Petra's 365 Photos Challenge

P365-2010

2010-01-01T09:30:00.000-08:00

And this is the end of this blog, my friends... If you want to see my 2010 daily photos you will have to look somewhere else, as I now have a new website to combine all my blogs and photo albums: here's the link --
http://coolboxuk.accweb.org.uk/

Day 365 - December 31

2010-01-01T09:27:00.001-08:00

This year Sean got the honour of ringing the Twelve Midnight Strokes of the new year's ringing in Chertsey and I took a photo of him doing it which is of course rather special... And so this year's photo-a-day album starts and ends with bellringing!

Day 364 - December 30

2010-01-01T09:25:00.001-08:00

Okay, the Blue Moon occured on December 31st, not 30th, but I had another important special picture for the end of the year, so I decided to cheat a little just at the end of this project! I really love this photo and wanted to use it, and I think a Blue Moon is really quite special, too, as it only occurs once in, well, once in a Blue Moon...

Day 363 - December 29

2009-12-30T07:47:00.001-08:00

I tidied away the presents and thought I first take a photo of the sum of mine for the P365 album - alas, looking at it now I realise I forgot to put in a gift card for WHSmith which I got from my boss (!!!) and which was actually the biggest surprise... And instead I put in a bundle of seed packs which were one of Sean's presents and not mine - oh well... The 2nd photo, not for P365 but just to share with you, was taken on Boxing Day and it was the funniest present we had this year (Sean's, obviously). Apart from that and the seeds all he got was boxes of biscuits and sweets and more biscuits - what does that tell you???

Day 362 - December 28

2009-12-30T07:45:00.000-08:00

And on Monday we started transposing some hymns from the hymn book, and also Auld Lang Syne, into bell ringing format as we hope to keep the handbell ringers group motivated to go on practising throughout the year and get better at it, rather than just botching together some carols for Christmas... Let's see if we are successul!

Day 361 - December 27

2009-12-30T07:44:00.001-08:00

The days between Boxing Day and New Year are usually very quiet over here and a lot of people stay home with family if they can. Sean was home, too, and I started a dreadful cold so didn't feel like doing anything. We spent most of Sunday watching TV on iBBC, most of it the Christmas programmes which are often kid's stuff (in the photo is "Heidi", quite famous but ironically I'd never seen it before!).

Day 360 - December 26

2009-12-30T07:43:00.000-08:00

On Boxing Day we had the usual family-get-together at FIL's house. A few people were ill so there were "only" 25 of us, plus 5 dogs. Every year after the unwrapping of the presents we all have a "paper fight" - you can see the paper balls laying about in the photo and Zoe has just thrown one.

Day 359 - December 25

2009-12-30T07:40:00.000-08:00

Christmas Day - my sister-in-law Fiona invited us to have a roast turkey lunch with her family. Bob (my father-in-law) and Jean were also invited so there were eight of us which was quite jolly, especially afterwards when we played a game of Balderdash (Sean and I made a team and we won by half a board which I thought was hilarious! (In the photo: Fiona and her husband Graham.)

Day 358 - December 24

2009-12-30T07:38:00.001-08:00

Christmas Eve Special... We rang the bell for Midnight Mass but when we got there at 11pm we couldn't open the door to the tower staircase (to go up and let down the ropes) because something had fallen down inside and blocked the door. There is no other way in than the one door - or the bell hatch in the ceiling which is about two storeys up. (The hatch is the round thing you can make out at the upper edge of the photo.) Consequently, it was Sean who had to climb up the extended roof ladder freestanding against the edge of that hatch, to crawl in and then come down the tower staircase inside to remove the obstacle. I could have kicked my own bumm that I'd forgotten the camera that night (I almost always take it these days), so all I could do was take a photo of the hatch the next day, to document the event. Argh. The second photo shows the door below the stained glass window, just to give an impression of how high up that ceiling is...

Day 357 - December 23

2009-12-23T15:28:00.001-08:00

Me and my friend Debs of the church choir, after carol singing.

