Day 304 of 365

:: Happy Halloween ::
John's creation

and Samuel's first attempt at cutting one himself.

There may not be anymore trick or treating in this house but the boys have to have a pumpkin each to put in the living room window.

Who is that young girl?

Passing Out Parade 9 December 1983

27 years ago today I joined the Royal Air Force. I was only just 17, nervous but very excited about making the trip to RAF Hereford for my 6 weeks basic training. Where have the years gone?

Day 303 of 365

:: All packed for tomorrow's crop ::

This will be my first crop this year and I have no idea what to do or what to take!!

Day 302 of 365

As it's the last Friday in Breast Cancer Awareness month the school had a Wear it Pink day with staff and pupils wearing items of pink clothing jewelery etc. We all put in a small donation and got cakes at morning interval. Here we hard working girlies are at the end of a very busy day having a bit of a laugh before going home to crack open the wine!!

Day 302

Pink felt cupcakes badges made by one of the teachers in Home Economics.

:: Wear it Pink Day ::

Day 301 of 365

:: A wee sad looking pony I see on my way to the shop at lunchtime ::

Day 300 of 365

Using my craft voucher to by some lovely stamps. I have lots of stamps already but none with sayings on.............I do now :0)

Day 298 & 299 of 365

Day 298 - New yummy Strawberry Cheesecake yogurt.

Day 299 - Stocking up on winter meds

Day 296 & 297 of 365

Day 296 - It's that time of year already!!

Day 297 - Saturday night treat - just for me. Proper marshmallows. None of that sugar coated, polystyrene rubbish the kids eat :0)

Downton Abbey

I am loving Downton Abbey at the moment on Sunday nights. John on the other hand disappears while it's on as he hates all that "Period Drama Rubbish". It makes a change to watch something that has no bad language, no violence and no scenes that may cause distress!!

Maybe I'm just old fashioned.

Unfortunately the local TV station for our area didn't take up the program so I have to watch it via ITV London on Sky. STV opted for yet another series of Taggart that is so past it's sell by date.

Welcome to Downton Abbey
"The sun is rising behind Downton Abbey, a great and splendid house in a great and splendid park. So secure does it appear, that it seems as if the way of life it represents will last for another thousand years. It won’t."

From the pen of award-winning writer Julian Fellowes comes ITV1’s brand new costume drama series, Downton Abbey, starring Maggie Smith as Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham, Hugh Bonneville as Robert, Earl of Grantham and Elizabeth McGovern as Robert’s wife, Cora, Countess of Grantham.

Set in an Edwardian country house in 1912, Downton Abbey portrays the lives of the Crawley family and the servants who work for them.

The Crawleys have been the Earls of Grantham since 1772. In the drawing rooms and library and beautiful bedrooms, with their tall windows looking across the park, lives the family, but below stairs are other residents, the servants, as fiercely possessive of their ranks as anyone above.

Some of them are loyal to the family and are committed to Downton as a way of life, others are moving through, on the look out for new opportunities or love or just adventure. The difference being that they know so many of the secrets of the family, while the family knows so few of theirs...

Anyone not from the UK can probably see it via the wonders of the Internet on itv.com/itvplayer

Day 295 of 365

:: Tick ::

Moss's unwanted visitor. The joy of having a dog and living in the country

Day 294 of 365

:: Horror in the mail. A bill from the tax man!! ::

Day 293 of 365

:: I woke up at 4am to find the High Street completely white and covered in hail stones ::

Day 292 of 365

:: The long overdue tidy up of the kitchen cupboards ::

Day 291 of 365

:: Having a bash at making origami butterflies ::

Day 290 of 365

:: Leaving early to travel home meant getting to see the sunrise ::

Not a brilliant picture but not too bad from a moving car in the dark.

Day 289 of 365

:: Badgers ::

I saw these badgers when we went to the garden Centre on the Wellbeck Estate. They are made of some sort of metal and ONLY cost £600 each!!! Still they were slightly cheaper than some of the other sculptures....like at life size crocodile made of old chains and tools which cost £22,000!!

Day 288 of 365

:: Creswell Crags ::

John used to play in these caves as a young lad and was not happy to find out that they have now built a visitors centre and charge £13.00 each to go into them. The caves have paintings in them and lots of fossils and objects from thousands of years ago have been found. Unfortunately the day we went the caves were closed as the bats were hibernating!!
I thought this one looked like a face.

Day 287 of 365

The "Veiled Vestal Virgin" by Raffaelle Monti at Chatsworth House. She is sculpted from one piece of marble and is the most amazing thing I have ever seen. It really is hard to believe that her face isn't actually covered with a veil.
Keira Knightly gets to stare at her in the sculpture room in the film Pride & Prejudice which was filmed at Chatsworth although now she has been moved to the wooden room.

Day 286 of 365

:: A walk around Whitwell village in Yorkshire where John grew up and his parents still live ::

Day 285 of 365

:: Getting a new boiler fitted made a little more mess than we had expected ::

Happy 5th Wedding Anniversary

To my sister Ruth and brother-in-law A. I hope you both have a wonderful day.

14 October 2005

Whitechapel

The lovely, gorgeous Rupert Penry-Jones is back on our screens tonight in Whitechapel. Time to make the tea, break out the chocolate, pull up a hard kitchen chair and enjoy :0)

Day 278 to 284

I'm back, but I don't suppose anyone actually missed me. That's the way it goes in blogland!!
A whole week to catch up on after the electrician shut off the power without asking first and buggered up the computer. John was not a happy bunny. Any how a weeks catch up is needed in the 365 project so here goes.

Day 284 - Good old "Scotch broth"
Day 283 - Bees wax. Good for filling in the nail holes in wood.....apparently!

Day 282 - Down on the farm

Day 281 - Our wedding rings. In need of a good clean

Day 280 - Leeks for "Leek and Tattie" soup

Day 279 - Last bloom in the garden

Day 278 - A family favourite turns 100 years old

Day 277 of 365

:: Lunch in the park. Just me and my book ::

Day 276 o0f 365

Last night we were out with friends and they gave John and me a beautiful pair of champagne flutes for our anniversary. We had champagne before we went out for a lovely meal at a local restaurant and then a few drinks "down the pub" when we got back. It was a really good night and we all decided that waiting another year before a night out was not an option!!

Apparently 15 years is a Crystal anniversary.

Day 275 of 365

Begrudgingly sending off for an up-to-date driving licence. The new photo driving licences have to be updated every 10 years and guess what? You have no choice and have to cough up £20 in the process.

OK moans over for the weekend :0)

Day 274 of 365

:: Shortbread - the only edible thing Samuel has brought home from his Home Economics class ::

I am really disappointed in the standard of teaching in HE, as bringing home uncooked scones and bread, microwaving a "Baked" potato and making hot chocolate do not, in my book, teach children how to cook properly. Samuel is so fed up with the subject he now doesn't want to take it as an option next year.

His shortbread was delicious though :0)