My Life

Sparrowhawk.

2010-06-13T12:02:00.000-07:00

Well, it's absolutely ages since I posted anything on my blog so I'm going to try and make an effort to rectify the situation.
Have you ever felt like kicking yourself? Some time ago, we had a sparrowhawk in our garden, well, actually, I thought it was a kestrel at first but realised afterwards that it was a sparrowhawk. Now, you may be wondering why I could have kicked myself.The reason for this is the fact that I stood watching it for nearly 10 minutes before I thought of getting it on the camcorder, hence this very short video

Youtube

2009-09-28T03:40:00.000-07:00

I've recently joined Youtube and have been having great fun posting videos on there.My early efforts were very amateurish but I think I've improved somewhat.Hope so anyway! This is a video I made of photos I took showing West Kirby and Hilbre Island here on the Wirral

2008-12-04T11:36:00.001-08:00

[url][/url]

2008-12-04T11:33:00.001-08:00

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=8QFFf54aSyY

2008-11-10T07:22:00.000-08:00

2008-11-08T15:21:00.001-08:00

From Lunapic Edits

2008-11-08T15:07:00.001-08:00

From Lunapic Edits

2008-11-08T15:05:00.001-08:00

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/aaprJml2X4fiPKR6A4ArYA?authkey=39aRfYs8YzM

2008-11-08T14:17:00.001-08:00

A visit to Ness Gardens

2008-10-04T14:02:00.001-07:00

Ness Botanic Gardens has evolved since Arthur Kilpin Bulley 1861-1942 began to create a garden in 1898. In 1948 his daughter Lois gave the Gardens to the University of Liverpool, parts of the garden are open to the public.

2008-09-13T13:36:00.000-07:00

Baby Techno Dancer @ Yahoo! Video

I wasn't sure if this would work but it did!

The geese again

2008-08-22T01:01:00.000-07:00

This morning,I managed to get what I think are
the best shots I have taken so far of the geese on
their way to the marshes.The last one amused me
as this guy was heading back the way they had come!
I imagined him saying either "Mum, where are you?"
or "Come on, you lot,get a move on!"

Geese on the marshes

2008-08-21T07:18:00.000-07:00

Canada geese on the marshes
Geese in flight
Another group taking off
Bird in flight

I went for a walk down to the marshes today, hoping that
I may have caught another glimpse of the barn owl. He was
not to be seen but I did manage to get some photos of the geese
and what I think may be a swift or swallow in the last photo.
Click to enlarge these photos

The barn owl

2008-08-18T09:50:00.000-07:00

I went for a walk down to the marshes this morning.For those of you who have not read my blog before,I should explain that I live on the Wirral Peninsula in the north west of England and live near the Dee Estuary, a prime location for bird watching.My intention was to see the geese of which there are dozens on the marshes at present,both Canada geese and greylags.However, my attention was diverted from the geese when I sighted a barn owl! This is a large white bird with a white underside and gold/grey/grey on it's upper parts. It has a heart shaped face and small black eyes.It is also known as the screech owl, due to it's distinctive call.The barn owl had become increasingly rare here on the Wirral but thankfully is now on the increase again, with I have been told about 40 nesting pairs here on the Wirral. I was very pleased to see the owl and was told that it has a nest somewhere in the vicinity with 5 chicks in it, which surely must be good news for barn owls and those of us who like myself, love to see this lovely bird.A lot of the credit for the increase in the barn owl population must go to the Wirral Barn Owl Trust, who locate and monitor breeding pairs,collect and collate reported sightings,liase with farmers in the area and provide nesting boxes in suitable area where there may be a shortage of natural nesting sites. To sum up, I would have been quite happy just seeing the geese but seeing the barn owl was a definite bonus!