Day 356 - December 22

2009-12-23T15:27:00.000-08:00

This is the "big Christmas card" in church. Every year one of the crafty people in our church makes a big card - this one is actually three cork pinboard hinged together - and that gets put up with lots of gift tags with self-adhesive backs, and some pens. Then, instead of lots of people in church spending loads of money on cards for each other, we write these tags with greetings for everybody and stick them to the "big card", and give a donation instead which always goes to Crisis at Christmas, a big nationawide charity to help the homeless through the winter season.

Day 355 - December 21

2009-12-21T11:12:00.001-08:00

Today I spent a good time wrapping Christmas presents - we don't give as many as we used to, only the close family now, but it still takes time. I put them under the Christmas branches awaiting our family get-togethers...

Day 354 - December 20

2009-12-21T11:10:00.001-08:00

Our group of handbell ringers were part of a carol afternoon in one of the old people's homes here in Chertsey. It was a good and not so scary practice for playing in the service at church on Christmas Day!

Day 353 - December 19

2009-12-19T09:21:00.001-08:00

The funniest shop window display in Chertsey: the carpet shop, obviously. These guys really made me smile!

Day 352 - December 18

2009-12-19T09:20:00.000-08:00

My friend Eve's "annual bounty" in the boot of my car. You probably remember that she's a primary school teacher and yesterday was the last day of term when all the kids bring cards and presents for their teacher. The presents seem to get bigger each year - I told her next year I'll have to bring the van because they only just fit into the small car!

Day 351 - December 17

2009-12-19T09:19:00.001-08:00

This year's party of the Scottish Dancing group for the old ladies was at Elise's house, very prettily decorated and with her gorgeous little pussycat entertaining us all. Monica and I were the only younger people there but it was still great fun catching up with them all, as many don't come to the dancing often these days. We had this little bring and share buffet - most informal parties here in the UK are bring and share nowadays which is so much better than one person having to sweat through it all...

Day 350 - December 16

2009-12-16T09:48:00.001-08:00

I couldn't believe it: the first snow of this winter. We had so many snowless winters here - since I came in 1996 I think it snowed only three times: quite a lot this year in February and in January 2003 (both times a few days, enough to make snowmen etc) and once I think in 2001 a dusting one night. Never so early...so, here's DREAMING OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS...

Day 349 - December 15

2009-12-15T15:12:00.001-08:00

My photo for the day is back to Christmas cards - not writing but preparing for selling: this is the last batch that has come in from my charity crafters.

Day 348 - December 14

2009-12-14T14:19:00.001-08:00

We had the first carol service tonight in our church, run in conjunction with Chertsey Museum. They do that every year, and the services are usually nice, with some old articles from the local paper or other reminiscences being read in between the Bible readings and carols, and then everybody walks over for mulled wine and mince pies at the Museum which is just a few houses away from the church. I didn't go this year - I'm just fed up with having to explain all the time why I won't have any wine or sweets at the moment...
Well, so this is the big lighted star that's hanging up in the chancel arch every year for Christmas; and actually, every year there is a debate whether it's a star or a cross!. I suppose it's both, and isn't that a wonderful analogy for the life of Jesus: from the star under which he was born to the cross where he set us free!

Day 347 - December 13

2009-12-13T15:04:00.001-08:00

Another uninspired photo, or rather not thought through. This is the basket of Christmas cards which I finished off today, but the photo was an afterthought just as I was about to take them out, put on stamps and drop them in the mailbox on the way to church for carol practise. I wished I'd put at least the stamps on first, and arranged them a bit more interestingly, as it looks really so boring - but by then I was in a hurry...

Day 346 - December 12

2009-12-12T10:13:00.001-08:00

Today's photo is a bit uninspired because for a change nothing was happening, and I wasn't in the mood to MAKE anything happen either... So this is just bags of leaves - the council has them cleared away from the roads and pavements before they all get mucky, slippery and fill up the drains... The RBC on the sacks stands for Runnymede Borough Council. If anybody is interested in more of our local history, here is a link to what the National Trust has to say about Runnymede (our county is named after that famous piece of land in it where the Magna Carta was signed).

