma and Step Pa's Memorial stone. The morning was cold -8 when I got up and everywhere was a white out with a hoar frost covering everything. We wrapped up well to keep out the cold and set off. By the time we reached the other side of Peterborough we had hit thick fog. Undaunted we carried on. The fog lifted just slightly and briefly around lunch time but soon descended again. The temperature never got above -6 degrees with a chill factor of several degrees lower all day. The only good thing about the cold frost was the roads were clean and clear.

The cemetery was an eerie place, the white frost piercing the grey gloom of the fog.

We didn't linger this visit, too cold, and we decided not to go for a wander around the town this time either. Even the River Welland had frozen over through the town. The butchers where we usually stock up on our favourite sausages was closed. Strange to be closed in Christmas week. I expect they'll be heaving on Friday with every one collecting their Christmas meat orders. Dissapointed we decided to head for Market Deeping for a warming Fish and Chip lunch at the River Restaurant.

The Boundary Fish and Chip take away has been on this site for many years . Its called the Boundary because it sits astride the Parish boundary of Market Deeping and Deeping St. James The ever so slightly posh River restaurant behind the Chip shop is a fairly recent addition. It looks out over the river Welland and I guess it's nice in the summer but today the partially frozen river looked too murky and cold.

Tuesday dawned cold and frosty but no fog. The sun soon broke through the high cloud cover and made the hoar frosted trees look breathtakingly beautiful.

I had lots of jobs to do today. First a visit to the New City Hospital once more. Parking is a nightmare still but I managed the Disable parking bay this time. My passenger has a valid Disable badge but on the previous two visits there the traffic visiting the new premises were all unsure about parking so it was total chaos.

The new Costas coffee cafe had opened since my last visit so armed with my Kindle a cappuccino and a festive toasted brie and cranberry pannini I waited on a comfy sofa while my friend had her Physio session.

My swimming friend took this photo of the Lido and Cathedral from the cycle track on the river embankment.

Wednesday morning we woke to a fresh covering of snow. I suppose we can't complain as all week the rest of the country has been struggling with several inches of snow. We've only been freezing. By mid morning the snow was coming down heavily. It continued snowing until mid afternoon when the sun managed a brief appearance.

Today I had a lunch date at a friend house. My fellow diners are all the early morning Lido regulars and as one of our group is now wheel chair bound with limited movement we asked David from 'Sundays', the cafe we have our coffee after swimming , to provide our lunch. He arrived with a hot, full festive Christmas roast dinner and stayed to carve and serve the meat. Not many cafe owners would do that.

Our friends live by the river and their sitting room overlooks a marina cut away from the River Nene. They have a little wildlife haven in front of their window. In the summer a visiting seal who swam in from the Wash was not too popular with the fishermen around but provided entertainment for the homeowners. Today the river is frozen over and the resident Moorhen population are running all over the ice trying to find open water to swim in for food.

I expect we'll now have another white Christmas. My Christmas roses in the garden were looking as if they would be just right for picking for my festive table decoration, but now with the frost delaying them and the snow covering the emerging flower buds there will be no chance for the cheerful little flowers gracing our table this year. We're having a quite Christmas this year with just the two of us. Still no festive baubles have been retrieved from the depths of the attic but the cards are all adorning their usual place in the conservatory.

The Freeze Returns

2010-12-19T14:50:00.003Z

The Christmas preparations at No 20 progress at a snails pace. All the purchasing is done. The cheats way of course, cards for the Queensgate shops. So much better than getting gifts that are politely received and quietly stuffed in a draw! No decorations have appeared though, just the festive cards blue tacked up around the conservatory windows.

Yesterday we went for morning coffee at the Farm shop and bought our festive meat to cover the holiday period. It was snowing as we drove out there and was settling at a disturbing rate but luckily it stopped quite quickly. All the heavy snowfalls of the last few days have missed us as usual. The frosts are bad enough.

All the hard work we put in cleaning and repairing the pond for the winter have been in vain. The water is escaping at a worrying rate after this last few nights of freezing temperatures. The ice sits over an empty space as under it as the water levels drop. We are at a loss as what to do. The little wooden bridge has given way as well so much that its not safe to walk over any more.

I think theres a distinct possibility of there being no pond, just a water feature, by the spring. We're getting too old to keep up the maintenance it requires

There's a little Pied Wagtail bobbing about on the ice. It slithered and skated right across the pond looking for water to drink, just before I took this photo. Below the squirrel masters the art of eating the bird food while contentedly swinging. The large box of 'out of date' biscuits 'Himself' brought home from EN offices are being ground down into crumbs along with some peanuts and are being pecked up at speed as soon as it put out in the mornings

A Break in the Weather

2010-12-12T15:40:00.005Z

We're slowly getting infected with the spirit of Christmas, but still not enough to get in the attic and dig for the decorations. The cards are all made, addressed and posted. Just a few local ones to complete now. A trip into the city is planned next week to finish the shopping. I may cheat and take the car down halfway to a Valley Park car park and get the bus from there. That way I don't have to pay for car parking or queue to get into the car park then try to find a space.

Yesterday was Saturday and the expected break in the freezing weather duly arrived. So with sunshine and the temperature an 'barmy' 10 degrees we decided to go to the Farmers Market in Oundle. I like Oundle it's a nice little town. Easy to park easy to walk around. Beautiful architecture and NO global super stores.

The Farmers Market is every month on the second Saturday. It starts early at 8.30 in the morning and finishes at 1.30 in the afternoon. It's usually well attended and has a good variety of farm produced foods. Being near Christmas there were stalls selling trees wreaths, holly mistletoe and Christmas table arrangements as well as other seasonal foods. Carol singers completed the seasonal buzz.
The town centers mellow Barnack stone buildings glow in the sunshine.

The shops are small and interesting. A nice eclectic mix. Two extremely good butchers, a trade sadly lacking in Peterborough. There's a decent bakers and some good boutique clothes shops. An old fashion Ironmonger and an independent book shop keeps 'Himself' happy!

The town also has an small active theatre, converted from a defunct chapel and further down the street another chapel provides a space for a craft fare along with a comfortable relaxing space for coffee and mince pies. 'Himself' bought me some lovely glass coasters from one of the stall. We had just been admiring the artists work in the Gallery along the road!

Several coffee bars to choose from to take refreshments in or the menus in the pubs or the towns historic hotel, the Talbot, look very interesting. Today though we opted for a snack from the hog roast in the market. The smell was irresistible. The hugh pork with stuffing and apple sauce baps were worth the short queue for. Can't beat a little alfresco grazing!
This is one of the Art Galleries, something else Peterborough lacks. Its small but with some lovely pieces hanging that I would love to see on my walls!

