Saturday 28 September 2019


Just So Good



It is good starting to blog again!
And to catch up with
so many of you!
As I started visiting your blogs
so many people that you wrote about,
sounded familiar to me...
so I caught up with them as well!

This week was Hubbie's birthday
and it seemed as if
we spent the whole week celebrating!
It wasn't an extra special birthday
but meals out and trips
around the county
were the order of the day!


On the actual day
we took a picnic and visited
the south of Pembrokeshire where he was born.
We drove past his grandfather's farm
where they often went 
as a family
for supper on Sunday evening.

His grandfather was a lay-preacher and often
went to other areas of the county to preach and 
would stay the night if the tides 
were wrong....


This is one of the places where a little ferry
would cross the Cleddau River.
Here we are looking from
Landshipping Quay
to Picton Ferry.

Years ago, when I was a lay preacher myself,
I was taking the service 
at a little village church.....
when an very old lady came up to me after 
and said that she remembered
Hubbie's grandfather 
(I had mentioned him in the sermon)
She said that she remembered, if the tides were wrong...
for him to get home.....
he would stay at her parents' house
and.....
if she got up early in the morning to see him off...
he would give her...
a silver thrupenny piece!!
now ...that's a special memory, isn't it??






We stopped at Lawrenny Quay
for a cup of tea
and a piece of Key Lime Pie
Delicious!!

And then drove on through
Cresswell Quay



To Carew Castle.
As I have said in the past
we have a lot of castles in Pembrokeshire.
I think when I last wrote
I was actually acting as a guide at
Picton Castle.
Unfortunately my breathing is not at all good now
and I have a job to walk and talk
so I had to finish there last year...
I was so sad about that
as I really enjoyed taking groups of tourists 
around the castle.
Some days, in the summer
 I would take over a hundred around....I miss it!


Anyway, back to Carew Castle


Obviously, the large building is the castle ruins.
The smaller building 
you can see in the distance,
is Carew Mill
There is a walk all around the moat and ...
in the summer...
you can get a cup of tea and wonderful cakes there!




The castle, itself, is really attractive.......
The ruins of a beautiful bow window 
can just about be seen?!
I really must look into its history because
there must be tales about it!

All these things I want to ....and mean too do
and .....I never get around to it.
Are you the same?  
Time certainly seems to be whizzing by....
do you feel that way?
I have plans to do so much
and simply cannot accomplish all that I need to.
I used to be able to do....
and more...
When I was working at the college all day, 
running a home, shopping
marking work...etc .....etc....


This is Caldey Island
where a group of monks have their home.
People can visit the island
but only men can enter the monastery!

Perhaps they have it right...
taking themselves out of the world so that they can
focus on the things that matter!

Talking of things that matter,
as you know I love
knitting, crocheting, planning and 
all sorts of crafting....

I am so delighted to have been chosen
as part of a Visual Faith Team which is led by
Carrie at Five17Journals.
She designs online journalling Christian stickers.




We plan and journal about our faith 
and share our journals online to encourage others.
I intend to share 
some of my journalling entries here 
over these next months.
I know I have shared some of my planning 
and Traveller's Notebook pages
in the past 
and a lot of you have made some very kind comments!

I am also starting to pick up my knitting
and am finishing another shawl
so I shall let you see it....when it's finished.

 I picked a huge bunch of sweet peas
from the garden this morning.
They are just about over
but still smell and look glorious.

I do hope all is well with you 
and look forwards 
to visiting you in the next few days!




#five17journals  #VisualFaithFamily

Tuesday 17 September 2019


Today




For so many days recently
I have thought...
"this will be the day that I start writing my blog again!"

It is all so easy to stop doing things
but ....oh so difficult to pick it up again!

And even after I sat down, this afternoon, 
in the sun
with my 
laptop on my knee...
things did not go well for me. 
As I tried to use a different computer
and blogger wouldn't let me in!!
Anyway here I am!

How are you all??
I used to hear from so many of you
very regularly
but I expect that few...if any
will remember me!

