Hello Friends, At last I am getting down to writing after our travels on the cruise ship Enchantment of the Seas..to the Caribbean. We left the UK on a cold frosty morning and after a very good flight to New York and onward to Norfolk Virginia we were basking in +70 deg. We had such a great time on the cruise..the sea was such a beautiful colour..ice blue through to the dark indigo and every shade in between...and on the various Islands the sands were so white ..almost too white as we had to keep our eyes half closed !! we had such a wonderful holiday. The ship was beautiful much bigger than I could have imagined, we were thankful to have met a very kind couple whilst waiting to have our passports examined (the wife had a British passport although she has lived in Virginia for 31 years with Skip her husband) we were in a separate queue...They had been cruising before so showed us the way and kept looking after us. we were amazed with our stateroom...as the cabins are called!!...it was very large and had every convenience for the wheelchair the shower room was best I have EVER had and I have stayed in an awful lot of hotels etc... There was so much to do on board that there was never a dull moment. As for the food....well out of this world would be the description...everything one could ever wish for and more was to be had and we chose to use the restaurant where we were served at every meal and the waiters were just XXXXXXXXXXXXX I could have run away with one or two of them !!! The Captain was to die for...such a young man to be in charge of such a large ship. We had an official photo taken with him at the Captains champagne reception...no less !! but I will enclose one now that was taken a bit later when he was around on the ship deck a new friend Karen just went up and asked him to come and be photographed with us !! What I mean to say was that once I am organised I will do a smilebox and you will see our handsome captain !! I still have not discovered how to put photographs in between the paragraphs. anyway as you can guess I didn't have much time to miss you all, although I did mention one or two of you to my new found friends. The family and friends here all had asked that we bring some warm sunshine home with us and I am glad to say that we have been sucessful in doing just that, we have had a very good week since we got home on Sunday just a few hours ahead of Heathrow Airport being closed due to the volcanic ash !!
Well think I will go now, it has been a mad mad week since we got back Sunday afternoon. Our friends Bob and Mary arrived Monday at 10.20am from New Zealand they leave us again on Saturday but it has been great having them but still trying to gather my wits as they say !! so till next time don't forget to
LOVE ONE ANOTHER. xx
Travel Tales, and family news,
Thursday, 20 May 2010
Monday, 26 April 2010
walk in Box
Hi Friends, back again this time I thought that I might take you a litle walk through the village. I have added some photographs so I decided I would add a little about each of them.
Number 1 Box Tunnel is perhaps the most famous view in Box. It is always being photographed especially by the many train spotters who stand in wait on the bridge that runs over the railway, for the trains rushing through the tunnel. especially if it is a steam train which comes through on special trips or the Orient Express that does special trips....very expensive...from London to Bristol
Number 2.. Is a slightly more modern house that would have been used as a Toll House when the main road was but a lane and the traffic...horse and coaches.. had to pay a toll at that point.
Number 3,.. The school it is a Church of England school for children from age 4-12 it has been in constant use sinse it was built in 1875 The clock in the tower chimes each hour from 7am till 10pm. when we have a silent night !!
Number 4. The Pound. This is a small oasis in the centre of the village. When it was first built it's purpose was to impound any stray animals pending collection by their owners who were then charged for their return...
Number 5 The Manor House was originally 17c. although additions have been made in latter years. It was once the Home of the Northey Family who were considerable landowners
Number 6 The Fountain. This is a delightful little area in the middle of the village and is of Gothic/Victorian design
The other houses I just thought you might like to see the various styles that can be seen throughout my lovely little village.
I hope you have enjoyed your little wander round Box in lovely Wiltshire, I have only lived here 17 years but fell in love with it almost as soon as I arrived. We are surrounded by beautiful green hillsides and meandering lanes with fields full of sheep and at this time lambs and also cows.. I always wish I could walk these lovely fields etc however I am blessed with lovely friends who go on the walks and always take photographs to share with me.