Geese

2008-08-17T01:53:00.000-07:00

I thought it was about time that I contributed something

to this blog as lately I have been neglecting it.I have been

concentrating more on my other two blogs,Sky Watch and

Paintbox. Anyway, this morning,I was busy on the computer

when I heard the geese flying over our bunglow on their way

down to the marshes.Unfortunately,I didn't have my camera

ready but I made sure I kept it out in case they obliged and gave me

a second chance. As you can see, they did!

2008-06-07T00:09:00.000-07:00

I have decided to discard the photo I had on here of the sunset. This is because I found that the majority of the comments I received were on this photo. While it was very nice to receive the compliments, I would have appreciated some feedback on the actual articles I have written!

A walk by the marshes

2008-05-17T11:57:00.000-07:00

It was a lovely afternoon on Wednesday so George and I went down to the Harp for lunch.The Harp stands on the edge of the Dee marshes and is known locally as the "pub on the marshes" It is a very pleasant walk there and on a nice day,you can sit outside and enjoy glorious views across the marshes towards North Wales.From there, it is possible to walk in either direction alongside the marshes or even on the marshes themselves, although this is not recommended if you are not familiar with the terrain. When we had finished lunch,we decided to go for a short stroll. Now, we hadn't taken our cameras so of course,we saw plenty of photo opportunities! However,luckily,Thursday was also a lovely day so we headed back down there again, this time making sure that we did have them with us! These are my photos, hope you enjoy them.

Friday Market at Neston

2008-05-09T07:13:00.000-07:00

For many years, there has been a traditional open-air market held in Neston.Stall-holders come from far and wide(well,North Wales) and Nestonians gather to stroll round the stalls, gossip with their friends and the stall holders and even to buy something! Most of the stalls are outside but there is also an indoor market which is held in the basement of the Town Hall. Our WI have a country stall in the indoor market and the products such as jams,chutneys,cakes and biscuits are all made by some of our members. It's always pleasant to walk round the market, where you can buy a variety of goods, ranging from clothes,fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, various household products cosmetics and fancy goods. The photos I have published were all taken round the market apart from 2 which I took of one of my favourite shops in Neston.The two of the shop show a container of children's brightly coloured balls and plastic boxes standing outside the shop.The shop is run by a very pleasant young man and inside is a veritable cornucopia of goods,ranging from foodstuffs to household products. As I'm sure you can imagine, Neston ,which is usually a quiet little place becomes a bustling little village every Friday and long may it continue.

Friday Market at Neston

2008-05-09T07:01:00.000-07:00

Friday Market at Neston

2008-05-09T06:55:00.000-07:00

A doggy family

2008-04-08T11:32:00.000-07:00

Skippy, Paul's dog.
In some photos,Skippy can look a bit fierce but she is
the sweetest, gentlest little dog you could wish to meet.
Chase, Sue and Andy's dog.
Chase playing in our garden at Christmas.
We have become a doggy family! I had my own dog who I called Rinty when I was growing up. He was a cross between a collie and a German Shepherd and he was absolutely beautiful.However, when I met George, he wasn't at all keen on dogs, had no time for them in fact. Then about 4 years ago, our son Paul told us he was getting a puppy.Skippy is a cross between a Staffordshire bull terrier and a boxer and she is gorgeous! Well, I wish you could see George with her, so much for the man who didn't like dogs! Now, there is another doggy addition to our family in the form of Chase, the beautiful whippet who about 6 months ago became a member of my daughter's family. We don't see as much of Chase as we do Skippy as he lives in Scotland but we are all going on holiday in July, dogs and all so that should be fun! Having Skippy and Chase in our family has reminded me just how much love and affection a dog gives and how loyal they are. Skippy and Chase are definitely part of our family now and I wouldn't have it any other way.And as for the man who didn't like dogs, I really don't know what happened to him!

