One Long Party....

Its funny how the nice weather brings out the party animal in all of us, we seem to have been to a few gatherings of late and the odd alcoholic drink has slipped down almost un-noticed!!

Last night the beautiful weather took a turn for the worse and we had a humdinger of a thunderstorm. The only problem was that we were out at a barbecue, it was a real shame that the weather literally put a damper on things. The only good thing was that the rain came quite late after a lot of people had consumed a lot of homemade wine. (who knows how strong that stuff was,)

I didn't know too many people there, but Andy my washing machine man was on fine form, he managed to cook the barbecue and then it was all downhill from there on, he had great fun but managed to smash his head off the conservatory wall and while stumbling around in the garden he face planted a garden chair, no blood, but there will be bruises, it looked pretty battered last night!!!

I am getting too old for all this merry making, its exhausting.

On a more sober note, this week I tried snorkeling, having had a go at scuba I thought this would be easier, well it wasn't easier, but it was different. I will need to practice the skills needed to snorkel. You don't have to  panic, you have to keep your breathing steady, you also have to conserve energy, by not flapping around with your arms and practice using your fins  instead. It was a very nice first attempt and I think I would like another go at it. Its less equipment intensive and not quite as scary. As a bonus I got a certificate and a badge, I do like a nice badge!!

Back into the fray, hope you all have a great week. 

The Great Weather Continues.

This past week the weather has been fantastic, really hot and lovely. Its been ages since we have had such a lovely run of weather. Today was Mums birthday, 78 years young, so we decided to take her out for lunch at The Beehive Pub.Laura wasn't feeling too well so she wasn't able to make it. Beth had a shift at work so it was just the five of us.We had a lovely Carvery meal, turkey in July, you can't beat it!! I am afraid my eyes were bigger than my belly and I had a bit left over!! They were very kind and put it all in tin foil for Hunny, who was very pleased that I had a little present for her!!

When we got back we popped in for a cuppa and a slice of birthday cake.

The weekend off got off to a great start, we went out for the evening with our friends Rick and Dina, we hadn't seen them for ages and they live so close so there is no excuse really!!! We had a  ticket that we won on a quiz night earlier in the year, so we used that. In the end we all had a main course and three puddings between four of us, it worked out around £2.50 each for the food!! (We split the outstanding amount!) Bargain!!!

Yesterday we had our friends the Jackson's around for a pre holiday planning meeting (or a barbecue!!) Here I am wearing my Disney outfit! Last time we went we all dressed in matching T shirts with our adopted names on the back - Shandy, Randy, Brandy, Candy, Andy, Dandy, Mandy and Sandy!!!!! This time I have found some T shirts in the Primark sale so this year we will have matching back in the day shirts!!

We finished the evening off with a couple of rounds of the saucepan game, its funny how it gets funnier and harder to play when you have had a few drinks!!

Sadly the weather is due to break this week, the forecast is for storms mid week so we had better make the most of what we have left.

Have a great week!!

Heat Wave!!!

We finally have the summer that we have all been waiting for, for ages it seems!!! At last we are having long hot days which of course means long hot nights as well! I enjoy the days but the nights are something else!!!

I still think on balance I would rather have the nice hot weather!

I have had a busy time of late with a trip to Cambridge for a birthday get together at the beginning of the month, then last weekend I had a night away in Brentwood in Essex for another conference. It was at this conference that I had a very strange experience. 

During the evening we had a disco, a nice buffet and a bit of a bop. There were other people around on the same conference and a couple of the ladies worked for businesses locally so I spoke to them with a view to doing a bit of networking. During that evening one of the ladies husband turned up and I thought I recognised him, so I spent a while trying to sort out in my head why I knew him. Eventually I had to ask and it turned out he was a lad who lived in the same village as me and was in the class above me at the village school!! He was also the first boyfriend of one of my dear friends, who stole his heart and in his words was 'my one true love' I hope his wife didn't hear that comment!!!

All the wonderful weather has really bought on the plants , Dad has some lovely Sweet peas, they smell gorgeous!

