Our Weekend

Our local daughter called by at the weekend and brought us a beautiful bouquet of white roses and yellow carnations.  I arranged them in a crystal glass vase and put them in the entrance hall where it's slightly cooler and where they should last longer.  The yellow carnations will look pretty when they open.  It's a lovely colour combination.  Going around the garden I see that the white foxgloves are losing their flowers and going to seed.  I cut off the top of a branch of one of them to put in the arrangement, but mostly I'll keep others in situ and will probably collect the dry seed heads.

We three had lunch together in a shady spot in the garden - pizza from a bakery, our plum cherry tomatoes and plenty of iced water.  Mr P had his home made wine as we didn't intend to go anywhere.

Later we watched the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championship women's singles final match that Saturday afternoon and then the men's finals on the Sunday afternoon, both played to a high standard and very exciting.  It was a relaxing weekend.

Today is going to be another hot day by UK standards. We shall continue to enjoy the good weather, the garden and leisurely interests.  We're very thankful that we can do so in retirement.  Shady places are the best places to be at the moment!

I hope you also had a good weekend.  Speak again soon.

Friday Five

Our week mainly in picture images......

Our daughter brought us a bouquet of yellow roses with the weekly shopping that she gets for us and I've arranged them in a vase with the last of the sunflowers, lavender and some seed heads from the garden.

Then in the evenings the candles are lit in the front living room bay window.

We bottled some of the pears and we still have many in store that we can eat fresh.

I unpicked a few of the crocheted granny squares that I had been working on, made some more and then arranged them differently.  I've ordered more wool and when it arrives I shall continue with this project.

My Persephone Biannual magazine came in the post.  It's a good read on it's own with many interesting articles and book reviews.  I ordered one of the books on the list, The Persephone Book of Short Stories. It comes with two bookmarks that are the same as the designs on the endpapers in the book. The bookmarks that are included with each book ordered are often taken from relevant period textile and wallpaper designs.  The stories included are by women writers such as Carol Shields, Rosamunde Pilcher, Winifred Holtby, Diana Athill.

We've also been busy with central heating engineer socially distanced mask wearing appointments starting with the annual service and then further visits to sort out a slight problem. Thankfully we can use the central heating which is just as well as the days are getting colder.  It's been bright and dry, but this morning we woke up to the sound of rain beating on the windows and it's still dark outside. 

I hope all is well with you.  Thank you once more for visiting my blog. Wishing you a good weekend and week ahead.

Our Week: Castleton, Derbyshire Visit with Family

Last Sunday we had a surprise when the phone rang to say that our grandson no 3 and his girlfriend were on their way back from visiting family in North Yorkshire (the other grandmother) and would come and visit on their way back down to Berkshire.  We haven't see them since we were in Berkshire for grandson no 2's birthday party.  The photo above is when they came and we went for a drive to Castleton in Derbyshire which must have been two years ago.  They weren't able to stay long because of their long onward journey.  They wore masks as they had done when visiting the other grandma which was very thoughtful of them, but it felt very strange sitting and not being able to be close together or hug one another.  They had chosen a lovely bouquet of lilies, gladioli and ornamental cabbage.  The buds are just beginning to open and look very pretty.  We were so pleased to see them even for such a short time.

We were planning to go down to Berkshire soon, but it now depends on the restrictions that are being put in place again because of the rise in the number of infectious cases of the virus.  More areas of the country are in a sort of partial lockdown and the rules are confusing.  The constant in England is the rule of only six people gathering together, but whatever the situation it's all very depressing.  I'm trying to stay positive as our situation could be worse.

Small things cheer me up such as getting my new mouse for the computer.  It means I can use the laptop again without scrolling on the pad which I find too sensitive for the tasks that I do.

I've also been doing a lot of deep cleaning, one room at a time.  It would be easy just to drift along from day-to-day.  

I still haven't listened to any of the audio books that I got from the library.  The large print Bill Bryson book looks interesting as it's all about words, how they got into the English language and how dictionaries were created. I'm hoping it'll be an entertaining read as well as informative.

I've also dipped into a book that has been on my shelf unread which I got from a charity shop, The Forgotten Garden.  I've read other books by Kate Morton and I'm intrigued by the title.  Now that I have my prescription glasses with varifocals I'm finding texts easier to read so long as the print is big enough.  The book is 600+ pages long so it'll take some time to get through so long as it draws me in.  The one problem is that it jumps about from one period to another as the narrative is set in 1913, 1975, 2005.

 

Cover blurb:

1913 - On the eve of World War I a little girl is found abandoned after a gruelling ocean voyage from England to Australia. All she can remember of the journey is that a mysterious woman she calls the Authoress had promised to look after her.  But the authoress has vanished without trace.

