Autumn Colours

Stitch- Me- Lane Harwood Bolton

27^th October

Well the clocks have gone back an hour and its dark by 4pm, those who suffer from  Seasonal Affected Disorder S.A.D because of this lack of daylight  become deeply depressed, others like me just feel fed up at times when the nights last so long.                Australia stopped this practise years ago all our Government do is talk about stopping it! The sale of daylight lamps and bulbs I understand are very affective but expensive, I just might get one .....

Within a week of my renewal application, my passport arrived safe and sound as I paid extra for courier service. Recently our Royal Mail  was sold on to investors.......   over the past few years it has been somewhat chaotic at times and unreliable lets hope it improves. 

Been a busy bee making my Christmas Cards this month,its just something I enjoy doing,it keeps me out of trouble !   This year the  last day for surface mail overseas was the 10^th October for them to arrive in time for Christmas so says the Post Office, but magically every year they arrive at their destinations with two weeks. I did test the ones for Australia by posting late and  they too arrived within the two weeks.?? So next year I won't be as rushed, they can go a few days late.  Surface mail is really economical and every little helps these days,sending them via airmail adds a significant increases to the cost of Christmas. .

At the beginning of November my friend Betty and I enjoyed an evening of Performance Poetry at the Central Library hosted jointly with the University of Bolton. Two award winning poets where Kim Moore from Cumbria and Mike Garry who often performs on the BBC. They where excellent, I was most impressed and came away with a few ideas to try next time I am asked to read.

Later that week I attended the funeral of a very brave lady, someone I have admired for her patience and support of many of our ladies in the WI. She had suffered far too long with cancer and thankfully slipped away peacefully. I went along with many of our members  and we sang the W.I. anthem Jerusalem, at the end of the service many left  in tears. 

I had a very interesting day at  Lancashire Federation Headquarters of the Women's Institute  learning to set up a Website and be the Webmaster for our Branch. It will be linked to the National WI Website and at the moment its so complicated its giving me a  headache.......but no doubt it will soon start to make sense, I hope.

November 18th  is my grandson's eleventh birthday, I am looking forward to seeing him this afternoon. I do hope he likes my present,its always difficult finding a gift as he is a boy who has everything. I usually sweeten it with some money because that always puts a smile on his face. 
Finally treated myself to a new mobile this month,a Samsung Galaxy Smart Phone it is something else to master but brilliant, I love it. I can access the internet and do so many  new things plus the camera is great. My Nokia was so slow  and heavy, reliable but not as pretty  and versatile as my Smart Phone.
Visited for the afternoon with my friend Dorothy whose husband Bill recently passed away, our friendship goes back many years, we worked together and Bill was an Ambulance driver, we had many  happy times on holiday with them,he will be missed.
 

 

Remember remember the 5th of November

gunpowder treason and plot

Guy Fawkes

Bonfire Night was quiet for once not many local  bonfires as there is not much to burn these days since the council started recycling  refuse. Fireworks are always a problem in the wrong hands so there is a huge  fireworks display on the local park every year on the 5th.   I had planned to go with friends over to Bentham in the Yorkshire Dales, to an organised Bonfire and Firework Display but the weather was terrible, high winds and rain, I felt sure it would be cancelled so I stayed home. But it wasn't cancelled so they took a risk and had a splendid evening in spite of the rain.

I am  gearing up for Christmas, not quite sure where I will be as I have a few invitations to consider. Already had two Christmas meals and five more to go.!!

Quote  by Samuel Butler

If we attend to the little that we can do,we shall in time be surprised to find how little remains that we cannot do. 
 I like that ….........

Byeeeee

Love you

The Passing of Summer

Manchester Town Hall Entrance

Scene from an Inner courtyard

Wonderful  Gothic Architecture

Stained glass windows on the main staircase

 

30^th October 2013

September was a weird mixture of hot and really cold days. We are now told that the polar  ice-cap is not melting but regenerating how confusing is that, it seems that Global Warming continues to be a rather controversial topic.

The trees are just starting to change colour, I love the autumn it has so much texture and colour and the sun low in the heavens compliments this change.    My apple trees have once again provided much work,picking, peeling, blanching and freezing buckets full of apples I can do it with my eyes shut. It is a chore but well worth the effort when I can enjoy and share my apple pies all year round with family and friends.

Met up with members of Bolton Speaking Club for our Pre-Season Dinner, we broke for the summer in April and here we are back on track eager to start again.  I have been busy preparing for this Monday's meeting when I will be Topics Chairman for the evening having the responsibility to provide varied topics for our members to respond to with a three minute impromptu speech.