I wonder what your surroundings are like ?
Mary and I are away on our cruise next week but I will try to come back before we leave, if not we come home on 16th May and will hopefully have many a tale to tell of our Caribbean Cruise.
Good Night, Bless you all and remember always to LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
Number 1 Box Tunnel is perhaps the most famous view in Box. It is always being photographed especially by the many train spotters who stand in wait on the bridge that runs over the railway, for the trains rushing through the tunnel. especially if it is a steam train which comes through on special trips or the Orient Express that does special trips....very expensive...from London to Bristol
Number 2.. Is a slightly more modern house that would have been used as a Toll House when the main road was but a lane and the traffic...horse and coaches.. had to pay a toll at that point.
Number 3,.. The school it is a Church of England school for children from age 4-12 it has been in constant use sinse it was built in 1875 The clock in the tower chimes each hour from 7am till 10pm. when we have a silent night !!
Number 4. The Pound. This is a small oasis in the centre of the village. When it was first built it's purpose was to impound any stray animals pending collection by their owners who were then charged for their return...
Number 5 The Manor House was originally 17c. although additions have been made in latter years. It was once the Home of the Northey Family who were considerable landowners
Number 6 The Fountain. This is a delightful little area in the middle of the village and is of Gothic/Victorian design
The other houses I just thought you might like to see the various styles that can be seen throughout my lovely little village.
I hope you have enjoyed your little wander round Box in lovely Wiltshire, I have only lived here 17 years but fell in love with it almost as soon as I arrived. We are surrounded by beautiful green hillsides and meandering lanes with fields full of sheep and at this time lambs and also cows.. I always wish I could walk these lovely fields etc however I am blessed with lovely friends who go on the walks and always take photographs to share with me.
I wonder what your surroundings are like ?
Mary and I are away on our cruise next week but I will try to come back before we leave, if not we come home on 16th May and will hopefully have many a tale to tell of our Caribbean Cruise.
Good Night, Bless you all and remember always to LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
Friday, 2 April 2010
Thursday, 1 April 2010
Maundy Thursday, April Fool, Concerts,
Hello Friends,
At last I am back and I can hardly believe that we are now into April....I wonder if anyone was caught out with an April fool before noon today ? I certainly was at 7.45am actually when my BIL called and told me some daft story that I believed...hook line and sinker !! before it dawned on me that it was April 1st. what a way to start my day LOL... As well as All fools day it is also here in the UK Maundy Thursday, a dear friend of mine a few years ago was very proud and honoured to be presented with the Maundy money from the Queen, I think that year the gifts were given out in Gloucester Cathedral. I found this about the Maundy Money that you might like to read about
The Maundy Thursday celebrations in the United Kingdom today involve the Monarch (since 1952, Queen Elizabeth II) offering "alms" to deserving senior citizens (one man and one woman for each year of the sovereign's age). These coins, known as Maundy money or Royal Maundy, are distributed in red and white purses. This custom dates back to King Edward I. The red purse contains regular currency and is given in place of food and clothing. The white purse contains currency in the amount of one penny for each year of the Sovereign's age. Since 1822, rather than ordinary money, the Sovereign gives out Maundy coins.[38] which are specially minted 1, 2, 3 and 4 penny pieces, and are legal tender. The service at which this takes place rotates around English and Welsh churches, though in 2008 it took place for the first time in Northern Ireland at Armagh Cathedral. Until the death of King James II, the Monarch would also wash the feet of the selected poor people. No wonder my friend felt privildged to be receiving the Maundy Gifts.
And so Maundy Thurs leads us on to Good Friday and then Easter Sunday...what an array of emotions one goes through in these short 4 days... The Easter Weekend is usually the first holiday weekend for people who are fortunate enough to be working, at one time in the not to distant past all the shops etc would be closed for Good Friday and Easter Monday but nowadays they don't and in most places these days pass as any other day.