1975 - Now an old lady. Nell travels to England to discover the truth about her parentage.  Her quest leads her to Blackhurst Manor...What has prompted Nell's journey after all these years?

2005 - On Nell's death her granddaughter, Cassandra, comes into an inheritance.  Cliff Cottage in the grounds of Blackhurst Manor is notorious among the locals for the secrets it holds.  The abandoned garden is where Cassandra will uncover the truth about the family who lived at the manor and why the young Nell was abandoned all those decades before.

"Before her eyes the garden changed.  Weeds and brambles, decades in the growing, receded.  Leaves lifted from the ground, revealing paths and flowerbeds and a garden seat.  Light was permitted entry once more...."

Here are a few more photos on entering the walled garden by the library.  We've had some stormy weather lately so I'll have to go back soon and see how the plants are getting on during these October days.

Thank you once more for your visit.  Have a good weekend everyone! 

Craft Project

Cathy's Craft Project linkup

Today I'm linking up with Cathy of Hooks and Needles blog who has started a new Craft Project so that we can craft together via her link.  Sessions will be on the first Tuesday of the month.  I'm looking forward to joining the linkup each month as I'm a novice when it comes to crafting and I'm sure I'll learn something new from other participants.

I've been crocheting for a while now and have made several lap blankets.  Below (in the foreground) is my latest blanket. Working on it is slow progress as I can only do a row or two in an evening, but it's relaxing and satisfying as I see the blanket grow. I have to get some more yarn as I started by using up left over balls of wool from other projects and now need more in shades of blue and lilac. 

My Week

It's been a busier week as we prepare for Christmas.

On Sunday morning, the 3rd Sunday of Advent,

 we went to church for a Sunday Family Praise Service.

At the start the third candle on the Advent Wreath was lit.

Nativity Crèche - waiting for Baby Jesus who will be placed
 in the crib on Christmas Night.

The weather has been a mixture of freezing rain or cold, 

but sunny days or milder weather. It's always good to buy 

a few extra plants that are hardy enough to be planted out.

Christmas decorations

Dancer the Reindeer

Family will be coming to see us.

The Nativity

(stained glass window. St. Nicholas's Church, Newbury, Berkshire)

Joining Riitta's Friday Bliss linkup

Liverpool visit

Now and again we've driven to Liverpool.

The famous liver bird image is everywhere and we were greeted by this big advertising structure as we drove into the city.  The liver bird is the symbol of the city of Liverpool and it represents a cormorant with a branch of laver seaweed in its beak.

Although there are several statues of the liver bird in the city, the most famous ones are on the Royal Liver Building at Liverpool's Pier Head overlooking the Mersey River, one on each tower, called Bertie and Bella.  They're easy to spot as they dominate the skyline and it's the only thing I remember about the Liverpool waterfront when I was brought here as a child by an aunt and uncle when I used to spend Summer holidays with them.  Bertie looks over the city and Bella looks over the sea.

The Royal Liver Building opened in 1911 and is home to the Royal Liver Assurance group set up to provide assistance to those who have lost a wage-earning relative.  It's one of the three important buildings on the waterfront which is part of UNESCO's World Heritage Maritime Mercantile site. The others are the Cunard Building, the Port of Liverpool Building and the trio are known as the Three Graces.

More liver birds and maritime symbols can be seen on this ironwork gate in one of the entrances to the main shopping centre, Liverpool One.

We drove along the Strand by the waterfront where there are many amazing buildings, old and new.

On the right is the red and white building, Albion House, which was the headquarters of the White Star Line (of Titanic fame) and is now an hotel.  The grey building opposite situated on Pier Head houses offices, the ventilation tower and control station for the Queensway Mersey River Tunnel. 

one of the tall ship trading vessels in Canning Dock

the rhombus-shaped building of RIBA, Royal Institute of British Architects

The Port of Liverpool Building (Edwardian Baroque- style architecture)

on the right

The Cunard Building (Italianate Renaissance/Greek-style architecture)

with the Liver Building in the distance

more of the docks at Pier Head

Our granddaughter went with a friend to see the city centre lit up for Christmas and she sent us some photos.

There were carols singers outside St George's Hall.

Liverpool One shopping arcade

down by the Royal Albert Dock

At the end of the walk hot chocolate must have been very welcome.

Here in Sheffield we're expecting snow sometime this weekend. 

Second Sunday of Advent, 9th December 2018

Tomorrow, 16th December 2018, is the Third Sunday of Advent.  In the church calendar it's called Gaudete Sunday so the theme is joy/rejoice.

Gaudete in Domino semper   "Rejoice in the Lord Always"