2008-03-06T01:37:00.001-08:00

This beautiful cloth graced the table at the meeting.
This tells the history of the cloth.
A beautiful flower arrangement at the side of the stage.
Two of the ladies from one of the institutes present were
responsible for this.
Selling raffle tickets
Some of the ladies arriving for the meeting
I took these pictures on Tuesday at the annual council meeting of
the Cheshire Federation of WI's of which I'm a member.Many people
associate the WI with jam and Jerusalem and while this may be
true to a certain extent, that is certainly not the whole picture! The WI campaigns
vigorously on many issues and our government has learnt to listen to the voice of
the WI! The meeting started in the traditional way with the singing of Jerusalem,
which sung by 6 or 7 hundred ladies is quite something! We enjoyed a very
interesting talk by Elizabeth Bromley-Davenport, who together with her
husband own Capesthorne Hall, a talk by Jonathon Wild,chairman of
Taylors of Harrogate, who has many connections with the WI and last but
not least,a talk by Baroness Henig on the work of the House of Lords.All
in all, it was a very interesting and enjoyable day.

meeyauw's Barton Daily Photo: Sky Watch Friday: May Pond Mountain

2008-02-17T01:52:00.000-08:00

meeyauw's Barton Daily Photo: Sky Watch Friday: May Pond Mountain

My Life

2008-02-15T01:44:00.000-08:00

Writing in Faith: Skywatch Friday

2008-02-15T01:41:00.000-08:00

Writing in Faith: Skywatch Friday

Great Welsh Roads

2008-02-14T12:13:00.000-08:00

A smashing little programme has returned to our television on a Thursday evening. It's called Great Welsh Roads, the web site for the programme is www.greatwelshroads.co.uk The presenter, Mike Parker, travels round Wales in a campervan.In previous series of the programmes, he had his faithful mongrel, Patsy,with him but sadly Patsy died in January. Mike writes a very moving tribute to Patsy which can be seen on the web site.
In my opinion,the programme would be worth watching just for the glorious scenery alone but apart from this,it's the history of the areas Mike visits and the people he meets that make it so interesting. He actually pronounces Welsh place names correctly! It's a little jewel of a programme which I thoroughly enjoy. It's only on for half an hour and sometimes I wish it was an hour long programme but on the other hand, I think the shortness of each episode just whets my appetite for next week's episode.
For anyone who would like to have a look at the web site, I've included a link which is on the right hand side of my blog. Have a look, I think you will agree that it's a great little programme.

Spring is Sprung

2008-02-12T07:03:00.001-08:00

I was out on my bike for a couple of hours today and all around me I could see signs of Spring.Luckily, I had taken my camera with me and took these photos.It's a pity that I can't include the sound of the birds singing in the trees. I'll just have to leave that to your imagination.

A walk on Caldy Hill

2008-02-02T09:20:00.000-08:00

Gorse on Caldy Hill
Gorse along path on the hill
I fell in love with this tree!
The Mariners Beacon
Looking over the Dee Estuary.This was
actually the last photo I took.Notice the change
in the light.
The Dee Estuary
Another tree which I just had to photograph.
A view of West Kirby and the Marine Lake
West Kirby from Caldy Hill
Yes, another tree!

Caldy Hill is an area of heath and woodland on a sandstone outcrop on the Wirral Peninsula. The land was by bought by Hoylake District Council between 1897 and 1974. The village of Caldy is nearby.

Including Stapledon Woods, the whole area covers 250 acres of which 13 acres are owned by the National Trust. The hill rises to 260 ft where there is a view-finder. From here there are fine views over the estuary of the River Dee to Hilbre Island and the Irish Sea. More distant views range to Snowdonia in the west and Blackpool and the Pennines in the east, more rarely as far as the Lake District to the north, and extremely rarely to the Isle of Man in the north-west.

The Mariners Beacon stands nearby on the site of an old windmill, which was missed by mariners after it was destroyed by a gale in 1839. Consequently, the Trustees of the Liverpool Docks erected the Mariners Beacon in 1841.

