Today in Tod Park.

The weather wasn’t too bad today.  The gale force winds and torrential rain that have been battering the British Isles this week have gone, thank goodness.    It was coldish though, about 43F.

 

You can see how much rain we’ve had when you look at the picture above.  That’s a football pitch in the park where all the water is!

The weather doesn’t bother us too much.  As long it’s fine we usually go out somewhere.  Today it was Todmorden Park.   Victoria had taken a little picnic for the boys and I brought along a flask of piping-hot coffee.  We chatted and the boys played. 

The contraption with the tyres you see the boys sitting on is a lot of fun.  It goes round and round in quite a wide circle and up and down if you want it to.  So much fun in fact that Victoria and I had a go on it!  George gave us a push. He thought it was hilarious when I screamed “not too fast, George!”  I’m telling you, that thing can go really fast.  We didn’t last too long, we both got dizzy on it!  It was fun though.

I don’t think the ice-cream man was having any fun.  It wasn’t an ice-cream kind of a day today.

After the play area we took a walk around the park.  The boys had their scooters with them.  Then it was back to our house for afternoon tea and biscuits.  At George’s request we used my best Chinese cups.  He means my china tea cups.  I see where he’s coming from though.

Just so that I’ll remember this.  George gave me a quick history lesson in the car this afternoon.  He told me about Henry VIII and the Tudors.  He rhymed off the names of all Henry’s six wives.  I couldn’t have done that. I’ve just checked on Google and he was right. He’s only seven and a bit!  That child has an excellent memory.

TTFN,

Kathleen.

Barley cont’d

So here I am with more pictures from our walk up Pendle Hill yesterday.

I don’t want to mislead anyone.  We did not walk all the way up Pendle Hill.  You can see it here in the bottom picture.  That is one big hill and Nicholas for one wouldn’t have made it and quite likely Muffin would have conked out before he got to the top!  One of these days though I am going to get to the top of that hill and admire the view, it must be spectacular from up there.

When we got to Barley yesterday which is less than an hour’s drive from our front door, and after a drive through the most beautiful English countryside and seeing some of the quaintest cottages imaginable, we had our picnic. Yep, we finally had ourselves a picnic in the cold autumn air.  You might note that we are not sat down at the picnic table (top left). Those tables look like wood but in fact they are metal, too cold to sit on in November!  We then set off for our walk.  Not too far along we had a pit stop, a drink of hot chocolate was on the menu.  Then more trudging up the hill.

I think I’d better point out here that the bag with the pink swirls on that you see William carrying in a lot of my pictures is not his!  It’s my camera bag and he always carries it for me.  Isn’t he a good boy?

By this time the blue skies were disappearing but it didn’t matter.  We were out in the country, in the fresh air, and we weren’t getting wet.  Mmmm, heaven.

I really like that bottom picture of George and his grandad, (who is now carrying George’s bag as well as mine).   They’re both looking back down the hill, leaning on a gate.  Nothing special, I suppose, but I just like it.

Why a picture of a telephone box, you might ask.  Well, this telephone box in Barley is the cleanest telephone kiosk I have ever seen.  Look, you can actually see through the glass and I thought that was just amazing!  I’ll bet someone in that village takes it upon him or herself to keep that kiosk in a good, clean condition and I think that is worthy of note.  I wonder why though when everybody has a mobile phone today.  Pride, that’s what it is.  Pride in their environment.  I, for one, admire it.

I can’t close without mentioning the Pendle Witches.  Pendle Hill is famous for it’s witches. Ten of them to be exact who were executed by hanging in 1612.  To find out more click here.

Kathleen.

Barley

Like I said this morning, today was a perfect day for a walk.  I rang Victoria just after I posted that to see what they were doing and as it happens she had already made a picnic but wasn’t sure where they were going.  Happily she and her crew came along  with us and Barley in Lancashire is where we ended up. 

Rising up above Barley is Pendle Hill and that was our ultimate destination.   More of that tomorrow.