It will be National Poetry Day on the 3^rd October when the Libraries around Bolton display original poems by local Poets. This year the theme was 'Water', so my poem is about rain.

The Cloudburst


Dark clouds gather, the sky heralds rain.
Rumbling distant thunder is a warning.
Soon the heavy droplets fall,
As people flee as if in imminent danger
From the deafening drumming of the deluge,
Within minutes on car roof and pavement.
  Torrential rain, thunderclouds and lightening
Fill the darkened sky.

Torrents roar down the streets, 
Flash floods fill doorways, alleys and courtyards.
Bins topple over, their contents sail away
Into full flowing gutters
Gridlocked, with the volume of debris.
 Washed away to be deposited who knows where.
Traffic slows, stalls then stops, highways block,
Everyone watches and waits.

An eerie silence descends
As the sun breaks through the darkness.
Car engines fire up, brakes checked
They hesitantly moved forward in convoy.
People hiding appear from nowhere
To hurry home, wet to the core.
The town washed clean,
Comes back to life, to carry on as before.

Val Cook 2010

Went along to the Cinema to see Helen Mirran in “The Audience”. It's becoming popular to have live feeds from London Theatres and Events, of Plays, Opera, Ballet and Concerts. Helen portrayed the Queen in audience with many of her Prime Ministers during their four year term of office. They met at the Palace for one hour on the same day every week to discuss Parliamentary topics. It was far from boring,was amusing and entertaining in fact the the time flew by and you really felt you where in a theatre watching a stage play, rather a unique experience..

The Audience

Sunday I travelled with my friend Betty into Manchester on the train. Unfortunately there was a Football Match between rivals Manchester City & Manchester United, so the train was packed. We had booked a tour of Manchester Town Hall, a uniqueNeo-Gothic Victorian building,designed by Architect Afred Waterhouse built in 1868-1877. The interior is amazing often used as backdrop to many period films such as Sherlock Holmes and Harry Potter. It was quite demanding as there where many steps to negotiate,the highlight of the tour was the great hall that had paintings on the plaster around the walls,by Ford Madox Brown of the Pre-Raphaelites Brotherhood,fantastic....
I love P.R.B. paintings.   Throughout the building, ceilings,walls and staircases are
unbelievable, colourfully tiled and sculptured with huge stained glass windows, no expense spared....I was enthralled. 

Manchester Townhall   

I have been renewing my Passport, the documentation was immense, reading through all the instructions gave me a headache. They requested two very specific passport photos which had to be verified because the one in my old passport looked nothing like me, as I am now. I am getting too long in the tooth to be filling in long complexed government documents like these. Anyway its in the post now, I hope its accepted and my new passport is on its way.

  Three of Ford Madox Brown's Paintings in Manchester Town Hall

Arrival of the Flemish Weavers to Manchester in AD 1383

John Kay inventor of the Flying Shuttle in Manchester AD 1733 

Jon Kay is being Wrapped in a sheet to be spirited away as angry mob

storm workshop

Bradshaws Defence of Manchester in AD 1679

The Gleaming Spires of Ox-Bridge

The Grapes  Oxford

Christ Church College Oxford

Lewis Carroll attended Christ Church 

St Johns College Cambridge

The gatehouse to St Johns

The Round Church Cambridge

The popular pastime of Punting on the River Cam. 

24th July 2013

Woke this morning feeling somewhat relieved that August is nearly over. It's been a very busy month rather demanding but never the less, enjoyable. I  am always saying  as I get older that I need to slow down, I expect we all say that, but do we ?   I like a challenge and set them quite frequently to keep me  focused, have something to strive for, but within my capabilities is important to keep me marching along this road leading to, well  you work it out.
Those of us who are of a certain age should  be enjoying this  'Age of Enlightenment' in spite of all the restrictions and complexed issues in the world today. To follow our instincts, requiring no instruction or help in meeting our own wants and needs. It might sound a bit selfish but looking back on  my life, on who I was and what formed me into who I have become, I  feel deserving of this life.
Where did all this musing come from ? Well I have just returned from  a few days visiting Oxford and Cambridge the seats of educational  excellence in the UK today. May be it was in the air as I walked around these magnificent  old buildings and marveled at their history, probably absorbed some intellect thinking about the opportunities that are out there for many young men and women today that where  in many ways denied our age group. But I have a good life and cannot complain.
Yes the trip was good but the drive down there was horrendous, the increased traffic, Juggernaughts and the constant delays,the extra hours on the road took their toll, I was drained.  I  should  let the train take the strain and stop being so independent.  Hahaha

Also this month my two awesome grandsons celebrated their 21st Birthdays, one day apart.  It was an exciting time for us in 1992,we already had our wonderful grand daughter and now we where blessed with two incredible baby boys,what more could a Granma ask for, amazing.