Thankfully the weather has mostly changed to real springtime and all the various spring flowers are fighting to see which ones can come out into bloom first...Having said that poor Scotland has been in the middle of another winter period with blizzards and people caught in their cars etc for hours in snow drifts even a train on it's way to Inverness was caught in a snowdrift and the passengers were faced with an 8 hour journey as opposed to the one they thought would take 2 hours !!
March was quite a quiet month for me here so not much to report...We did have a great evening concert at church when we had a group from the village called Collerne up the hill, the group is called CAOS.!!..(Collerne Amatuer Operatic Soc.) The have been going for 25 years so they sang for us songs from all the performances that they have done...It was a great evening and everyone enjoyed themselves. Our next occasion at church will be next Friday when we are having a chinese Supper evening It is a sell out already so we are all looking forward to that very much. Chinese is my fav. food, other than good old Britsh food !!
Also this month I will be making a quick visit to Scotland to see a friend, my sister and BIL come as well and we always have a nice time together...
So there we are, always something to look forward to. I hope that you also have a great month ahead. And a wonderful Easter in particular...
I will enjoy reading all your journals as the month passes.
Whatever you do always remember to LOVE ONE ANOTHER....
At last I am back and I can hardly believe that we are now into April....I wonder if anyone was caught out with an April fool before noon today ? I certainly was at 7.45am actually when my BIL called and told me some daft story that I believed...hook line and sinker !! before it dawned on me that it was April 1st. what a way to start my day LOL... As well as All fools day it is also here in the UK Maundy Thursday, a dear friend of mine a few years ago was very proud and honoured to be presented with the Maundy money from the Queen, I think that year the gifts were given out in Gloucester Cathedral. I found this about the Maundy Money that you might like to read about
The Maundy Thursday celebrations in the United Kingdom today involve the Monarch (since 1952, Queen Elizabeth II) offering "alms" to deserving senior citizens (one man and one woman for each year of the sovereign's age). These coins, known as Maundy money or Royal Maundy, are distributed in red and white purses. This custom dates back to King Edward I. The red purse contains regular currency and is given in place of food and clothing. The white purse contains currency in the amount of one penny for each year of the Sovereign's age. Since 1822, rather than ordinary money, the Sovereign gives out Maundy coins.[38] which are specially minted 1, 2, 3 and 4 penny pieces, and are legal tender. The service at which this takes place rotates around English and Welsh churches, though in 2008 it took place for the first time in Northern Ireland at Armagh Cathedral. Until the death of King James II, the Monarch would also wash the feet of the selected poor people. No wonder my friend felt privildged to be receiving the Maundy Gifts.
And so Maundy Thurs leads us on to Good Friday and then Easter Sunday...what an array of emotions one goes through in these short 4 days... The Easter Weekend is usually the first holiday weekend for people who are fortunate enough to be working, at one time in the not to distant past all the shops etc would be closed for Good Friday and Easter Monday but nowadays they don't and in most places these days pass as any other day.
Thankfully the weather has mostly changed to real springtime and all the various spring flowers are fighting to see which ones can come out into bloom first...Having said that poor Scotland has been in the middle of another winter period with blizzards and people caught in their cars etc for hours in snow drifts even a train on it's way to Inverness was caught in a snowdrift and the passengers were faced with an 8 hour journey as opposed to the one they thought would take 2 hours !!
March was quite a quiet month for me here so not much to report...We did have a great evening concert at church when we had a group from the village called Collerne up the hill, the group is called CAOS.!!..(Collerne Amatuer Operatic Soc.) The have been going for 25 years so they sang for us songs from all the performances that they have done...It was a great evening and everyone enjoyed themselves. Our next occasion at church will be next Friday when we are having a chinese Supper evening It is a sell out already so we are all looking forward to that very much. Chinese is my fav. food, other than good old Britsh food !!
Also this month I will be making a quick visit to Scotland to see a friend, my sister and BIL come as well and we always have a nice time together...
So there we are, always something to look forward to. I hope that you also have a great month ahead. And a wonderful Easter in particular...
