Love and best wishes for 2015

Braemar Village

We left the Lodge quite early on the Sunday morning after the wedding, we had to catch a flight home and there was a long drive home - after the railway of course!!!
First we had to stop in Braemar and see if we could get a dressing for PJ's wrist - long story, suffice to say he went out walking and fell over (at least he avoided the river!!)  This morning he was sore and bruised but really needed some sort of dressing.



We stopped at the Chemist where a wonderful lady cleaned and dressed his wound, we bought some cards and a couple of souvenirs.




We had a look round the village while we were there, crossing the bridge to see further down the road.  The river tumbled down the gorge and under the bridge and away.

The Fife Arms Hotel is alongside the gorge, a very large granite building and there was this amazing fir, sitting there among the rocks.

Such a super bush.

Picturesque as the building and the river.

Further down the road towards the shops was a side road and there was this ruin.



A castle ruin ......

We loaded ourselves into the car, neat and tidy (large) dressing, photographs, souvenirs and drove off  towards Aberdeen and the railway ......

We met these cyclists on the way - thought we were back in England for a second!! (Tour de France)

Along the way we passed this little Kirk, lots of people gathered round on both sides of the road.  We were some distance along the road when we realised - the Royal Family were going to Church!!!!
...... had we been a  little later .....

Happy Birthday to me!!

I had a lovely day - bit of a lie-in and then made some cards, how good is that!!
The girlies came round with their cards and pressies, we spent several hours catching up and laughing as only families can.
N eventually dragged herself off to an appointment and we changed into posh (not slouching) clothes ready to do out for a meal at a good little restaurant out at Wootten Wawen.

Eventually the three of us arrived and were shown to our table.  The menu was a Sunday Roast and we could not believe our eyes - we could have stayed at home for that!!!  There was much apologising between us and the staff, free coffee etc and we left to find somewhere else, with a menu a bit more palatable to us.

As we walked out to the car we discussed where to go and decided to try out a restaurant we had often passed on our travels.  Finest Catch on the Stratford Road in Beau Desert, Henley in Arden - Fish and Chips!!!

The staff were wonderful, quickly showing us to a table and taking our drink orders.  The interior is set out like an American Diner so we perused the Menu and, oh! yes! we were staying!

We had our fish and chips - well, C did!

I had chicken and PJ had sausages.  Very good, mushy peas and curry sauce and onion rings - a bit of this and a bit of that!!
There was plenty of food on the plate and we had to wait a while before we could manage a desert - Banana Split, Peach Melba and Ice Cream.
No rush, no unpleasantness, a very good couple of hours, even with the singing of Happy Birthday!!!

A place to visit again at a later date!

Scotland for Family Visiting

On our way to the Wedding we travelled along the A93 road, from Aberdeen City and out into this new land.  Neither of us had travelled this road before but we were on our way .... the A93 is shown on the map as an almost straight road crossing form east to west.

Peterculter shops

We travelled through typical villages and stopped in Peterculter for some flowers and a wedding card (yes! I forgot!).
Really nice helpful people in the shops and we were soon on our way to Banchory.
We were meeting up with my cousins who I hadn't met for over  ... a long time!  As we approached the town we realised we were nearly an hour early and so we looked for somewhere we could stop for the proverbial coffee and cake.

Mains of Drum

 We saw this tower from the road and a sign saying Garden Centre - we stopped.
Coffee, cake and a more suitable Wedding Card later we continued on our way.  Alongside the road, just before we turned off into my cousin's road we noticed a railway and mentally booked to visit on our return journey.
My cousins were waiting in their bungalow and were pleased to see us, I was sooo excited.
A beautiful tea was laid out, I have forgotten how it used to be  .... the best china brought out for visitors.  It was so lovely, sandwiches, cakes and tea.

Family!

We chatted, swapped photos, caught up with each other's families.  Turns out that J used to work on the railway, giving us all the gossip.
My cousin's were so lovely, just the same as they used to be all those many years ago.  True, they looked older but then so do I.
The last time I saw them I was thirty and burying my daughter, not the best memories we shared.  This time together replaced those memories with new happy ones.
After a couple of hours spent together we said our goodbyes and headed out through small villages, through Ballater and Braemar.  In Braemar we veered right towards Mar Lodge while the road continued on past Balmoral Castle (the Royal Family were in residence but we didn't see them) towards the west coast.

The Nutcracker at the Hippodrome Theatre

For my birthday PJ booked a box at the theatre for the Royal Ballet production of ‘TheNutcracker’.  

Yes! I know! 

Again!

