Fun in the Snow

Last weekend saw the first snowfall of the winter and there was fun to be had.

George (on the left above) stayed over with us Friday and Saturday night and had a great time with his friends out sledging both Saturday and Sunday.

Its great fun going downhill on the sledge but it can be a pain dragging the sledge back up the hill.  Especially when it’s impossible to stay upright and you end up on all fours like George.

I watched and happily took photos of them for a while and then when..

   .. they set off to find a better slope I sloped off home.  I’m so glad I got my act together on Sunday and tromped through the snow, camera round my neck, to find George and his friends and get these snaps of them.  It was fun and really not as cold as it looked.

Yesterday was another snowy day and it just so happened that William and I had to collect Charlie from school.  Leaving the car safely parked outside the house we set forth on foot.

Charlie had a great time chucking snowballs at both me and granddad on the way home.

The snowballs seemed to get bigger each time he made one.  The little treasure! 

Childhood is all too fleeting a time but these photos and this blog will help ensure that fun times like these in the snow will be remembered again and again in the future when these little boys are grown men.  And that makes me happy.

As the afternoon wore on and Charlie’s daddy came home from work William and I set off back home.

 

As we made our way carefully down the footpath kids in the fields alongside us were galloping around having a great time.

We haven’t had any snow today and there’s none forecast in the short term.  That’s okay with me.  Everything in moderation is my motto.

How January Is Shaping Up So Far.

A little look at what January has been like so far but first a little look at what I’m hoping for in 2015.

I found this wordart on Instagram and it just about sums up what a good life looks like to me.  2015 are you listening?

The long walks have been taking place already.  After suffering with a dodgy ankle from July to December last year and being unable to walk any distance I’m really appreciating getting outdoors and putting my best foot forward.  I’m aiming to take a good walk at least every other day and being right on our doorstep Ealees and the lake are our most oft trodden paths. This picture (above) was taken Monday morning when I enjoyed a walk with Caroline and Harley through a snow covered Ealees.

And here we are on a different walk a couple of weeks ago.

On one foggy, late afternoon, solo walk I spotted this lone oarsman as I reached the lake bank.  I quickly whipped out my iPhone and snapped this pic before he disappeared into the mist.

Ducks, Canada geese, seagulls and swans can all be found at the lake.  None of which are likely to starve to death, there’s always somebody feeding them.  Not me though.  Have you ever seen the mess swans and geese leave behind?  Not a pretty sight I can tell you.

Spied on another day’s walk the sun’s rays showering their light from behind the clouds.  A beautiful sight and always one of life’s simple pleasures for me.

This pretty scene is at the far side of the lake and I always like to feast my eyes on it.

And a view of the lake from a different angle.  Dry stone walls and cobbles.  I bet this little corner of the lake hasn’t changed for aeons.

I was charged with taking seven year old Nicholas to the dentist toward the end of last week.  He had chipped the corner off his right front tooth and it needed fixing. I was a bit nervous about taking him but Nicholas himself was not one bit bothered by it all.  This was the second time he’d had this procedure done so he knew what to expect.  He hopped right up into that chair and didn’t bat an eyelid.  Which was just as well because I don’t think this particular dentist would have stood for any messing. She was fast and efficient and did a good job but not once did she tell Nicholas what a good boy he was being and we had to ask for a smiley sticker at the end of the procedure!

After a walk or maybe halfway through we usually stop for a coffee in the visitor centre.  It’s a good cup of coffee too.

There have been other activities beside walking.  We had a day out shopping at Boundary Mill in Colne.  I wanted William to buy this tweed flat cap but he wasn’t interested.  I like flat caps and I thought this one really suited him.  I’m going to have to work on this.  I think he needs one!

There have been a couple of trips to Costco and a couple of pairs of very good quality, good value jeans for William.

One of my favourite things to do.  Trips to the library.  I have a Kindle these days but I still love to browse real books in the library.  William has taken to reading a lot more these days, what with retirement and time on his hands, so library trips are a regular feature again in my life.  Yippee!

A bit of sewing going on.  I’m working on a table runner which I hope will brighten up the dining room on these dark days of winter.

And finally… My shoelaces have a tendency to work loose when I’m walking.  Here William kindly fastens them for me. I don’t really know why but this is one of the things he’s always done for me. However in the last year or so he has suffered with back problems and I’ve taken pity on him and done it for myself.  I know.  I’m good that way!  It felt like old times. :-)

And then just one more for good measure.   A colourful scene looking across the lake.  The white building is a popular public house and that’s the West Pennine Moors in the distance.

All photos, except the shoelaces one, taken with my iPhone.  I love that little gadget!

The Shepherds Rest, Lumbutts

Just a quick post today.  I’m trying to do better with blogging this year and keep up to date with things. 

My other half and I had a lovely day yesterday. We had lunch with our good friends and neighbours John and Lesley at The Shepherds Rest public house up Lumbutts. Lumbutts being a little place, not even a village really, approximately 20 minutes away in the countryside up above Todmorden.  Lumbutts also featured in this post from May last year when Billy and I ventured out with Caroline and Trev to find Gaddings Dam.  The weather was glorious that day and the photos in that post show the beauty of the area.

Yesterday though the weather was inclement to say the least and a better place to be than inside a cosy country pub with a drink in front of you and a fire roaring away beside you would’ve been hard to find.  Add to that a hearty lunch and good company and life was sweet.

Another pic of the inside of the pub from that other post...  no fire needed that day.

 

 

Today in Towneley Park

Well, Christmas is well and truly over and today was the last day of the holidays before the boys go back to school in the morning and normal service is resumed.

I had been angling for a day en masse in Towneley Park before the holidays ended and as luck would have it today was that day and the sun shone!  Mr. Frost had been at large and evidence of his handiwork was everywhere.  That’s ice not water the ducks and geese are sitting on up there.

The boys loved it and came perilously close to taking a dip when they leaned over the edge of the pond..

.. to reach for a piece of ice!!???

Bonkers.

Our first port of call was the Stables Cafe (above) where some of us had a full breakfast, some had a bacon butty and others just a very welcome hot drink.

Caroline, or should I say Harley, leading the boys on a short walk while the breakfast order was being prepared.

William and Gary both raved about how good the Full English breakfast was and everybody else enjoyed what they had ordered too.  With that in mind I’m thinking it won’t be too long before we go back again.

It was far too cold to remain seated outside the cafe once the food had been consumed so the next stop was the play area.

Caroline joined in the fun.  Time is a funny thing.  In my mind’s eye I could see my two little girls in the distance playing in a similar park.  I wonder if Time Travelling will ever be a possibility.  I’d go back to visit those days when my girls were little in a heartbeat.

Today though, it’s little boys that fill my heart… and who could ask for anything more?  Not me!

Happy New Year!  Let’s hope it’s a good one.