Flowers and Fall.

A couple of weeks ago William bought me these pretty flowers. 

He thought I might need cheering up a little.  For a little while there we thought we had to cancel a trip we had been planning and looking forward to.  However no less than a day or two later, yippee, the trip was back on again! 

Come March next year we will be jetting across the Atlantic to stay with my sister and her husband in Arkansas for three weeks!   We'’ll be taking a couple of trips with them while we’re there.  A 2 t/3 day trip north to Branson, Missouri and then a longer trip south to Rosemary Beach, Florida coming back home to Arkansas via New Orleans!!  Now that sounds like one heck of a fabulous holiday to me.  And not only that we get to my see my sister’s family too.  The last time we visited was in 2007.  On that visit we took a road trip to Colorado which was absolutely fantastic and I know this trip will be every bit as good.

And this is one of the places we are going to stay.  Big Cedar Lodge in Missouri.  I can’t tell you  how excited I am about staying here.  I have been and seen this wonderful place once, but it was only a fleeting visit and we said then that one day we’d love to come back and stay there.  Lo and behold that day is coming in March 2014!

My sister Maureen sent me these pics of Big Cedar via her iPhone this afternoon.  She and her husband Jerry are up there on a visit to Branson.

Maureen sent the photos to whet my appetite.  And that they’ve certainly done.  It’s going to be a wonderful trip – country, coast and a bit of Cajun too!  I can’t wait!

This is Charlie, my little grandson.  He jetted across the pond on Saturday.  He’s on a two week holiday to Disney World, Florida with his mummy and daddy. I know they’re having a great time.  FaceTime has made it possible for me to see and talk to them, see the villa they’re staying in and almost feel as if I’m there with them!   I love all this modern technology!!

Until next time,

 

Nicholas at Bay View

Last weekend Nicholas’s turn came around to spend the weekend at Bay View with us.  The weather was not so good as when George had been with us two weeks ago. It was summer weather then, this time around autumn was definitely in the air.

Walking down the coast path we saw the sheep taking their regular jaunt across the salt marshes.  We have never seen a farmer herding the sheep, they seem to do this trek of their own volition.  I know absolutely nothing about sheep habits but I’m beginning to find them fascinating after seeing this behaviour several times.  Presumably they’re moving from farm to grazing ground and back.

Nicholas and Charlie taking a look at the horses in the field on Sunday morning.  

Taking a closer look.

Nicholas was reluctant to leave the horses behind but we were on the way to breakfast at Archer’s so he didn’t linger too long.

Caroline and Charlie study the menu. 

Breakfast was good.  I think the chill in the air made the hot food and hot drinks taste even better than usual.  Look at those little boys faces!  Little monkeys!

Back at Bay View Caroline posed beneath a, would you believe it, still very much in bloom hanging basket.

Nicholas’s favourite thing of the weekend was the rustic play area on site.

They both loved it.

Nicholas is fearless on this kind of thing.  He’s straddling the parallel bars here.

Charlie is a few inches shorter than Nicholas and couldn’t heave himself up onto the bars.  He got a bit upset because he couldn’t do it.  Nicholas stepped in and with some effort…

…hoisted his cousin right up there.  Between them they did it.

I don’t know which of them was the happier -  Charlie for being up there or Nicholas for having got him up there!

Then a donkey ride back up the hill.

Charlie’s favourite thing of the weekend was his Mobigo.   I don’t know why exactly but I really like this picture.  It was also one of the last ones to be taken on Sunday afternoon.  Before we knew it it was time to hit the road and head for home.  I’m happy now though that both boys have been to Bay View and Charlie was able to have his cousins up there to play with.  No doubt we’ll do it again next year.

Moving the caravan from Devon to Bay View has turned out to be a success.  We could never have gone down to Devon for an overnight stay.  The distance was just too great.  But Bay View is far more accessible and therefore we have spent a lot more time in our little bolthole and we couldn’t be happier!

 

Starting with last Saturday’s..

.. trip up the motorway to Bay View and a weekend with a mission or two planned.

Mission number one was a little shopping trip to The Quilted Sheep, a yarn and fabric lover’s Aladdin’s Cave, in Milnthorpe for me. 

Where I purchased this fabric with which I intend to make a patchwork Christmas table topper.  I am so excited about this project.  I’ve been wanting to make a patchwork something forever and I’m finally going to do it!

On the way back from Milnthorpe we called at Beetham Nurseries for lunch and a look around.

William and I love this place.

There’s always something that catches our attention.  We thought this caravan/office/playhouse/garden house/anything you want it to be was so very cute.  The price wasn’t very cute though.  I think it was something fantastic, but not in a good way, like £11,000.00! If that price is wrong I’ll come back and correct it but I don’t think it is.

Later on in the afternoon we wandered down the coast path for a walk and breath of fresh air.  This location gets more than its fair share of wind.  Just look at those trees.  Don’t they tell you just how windy it is up there!

Later on again  before settling in for the night and battening down the hatches we wandered down to the coast to feast our eyes on the sunset.   The panoramic view of the sunset is one of the things I love best about Bay View.