I will enjoy reading all your journals as the month passes.
Whatever you do always remember to LOVE ONE ANOTHER....
Monday, 8 March 2010
Well I have made yet another start ! I have changed my header as all our snow has now gone....we hope for a long long time ! it was time for a change the flowers that are everywhere in our garden centres at the moment are the beautiful primroses. These primroses are actually one that will be appearing in my garden..hopefully..in a few weeks (these are last years) everything is behind this spring by at least 3 weeks I think. Usually when it is our Mothering Sunday which is next Sunday here in the UK all my daffodils are in full bloom..some years we even pray that they will still be in bloom! we make small posies up for all the ladies in the church, however this year there is not even one out so we will have to go and buy some for Sunday which is rather sad..not the buying..just the fact that there are none blooming as yet...
So what have I been up to lately. well to be honest not a lot ! The week before last I had a full week of knitting. Now knitting used to be my greatest pleasure and over the years I must have knitted 100s of jumpers etc etc., but for some time now I have had arthritis in my hands and they become quite sore when I knit so I had more or less given it up, however when my best pal came over couple of weeks ago and was knitting a jumper for her Grandson..I looked at it and said I thought it was a bit on the big side as her Grandson is only just 10...the jumper she was knitting almost fitted me !! the upshot was that I took it from her and promptly ripped it down and said leave it with me and I will try to knit it up again for her in the correct size ( we later discovered her daughter in law had given her sizes in cm and as Pam and I are "ancient" we are still in ins.and Pam was duly doing the said jumper in ins not cm.!!) anyway I set to and in 4 days or so had the jumper finished and ready for Fin. (He needed to wear it to a school book reading club it had to be made to represent one of his fav. book characters he had chosen Horrid Henry so the jumper had to be in blue with a yellow band on it !!)
Last weekend we had a few days away to Weston Super Mare a Victorian sea side town on the west coast under 2 hours from us here in Box. we were attending the Bristol District Wesley Guild Annual Meeting. we took 12 of our members with us and we all had the most wonderul time. The forecast had been wild and rather wet but thankfully the forecasters got it wrong and we had a lovely if somewhat cold few days. we were able to take a nice walk along the front and to view the new pier that is growing by the day ..they say that it will be fully rebuilt for the summer season and having seen it I am sure it will be.
These last few days we really seem to have seen the back of winter, as we have enjoyed lovely sunny days. It has still be very frosty first thing in the mornings yesterday I even thought maybe we had had snow overnight! but the sun soon gets to work and melts it by 9.30ish. Mary and I havn't gone far but most days we have made just a short drive just to experience the warm sun shining through the car windows... On Saturday a good friend Julie was down from London and we all enjoyed a great supper out at one of our Local Pubs. She had not been down for a wee while so it was as always great to see her. (It was Julie who went with me as my buddy when we went sailing on the Tall Ship we had such fun and lasughter together as well as hard work !!)
So there you are not much news but just enough to keep us all in touch.
Till the next time. Keep smiling and remember to LOVE ONE ANOTHER. x
So what have I been up to lately. well to be honest not a lot ! The week before last I had a full week of knitting. Now knitting used to be my greatest pleasure and over the years I must have knitted 100s of jumpers etc etc., but for some time now I have had arthritis in my hands and they become quite sore when I knit so I had more or less given it up, however when my best pal came over couple of weeks ago and was knitting a jumper for her Grandson..I looked at it and said I thought it was a bit on the big side as her Grandson is only just 10...the jumper she was knitting almost fitted me !! the upshot was that I took it from her and promptly ripped it down and said leave it with me and I will try to knit it up again for her in the correct size ( we later discovered her daughter in law had given her sizes in cm and as Pam and I are "ancient" we are still in ins.and Pam was duly doing the said jumper in ins not cm.!!) anyway I set to and in 4 days or so had the jumper finished and ready for Fin. (He needed to wear it to a school book reading club it had to be made to represent one of his fav. book characters he had chosen Horrid Henry so the jumper had to be in blue with a yellow band on it !!)
