TWO NIGHTS IN WINCHESTER

Spent two nights in Winchester, love the place. Visited the Christmas market and went shopping too.  Stayed in The Wessex Hotel where we used to go in the 70's and meet our friends Carrie and Teg (now passed away - both of them) - the place holds many lovely memories for us.

Made the most of the hotel and had breakfast in the room, so cosy with a view of the cathedral.

Gaby and Matt came to see us and Lynda and Ben came to, had a meal - super two days went too fast.

 

 

MY LOVELY DOG, OR RATHER OUR LOVELY DOG - AGASSI

Ebba visits with friends

 Lovely granddaughter Ebba from Sweden visits with friends to do work experience, in a shop in Guildford - Oxfam.

They stayed at Lynda's and had a great time. 

Here they are at a hostel in London getting ready to hit the town.

Amanda and Ebba above




Gaby and Ellie on left

STUFF HAPPENS

Sorry to have left you briefly but I have been concentrating on my other blog about AD and need to get this somewhat up to date.

We have been out and about, here and there and Christmas is coming and again going away.  With Doreen and Bernard to a mystery break for four nights over Christmas...

 

HERE we are at an weekend break at Warbrook House, Eversley with Joanne.  There is a murder mystery going on but I was not with it, had some kind of illness and could hardly eat, even though I look OK in the photo.   Jo and Brian loved it and we shall go back again to finish

it off, sort of thing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great Grandson Harvey

Here is Harvey, guess where?

We don't see him as much as we would like as he lives in Sussex with Cristina, his mum.
 

Playing in our garden last year, when it was lovely weather,  with Tabitha and Isabella.

Gabriella and Isabella

Taken on our cottage doorstep in June.  Gabriella is Lynda's daughter she is 18 and just started at Winchester Uni. 

Photo  taken by Damien of Isabella and Tabitha.  Also Matt our grandson (Jo Ann's son) and Freddie 4 - Hayley's youngest.

This must have been taken a couple of years ago as Tabitha looks so small.  In Lynda's kitchen with Ebba on the left (John's daughter) Gabriella, Lynda, Becky and Fia (John's wife) with Isabella and Tabitha at Christmas.

Freddie at ours doing his cooking, he loves playing with pastry and makes rather nice jam tarts.

Brian with Valerie in Australia

Some photos of Damien and family

A lovely photo of Damien with his rescue greyhound Lady, they stayed on the Dorset coast last year,

what a lovely walk.  They have now rescued another greyhound.

Rather a nice photo of Damien and Becky, more to come - - -

Damien singing with group at his 40th, yes he is that old - but now another year older as it was taken last year.

Fancy dress party, anyone guess who?

Photo when Damien took us to Airshow at Farnborough, he took loads and they are all good.

My boy :)

 

 

Isabella and Tabitha in a hotel in Ireland when Damien went to find his  Irish roots.

 

 

 

Tabitha in our house with me in background on Jubilee day.

COSTUME JEWELLERY from FIFTIES

Have quite a collection now, seem to be hanging on to it.  Perhaps sell some for Christmas.

STUFF

this last few days

conditioner in the bath

butter in the cupboard

looking for things, pulling cupboards out, hunting for anything really.

misplacing notes, £20, £10 - hunting for them

turning the heating up to 30

putting the hot water on all the time

collecting anything

warming dishes with hot water from kettle, not from the tap.

warms dog's food in  metal plate in the microwave

THEY HAVE ALL GROWN UP NOW

 

 

 

 

 

THEY WILL KILL ME FOR PUTTING THESE UP!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love this pic taken in Menorca years ago, will have to work it out... all of them so grown up now.

Gabriella at Winchester Uni - Jack at Sixth Form and Emily last year at school.

Goes too quick.

OSTERSUND SWEDEN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The town of Ostersund where John, Fia and family live.  It is beautiful and so peaceful, this is a summer view, of course in the winter there is snow snow and snow.

 

Ciutadella de Menorca

It looks like all we did was eat, but  no we slept too.

We are about to eat lobster paella, superb it was too.

 

 

 

Spanish Omelette cooked to perfection - recipe coming for the 'Adrienne Ome'

 

 Take four medium potatoes, peel and put in a large pan witha little  oil and garlic, cook until tender and all the oil is used up.

 Beat five eggs and pour potato mixture into eggs, stir gently once and carefully tip mixture into omelette pan (hot) and leave for about two minutes, turn over on to a plate and do the same, leave for 2 minutes.

If it this is wrong Adrienne will  soon email me to change it - so keep an eye out.

 

Rather a large prawn here or is  it crayfish?
Eating at the Bahia overlooking a lovely bay with our friends, could not do better on a September Sunday.

We look healthy, if I say it myself, Menorca agrees with us, but not the heat...

SPOT THE BIRTHDAY BOY

Our family group on a very warm Sunday afternoon at Warbrook House Hotel in Eversley.

In the group are-

Brian and Christine, Doreen and Bernard, nephew Ian and wife Jenny.
Louise and Neal. Jo Ann and Ellie. Lynda, Ben and Gabriella. Joanne with David, Billy and Harry, and Cristina and Neil.  Damien, Becky with Isabella and Tabitha.  Hayley and Des with Jack and Emily (Freddie is hiding). 

 

London - Paris

This a strange thing - I am having to learn this all over...

OK can you see Brian helping himself to breakfast at the Waldorf?  And before you ask, no we are not  made of money,

I used a website that offers mystery hotels at bargain prices and we got this one,  all for less than  Ibis!

Pork pate on cabbage with jus - lovely, best pate ever.

Paris of course.

Getting up to date

 

 

Brian's 79th birthday treat.  A few nights in London at the Waldorf, plus an evening at the theatre, 'Woman in Black' and then on to Paris for three nights.

We met up with a distant cousin called Christine, related from Beck's side way back. She kindly took this picture.

We seem to be having a rather busy summer what with short breaks instead of a longer one. I think Brian prefers this anyway, he loves changes of scenery.

I think I have almost forgotten how to write these things. I have been writing fiction and not blogging...

I can't believe we have been in Hartley Wintney for three and a half years now.  I have just started my fourth year teaching creative writing for U3A - I didn't think I  would last that long but hey the students want to continue so I do too.

I also still work one afternoon a week at our charity shop and one Saturday in four, Brian is enjoying his afternoons too, different from mine though!

Another thing I do is write for the local magazine, I have a piece each month and a deadline to meet.

And one more, I am on the Care Team taking phone calls from older people wanting transport to and from appointments, arranging this for them.

So am I writing the novel. Yes I am.

Next week.

Jubilee Day

 

HERE WE ARE AGAIN

 

 

LONG TIME NO SEE

So here I go after nearly two years of silence.

We were in Paris last September 2011, our favourite city, well mine anyway.  I know Brian's favourite is Barcelona, followed perhaps by Paris, then Sydney.

We went to Paris again this summer in August

 

Brian is choosing books from Shakespeare's  bookshop. One of our stops in Paris and a coffee taken nearby.


I am waiting outside a restaurant near out hotel, don't like the look on my face though!