My Rose Shopper

I bought this lovely shopping bag from my Norwegian Sister-in-Law. This bag has my rose out of my garden printed on the front, it arrived beautifully wrapped with separate washing instructions written on a lovely card which matched the paper my bag was wrapped up in. Perfect. My bag has had many compliments and I love it. If you click twice on the photos then you will be able to see it in all its exquisite detail.

A Winter Wonderland

These snaps were taken yesterday and early this morning. Everything just looked so lovely. The snowdrops are out of focus and will have to be retaken but I just had to photograph their little heads forcing themselves through the tough icy snow.

This tree has never looked so majestic

Monty exploring the snow



My first snowdrops

Everything is quiet and hushed in the village - lovely

My little Beetle looks cosy!

I went into the Garage and found ..............

the next restoration project - another Triumph TR4, this time in old English white.


..... the bonnet,






..... the windscreen frame






and various nuts, bolts and screws

waiting to be restored, oiled, polished and boxed. Estimate completion date is 2011!

Sooooooooooooo Comfortable

So, here it is, our new object of desire, not quite so sporty but very specious and practical .................... oh well!

Bye Bye to the Red Lady

After 32 years of loving restoration and fun our 1964 Triumph TR4 was finally traded in for a large comfortable Car .........



Going ..........










bye bye ........







gone.

My Charity Shop Find

I found this toast rack in a charity shop looking forlorn and black. I bought it for 75p. I polished it as soon as I arrived home - before taking my coat off - and this little beauty emerged (EPNS with a number underneath)- not bad for 75p! I love it.

A Happy and Prosperous New Year for 2009

Now the Christmas decorations (they belonged to my Mother and Grandmother) have been tenderly packed away and returned to the loft in readiness for next year I wish you all a Happy New Year from Loch Lomond in Scotland. This photo was taken on 1 January 2009 on a cold, still, sunny afternoon on a walk around Loch Lomond where we stayed to see the new year in - just beautiful, nothing, literally for miles around, we thought we were in another world.

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!