Day 345 - December 11

2009-12-11T14:44:00.001-08:00

And here is Sean ringing the Curfew which involves ringing up the 4th bell in the ring, ringing 50 times, ringing it down and then chiming the number of strokes for the day of the month (there's a page of our church website if you are interested in the tradition of curfew ringing).
Sean is not normally on the curfew ringing team but somebody dropped out of the rota short notice and nobody else seemed to be able to fill in... As you can see, he's having fun with it - this is a very well behaved bell, and for him not even heavy!

Day 344 - December 10

2009-12-11T14:43:00.001-08:00

Yesterday we had the Chapter Quiet Day and as part of my job I attended it. Our quiet days all tend to take place at this great house called The Abbey. It's a wonderful place but it's not a monastery - just the name of this house which belongs to a member of our church, incidentally. The name refers to the great Chertsey Abbey which used to stand in its place until after the dissolution under HenryVIII it was slowly dismantled.

Day 343 - December 9

2009-12-11T14:39:00.000-08:00

The Christmas Party after the Songs of Praise service, our monthly service for the elderly. People get brought in from various residential homes as well as privately for this service and there's always coffee/tea and cakes afterwards, but in December there's also decorations, a cute Christmas cake, crakers, cards and presents, and all the usual ado...

Day 342 - December 8

2009-12-08T11:17:00.000-08:00

I had an afternoon out with my friend Monica and we went to a huge farm shop, about 1/2 hour away from where she lives. We do that about twice a year because they have such wonderful cheeses, chutneys, breads and other yummie stuff (of course I can't eat any of it but bought a few things for Sean and for Christmas presents). And always before Christmas they add this big marquee onto the farm shop to cash in on the Christmas trade - we didn't buy anything from there but had our picture taken with the reindeer...

Day 341 - December 7

2009-12-07T14:17:00.001-08:00

This is an iBBC screen shot of my computer playing "Shaun the Sheep" - one of my favourite animation shows. They are just little 7 minute spots and obviously part of the pre-Christmas kids' programmes. I never knew Shaun the Sheep before I came to England - but of course being married to Sean - the connection is obvious: so I learnt to know and love this little sheep!

Day 340 - December 6

2009-12-07T14:16:00.000-08:00

The lighting ceremony at Chertsey - a crowd meeting outside our church where the Scouts had a marquee up to sell mulled wine and mince pies (never missing from any Advent activity here in England!) and Santa on his Rudolph sleigh was directing the action and entertaining the kids afterwards. The occasion was the first lighting of the big angels on the church as well as light chains in the trees outside, sponsored by the local Rotary Club.

Day 339 - December 5

2009-12-07T14:15:00.001-08:00

This was at the annual dinner of the handbell section of the churchbell ringers' guild (i.e. all these people do the handbells as an "also run" activity while mainly ringing church bells - as opposed to the real handbell ringers who are much better at it). This funny picture was a side activity called "representing church bells and walking change ringing". I was the missing number 1 and the numbers we had around our necks were the numbers of the bells we represented. It was a total laugh - you wouldn't believe how hard it was to do although we only walked Plain Hunt which is the easiest of the methods...

Day 338 - December 4

2009-12-04T15:18:00.002-08:00

Tonight was the Scout groups' Christingle service - we went there for bellringing again and stayed for the service which was quite good fun. I took lots of photos but I especially like this one, taken before the service, of all the Christingles sitting there waiting...

Day 337 - December 3

2009-12-04T15:18:00.001-08:00

Back in the pub where they are doing the fundraising this week - this is one of the waitresses in her cute Santa outfit.

