When Autumn Leaves Begin To Fall

The nights are drawing in, the early mornings & late afternoons are getting colder & this year, Autumn has arrived before Summer  :o)  If nothing else, it's reinforced that good old British tradition - moaning about the weather :o) It's all part of our charm &, like queueing, it's *what we do* :o)

 

There is beauty to be seen in every season, but Autumn is my favourite time of year. I love the rich, deep colours of the trees & bushes, that *nip* in the air when you first step out of the house in the morning & lazy Saturday afternoons when the rain is pouring down & you can snuggle up on the sofa to watch a good film :o)

 

Because it's now Autumn, I thought I'd change the pic for my blog header-doobery-wotsit & the photo I chose is one of my favourites. I took it about 3 years ago in Russell Gardens, opposite Kearsney Abbey, on a wet Sunday morning :o) It just sums up Autumn for me :o)

 

However . . .

 

With Autumn, comes that slightly uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. The feeling that Christmas is just along the road & round the corner. The feeling that, no matter how organised I am,  I am STILL going to fall headlong into a STATE OF PANIC !!!  Where will I find the time to make Christmas cakes, puddings, cards & presents ? What if I've forgotten someone ? Where can I hide things from the eagle eyes of a 4 year old who has already spotted Christmas bags on top of my wardrobe ?

 

 *Why are there Christmas bags up there, Grandma ? Is there anything for me up there ? Is there, Grandma ? Is there ? I'm REALLY trying to be a good boy, but it's hard . . * :o) 

 

I suspect  having a 2 year old brother doesn't help in the being-good-ALL-the-time stakes :o)

 

Knowing how I go so easily into full on panic mode, I've tried this year to do bits & pieces each month in preparation for Christmas. I've even resorted to taking my knitting with me to hospital appointments - I spend so much time in waiting rooms with himself, it seems a shame to sit & do nothing :o) I've made a few cards & next week, the cakes will be made. I don't like rich fruit cake, but the smell in the kitchen as the fruit is drowning soaking in brandy & then the cakes themselves being cooked, is just gorgeous :o)  Maybe I'll change the habits of a lifetime & try a slice. You never know, my taste buds may have altered since the last time I tried it :o)

 

My youngest grandson is probably the biggest Thomas the Tank Engine fan I've ever known :o) He can tell you which train is which, what the helicopter is called & all manner of other things about Thomas & his friends. So, with his train obsession in mind, this is the Christmas card I made for him the other day. Not Thomas, but I expect that's what he'll say when  he sees it :o)

 

 

So.

 

I may be in a slight panic, but my list of things to do is getting shorter :o)

 

Below are some other Christmas cards I've made. As usual, some are rubbish but there is the odd one or two that I'm pleased with :o) I told myself that I had to practice my stamping & every Christmas card I've made so far has a stamped image.

 

I love this sleepy little mouse :o)

 

 

 



 

I made this card today when we were waiting for the District Nurse to come to see himself :o)

 

 

 

Choir Boy or Angel ?  I really like this stamp. It's clean & simple & came with a magazine last year, along with a fair few others.

 

 

 

 This stamp is from one of the Penny Black collection. I LOVE those stamps :o)

 

 

 

This snowman was in the same collection as the Choir Boy, I just stamped him 3 times :o)

 

 

 

From the same stamp collection, this lovely tree was stamped with clear embossing ink, sprinkled with gold embossing powder & heated with my heat gun. In *real* life, it looks pretty impressive.

 

 

 

 Another Penny Black stamp. I just love those little mice & hedgehogs :o)

 

 

 

 

This little bear was a stamp I got on a magazine a year or 2 ago.

 

 

 

 

 The little mouse & robin again.

 

 *Is that a Penny Black stamp ?* I hear you cry !! Well, yes. How did you know ??!! :o)

 

 

 

 

 Yes, another Penny Black stamp :o)

 

 

 

And lastly, the lovely Penny Black snowman again :o)

 

 

That's the beauty of stamps, you can use them time & again. Other people have a better imagination that I do & when they use the same stamp, they somehow manage to come up with something totally different each time, whereas I just get one idea lodged in my head & it's there for the duration :o)

 

BUT . . .

