A Lovely Weekend Away!

We have just returned from a lovely weekend away in sunny Scarborough.  We were extremely lucky with the weather, while in the South they battled with heavy rain we were basking in late summer sunshine. 

We booked three nights away at a Hotel called the Rivelyn. It was OK, apart from the usual problem of a very hard bed!! I have become used to our lovely soft mattress, a hard bed means that I always get up with an aching back.

This was the first time that dad had been away this year, he had been worried that he might be struck down with his re-occuring 'condition' where he ends up in hospital until it clears. We also had Beth and Harry with us, so packing the car with luggage, mobility scooter and five adults was a bit of a challenge! 

On the Friday afternoon after an uneventful journey we arrived and took a walk along the prom.

Scarborough is a very colourful place but its also a working port with fishing and pleasure boats.

On Saturday morning we drove into Whitby to have a look around. I was surprised at how busy the place was, it was packed with people and it was quite hard going for Dad using his scooter, the combination of people and cobbled streets was difficult. I really wanted to get another photo of us at The Victoria Image. I have photos of us going right back to when Beth was 4. Over the years we have had photos with Mum, Dad, Laura and Carl and all combinations of those!! I was so pleased with the photos that they took this time!!

Its fun to get dressed up ! Beth was able to pose in two separate dresses, I think next time I might op for a light coloured dress! ( I am radical!!!)

Later in the afternoon we headed up to Goathland and found the North Yorkshire Birds of Prey exhibiting their birds on the green. Beth and Harry decided to hold a bird each. Beth's bird is a baby snowy owl called Eddie, he is only 83 days old and still growing his adult plumage. Harry held a hawk, she was a very fine looking hawk called Bonnie. Bonnie is a cross Gyrfalcon - Saker Falcon and according to the falconer she is rare and expensive. She was stunning and beautiful! 

It was a great experience!

We finished up with fish and chips on the quayside, a lovely day out!!

We travelled back on the Monday, Dad was tired there had been a lot of lugging around and he hadn't been able to have his afternoon nap, so he was pretty tired on Tuesday. On Wednesday evening his 'problem' cropped up again and we ended up back at the Lister Hospital. He is still in being treated at the moment, so we are back on visiting duties. I am just very thankful that it happened when we got home because if it had happened in Scarborough we would have had to travel to Middlesborough!!

Thank goodness for small mercies!!!

Have a great Bank Holiday Weekend.

Oh the Pain :(

This has not been a particularly good week one way and another.  On the plus side I have won a bet with Beth, I was the first member of the family to avail myself of the new Queen Elizabeth 2 hospital services. I felt sure that it would be Beth, she is usually the one. She has had no need to use the walk in bit, although she has had physio there for a few weeks. Well after a week of hobbling around on my sore foot I caved into pressure from everyone to go and get it checked out.

Beth came with me and it wasn't a whole lot different to the old hospital. It was far more colourful, very bright! It was pouring with rain when we got there and the first thing I noticed was that the floor was a stupid colour showing every foot step. The poor cleaners have a non stop job keeping that clean. I was reassured that the usual receptionist was there. So after catching up with Jen I waited to be called.  Within minutes I was taken through and saw a nurse who pulled my foot around and said 'looks like you have broken something' I was so grateful to have had it pulled around it was already painful before the unexpected assault! My foot is swollen and I can't wear regular shoes, so I was wearing thick soled flip flops. I then had to listen to a lecture about how flip flops are 'known in the medical trade' as 'trauma shoes' Strange thing is that I wasn't wearing them at the time of the injury !! I tried to tell her that but she didn't want that fact to get in the way of a good telling off! She sent me around the corner for an X-Ray.

Off we went around to another colour coded area to wait for the call. A nice man took me for an X-ray and hinted that I had a broken bone or two. So it was back to the first lady who said that she needed to tape my toes together, unfortunately I am a sensitive soul and unable to cope with plaster it has a tendency to make my skin peel off, as soon as I told her she told me to go home and tape my toes up myself!! So that was a great afternoon out!! I suppose I should have gone when I actually injured myself it seems a bit pointless now, I'll just take it easy and allow it to heal on its own wearing my special 'trauma shoes' !!!

Just for good measure on the Wednesday I was at the Dentists. I really can't get used to the new Dentist, I am suspicious that he is trying to rip me off. My old dentist was a bit of a 'used car salesman' type. It was simple I turned up, he treated me I paid and went home. Now its all 'discussing the treatment plan' I get to decide exactly what he should do first (I don't want that responsibility) The surgery is now horrible it feels like I am going to have a full blown operation every time I go there which is somewhat unnerving. The old dentist had photos on the ceiling which you could lose yourself in and ignore what was going on, now you are hard pressed to find a speck of anything to look at. I also feel that every little thing the previous dentist did is being criticised, which actually makes me feel cross. So I submitted to the latest onslaught, I needed two things doing and I had to choose - I foolishly chose to have a root canal treatment . I went in with no pain and came out with a numb mouth. The problem started the next day when I woke up with full blown raging toothache. The pain was awful so I ended up back at the dentist with a course of antibiotics and a face like a chipmunk. The weekend has been a write off as I have been pill popping and trying to get some sleep.

