Happy New Year!

Hazel took these photos of Archie's match display for the countdown to 2015. He makes one every year. I will film it being lit later if i am still awake!

Boxing Day

This was yesterday. Typical Xmas din dins at Granma's. We took our own nut roast and gravy, balanced on my knee in the car. Some fun games afterwards including Santa and sleigh races from plastic toys in crackers from Aldi - Granma won the cup seen being presented here by Audrey. The Balderdash which is a fun game about words a bit like Call My Bluff that used to be on the telly years ago with Robert Robinson and Clement Freud? Had us in hysterics - or was it the booze? Helps to be slightly tiddly on these occasions. Today we went for a walk in Marbury Park along with hundreds of others who had the same idea. Lazy day watching all manner of tosh on the telly. That's it then- over for another year. Hope you all had a good one!

Merry Xmas Scrapbook

Curios Thing 21

Just in time for Crimble. It's only taken me tewo years to finish!

Saturday 13th Dec. 2014

Busy day with a trip to town first to check out the Artisan Market. Hazel bought a pickle fork and nut crackers from the amusing cutlery stall. the chap running it had the gift of the gab and said the fork and nut crackers were reduced from a million pounds to only three pounds. In the end she got both for a fiver despite having plenty of pickle forks and nut crackers at home! Bought a few nice things to eat for lunch. Tony and Pene were coming round so had to make an effort. I cooked a nice mixed vegetable soup for starters. Two quiches for the main course - goats cheese and molly-coddled onion. Also a plain mushroom and cheddar. Salad and later some delicious apricot tart and cream from M&S. We had coffee and tea in the summer house despite the freezing temperatures and watched the windows steam up! Felt a bit exposed now all the leaves have fallen! later went round to the new cul-de-sac to see the new houses and sneer at their tiny rooms and lack of cupboard space. It was supposed to be an open day but not sign of anybody - no drinks or nibbles as promised. Interesting perspective on our house. We need some new trellis to keep the garden more secure.

Stafford

Nice day out on the train to Stafford yesterday. Only 35 mins. away from Hartford Station with stops at Winsford and Crewe. Lovely sunny but cold day. Nice park greets you as you leave the station at Stafford, full of interesting shelters and buildings. Some with thatched roofs. An aviary full of exotic birds. A river and little white bridge across to the main shopping area which is mostly pedestrianised. Lugged my 3 collages to the Shire Hall Gallery in the market square where I am showing them in a themed exhibition in January "Landscapes". Interesting building which contains an old court room complete with papier mache jurors and judge etc. My work was taken from me and put in another smaller court for safe keeping. Felt lighter then and able to walk around the town. Went in most of the charity shops. Hazel bought a few things including a tin for pins, thermometer for the summer house, etc. I didn't find anything except some cheap glue in the Pound Shop. Useful for cleaning records. Its amazing how much dirt and crackle is lifted out of the grooves using PVA glue - quite remarkable! Had lunch in a noisy cafe by the market. Egg on toast ( twice) and a cuppa for £7.50. Bargain. Then to the museum to see the rooms of dummies and cavaliers etc. Some old toys too in cabinets. Then home on the 14.35 train.