Last weekend we had a few days away to Weston Super Mare a Victorian sea side town on the west coast under 2 hours from us here in Box. we were attending the Bristol District Wesley Guild Annual Meeting. we took 12 of our members with us and we all had the most wonderul time. The forecast had been wild and rather wet but thankfully the forecasters got it wrong and we had a lovely if somewhat cold few days. we were able to take a nice walk along the front and to view the new pier that is growing by the day ..they say that it will be fully rebuilt for the summer season and having seen it I am sure it will be.
These last few days we really seem to have seen the back of winter, as we have enjoyed lovely sunny days. It has still be very frosty first thing in the mornings yesterday I even thought maybe we had had snow overnight! but the sun soon gets to work and melts it by 9.30ish. Mary and I havn't gone far but most days we have made just a short drive just to experience the warm sun shining through the car windows... On Saturday a good friend Julie was down from London and we all enjoyed a great supper out at one of our Local Pubs. She had not been down for a wee while so it was as always great to see her. (It was Julie who went with me as my buddy when we went sailing on the Tall Ship we had such fun and lasughter together as well as hard work !!)
So there you are not much news but just enough to keep us all in touch.
Till the next time. Keep smiling and remember to LOVE ONE ANOTHER. x
Monday, 22 February 2010
snowy days..and sunshine,,
Hello Friends, Sorry for such a long time between last blog and this....No real excuse other than that each day passes in much the same way so there has not been a lot to write about...
Mary and I had a 5 day coach trip two weeks ago to the East Coast Town of Margate...when we told people we were going to Margate they all looked at us as if we were mad...having been now in February !! I can understand why. As we approached Margate on the afternoon of Monday it began to snow...just a little...no worry says I... As we got out of the coach I thought that perhops I had landed in the North Pole. The wind for certain was comming from there without a stop...it was freeeeeezzzzzzzzing...Thankfully the hotel was warm and comfortable and very welcoming and we had a good room that was also nice and warm...The first nights dinner was a time to really meet the other folks on the trip. They were mostly all very nice. One elderly gentleman who was travelling for the first time on his own since his wife died attatched himself to us, and that was ok. He was very attentive at meal time always arranging Mary's chair for her and putting her crutches safe out of the way, also making sure we both had all that we wanted ! Bless Him..we could have done it ourselves however it is always good to let someone think they are helping...Tuesday there was a morning trip to an aircraft museum so we decided to give that a miss and have a wee walk/trundle around the town. Were only out about 10mins when we had to give in and get back into the warmth of the hotel and to order their Special hot chocolate Toddy...hot chocolate with a dash of whisky cream and hazelnut...I never drink whisky but we were so cold we thought anything that would heat us up was to be recommended....it was delicious....Wednesday was a day visit to Canterbury with a short stop at a small village called Whitstable, thankfully for us the driver stopped in the High Street directly opposite a church that was having it's weekly coffee morning. I don't think the ladies had ever had an invasion such as they saw that morning when almost 90% of us piled in !! then it was on to Canterbury. Mary and I went there last year with the same coach company so we did not want to go and visit the Cathedral again so decided on a wander round the lovely lanes....well that was the plan...however less then 10 mins into our stoll the snow started and boy did it snow !! it was a complete white out we were glad to see a M&S store so dashed in there and after spending almost 2 and 1/2 hours there !! It was time to make our way back to the coach Mary having to go very carefully in case her crutches went one way and she the other LOL I have never spent so long in any shop in all my life !! Thursday we awoke to a lot of snow and the driver decided that there was no way he could take us out for the arranged trip to some open air market and so we spent the day in the hotel. I had taken, for the first time, my little notebook computer and there was free internet access so I was quite happy to spend time playing and Mary got to chat to other new made friends.. Thankfully by the time Friday came and time for us to leave the snow on the roads had been cleared and we were able to make our way home..so although it was an exceedingly cold it was a very pleasant few days..
