The hills

The hills, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

We went for a walk today and along the way we met 3 goats and 3 alpacas.

...at the end of a beautiful warm and sunny week.

...at the end of a beautiful warm and sunny week., a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Blossom

Blossom, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Photo montage

Photo montage, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

I drove up to Wigan on Friday (with Wild Beasts on repeat all the way...) and called into see Ang for lunch and then onto the cemetery for a much overdue visit.
I drove over to Jennys and later on Laura and I went to Manchester airport to pick up Tel from his flight back from Cork.
It was an early start on Saturday as we picked Mum up and drove to Blackpool. We met Paul and Emma on the wonderful North Pier. We had some chips by the Comedy Carpet and an ice cream further down the prom. It was a beautiful sunny day and it was fun to be in Blackpool.
Later on we went over to Mums for a birthday party for Tel and Paul. There was a table full of food....sausage rolls, pizza and trifle and cakes ... we played dominoes and laughed about things. Jenny had made some photo montages which were really lovely and there were Happy Birthday banners. It was a lovely party.x
We drove back yesterday (with Wild Beasts on repeat again).

The Comedy Carpet

The Comedy Carpet, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Jokes

Jokes, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

The 7.30am mist

The 7.30am mist, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Expensive day

Wilsons trip to the vet today proved quite expensive. He had a booster injection, some flea drops, a worming tablet and a 60 day supply of tablets to help with his arthritis!!!!

I also had to go to the garage to have 2 new tyres fitted.... to get it through its MOT. This was expensive too.

There was also a trip to the supermarket.

Phew....

Bird Cage Lamp. Liberty London.

Bird Cage Lamp. Liberty London., a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Herb Alpert Casino Royale

Two birds and big clouds

Two birds and big clouds, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

The Grand Slam

The Grand Slam, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Ryan Jones with the champagne.

Black boards

Black boards, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

When we started building the summerhouse over 2 years ago we dreamt about cladding it in black boards.... we thought "that will look good". We are now at that point and it is very pleasing and exciting to be putting the boards on.

Hayden Thorpe and the Wild Beasts

Hayden Thorpe and the Wild Beasts, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

We loved seeing Wild Beasts live at The Coal Exchange in Cardiff last night.... they were amazing.
We met Cathy for a drink before the show and it was nice to see her and to catch up with her news.

The big cheese

We have been trying to catch the mouse who lives in our house for about 4 months now.... Wilson has obviously retired from any mouse catching activities so we have been trying out different humane traps. There was a top tip on the box that said place the traps up against the wall as mice tend to stick to the edges of rooms when they are on the move. This seems to have worked as this week we have caught 2 mice.... and have been able to release them back into the outside world. Another top tip is to take the mouse about one mile from the house to make sure it doesnt come back..... so on Tuesday night Tel went up into the woods with his torch and released the first mouse up there.

The big 40 for Tel x

The big 40 for Tel x, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

It was Tels big birthday yesterday and we celebrated with a chocolate and almond cake topped with sparkler stylee candles. We went out for some food in the evening. It has been nice being at home and off work together. x

The black boards....

The black boards...., a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

We have started work on the black boarding that will be the cladding on the summerhouse. We have decided to buy the boards from Jewsons and paint them black ourselves.
Tel fitted the door up there today. He has had to plane the side and get the hinges moving again as they had rusted.
Its looking good.

Josephs magnolia

Josephs magnolia, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Lambs

Lambs, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

I tried to take some photos today of the lambs in a field next to my participants house.... but I couldnt get the camera to focus properly.
It was lovely walking up the lane to see them.

"....the hawthorn blossom doesnt last long....so I have to be ready"

"....the hawthorn blossom doesnt last long....so I have to be ready", a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

"David Hockney RA : A Bigger Picture celebrates the artists depiction of landscape, particularly his re engagement with the Yorkshire Wolds. Most of the works are oil paintings, charcoal and I Pad drawings, sketchbooks and films produced between 2004 and 2011, and many are being shown for the first time."

David Hockney. A Bigger Picture.

David Hockney. A Bigger Picture., a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

We had a lovely couple of days in London. When we landed we went over to Liberty s to have a look around and we had a coffee in Cafe Lib. We then walked over to Trafalgar Square to see the Olympic countdown clock and then onto Soho to meet Dave and Joana for some food. We went over to see the David Hockney exhibition at the Royal Academy and then back to Hackney to recreate a Hockney work of art on the I Pad.
Yesterday we went over to Hackney Wick which looks out over the Olympic Stadium and had some lunch at The Counter Cafe.
The next time we see Dave and Joana they will have their new baby.... we will be thinking of them over the next few weeks. x

Olympic stadium

Olympic stadium, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Hyde Park

Hyde Park, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Loose Tapestries - Fantasy Man

Usain who.....?

Usain who....., a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Tel met 2 people in work yesterday... who had never heard of Usain Bolt.

Downward facing dog

I took part in a yoga class this morning with one of my participants. We really enjoyed it. We found it challenging and a bit intense. The relaxation and breathing exercises were great. The class lasted for 90 mins and apparently when we left we looked energized....

All the colours

All the colours, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Beautiful pheasant in the rain.

Depeche Mode - Just Can't Get Enough

7.30am in the garden

7.30am in the garden, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Its been a week of coughing and spluttering.... paracetamol and lemsips. I had to phone in sick on Tuesday and Wednesday as I just needed to stay in bed...just me and my cough. I was back to work yesterday.... and I m feeling a bit better today.
I went for a haircut today.... the hairdresser seemed horrified at my scarecrow like split ends.... its looking a lot better now!!
This was the scene this morning.... I love it when its really foggy.