 

While I wait for inspiration to strike, I suppose I'd better get on with knitting the hoodie grandson 1a requested. Once I've done that, it's on to hoodie no. 2 for grandson no. 1b & a Christmas card for grandson 1a. Because, after all, that's what Grandma's - even those who, like me, are FAR too young to be this old - do, isn't it ? :o)

 

 

The Last Blooms of Summer

When we went to the Secret Gardens - though they're really NOT so secret these days :o) - I took photos of the last flowers. If these are anything to go by, the Spring & Summer displays will be really beautiful :o)

 

 

This beautiful rose was in the border just after the Tropical Garden & looked so lovely with the sun shining on it.

 Not quite sure what this is, possibly from the Echinacea family ? Either way, the colour is gorgeous.

 

 

One of my favourites - the sunflower that really DOES do what it says on the box :o) Gardens with sunflowers in them seem to be brighter than those without.

 

 



A two toned dahlia, complete with buzzy bee :o) I can't, for the life of me, remember what this dahlia was called, but it had a lovely name &, judging by the bees, butterflies & grasshoppers around them, the wildlife really loved them, too :o)



 A white butterfly resting on the dahlia. There were loads of butterflies dancing amongst the garden, but this dahlia border seemed to attract the most.

 

 

 I think this grasshopper needs lessons in camouflage :o) A few inches to the left & he'd have had a better chance of not being spotted.

 

 

 I just loved this dahlia - the colours are so bright  cheerful.

 

 

 The bee liked this one, too :o)

 

 

 The cosmos were blowing about gently in the breeze. The borders looked so lovely with them all swaying from side to side.

 

 

 This pink dahlia was lovely with it's deeper pink centre & each layer getting paler & paler.There was a real cluster of flowers on this plant - & best of all - NO earwigs :o)

 A sunburst, fireball or flower ? Definitely a striking dahlia :o)

 The cosmos were so paper thin & delicate. The colours were beautiful.

 Each flower was slightly different but they all had a fragile beauty to them.

 

 



 Photos really don't do them justice. The colour around the edge of this cosmos was so rich & deep in comparison to the rest of it.

 

 

 So many different shades of pink.

 

 

 But - most importantly of all . . .

 

 

 STRIPPITY STRIPPAGE :o)

 

You can't get better than that, really :o)

 



A Morning Out

After having a fairly hectic summer, what with things breaking, family worries & the general pace of life these days, we met our lovely friend, Val, in Sandwich for a mooch about in the Secret Gardens.

Val has been many times & it's been on our *Must Visit* list for a few years, so when she suggested meeting up we jumped at the chance. Well, *I* jumped, Shaun sort of did a wheelie in his wheelchair !! :o)  No, not really . . . he just agreed it would be a nice morning out :o)

 

The gardens surround The Salutation House, designed by the famous English architect, Edwin Lutyens & built in 1911 in the Arts & Crafts style.  Lutyens was commissioned to design the war memorials in the larger cemeteries & is also responsible for the design of the Cenotaph in London, built as a permanent reminder of those killed in action during WW1 & now also for those killed since.

 

The gardens were designed by Lutyens & planted by Gertrude Jeykyll, one of the most famous female gardeners of all time. The original woodland area, White Garden, Yellow Garden, wild meadow garden & the bowling green, are still in evidence today, along with more recent additions such as the Tropical Garden.There is also a small lake - Lake Patricia, obviously named after me !! :o) - & an island, which were reinstated in 2007. Dotted about the 3.5 acres are metal animal statues which can be bought from the artist - if you're rich enough :o) We saw a foal, a really lovely giraffe, a mother pig & her piglet - so sweet !! - & some pumpkins that were brilliant. They really looked good because they were among the pumpkins growing in the veg garden :o)

This is the first proper view of the house. When you enter the gardens, there's a small hut where you pay the entrance fee. To the left of that is the entrance to the gardens & after you've walked a few yards, this is the view to your right.

 

 

This is the path through the Tropical Garden. Because it's the end of the summer, everything is dying down now, so it wasn't at its best for our visit. The path was difficult to negotiate pushing a wheelchair, but we managed. Next time, we'll take the mobility scooter :o)

 

 

A view of the house from the far side of the gardens. It really is a stunning place.

 

In the woodland area, there are a couple of seating areas. This chair thingy caught my eye - it looks like it's made from antlers but is all wood.

