Autumn time

Well, I found out the mystery of my clock...... we`d had a power cut in the night, so that explains everything. Yet, now having put all the other flashing clocks right yesterday, I realise I`ll have to change them all again tonight when summer-time ends.

Never mind, the sun`s shining and it`s a nice autumn day. I spotted these beautiful berries on a tree the other day and just had to take a picture of them. Not sure what they are, but I just liked the colour against the blue sky.

The Problem with Time

I laid in bed a short time ago, listening to the clock radio which had woken me up at the usual time. The young (?) lady doing the programme went on to a regular feature which is included in the format. That`s early this morning, I thought glancing at the time, strange. Still I`ve a bit longer before I need put my feet out and get up.

Very, very shortly after that feature she said, now to the news - but it can`t be I thought looking at the clock part of my clock radio, it only says 6.20, not 6.30. I hurridly put on a light and looked at my watch. Yes it was 6.30. Very strange, I looked back at the clock radio, which had come on at the normal time, but it still said 6.20. I sprang out of bed still trying to puzzle it out.

I`ve reset the clock, so will watch and see what it does today.

Amusing shots

Enjoy another couple of photos from the other day!

A new breed of Crane?? two heads and three legs!

Balancing act!

(and, it`s not camera or editting trickery, the duck really was up there.)

Beautiful !

"Follow the leader"

I went to one of my favourite places yesterday afternoon for a leisurely stroll round in the autumn sunshine, and ofcourse took my camera with me. It seemed to be bath day for a lot of the birds as they were all splashing away cleaning and preening their feathers. And, as you`ll see in the last photo, one in particular seemed to want to show himself (or herself!) off, as, as I stood there he/she extended its wings to the full extent - beautiful.

"Having a splashing time!"

"Is the water cold?"

"Aren`t I beautiful?"

Flying time

It`s Saturday already, I`m sure the hours and days of this week have been shorter than normal! It seems almost impossible that I`m at the last day of my weeks holiday. I`ve still got so much that I wanted to do, places I wanted to go, that I`ve not got done.

Apart from one day, which was drizzly rain, I`ve been lucky and had a week of sunshine - yes, sunshine and warmth (by day at least) in October. I don`t normally holiday in October, but circumstances made me cancel a week last month and have this week instead, I`m glad I did.

Have I really had 5 days holiday - let`s see......

• On Monday, I went shopping with a friend (1 day gone)
• On Tuesday, I took my mother out (2 days gone)
• On Wednesday, I emptied a cupboard, spring cleaned my bedroom (3 days gone)
• On Thursday, I had a friend here for the day (4 days gone)
• On Friday, I collected my Mum, cooked fish & chips for our dinner, then took her shopping (5 days gone)
• Today....... ??????

What shall I do today, to make the most of my last day of "freedom"? No, I shouldn`t really say that, I enjoy my work now and it`s not a drudge or a tie. I`ve got a few things locally that I just must do today, like a church flower arrangement, so I can`t go out for the day. Maybe this afternoon I`ll have an afternoon out.


In the meantime, enjoy another photo the sunset.

Holiday time

I`m on holiday this week, and enjoying it The weekend was very good for weather - sunny and really warm, so I made the most of it, by trying to be outdoors as much as possible. On Saturday, I wandered round a local market and bought myself a couple of skirts. Then returning home, I still felt it was too nice to be indoors, so I got to work setting some heather plants and tulips and daffodil bulbs in pots, before in the afternoon, going to a National Trust property - Felbrigg Hall, which, although fairly close to where I live, I`ve never been to before. I first went on the tour round the house - plenty of old paintings filling all the walls, which I don`t find particularly interesting, I prefer in these old houses/halls to see how people lived and especially love visiting the kitchens. This building was ok, but not very exceptional. I still prefer Blickling Hall.


It was nice though wandering round the walled garden when I came out of the house, and seeing all the unusual plants - like a 100 year old "headache tree" (can`t remember its proper name), and seeing a huge cactus and other plants, whilst enjoying the feel of the sun warm upon me. Yes, warm in October - no coats needed!


I spotted this beautiful waterlily in a small pond set the middle of the formal beds, which were all surrounded by neat box hedging.
One amusing feature of the garden was this seat which had been made to look like a barrow.


Chickens and a couple of cockerels were wandering freely around the garden. The only problem about that, said the person I`d met who was showing me round, was that they eat the plants, especially the vegetable ones before they can grow.

The Orange Sky

The sun began to go down yesterday as we sat in the car at a local beauty spot, and we soon realised that it was going to be a fantastic sunset, so out came my camera!


As the sun sank further down, the sky turned more and more orange, and the clouds shone around their edges as if they were really aglow. It was a stunning scene. We just sat and watched and watched.






(The answer to the church picture, of the last post, is that it is Sandringham church, where the Queen and Royal Family go on Christmas Day)

Day Out

My friend didn`t bring very good weather with her for her holiday - it rained and the wind blew, but this is where we went on Friday. Anyone recognise where it is? It`s quite well known for one particular reason!

And walking up the path to it, we spotted these plants, which we didn`t know either, does anyone know what they are?

