Tall Painting

He can be cute?

He can be cute?, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Baby

Jim and lisa's new baby girl arrived this morning on the Isle of Man. Lots of love and congratulations to them all. x

Busy

We called in to see Cathy and her new house on Sunday and then Tel went sailing and we had a meal on the bay. Yesterday we met Rick and Liz for a pub lunch....they were down here for Liz's birthday treat.... kayaking on the Wye. So it turned out to be a very social, exciting and tiring Bank Holiday weekend. Big tick.

Wigan win at Wembley

Wigan win at Wembley, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Wigan 28-18 leeds
It was a very exciting, funny, stressful and emotional day on Saturday when Wigan went to the new Wembley stadium and beat Leeds in a close game.
I put on my 20 year old Joe lydon/Eastern Suburbs top and drove up to Hilton Park to meet Mike and Catherine with Ros and Jane...and jumped in the Discovery to travel in style to Wembley. Mike had booked parking next door to the stadium.
Wigan got off to a great start but Leeds came back and we were convinced they were going to beat us. It was very tense in the second half.... the celebrations at the end were a mixture of relief and joy.
We stayed on with thousands of Wigan fans to watch them walk round with the cup.... Michael Maguire looked emotional.
We drove back to Hilton Park and I picked up my car and drove home.
It was great to be there....with my Wigan crew. x

The stats

Wigan last won the Challenge Cup in 2002 beating St Helens at Murrayfield.

They were last in the Challenge Cup Final in 2004 where they lost to St Helens at The Millenium Stadium Cardiff.

I was lucky enough to be at both those games... and will be at Wembley tomorrow when Wigan play Leeds in the Challenge Cup Final for 2011.

It is very exciting.

"I think I just saw Amy Winehouse in the field" says startled young deer.

"I think I just saw Amy Winehouse in the field" says startled young deer., a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

This week....
The deer returned.... big groups and small groups in the garden.
I met a 22 year old cat called Blossom.
There was an article in the paper which said that women like to discuss problems as it makes them feel better...where as men feel that discussing problems makes the problem look bigger...and so avoid this.
We booked a holiday.
I spoke to the nursing home where Auntie Edna lives and asked them to pass on our love and best wishes to her. x
And the "thought for the day" in my participants diary read..... "the horror of getting up is unparalleled and I am filled with amazement every morning when I find I have done it" .This made us laugh.

Joke

Tim Vine came second this year with his Edinburgh Festival joke....

"Crime in multi storey car parks. That is wrong on so many levels."

Blurry, misty garden tonight.

Blurry, misty garden tonight., a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Ashford & Simpson - Solid (As A Rock)

This was always a favourite track.... and they look so happy in the video.

Nick Ashford has passed away....he and his wife Valerie together in the video had been together since 1964.

Charabanc

Charabanc, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

The old fashioned and underused word "charabanc" has been removed by Collins from its pocket dictionaries after it fell out of popular use.
The charabanc was a coach either pulled by a horse or motorised. It was overtaken by modern transport in the 1930s.

Perfect

Perfect, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Neighbours kitchen

Neighbours kitchen, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Wilson went for a bit of a wander on Saturday night... and decided to go into our neighbours kitchen and then join them and their family as they were sat at the table having a meal. Apple pie and cream....one of his favourites!!
They rang us to say "Wilson is in the kitchen and he looks a bit confused"
Its difficult to say what he s going to do next.

"The truth of the matter is that we always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it"

"This column will change your life" Oliver Burkeman

"One of the things I am especially bad at is remembering to take photographs of family events, memorable evenings with friends, or holidays in extraordinary locales. I have a pretentious justification for this....about wanting to be present in the moment, rather than compulsively recording it... but the real reason may just be laziness."

I really must try it one day.... to go along to a wedding/ party/ christmas get together with out my camera and see what it feels like.

No its a bad idea.... I actually feel stressed thinking about it now.

The dahlias

The dahlias, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Tintern Abbey

Tintern Abbey, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

It was lovely to see Lou and the kids on Thursday and Friday.
We had a look around the shops when they arrived... and came across some"interesting" things in the Cancer Research shop!!!! Nudge nudge wink wink!!! The kids bought some good gifts for Marks 40th x
We had spag bol for tea and chocolate angel delight.... followed by a bag of revels , a walk up the field and some tv. We sat open mouthed at celebrity big brother.
Yesterday we drove to Tintern Abbey which is always a lovely thing to do...and had lunch in a cafe before they all headed home.
It took them a long time to get back to Nottingham as the motorways were busy.
Thanks Lou for the dahlias and the blanket and for coming down with the kids. Lots of love. x

Shirley Bassey WHAT I DID FOR LOVE

Wilson dreaming

Wilson dreaming, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Wilson survived his 3 night stay at the cattery last weekend. He s been up to his usual tricks since he got back....Ros says hes indestructable. x

The courage, wisdom and dignity of one man.