Part of the woodland area with a shaft of sunlight coming through the trees. It's only small but it's peaceful & very whimsical. You can almost imagine a playful elf or gnome darting about playing hide & seek with you. Or, maybe that's just me !! :o)

 

 

 

This is one of the flower borders. The orange of the Chinese Lanterns against the yellow of the Golden Rod is something to see. It gives off a warm, Autumnal feeling &, in *real life* is beautiful.

 

In the Spring & early Summer, this woodland garden is covered with wild flowers. There were only a few cornflowers left but the statue of the foal was still there. Val said there had been a bigger *Mummy* statue there a few weeks ago, but it must have been sold because we didn't see it anywhere else in the gardens.

Now, I LOVED this statue :o) A headless ghostly woman.  I don't know why I loved it, Val doesn't, she finds it creepy, but I just thought it was fab. I also love the area it's in - a corner of the bowling green, with St. Clement's Church tower hovering in the background :o)

 

 

 Here she is again, posed as though she's pointing to the church :o)

 



 

This is the house from the bowling green. It's beautiful & very impressive, but, unfortunately, it isn't open to the public :o(

 

 

If I remember correctly, this cottage can be rented for holidays.  It overlooks the Yellow Garden & is pretty big for a cottage :o)

 

A view of the gardens. Because the borders are quite high, it's almost as though the gardens are made up of individual rooms.

 

Amongst the bird song, we could hear chainsaws & other machinery as the gardeners were busy cutting back & tidying up, getting the gardens ready for bed over the winter.

 

 

The island & Lake Patricia, complete with visitor :o)

The crocodile or alligator - not sure which, sorry - is HUGE. It's beautifully made & looks pretty ferocious :o)

 

Looking at the little patio area - where I took the photo above this one  - from the island. It's very small but has room for a pergola with  table & 4 chairs inside. A beautiful spot to just sit & be quiet for a while.

 

A view of the lake from the island.

 

 

I took a fair few pics of the flowers & plants around the gardens, but I'll save those for another time.

We will definitely go back again, hopefully before Christmas, because I think all the seasons have something to show us in a garden. Autumn is my favourite time of year, so maybe we'll get there sometime in the next couple of months.

 

Now, though, I need to ring my Mum & wish her happy birthday & I need to finish icing a cake for grandson 1a who is ALSO celebrating his birthday today :o) He's 4, but my Mum is a wee bitty bit older than that :o)

 

Have a great Sunday, whatever you're doing.

 

 

 



OOH !! What a palaver !!! :o)

August is beginning to be a month that I dread. It seems that it's becoming a month where everything goes wrong. This August, the *everything happens in threes* saying became, for us, the *everything happens in MULTIPLES of threes* !! :o)

First of all, Shaun's mobility scooter broke down when we went to Fowlmead (see last blog post) & it turned out that a new throttle cable was needed. Unfortunately, the mobility shop were sent the wrong part & consequently, the scooter was in the shop for a fortnight. A few days later, on Tuesday afternoon, we went out for a walk & it just wasn't right - it was SOOO slow, it couldn't keep up with me walking along the road. So, Shaun phoned the shop & they arranged to pick it up on the Friday afternoon & have a look at it. When they bought it back, Shaun tried it out & it conked out halfway across the road. Thankfully, the mobility blokes were still here & helped get him back up to the house. They took the scooter away again, but as it was the Friday before Bank Holiday, we were, yet again, scooter-less. It was returned the following week having had some electrical connectors twiddled with :o) So far, he's used it once, just to go up the road & back. We've yet to put it in the car & take it somewhere, only to be disappointed that it's conked out, so WATCH THIS SPACE !!! :o)

Anyway, to cut a long story short - yaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn !!! - the other things that have gone wrong are as follows:

2 - the ceiling light/fan pull came *orf in me 'and*. That was a palaver, I can tell you. Because Shaun is unable to stand or go up steps etc., muggins here had to unscrew & lower said light fitting from the ceiling & then, following instructions/ORDERS from himself, had to redo the light pull with electrical connectors - or something - & then screw it all back together on the ceiling.  Note how well up I am on the technical terms, please :o)

3 - my iron broke. Water started coming out of the handle & the foot plate. As I'm sure you can imagine, I was HEARTBROKEN. Completely & utterly gutted. My beautiful iron . . . sob :o(
I hate ironing. Can you tell ? :o) Anyway, I had to buy another one. Sob :o(

4 - the microwave suddenly stopped in the middle of doing some jacket potatoes. Ugh. Luckily, it turned out to be nothing more than a blown fuse.

