Tuesday 29th December 2009

Playing with Helen's Christmas present - a Tit on the bird feeder looked so close it was amazing.

Monday 28th December 2009

Ian brought his own breakfast - well it makes a change from toast or cereal!

Sunday 27th December 2009

Helen and Ian arrive and there are more presents, more food, more games and more cuddles for the cats.

Saturday 26th December 2009 - Boxing Day

Bryony and Mark arrive and there are more presents to open.

Friday 25th December, 2009 - Christmas Day

After Christmas dinner and the present opening it's time for a board game.

Thursday 24th December 2009

A combination of hail, snow and ice make the roads treacherous.   Here a car crawls along Pensby Road by the light of the sodium lamps.

Wednesday 23rd December 2009

The first blue sky and sunshine for ages make large sheets of hail slide off the conservatory roof.

Tuesday 22nd December 2009

Super-sized hailstones turn the ground white.

Monday 21st December 2009

Jo and I went to Church Farm to get logs, kindling and coal for the fire. While there we met another Penguin!

Sunday 20th December 2009

Red sky in the morning - shepherd's warning.

Saturday 19th December 2009

Will Emma Gertrude Goose make it through Christmas without being eaten - I think so!

Friday 18th December 2009

A Christmas  present to Bryony and Mark (and a late birthday present to Bryony) all combined.

Thursday 17th December 2009

I'm working on another serviette at the moment. I do enjoy my embroidery and Helen Stevens (whose book can be seen in the background) has some lovely animal and plant pictures to copy.

Wednesday 16th December 2009

Christmas is a a good time for renewing friendships; George and I will have been friends for 50 years next year.

Tuesday 15th December 2009

This tiny shoe was among Mum's keepsakes - presumably from her wedding cake.

Monday 14th December 2009

Sunday 13th December 2009

There are plenty of ornaments to photograph on the tree.

Saturday 12th December 2009

A misty and sunny morning in Arrowe Park.

Friday 11th December 2009

One of a number of little wooden tree decorations I got some years ago. I think they are Scandinavian in origin - perhaps Monica recognises the style?

Thursday 10th December 2009

I decorated the tree today.

Wednesday 9th December 2009

It stopped raining long enough for me to cut down the Norway Spruce. Tomorrow it will come indoors and be decorated. It may not be the prettiest tree we've ever had but it's great to have grown it ourselves.

Tuesday 8th December 2009

Some of the local shops in Pensby are decorated for Christmas - this is the flower shop.

Monday 7th December 2009

This gnome isn't a Christmas gnome so he'll be staying out in the garden - he seems quite happy to be out there.

Sunday 6th December 2009

Each year I treat us to one new ornament for Christmas. This is the 2009 one - bought from a craft fair and made by Beryl Weir from Frodsham.

Saturday 5th December 2009

The top nine feet of this Norway Spruce in our back garden is going to provide our Christmas Tree this year - if it ever stops raining long enough to cut it down.

Friday 4th December 2009

These penguins must have swum across from Liverpool's 'Go Penguin' event.  They were in the Grange Precinct in Birkenhead.

Thursday 3rd December 2009

A few hours of sunshine and blue sky in the morning.  Then this cold front came across the sky in a straight line and blotted out the sun; then the whole sky was covered in cloud; then it rained again.  Will it ever end.

Wednesday 2nd December 2009

Light on the toilet window - could this be sunshine?   Don't be silly, it's a car headlight through the willow tree.

Tuesday 1st December 2009

I had a walk around Liverpool for a few hours today and went into the heritage centre in St George's Hall. St George's Hall, opened in 1854, is widely regarded as one of the finest neo-classical buildings in the world and is a Grade I listed building. It contains concert halls and law courts, and this magnificent ceiling is in the main concert room.

Monday 30th November 2009

I went to the bank in Heswall today and then had a walk round Lower Heswall.

Sunday 29th November 2009

Time to begin wrapping presents.

Saturday, 28th November 2009

The light behind these leaves is called sunshine.  We haven't had much of this phenomenon lately and after an hour it began raining once more...

Friday, 27th November 2009

And even more rain but at least it looks pretty.

Thursday 26th November 2009

And still it rains...

Wednesday, 25th November 2009

Go Penguins is a public art explosion of unrivalled proportions. Over 200 individual works of art will adorn and animate Merseyside’s streets throughout Christmas and New Year, bringing a very special brand of festive sparkle to the holiday season. Commissioned by Liverpool City Council for their Year of the Environment, Go Penguins is the signature event of the city’s festive programme, A Winter’s Trail. Many of the penguins have something to say about climate change – simple, easy to follow hints on how we might all be a little bit greener. Many others are just stunning to look at - all of them are fun!

The one on the left is, of course, an Emperor Penguin.

Tuesday, 24th November 2009

I'm hald way through writing my Christmas cards.

Monday 23rd November, 2009

They're knocking down the end three shops to make a supermarket.  (This despite having been refuused planning permission and a lot of local opposition.  The Government Inspector - shades of Chekov - over-ruled the local decsion.)

Sunday 22nd November 2009

Nearly the last leaf.  And it's still raining.

Saturday 21st November 2009

And there's still some cake left over from last night.

Friday 20th November 2009

Flowers from friends - and a lovely evening to go with them.

Thursday 19th November 2009

Most of the leaves have fallen and it's forecast to be very windy tonight.

Wednesday 18th November 2009

Playing with fire.

Tuesday 17th November 2009

A three hour spell of sunshine between all the rain showers gave me the chance to walk around Arrowe Park and get some lovely Autumn photos.

Monday 16th November, 2009

And still it rains.

Sunday 15th November 2009

Meek seems back to normal. He's certainly eating well.

Saturday 14th November, 2009

I went into Heswall on the bus today for some shopping and walked a little bit of the way back. It was raining when I left home. It was raining while I was there. It rained on the way back. I guess you could say it was a wet day...

Friday 13th November, 2009

I'm just a big kid at heart. Sherbert and Liquorice - what more could a man want?
Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra ) is a flavorful herb that has been used in food and medicinal remedies for thousands of years. Sherbet in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries is a fizzy powder, containing sugar and flavouring, and an edible acidic and base. The acid may be tartaric, citric or malic acid, and the base may be sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, magnesium carbonate, or a mixture of these and/or other similar carbonates. To this is added a large amount of sugar to mask the unappetising flavour of the reactive powders, and fruit or cream soda flavouring.

Thursday 12th November 2009

For once we went to the shops and came away with more money than we went in with! The price of old gold is good at the moment.
N.B. This was taken at 2.30 in the afternoon which shows how dull and grey the days are this November.

Wednesday 11th November, 2009

One of my favourite books of the year. If I had to give up all my hobbies except one the survivcor would undoubtedly be reading. As usual it is reviewed on my book blog.

Tuesday 10th November 2009

Back to rain after yesterday's brief spell of sunshine. It's a grey November.