Happy Birthday, Larissa!

Hope you have a lovely day!

Time for Presents!

The scene is set - the tree has held up remarkably well - looks better in the photos than real life! Evie has arrived home from her church community lunch. Santa checks that his(her ) hat is OK
Everyone is delighted with the gifts the receive - many thanks to all!
Job done, pose for a photo, while Berry wonders'what was all that about?'

Christmas Day -- morning and afternoon

A hoodie in the kitchen was making her porridge, until her mother asked her about codes for texting to far flung places, Guadeloupe and Tenerife to be exact. While the Hoodie looked up the codes online she forgot about her porridge...ooops. But we didn't need the fire brigade, thankfully!
So another pot of porridge. And all the windows had to be opened. Fortunately it was quite a nice day.
Lunchtime was quiet. So many trimmings there was hardly room for the turkey. Many thanks to Romeo for cooking the meal. All were very restrained with our traditional cream this year.
Then we retired to the drawing room (ha ha) to watch HRH The Queen.

Christmas Eve at Malvern Manor.

James was suppsosed to be sticking stamps on his dad's Christmas cards but couldn't take his eyes of the computer screen!
A greeting appeared on the fridge door. The letters had been hidden underneath for months.
Romeo and I went to the Angel for lunch in a favourite cafe in Chapel Market. On the way back we saw this robin - no, HEARD this robin in a tree outside our garden! Berry helped to wrap parcels while I iced the cake and searched for the decorations, which I haven't found yet... any ideas where I could look next?
Evie spent a lot of time saving the tree which I got far too early and didn't realise it couldn't get the water in the bucket...For full details look at Evie's blog.
Finally James tried for an altered greeting while his mum baked two cakes, which smelt so good I nearly went to Beccles for Christmas!

Happy Birthday, Brother!

This is a selection of photos I gathered together this morning! Still it will be online before you get to the computer, George. Did you know you sent me and Margaret a Christmas card when you were hours old? The outside picture is the old (now demolished) nursing home.
Then there is you at 1 year old, in the garden at Cumnock with Lassie's pups in Mum's shopping basket, was it after this that she started to keep clothes pegs in it. You'll need to tell me why the next two were taken. Maybe the Scout one was when you became a Queen's Scout.
You are the cowboy with Ian McAllister I think it was. Finally, when you visited London earlier in the year, and in front of the Scottish Parliament in November.
We are all hoping you have a lovely day and Many Happy Returns of the Day!

Christmas tree Festival, Beccles.

This year there were 48 trees in the Methodist Church. Each of them was decorated by a different group in the town. Earlier we watched the town Christmas lights being switched on (in pouring rain!) by Davros (Dr Who). He was a very friendly person who got on well with the children.
For Karen's benefit (she has the same camera as me) these were taken on the candlelight setting and I have lightened most of them a bit. I don't think they're as good as the candles under your awning.

Some fruit and veg in Guadeloupe

I can see bananas, coconuts, and avocados. I am eating mango, passion fruit, guava, and sugar cane. I am sure there is 'cythere' there too, in the bucket - don't know the English name for it and its not in the dictionary. Is that a star fruit in the bucket too?
Heather you will have to help me here! And are these sweet potatos on the rack? and or something else?

Animals in Guadeloupe

Here we have a frog that came in to inspect the kitchen sink, a caterpillar - one of many on a small bush along the road. They stripped it bare of leaves.The bull was tethered on a corner opposite the caterpillars. The gecko was on the patio rail, and the other one in a bottle of water in the bathroom.The slug appeared at my farewell party, on a garden chair. He was quickly dispatched - as was the frog! Finally the cockerels, the pig, the cat ( called 'pussy' in a french accent) and the giant snail were all on Papy's land at Pika. Nearly forgot the butterfly - it was on a bush of yellow flowers outside the post office.

A quick visit to Scotland

Not often you see the Saltire in the sky.George with his two big sisters!

The view of the Firth of Forth from Arthur's Seat, near Dunsappy Loch.

Dunsappy Loch - never seen it written down so don't know if thats how it is spelt!

Guadeloupe - more flowers.

Some of these are pictures of a bouquet presented to me by Papy, Heather's father in law, and grown by him in his allotment/market garden called Pika.

Guadeloupe Flowers

If you look carefully you will see two photos of flowers in vases - these are actually artificial flowers in a cafe- but I couldn't resist such beautiful colours!
There are two colours of Verbena here,second photo top row and last photo second row. This grows to about a foot in my garden here, but these were huge bushes about 4 or 5 feet.

Guadeloupe Flowers

I have no idea how to begin blogging 700 photos of such a wonderful holiday on such a beautiful island... so , bear with me!
You'll have seen these in expensive flower shops - but there they were in pots on the front patio. In the bottom row the middle one was in Judy's garden, and the last one on a tree near the Mairie.

Birthday!

Look whose birthday it is today!

Birthday!

A Very Happy Birthday to the Dunadan!!

Birthdays

Today I have managed something I dont very often manage to do. I have blogged the photos on the day they were taken.
I went all the way to this birthday by myself - 2 trains and a bus, then walked through the park. ! didn't realise it was such a nice park.
Big sister had to go back to school and the birthday girl was sick - but obviously recovering when I said goodbye to her in the park as I left to come home.

Things people have made

These are a few of the abundance of beautiful things Marion and I saw at Alexandra Palace last week. It was a stitch craft show. Every possible craft was on display. The huge knitting was in the entrance hall - Palm Court as were the multi coloured coral reefs. Most stalls wouldn't let you take photos so I was very grateful to the lady who let me take a photo of the Scottish scene created in felt. The blue ones are a ship in a box which opens flat, and was beautifully sewn.

Evie arrived just as I had given up and was on the way to bed! So here is your happy birthday blog - photos and all! Hope you have a nice day - Dad posted a card to you - I will bring mine and your present.
Love you lots!

Happy Birthday Heather!

Many Happy Returns !

See you soon!

(having difficulty with photos but they will follow asap)

The Magical Metreat

Chester is nice - even if it was raining, and we had fun at the Travelodge. The classes were good, and the company even better. Thanks for the fig, Naomi!

This is the apron Heather brought for Evie from the south of France, the year befor Lissa Lou was born.
And I think this might be the first time it has been worn. Can't you just see where Lissa gets her posing ability from? But since Evie was on a mission of mercy - cooking for a housebound friend - I will take back all comments!

Evie's Return

The top six were taken at LHR and the bottom three at home. One of them is for Amy and Daniel. They will know which. Any questions, ask them!!

A visit to St Pancras

A beautiful baby after 15 years' wait. The video was of the dedication on the eighth day. Afterwards everyone went outside to have a group photo taken on the tennis court.

We came home from Muswell Hill last evening and found a horsebox and 2 horses outside our neighbour's door. The horses had been in service at a wedding in our local church - St A 's. The bride was the daughter of another neighbour - the lollipop and dinner lady.
A chance for some photos but I'd forgotten how much I liked horses.

A happy grandma

The top two are by CassCass - age 2 1/2 - the second is a smiley face.
The blue and purple are by Lissa Lou age 4 1/2. A rainy day and an aeroplane