365/304-308 still catching up!

Quirky!

.I often tell my JB that she has a quirky-ness about her and she knows what I mean, I even think she embraces it and doesn't want to be one of the masses!  She has some lovely strappy boots and treated herself to a fab short leather jacket a while back and they are her essential items this autumn..

.. she will hate this pic but is photographer enough to appreciate the need to nick them for the blog!

Fear

Well Wednesday was Halloween and Jb had some pals over for the evening, they had scary films a few beers and some great outfits!

It was a slightly awkward time though as everyone knew that a big night was planned for the next night, her friend's 18th birthday and a surprise party with the official UK Greenday tribute band 'Green Date' in attendance.  Thursday we had a great evening, the build up and the party and for Col and I it was especially good to see JB in organising mode and looking absolutely great..she and her pal had matching dresses and had such a great time. There were about fifteen of the kids who were massive Greenday fans and despite the event being very quiet compared to most events the band play, they gave them a great night and did each other proud!  

 To top off the evening they have arranged to see the band next year the night before the Greenday gig at the Emirates and that's just a small gig but everyone will be a fan.. the Greenday guys even give their old guitars to the tribute guys and it was just so good to see everyone so excited and having 18 year old fun!

Thursday was tree day and so chilly, I had to take this snap of the tree with hail on the ground!

Well our Just Scrapbooking crew had back to back sessions the past Saturdays and worked on some altered books and I had a copy of the Water Babies which I was going to use for odd images, but on refection decided to make it the subject of my work...so much for the album of the kids school photos, but hey, that's for another day!

Our group is so nice, we don't see everyone every time but over the four and a half years we have known each other we have grown real fond of each other.. and Linda is so so good, cajoling us all in new techniques and mostly we moan, wish we didn't have to do it and then by the end of six hours go home saying how great it was and when can we do it again.. just like any other classroom full of daft kids huh!

After scrapbooking I got the girls and they came to sleep over, M&D out for a Halloween party and glad they made the effort, the new baby will put them back to night feeds and not much partying for a while after January so I'm trying to make sure they bank a few nights out before then.. we are off to Greg Davies the comedian with them next weekend and have a few other nights before Christmas.. JB is 18 herself soon, so one more milestone.. xx

Here are two groups: Lilly with her faithful friends and manky (the blanky.. don't ask, every child has one!)... oh and Pirate 'treasure' in the form of Christmas pot pouri and shells!

Lilly was playing with the Duplo our kids had, perfect for my Primary Colours!

365/299-303 catching up!

(writing on 4th November!) Well I was kind of busy for a couple of days and then the PC in our kitchen went up the swanny.. for about a week. As you know the last update on my tablet means Blogger won't upload pics from it, so I am stumped.  Enough of that, I have been about just not writing here!

I will catch up on pics and then probably write more tonight for proper!

B&W Heartwarming
This is a layout of my dear Mum and Ross (now 26) in her garden when he was about three years old. It is on my living room wall and we smile about it every day.  She was so loved by him, I guess maybe moreso because she was younger when he was small and able to look after him in a different way to the younger ones.

I lie this in B&W too..

Orange
My brother's boat all ready for sea the other day when I had a quick nip down the harbour to see if he might be about.

We only swap texts and the odd ophone call the past year or so, life just gets in the way and we know where each other is if we need them I guess..xx

Crooked..my lovely Col on one of our rare days out on the boat this year.. that position won't help your back you know!!

And if we don't get in soon hun, it will be dark!!

Statue .. from our French trip in Lille.

365/297-8 B&W Family Portrait & free choice

Well this will take a bit of nostalgia. This is my Dad's Dad and his brother Uncle Fred, at the crabpot pit in Penberth where the grand work of making withey crabpots went on in the bad weather months ready for the summer crabbing. 

The men in my Dad's line were all called Thomas Thomas, but they had different middle names. Dad was Thomas Gordon, his Dad was Thomas Henry and his dad was Thomas Botterell. In the family dad was called 'Boy Tommy', his dad was 'Father Tommy' and his dad 'Granfer Tommy'... oh such great imagination! 

Neither my Mum or my brother's children have kept it on, no baby Tommy Thomas's since the 1920's., but I have snuck it into Ross' name and my neice has a son Thomas with her married surname. I always fancied Tamsin as the Cornish derivative for a girl but it didn't happen.

Uncle Fred was married to a lovely lady Auntie Elsie who was like a Gran to me, lived up the road, always had time for me and I think she had been a teacher (she was from Northumberland originally, not that that would denote her being a teacher!) and taught me lots of things. You can see a great picture of her here.

