As the weatherman said...

There's a large area of high pressure over Russia, Scandinavia and central Europe. It's so large and such a heavy airmass it could stay for a while.

So, Jack Frost is here to stay for a while. Not only nipping at fingers and toes, but jamming locks and making it treacherous underfoot. On a brighter note...tis a lovely, sunny day!


Dear Mr. Weatherman, I know you have forecast snow for overnight, please let it pass by and head further inland.

Dearest OU

 my old friend, my old bacteria (apols Charteris) the c*ourse has not begun yet and am already at screaming pitch.
"log format is not mandatory" but "I prefer portrait orientation" we'd prefer "not to waste time trying to understand a unique format."
Yes your log is personal to you...



Oh and by the way...you know my polite request, followed up a week later by phone-call...?
It is two days to the start of my Course and I still have no tutor...

at long last

MJM got together for coffee, laughter and to 'put the world to rights'...


The charity has benefited from some unwanted Christmas presents which added another £300 to the funds. 
One is a tea/breakfast collection from us which is to be raffled next month. Am still puzzling why we received it as our friends know we only keep tea for visitors; neither of us would drink it by choice.
M is busy knitting chicks and the other M is tasked with adding their beaks. M's friend in Orkney posted a parcel to her; and as both Ms were out it was left with us. Turns out is contained creme eggs, hundreds of them as fillers for the knitted chicks.


I really ought to pick up my knitting again soon...


Have been browsing the Lowry theatre website looking for musicals. Starlight Express returns in June; hope I can convince my theatre-going friend to see it again.

Eventful...

My school friends and I are of a 'certain generation' and this year sees another milestone in our lives.
God-daughter is excellent at planning and organising. Knowing of the approaching milestone, she began planning last July and it all came to fruition on January 20th.

Her Dad is well-accustomed to public speaking and being Master of Ceremonies.

Between them they convinced my friend that she was being taken to Scotland to celebrate her birthday.

Standing on the left of this photo is my friend and focus of the celebrations.

H grandmother to my god-daughter who greeted me with 'You must join the family table'.

In any gathering there has to be one with the mulligrubs. 

Too old to be with the younger children, but, not old enough to party with the older teens.

Time it was...

I have a photograph from twenty years ago...

Grey showing in his beard has become white and so has his hair. I gave up perming my hair when I retired 10 years ago.
Wishing Happy Birthday to my bff who has her birthday on Monday...

This

was going to be yet another forray into sadness, bitter-sweet times past. Then I ventured into Facebook to find one of my OU and click of the mouse friends had put up some photos.
Thanks to Susan England for giving me permission to borrow from her set of photos. 


A long, long time ago before colour photography became commonplace, let alone the marvels of digital imagery, I visited Coventry cathedral as part of a youth group. I remember the awe in the truest sense of the word when I first set eyes upon the tapestry.

Graham Sutherland tapestry

The city of Coventry was blitzed in WWII. Amongst the devastation was the ancient cathedral. As with other blitzed cities a decision was made to incorporate the old with the new. 

This year marks the cathedral's Golden Jubilee.

January

Two-faced Janus
Harbinger of sorrows
Memories of departed friends and family.


Why must you haunt the year's beginnings?


Birthday month riddled with deaths.
One by one the days arrive,
Each with a death tag...


Birthday month for self and friends.
Why must death drown out all celebrations?


'Come, celebrate with us!'
Celebration?
Not for this traveller; locked in an enduring embrace with her ghosts.


@2012

Wordless Wednesday

One of my friends with grandson #2

Little Sweetie another friend's daughter

With her mother and brother.

Looking back...

In the news today I came across a couple of health stories

• Whooping cough cases increase
• Rickets

I had whooping cough when I was young, but no idea at what age. Must have been pre-school and what a nasty illness it was. Lying in bed, under a sheet, blankets and eiderdown. Finding it difficult to breathe, no recollection of seeing the doctor, but house visits were no problem for doctors then. So, I must have been very young and no doubt was visited by the doctor. 

• "Cases increased from 421 in 2010 to 1,040 in 2011,"

This is not the place to go into details of the illness itself; suffice it to say that it was most unpleasant.
A comfortable memory of that time was when I was well enough to get out of bed. Sitting in the bedroom chair wrapped in the eiderdown in front of a coal fire. Then, of course there was the treat of eating semolina pudding as that was food for 'invalids'. 


If rickets is on the increase then that is a worrying development. It's classified as a Dickensian illness; something 'cured' by the Victorians. Vitamin D is known as the sunshine vitamin. Apparently, children are spending too much time indoors.