A Frosty Birthday

2010-12-08T12:18:00.005Z

The 7th of December dawned frosty white, the coldest day of the year -9 degrees Celsius when I emerged from my warm cocooned duvet. As usual in this really cold weather I have been late rising and missing out on my early morning swim. This leaves me with mixed feelings...... Guilty cos I should be up and organised to get out to get some exercise and then relieved not to be freezing while defrosting the car then fight with traffic to get to the pool. Anyway this morning I was later than usual and before I managed to get down stairs the doorbell rung. Luckily 'Himself' was way better placed to answer the door. A city florist was delivering a lovely bouquet of flowers from a friend. It was a joint birthday gift and a thank you for helping with her convalescence.

I ventured outside to feed the birds and the cold really smacked you this morning. The waterfall had ice all around it. A sparkling white hoar frost covered everywhere.

The recently cleaned pond was completely iced over and the fish still visible stationary beneath the ice. Remnants of the snow from last week still lay around.
We had planned to go out for an evening meal to celebrate my birthday but as the weather was so severe we decided that would be rather silly so wrapped up in our Canadian winter coats and hats we headed off into the countryside to have lunch at a restaurant in Ramsey.

The drive out was uneventful as the roads were clear and easily driveable not like the north of the country and Scotland where they were bogged down with snow and ice and roads were treacherous. The sun shone and caused the hoar frost over the countryside to look quite beautiful.

I discovered I had forgotten my camera so the photo is not mine but you get the picture. Endless fen landscape shimmering under a thin layer of snow and thick layer of hoar frost. The temperature never got above -2 degrees all day.

We arrived in Ramsey a small town in the Fens that I had thought was going to be interesting with lots of small shops. In fact it was a disappointment. Uninspiring buildings with many empty shops. It had no redeemable features so after a quick walk about we headed for the restaurant. It was called The Bow Window a pretty looking place from the outside, white painted walls with bow windows of course, and a thatched roof. It had been given a good review in the local press so we were looking forward to trying it out.

I'd checked it out on the web site and yes it was opened Tuesday to Saturday. The day was Tuesday so that was OK. Er... what it didn't say though was that it didn't open for lunches.

Thoroughly disillusioned with Ramsey we doubled back to the small village of Holme where we stopped at a Pub cum restaurant called The Admiral Wells. It was supposed to have a good reputation. The food was hot tasty and adequate nothing special though but we enjoyed the meal and met a very chatty lady called Grace who I discovered was once a receptionist at a village surgery where I use to go occasionally to do the Ante Natal Clinics.

Back home and watching the evening news on the TV there was a News report on Fen Skating. The cold temperatures has frozen the flooded fen fields and for the second time this year the fen skater were out on the ice. Made me feel nostalgic for my old fen skates. As a kid I use to look forward to the frozen ponds and dykes when I could don my skated and whizz round the ice in the frosty open air.

A Rocking Christmas

2010-11-26T16:54:00.008Z

It's a cold frosty day today. Minus 1.5 degrees when I got up this morning. Every where covered in a hore frost. Despite the cold we decided we'd have a day out and as Rockingham Castle is fairly close by and was open for it's Christmas event this week that's where we headed.

Rockingham castle is 900 years old! Commissioned by William the Conqueror and for 450 years it was a royal Castle followed by 450 years as a family home, belonging to the same family for all that time.
The castle sits on a the top of a hill with sweeping views all round the Welland Valley. From the Gardens you can see across five counties.

Henry VIIIth granted the Castle to the Watson family who have lived there ever since. During the Civil War the castle was a Royalist stronghold causing the family to loose much of their wealth. The castle was badly damaged by the Roundheads. Thirty feet of the long gallery was totally destroyed by shelling and was never rebuilt. The long Gallery has still the original 1800's maroon curtains and wallpaper. It's lit with three hugh Murano Venetian crystal glass chandelier.

Ancient Norman door arches and slit arrow windows survive century's of alterations and modernisation.

Views over five counties in the Welland Valley viewed from the gardens.

During the Victorian era Charles Dickens was a frequent visitor. His novel David Copperfield is dedicated to Sir Richard and Lady Lavinia Watson and much of the novel Bleak House was written while he was a guest in the house.

The house was opened this week as a Christmas event. Staff were dressed in the costumes of 1849 and the rooms dressed for Christmas. The dinning room is all set up for a banquet, 1849 style with some magnificent silver center pieces.

It's been sunshine all day so we walked around the gardens first before the sun moved and sent them into shadow.

The gardens stretch around two sides of the house and the most impressive part is the 'Elephant' hedge. A double hedge of clipped Yews

The Kitchens are set for a magnificent Christmas feast 1849 style. Not a kitchen I would relish working in. Very labour intensive.

By the time we emerged from the castle grounds the sun was setting over the valley and the frost was returning covering the grass with a hore frost.

All Clean and Sparkly Again.

2010-11-25T15:10:00.005Z

Rectifying the leaking water from our pond took allot of our energy. For a start there were many more tears in the liner than we had first thought. The thick clay soil we dug through to make the pond must have been the reason more water hadn't leaked out. I suspect the wretched heron is the culprit.

Anyway fish, water and mud removed the liner got jet washed and after much deliberation on how to proceed with curing the leaks, we ...... well 'Himself' really, found the unused liner from the shed and sourced some 'fish' safe silicone sealer and set to work patching all the tears and splits. If this didn't solve the problems then a much bigger task of replacing the liner was the only answer!
While the pond edges were accessible we decided to remove all the plants from the edges. The tiny leafed 'Mind your own Business' plants we planted to cover the edges had been over taken by a plant we bought years ago that is now banned for being such a 'rampant thug' When we bought it we didn't know it's awful spreading properties. I've sent ages on my knees ripping it out to try to control it to no effect. I know we still haven't got all the invasive roots but hopefully it will be easier to tackle now.

The fish, bless 'em, have been quite happy in their temporary homes, along with water beetles, rams horn snails and various other aquatic bugs we carefully saved from the mud off the pond bottom. So many fish thought. I thought only rabbits breed like that!

Water, fish, bugs and snails are all back in a pristine pond. Touch wood the water seems to be staying put. The only problem so far has been the wretched heron. This lunch time he had landed and was in the process of wading into the pond once more for his lunch before he was spotted and shooed off.

Now the pond has a random network of fine fishing line criss crossing the edges and the water. I hope he is suitably deterred otherwise I'll have to think up a more devious deterrent......