Glad to say that there are signs of spring in the garden the snowdrops are such brave wee flowers It amazes me how such tiny thin leaves can force themselves through the hard frozen ground, also Mary has crocus flowers purple and yellow blooming...The sun actually shone for quite a few hours on Saturday it is such a blessing when it appears, and I was able to go out into the yard and cut back the clematis and various other climbers I wasn't out long but every few mins. helps. My sister and Brother in law recently bought me an evergreen clematis and Peter our nice neighbour has gone and got us a very large pot to transplant it into, so that will be the next thing that will get done..
I expect like us all you will be waiting for these first signs of spring and I pray that you will see the signs very soon..
till the remember to..........Love one Another
Mary and I had a 5 day coach trip two weeks ago to the East Coast Town of Margate...when we told people we were going to Margate they all looked at us as if we were mad...having been now in February !! I can understand why. As we approached Margate on the afternoon of Monday it began to snow...just a little...no worry says I... As we got out of the coach I thought that perhops I had landed in the North Pole. The wind for certain was comming from there without a stop...it was freeeeeezzzzzzzzing...Thankfully the hotel was warm and comfortable and very welcoming and we had a good room that was also nice and warm...The first nights dinner was a time to really meet the other folks on the trip. They were mostly all very nice. One elderly gentleman who was travelling for the first time on his own since his wife died attatched himself to us, and that was ok. He was very attentive at meal time always arranging Mary's chair for her and putting her crutches safe out of the way, also making sure we both had all that we wanted ! Bless Him..we could have done it ourselves however it is always good to let someone think they are helping...Tuesday there was a morning trip to an aircraft museum so we decided to give that a miss and have a wee walk/trundle around the town. Were only out about 10mins when we had to give in and get back into the warmth of the hotel and to order their Special hot chocolate Toddy...hot chocolate with a dash of whisky cream and hazelnut...I never drink whisky but we were so cold we thought anything that would heat us up was to be recommended....it was delicious....Wednesday was a day visit to Canterbury with a short stop at a small village called Whitstable, thankfully for us the driver stopped in the High Street directly opposite a church that was having it's weekly coffee morning. I don't think the ladies had ever had an invasion such as they saw that morning when almost 90% of us piled in !! then it was on to Canterbury. Mary and I went there last year with the same coach company so we did not want to go and visit the Cathedral again so decided on a wander round the lovely lanes....well that was the plan...however less then 10 mins into our stoll the snow started and boy did it snow !! it was a complete white out we were glad to see a M&S store so dashed in there and after spending almost 2 and 1/2 hours there !! It was time to make our way back to the coach Mary having to go very carefully in case her crutches went one way and she the other LOL I have never spent so long in any shop in all my life !! Thursday we awoke to a lot of snow and the driver decided that there was no way he could take us out for the arranged trip to some open air market and so we spent the day in the hotel. I had taken, for the first time, my little notebook computer and there was free internet access so I was quite happy to spend time playing and Mary got to chat to other new made friends.. Thankfully by the time Friday came and time for us to leave the snow on the roads had been cleared and we were able to make our way home..so although it was an exceedingly cold it was a very pleasant few days..
Glad to say that there are signs of spring in the garden the snowdrops are such brave wee flowers It amazes me how such tiny thin leaves can force themselves through the hard frozen ground, also Mary has crocus flowers purple and yellow blooming...The sun actually shone for quite a few hours on Saturday it is such a blessing when it appears, and I was able to go out into the yard and cut back the clematis and various other climbers I wasn't out long but every few mins. helps. My sister and Brother in law recently bought me an evergreen clematis and Peter our nice neighbour has gone and got us a very large pot to transplant it into, so that will be the next thing that will get done..
I expect like us all you will be waiting for these first signs of spring and I pray that you will see the signs very soon..
till the remember to..........Love one Another
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