Yesterday myself and a friend drove over  to the Village of  Slaidburn in the Forest of Bowland a beautiful area, nature at its best, to meet up with  good friends  from “Way up North” who  where staying at the  Local Youth Hostel with another friend of ours who was the Volunteer Warden for the week. It was a great reunion  and  we where rather late getting home.

My garden has been a real joy this year as the weather has been stupendous.  I have 21 sunflowers in full bloom, grown from seed that greet me every morning with a cheery nod. I  just love them and call them my big boys, talk to them and I swear they understand . I am  also cultivating a  tomato plant in the front porch because the  front porch is an ideal hot house. Since I gave my greenhouse away I sometimes find I miss it ,but the feeling probably won’t last.   Anyway it is growing well and I have enough tomatoes for my needs.  

At the bottom of our  road is a meadow full of  wild flowers,  most are knee high, a sea of  blues, pinks and yellows planted by Bolton Council and repeated all over the town where there is green space.  The result has seen an obvious increase in  Butterflies since the flowers bloomed, a real delight and one I hope will be repeated every summer.

My Big Boys

The Summer Meadow

Midsummer Sunshine

The Buxton Well 

Buxton Opera House

31st July 2013
Hi everyone,hope you are having as much fun as I am.  This summer our weather has been so different from the past few years, we have suffered  cold wet summers but this past few weeks has been a gift, a real summer with lots of sunshine  that has lasted for weeks. The gardens have suffered by the lack of rain but it has been worth the extra effort watering every evening. Curiously we haven’t had hosepipe restrictions  like in previous wet summers ! anyway it’s the end of July and we are  thankfully having some rain. But not for long though, we are told the prediction is more sunshine. Great for I have booked a holiday in a few weeks time so I am expecting good weather. I have really  enjoyed  being in the garden this year watching the flowers grow and tending to their needs, I  grew many from seed this year,  my sunflowers are special and the Yucca Palm has certainly excelled by sending out a huge flower that I have never seen before, in the ten years I have had the plant. It was a tiny cutting from my cousin Pam in Cornwall  and look how it has thrived, in spite of being up in the colder Northwest. I have spent most days in the garden,the days have been wonderful, warm sunny quiet afternoons ideal time to have a snooze under the trees, love it..   The rain is welcomed too because, the earth was so dry and dusty, the air needed refreshing  and the buildings and pavement a good wash down, now we can continue with the sunshine.

My beautiful  Yucca

Decided to have a hair cut last week  after seeing it grow into a neat bob, but with the humidity and the heat was hard to manage.  Now I feel more comfortable and do not look as if I have been dragged through a hedge backwards anymore. Then to escape the heat one afternoon I went to the cinema to see ‘Under the Candelabra ’ the Liberace story. I found it entertaining, interesting and good to hear his piano again.

Also travelled to Buxton a famous Victorian watering place, in the Derbyshire hills, to attend their annual Music Festival,this year  celebrating Gilbert and Sullivan. I went with two  friends and it was a wonderful sunny day, the town was buzzing with people. We had taken picnic lunches which we ate in the Pavilion Gardens, sampled the local water from their Well, it was warm and slightly salty but is reported to be very beneficial health wise. People where filling large canisters with the water which comes from deep inside the Derbyshire hills and filtered by numerous limestone rocks. This Spar town offers hydrotherapy and other treatments for those with specific ailments.. Very picturesque, unique architecture and atmosphere.  We had some retail therapy as is expected, then relaxed at a pavement café listening to live music that was being played by various buskers around the place…very relaxing.

Later we saw ‘The Pirates of Penzance’ at the Buxton Opera House, another unique building that was in superb condition inside and out. Enjoyed the show, the music brought back memories of  my father  playing these tunes on the piano, from memory, self taught with a perfect ear for melody.  I remember sitting around the piano, with a roaring coal fire providing both heat and light singing along to his favourite tunes….magical.    I did have lessons as a young girl, but had not the patience or dedication that is required. I can carry a tune and do have a keyboard  to play on for my own enjoyment, though I am  not very good!!