I went for a walk today on Caldy Hill.It was a lovely day,cold but bracing with wonderful views from the hill of the Dee Estuary.It's a bit of a scramble to get up on the hill and I was glad I had taken my Leki pole with me. One of the things that I love about living here on the Wirral Peninsula is the amount of open countryside we have for a comparatively small peninsula.Besides Caldy Hill, there is also Thursaston Common with the famous Thors Stone. Bidston Hill with it's observatory and windmill, now long out of use but still a familiar landmark.However,I digress so let's go back to Caldy Hill and the views I enjoyed today.

Vikings on the Wirral Peninsula

2008-01-24T08:20:00.001-08:00

Scientists have determined that there is plenty of Viking blood in the veins of men in the Liverpool area of England.
Related stories:
Viking remains found intact - 11.09.2007
New Viking graves discovered - 30.07.2007
Viking graves to be re-opened - 08.06.2007
Viking woman had roots near the Black Sea - 26.03.2007
New Viking treasures found - 08.01.2007
Vestfold wants Viking ships - 28.12.2006
Viking ships bound for new waterfront museum - 20.12.2006
Sensational Viking find - 30.10.2006
Viking ship found in Larvik - 17.10.2006
Viking find in Østfold - 06.09.2006

The DNA study focused on 150 men in the Liverpool region, namely Wirral and West Lancashire, who had family names that had been in use locally from before 1700.

The study revealed that 50 percent had a Y-chromosome of type R1a, and which the Celts do not have, that shows they have Norwegian origins.

The study was carried out by professor of biochemistry Stephen Harding at the University of Nottingham, and professor of genetics, Mark A. Jobling at the University of Leicester.

An earlier study of 150 men with a father and paternal grandfather from Wirral, the peninsula outside Liverpool, had the same results.

"It confirms that this area was once densely populated by Vikings. There has been a great deal of immigration and emigration since then, so we were very excited to see what we would find," Harding said.

History professor Torgrim Titlestad from the University of Stavanger was interested by the study's findings, and said that the first Vikings established their political system in Wirral.

"It is first and foremost York that Norwegians associate with Vikings and England, but Wirral also has an exciting Viking past," said Titlestad from Wirral. Titlestad is in England for the presentation of the study, and is about to release a book in English called Viking Norway.

Harding said that the first Vikings came to Wirral in 902, and were Norwegians that had lived for a few years in Dublin.

"They did not conquer Wirral, but were largely peaceful people who needed a place to live. I had heard a bit at school that Norwegian Vikings had lived in Wirral, but until I got interested in the subject as an adult I had no idea that there had existed a Norwegian Viking state in Wirral," Harding said.

Video

2008-01-19T02:06:00.000-08:00

My daughter has just been showing me how to put a video from youtube on my blog.This is just a random one but I'm hoping to do more with youtube with more practice

Liverpool,City of Culture.2008

2008-01-11T10:56:00.001-08:00

The Liver Buildings
St George's Hall
The Liver Buildings. Note the famous Liver Birds
This photo was taken from the Mersey Ferry.
The building in the background with the funny shaped roof is the
Roman Catholic cathedral,known locally as Paddy's Wigwam!

This year, Liverpool is celebrating winning City of Culture status. The city is gearing itself up for loads of events during the year.It was on the local news last night that Ringo Starr opened the celebrations last night by playing the drums on top of St George's Hall! St George's Hall is just one of the wonderful buildings in Liverpool of which Liverpool people are justly proud. I'm not from Liverpool,I live across the river on the Wirral and these are not recent photos.but some I took a couple of years ago. I hope they do justice to the wonderful buildings they are.