5 - my beautiful stripy broom handle broke in half. Now, THAT I really WAS sad about !! Not because I couldn't sweep the floor, but because it was my beautiful STRIPY broom !!!  I now have a silver handle attched to a stripy broom head. If I'm not careful, I'll end up like Trigger from *Only Fools & Horses* & will have the same broom for 10 years - only it'll have had 3 new heads & 2 new handles !! :o)

6 - my kitchen scales decided to play silly wotsits. I weighed something out & it showed the correct weight, so I then added something & it was suddenly only half of what it had been. (Wish it worked like that for ME on the bathroom scales !!) After that happened 2 or 3 times, I decided it might be best to buy some new scales.

7 - the hoover lost the will to live :o(    One minute it was fine'n'dandy, the next it was squealing like it had sucked up a cat playing bagpies !! AND - when I switched it off, it refused to stand upright. The handle just kept throwing itself to the floor. I swear, if it could talk, it would have said something along the lines of *it's no good - I can't go on !!* & then just fluttered its eyelids & died. Which it pretty much did, really. So, now I have a new hoover. I've given it a good talking to & told it, in no uncertain terms, that if it decides to die on me, it has to do it quietly & not make a mess on the floor :o)

8 - Shaun's sewing machine decided to follow the hoover & threw itself to its death by falling off the table. Because he can't use his legs, he gave his electric sewing machine to our daughter & he had an old fashioned Singer that has a turny handle. The metal bar that makes the needle go up & down snapped off inside the machine & unfortunately, couldn't be fixed. That machine was over 100 years old & had a lovely stitch. So I was told - what do I know ? Sewing & I are NOT friends & never have been, not since the day I was 13 & in sewing class at school & somehow managed to sew my school skirt to the skirt I was making. My teacher told me NEVER to darken her classroom doorstep again. So I didn't.

And finally - the worst thing of all:

9 - MY COMPUTER DIED !!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!!!!
Just like the hoover, one day it was fine, the next it wasn't. I'd used it on the Monday evening, but on Tuesday morning, it was as dead a a dead thing can possibly be. If not deadererer.  I phoned PC World insurance thingy & was given a reference number & told to take the pc into the shop. Luckily, I have insurance on the pc that included data recovery, so along with the pc, I had to give them an external hard drive to save anything they could. It was away in the pc hospital for 2 weeks & it turned out that it had suffered from hard drive failure & power supply failure. My poor pooter had DIED :o(  Just like that. No indication that anything was wrong, no please-may-I-be-excused-I'm-not-feeling-very-well. Nothing. Just here one minute & gone the next. Sighhhhhhhhhhhhhh. However, the boffins at PC World DID manage to save all my photos, files & what have you. HOORAY !!!

So, here I am, 10 days after picking my pc back up, STILL trying to get it to how I had it & not getting anywhere very fast. It's been a busy couple weeks, what with medical apointments, but we had a lovely morning out yesterday, so the next blog will be about that. With pics. Nothing boring like this one, I promise :o)

Frustrations, friends, fun & new experiences :o)

This morning, Shaun had yet another hospital appointment, but as it was an early one at Deal, we had arranged to meet friends at Fowlmead Country Park at Sholden, between Sandwich & Deal. It's a 200 acre park, regenerated from the shale spoil tip at what used to be Betteshanger Colliery.

Betteshanger was the last of Kent's four colliery's to close & from 1989 to 2000, it was left to nature. In 2000, SEEDA (South East England Development Agency) bought the land & set about turning it into a country park, complete with a 2 mile cycling track. The park opened to the public in 2007 & soon proved a popular place to visit.

The cycling track is used by professionals as well as the general public & you can also go running, mountain biking,  collect fossils & take part in orienteering, geocaching, archery, walking, &  bushcraft . There is a BMX area for kids to practice their skills & a play area for children aged 4-14. It costs £1.50 to park all day & there is a cafe that serves food from 10am.

In the first 2 or 3 years, we went quite a few times. There's always something different to see in each season & as we've not been able to go for a couple of years, I was really looking forward to it.