Day 336 - December 2

2009-12-04T15:16:00.000-08:00

Wednesday night's is bellringing practice - I have a few bellringing-related pictures in my 365-album but none actually one of practice, and this week's was quite special because there was a rather "adventurous little accident": we have a beginner ringing with us currently and normally our Tower Captain takes care of her, but he wasn't there on Wednesday and his sub didn't make a good job of it, so she lost the plot at one point and let go of the rope which then proceeded to whip through the tower wildly, like a live wire, until the bell had rung itself down. A bit dangerous, actually - it could easily take an eye out if it hits you... the situation should never have happened, but well. It was something to watch! Shame I couldn't get to my camera then - so this ordinary photo will have to do to mark the "occasion".

Day 335 - December 1

2009-12-01T15:44:00.001-08:00

Today was the first Tuesday of the month again, and therefore the Bookcrossers' Meeting (remember the girls hiding behind their books last month???). Well, tonight there happened to be a fundraising event in the pub (actually all week long) with all the waitresses in Santa costumes selling Santa hats for the Great Ormond Street childrens' hospital. Needless to say we bought a Santa's hat each, and this is Monica and me wearing ours...

Day 334 - November 30

2009-12-01T15:43:00.001-08:00

November 30 is St Andrew's Day, the saint of the Scots, which is always celebrated by the Scottish societies here with a social evening. These are some heather table decorations made by my dancing friend Monica.

Day 333 - November 29

2009-12-01T15:42:00.001-08:00

Today was the first advent Sunday - where has time gone??? I went to sing advent evensong at the neighbouring village's church because I like their traditional "carols and lessons" style of it. When I drove up to the church the sun was going down and the colours were quite stunning. It's a lovely little old village church.

Day 332 - November 28

2009-12-01T15:39:00.001-08:00

I went to see the performance of our local amateur play group - my brother-in-law and one of their daughters were in this play, called The Crucible. A very tragic story, based on true happenings around the Witch Trials in Salem - here is some info about the real happening and halfway down the page a link to the story. The photo is of the board by the theatre entrance (in the foyer) with the placard as well as scene photos and you can see my Graham in the middle photo - as the pastor, and the girl on the sickbed is our niece Eleanor.

Day 331 - November 27

2009-12-01T15:36:00.000-08:00

This is a photo of the digital page swap at Club Scrap - the inspiration was page my friend Cathy made with my QP and posted in the November thread. So this is my blank QP bottom right, as well as two of Cathy's blanks, and Cathy's LO, all on my computer screen, to represent our monthly swaps which I'm greatly enjoying.

Day 330 - November 26

2009-11-26T15:38:00.001-08:00

Nothing exciting happened so Sean helped me out for a photo by deciding that one of today's popcorns looked like a dog and set it barking at one of the evil corns that didn't want to pop... Don't I just love him??? (And yes, we deserve each other - we aren't really fit for the world...!)

Day 329 - November 25

2009-11-26T15:37:00.001-08:00

And then there was the delivery from the organic veg company - I'd chosen several different squashes to try out what they are like and if any of these might be worth trying to grow in our garden. When they came and sat there together I thought they looked pretty and worth a photo!

Day 328 - November 24

2009-11-26T15:36:00.001-08:00

Here I had to resort to a news article again: when I went to the chiropractor on Tuesday there was police all over the carpark, and the receptionist was quite upset - apparently, there had been an armed robbery in the jeweller's next doors and they had all been questioned at length by the police. I could see the forensic team and the smashed shop windows, but didn't have the guts to go and take a photo of it. Still, I decided I want it in my 365 album, so the article must do...

Day 327 - November 23

2009-11-26T15:35:00.000-08:00

This was a bit of a shock: this is a mushroom in our BATHROOM! I couldn't believe my eyes! Okay, I admit it's a bit damp in there and nothing we can do about; but not really very much so, not compared to some other bathrooms I know. We sometimes get a bit of mildew in corners which I can get rid of with vinegar - but we never had a mushroom before!!! This one sits at the back of the toilet stem and I suppose I should really remove it... Not to sure how to tackle it... It's the Year of the Mushrooms, it seems - first they were all over the garden like never before, and now this!

