AUTUMN

I love Autumn because it brings out warm woolly hats as modelled by my granddaughter Natalie, which my enviously talented Sister-in-Law Sigrunn made for me. Autumn displays beautiful leaves and crisp dewy mornings. Autumn forces out heavenly last roses and red cheeked cooking apples for apple pie and custard. I love warm log fires with Monty (my cat) enjoying the warmth, soft lights in my beamed cottage and crisp walks through fields.


Natalie in lovely warm hat

Blue sky and lovely leaves

Perfect leaves


My last rose




Apple Pie and Custard

A warm log fire

Abigail's 16th Birthday - 20 July 2008

Abigail is now 16 - It is Sunday and she is just back from work waitressing and enjoying a drink of Champagne and a slice of Birthday cake. We (Grandma and Grandad) gave her a `film' camera in readiness for her studies in September when she starts College to study photography.

16 Candles to blow out ........... go on Abigail - BLOW

ABIGAIL'S SCHOOL LEAVING PROM - 1st July 2008

Abigail has now left Stroud High School in Gloucestershire - hence the Leaving Prom. She had a wonderful time at the Ball with all her year 08 class friends. Just a few photos to capture the moment of leaving for the Ball .....

Abigail looking out towards the Garden at her friends and thinking .......

Running to the bottom of the garden for a photo session ....

Smile please ....... and ..... Cheers

and again on the terrace ...

then in the Limo - can't wait to get to the Ball

Bye bye - have fun - a once in a lifetime experience

Abigail has been accepted and will start at Cirencester Technical College where she will start in September to study Media, Psychology, English and Photography - we wish her all the luck in the world.

AN AWARD FOR ME

On Monday 4th I received my first AWARD. This Award has boosted my confidence and now I just want to sit and blog. My blog mainly consists of family affairs for our Norwegian relations who live on the beautiful island of Smola. Thank you Sigrunn.

Katherine Jenkins Open Air Concert, Tetbury

Katherine Jenkins Souvenir Programme










Lines of people waiting for the gates to open for the show area.









On Saturday 19th July we went to Westonbirt, The National Arboretum in Gloucestershire, owned by the Forestry Commission, to see Katherine Jenkins in Concert. The concert was an open air show, held in the Arboretum which houses a valuable collection of trees, some of which are now extinct. One lime tree is 2000 years old!

The Concert was a Christmas present from Heidi for Bob and me.

Heidi packed a picnic basket with yummy food and champagne, we each took a chair and off we went in my little beetle to the Arboretum. I parked my little beetle between two great Range Rovers - not many small cars there! We then had to wait in line to be let into the compound where the concert was being held.

We were forbidden to take photos when Katherine Jenkins was on but believe you me the show was fantastic. She is even better live than on CD.

The show ended with Rule Britannia - (plenty of flag waving and audience participation), Jerusalem and then finally Pomp and Circumstance No.1 also with audience participation, absolutely brilliant and then the most fantastic fireworks I have ever seen at close quarters. I could not capture the display properly, I only wish now that I had filmed it. After that we all went home rather merrily (Champas!) - a brilliant night. I was going to attach a glimpse of the firework display but can not as the pictures are mini films! (don't know how that happened - oh dear, what it is to be aged!!!)

Morris Men in Thorpe by Water

Last Monday we had the Morris Dancers in our little hamlet of Thorpe by Water. It was a lovely evening. We provided Two tables on the village green and all families brought along two chairs, glasses for themselves plus spare glasses for the Morris Men. We also brought along some beer, wine or fruit juice, nibbles, sausage rolls, pizzas etc. The whole village managed to come together for a good chat (something very rare as we don't have a Church, Shop or Pub, so we don't see each other for long periods.) As well as watching the old village traditional Morris Men dance with their bells on their legs, hankies in their hands and flowing ribbons and flowers in their hats, a village tradition dating back to the 18th century (earlier without all the trimmings. We all had a good time after the Morris Men left Thorpe by Water to dance in another village. We stayed on the village green until 11 o'clock until the nearly full moon guided us home on a beautiful summer evening.

Ian and Sigrunn, can you spot someone who was dragged in by the Morris Men to take part in one of their routines????

It has been a while since I last entered anything in my blog but I thought I would share this fabulous Yucca plant with you. We visited our friends Philip and Deirdre in a small village called Middleton in the King's Lynn area and this Yucca, in their garden, withstood all the gales and heavy rain and stood proud and heavily laden with blooms. Lovely. When we visit Philip and Deirdre our usual Saturday outing is to go to Swaffam to see the pavement auction of rubbish. I was hoping to find one or two discarded bits (free) - see my deck chairs below - on the pavement which I might find useful BUT we were told that the Saturday auction is no more. Anyway, I consoled myself with this beautiful Yucca.

R Mundi (Gallica Rose)

I call this rose Miss Mundi - a very feminine rose dressed in pink and white chiffon. Delicately scented she demands that you stop and admire her and touch her and of course she gets her way. Everyone loves her.

Sigrunn's Geranium

Sigrunn, this is the Geranium you admired in my garden, but a very young one. We will nurture it for you until your visit in late August. After that you will have to pamper it until next year when you can plant it in your tub or garden and take some cuttings in autumn - it has a lovely pinky-white heavy head with a variegated large leaf. A real stunner.

Little Blue Flower

I found this tiny blue flower on the step leading to the garden. Sweet. I have no idea what it is - it looks like a little violet

Deckchairs - A Very British Institution

These deckchairs I found on the pavement in Swaffam, Norfolk - I think they originate from the seaside town of Huntstanton. They were dirty and battered. I put new canvasses on them and now they adorn my garden - his and hers! Guess which one is mine?

Rosebery Cottage Garden

Just a few more photos of the roses and flowers in my garden. My Sister-in-Law from Norway has been here for a visit and she has taken beautiful photos of all the roses. Monty (cat) is sitting looking very bemused at all the goings on in the garden, with us all running around, taking photos!

Albertine

I feel I must just tell you about Albertine. We planted her about 12 years ago and she has now grown right up to the top window of our cottage. This minx would climb higher but we stop her. She is very high maintenance, needing to be groomed (pruned) each day. The scent from this rose is heavenly and she gives us and everyone who sees her so much pleasure, a real show stopper. Alas she will only grace us with her presence for about 1 month but I have plenty of memories on file!

Monty

Here is Monty - he is 6 years old. We acquired Monty through the RSPCA - he was 7 months old and had had several owners. We were told we could return him if we could not cope with his tantrums but once he entered our house he settled down and decided this was his home and we have never looked back - he is a wonderful cat and he is king of his castle.

Hello - welcome to my blog

I've just opened my window to check on my beautiful roses and garden as we have not had much rain recently - and I need them to look happy and not droopy.