The Aquarium

2008-01-03T02:56:00.000-08:00

A while ago, my husband decided he would like an aquarium. Of course, the fact that our daughter already had one had absolutely nothing to do with his decision.So, off we trotted to Waterworld,looked at various tanks,discussed whether to go for cold water fish or tropical,decided on tropical as we were told they are easier to look after.Then came the process of setting the aquarium up and preparing it for the fish,cycling it, as it is called. Then came the day when the decision was made. The tank was ready! Back we went to Waterworld and bought some neon tetras and some platys.Later, we added some catfish and 2 swordtails,who unfortunately died.We also lost one of the tetras but we have been told that most people will lose some fish.When the family were here for Christmas,we took the girls along and they helped us to choose some guppys, dannios and some more catfish.We also bought 2 black mollys.Unfortunately,we later noticed that one of the guppys had disappeared and George(that's hubby, by the way) reckoned that one of the mollys seemed to have suddenly put on weight! So,the aquarium now takes pride of place in our living room and I have to admit that it is very pleasant,having my morning coffee and watching the little fishies swimming round.

The Wednesday Section Christmas lunch

2007-12-17T04:08:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday was the day for our cycling section's Christmas lunch. This was held at Trafford Hall in the village of Wimbolds Trafford, a few miles from Chester. It's an interesting place and if ayone would like to know more about it, the website address is http://www.traffordhall.com/ the lunch was a very pleasant affair with all the usual jollity and of course, a very tasty lunch. This is always preceded by one of our members reciting the Cyclists Grace. The Bicycle

For the bicycle and the freedom and companionship it gives us

For the health and strength to cycle in the countryside around us

For our food and wine and the good fellowship about us

For these and all the gifts You bring us

We thank You, Lord.

AMEN

I nearly forgot to mention George won a bottle of wine in the raffle, in itself quite an unusual event! and when we looked at the name, it was called Red Bicyclette! There was a picture of a little Frenchman on his bike with his bread in a basket on the front. Just one last point, if anyone wants to know if I am on any of the photos, just ask.I should point out that I am completely open to bribery and corruption!

Friends of Neston Library

2007-12-13T08:09:00.000-08:00

I was in my local library on Tuesday morning and was having a look at some of the photographs around the library in connection with the ongoing celebrations of the library's centenary. Then I noticed a little bag on the wall containing some leaflets.On further investigation, these proved to be about the Friends of Neston Library. When I saw there was also a web site address on the leaflet,I thought it might be worth a look.I'm glad I did as it has proved to be a very interesting site with a wealth of local information. The only problem I found when I looked at it on AOL was the size of the text. It was tiny! Now, I'm sure there is probably a way of enlarging the text, the only trouble is I'm not sure how. Anyway, no matter as I solved the problem by using Mozilla Firefox where I found the text to be an easily read size. If anyone is interested,the web site address is http://uk.360.yahoo.com/nestonlibraryfriends I've also put the link on Friday Skywatch and it is on top of My Life.It will give anyone who reads it an idea of where I live, which I have to admit I think is pretty nice!

The Wirral Horn

2007-12-09T10:04:00.000-08:00

In the year 1120,Randal de Meschines,Earl of Chester,created Alan Sylvester chief forester of the forest of Wirral and granted to him the manors of Hooton,Storeton and Puddington to hold upon condition that he performed the duties of forester and in addition that he blew or caused to be blown a horn at the Gloverstone in Chester on the morning of every fair day, to indicate that the tolls on all goods bought or sold inthe city or within the sound of that horn belonged to the Earl or his tenants.Alan Sylvester was succeeded by his son,Ralph,on whose death,without issue,Hugh Cyveliac, Earlof Chester,granted the same manors with the forestership to Alexander de Storeton on his marriage with Annabella, the daughter of Alan Sylvester. Alexander de Storeton again had only female issue and the forestership passed next to Sir Thomas Bamville, who married Agnes de Storeton,daughter of Alexander. Sir Philip Bamville, the heir of Sir Thomas, also left issue,three daughters only, the eldest of whom,Jane, married Sir William de Stanley,and brought the forestership as part of her dower,the title of her son,John Stanley, having been proved in 1346 before Jordan de Macclesfield,justice in Eyre to the Earl of Chester.in this family it remained until disafforested by King Edward 111 on the complaint of the citizens of Chester who represented that they were grievous sufferers from the freebooters who lurked in the forest. the Stanleys petitioned the king for renumeration for the loss of the profits attached to the office of chief forester, and were granted an annuity of twenty marks,which however seems to have been indifferently paid. The horn,however,which was the symbol of their tenure,has remained in the possession of the Stanley family ever since.