A Wet Affaire

2010-11-16T16:49:00.006Z

The Pond in our garden, lovingly dug by ourselves over a month back in 1994, has been a source of delight, amusement, education, frustration and calm contemplation over the years. Many a cup of coffee has been drunk while sitting watching the wildlife it attracts. An emerging dragonfly was the inspiration for the design of a cake during my City and Guild Design course back in 1998. Grandchildren and friends children have sat on the little bridge over the stream with their noses a few inches from the water looking at frogs, tadpoles, beetles, dragonflies and even a snake.

Over the years the vegetation in and around the pond has grown increasingly luxurious. Each spring and it becomes more dense and each Autumn we struggle to reduce it.

This summer though we have had increasing problems with it. A pump failure in mid summer started the catalogue of woes. The pump wouldn't come out of the water. The water lily roots had escaped their container and trapped the electric cable to the pump. The only option was to destroy the beautiful waterlily to be able to lift the pump. Sorting out the pump made us realise that a deep cleaning operation was required to remove the silt and dead alga. We also became aware we had a water leak. Over the sumer we tried different strategies to try and define which part of the pond the leak was in.

By Autumn we decided their was no option but to drain and clean the pond out and hopefully find and rectify the leak.

Himself set to work draining the water levels to make catching the fish easier. Ha!!! The fish thought otherwise and did their best to evade the net. Three tubs of fish sat on the patio. Had he caught them all? Eventually the silt in the water was so dense he had to give up until the next day to give it time to settle.

It looked an extremely sad sight. Still no indication of were the leak is yet.

Next morning there had been a frost the temperature recorded -2 degrees when I got up. The fish in the tubs hadn't appeared to have suffered any ill effects. The water left in the pond had settled somewhat and it was obvious that there were still fish to catch!

I set about catching the remaining fish, not easy, the mud soon stirred up and they came up in the net along with masses of smelly mud and I had to get them out quickly and into fresh water. Thank god for rubber gloves!
Power washing the sides to clean it the pond liner showed up our leaking problems. The liner was deteriorating and splitting. It shouldn't be, it was guaranteed for many more years yet. Now we need to decide what's to be done. Neither of us have the energy or strength to completely remake the whole pond and with last nights frost it's not the time to be doing a job like that. We decided to finish cleaning it out and refill to the split line, replace the fish until the spring.

Now, no one has ever fallen in, not even the grandkids, as I designed it to be as child safe as possible, but, while trying to remove some roots from the side 'Himself' slipped in. He was not best pleased. God that mud does smell!!! Hopefully that will be the last of our woes but the saga will continue
......

Another Day Out

2010-11-13T15:21:00.009Z

After the brilliant day out in Lincoln on Wednesday, Thursday was a total washout, rain, rain, rain all day. So when Friday arrived with clear blue skies again we decided to make the most of them age have another day out.

We didn't quite get to Vancouver, but to the Vancouver Shopping Mall in Kings Lynn in Norfolk! The town was the birthplace of George Vancouver who spent 5 years exploring and mapping the west coast of British Columbia in Canada.

Lynn has even stolen the hanging flag idea that decorated all the districts of Vancouver, Canada!

After a satisfying hot lunch in the Cafe Roasta we headed for the Museum where I wanted to see the recently installed Seahenge monument.
This view is from a post card purchased form the museum and shows what the monument looked like when it was first discovered.

Back in 1998 this early Bronze Age structure, thought to be a religious site, was uncovered by a receding tide on the beach of Holme Next the Sea in Norfolk. The structure had been hidden for 4000 years and was given the term - Seahenge. Originally built on Salt Marshes before the sea rose and covered the area. The wooden structure consisted of 55 axe split tree trunks arranged in a circle with the bark out side and an upturned oak tree root placed in the center. The site was only visible at low tide and the ancient wood began to deteriorate with exposure to the air. A controversial decision was made to remove the timbers and preserve them.

The timbers were first sent to Flag Fen here in Peterborough then eventually to the Mary Rose site in Portsmouth for cleaning and preservation before being returned to their eventual new home in a special created display in Kings Lynn museum.

We spent a few hours in the Museum and I got chatting to another couple viewing the exhibits. Their accents first attracted me to them. Canadian and Vancouverites. Small world! On emerging into the town we revived with a Costers stop before hitting the shops.
I spent five years in Lynn during my student days when we use to go to the Majestic Cinema. It still survives today despite all the demolition of parts of Lynn to build a modern shopping mall. Above the cinema was a a sprung floor ball room where we use to go to dances on Saturday nights when we danced to live music from dance bands and groups. No DJ in those days.

The Saturday Market Place still remains. Every year around Valentines day a fair called 'The Mart' arrives on the square and that's were Himself and I had our second date so many years ago.

This large open space serves as a car park during the week when the market isn't using the area.

The Lloyds bank has survived in the same building but the building on the other corner is now 'Nandos'!

Along the High Street, the original main shopping street that I remember the building all remain much the same but the shops have changed. The large department store I remember as Jermyns is now Debenhams store. There use to be a shop called Woodcocks, a grocers/delicatessen with an old fashion Tea Room above the shop. They use to roasted their own coffee and you cold smell it on the street. A Purdys cake shop with another coffee shop above was were we use to go after night shift for a coffee and doughnut before retiring to bed for the day. All gone now but there's still a good mix of little individual shops .

The River Great Ouse runs along side the town edge. Once the site of an important and busy Dock Yard now just a few small fishing boats remain. All the old dockyard have gone and the water side now has modern appartments and houses where the working docks were. I notices all have stout flood gates that would close to defend the properties from the sea.
We just had time to visit a converted ancient 15th century warehouse called Marriott's Warehouse on the Green Quay. It is home to the 'Wash Discovery Centre' as well as a gift shop and cafe.
This unusal sclupture stands along side the outdoor seating area for the cafe. The sun had set and it was getting dark before we headed for the car to hit the road home.

A winter trip.

2010-11-11T09:28:00.012Z

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny break in a week of lousy weather so we decided to make the most of it. As the swimming pool has closed for some renovations we got away early in the morning after deciding we would make a trip to the City of Lincoln. Neither of us have visited the City for some years now. The journey was smooth and uneventful through the gently rolling Lincolnshire countryside.

Having found a place to park we came to the market place and the River with its modern sculpture that spans the river Across the bridge is a new Waterside Shopping mall that opens onto the main shopping street of Lincoln.

Once busy with traffic it's now completely pedestrianized and busy with people browsing the shops
After a reviving coffee break at Costers we set out to explore......
These are the narrow streets in the old upper part of the city. They get progressively steeper until you reach the Cathedral and the ruins of the castle built for William the Conquer, perched at the very top of the hill.

This is the start of a very narrow road called Steep Hill. Once the traffic use to go all the way to the top but now it has been pedestrianized thank goodness. At the top sits the Cathedral and Castle. Today we chose not to climb to the top.