Holiday guest

All my rushing around was worth while. My friend arrived as planned and we have a very enjoyable 4 days together - except that the weather decided to change from the nice sunny days of the previous week into cold wind and rain. The gas fires had to be put on for the first time this year. But the weather didn`t stop us going out.

On the first morning we went to a nearby small town where she`d also previously lived (as well as having lived in the same town as I`m in year`s ago), then from there we went on to another largish town, where wandering round the large store there, I saw a Coffee table which I liked. and it had the bonus of two drawers in it - ideal for concealing all the clutter that at times builds up on surfaces in the room I thought. I`d been feeling that my newly decorated lounge just needed something in the middle as when one person sat in the armchair anyone sitting on the settee looked a mile away! So, we measured the table and brought the measurements home.

Next day we went back to purchase the table, as it was the ideal size. Whilst doing so my friend spotted that there was also a small square table in the same design - your tv would look good on that she said! I agreed with her, so have ordered both - they`re coming on Friday.

So we enjoyed our first two days. More about what we did the next day, tomorrow

Rushing around

I`ve had a busy few days. I`ve been trying to catch up with all the jobs that haven`t got done in the last few weeks -

- like filing papers,
- catching up on housework, not the routine, but things one only does occasionally!
- sorting out my parents bedroom now that she`s no longer needing it. What a lot of items I binned from there!
- Shopping
- thinking of menu`s
- making things I`d promised people that I would
- posting off cheques etc...

Why the sudden rush to do all this?......

I`ve got a friend coming to stay from tomorrow for a few days. The first time in my life that I`ve ever had anyone to stay. I`ve not been able to, for various reasons, so now that I`ve the house to myself I can. I`m looking forward to seeing her. No doubt it will call for some late nights as we sit and chat and catch up on all each others news!

It`s a great feeling today too, to be on top of all the jobs.

Last Saturday

After a good day on that Friday, we had a shock and upset on the Saturday evening. My Mum`s man-friend (can`t say boy friend at that age) didn`t go to see her as she epected on the Saturday afternoon. So after she`d made numerous phone calls to his and got no answer, I went round to see if there were any lights on at his in the evening. There weren`t.

Thankfully I didn`t have a key. So I rang the bell of the person the in flat above as I knew them, and luckily they were there (their`s is only a holiday type flat), they came down, but they didn`t have a key either. So he went and got a big torch from his garage to look through the windows. Looking through he could see that Mum`s friend was lying dead on the floor. So that was a shock. Then I had to go and phone my parent and tell her. Surprisingly she seemed as is she expected to hear that and didn`t burst into tears at the time.

In a way, it`s a relief to me that it happened the way it did for him. It would have been so much worse if he`d had had an accident on the way to or from Mum`s, or been at hers. And, to be honest it`s something I`ve always dreaded would happen if he was here or with me in the car, as he was quite elderly.

Although I liked him as a person, I have always resented the way Mum seemed to be putting him in my Dad`s place. And no-one could replace my Dad. So I`ve not shed any tears over this, at the moment, and I don`t think I will.

A Sunny day off

It was my day off work yesterday, and surprisingly the sun shone all day.

I went to get myself a piece of fresh fish from the fishmonger to cook for my dinner. Looking at the display of fish in the fishmongers window I spotted that they had got some of my favourites - Dover Soles, they looked very fresh and enticing. Knowing that my Mother also enjoyed them, I bought two, then rang her up to say I would pick her up and bring her home for lunch. That pleased her!

I had intended taking her shopping in the afternoon to a supermarket, but the sun was so inviting to be outside that it seemed that it would be a waste of a beautiful day to do that, so instead, driving to a car-park in our town, I got out the wheelchair and pushed her round some of the older narrow streets and to sit and look out at the sea. We couldn`t get down onto the promenade because there were far too many steep hills and slopes to tackle. But at least we could sit on the top and look down. And, have an ice-cream!

Later in the afternoon we then went back into the town and did her shopping in some of the shops there before I took her back to her home for tea.

A really good day - unplanned. I think things done on the spur of the moment are often more enjoyable than the planned!

Rescue mission!

As I may have said on my blog before, I don`t like creepy-crawlies, and especially not spiders. This is the time of year when there seem a lot of webs on the shrubs and bushes in the garden. I appreciate the beauty of them, especially when the dew is on them first thing in the morning and they shine in the sunlight, but I don`t like the creatures that make them.

There is one particularly large one across the outside (thankfully the outside, and not the inside!!) of the window near my dining table. Whist I was having my lunch today I became aware of something large flapping near the window. At first i thought it was a leaf blown into the web, then I realised it was a butterfly.

After watching it for a while, I saw that it wasn`t managing to get out of the web, and the spider hadn`t appeared. I couldn`t bear to see it struggling there any longer, so knew I had to go on rescue mission! Not that I`m particularly fond of being near butterflies either but I couldn`t bear seeing it suffer, so out I went with a small piece of stick and managed to get it out of the web and onto the stick... but then, I couldn`t get it off the stick. It still seemed to be stuck by some of the stickiness from the web, although it was vigorously flapping its wings, so with the aid of a second twig I eventually managed to get it off onto the grass.