We met up at Wetherspoons for a meal as per usual, one of the door people was also in there with several other members of Hippodrome staff so we stopped to chat.  Joe (the Doorman) gave us a big hug when we arrived – what a man!

We were escorted to the box by one of the theatre staff, it was quite small but we managed – this was built for an earlier age! 

Seeing the theatre from this angle was very interesting, we could see right over the Orchestra pit and we had no-one trying to get past us.  Once we were seated and comfortable…. That was it!

We had a great view of the tree but the view of the stage was restricted which was a shame for PJ who had never seen the production before. 

Matthias was the Jack in the Box and Laura-Jane the lead in the flowers.  Matthias was to play the Prince a few days later and Laura-Jane would be Clara but not tonight. 
The Sugar Plum Fairy was perfection, her duet with the Prince brought me to tears.

Being so close to the stage we could see a lot more of the costumes, make-up and orchestra behaviour!  All very interesting and amusing and amazing.  To see Clara sitting on the floor in the wings watching every movement of the dancers on stage …..

We all agreed we had a lovely time and can’t wait for next year!!!!

Busy few days building a pond .... photo heavy

The fish in our pond are now very large and I am seriously concerned about them having enough space to swim around properly.  I am just a softee at heart!!!

PJ and I visited our nearest aquatics centre and chose a rather large pond base, the fact that it was reduced as it was the last one helped us decide!!  

 

So began the big move.

Most of the plants in the walled garden were dug out and potted on, the Camelia was eventually extracted (it has been there for about ten years and was very deep rooted) and the bricks stacked elsewhere.

It was really obvious that we were doing the right thing after we had moved all the plants out of the pond – it was a tight squeeze for those fish!

We moved the tiddler pond out of the way and then started the big move of the pond with fish still in!

Then began the big dig. 

We wanted the pond to stand proud so that PJ would not have to dig too much soil out of the ground.  The theory was good but the new pond was deep ….. and nicely shaped ……  PJ dug soil for most of the day, me helping to lift the pond base over the hole until we could gently lower it into the hole. 

 It was now dark so we gave up for the day and, thanks to our daughter N, we had a good roast chicken dinner.

The next day we checked that the pond base fitted in the hole with enough space to line the hole and then began deciding what to use.  

We went with a grey plastic lining topped with a pink rug, thick enough to protect from stones etc.

Then we lowered the pondbase into the hole and PJ spent the next couple of hours back filling it, placing a few of the plants around the edges and rebuilding the supporting wall.  

He built it square and filled one corner with blue bricks so that there would be a ‘seat’ where he would be able to sit and watch the fish in the Summer. 

  

Then the pond base needed cleaning out, which was fun!  Old teatowels came to the fore (just an excuse to buy new ones!!) and, with me hosing and PJ wiping, we soon had a clean (ish) base.  We filled the base with water and left it to settle overnight, came into the warmth and enjoyed another roast chicken dinner (thanks again to N).

The next day we had the exciting part ….. putting the fish in their new pond!!!

We managed to coerce them out the small pond, into a bucket and then into the big pond.  They swam round exploring.

We had decided to move the tiddlers into the old pond but wanted to put them against a white background first to ensure we still had the nine. 

The big pond was then cleaned and set up ready for the tiddlers.  As there is some debris on the bottom of the pond it is much easier to see them, although they still prefer to hang around the plants!!!  

Leftover bricks placed round the pond provide some protection and support but we will have to ‘rescue’ a few more to complete the structure.

We are very pleased that we managed to get it all done before the bad frosts came, alas my Camelia was not planted in time but I am hoping that as it was thrown placed among some branches waiting to be chopped it will be protected.

So now we just have to finish with plantings etc., we will do what we can for now and then take a fresh look at it in the Spring (new plants! new plants!).

Paris in November

Diamond Holidays were offering a value weekend break in Paris which we couldn't resist.  Bad timing but one has to do it!!!
We left home on Friday morning to catch the train to London - PJ had downloaded the tickets - so it was non stop to St Pancras where we met up with fellow coach passengers and our Rep - Alex.  He was a young Frenchman, living up north so he had already been travelling for several hours.