Jews Court is one of the oldest buildings at the bottom of Steep Hill, the streets that leads up to the great Lincoln Cathedral, is reputed to be older than the Cathedral. Although there is no proof of it’s construction date the building was by tradition a medieval synagogue and central to Lincolns Jewry. Today, after surviving plans for demolition in 1930, it is the home of the Lincolnshire History and Archaeology Society. It also houses a book shop for new and secondhand books.

Next door is the 12^th Century Jews House, which was by tradition the home of the Rabbi. The Jews House is the oldest known surviving dwelling house in all Europe. Today the Grade 1 listed building is the home of an excellent Restaurant. It has just reopened after a fire two years ago closed it. The two years was taken up with complex planning applications due to the buildings status.

Looking at the menu outside we decided to have lunch here instead of 'Pensioners Fish and Chip' meal we saw near the market further down in the newer part of the City.

Lunch was a delight. An ancient building sympathetically modernised inside to a simple tasteful contemporary style. Crisp white starched tablecloths, faultless service and mouthwatering delicious food.

The food is prepared by the Chef/proprietor Gavin Aitkenhead and front of house is, manageress, Samantha Tomkins. We passed a good many eating places, pubs cafes and restaurants as we walked along the main shopping street but I'm sure we couldn't have made a better choice for our lunch stop than The Jews House.

For all the conservation work carried out on preserving the wonderful architecture of the city, across the road from this ancient building, on a once open piece of ground the planners have allowed a row of hideously bland architectural uninteresting red brick homes to be built. Their defence apparently- 'in a hundred years time they'll be quirky'. Personally I doubt if they will survive a hundred years!

After lunch we wandered back along the main shopping street. Past an eclectic mix of architecture from ancient churches..........

.....to Victorian Gothic ........ to hideous 1960's architecture..... to some of today's better contemporary styles.

This half timbered Medieval style building survives, now a cafe it is on a bridge that spans right over the River Witham that runs through the center of the City.

Although Lincoln has the usual the run of boring high street global chain stores it has retained a good mix of smaller individual shops with quirky goods for sale that makes a shopping expedition more interesting.

Despite my parents once living 12 miles north of the City and my sister once working in the city center Lincoln is a city I don't know too much about but is steeped in history. I think in retirement it will have a few more visits from us.

i'm Back

2010-10-15T15:20:00.010+01:00

There's been a long lull in the blogging process of late. Lots of dull uninteresting 'things' going on and not much time for writing. After several remarks about it being absent we decided it was time to return.

July, the last time when I put fingers to the keyboard, gave way to a pretty dark damp August. Thankfully it wasn't cold as well. There's not much I remember about August, except for the rain, so not much to write about.... but the chimney got swept and the boiler got serviced! So we were ready for winter.

August eventually gave way to September, a much sunnier month. The Lido closed with the usual Sunday afternoon swim followed by the 'end of Lido picnic'. A lovely lazy last swim in the afternoon sun, with the Cathedral bells chiming and the water a reasonable 21 degrees. Once showered and dried we ate by the pool side before eventually saying goodbye to the pool until May next year.

September brought other changes. Caitlyn-Rae turned four and started school, and her Dad, Michael, move out of the family home to a bedsit on his own and began a teacher training course while continuing with his O.U. maths degree.

Young Nathan learnt to walk . His climbing skills were already well developed but once he found his feet they rapidly escalated and he took after his grandfather (Sean) in becoming a champion climber.

Himself's work place were being irritatingly indecisive. Was the workforce going to be made redundant or not? Once the decision was made to make everyone redundant, no one could get any correct redundancy figures. For such a big firm it seemed it was beyond their capabilities to be able to produce any information that was correct. The Managing Director had to be contacted by the inimitable Glenda and the catalogue of errors placed in front of him before any progress was made. Eventually at the very last minute they got they're act together and made things right. So a new faze in our life has begun. 'Himself' is now actually officially retired.

All during September DJ has been back and forth. Sometimes well and sometimes definitely unwell. His illness is so distressing to us and we are often at our wits end trying to help. I think we may have to eventually have to accept that our efforts to help are to no avail and for our own sakes let things take their natural course with whatever the consequences will be.

On a brighter and happier side Nancylee and John arrived from Canada for a flying visit and we had a hectic week before they travelled via Eurostar to Paris for the French, American Literary Festival. Nancy was to deliver a speech of welcome to the invited Canadian Writers and participate in four debated.

In the week before Paris we dined out allot in ancient country 'Gastro' Pubs. Spent a sunny day by the sea at Wells dipping our toes in the murky but unexpectedly warm waters of the North Sea. Wandered around the market, cattle market and flea market in Melton Mowbray, a new experience for them and browsed the shops in the our illustrious City!

More meals out, once they returned on the Euro Star, this one at the Italian restaurant in Castor with Chris. September passed into October and teaching commitments necessitated their returned to Vancouver.

Young Chris, my baby Grandson turned 18 last week and has just graduated from pedal powered wheels to motorised wheels, albeit two wheels unfortunately not four. He now is the proud owner of a smart red moped.

Soothing Sunday

2010-07-25T14:22:00.005+01:00

After the shambles of the last two day we decided taking it easy was today's plan. Fingers crossed no more disasters. This morning after breakfast and Sunday papers we decided a trip up to Hill Farm was in order. Himself loves his fresh raspberries.
It was so nice up there, warm and sunny with just a gentle breeze. So peaceful that we ordered coffee and sat for a while enjoying the sun and cloud watching. The swifts and swallows were diving overhead grabbing their insect meal on the wing. Much higher in the sky the faint drone of the transatlantic planes could be heard. Silhouetted white against the blue sky they left a white vapour trail interwoven in the clouds.

Farm fresh vegetables, raspberries and strawberries, not forgetting the cream, along with some juicy slabs of locally reared beef sirloin steaks for dinner we loaded the car and the short drive back home.

Gosh that beef was so good than I can forget the price! And the raspberries so sweet and juicy. No cream for me though!

Back to the garden. The mess of water lily has been cleared up and is, as I write headed for the local tip. The pump after all that effort now seems to be working! A little more clearing of the pond and we'll soon be back to normal.

Blackbird up date.

Mrs Blackbird disappeared after the unfortunate drowning of her last three offspring. Not for long though, she soon reappeared and made her nest shipshape once more. Mr Blackbird watched and then got amorous once again.

Once the nest was renewed to her satisfaction she proceeded to lay four more eggs and settled to brood the eggs for her third attempt at nesting this year. Mr Blackbird confined himself to watching and waiting.

