Lately ...

For the past two months or so the world outside has been wet and miserable.

We have a very soggy garden.

Even our poor dog tries to avoid the puddles on our local walk.

I don't venture out anywhere without my wellies.

The Welsh hills have completely disappeared from the view from our bedroom, shrouded in mist and gloom. It has rained nearly every day since the middle of November. 

 Where has all the colour gone?

I've been trying to cheer myself up with Paperwhites and candles....

And daffodils on the kitchen window ledge ....

bring instant cheerfulness ....

and I've spent each evening dipping into a basket of soft, colourful wool

Inspired by the wonderful colourful world of Lucy at Attic 24, I've taken up crochet and I'm really thrilled with my super bright Blooming Flower Cushion.

 Sadly it's going off to live in my daughter's new house, not mine. 

Simple pleasures to lift my spirits..... roll on Spring ..... or just a dry day!

There's a Starman waiting in the sky ....

Ground Control to Major Tom ...

Farewell to the man whose music was a constant in my life.

.....may God's love be with you xxx

Reasons to be cheerful ....

It's not raining.

The sky is almost blue.

I didn't have to go back to work today....

... and there's a vase of tulips in the living room.

Look out - here comes another year ...

 Wishing everyone
 a 
Very Happy

no resolutions

no plans 

no diets
no new gym memberships

Can we just be happy please?

love Kathy xxx

This Christmas ....

We already knew Christmas wouldn't be the same this year. 

My husband's Mum had been very ill for the last few months. We had made tentative plans for hospital or hospice visiting on the day, but sadly she passed away in the middle of December and her funeral was the day before Christmas Eve. We felt out of step with a world filled with frivolous fun. We spent much of the month opening cards, not knowing if it was going to be a Christmas greeting or a message of condolence. It felt surreal coming home each day to our house all festive with decorations and lights which I'd put up at the beginning of the month. 

In the end we had a very simple Christmas. Fewer presents .... we couldn't do much actual shopping, so we just chose a few gifts online. I ran out of wrapping paper and gave things in the bags they came in. I only managed to send half of my Christmas card list. For the first year ever, we had shop bought mince pies and Christmas cake.

On the day itself it was just the two of us and our two grown-up children. No turkey (nobody really likes it anyway), just a normal roast with extra trimmings. No fancy table settings. We still pulled crackers and wore silly hats.

We spent time together in front of the TV watching repeats and eating far too much chocolate, while the rain battered down outside. We were thankful that our part of the 'North' wasn't flooded, and we felt sad for the poor people who have lost everything.

On the few dry days we got outside for a walk with our dog to stretch our legs and re-connect with the elements. 

We had a 'no-frills' Christmas.

And it was still lovely. 

I think we learned that Christmas brings along a magic all of its own even when you're feeling sad.  

And all that fuss counts for nothing at all.

Graduation Day

There were times when we thought this day might not happen, as our son has been really ill for the last two years of his time at Aberdeen. 

But he hung in there and got his 2:1 in English and Creative Writing. 

He graduated with his girlfriend last Tuesday.

They met on their second day of uni four years ago and have been together ever since

We had a lovely relaxed day, in warm sunshine, in the grounds of the ancient buildings.

And we got to have our 'proud parents' photographs after all. 

I'm so proud of my boy who has succeeded against all odds, and so grateful to the young lady who has been quietly by his side during a difficult time.

Five on Friday

Today I'm joining in again with Amy at  Love Made My Home's  link up 'Five on Friday'.

Click on the link on my sidebar to join in.

Our new garden continues to delight me. As one plant finishes, something lovely is waiting to take its place. 

I love the soft pastel shades of this iris.

 I think alliums are becoming one of my favourite flowers. Such an explosion of colour for so little effort. Just throw a few bulbs down in autumn!
The seat was broken on this old wooden bench and it was beyond repair. Rather than throw it away, I gave it a coat of paint and now it's a great support for a clematis montana.

Recently I offered to make a cake for a special occasion. Considering I'd never iced a square cake like this before, I was surprised myself at how well it turned out.  Many thanks to a brilliant little tutorial I found on youtube. (The topper was bought on-line).

And here are the happy couple..... my Mum and Dad enjoying a small family party in their honour!

Don't forget to pop over to Amy's blog and see what everyone else is sharing this week.

The Kelpies

Recently, we've taken a little trip up to Scotland for a few days, on a mission to collect the boy from uni in Aberdeen. His course is over and he's coming back home for now. In previous years we've had to rush up and back again in a weekend, but this time we had time to have a stopover to break up the long drive.

We stayed overnight in Falkirk so we could visit the fabulous Kelpies.