I was on a walk when I noticed some deadly nightshade, looks very pretty.

You can't beat summer roses, we finally have some beautiful blooms. It has taken a few years for them to establish themselves again after they were battered when we had the fences replaced, but the circumstances are perfect for them this year. 

Open Topped Car Ride!!

I was very pleased with myself last year to fit into Carl's car, the next step was to have a go on a nice sunny day with the top down. That day finally arrived last week. It has been an issue waiting for a hot sunny day but we have now had a few hot days so I asked Carl to take me out for a spin!

The car is so close to the ground it feels like you are sitting on the road. In fact getting in wasn't too bad, but getting out was interesting. I had to make sure it wasn't parked too close to the kerb because I couldn't bend my knees that much to get out!!!

It was good fun zapping along with the wind in your hair!! I wish I had had a sports car when I was younger!!!

I have had another of those weeks, frantically busy with work trips into London and a train trip into Cambridge. The trouble is when the weather changes into real summer with heat and sun, travelling becomes unpleasant. After my London trip I did something I had never done before, I was walking to the station with a colleague when we walked past a pub, a pub serving cold draught cider, draught cider in an air conditioned pub, it was too hard to resist, we went in and had a pint, not even a half pint, a whole pint each and it was so good!!!!

Last night we went to Cambridge for an evening reception, it was lovely, a buffet in a marquee, some good speakers and free wine. FREE WINE!!! Whats not to like? I joined my friends chatting ad before I knew it I was feeling a little light headed and on the way back to the train station, I have no idea where the evening went, I felt delicate while on the train, but luckily I was OK this morning!!! Thank goodness I had Tom to chaperon me!!!

Beautiful Flowers!

We recently celebrated our Wedding Anniversary (I am sure that you realise that by now!!!) We were very lucky as friends and family sent us flowers and gifts. My friend Karen gave us these beautiful Gerberas. They have been lovely, really bright vibrant colours and they have lasted ages and ages. They are still going now, two weeks later. 

I took them for a trip into the back garden to get a few shots of them.

I love the detail in the centres. They are all different and individual. 

Mum and Dad sent us a beautiful hand tied bouquet, so we have been very lucky!

Last year we decided to plant the gardens with plants that come every year, well every couple of years. This year we have a great big clump of this plant, trouble is I have no idea what t is !! Its very pretty though.  

Our bird feeders are still being regularly visited by mainly big fat pigeons who hog all the seed, we are getting through a whole feeder of food a day!! This morning I was getting ready for work when I spotted a squirrel tucking into the peanuts!! Its the first time I have seen a squirrel in the garden for years, since we had the tree taken down a few years ago! I wasn't quite quick enough with my camera to get a shot!!!

Prom Night!!!

Last week Beth had her year 11 Prom. We had prepared well, we started months ago looking for dresses. Beth knew what she wanted so we decided to take a chance and order the dress from a company in China. Beth had firm ideas on the style and colour so we eventually tracked the perfect dress down and ordered it. It took around 7 weeks from order to arrival. Once it was here it was just what she wanted!!

It was good to have the bodice style top as it made the fit fully adjustable.

On the night of the Prom it poured with rain, so I didn't get much chance to take many photos. Luckily there was a photographer and Beth bought some photos for the album.

The Prom was held in a marquee at The Noke Hotel in St Albans, Beth said it was great fun and she really enjoyed herself, although she also said that the toilets were not too good!!

Beth and Chelsea.

Beth and her friends!! I can't believe that the time has gone so fast and that in September she will be starting college and the next part of her education.

Day Three , Pope Francis, St Peters Square.

On Sunday morning we took the Metro to St Peters Square. It was a really hot and humid day, by 10.30 am the crowds had started to form, no one seemed to know where to look, all we knew was that at 12 noon  Pope Francis was due to appear at a window and lead a prayer called the Angelus, followed by a blessing.

When we arrived all the shade had already been taken so we decided to wait it out in the square by the main water fountain. 

We had time to check out all of the beautiful statutes. 

By the time the man himself was due the whole square was packed with people, there were thousands and thousands of people! In the end we had to join the crowd and buy a parasol to give ourselves a spot of shade!