Very soon his wait was over and the little speckle blue/green eggs began to hatch. His work began once more. The ever hungry chicks are keeping both Mum and Dad busy with four mouths to feed this time. They've even got use to DJ sitting in the Gazebo smoking and reading. Mr Blackbird use to fly in straight at DJ but now he follows his wife's lead and ignores him and flies straight to his hungry offspring.

They're developing and growing fast and feathers are beginning to cover their tiny scrawny bodies. I guess they will be ready to fledge by the end of this week. I hope this brood is more successful than her last ones.

After a years absent Hissing Sid has reappeared. DJ was on his way outside for a smoke and very nearly trod on him, frighting DJ half to death! The snake as well, I expect! I caught this photo of him as he shot across the pond escaping from DJ's size elevens. He looks as if he had already gorged himself of one of the inhabitants of my pond. He's been around since as a few days later his skin was shed and left on the pond side.

It's not a good weekend so far.

2010-07-24T20:23:00.004+01:00

It's not been a good weekend so far and we're only half way through. Yesterday, I stumbled and fell into the washing machine door with disastrous results. A broken door and latch and a bruised leg. So, now no washing machine in operation. At least I had the washing up to date. Himself came home and said he could fix it if we could find the parts. DJ said, no worries if part were not available or it was unfixable as we would be covered by the household insurance policy. Anyway, later I did an Internet search and came across a site I'd used before to order parts from. Now we just have to wait for them to be delivered and hope the washing doesn't pile up too much.

This Mornings post arrived and I opened two letters from the Energy Company that informed me the gas and electric costs would be going up next month. Himself and I threw about ways of reducing our electric usage. One idea Himself threw up was to put the pond pump on a timer so it wasn't operating all the time. I wondered whether this was advisable as the pump was a few years old and would the motor stand being turned on and off.

After an afternoon of working in the garden tidying we discovered the pond pump had stopped! Why did I say it was old! All the simple solutions were investigated with no effect. There was no other option the pump had to come out of the pond. Sounds easy. Not so. The electrical wire to the pump had got trapped under the growing roots of the massive white water lily that was in full bloom. All ways of getting it out were explored to no effect. Finally the wire had to be cut and pulled from under the roots. Still no results. Each tug on the wire pulled the water lily from the bottom. There was then on other option than to get the lily out of the pond. This in itself was no easy task. The poor old Lily had to be hacked into pieces to get it out and release the cable.

Finally the cable came free and smaller roots of the lily were tossed back into the pond. Another problem, the roots won't sink. I think we'll have to fish them out tomorrow and tie a stone to the roots and toss them back in. We still don't know if the pump is terminal or repairable Hopefully Himself will investigate that tomorrow.

The damn lily roots won't sink.

Some of the sad remains of the magnificent lily.

2010-07-12T14:49:00.002+01:00

The weather has been incredibly hot over the last week with temperatures of 30 -31 degrees. Far too hot for comfort. Yesterday the weather men predicted warm weather but with cloud and rain so we thought we'd head to the coast to visit 'Himself's' niece. Car loaded for all eventualities, we actually managed to set off at the time I said we'd leave. Miracle! Driving towards Norfolk the cloud layer thinned and the sun broke through.

We arrived at Debbies with none of the traffic holdups we were expecting on the road towards the coast, especially along the notorious Arcle Straight. So after a reviving cup of coffee we headed towards Gorlston to a Pub serving a Sunday Roast Carvery. No 2 son DJ has got his appetite back and tucked away an enormous plateful of food.

Suitably stuffed we hoped to take a relaxing walk along Gorlston beach. Parking was unexpectedly easy and we walked down to the beach only to be met with a swarm of minute flying black beetles. They were a horrendous nightmare so we beat a hasty retreat back to the car, brushing the little beasties off us. Flicking the little horrors out of the car window all the way we thought we'd try out luck at Great Yarmouth's sea front.

Parking again was easy and we had a pleasant walk along the sea front until we stopped at Debbie's favourite sea front cafe called Gloria's for a cup of tea. As soon as we had sat down the 'beasties' struck again. I think this time we only caught the edge of the swarm that blew in with the wind from the sea, so they didn't cause us too much irritation this time.

D.J. and Debbie have always got along well and have a soft spot for each other since they we're kids so they they walked and chatted and chatted and walked while we tagged along at a gentler pace behind.
It was a lovely day 'beastie's' aside, not too hot and a gentle sea breeze to keep things cooler. Refreshing and relaxing.

It would have been better still if we could have stayed on Gorleston's beach as Yarmouth has been allowed to develop in an unattractive way. Somehow Yarmouth town Planners must have been sleep walking over the last 40 years and allowed the developers to do as they please. When I was a Kid it was a really attractive place, a pleasure to visit but serious planning lapses have allowed it to become an ugly mishmash of ghastly buildings. Not a place to be proud of at all.

A hot day in Stamford

2010-07-10T17:23:00.007+01:00

The ancient Market town of Stamford on Market Day has always been one of our regular days out. We love the character of the town, who's recorded history dated back 1000 years. Built from the mellow locally mined Barnack stone its ancient maze of streets and and alleyway's are a pleasure to wander up and down exploring. Lots of little independent shops to browse and hardly a High Street Chain in sight.

Friday is Market day and despite the sizzling weather the market was busy as usual. Stamford has resisted the trend to shift markets off the street and put it in a purpose built compound away from the center of activity. Stamford is a particularly good street market and runs along happily with a Farmers Market.

Lots of fresh produce cheaper than the Supermarkets sold by vendors shouting their prices.

I decided not to take the usual photos but to look for more unusual shots especially at roof level.

There's such a mix of architectural styles ranging from medieval through to modern. Although the modern has to blend in with older surroundings.
The central of the three main streets that run apparel to each other is completely pedestrianised. The first street is the original rout of the Great North Road and the third street is where the market is held and has no traffic through it on market day.

Lots of alleys with shops and cafes.
This grand old building has been converted into small shop units but has still retained its architectural features
Unusual shops with unusual goods and unusual names.

The Old Great North Road.

Modern sculpture in front of and old pub.

The day finally proved too hot for me so we wandered back over the scorched water meadows and across the River Welland

I use to paddle and play in this river when I was a child and we had picnics and played games on the meadows. Now days It would be frowned upon to go wild swimming here. Shame, the water did look inviting and lots of fish found the water healthy!

Anyone for Pimms

2010-07-10T16:06:00.004+01:00

Pheew this weathers a bit like being in Las Vegas. You step out side and the hot dry air just blasts you. The big difference is we've not icy cool air conditioning inside so inside, outside ain't no different.

But we do have ice cold Pimms or Elderflower Cordial and the fans stir and cool the air a little.

