A Rather Posh Weekend

Happy Sunny Sunday bloglies.  I do hope that the weather has been as kind to you this weekend as it has been to the Midlands.  Hot hot hot!!

We were lucky enough to be guests at a beautiful wedding, held at Walton Hall in Wellesbourne near Stratford, yesterday.   It has been a truly gorgeous weekend with much good food, wine, laughter and good company.  Just what the doctor ordered.  We stayed overnight at a hotel in the grounds and it almost feels as though we've been on a mini-break, living the high life!

As I haven't sought permission to post pictures of the happy couple I'll just share a couple of general pics, suitably cropped photographs and images from the day and of the grounds of the Hall.

St James' Church in the grounds of Walton Hall was the venue for the ceremony 

I loved this ornately adorned cross in the tiny churchyard

Walton Hall

 I loved the muted colours of the table centre pieces 

Bridal bouquet -  scented and very heavy!

The bride's beautiful dress - very elegant  in its simplicity ....

Which allowed the bride to wear a very eyecatching vintage looking hair adornment with a matching bracelet cuff and earrings.

We woke this morning to hot sunshine and after indulging in the all inclusive buffet breakfast we had time for a wander around the grounds before we needed to check out of the hotel.    The picture above was taken from a sweet little wooden bridge, where we watched lots of dragonflies dancing on top of the water.  

It was an idyllic weekend and I could quite easily have stayed another night.

Sigh.

Back to work for me tomorrow.  Not sure how I'm feeling about that really.  At least I only have to do five days though as then I'm on a week's leave.  Hurrah!

How was your weekend? 

  

The Simple Woman's Daybook - Summer Edition

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.co.uk/


As ever - lots of blog-hopping opportunities via the above linky thingie. 




FOR TODAY

Outside my window... the black plastic cover is STILL covering half the garden.  Sigh.

I am thinking... that the lasagne I made earlier smells yumcious even though I do say so meself! 

I am thankful... for my family.  Nuff said.

In the kitchen... a monumentally huge amount of dry washing is teetering on the table and needs to be sorted and put away.  Sigh.  Rock and bloody roll. 

I am wearing... black.     What??!! 

I am creating...  a monumentally huge mess as I attempt to declutter the house with a view to having space to be able to start scrapbooking again.  

I am going... to cry.  Because I'm simply moving one pile to another pile and then back to the same place.  I need a lie down in a darkened room until the declutteration fairies pay a visit and sort it all out for me.  MU-UUUM!!!! 

I am wondering... whether anyone would notice if I lifted up a couple of  the laminated floorboards and swept all the clutter beneath.  

I am reading... the riot act, mainly, to errant 13 year olds who make it their life's work to clutter up the tiniest available decluttered space in the house.  With plates.  And mugs.  And empty bloody packets of STUFF!!  (well... not stuff exactly - cos the stuff has been scoffed - you know what I mean don't you?!)

I am hoping... that the sun shines tomorrow..... because....

I am looking forward to... a work colleague's wedding at a ver' posh venue where I shall swan around in heels and a floaty dress which is not coloured black -  ( and therefore feeling like an over stuffed sofa)  looking glamorous and carefree whilst partaking of sumptuous repast and wine and indulging in much frivolity and dancing and  trying my best to avoid collapsing into a drunken heap at the bottom of the sweeping driveway on the way back to our hotel room.  Probably.

I am learning that grief cannot be locked away in a box and will rear its head at the most inopportune of moments.

Around the house...well..... it's a bloomin' mess innit?!

I am pondering... whether to go put some fake tan on or whether I can actually be arsed with all that malarkey and just look pale and interesting instead.

A favorite quote for today...

One of my favorite things... my BlackBerry.  One is never alone with a BlackBerry.  (How shallow I am!).

A few plans for the rest of the week:  Back to work I'm afraid.  I can't afford to be off any more so I shall have to put on my big girl pants (shurrup you lot) and be brave.  I'm only there for a week though because I have a week's annual leave booked so that could break me in gently, so to speak. 

A peek into my day...

This is where I stand every day, coffee cup in hand, looking out of the window sadly at the vast expanse of black plastic.  Sniff.    Those insanely coloured dyed crysanths were a gift from a kind soul two weeks ago and they're still going strong.

See you soon xxxx

Friday Funny

Tuesday Twitterings!

Good Lord!

I do believe that we saw blue skies today!! 

I had to take a photograph just to preserve the memory!

I caught Cassie sunning herself on the bike this afternoon.  She was in absolute catty bliss as she snoozed in the sunshine.  It almost looked like she was smiling.  I managed to quietly take a couple of pictures through the kitchen window .....

... until.. oops!!  Busted!!  That's a 'no publicity' glare if ever I saw one!   Cassie -sort your moustache out luv!  

In other news....

Lovely man bought me a couple of 'cheery up' sun and moon solar lights for the garden.  Whilst these are only in a temporary position at the moment, they're really pretty when(!) the sun shines on the coloured glass baubles  - and have the added bonus of glowing softly long after the sun goes down.

The alliums have FINALLY opened.  It's taken weeks for them to come into full bloom.

I do hope that your Tuesday was bright.

See you soon x

How you've grown ...

Hello lovely bloglies, 

Hope the weekend has been kind to you and that Monday didn't roll around too soon.

Thank you so much for your emails and responses etcetera regarding my Dad.  You're such kind people.  We gave him a wonderful send off and I know that he would have been very proud of the turnout for him.