Here are a few pictures of Victoria and her little family from today.  I’ll be back tomorrow with more pictures.

TTFN until then,

Kathleen.

This template is a Coffee Shop freebie.  If you’ve never been to this coffee shop you’re in for a surprise.  It’s full of photography goodies.

Good Morning

This is the view from my window today.

Blue skies, cold, crisp and dry.  Perfect weather for a walk.  What could be better?

Kathleen.

Dutch Doll Quilt.

I absolutely love quilts but I’ve never ever made one.  It was my fascination with quilts that got me into reading blogs.  There are so many wonderful quilting blogs out there.  Bloggers who show off their work, “take you with them” when they go quilt shopping (I’d love a trip round some of those quilt shops) and then also to all those wonderful quilt shows and festivals.

Today, Dayle, is having a quilt story link up and I’m joining the party.  One thing is for certain, I’ll definitely be reading all the quilt stories tonight.  Right after our Bonfire party, that is! I’ll bet I’m the only one there with just one quilt to show off though!

And this is it, my one and only authentic, handmade quilt and I love it.  It was given to me in 1975 when my first daughter, Victoria, was born.

My sister, Maureen, married herself an American GI. Well actually he was in the Air Force but you know what I mean.  They live in Arkansas where Jerry was born and brought up.

It was Jerry’s granny who gave the quilt to me.  She had never met me but because she loved Maureen and because she knew I was having a baby she made the quilt for me.  It was totally handmade by her.  I was lucky enough to meet her when I visited Maureen and Jerry many years ago.  Granny was a lovely, gentle, softly spoken, country lady.  She made many quilts, not just mine.  Maureen told me that granny would have known where every scrap of fabric was left over from.

When my girls were little we called it the Sick Quilt because it was used whenever they were poorly and would lie on the couch with it over them. 

Even now it is in constant use.  My little grandsons use it all the time as you can see.  Even Muffin loves it and jumps on it the minute it is taken out of the footstool in the living room where it is kept.

If I had lived in the USA I think I probably would have been a quilter.  There was a time when I did quite a bit of sewing.  It was when my girls were little.  Caroline got into sewing too as she grew up and we’d say that we’d make a patchwork quilt one day with all the leftover scraps but we never have.  But do you know what?  There’s time yet!

Kathleen.

Made in England.

William had a day off work today.  He asked me if I’d like to go to Boundary Mill and Winfield’s.  Winfield’s is a large store which amongst other things sells camping gear and that’s why William wanted to go there.  He threw Boundary Mill into the mix as a sweetener because that’s more my kind of store selling amongst other things china and glassware, all that kind of stuff, which is why I said yes, okay, let’s go. 

As it happened we only went to Boundary Mill.  William had decided for some reason that the two stores were in the same neighbourhood.  They’re not, they’re miles apart!  Let’s just say he wasn’t too happy when he realised his mistake and leave it at that.

Anyway, we bought a few things today that we needed including these two mugs.  They’re china, which is a must for me when it comes to coffee mugs.  And what’s more they’re…

…made in England by very nice people!  That “Made in England” bit makes me very happy because so often these days everything is made abroad somewhere and especially with china it just doesn’t seem right.  I’m sure my cuppas will taste that little bit better in future!

So that is my Simple Pleasure this week, a little message on the bottom of a china cup.  Once again I’m joining Dayle at A Collection of This and That to see what others have found pleasure in this week.

And finally, it wasn’t all doom and gloom for Billy today.

Look how happy he was when he tried this hat on.  We had a really good laugh over it and so did everyone else in the immediate vicinity.  I’m happy to report we didn’t buy it.  Suits him in a funny old kinda way though, don’t you think?

Kathleen.

It doesn’t happen very often..

…but Charlie looked right at me today when I had the camera in my hand!

And here’s the proof. 

I know I’m biased, but don’t you agree he is beautiful?

Kathleen.