The courage, wisdom and dignity of one man., a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

The hills around Church Stretton

The hills around Church Stretton, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

We had a lovely weekend in and around Church Stretton. We did a bit of walking in the hills... Tel bought a second hand plane for his woodwork on the summerhouse....we visited Much Wenlock and its beautiful priory ruins.
It was nice to have a change of scenery after many weeks of party preparations at home.

Wenlock Priory

Wenlock Priory, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Tel and Mum

Tel and Mum, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Big thanks to Tel and Mum for all their hard work before and during the party. It was a good Team Dixon effort. x

The wonderful scarecrows

The wonderful scarecrows, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

It has seemed very quiet up here for the past few days.
On Saturday we had a party for about 90 people...here in our house and garden.
The build up during the week before had been non stop.... picking up beer, BBQ and tables, Mum, getting the garden ready (we think it looked its very best on saturday) putting Wilson in the cattery. We put bunting up at the front.... gazebos out at the back. Terences Mum was a great help with making food and generally helping us to get the party ready x Ros Roy and Jane called in on friday to drop off the amazing cakes....and met Ann and Roy who had popped in with some home made welsh cakes.
On the day we were up at 6.30am making rice and pasta and stuff. Suddenly it was 3 pm and people started to arrive with tents and children and presents .... My worries about the weather, parking, and toilets faded away. The morris Men and Lady Cloggers performed at the front of the house and this was enjoyed by young and old. Later on Mike very kindly had a whip round for them. There were a few problems with the BBQ but the sausages from the farm were a hit and the kids enjoyed the burgers. I had put together a tray of interesting pickles and sauces and tomato/chilli sauces but it wasnt in the right place... and was hardly touched
The scarecrow competition was the highlight of the day for me. It was great fun and lovely to see everyone having a go. Amy Winehouse was my favourite. We also had Harry Potter, The Fat Controller, Thomas Potherb and Shrek. Barry Lina by Declan and Julia was an interesting he/she scarecrow....he/she met a sticky end later in the evening when we serenaded her into the camp fire. ouch!! Pete organized a clapometer to decide the winning scarecrow. General Wierdo won.... made by Rhosyn, Luke, Iwan, Lara , Anna and co. It was lovely when everyone was cheering and the kids loved it. The winning prize was a bag of retro sweets and a Worzel Gummidge jigsaw.
Later on we had a bit of a dance and people started to leave or head back to their tents. Declan and Julia stayed up with us and we tucked into a big plate of jelly. While we were chatting there was an ambulance on the drive... Rick had injured his ankle and his wife had called an ambulance as they thought he may have broken it. He went to casualty and made it back to his campsite the next morning with a badly sprained ankle. It was upsetting to see him being carried out of the house on a stretcher.x
The next morning the campers were up early after a night of NO sleep. There had been an all night rave going on in a local farm and the noise had kept them awake.... also there was a police helicopter hovering over us at about 2.30am!!!! I took Declan and Julia to the train station and said goodbye to everyone else who had stayed here. Auntie Irene and Carol called in later to say hello and goodbye x

Looking back on it now we are pleased with how it all went. I wish I had made a small speech to say thankyou to everyone for coming. I wish we had introduced more people to other people. I wish I had tucked into a burger.... and taken a few more photographs. I also forgot to put out the cheese and biscuits!!!! There were friends who couldnt be there too and we missed seeing their faces. x

We feel so lucky that so many people came along. It was great to have so many children there too.... and I was really happy to see 4 of my god children running around enjoying themselves. There were lots of hugs and kind words.... x

ps... Dear blog .... I didnt cry. x

Morris Men and Lady Cloggers

Morris Men and Lady Cloggers, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Campfire

Campfire, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

The winning General Weirdo team. Amy Winehouse is not happy.

The winning General Weirdo team. Amy Winehouse is not happy., a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Blue sandals

Blue sandals, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Amy Winehouse scarecrow x

Amy Winehouse scarecrow x, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Monday morning and she is still standing .... must be that sturdy footwear ? My favourite scarecrow made by Judith, Julian , William and Eve on saturday at the garden party. X
Today we are clearing up.
Hopefully tomorrow I will write up a "match report" on the lovely occasion that was the garden party. x

Sweet peas

Sweet peas, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

The best bunting

The best bunting, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

"I have seen the light and it looks like you"