  Check out Buxton - Check out Buxton

Pirates of Penzance      you must watch this video to the end,I just love their energy and the singing. Hahha

Lovely Lovely Sunshine

The Halifax Piece Hall Courtyard

The Halifax Piece Hall Shops

Stubbins Wharf

Mummers

7th July

Hello again

It seems ages since I last wrote, the days just seem to fly by. At the moment we are enjoying a few days of sunshine and its wonderful. I love to spend hours in the garden just  relaxing, reading entertaining and pottering about  but  these days it seems to pan out, a few days of rain, which the garden loves and then a few days of sunshine. So I expect we will have to pay the price for this lovely day. I know the  weather is very unpredictable and I suppose I should be used to it, as this is a typical  English Summer rather annoying but at least we don't suffer floods here in Bolton and neither do we have earthquakes and fires that are a constant threat in California and Australia. It seems all over the world the weather patterns are changing or becoming extreme.

Latest news of Cathie she has decided to move to Bunbury as she feels that Bridgetown,delightful as it is, does not have the potential that she was looking for. For one I am pleased, as I felt it was too isolated from everything she has been used too. Bunbury is perfect, a vibrant place with lots going on, situated by the sea,where I feel sure she will be happy and where everyone will want to visit.   Hahaha

Last week I went on a trip with the WI to visit three of Yorkshires famous landmarks.  Holme Firth where the Last of the Summer Wine was filmed, a brilliant BBC series which ran for years. On to the  Halifax Piece Hall an historical monument building that is being restored. It is a unique area where in the last century wool merchants would  gather to display their wares to buyers in a enormous courtyard surrounded on all four sides by offices. Today the courtyard is home to small independent shops and cafes and where concerts and other events also take place...  Halifax is a large town that is full of architectural wonders I love old builds and Halifax has many plus some good shops,so there was  plenty time for some retail therapy.
On from there we stopped at  Hebden Bridge a small village community on the Rochdale Canal and  enjoyed a  pre - booked dinner  at Stubbins Wharf a local pub where some time later entertained by Local blackfaced  Mummers doing the rounds of the area.

Holme Firth

Halifax Piece Hall

Hebden Bridge

Mummers history

At the weekend I drove  to Earby a quiet little village on the edge of The Yorkshire Dales  .My friend Betty was Volunteer Warden that week and as she is always free in the afternoons. Skipton   was the  nearest interesting place, a very busy market town that was buzzing with life,with market stalls lining the main street and the sales where on,  50% Off  in the main shops. Tempted, we did buy a few bargains and after returning to the car to store our spoils we  returned to the shops to start again..... a wonderful day.
Finished in Bizzie Lizzies a famous Chip Shop by the canal.

Skipton

An evening at  Bolton Little Theatre to see  "Drowning on Dry Land" a comedy,it was different.
Attended a craft session at the WI and made a terrific (though I say it myself) Tote Bag. Its feature was Fractured Flowers  (Patchwork) but I didn't have any flowers on my William Morris material  but it worked, I shall make another one soon.

Enjoyed watching  Wimbledon today on TV. Andrew Murray wins the  Men's final against Djokovic in straight sets a magnificent game, tennis at its best thus  ending 77 years of British defeats.

Bye for now ,love to you all. X
 

       

    

Chaff & Grain

Patio looking good

Repairing the Inspection Chamber

New metal  cover, a perfect finish

Just love this random seedling, Natures gift. 

My Dear Friends

Oh the inexpressible comfort

of feeling safe with a person; having neither

to weigh thoughts nor measure words,

but to pour them all out,

just as they are,

chaff and grain together,

knowing that a faithful hand will take

and sift them, keep what is worth keeping,

and then, with breath of kindness, blow the rest away. 

George Elliot

The first really nice day we had in May I drove  to Harrogate to see Stu and family. He had been down to Bolton prior to me going to Australia but I hadn’t been up North since Christmas.  Oh how time flies, I am always amazed by the passing of the  weeks, days, and hours, I can't believe it's June already.  In January my GP suggested I had my hips X-rayed, as during the winter I had been having increasing episodes of severe cramp in my legs and recently acute pain on standing and climbing stairs.  Well the result is I have arthritis, mainly in my right hip now with the medication and rest it has improved but it is always present so I will have to grin and bear it.

I decided to overhaul the Vitamin & Mineral supplements I take, not every day but most days. I  introduced Magnesium, Calcium, Potassium and Zinc. Also started taking Korean Ginseng for a few weeks as it always picks me up and  I didn’t take it in December like I usually do.. So after a few weeks on this regime I am  feeling more alert and energised, whether it is auto suggestion or  due to taking the supplements I don’t care.

