Burns Night Supper

Burns Night Supper, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Mum, Jenny and Richard, Paul and Emma all came down on saturday for the Burns Night Supper. It was a lovely evening. Tel gave the Immortal Bard speech and he did a great job. . he kept getting his dates mixed up and saying 1987 instead of 1787. . and this drew lots of laughter from the 80 strong crowd. There was singing and dancing. . haggis and neeps and tatties . . and whisky.

"Burns was a symbol of every mans, every persons potential to rise above daily existence and travel via words and the mind. . to see the art in daily life. The ordinary is often amazing if we stop to think and observe"


We went to the pub for lunch on sunday before everyone headed home. We hope they will all be back again (this time with laura) in March to start the celebrations for Mums 80th x

This just happened outside. . .

This just happened outside. . ., a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

In between dusting, brushing, polishing and tidying around the house today . . I have been taking lots of snowy photographs. The snow has been melting today so I feel I have to photograph it quickly.
I have decided that i am really bad at cleaning. . .I try my best !!! This house is always so dusty. There used to be Wilson related fluff and stuff but he s not here now. I think it may be the woodburner that causes the dust ? And then theres the muddy boots and bits that come in from outside. . ?

Deer in the garden

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

Hazel trees

Hazel trees, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Yoga and snow

I m enjoying the yoga down at the village hall. Nine people turned up this morning despite the snowy weather. Concentrating on your breathing and stretching into odd positions . . And relaxing and meditating . Namaste.

Tels flight from Edinburgh to Bristol was diverted to Cardiff Airport last night. . As Bristol Airport closed due to the snow. He arrived home at midnight in a one way hire car. Hopefully he can collect his car this afternoon.

There is still a lot of snow up here. . Hopefully things will improve for the weekend.

Snow shovel and strange footprints

 Lots of snow arrived on Thursday night. .  and everything has looked lovely and very photogenic!!! The garden looked very strange as the weight of the snow on the trees had bent them over so they were touching the ground. The poor eucalyptus looked a bit shocked! The cabin looked very alpine. . the black boards looked great against the snow. We spotted some strange animal footprints on the roof of the cabin. . then worked out that it was probably a squirrel. We went for a walk in the woods and took photos of a big group of deer. We had a 6 hour power cut on Friday. . due to a fallen tree nearby.
On Saturday, Tel and a group of neighbours came out to clear 2 tracks down the road and they put down some grit so cars can drive up and down now. We used our plastic snow shovel for the first time. . it does the job much quicker than a spade. . very smooth action. Margaret rallied the troops with mugs of hot chocolate. The snow shovel has been passed from house to house as everyone wanted to use it.
The snow seems to be melting a bit today but there may be more to come?

Deer

Deer, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Walking in the woods

Walking in the woods, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Snow field

Snow field, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Hills

Hills, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Sade - Never As Good As The First Time

Meme

. . an idea or behaviour or style that spreads from person to person within a culture.

Jesus Christ Super Meme

Jesus Christ Super Meme, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

"I saw Jesus in LA" on Facebook and Twitter shows photos of Kevin Lee Light walking the streets of Los Angeles. He has built up a devoted flock of social media followers.

Turning a photo into a painting?

Turning a photo into a painting?, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Goldfinch out in the cold

Goldfinch out in the cold, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Bristol

I had a nice day out in Bristol on Friday. It s a great city for second hand and interesting independent shops. The all in one hairdresser/cafe/vintage shop seems to be the latest thing. . . I also saw a shop called "Happy Tat" . . not quite Habitat but interesting. I took my cine films and old videos with me to drop off at an amazing shop called Geneva Stop near the Christmas Steps. . but unfortunately it was closed.
There was an old man playing the spoons to Michael Jackson songs outside the market on Corn St. He was very cool.

Clyde

Clyde, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

I m not too sure about Clyde . . the mascot for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

misswhistle: Beginning today...

misswhistle: Beginning today...: "Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness and underst...

Little deer . . with Retrolux filter

Little deer . . with Retrolux filter, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Beautiful pink hills this morning

Beautiful pink hills this morning, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

Auntie Edna

Auntie Edna, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

I have been going through some of the personal items that Auntie Edna had with her at the residential home. There are lots of photos and diaries. . one diary was written in the days before Uncle Jack died and is very upsetting to read. The same diary is also packed with poems and words of encouragement. . all in her beautiful handwriting.
There is also a Mothers Union brooch and a Mothers Union Service Book. During their early marriage Auntie Edna and Uncle Jack lost two babies and it was a terrible time for them both. They however went on to become family and friends to so many people and brought so much fun and kindness into other peoples lives. I find Auntie Ednas involvement with the Mothers Union very moving and to me it sums up what a wonderful person she was. x

Gérard Souzay, Chants d'Auvergne, Bailero, Joseph Marie Canteloube

Classic FM brought me here.

New Years Day walk

New Years Day walk, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

"Light"

I have bought a tin of paint for the mural . . it is by The Little Greene Paint Company and is called "Light". Its a lovely milky, chalky white colour.
I am hoping/planning to have the mural and the room finished by the end of January.

Murray

Murray, a photo by Jillian DIxon on Flickr.

We had a lovely few days away after Christmas . . staying with Jenny and visiting family and friends in Wigan, Ramsbottom and Nottingham.
We arrived at Jennys on Thursday afternoon. . . on Friday we had a lovely meal with Ros Roy and Jane. . James and Matthew were there too. We visited St Johns churchyard to see where Auntie Edna and Uncle Jack are buried.. . it was cold and wet and we couldnt find them for ages. . there are so many plaques covered in leaves and pots. We sat in the car afterwards with a pie from the bakery as a little tribute to Auntie Edna x We went on to Mike s to sort through Auntie Ednas bits and pieces from the residential home. . I have brought home some photo albums and diarys to keep.
We went to Dunham Massey on saturday. . which was really nice. . but very wet and muddy everywhere. We got really close to the deer that live there and took some photographs. We met Paul and Emma in The Swan with 2 Nicks for some lunch and then went back to Jennys for a buffet and card games.
On Sunday we drove to Ramsbottom to see Charlotte and Paul and Ang came over too. . it was lovely to see them. Then we headed to Nottingham for the last leg of the trip. It was lovely to see Lou again. . and to see the work she has done on the house. Lou Anna lara and I headed off to the Theatre Royal to see the pantomime Cinderella. . and we had a great time. There were tears (from me of course) and lots of laughter. . it was the best panto we had ever seen. Tel Mark and james went to the cinema and we all had pizza when we got back. It was lovely to see them all x
So we arrived home on NYE pretty exhausted but happy to have seen everyone.

ps. There was lots of lovely food and drink . . Ros made BBQ pork and a delicious baileys cheescake for desert . . Jenny put together a huge buffet and Mum brought along a homemade trifle. . Paul and Charlotte made us sausage and bacon butties on white bread. . and Lou made dauphinoise potatoes and a tasty beef and ale pie. There were also lots of mince pies but thats another story!!! x