I'm spared the hot stove tonight as D.J. is going to cook a Korma curry with rice. I'm looking forward to that. Himself has been told we're having Stir fry chicken with cashews in a coconut sauce. Must remember to hide the korma sauce jar from him!

A Lush Time

2010-06-25T22:31:00.002+01:00

Its been so nice this week , warm and sunny. We've had breakfast alfresco all week for the first time this year. The Lido's been a positive pleasure to swim in and this morning we all swam a little later than usual and after had a Pool side picnic lunch again. I've even taken to riding up town with 'Himself' and coming home on the bus. Might as well make use of the bus pass before the Government decide it's a perk too many. The Seniors free swimming is to go in August due to Government budget cuts so I'll have to start paying for membership again.

My summer tan's slowly developing just through swimming and pottering in the garden. The gardens looking especially lush and colourful at the moment.

The flowers have grown so well this year it's hard to spot the weeds sneaking through but I'm sure they're there. Daisy's doing her best to wreck some areas though. I now have plants that she doesn't care to munch through so she squashes them instead!

The strawberries have cropped heavily this year and I've managed to pick several bowls full before the birds or slugs have got to them. The beans and tomatoes are shooting upwards but it'll be a little while yet before they crop. The peach tree was covered with a mass of blossom in the spring and I'd never seen so many peaches on the little tree. Sadly though something seems to be munching away through the skin of nearly everyone. I'm not sure whats doing it yet but I suspect it may be ants. The grape vine is looking so healthy and is loaded as well with bunches of developing grapes so I'm hoping for a bumper crop this autumn. That is if the wasps don't devour them like last year.

A Black Saga

2010-06-24T16:17:00.005+01:00

As I write this Mrs Blackbird is sitting rather forlornly on the very top of my Acer Brilliantissum tree surveying the garden. I'm afraid she'll search in vain. Mr Blackbird scuttles across the patio with a worm dangling from his yellow beak looking for his off spring.

This sad saga began back in mid April when we noticed the industrious pair flying back and forth into our ivy covered Gazebo. Nest building was happening in earnest and after a few weeks hard work Mrs Blackbird seemed happy with the results.

By early May she had laid two eggs. She may well have laid three, as we spotted an empty shell lying on the patio one morning just after we realised she had eggs.

The nest was well concealed deep in the ivy inside the gazebo and she settled down to incubate the eggs. Mr B was a good husband guarding her and keeping other birds the same size as himself away from the garden. It was quite entertaining watching from the kitchen window his antics when attempting to shoo away a flock of starling that had flown down to bath in the stream.
The concealment of the nest has been of utmost importance as Magpies were nesting just a few yards away in our neighbours pine tree and squirrels run up and down the fence a few feet from the nest . Both creatures wouldn't be above robbing the nest of either eggs or young.

Eventually the eggs hatched and Mr B was busy fetching food for his wife and chicks. As the chicks grew Mrs B joined his in the food search in between long periods of brooding the chicks. Then, as Blackbird chicks often do, they fledged rather early, leaving the nest and hiding in the undergrowth in the garden while their parents continued to find and feed them.

After another couple of weeks I became aware of Mrs B fetching new nesting material to the nest. In early June three more eggs appeared in the nest and Mrs B settled down to incubate the new clutch of eggs.

In due course they hatched and the feeding frenzy started all over again. the incubation period this hatching seemed to be longer and the time Mrs B brooded the hatchlings was also longer. I assume this was due to the period of cold windy weather we went through.
The chicks eventually fledged and like their siblings in the previous brood they hid in the undergrowth waiting for food from Mum and Dad. We think the fledging was caused by some drama in the garden for when we opened the back door one morning a female Blackbird lay dead on the patio. Mr B sat on the Acer calling. Hoping he would carry on with the feeding we buried the unfortunate bird. Mr B carried on calling and suddenly over fence Mrs B appeared with a beak full of food. What a releif. The strange bird must have been chased by Mr B and she flew with some force into the conservatory window. Mr and Mrs B both carried on feeding and we got glimpses of the little birds occasionally. If they were in open view and we got too close Mr B squawked his piercing alarm call to warn us off. The neighbours cat got even worse treatment and scuttled off when we opened the door to shoo it away.

Then disaster. Yesterday morning I scooped one tiny fledgling out of the pond. In the afternoon I scooped out the second drowned bird. This morning the third little bird was sitting under the Gazebo being fed when we went out but by late this afternoon a third little body was scooped out of the pond.

The only consolation is that one of the first fledglings is still about and being given the occasional mouth full of food. I wonder if Mr and Mrs will go for a third brood as Often they do. Watch this space.

The photos ? Well they were taken very briskly and sneakily taken when I observed both parents had flown off to hunt food.

A new shopping experience

2010-06-12T22:38:00.006+01:00

On the way back from collecting Grace this afternoon we called in at the brand new 'Garden Park' Shopping experience in the East of the City. Its built on an area of land that sits next to the Cities garbage dump. It's not a place for routine grocery shopping but more a once in a while visit.

The main focus is the obligatory Garden Center. This time the quite expensive up market Van Hague garden center. Then there's a Hobbycraft store. It almost rivals Canada's Michael's stores in size. At the opposite end of the parade of shops is a Coffee shop called Adronicas. In between there are a line up of smaller fairly up market stores.

Along the front of the stores a wide area of land is laid out to pleasant gardens with seating and olive trees. Despite coming from Italy the little trees must be tough as they have suvived the winter we've just had and are promising a bumper crop of olives.
The Cotswold Camping and Mountain shop, Past Times, Cotton Traders and Le Creuset are just some of the stores. There's also a book store a toy store and an aquatic store plus about five unoccupied stores.
Grace found some modelling clay from Hobbycraft. I couldn't find the American micro glitter though, but they've lots of Card making materials.
I was intrigued by this unusual shaped wooden hut complete with glazed windows and stout door and thought it must be a 'rich kids' Wendy House!
But no. It's a posh barbecue shed, complete with inside barbecue and extraction chimney. How decadent. Especially in a recession.
Himself smooched around the Aquatic shop and found a free booklet called Water Gardening!
For most of the visit I sat in the gardens enjoying the sunshine. I've already been here three times since it opened so I didn't feel the need to tramp all around every store today.

Does anyone know the answers?

2010-06-08T10:07:00.001+01:00

This morning I wasn’t feeling up to swimming, it might have had something to do with the rain drumming on the conservatory roof and the weather station recording an outdoor temperature of 13 degrees. Whatever my body just wouldn’t collect my swim gear and get into the car.

I sat for ages my mind wrestling with complex thoughts and coming to no conclusions. I mean how was the explosion that created the ‘big bang’ theory triggered?