To catch up....
well I completed 4 years of my Open University 
degree in Classics 
but have had to stop 
for a while
as there are so many health issues in my life,
my husband's and my mother's.
I have been awarded a Diploma in Higher Education
but will have to complete another
2 years if I want to succeed with the degree!!


It was my mother's birthday a couple of weeks ago
and so we had a big family party
After all she is 99!!
This is not the venue but my cousin and I took Mum
to the Ettington Park Hotel
for a cup of tea 
the day before her party.


It really is an incredible place.
I believe they made the film
"Hush, hush sweet Charlotte' here??



The church has only the facade still standing!


The interior seems to look almost Moroccan?


This fireplace is in the entrance hall



This is the library.  It too, is ornate.
There are secret doors in here.
This is where they conduct marriages.
Perhaps the doors are for the bride to escape?



The doorway out of the library



The Hallway



and the lounge

We truly had a lovely afternoon!

I really hope to continue writing here
and sharing things 
that matter 
to me.

I do hope to connect with some old friends and, hopefully, make some new!

Life is pretty difficult, health wise,
at the moment so 
I do hope to 
catch up with you all again soon!



Wednesday 9 May 2018

May Bank Holiday




An absolutely glorious afternoon
and so my cousin and  decided to spend it at a little bay
Monk's Haven.




The wild garlic
is growing there profusely
and  it is just beginning to scent the air!
I really love it when the flowers
are starting to fade
and the scent of the garlic gets stronger and stronger.



Apparently chefs love it as it's flavour 
isn't as strong as the usual variety!



The bluebells are also starting to open
and, as you look up through the trees there is
a blue haze amongst the ferns!



We stopped near the beach
and sat on a seat that gave a lovely view of the bay.
Unfortunately, the photos of this 
are on my phone
and I have not yet worked out how to get them
onto my computer.......sorry!!



We came across a lovely little bunch of violets
hiding on a grassy bank!


At length,
after wandering along a white-thorn edged path,
we saw the watch tower
standing proudly guarding this part of the coast.




It was a little like......
......the hedge of thorns 
surrounding the bed 
where the Sleeping Beauty lay!??

Too far-fetched???
Can you see the path in the photo?
Well, the path was overgrown with thorns
and I was glad to have a jacket
to protect my arms!



It was years before I discovered this tower.
We always used to turn in the other direction 
when we went for a coast path walk!



Isn't the view from it lovely...
except, of course,
that my cousin decided to get in on the act!!



There are all sorts of ideas.....
about what exactly it is..??
Some say a folly that the monks in the monastery used....
....others that it was a watchtower for the coast.
There's actually a fireplace there...
and lots of windows.
It also looks as if
there was a second floor
as there are steps outside going up
and also you can see, inside, 
where the floorboards would have been positioned.



A pleasant walk in the glorious sunshine!

We walked back down to the beach
and to the car,
past a lovely little church.





As for what's happening with us??
Well, I had a enjoyable coach holiday last week.
We went to the Isle of Wight.
We being some friends and I......
hubby didn't want to come!!



It's a place 
that I have always wanted to visit 
after I saw a programme about Queen Victoria 
and her love of the house and the island!



I will post about it next time 
when I have worked out how to transfer photos 
from my iPhone to this computer.  
In the past I have emailed them to myself 
but there are too many of them this time to do that!!



When we arrived back in town 
a friend gave me a lift home and, unfortunately, 
as I was trying to get into the back of her small car, 
I twisted and hurt something.  
My back's been stiff 
and uncomfortable for a few days 
but today I am in agony and can barely move my left leg.  
I had an emergency appointment with an osteopath this morning who eased it slightly but it's still pretty bad!

I've been  trying to get on with my studies 
as I have an assignment due this week.  
(Luckily I've managed to get an extension of 2 weeks but really don't want to use all of it as my exams are on 7th June!!)

I had planned to study today but, as I'm on lots of painkillers and in a lot of pain, I just cannot do it!  Panic .....panic!