The above inscription was probably put on the horn sometime in the 18th century. Earlier this year the horn was on exhibition in the Wirral Museum in Birkenhead formerly the Town Hall, where I was lucky enough to see it and take some photos. It is the actual horn, not a replica and is probably about 900 years old.

The Crossing

2007-12-06T10:45:00.000-08:00

I have been reading "The Crossing" by James Cracknell and Ben Fogle.James is of course an Olympic rower while Ben has done many programmes for BBC, including Castaway and Country File.I met Ben briefly recently at the WI Autumn meeting in Winsford, Cheshire, where I bought the book and had it signed by him.Ben gave a fascinating talk at the meeting about "The Crossing" but after reading the book, I am sure that he glossed over what the journey was really like.
The book is written by both James and Ben. It's an incredibly honest account of what they endured during the crossing of the Atlantic in a rowing boat.When they decided to compete in the Atlantic Rowing Race,they thought they knew what they were taking on.They would be rowing nearly 3000 miles of ocean in all kinds of weather conditions, a colossal test of physical and mental endurance.What they didn't realise was just how many other things they would have to cope with, including the loss of vital equipment, their boat capsizing , having to survive on extremely limited water rations after their desalinator broke down. Both men are totally honest about the times they nearly despaired and wondered just what they had taken on.
When they crossed the finishing line in first position, they had pushed themselves to the utmost limit, physically,psychologically and emotionally. What James and Ben achieved showed the incredible limits to which the human body can be pushed. It is a cracking good read and if you haven't read it for yourself, do so.

The history of Birkenhead Park

2007-12-02T10:11:00.000-08:00

Birkenhead Park is acknowledged to be the first publicly funded park in Britain and it's influence was far reaching, both here and abroad. Frederick Law Olmstead based his design for Central Park in New York on Birkenhead Park.It was designed by Joseph Paxton in 1843 and the official opening was in 1847.It was an immediate success and ever since, it's history has been bound up in Birkenhead's history.Birkenhead was essentially an agricultural area until the beginning of the steam ferry service in 1820, which provided easy access from Liverpool, thus opening the Wirral for development and prompting the rapid growth of Birkenhead as an industrial centre.In a period of ten years the population of Birkenhead increased from just over a hundred to one and a half thousand.In 1833, the government approved the setting up of the Birkenhead Improvement Commission while at the same time, the detrimental effects of over-population in industrial areas which led to atrocious living and working conditions was recognised. This led to various reform movements,including that of "The Parks Movement" which upheld the theory that providing open spaces for public use improved the lot of the industrial workforce.The idea for a public park in Birkenhead was first raised in 1841 by Isaac Holmes, a Liverpool councillor who became alarmed by Birkenhead's exploding population figures. The land for the park was bought from Mr F R Price.It was low lying and poor quality, a mixture of fields, marsh and common.It contained a small farm house which was known to be a beer den where illegal dog fighting and gambling took place.In 1843, Joseph Paxton, a landscape gardener in Liverpool was engaged to design and construct the park at a cost of £800.The park was officially opened by Lord Morpeth on April 5th 1847 and it was estimated that it was visited on that day by 10,000 people.There have been many changes to the park over the years but it has always provided an area of rest and recreation to the people of Birkenhead. Recently, it has undergone extensive improvements and it is hoped that it will still provide facilities for leisure for many years to come.

Here are some photos of Birkenhead Park The first one shows the Italian style boathouse over the lake and the second shows the flower bed outside the new cafe area.