How does your brain deal with the complex universe ‘theoretical and factual knowledge’? Space is still expanding, but if it’s still expanding shouldn’t it have an edge?

Considering how mankind has developed over the last 1000 years what progress will it make in the next 1000 years? I want to be able to see what it will be like. But, will we continue to develop in the past all great civilizations have collapsed and disintegrated, will ours?

Will we travel in space in the future to colonize new worlds? Will we be consumed by global warming or will the next ice age catch up with us?

If scientists develop time travel in our future wouldn’t we be seeing people from the future delving into our past right now?

What sort of brain does a person have who believes implicitly in an all-seeing God? Or one that believes an act of terror will provide them with an after life of virgins? When a psychic purports to see and hear dead people what’s happening chemically in their brain? It must be some sort of chemical malfunction like epilepsy is. Or can they really see them and can certain people really see the future?

Oh no, too many unanswered questions making my brain tired, I need a nap !!!!!

After the Storm

2010-06-06T22:30:00.007+01:00

Last night’s thunderstorm and downpour freshened the air and cooled things down somewhat. The last week had been so hot, culminating in Saturday’s 30-degree temperature in the garden. Sunday morning arrived giving us overcast, misty but warm weather albeit considerable fresher so we decided to have a day out. So, car loaded with coats and umbrellas, just in case, we set off along the A47 towards the coast.

A misty blue grey haze hovered across the green fields of wheat, barley, beans and rape the effect was to give the fields all the same colour with slightly different shades. The distant trees on the horizon looked like cut out silhouettes, all the same shade of dark blue gray and further away, the trees were the paler they became until they merged into the blue grey sky.

At Kings Lynn we suddenly changed our destination, as I wanted to call at a farm shop with a Yurt restaurant along the coast road between Hunstantan and Wells.

The A47 was busy as usual but luckily as the Children’s half term week was ending all the traffic was leaving the coast instead of heading for it. Through the Sandringham estate the Rhododendrons’ were in flower creating big splashes of purple colour along the roadside and among the pine forest. These Rhododendrons brought in by the Victorian plant hunters and are now considered undesirable, as they are such thugs. They’ve been cleared from great swathed of the countryside where they had self-seeded. Many have been removed from the route through the Estate. I hope one day the pine tree forest planted in a great mass on what was open heather covered heath land will be removed and the heath restored to how I remember it as a child.

Hunstantan was still quite busy. As we walked through the popular Sunday Market this Little Smart Car turned into a novel mini mobile café made us smile. It must hold the record for being the smallest mobile café bar ever. The coffee smelt really good as well.

Lunch beckoned, at the seaside so fish and chips seemed appropriate so we headed for Cassie’s the café overlooking the Green and the sea. The fish was tasty although a slightly different Sunday lunch to the one I had been planning at home. The duck legs in Orange sauce will have to wait until Monday!

As we were lunching a scooter and motorbike contingency powered up to the sea front. It reminded me of the Mods and Rocker groups that would descend on an unsuspecting seaside town on a Bank Holiday back in the 1960’s. In those days there would invariable be a fight between the gangs. I use to be a Scooter rider in the 60’s owning a Vespa 125cc, not a Mod though I hasten to add.

Ah the good old British sea side You can't beat it, Ice cream, Fun fairs, dodgems, the big dipper, donkey rides, candy floss, sandcastles, buckets and spades, sea shells, deck chairs, sticks of pink rock, crabs cockles and winkles, and best of all jumping the incoming waves with your dress tucked in your knickers. Ok so maybe I'm a bit too old for the last bit!!!

Over the years the ice creams have got bigger and fancier the windmills and beach games have evolved. Even the sea itself has got busier. White sails of small yatchs push through the waves, speed boats pull along the water skiers. Further along wind surfers and sail board surfers ride the waves.

The sad things are the Victorian piers that have slowly disappeared from the British coastline with constant battering of successive winter storms and breakwaters are slowly being worn away. Donkeys have given way to ponys. The beach has also altered, Over the years storms have washed away the golden sand leaving wave smoothed rocks from the clifts along the coast and a dark gritty sand.

Moving on round the coast we stopped at the farm shop that has been on the same corner for over 45 years. I remembering having a tray of hot freshly dug and cooked new potatoes in butter and basil from there before any of the kids were born. Oh they were so good. They now have an authentic Yurt that acts as a resturant where they serve home cooked local food. We really must stop for a meal one day. On reaching Wells next the Sea we decided to take our coats and umbrellas with us. Just as well as while we relaxed with a mug of coffee in the Mermaids Purse along Wells shopping street the rain that had been forcaste finally showed up.

Eventually we decided the rain was no fun and headed back to the car slightly damp but not dispirited. It had been a good day out.

Why am I a Pensioner?

2010-06-01T16:19:00.004+01:00

OAP- definition

A person who is old enough to receive a Pension from the Government

........BUT........

Why do I have to be known as 'a pensioner' or an 'old age pensioner' or worse an OAP?

My pension is my income, I've earned it and It's not what I am.

___________________________

What is the origin of the word pension?

Answer

The origin of pension is late Middle English (in the sense 'payment, tax, regular sum paid to retain allegiance'): from Old French, from Latin pensio(n-) 'payment,' from pendere 'to pay.' The current sense dates from the mid 19th century. Answers.com (wiki answers)

____________________________________

Do you like the word “Pension”?

Monday, 23 November 2009 from 'Value my Pension.com'

According to new research released this morning, almost a fifth of all 18-24 year olds in the UK are putting off starting a pension because they don’t like the word.

72% of those surveyed associated the word “pension” with old age, 18% associated it with grey and the remaining 10% thought it was simply too old fashioned.

Such is the concern of this research, the Oxford English Dictionary has got involved and a campaign has been launched to find a new word or phrase to replace “pensions
__________________________

Then I'm not alone in disliking this label. It's such an old fashion derogeratory term. I mean what other group of people are labled by their income. Children are children, Teenagers are teenagers, adults are adults the elderly are pensioners, but why? Surely we can be Seniors as in other countries. In The USA and Canada we wouldn't be labeled 'Pensioners"

I want to be known as a Senior or Senior Citizen not an OAP.

OK yes I'll admit to being a 'grumpy old woman!'

Life of a Blanket

2010-05-31T23:15:00.002+01:00

I was enjoying a well earned rest this afternoon (believe me I needed that rest, I'd forgotten how energetic and curious little ones are once they discover movement!) Anyway while young Nathan was recouping his energy during his afternoon nap it suddenly occurred to me that the little blanket I'd thrown over him had quite a history.