My brother tells me Fred loved the ladies, not in a bad way, but if they were going to sea and he was late it was probably because he had stopped several times on the way down cove from his house (about 200 yards) to chat to one of the ladies out doing her chores, putting out washing or something.   They didn't have their own children so were our favourite aunt and uncle really.

I loved him and called a teddy I had after him. I was also impressed to have an Uncle Fred, the same as Teddy Bear from the comics, who had a threadbare Uncle FredBear who always wore tatty clothes but had big cars in his garage!

This is my free choice B&W to keep in the theme. A portrait of my Mum, probably in her late teens, early twenties.  I found lots of these type pictures in her and my auntie's stuff. I guess in those days, like now, it was the thing to go get your photos taken.

 

..and just to see how my dad was around the same time, him and some of his Navy pals, about 1943-5.

Sometimes I try to imagine what courtship was like then. They only lived three miles apart but she heard he was home from sea (during the War) from someone on the bus as she travelled home from work.. so the next time you'buse your mobile or the internet, think on the 40's

Night everyone!

365/296 B&W repeating patterns

 Happy Monday!

Things going swimmingly today! People from abroad who cancelled an order meant we had a spare unit just sitting here have decided they do want it and have paid for it! Result!

Had the girls over and this is a colourful picture of Lyla on dessert.. well sausage dipped in youghurt is dessert isn't it?!  She is just on the verge of talking and comes out with lovey long jabbers, all inflection and everything, but only the odd word we know.. it's lovely!

I made tea for them and M&D to save them time. One of our guys said what a great Gran I am.. 'ahhh but it wasn't long ago my Mum was doing this for me',  I said ....

'Pay it Forward'

Quick sortie upstairs and here are three options on today's prompt. I have two new skirts and the other with the rose is a dress, well worn, I love it but when I look closely it is getting done.. had to leave in the roses in red, it just didn't look good in all B&W .. x 

Oh and for Janice.. the dolphins were just off Porthcurno, bout three miles into Mounts Bay from Land's End...

365/294-5 B&W Portraits and close-up

Well it's been a chores done and children friendly weekend!  Col and I got a load of jobs done Saturday, the girls pitched in too. It was nice to get some things done, especially as they kind of happened rather than being planned and having a list which invariably you don't achieve .. setting yourself up to fail and all that!

In the evening JB and I went to see her b/f in the Wizard of Oz and took Lilly along. She did great especially as it went on til ten and she had been to a party in the afternoon. She has only seen the film once and whad remembered all about the two witches and everything! Dom did great as the scarecrow, all battered and bruised and he says when he puts wellies on it makes him feel like he should walk funny!

Today the girls came by while Daddy prepped the paintball 'jungle'(!) hoping that he and Zac will get a game or two when Zac is home for a weekend. We almost went out on the boat early on but the wind was promised SE and sure enough it came, along with the rain... so we watched MotoGP in bed before a lazy get up.. proper Sunday!  My, and how it rained in Sepang, Malaysia for the racing!

I haven't really excelled at this B&W challenge, kind of tweaked a few snaps I took earlier, not quite the effort I intended.. but hey..here's our two girlies..and below is a portrait of me by Lilly!

 

We had a good laugh, I found some school books from when Lisa was not much older than Lilly is now..it's amazing how time comes around. The close up is taken from a video of the dolphins we saw back in September. I was trying to link into a video which you might like....maybe later!

365/293 B&W Landscape

 Well it's lazy Friday evening for me.. a root to my photo files which was the first thought when I saw B&W landscape.. so to be fair I haven't really tried to take a new one today.    

Col and I went to Truro and had a few hours out this afternoon, we ate out and wandered and we got a new sewing machine as mine is about 25 years old and keeps acting up on JB.

It was lovely and a nice start to the weekend.. not least of all because we got back to find some tasty orders and letters of 'intent' to buy... go weekend!

As Autumn settles in for a few fine crispy days I thought these snow pics from January 2011 are almost black and white..

.. so, have a great weeknd everyone.. we're off to see the Wizard of Oz with Jb's fella as the Scarecrow.. and maybe some housework, I feel a Christmas coming on.. or maybe not!

365/292 Public transport

Writing this in drafts at lunchtime, Col bought home some Subway salads last night and I just had one for lunch.. not bad at all.. his attempts to detour past Domino's so he can have some gins and chocolate in the evening if he has eaten better! Oh how we like to play with pains and rewards when it comes to eating and drinking nice things!

Few titbits of info.. a quote of the week from our Lilly...'I'm not happy at all Mummy, I cought hiccups off someone at school'  Priceless.. and yesterday she was the Harvest Mouse at school.. so so cute. You just have so much more time to enjoy the little moments with grand children, I guess if I am honest it's because you don't have to do the every day stuff... Lisa says that 'Grandchildren are your reward for having teenagers!'   She should know.. but what doesn't kill you makes you.. stronger? (or maybe it just makes you more realistic when yours become teenagers too ;-)..)