Llangollen

2007-11-24T11:39:00.001-08:00

For those of you who are not familiar with Llangollen, it is a little town in North Wales.In Welsh,the prefix Llan denotes a town or village with a church and Llangollen would be pronounced Tlangothlen.The easy way to pronounce Tlan is to put your tongue behind your top teeth,ok, maybe not so easy. I've been to Llangollen on a number of occasions and we have also had some very happy camping holidays there.I remember the first time we camped there,on the first morning, I came out of the tent and there, the Vale of Llangollen lay before me in all it's glory.I was transfixed by it's beauty. I took these photos on a day out
with my WI. I hope they show something of the beauty of Llangollen

Photobucket

2007-11-22T12:49:00.001-08:00

I've signed up for Photobucket and have to say I'm impressed! The problem was in trying to think of a name for my first slideshow, which is actually a selection of photos taken from various albums. Some were taken on holiday, others are local scenes or some of the roses in our garden.

2007-11-22T12:43:00.001-08:00

Photobucket

2007-11-22T03:03:00.000-08:00

I've just signed up for photobucket, still trying it out.Not sure how things work yet, but I presume if anyone clicks on the image on my blog, it takes them to photobucket so they can look at my album? I'd be grateful if someone would do this and let me know if that's how it works.

Trying out photobucket

2007-11-22T02:58:00.001-08:00

Photobucket Album

The Hill Climb

2007-11-18T07:27:00.000-08:00

Some of you may have realised by now that I'm a cyclist. I've been in a local cycling club over 20 years and have cycled abroad and in the UK.For quite a few years our club used to hold a hill climbing competition. Now, a hill climber I am not! Don't get me wrong, I can get up some hills but when it comes to 1 in 4's, no way! So, I wrote this poem.
The Hill Climb

Some day, I'll ride the hill climb,
Mind, I say this every year,
But when it comes right down to it,
My heart is filled with fear.

Picture the scenario, a hill that's one in four!
Can I get up that on my bike?
Oh, no,of that I'm sure!

So to those brave souls,
that do and dare,
I'll give a rousing cheer,
as I stand at the foot of that steep hill
and say,"Think I'll have a go next year!"

Shameless Self Promotion

2007-11-16T06:19:00.000-08:00

Right,folks, here goes with a bit of shameless self promotion! I've started another blog. It's called Friday Skywatch. I should mention that the idea came originally from Ruthjen who told me about Dot's blog,Strolling through Georgia. Ruth suggested that I should contact Dot and ask to be put on her Friday Skywatch blog roll. I did and Dot very kindly added me.Now, I've been trying to add a link to my main blog but every time I put the web site address in, it comes up with the Page Not Found thingy, probably me making a pigs ear of it! So, I thought I would just advertise it this way. For anyone who wants to look at it,just click on my profile and that should bring up my two blogs, shouldn't it?? Hope so anyway, oh dear , a bloggers life can be so complicated! It's fun though. I've just tried it and it does work so go for it, folks!

The Eureka Cyclist's Cafe

2007-11-14T11:37:00.000-08:00

http://www.eurekacyclistscafe.co.uk/ Ok, I can hear you all saying,"What on earth is the Eureka? Well, if you live anywhere in the north west of England and are a cyclist, you quite likely will have heard of it. To us cyclists who live near it,(lucky so and so's that we are) it's a meeting place, a social centre and almost a rescue centre.A few years ago, it was up for sale and terrible rumours started flying round that it would close! A pall of gloom hung over the local cycling world! What, no Eureka!! How would we manage? where would we meet? where would we stagger back to after a hard ride,gasping for a cuppa and a wodge of sticky fruit cake? Then the news went round that it had been sold and would still be a cyclist's cafe. The sun came out and local cyclists smiled again!

Recently, the CTC(Cyclists Touring Club) awarded a Certificate of Commendation to the Eureka in recognition of it's services to the cycling world.I took these photos at the presentation.