It was woven from shetland wool and bought way way back in 1965 from a craft fare when I was pregnant with my first son. My first born son is young Nathan's Grandpa. At that time it was a purchase that took much consideration as it wasn't cheap and we didn't have cash for luxuries.
It was a cot blanket and a pram blanket but in this photo it's thrown over the back of the sofa. Then two years later Number two son Darrin is pictured using it to keep him warm during an early spring holiday. Then later after another two years number three son, Jason, also benefitted from its warmth.
I'm sure it was used from time to time for Nathan's Mum and Uncle when they stayed with Nannie.

Quite remarkable, three generation later and the blanket is still useful, although it's sadly now, showing signs of old age.

Not quite wild swimming

2010-05-29T13:25:00.003+01:00

The Peterborough Lido opened this morning for this summer season and wouldn't you just know it, the weather turned cool and wet. Over this last two weeks has been wonderful. Warm and sunny. This morning dawned grey and right on queue at nine o'clock the rain started.

I arrived at the pool just as the Town Hall clock 'bongs' were striking ten. The time for the official opening and there in the covered entrance to the Lido was the Mayor, Council 'suits', and various hangers on being photographed, filmed and and fawned upon by the Evening Telegraph reporter and some film crew.

The pool was duly declared open and us hardy regulars, patiently waiting at the back, for the 'suited' mob who clearly had no intention of braving the waiting waters, eventually got through to the changing cubicles.

Despite the grey skies the water looked inviting and once you plunged in and got through the first length you quickly realised that it was actually warmer in the water than out of it. Bliss. No shrieking school kids with their teachers shouting over the noise to be heard. No doddery old ladies complaining that the water was freezing and who then proceed to stand talking in the middle of the swimming lanes. No smelly cleaning chemicals clinging to the lining of your nostrils. Just space and fresh air. Wonderful.

The ET reporter continued to photograph one of the Councils hand picked representative jumping in the water until he was satisfied he had the shots he wanted then all the 'suits' and 'hanger ons' disappeared to the room over the entrance for coffee and sandwiches. We on the other hand continued our long awaited swim and looked forward the the rest of the season swimming in the fresh air.

The Search is Over.

2010-05-08T07:27:00.002+01:00

Finally, after weeks of Himself trawling the Internet car sites, doing the rounds of local garages and car showroom sites, referring to the '`Used Car' bible, looking up specifications etc, etc, etc, he narrowed the search to the cars he approved of. Then the search was on for specific cars with me in tow to approve or disapprove.

On route we found a candidate not on the hit list that I found comfortable and easy to get in and out of. It was a very economical dual fuel car and priced reasonable for the manufacture year. The very nice sales man actually talked us out of going for it. His reasoning made sense so that idea was binned My ideal small very economical idea of a car was fading fast as Himself was sneakily nudging up my budget ceiling.

Knowing how uncomfortable I've been finding getting in and out of the drivers seat with a 'duff' knee I finally 'fessed up to himself while talking to the very nice sales Man. Himself had decided he wanted an up to date model of the Astra. The very nice sales Man suggested looking at a Vectra, larger roomier but just as economical to run.

So back to the Internet, then yesterday armed with list of cars to view we set off once more. The cars on the Internet sites are not always to be found in a local showrooms they could be in and of the companies showrooms around the country. Two rejected cars later we tried one forecourt with a promising candidate. The sales people were inundated with business so we sneakily decided to go back to the car and phone them to see if the car we were interested in was here locally or in some remote forecourt in a distant city. The last one was in Glasgow! He promised to ring us back. So we headed off to Wisbech to view a promising candidate there.

The car here proved to be acceptable to Himself, right year registration, right price, (for him too expensive for me!) right model. He liked it, did I? He took it for a test drive, I stayed in the showroom with Nathan and sipped machine coffee.

As Estate versions of most of the models we were looking at are as rare as hens teeth now days this is a Hatchback but very roomy. Good for large suitcases for fetching people from airports! I got in the drivers seat but declined to go for a drive. I'll get use to it later. We did the deal, after haggling the price down a little more and scooted off home. So now we pick our new vehicle up on Monday evening after I've sorted Insurance for it. Just for a few short weeks we'll be a two car family once more as my poor old 'girl' is just too old and battered to bother trading in as part exchange. One dealer offered a measly £50 I felt aggrieved and insulted as I'm still very fond of her. She's carried me around faithfully now for 14 years and only stopped once when her battery needed replacing. I hope her replacement gives as good service.

A Hard Days Night

2010-05-07T09:36:00.004+01:00

Yesterday and today Himself and Myself have been baby sitting and and exhausting job it is too.

To be fair little Nathan is a really lovely happy chappie, good tempered and good natured but he now, can crawl and stand and he's inquisitive. Doors are there to be opened, buttons to be pushed books and magazines to be investigated. Ornaments and table surfaces to be tasted to see if they're teeth friendly.

Watch out she's got that little black box again!
OK What have we here?

Tools! Not quite like my Uncle Chris's but I can handle these.

Phew it's hard work all this investigative work. I need a nap!

I DO NOT SNORE. THANK YOU!

Mummy has been incarcerated in the office upstairs researching and writing essays. Medical sciences are a complicated exhaustive subject to write about. Mummy thinks peace and quite are necessary a requirement of study but I need some one to supervise and mentor me while I do my studying.

Aggression in the Garden

2010-05-06T13:42:00.002+01:00

My normally peaceful tranquil garden seems to be turning into a fight arena over the last few days. There's the little grey squirrels who run along the boarder fence or leap through the trees to seek out the bird food being attacked harried and hassled a magpie. If they stop and shake their bushy tails at their persecuters they risk a sharp peck of the nether regions. I think the magpies may be nesting in next doors trees.

Mr Blackbird who normally tolerates any bird coming to feed or bath in the stream has turned the garden into a no go area for any bird larger than himself. He gets extremely aggressive and fights off any bird that doesn't respond to his warning tweets. It's actually quite funny to watch.

Mrs Blackbird sits placidly on her clutch of speckled blue eggs in her nest tucked in the gazebo coming out occasionally to feed then darting back well guarded by Mr Blackbird.

Even the heron who tries to catch my pond fish has been the target of severe aggression. Not by Mr Blackbird though but by a clutch of big black crows who are not going to tolerate him in their air space. Yesterday the fight got serious when the heron was chased off the roof screaming alarmingly instead of his usual raucous cackle. This morning he managed to fly down into the garden before the crows spotted him and honed in at him. No fish dinner today then! Thank goodness.

A New Family Member

2010-05-05T12:52:00.002+01:00

Introducing Imogene Sophia G. weight 7 pound 2 ounces born April 16th. A little Cutie isn't she. She's my niece, Bev's daughter, so that makes me a Great Aunt once again.