Before all my medical 'incidents' I tried a few more pictures with my new iphone lenses. I am still impressed!!

I am still amazed at what you can see with these lenses!!

I have also been scrapping the photos from Carl's gathering, it was a bit daunting as there were so many, but I eventually decided on cutting the photos into squares and getting 9 on a page!!

A great night out!!

We were able to chat this afternoon with Carl, he seems to be settling in OK, it feels like he has been away forever. I am happy that he seems happy!!

Have a great week, I hope I can stop with the painkillers sometime soon

xxx

Love is........

The first red tomato from the green house!! A big thank you to my Dad for bestowing that honour on me!! It was very lovely.

Well the past week has gone in a blur of trying to remember the time differences between here and a certain Asian country. I think I finally have the hang of it now, our lunch time is his early evening. It was lovely to be able to face time him on Sunday it has put my mind at ease and I am going to make a concerted effort to take a step back now and concentrate on preparing for our holiday!!

I have treated myself to a neat little gadget. I love my I Phone and I saw an advert for some clip on lens, so that made me think and I went off on an Internet trawl to find a kit.

I ordered a cute set of three and tried them out tonight.  There are macro, wide and fish eye lenses.

My first victim was a passing snail.....

Then I moved onto plants 

I love how the leaf at the top of the photo is in focus and the rest is not so sharp.

A few rain drops on a leaf.

These flowers look like tiny daffodils, but they are actually flowers on a mini moss like plant.

A rose bud

Not sure what this flowers is called but every year we have loads spring up in the garden!

I then tried my hand at a few closeup shots of some crystals that live on my bathroom windowsill.

I am so thrilled with the pictures its possibly the best £4.00 I have spent in quite a while!!!

I have yet to try out the fish eye and wide angle lenses.

Beth and harry have had a nice weekend away to celebrate Harry's dads 'special' birthday. They had a night in a nice hotel and then visited Buckingham Palace, alright for some!!

I am looking forward to going to my last pottery class for a few weeks, I have lots of glazing to do! I won't be able to pick up the creations until Elly comes back off of holiday!! She has agreed to send us all photos !!!

Lastly I want to say a big Congratulations to my 2nd Fairy God daughter, Emma, who this week has announced her engagement to the lovely Dan. 

So that is two of my Fairy God daughters down  and one remaining. I am sure I will be able to start looking for a brand new wedding outfit and a new hat anytime soon!!!

Happy Anniversary to Madeline and John it seems like yesterday that I was a bridesmaid at your lovely wedding. I wonder where that wedding veil ended up????

Welcome home Debbie and Malc, your descriptions of the crossing of the bay of Biscay in glorious puking technicolour has had me chuckling for the past week, I am so glad that Malc made it home with all his 'equipment' in its correct position!!!!

Have a lovely week 

xxxx

Its been an Emotional week !

This week has been a bit of a roller coaster ride for us. Times they are a changing! Carl has started his new venture, a difficult time for all of us! Add to that a couple of my very good friends have gone away on holiday so its been an interesting week. I am sure that everything will be fine and for the better !! I am looking forward to my holiday later in the year!!

This week I was back at my pottery class, I seem to be super productive !! This week I have made a plate and a little planter and tea light holder.

The plate doesn't look that exciting, but it will all be in the glazing!! I rolled some ivy leaves into the surface to give it texture, I am planning on a simple glaze to show the pattern.

Next I made a little house and lean to area out of slabs of clay, I rolled out the clay and traced around the templates, I then had to let them harden up a bit so that I could 'stick' them together.

After construction I cut in the windows and a hole to slide the tea light in. Once it has been glazed I plan to put a small plant in the lean to part, perhaps a small succulent ! I am still loving the class and although next week is the last  one I am going to sign up for another few lessons! 

My 'pot/jar' was fired this week and now just needs glazing. I am pleased with it so far, its 'organic' (a catch all word to indicate a less than perfect design!!!) I am happy with it though!

The hearts have turned out well, they have been fired and await decorating and glazing, I have a plan for them !!

Next week is going to be taken up with decoration and glazing which I love doing can't wait to go back!!

I have also been catching up with my scrap booking, I usually have my photos printed by Snapfish. This week I was pleased to find that they have developed a new app for my phone and as a reward for using it they are offering 50 free prints each month for a year, which is a bargain!! I have already ordered both my July and August allocation. Its such a great deal I suggest that you consider downloading it!!!

I will be glad when this week finishes, looking forward to a weekend of chilling!

Have a happy weekend

xxx