A bit more interesting

2007-11-13T13:32:00.000-08:00

I've been having a bit of fun tonight messing around with this blog, well, trying to make it a bit more interesting. I've added a picture, updated my profile.If anyone does read my profile,you'll see that I've put Wind in the Willows and Pride and Prejudice as my favourite books.Wind in the Willows is my all time favourite children's book. Pride and Prejudice? My first encounter with this book was at school when we did it for O-level English Literature and I absolutely hated it! It was some years later when for some reason, I read it again and realised what a wonderful judge of character Jane Austen was and how astute her observations on her characters were. I can remember thinking when reading some of the scenes,"Oh my God, I can remember doing things like that".

Just to end this posting, I'd just like to say that all comments (especially complimentary ones!) will be gratefully received.

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-11-10T13:54:00.001-08:00

Ladies Day (continued)

2007-11-10T10:28:00.001-08:00

Just a few more photos of the parade

Ladies Day

2007-11-10T10:10:00.000-08:00

Has anyone heard of the Female Friendly Societies? They were formed during the Napeolonic Wars to provide help and support for the widows and orphans of the soldiers killed in the wars. Most of the societies were disbanded many years ago but Neston Female Friendly Society still exists and indeed is believed to be the only one in the country. The Ladies Day parade is held on the first Thursday in June and is a big event in the local calendar when the girls and ladies of Neston parade through the village. An open air service is held round the village cross, followed by a service in the local parish church. It is a lovely tradition and long may it continue, especially as the society still provides help and support for the local women.

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-11-07T16:29:00.000-08:00

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-11-04T13:50:00.001-08:00

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-11-04T08:26:00.001-08:00

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-11-04T07:15:00.001-08:00

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-11-04T06:35:00.001-08:00

Sculptures

2007-11-04T06:13:00.000-08:00

We stayed at the Long Mynd hotel on the walking weekend. It was near woodland in which were these sculptures. Now, I know this may not be to everyone's taste but I thought they were quite quirky. Mind you, I like quirky!

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-11-02T15:33:00.001-07:00

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-11-02T15:24:00.001-07:00

Walking.

2007-11-02T08:19:00.000-07:00

Well, folks,walking may not sound like the most exciting of activities but it's healthy,free and we are lucky enough to have some superb countryside in the British Isles,which can probably be appreciated much better on foot than any other form of transport. Mind you, there is also the bike but I'll keep that for another time and some more tales. This post is about a very enjoyable walking weekend I went on with our local U3A aka,the university of the third age. The area we walked in was the Long Mynd in Shropshire, which I'm sure some of you will know. Anyway, I'll stop rabbiting on and let the photos speak for themselves.

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-11-01T12:01:00.001-07:00

Well, folks,this is my first attempt at making a slideshow so please be gentle with me!

2007-10-31T10:46:00.000-07:00

Here on the Wirral, we often experience beautiful sunsets. All these photos were taken from the back garden of our bungalow.

2007-10-30T11:34:00.000-07:00

And here's a few more scarecrows,folks!

2007-10-30T11:24:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, the residents of Thornton Hough, a village here on the Wirral, decided to hold a scarecrow festival to raise funds for the village. It proved such a popular event that it has become an annual affair. These are a few of the photos I took.

2007-10-29T11:31:00.000-07:00

Some Views of our garden

2007-10-28T02:39:00.001-07:00

Thought it might be an idea to give anyone who reads this(that's if anyone does!) a wee bit more info about yours truly. I live in the north west of England on a little peninsula called the Wirral. We're across the river from Liverpool and about 10 miles from Chester. Just to give you some idea of what it's like where I live, here's a few local views. The first picture shows the Jubille clock in Chester, followed by a view of the famous Rows. and the last picture is a view taken near my home, looking across the Dee estuary to North Wales

About me

2007-10-26T14:53:00.000-07:00

Where do I start? Born 1946, married forever,well 40 years,just seems like forever sometimes (only joking). I've got a son Paul and a daughter Susan. Paul is still footloose and fancyfree, Susan is married with two beautiful little girls, Emmie and Alison.Anyway,I think that will do to be going on with, you're probably all asleep by now after reading this. Well, there's our two girls,Gorgeous, aren't they?