Because of this new lease of life and  lots of lovely sunshine I have been busy catching up on chores that had been put aside, really until I was in the mood. Well I surprised myself,  eight jobs where tackled and successfully completed.   New cords in the window blinds, two big loads of rubbish to tip,I am emptying my loft of years of accumulated junk ,Fixed the leak in the garden water butt, fixed new bathroom LED lights,  bought a grass trimmer  to ease my weary back then new dining room chairs, curtains/cushions to brighten the rooms,feels great.  I also  had treated myself to an I-Pad before I went to Australia and it has been such a joy to use, certainly much better than my Google Android tablet that is so slow.. It is definitely the way to go, I don’t feel tied to my PC any more and I haven’t used my laptop since I got the I-Pad.  Its so convenient and  easy  to use, every day there is something new to discover. It syncs with my PC so  work can be transferred instantly and I just love the camera its brilliant.
One rather annoying situation that has been around for 30 years or more has  finally been resolved. We had a raised Sewer Inspection Chamber situated on the boundary between my neighbours drive and mine, servicing both houses,a real eyesore and a hazard to car tyres.   Over the 50 years I have lived here the structure has gradually deteriorated and  my new neighbours are parking heavy vehicles on the  metal lid.   I could see it deteriorating during the very wet winter and when I returned from Australia it looked as though it was in danger of collapsing .  So I rang  United Utilities Water Board  to ask them to come and assess the damage.They responded within the hour and within the week it was repaired and a new metal plate supplied. I thought we would have a rather large bill to face for the repair ,shared between the two properties it could still be quite a significant amount. But we where informed that in 2010 Unities Utilities  had taken  responsibility for  maintaining these sites and we wouldn’t get a  bill. Now its been leveled with the drives and looks so much better I can reverse out of the garage with out the worry of hitting the raised manhole cover..
Another surprise I had was a wonderful telephone conversation with my cousin Leonard in Butte Montana. He is a widower living in an assisted care complex and I haven’t heard from him since his wife  died a few years ago.  But some Angel who is caring for him now,found one of my letters and arranged our conversation, wasn’t she the best. It was so special we have been  such good friend, visiting Butte regularly since 1985 .It was  good to hear his voice and sounding no different, still with that strong American accent that I  remember  so well.  He was a navigator in the US Air force during WW11, stationed in England where he met and married my cousin Mona and took her home to live in Butte Montana.  Big Smile, happy days.

Blooming Blossoms

The Lockmasters Cottage

Lots of Locks

The Hilton Hotel

I love the cobbles

 Mooring Basin for Narrow Boats

 May
 At last Spring  has returned adding colour to our gardens and hedgerows. Because of the long hard winter weather, the bulbs unfortunately where delayed and  gave  a rather poor showing this year, usually the hedgerows are full of daffodils but not  this year many have been lacking their yellow tops. Happily most of the Cherry Trees are now in bloom after  a late start and everywhere's looking more like Spring is here.  I got busy in the garden, cut the lawns, pruned the Hydrangeas and Camellia and generally cleared away  the debris that  had accumulated over the  winter months.    Trimmed bushes that where  untidy, but had help to  top the Leylandi Trees before they got beyond reach, they grow very fast but  are an excellent wind break and screen.  Kept busy outside all the weekend as the weather was  warm and sunny, but did too much and spent a couple of days resting a severe backache, but looking out on the garden now, it was worth it.
The March Winds this year again, have been very fierce, it seems every year they get stronger and  it  can be frightening as they do cause a great deal of damage. I  lost some of my fences but thankful nothing major needed repairs.  It felt good to get back into my usual routine after my trip, a little jet lagged for a few days but soon back to normal. I had a wonderful time in Bridgetown so different to the  fast pacing Perth City. There was time to relax with the family, which is why I like to go. Since coming home its been catch up with my family and friends, lunches, suppers and  birthdays the usual  whirlwind, of eating to much.

Read some of my poems at an Open Mic Poetry Evening in the local library and really enjoyed myself as it has been ages since I read out loud . The evening was very well attended and the response was excellent, we heard  a range of  poems from a dozen talented local poets, it was good.

Now that the weather appears to have settled I decided to take some real exercise and went with the  WI Walking Group on a tour of the Manchester Canal system that has been restored over the last decade and has seen warehouses along its path turned into luxury apartment's, offices, Wine Bars and Restaurants. I was amazed at the transformation and glad to see gardens and community areas dotted  through out the tour.
The Manchester Ship Canal brought wealth and industry to Manchester in the late 19th century.It is 36 miles long starting in the Liverpool Estuary, we walked along the City Canals which joined on to others in the northwest.  It was very interesting, a demanding walk, but I did it !!

The Manchester Ship Canal's History

After saying the weather was improving look what happened the day after the walk.  Hailstones!.

Hailstones