As the crowd got bigger we got chatting to the people near to us and of course they ended up coming from Herts!! They were staying at the hotel next to ours and their children went to Catholic schools that had played Beth's school at various Netball and Football matches!! Its a small world.

At last the star of the show appeared and read the prayer in Italian, of course the only part we understood was the blessing! Once he finished he read some of the banners in the crowd, people from all over the world.  That caused lots of cheering! Once he left the crowd started to disperse and we headed away. We came across a small take away pizza place, we sat outside on the pavement and ate the most delicious four cheese pizza, hot out of the pizza oven, the shop was a real one man show, with free tasters of the pizzas! It was a welcome relief to find somewhere in the shade to sit down and have a bite to eat!

The rest of the afternoon we wandered along a street that had some nice shops and stopped off to have an ice cream along the way. I really enjoyed the day and I am so pleased that we got to see the Pope!! 

Day Two, Rome central!

Day two was as hot as day one which was lovely, we really haven't had much in the way of summer so far this year, so it was nice to wear summer clothes . The first stop of the day was The Spanish Steps, It was very busy, loads of people all over the place!! We took a walk to the top to view the city.

The great thing about Rome is that its full of tiny cobbled streets with surprises around every corner.  The biggest surprise was the Trevi Fountain, which just appeared out of nowhere!!

Its a massive fountain full of magnificent sculptures, its an all action place with loads of people taking in the atmosphere. The famous story is about throwing coins into the fountain, One coin thrown over your left shoulder means that you will come back to Rome , 2 coins means new romance and three coins for a marriage or divorce. The city of Rome collect around 3000 Euros a day from the fountain and its donated to a variety of charities.

From the fountain we headed down to the Colosseum area, we passed lots of Roman ruins, it seems so strange that they sit alongside modern Rome. 

The Colosseum was quite spectacular, the next time I go I will take a tour and learn about the history. I love this photo mainly because of the great sky!

Watch out below........

I love people watching, while taking a break listening to a chap playing some lovely music this couple wandered up, as they got closer it was obvious that they were English speaking. I knew without hearing them speak that they were likely to be English, who else would wear hooped long socks with striped pyjama style shorts and a bright green polo shirt ?? Us Brits have a style of our own!!!! Bless him!!!! I suppose it could have been worse he could have been wearing flip flops and socks!!

Landed!!!

We are home after a fabulous long weekend away enjoying the city of Rome.

We landed last night at 9.30 after an uneventful flight. We were just about to get off when the pilot announced that instead of landing at the South terminal we had in fact landed at the North terminal, this was due to a 'technical situation' . The problem with this was that we landed at a far flung gate, it took twenty minutes for us to walk to the baggage reclaim! I wasn't impressed, that was twenty minutes with the aid of the moving walkways, I have no idea how long it would have been if it was totally on foot!!!

That of course wasn't the end of it, our car was parked in the South long stay car park, which was strangely at the South terminal, so we had to get our bags, clear the totally abandoned customs area and catch a train to the South terminal, where we then had to wait for a shuttle bus to the car park. No exactly a calm end to our holiday!!! Still it could have been worse, in the past we had been expecting to land at Gatwick only to have the flight diverted to Luton, again our car was parked at Gatwick so we had to take the bus down to Gatwick so we could drive back home grrrrr.

Anyway, back to the holiday. The hotel we stayed in was perfect. I was really pleased with my choice. We arrived at The ESH (Executive Style Hotel) at around 8.30pm on Thursday evening we checked into our room on the second floor. Our room was beautifully cool, it was very hot and muggy outside. We unpacked and then went to the restaurant on the top floor. It was a terrace restaurant with softly blowing drapes and lovely food. 

I had previously booked a guide for the following morning to do a tour of the Vatican museums ending with a trip to the Sistine Chapel. It was a huge bonus having a tour guide as she was able to give us the background to lots of the exhibits and we learnt lots of facts about the painters! 