Off to get my hair cut later.. should be able to get something for the prompt.. the bridge beneath the hairdressers is small and full of traffic at tea time.. cute though, not like a motorway.. will see what I can do.

The guy who cuts my hair came down here from Gloucester before I had Lisa and she is 24 now! He rented a seat to start with and then got his own salon and came round to tell me, I was still pregnant with her then.  25 years later he has three grown up kids and mine all still go to him, Lisa with her two girls as well.. we laugh that we should have a silver anniversary.. maybe if I am early I'll take him some chocs!   We have seen each other through all kinds of stuff and when you spend a few hours together every six weeks or so you do end up as friends don't you, in fact I guess I see him more than some of my friends.. and as you know you can tell your hairdresser anything!!.. but it's funny, we'd probably not know what to say if we met at the pub!

Well I missed the daylight traffic chaos at teatime on Newlyn Bridge, but this is my view from Penzance Harbour car park at 7.30pm.  You can just see the Scillonian all lit up across the harbour.. clearly a nicer pic than the local bus!

(PS and such a high tide, as I drove down Newlyn Pier it was like driving through a marina, the boats all at pier level getting ready for the fine weather trip!)

365/291 Pipes

Quickie.. man coming through door.. don't worry, it's my husband!
I'm sure there will be lots of pipes under this water feature in Bristol.. on a much warmer sunnier day...x

365/289-90 Door-cement..

(Monday) Just pre-empting by writing this in the office..then grabbing the quick moment indoors when I can upload this. I am not sure which door will feature, the one which springs to mind is St Levan church door, I remember wishing I was old enough to manage the handle when I was a kid and now I am always quietly pleased when I can open it easily.. big kid that I am..

..it's a case of lift, pull towards you and turn whilst keeping it lifted.. ahh that loud noise when someone fights the handle to get the latch to lift and then the creak of the door and the turn of heads to see who is late..

We (that's him and me) are off out tonight to see Mark Watson at Hall for Cornwall in Truro. It's a bit of a spur of the moment thing, as opposed to the long awaited job when we have seen Rhod Gilbert or Micky Flanagan..

.. we are trying hard to diet so I am starving hungry.. a bowl of porridge and then maybe a salady pizza thing from Pizza express at 10.30 if I am lucky.. but the rain has started and that could put a damper on my evening....see you!

(Tuesday)  well in case you didn't know it, let me tell you that Truro closes at 9.50pm precisely on a Monday!  The show was good ( a very energetic guy and consistently funny, not side splittingly so, but reliably and sometimes unexpectedly!) 
I was looking forward to my Pizza..but alas it was not to be.. we were turned away at Pizza Express and Mannings and then Ask was 'Open til 11pm' but the girl said she would have to 'check with the kitchen' as it was empty and we guessed they were hoping for an early finish. We told them not to bother, not feeling like eating something made by a pissed off chef!

Luckily Kate finished work early and zac called as we were driving home so it all fell into place, though eating beans on toast at 11pm in my sitting troom was a little less than I had planned..good though, almost double cooked and with curry paste! mmmmm

More hmmms.. this time pondering.. cement!?  Well it's a library pic for me today.. but you know when you go to an air day and from a girlie point of view all you can see is cement.. as far as the eye can see?  Well Zac and Col (and JB for that fact this year, making a mockery of my last comment) can't see the cement for the wonderful planes and air displays.

.. 2010 in Farnborough >>

365/286-7-8 Architecture-street scene-chimneys

 I always think of trips to France when I think of architecture. These are a couple of an amzing (hotel I think) copper clad building near Lille Central Station.. and then something more traditional in the town centre there..sun always helps!

 

A bit of a picture heavy post to catch up. It's been quite a nice weekend, I spent time at the local college yesterday with Kate, looking at different beauty courses and how the apprenticeship wrks as opposed to the diplomas. Luckily she seems to have made a good impression with the people who run the courses, they have been to her school and one of them is at the Pole Dancing class (!) so it's looking a little more sorted for next year, which makes me a little comfier... she doesn't seem desperate to do anything in particular but I think when she realises she is learning some sellable skills she will really get into it..

 

Today Col and I went over to St Ives, I have waxed lyrical about it before, whilst dissing 'my town' and it sure did deliver. Great shops, yeah a little posh and touristy but hey, if it works, don't knock it.. all open on a Sunday, great places to eat (especially Seafood Cafe... still so, so reliably wonderful!) and just a looked after feeling. 

So I took my street scenes there and as we travelled home I took a rare sky picture.. and there were chimneys too!

The last one is our own chimney..