As it sat(?) laid(?) there on the grass I saw how beautiful it was, so came and got my camera to take these photos to share with you all. What kind of butterfly is it, I don`t know..... but perhaps someone does.

Modern art?

Driving back the other evening after visiting my parent I was enchanted by the view of the full moon. It was so huge and bright in the sky ahead of my all of my journey. So arriving home I dashed in doors to grab my camera before it disappered from view behind a cloud.

Here are the results of my pictures, they aren`t as good as I hoped, but on looking at the one above, I thought it looked almost as if it could be a painting and I quite liked the fuzzy effect so thought I`d share it.

A Special Moment

I was sitting in our church service on Sunday evening for a special service, when the Town Mayor got up to speak to welcome a new Minister.

He (the Mayor) started by saying that he was going to tell us a little of his background. Not very interesting I thought!! but how wrong could I be!

He went on to say that he had very strong memories of being taught by Mr.Xxxx xxxx in the boys class in the old chapel (the one before the current church was built). And how the influence of the nature and teaching of that gentleman had stayed with him all his life.

That teacher, was my Dad.

It was so lovely to hear someone remember and speak about my Dad, someone that I didn`t even know had known my Dad, and even more so because of the sincere way he thought of and spoke of him.

It was a truly Special Moment

Changing Rooms 2

And... here it is.... the finished look.



I don`t know what my decorator friend did - he seems to have pushed the walls out somehow! The room seems and feels twice as big as it did before.

I`ve just got one thing left to do, and that is to decide what, if anything, to hang on the wall above the fire place. We used to have a mirror there. I`m not hanging that one back, as it`s beginning to look `worse for wear`, but can`t decide whether to go for another mirror, or a picture, or to have one of my photo`s blown up to picture size, or to leave the wall blank! Decisions... decisions!!
And, I think I`ll in a few months or so change the carpet too, I`ve never been really keen on it ever since we had it years ago.

Changing Rooms

On Monday my lounge looked like this......




On Tuesday it looked like this.....



Now it looks.....

....... you`ll have to wait till tomorrow to find out!!!!

Clever Creatures

I know some people might call them rodents and nuisances, but I love to see them... what am I talking about - squirrels.

Outside my parents window is a tree, so we decided to hang some peanuts, fat balls and seeds out for the birds. They hadn`t been hanging there long, when a squirrel appeared.


.
Now, how people can call animals dumb creatures, I don`t know. This little chap (or maybe chapess!!) soon worked out a way to get to the fare it wanted. We watched with interest as it climbed the tree, then seemed to look and think out which way to go about getting into the container of peanuts. Very quickly it decided that the only way was to reach out, hanging on by the very tips of its rear legs and it`s tail, while it stretched across to feed.



Then, getting a nut out of the wire container, it hung there upside down to eat it. before repeating the operation many more times.



It wasn`t long before another one joined him, this one though decided to go for the wild bird seed,



After a short while of trying to find out how to eat what he could see, but which was behind plastic, he found the small hole at the bottom where the seed comes out, and put his two front paws (are they paws in a squirrel?) pulled the container to him and got his head into the hole and ate the seed.


What wonderful clever creatures!

Surprising flower

I promised a few days ago that I would show you a view from my window. Well, here it it....

Not exactly a view, but something I spotted from the window and then went out to have a closer look at. How this plant came to be there I do not know. It it growing completely out of the paving in my drive.

What plant it is, I do not know either, but it is so dainty and pretty that I just had to try and take a photo of it. So opening the front door a crack I peered out to see if anyone was around, and seeing no-one was I took out my camera, walked to the edge of the drive by the pavement and got down almost on my hands and knees to try and capture a picture of this beautiful little flower. If anyone had seen me I`m sure they`d think what a mad woman I must be!

And, it`s still flowering even after about 4 or 5 weeks. And, as wonderful is the fact that no-one has trodden on it, postmen, dustmen (sorry - waste disposal operatives, I suppose I should call them?) and anyone else who has been to the house.

What an emblem of delicate strength.


(if you click on the picture it will come up larger)

Off...

By this time today there should have been a flurry of activity going on in the house, of last minute jobs as we (or I should say I!) packed the car with cases, coats, bags and all the paraphernalia for going off on holiday, checked that windows were shut, rubbish put out and all the hundred and one jobs one does before such an event.

The sun`s shining and it looks the perfect morning for a long drive to the South Coast.

But... it`s cancelled.

For as long as I can remember from a child, we`ve always gone on holiday the first week in September/or first week after the Bank Holiday Monday. And we`d booked to go that week again this year. But, having got my Mum into a place of Housing with Care, because of the way she has become unsteady on her feet, I just dare`t take the risk of taking her away on holiday on my own. So, I cancelled the holiday. I know I could perhaps have gone on my own, but it didn`t seem fair to do that. So, I`ve cancelled it at work too, and will take a week later in the year.

But seeing the sun and beautiful morning that it is today....... no, I must stop thinking along those lines....

I have, however, "treated" myself to something else.... but more about that next week!