On Sunday mission number two was attacked.  The awning had to come down.  It’s that time of year and the summer season is fast drawing to a close.  We’ve got a couple more weekends to spend at Bay View but the awning had be dismantled before any winter gales blow this way and dismantle it for us.  Erecting and dismantling an awning is no caravanner’s favourite job but this time Billy and I managed it without hardly a  cross word exchanged between us.  I couldn’t believe it!

We found these unwelcome lodgers as the awning came down but we were very kind to them and found them new homes under the hedges.  I use the term “we” loosely.  I let William have the pleasure of that task.  Eeeyuuuck!

I’ve had a busy week this week and I think I’ve fathomed out where my midriff bulge is coming from.  I reckon indulgences like these just might have something to do with it!  On Tuesday Caroline and I went to the Trafford Centre and enjoyed not one but two pit stops.  We had a lovely time wandering the whole length of the mall chatting all the way. 

Yesterday Lesley and I went to Housing Units and enjoyed not one but two pit stops.  (See the pattern here?) We mooched our way through every inch of that store and I think I sat on every sofa, reclining chair, in fact think I sat on everything with four legs in the store!  It was fun wasn’t it, Lesley?

Then today I met my lovely friends Vanessa and Diane.  No cakes today, and in my defence I don’t have a cake with every coffee, but milky coffees all the time are not too good for anybody’s waistline.  I might have to cut them out and drink only tea from now on. 

And finally, I thought I’d finish with this image from Housing Units.  Heaven help us, Santa’ll be getting stuck down those chimney’s before we know it! 

A MacMillan Coffee Morning and a Tea Party

Not that it matters but this post should really have found its way here before the previous post.  Anyway…

Most Wednesdays now the boys come to stay with me for an hour after school while their mum attends night school.

Last Wednesday I decided to put together a little tea party for them.  I made little buns and set the china out.  It was all very spur of the moment but the boys were thrilled to bits when they walked in and saw everything.  All three llittle boys love these little tea parties.

 

Nicholas played at looking at the camera for me!  Strange I know, but true!  This is a confused face.

 

And this is George’s purposely-keeping-his-mouth-closed face.  I think they were humouring me because I’d made the cakes!

The sun was shining last week, this week not so much but last week it was plentiful.  Anyway, I took my lunch, a colourful one, outside one day.  That pretty mug is new, I bought it with birthday money from Caroline.  It’s enamel so it won’t smash if I drop it which is good and also I really, really like it.

Thursday of last week I attended a MacMillan Coffee Morning at my friend Vanessa’s home.  Everything was so pretty.

The idea is to raise money for The Macmillan Nurses charity and Vanessa and her husband Chris worked hard hosting the event.

See that beautiful black and white cake up there?  Vanessa has recently taken up the hobby of cake decorating and that cake was only her second attempt. Clever girl,eh?  I’m keen to see what she comes up with next.

A couple of goodies came home with me.  They were good too.  The morning had a lovely atmosphere with a nice mix of friendly people and I completely enjoyed myself.

Moving on to Thursday night now.  Charlie missed out on the after school tea party but he did come round for a little cake the night after with his mum.  Much later after Charlie had gone home and William came in from work he went into the living room.  This is what he found.  Charlie had been up to his little tricks again!  Bless his little cotton socks!

 

 

George’s Weekend at Bay View

All summer William and I have been promising George and Nicholas that we would take them to Bay View for a weekend.   Last weekend the timing was right and George finally found himself at Bay View with us.  Nicholas will have his turn in a fortnight’s time.

Fortunately the weather was superb and George and Charlie were able to have fun together in the fresh air.

Saturday afternoon we walked down along the coastal path.

Saturday night there was a kid’s disco in the Bay View Bar.  Wasn’t only the kids who strutted their stuff.  Caroline and I worked up a sweat too.  And that boy, Charlie?  Well, he really got into it!  George and I had tons of fun “jiving” while grandad was able to watch the football on TV in the bar.

After all the dancing we took a cold drink outside.  Love the way Charlie is sitting with his legs crossed and arms folded.

Caroline and I watched the sunset while the boys played.

Sunday morning a stroll down to Archer’s Cafe.

It’s the done thing now to have breakfast at Archer’s Cafe. This weekend was no exception.

You can’t go wrong with a bacon sandwich.  George had an egg with his.

While William went with a Full English.

Caroline enjoys a latte.

Fun on the beach after breakfast.

A donkey ride for Charlie on the way back to Bay View.

Synchronised walking is always good for a giggle.

Charlie watching as George leaps toward him from stone to stone.

And gets out of the way just in time.

Then back again…

… and Charlie follows suit.

I don’t know what to say about this picture so I’ll just say nothing.  I kinda like it though.

So that was George’s weekend at Bay View.   I know he enjoyed it and I’m glad about that after him wanting to go with us for so long.  I know Charlie liked having him there.  Charlie had said to Caroline that he was going to treat George like his big brother for the weekend.  How sweet was that?

Well, the summer may be over but we can continue to use our holiday home on wheels for another month yet.  I’m looking forward to seeing the autumn colours in a corner of England with so many trees.

Until next time,