Cue nostalgia...I've been reading Paul Feeney's book "A 1950s Childhood". (Kindle e-reader). So, dear reader, if you are of similar 'vintage' to me...it's a must read. 

First Monday 2012

Sayre of Sayre smiles writes
"Christmas is over and now the process of changing over to a new year is in progress. It's a time for looking back and looking forward (hence the name January - for Janus, the God who looked to the past and the future). For this First Monday I'd like to hear about one accomplishment from the past year, and one thing you want to accomplish in 2012!"


Accomplishment...

"I am pleased to confirm that you have satisfied the requirements for the Diploma in Geosciences of the Open University"

In the future? tba


One of my friends is a talented artist who for the past few years has been working in stained glass.

I just had to share this with you...
It looks like banded agate...tho' it isn't...
So what is the pendant composed of?  Stained glass, designed and made for me by my friend as a birthday present and to celebrate my diploma.

Gate of the Year

I said to the man who stood at the Gate of the Year,

"Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown."

And he replied, "Go out into the darkness, and put your hand into the hand of God.

That shall be to you better than light, and safer than a known way."

May that Almighty Hand guide and uphold us all.

“He'll be coming and going" he had said. "One day you'll see him and another you won't. He doesn't like being tied down--and of course he has other countries to attend to. It's quite all right. He'll often drop in. Only you mustn't press him. He's wild, you know. Not like a tame lion.” 

Quotations from C.S.Lewis

“Safe?" said Mr. Beaver."Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.”


Dark days dwindle into the past; taking with them friends who are no more...
Each year Christmas and birthday cards become fewer...tempus fugit. But I shall not turn this post into maudlin memories. Far better to concentrate on new beginnings...


That is what I wrote last year, and it's unfortunately even more appropriate now. 
As the Christmas card list shortens and the memories (tristesse) are summoned by the turn of the year. 
Farewell my dear friends, I cherish memories of times that can be no more. 
How long will it be, I wonder, before the folk missing from the list exceed the list itself?

an homage to the season

Christmas Day has been and gone, lovely, peaceful just 'being'. With the warm weather the Lenten roses (hellebores) are coming into flower. So fragile looking yet promising of Spring.  

Wordless Wednesday

Autumn in December

mixed

Today was M(1)s birthday (65), so M(2) decided she must not spend it alone. She hatched a plan, getting M(1) to take her to the library before it closed at noon, and asking me to play chauffeur.
I collected them at 12.30 and we headed for a pub lunch. This was followed by a trip to a nearby garden centre for refreshments. We had a good look round and found a craft outlet. So yours truly purchased a crochet hook to do Tunisian crochet (something I've wanted to learn for a while).
Everyone was in typical silly mood as is out wont so much fun was had by all.
M(2) still does not like the Christmas fracas, and announced triumphantly that she'd bought stamps to send her cards and they were ordinary, not the special grumble-time ones. I bought a couple of calendars, one of the Snowdon area for Dutch friends who live in Belgium and another for our 'twitcher' neighbour. 
Then I was berated (jokingly) for having a birthday on a Bank holiday, making celebration on that precise day problematic. As I said, I was well aware of it having got used to a birthday that is always a Bank holiday with no chance of anything arriving by post on the day. So, it was resolved we'd agree to go for a meal some time later next month.

the Gas man cometh

Flanders and Swann sang comical ditties of their own composition and this is one of my favourites.

So, what has got me remembering this?
On one of his intermittent visits 'north' our neighbour arrived last weekend to find no power in the house. He arrived at our door, torch in hand to ask for help. OH dutifully went with him to see what could be done. Result? Power back on but no heating. Next day a shivering H was huddled by a log fire but his house remained cold.

OH suggested he:

• head back south to his (warmer) other house 
• phone the gas people
• arrange for them to visit
• give them our details and OH would do the necessary when they arrived.

Neighbour has a repair.maintenance contract with them and emailed us the details.
So, this morning I want shopping for groceries whilst OH waited in for the gas man. What a pleasant surprise when I returned to find their van parked outside. OH soon returned with good news, gas supply checked and approved, boiler and pump inspected. Pump declared faulty and replaced. Central heating checked out and fully functioning once more. Success!

First Monday DECEMBER 5TH

Sayre says "It seems like everyone celebrates something in December. 

For the next FIRST MONDAY, tell me about what you celebrate, how you celebrate, and what your favorite tradition is during your holiday season."

"Lighten our darkness we beseech Thee oh Lord!" 

Counting down not just to Christmas, but to the shortest day...and looking forward to days lengthening once more.  