When we arrived at Gare de Nord, Alex led us round to the coach so that we could arrive at the Hotel safely - Paris rush hour traffic is not for the faint hearted.
The Hotel is in La Defense area and was very clean and modern, the room a modern cube!!!
We decided we would have our meal in the Hotel and it was a delight - best meal the whole weekend (apart from the one that Rover 1 cooked for us!)
Next day we caught the Metro and RER to see Rover 1 and M, stopping for a quick shop at C&A - of course!!!.  We each chose a coat for the winter, mine has a removable fur lining.  We managed to see some of the 'Dressed for Christmas' windows at Printemps but we still had to travel over to meet up with Rover 1 and time was running out.  We stopped off at the Charolais Bar and eventually wandered back to the apartment.  We decided to have a meal out at a bar which would give us less distance to go to Gare de Lyon and our return journey back to the Hotel.  Le Bistrologue had a covered area outside for dining.  We all had something different, I had a salad with Mazzarella & Walnut - yum! yum!
The next day we were up early as I wanted to visit Le Marche - I need books!!  We managed to get the Metro the Square, lost our way a bit (as one does) and then we were there .......

I wandered along the lines of stalls and found some booklets on Versailles so I bought three of them, two for some of the other members of the group.  I eventually found a couple of books that could be useful for my cardmaking  - when I approached the guy to pay him, he cheekily said "Oh! no! not you again!"  I guess he didn't like my haggling!!!!  We wandered back to the Charolais to wait for the terrible two, it was very busy and there was much laughter and singing!!  We stayed to see the start of the last F1 race and wandered back to the apartment.  Rover 1 cooked lunch and then we all moved out onto the balcony, watching the emptiness of the market being cleared and cleaned.  It was most peculiar to think that we were sitting out on the Balcony until quite late and it was mid November, the Tour d'Effel sparkling on the hour!
We packed our cases ready for the off next day and collapsed into bed.
Another sun shiney day  - our last in Paris - so we were going to spend the morning wandering around La Defense to look at all the changes since our last visit.  We wandered up the esplanade towards the Grand Arch.
Absolutely amazing!
When we last came here there were hoardings along each side of the esplanade, now there were tower blocks of all shapes, and the largest shopping area I have seen in ages.





There will be a Christmas market open soon so at the moment it is just a collection of huts but......
..... from the top of the steps we could see over them straight across to the Arc de Triomphe.

After we left the Grand Arch we decided to have a cup of coffee so wandered into the shopping centre and found a Costa ...... we must have walked for hours looking at all the shops (and C&A!).  We eventually came outside and, as we still had time to spare and the office workers were coming out of their offices for lunch, we decided to sit and watch..........  the view was interesting ..... men in suits ...... women in suits ..... folk in casuals walking their dogs...... From C&A across the Grand Arch to the offices on the other side ........... and the 'art work' of course........

I could have sat in the sunshine for a while longer, it was so peaceful and it is good to watch the world going by .....
All too soon we had to turn round and return to the hotel .......

We had Croque Monsieur for lunch in the reception restaurant and all the others joined us as we waited for the coach.  We returned to Gare du Nord through Montmartre, which was a bonus for us, seeing all the old places where we stayed before.
Alex managed to get our group onto Eurostar before all the other passengers and before we knew it, there we were ...... in among the rush hour of London.  We managed to get our train back to Brum and, one bus later, we were walking in the frost!  Yes!  FROST!  I could not believe it!  And where was my fur lining, my beautiful fur lining?  Packed away in my case!!!
We managed to shiver our way home and collapse into bed!!!

Scotland for a Wedding

(seen on the right of the doorway)

Mar Lodge is quite isolated but lies deep in the Cairngorms in Scotland.  The Lodge is large, very large, very, very large!!  The wing on the right of the photo was hired for the Wedding party, we had our own kitchen and lounge/dining room downstairs and all the bedrooms above.  It was furnished in the style one would expect from such a great house.
On the day of the wedding, after a few 'incidents', we all gathered in a side room  and waited for the bride to arrive.


 Katherine's wedding gown was beautiful, her embroidery picked up the colours of her bridesmaid dress.



The bride's mother made the 'rope' for the tying of the knot.  this tradition was explained to us by the Registrar.




 After the Ceremony there were the 'usual' photographs.......

....the Bride and Groom .....

...... The family photographs ......

...... the family and friends group photos .....

.... we went back into the hall for the Speeches and managed to get a photo of three of the children who came.  These children were just sooo welbehaved although, in fairness, Molly was in charge!

The cake was cut and presents admired, cards read, toasts drunk and then we had the Wedding Meal.

The dining room was delightfully laid out - the décor gives an idea of the history of the lodge, but the meal was wonderfully different and catered for individual tastes.

We had the smaller ballroom to ourselves for the reception .... lots of fairy lights, highland music, dancing and swirling kilts!

 The Groom's family is sitting this one out as the happy couple go by ...

.... then the family joined in ......

.......... great fun by all ......