" .....The Kelpies are one of the largest equine sculptures in the world, standing 30 metres (100 feet) tall. They are the landmark feature of The Helix Environmental Regeneration Scheme on the Forth and Clyde Canal near Falkirk on Central Scotland. They are the brain-child of sculptor Andy Scott, and will be the largest public artworks in Scotland....."

We found them quite breathtaking, and spent ages just walking around them and viewing them from every angle. Amazing!

It would be a great place to moor a canal boat.

We even went back late at night to see them illuminated.

I can't believe four years have flown by already. It doesn't seem that long ago when we made our first nine hour trip up to Aberdeen, and drove all the way home with an empty car. 
He seemed such a long, long way from home.

And now we're all going to have to get used to each other again. We've had an empty nest for four years and he's been used to living an independent life without checking in with us 'oldies'.

Wish us luck!

Five on Friday

Today I'm joining in again with Amy at  Love Made My Home's  link up 'Five on Friday'.

I've been taking part in an on-line reading challenge since the beginning of the year ( 2015 Reading Challenge). The aim is to read 50 books in the year, which averages out at one book a week, and so far I'm up to date. We're in week  nineteen, and I've read eighteen books so far. There isn't a set of titles as such, but a list of themes instead ..... for example a book translated from another language, a memoir, a book that was turned into a film and so on. My list is on a page at the top of my blog.

The best thing about doing this challenge is that I have read books that I might never have considered before. 

So, here's a little peep at what I've been reading in the past few weeks.

One:

A book set in a different country .....

This is a haunting glimpse into China in the Nineteenth century when foot binding was practised and women were kept secluded. It tells of a friendship between two little girls that lasts a lifetime as they endure the hardships and sufferings caused by life, marriage and motherhood.  I found it quite an emotional read at times.

Two:

a book from your childhood

This was one of my favourites when I was young. I had a battered copy that had belonged to my auntie and I read it over and over again. Later, I loved the film too. When I read it this time I was surprised how faithful the film was to the book, but I also discovered chapters that are not in the film that I'd totally forgotten. A pleasant trip down memory lane.

Three:

a book with a love triangle

Another favourite of mine from long ago, I was determined to re read this wonderful book before the new film came out. This time, I found I was a bit disappointed in Bathsheba, the main character. She is such an independent,  free-spirited young woman at the start of the book, and then makes some dreadful choices in her life with dire consequences for many of the other characters around her. Maybe it's because I'm older now, but I wasn't swept up in the romance of it all, and I wanted to shout "No! Don't do it you fool!  He's the wrong one!!!"  

Four:

a book translated from another language

This was originally written in German.
 A young American woman follows her missing father to Burma where she believes he grew up, and learns of his life before. It is very simply written, almost like a fairy tale, and is quite lovely. 

Five:

I've been wanting to join a Book Club for years and now I have. 

A new group was starting up locally, and we had our first meeting on Tuesday.
I met some lovely new people, all passionate readers, and we had an interesting chat about what we'd read, and what we hadn't.

And this is what we've chosen to read this month, as four out of six of us had it on our list of suggestions.

Again, many thanks to Amy for hosting Five on Friday.

Why don't you pop over there and see what everyone else has been up to?

A Postcard from Lyn Padarn

These days we try to get out for a walk whenever the weather is kind to us. We're working our way through a little book of walks in North Wales. This time we planned to walk right around Lyn Padarn which is the lake next to Llanberis.

We started off with an early lunch at the Caban in the tiny village of Brynrefail. (The photo is from their site) This is an amazing place which is an artists centre, a cafe with a fantastic range of food and is the hub of the local community. When we were there, there was  a 'knit and natter' group meeting up. They weren't just knitting, but spinning as well.

Suitably refreshed we headed off through the woods

Lots of sheep watching Inca warily ....

The path rose steeply giving us great views of the lake and the little town of Llanberis below.... and of course the mountains in the Snowdon range.

At the end of the lake we came across this building which was the old hospital for the Llanberis Slate mine .... now it's a visitor centre.

Next door was the mortuary. Obviously, mining was a dangerous occupation.

We were glad we were going down the staircase ....

Regular readers will guess what came next ....

Yep! She was in before we even got down the staircase.

Sheer bliss. A swim in crystal clear water with a stick!

At the head of the lake is the Llanberis Slate Museum and a little train that will take you back along the lake side. It was a good place for an ice cream stop....

... and a good place to take in the views.

Now we were making our way back along the other side of the lake. A nice gentle path following the shore which was a welcome change from the steep twisting paths through the woods on the first part of the walk.

We realised that we were walking along an old railway track .... which means nice and flat for me!

We kept Inca well away from the nesting swans.

Back through the railway tunnel

to the head of the lake where we had started out from hours before.

A fabulous walk ... made pretty special by fabulous weather.
I'm aiming to walk up Snowdon before too long .... but I need a bit more training I think!