I've been reading all sorts of books since I last wrote.  I took
several Mills and Boon romances on holiday with me and really enjoyed them.


Sarah Morgan's books never disappoint!!  
This one, 
'How to Keep a Secret' 
is a little different from her usual way of writing.
 It tells life stories of several different people whose lives intertwine.  It is so compelling.....
 ....and bewitching 
that I was really sorry to come to the end!!

There is another book that I so enjoyed 
and I haven't stopped telling anyone I meet about it.  
It is 
'A Grand Old Time' 
by Judy Leith.  
Again, I wholeheartedly recommend this book!  
I cried with laughter, 
held my breath as the heroine looked to be getting in over her depth, and grieved as well!  
I believe that it is Judy's first book 
and look forwards to, hopefully, her next!  
It was such a good read 
that I can see it being a tremendous comedy film!!  
I do hope somebody will 'discover' it!!

Right, I think I have wittered on long enough!
Those of you that I failed to return visit...
I am sooo sorry!
The Latin study has really taken up so much of my days.
Only another month to go ,,,,,oh help!!



#agrandoldtime #judyleith #netgalley 
#howtokeepasecret #sarahmorgan #insiders@millsandboon #millsandboon








Sunday 8 April 2018

Primroses





Yesterday I was lucky enough
to spend the morning
with three of my grandsons.

I say 'lucky' because
it means 
that I get the chance 
to do things that otherwise......
I would probably not bother to do!!



We had intended to go to see the owls.
But....
as the weather 
wasn't to good it meant that the owls 
would not be out flying
so....
we decided to go to Scolton Manor.
A large Victorian country house
(that had been used as a convalescent hospital for servicemen during the second world war)
but now is the responsibility
of the Local Council.


I have to say that I was really impressed
as it had been a very long time
since I last visited
and it had certainly been
restored and dressed really well.
They, also, had spent a lot of time and effort
in thinking of ways
to entertain the children.


My grandsons certainly, were soon
holding clipboards and trying to find various
objects in the rooms
so that they could gain a prize!
There were also craft rooms for them to use
and several other ways where
we could have spent a lot of time... 
and this was only inside!!
I have the feeling we will be visiting there again soon!



I think that we will leave it a few weeks yet 
so that the ground can dry up
and we can take advantage..... 
of the woodland walks etc.




What else has been happening?
Well, I have been bows under trying
to complete my fifth assignment for my degree course..
which has been extremely interesting....but....
caused me an inordinate amount
of stress!!

I had an extension, 
as my health has been so poor,
and I have had to be backwards and forwards 
to hospital so much that I lost a lot of time!
I only have one more assignment to do
in the middle of May...
and then the exam 7th of June.
I shall have to make a start on revising!
scary!!!



How did your Easter Holidays go?
We have had a lovely time 
and spent quite a lot of it with some of the grandchildren.....always fun!

Apart from that
and too much chocolate
we haven't done much as I was busy studying!

I have done a certain amount of craft work
and posted some of it on my IG account.
I was trying a couple of pictures, from my iPad to show you, but it's just not happening.....sorry!


I have been so tired this last week that I usually
fall into bed and sleep.
I have managed
to read a Mills and Boon compendium of books..
under the title of.....
'A Bride for the Playboy Prince'
authors:
Sharon Kendrick, Sandra Martin and  Maisy Yates.
somehow the title caught my eye.
After all... we have a Prince's wedding
happening in the UK
in the not too distant future.




You can't go far wrong with Mills and Boon
and this was 
an enjoyable and easy read!!
I particularly
liked the last book where a wedding planner
had a very exciting time...
No....I'm not telling you any more!!



So ...those are the pictures
of Scolton Manor.
The paths along side the woods
were full of primroses...
really beautiful
I love the scent of primroses!



It's hard to see as the light was quite poor
but, interspersed with the yellow..
were some deep red..
and pink primroses......
Really lovely!



#millsandboon #abridefortheplayboyprince #netgalley