The tour went by in a whirl, I will have to research the photos that I took, because I can't remember too much about who did what. There was so much to see and if I did it over again I think I would choose an element, such as the cherubs or angels and look at those. The sculpture above was so beautiful, the face is beautiful, but I can't remember who the artist is. 

The Vatican museums cover a huge area, the Sistine Chapel opens out onto St Peters Square. the photo above is of the Dome of St Peters, The Cupola.  I had long thought about making the climb to the top of the cupola, but I wasn't sure I would be fit enough to do so. So you know how it is, boiling hot day, no drink spur of the moment decision to just do it!!!

Tom and I both started out and made it to the first level inside the dome.

The going was quite tough, but manageable. Once we reached the first level it was quite scary a huge drop down into the church below. Tom decided that was enough for him and headed back down to the start, I decided to go on. To start with it was OK, the main problem being the lack of hand rails. As I went up the stairs got narrower and the ceiling got lower, the steps were worn and shiny. Luckily there were passing points along the way, because I needed them to stop and rest!

I am looking a bit hot and sweaty in this one!!! (I asked a passing climber to take my picture!!)

The last set of steps were the worst, they narrowed down to the size of wide ladder rungs on a spiral stair case, there was a rope hanging down to give you something to haul yourself up on. I was very glad to finish those last few steps!! Once up there the view was fantastic!

I am so pleased to have made the climb, once at the top my legs felt like jelly and my hip was on fire. 

Another thing off my bucket list!

Greetings from Roma!!!

Today is the last full day of our trip to Rome. It has been a fantastic experience. It's been a lot of walking but we have seen the sights and experienced Rome to the full.

Our hotel is lovely with beautiful spacious rooms, a powerful shower, SOFT bed, air conditioning AND free wifi, so I am writing this sat outside with a nice glass of wine and my iPad!!

I am looking forward to updating once back in England, just hope the parties haven't been too wild while I have been away !!!

Today I started something, I really wished that I hadn't!!!!!

This weekend has been a busy one, it started with a leaving do on Friday evening which was great fun with free flowing cider and a hog roast - Perfect!!!! Even better was that I didn't have any form of hangover the next morning - result!!! The weather has been quite nice so I have been in the back garden weeding. I seem to have grown a great crop of ornamental grass which is as a result of my bird feeder, so all that had to go. Another strange thing is that this year the garden is full of pink and purple flowers, last year there were flowers in other colours, but they don't seem to be around anymore. I am going to have to plant some whites and yellows to brighten things up!!!

So after making that colour statement, I do have four flowers that are white, aliums! they are tall and hover over the pink stuff, so they don't really count!!!

I have purple Iris, I was given them last year and they are all flowering this year. 

I have French Lavender which is a bit leggy as I forgot to chop it back last year and the flowers only grow on new growth so its far taller than I was expecting !

Toms favourite is Clematis and guess what ?? its purple!!!

The job I started this weekend which I wished I hadn't was installing Microsoft Office 2010. I have been having problems with my Office 2003 version for a while. It kept crashing and freezing so I invested in a shiny new copy of 2010 and started to install it. I got part way through when it told me that the original program was corrupt and that I needed to uninstall it and try again. That was a problem because it meant that I had to save all my emails to a spare drive before trying again. I was finally in the position to try again, so I uninstalled 2003 and set 2010 running, this time it it worked, sadly before deleting my emails I forgot to note down the 'product key' for the new version which had arrived by email in the middle of last year, so again I could go no further. I couldn't re install 2003 as it was corrupt, in the end I had to install and old XP version retrieve the email and then start all over again. A five minute job that took me hours!!!! Grrrrr. On the plus side Outlook has been totally stable since the new installation!

This week is going to be a busy one. Mum goes into hospital tomorrow for an exploratory operation on her knee. They think she has an infection which is proving difficult to eradicate, they hope that they can take swabs to decide what the bug is and then find an anti-biotic that will work. Fingers crossed that it all goes well and she is home soon.

I am off to Liverpool for a conference followed by our Anniversary trip to Rome. I am looking forward to that,  I have prepared well and I hope I have left very little to chance!!

See you all soon 

xxxxx