The day dawned bright & sunny & as I'd put the mobility scooter in the car last night, all I had to do was get Shaun to the car & put the wheelchair on the backseat. We set off & got to the hospital at about 8:45am. We made our way to the clinic & only waited for 5 minutes before being called in. We were out by 9am, 10 minutes before the actual appointment time !! How's that for service, eh ? :o)

A flurry of texts was sent - me to Val, Val to Kris & back again - & we arranged to meet in the car park at Fowlmead.

We pulled up & I set to, getting the scooter out of the back of the car. When it was all put together, Shaun turned the key & it just beep-beep-beeped & wouldn't move !!! Now, it was fine when he drove it down to the car last night & it was fine when he used it a few days ago. This exact same thing happened in April when we took grandson 1a to Dover Castle :o(  We had it looked at by the mobility shop we use & they replaced a bush or something (technical stuff & I are NOT friends !!!) & it was fine when we took grandson 1a to Walmer Castle on 2 July. However, it seems that there must be an electrical problem or something's been shaken loose on the drive from Ramsgate to Deal & now, we have to wait for the mobility people to pick it up & have a look on Friday afternoon.

To say I was disappointed is probably the understatement of the year. The scooter wasn't the ONLY thing that beep-beep-beeped, let me tell you !! It seems whenever we try to go somewhere or do something - which, given Shaun's health problems isn't that often - something goes wrong & stops us from having fun :o(

By now, Val had arrived & suggested we have a cuppa while we wait for Kris, Steve & their grandsons,  & then decide what to do instead of walking around the park. I got Shaun into his wheelchair & off we went to the cafe. While we were there, Shaun spotted a notice about disabled bikes for hire at the park, so once Kris & Steve arrived, we went to see what it was all about.

WELL !!! They have bikes that are pedalled BY HAND !!! The day was saved !!! Val sorted out the hiring details while Shaun had a practice to see if he could use the bike. His legs had to be strapped on to stop them doing their own thing - which, as he can't control them, they do frequently !! :o) - & as I had to lift his leg up over the crossbar, everyone else held the bike still so he didn't fall flat on his face :o) When he was settled, off we set, on our grand adventure :o)

 Seems there's NOWHERE safe from hoodies these days !!! :o))

(Hi, Kris !!)

 A view of Fowlmead lake. This lake is just BEE-OO-TEE-FUL. You can't see much of it at this time of year because of the greenery, but in the winter, you can really see how big it is.

 Looking across a field of cows towards Sandwich.

 Why did the bull rush ? Because he saw the cow slip !! :o) Ah, the oldies are the goodies :o)

 Wildflowers & weeds :o)

 The little bridge over the pond.

 This photo reminds me of the Eva Cassidy song *Fields of Gold*.

 The lookout seen from the bigger bridge. All the green on the right of this photo is Fowlmead lake :o)

 Shaun on his chariot :o)  Even with his legs strapped in, his right foot still managed to slip forward. It just will not do what it's supposed to.

 Beautiful teasels :o) VERY sharp & spiky, as I found to my cost when I brushed past one :o(

 Val & I have christened this the *Teddy bear shaving bush*  - yes, bush, not brush -  plant !! It is the softest thing I think I've ever felt in my life.

 We patted this little plant over & over again - it was SO soft & springy, just like a comfy cushion :o)

 A beaten track off the beaten track :o) 

 I talk to the trees, but they don't listen to me !! :o)

Talking of trees, while we were wandering round, Val pointed at a really gnarled & multi-branched tree & said  *I wonder how old that tree is*. So, being the nice, kind girl I am I went & asked it !! :o) I don't think it understood English though, cos it didn't answer me :o) 

The winner of the bike race - Shaun, talking to his coach/trainer, Steve & the runners up, Kris & Steve's grandsons :o)

After all the kerfuffle with the scooter, we had a lovely morning & it didn't rain till we got to the car :o)

No matter what's happening in your life, a couple of hours spent in the company of good friends is the ideal pick-me-up, so THANK YOU, Val, Kris & Steve, for a fab morning :o)

Oh, & by the way: FLY ME TO THE MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON !!!!!

I can caterwaul - or should that be PAT-erwaul - to my hearts' delight here. There are no unsuspecting cyclists or walkers to fall in the lake when they hear me sing !! :o))