I'm looking forward to seeing M's nativity figures which will soon be on display. Note...the crib always remains empty until Christmas Day. Today, this is my favourite tradition, also seeing the Nativity scene that is on display in a nearby shopping centre.

Sadly, the Clitheroe Nativity scene I remember as a child and which was always a Christmas Delight has been targeted regularly since 2007 by mindless morons...figures have been stolen...It is doubtful whether the display will be put on in future...

On a brighter note...
Music!!!
Carols! Particularly Benjamin Britten's Ceremony of Carols...

K9s

Those were the days

The media is alive with comment about strike action today. 'Public service workers' withdrew their labour. Just who are 'public service workers'?
Health service, customs n excise, border agency, toll booth operators at river crossings, not forgetting education staff...et al.
Yet, for whom is all the bad press and vilification reserved...the teachers.


Plus ca change...plus la meme chose...

Wordless Wednesday

Loyal toast...the Queen, Duke of Lancaster!

Lancashire Day allows us the opportunity to declare that we are proud to be Lancastrians.

The Lancashire Day proclamation will be read out by town criers throughout the county on 27th November. 

Lancashire Day commemorates the day in 1295 when Lancashire sent its first representatives to Parliament by King Edward I of England to attend what later became known as The Model Parliament.

knitted toys...

knitting Santa and the Frosties

Santa close-up

Santa and his sack complete with toy soldier and his companions Mr n Mrs Frosty

The knitting is finished for 2011.

Next week these characters will go to be part of the fund raising at the hospital.

Happy Thanksgiving...

∩ │◥███◣ ╱◥███◣
╱◥◣ ◥████◣▓∩▓│∩ ║
│╱◥█◣║∩∩∩ ║◥█▓ ▓█◣
││∩│ ▓ ║∩田│║▓ ▓ ▓∩ ║

•°*”˜˜”*°• From my house to your house •°*”˜˜”*°•
•°*”˜˜”*°•Happy Thanksgiving to All My American friends•°*”˜˜”*°• ♥ ♥

Borrowed from one of my click of the mouse friends...

Tis that time again...

Three Paddingtons

One Santa and Mr n Mrs Frosty ready for raffling/sale for charity.

Santa has already been to the library and was much admired. One Paddington has already gone to be raffled.

Christmas 'ends' on Monday when the knitted toys are collected and we begin to plan for Easter. I've found a pattern for Little Bo-Peep to try out.

My friend's daughter

lives an adventurous life...
I remember her a as little toddler...she's grown up to become a mountain skills instructor and member of a Mountain rescue team. The collies are SARD...search and rescue dogs.
Today there was a story about a rescue by the team. This sparked my curiosity. Last time I talked with her mother, she said her daughter had left teaching to go into outdoor pursuits full-time. So a quick search led me to seeing how her life has changed. I'm so proud of her.

Armistice day, Armistice day

that's all I really wanted to say....
Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori (It is sweet and fitting to die for one's country'.

words

Until something happens it's all to easy to take reading for granted. How fortunate was I to grow up in a world of books and stories. Bedtime stories in particular were a rare treat. I heard folk tales such as 'why the sea is salt' and stories by the brothers Grimm. At Junior school we began with the now none pc Janet and John.
My favourite time of the school day was reading hour. Then came the day when I was so deep in a book that a board duster landed on my desk and broke my concentration! It was a teacher I liked, but somehow I could never forgive that rude awakening.
Moving on the grammar school when the head was our English teacher. Her oft repeated phrase..."First, we shall have bread and butter, then we shall have cake".
Meaning? Parsing nouns, pronouns adverbs and adjectives...English grammar...
That was the 'bread and butter.'
So, what was the 'cake'? Homer's Odyssey...And how old were we? 11
We had library time and I worked my way thro' legends of Greece and Rome. Then a friend mentioned some books by Tolkien and I was as they say 'hooked'. I saved up week after week. Went to a book-store miles away to purchase the books one after another.


Grammar school introduced me to Latin. I stood no chance with it as my mother decided it was 'useless'.
Then we got a new male teacher and my friend showed me how to write very, very tiny writing. Success! We noted the words for the spelling test on postage-stamp size pieces of paper. And, when asked our score loudly proclaimed 'SEX'. That being the Latin for six.


Moving on many years towards the end of my career... Stress and anxiety, such innocent sounding words. But, their toll lasted many years. How distressing to be unable to read and take in what you are reading... Reading phrases and sentences time after time without taking anything in. To a bibliophile that's a 'death knell'. 


It's taken years, but reading is a skill I'm so happy to have regained once more. Having an e-reader is a delicious treat...