It's been a bitter-sweet few days as you can appreciate.  After the funeral on Friday, we had to start looking forward to my daughter's 18th birthday.  She was adamant that she wasn't bothered by it and understandably didn't feel up to celebrating, however we couldn't let such a milestone slip by quietly.  We planned a surprise day out which featured lunch in TGI Fridays, a stroll along Brindley Place to an achingly  up its own arse vee posh wine bar type place (*shudder*), and then after a brief rest, bowling in the evening, all rounded off with coffee and birthday cake back at Nanny's house!

We all had a brilliant time and it was nice to relax a little into some semblance of normality.

Now I know that "Other People's Children" probably comes way down the top twenty of blogging subjects but indulge me my 'proud momma' moment!  

My little lady has grown from this little pink bundle ....

To this beautiful young lady.  

Rather randomly......  I fell in love with this beautiful wreath outside a hip and happenin' (man) new florists in Brindley Place.  It was HUGE!  

And... erm.... this rather interesting(?) 'urban' sculpture at the entrance to The Mailbox.   My brother is the one on the right.  Bless.

See you soon!

  

Progress?

Remember this post?  When we were planning our posh new courtyard garden?  Well - since then it's all been going on!  We've taken delivery of the aurora sun circle, put in the retaining struts, taken up two thirds of the lawn and... and..... well - that's it really!

Aurora sun circle jigsaw pieces proudly modelled by the wonderful Cassie.
"These are mine.  I'm sitting on them , ergo they are mine"

Cos it's not stopped ruddy well raining ever since!!  PAH!!

I'm getting quite used to the black polythene cover though.  We've applied to the RHS for a slot at Chelsea next year as we feel that it has a certain 'industrial charm' about it.

(Incidentally - thank goodness for friends bearing donations of black polythene for without it I'm sure that we would have lost the dog by now in a sea of mud.)

Ah well - if it doesn't stop raining we could always turn it into a paddling pool I guess.  One must always look on the bright side after all! 

Pool is filling up nicely then!

Pussycat, Pussycat ...

Where have you been?

I've been on the bloomin shed roof ain't I?!  

Honestly - extra strength zoom lenses!

What's a cat gotta do to get some privacy around here?!

Monday Meanderings

Hello Blogging Friends.  Please accept my humble gratitude for your lovely comments regarding my recent sad news.

The funeral is booked for Friday 13th.  I know the date would have some people running for the hills but in all honesty to us it's just a date.  It will be a horrible day in any event .so I can't see why the date should be any more significant in the bad-day stakes than it it is - if that makes sense.  It does in my head!

So, we're all in that that twilight limbo-land right now where nothing makes much sense, much needs doing, inevitable red tape, documentation and necessary appointments dominate our days.  As some wise friends have said to me, "This too shall pass".  And I know it will.

Welcome to my new follower, Cath.  **waves and blows kisses**


The allotment has been very much neglected of late, due to a combination of torrential rain and hospital visiting.  As it's a beloved place for us all, we had a bit of a working party on Sunday whilst there was a brief few hours respite from the rain.

Oh Lottie - we only left you to your own devices for a very short while and you've gorn all blowsy and rampant. You cheeky madam!

Poppies are doing well though!!  So many different ones in such a small area!  I do love them though - such bright cheerful little flowers.

Botanists would have a field day in this empty bed which has been colonised by self-seeded wild-things!  

Foxgloves - nearly "as high as an elephant's eye!"  I had to stretch up with my camera to take this shot!

We had cause to pop to the cemetery today and along the path were some fabulous fungi specimens!  This one was huge - plate sized!

 

I've just noticed the tasteful arrangement of pine cones around the base of this little fella  - they were in fact as nature intended despite looking as though we had placed them for effect!

These other two beauties were just around the corner - not quite as big, but still sizeable - click to enlarge any of the photographs - you'll see a £1 coin placed on the lower one for scale purposes!

Haven't a clue what species they are - Cro - any clue?

See you soon  xxxxx

Sadness

My Dad lost his battle with cancer yesterday. 

"My heart is numb, has no feeling ..."

Cedric Alan Herrington

03 November 1940 - 04 July 2012



Pre-diagnosis August 2009 - a random mad family photo shoot one evening in my garden

Post-diagnosis April 2010  My brother had shaved Dad's hair (and his own in support) in readiness for his bout of chemo
Let the battle commence...

August 2010 - At our favourite 'bacon sarnie' place at the foot of the Clent Hills



Night night my Daddy

~x~

I'm Still Here........

... just having another round of hospital visiting at the moment which is taking up most spare time, leaving nothing very much of import to impart! As soon as I can then I shall be back to my usual inane and inefficient blogging with gusto.

Dad was taken in last week with breathing difficulties having contracted a chest infection.  Unfortunately it looks as though the tumour on his lung is growing back and has made part of his lung collaspe.  These are indeed very worrying times.  He was discharged on Friday but was back in view emergency ambulance early yesterday morning as his breathing had deteriorated again.  He has fluid on his lungs and a "touch" of pneumonia - whatever a "touch" of pneumonia may be.  We have heard this morning that his Consultant wishes to transfer him to a different hospital and to blast the cancer with radiotherapy in the hope of stopping the little blighter in its tracks but as you can imagine we're in the lap of the Gods on this one. 

We shall overcome ..... hopefully.

See you soon xx