Day 326 - November 22

2009-11-22T16:05:00.001-08:00

Today we had a bit of a shock - there has been rather heavy rain here in the UK - more in the North of the country where there was terrible flooding, and also quite a lot in the West. But when I looked at the BBC headlines on the Internet today there was another flood-related headline which said "Canoeist Died in Swollen River" - and when I checked it out I found that a) it was somebody we knew, not closely but close enough for him to be a Facebook friend of Sean's and b) it was on a stretch of river that Sean paddles regularly in winter and I have paddled, too, although in easier conditions. Chris, the dead canoeist, was an experienced paddler, too, and of Sean's age. It is scary to think that it could have been Sean...and sad in any case. Such news is always so much harder if it is somebody you know...

Day 325 - November 21

2009-11-22T16:04:00.001-08:00

Sean enjoying his popcorn. He has totally taken to making himself a bowl of popcorn every day as a snack at some point - just plain, so I suppose it's the healthiest snack he ever had! One day I complained that he always did it when I wasn't around and didn't share, so yesterday he came upstairs with his bowl in hand and let me have some! So sweet!!!

Day 324 - November 20

2009-11-21T06:16:00.001-08:00

This is the crossing by the station here in Chertsey, about 3 minutes walk from where I live, on the way into town. I usually walk into town (it's only 10 minutes) so it wasn't a problem for me, but this lot of drainage tanks had the place well bunged up and cars reversing away from it on all sides! They were clearing out the gutters and drains which are always getting blocked with fallen leaves at this time of the year.

Day 323 - November 19

2009-11-21T06:14:00.001-08:00

Chestnuts from a big tree in FIL's garden. Sean and I both love chestnuts, and they are so much nicer fresh from the tree. These are probably the last for this year, so I thought I'd better take a photo because I'll need one for one of this month's BOM challenge LOs, too - watch the space on my digi blog!

Day 322 - November 18

2009-11-21T06:13:00.000-08:00

When we got to bellringing practise, Malcolm our Tower Captain announced a "solemn occasion" - and presented me with my certificate of membership to the the Diocesan Guild of Church Ringers (Guildford). I've been ringing with them for two years, but since it is a Guild it must all go through the proper channels. The certificate is dated in March but was given to Malcolm at the recent AGM.

Day 321 - November 17

2009-11-18T08:13:00.000-08:00

Totally uninspired photo: these are the seed beans I left to grow for next year's planting - harvested this weekend and finally shelled and set out to dry... These beans (a French bean variety) are called Cherokee Trail of Tears and the story is that the Cherokees liked them so much that they took seeds of these beans with them on the trail.

Day 320 - November 16

2009-11-18T08:11:00.001-08:00

This photo (although in my album for today) was taken at the same time as the tree - remember the photo of the wreaths laid at the War Memorial? Well, this is Malclom (our Tower Captain) and Sean after ringing at church, trying to rearrange and retie the wreaths that had been dislodged (and some of them tattered) by the wind. It was a real sisyphus job: while they worked on one end the wind whipped up the other side again. In the end I had to go and help, too, holding the front row in place while Malcolm and Sean tied up both sides simultaneously...

Day 319 - November 15

2009-11-18T08:09:00.001-08:00

The high winds continued. The photo doesn't really express how bad it was blowing. It blew all kinds of bits in our garden and driveway over, amongst them the window that Sean meant to use for the cold frame (which still hasn't progressed). Of course all the glass went to smithereens - that's what you get for procrastinating! We spent at least 1/2 hour picking up shards and trying to brush together the tiny bits so that Chiefie won't tread them into her paws...

Day 318 - November 14

2009-11-14T09:58:00.001-08:00

There was a wedding in our church today (who wants to get married in November in England???) and we were ringing for it. I managed to sneak this picture just after we stopped. The bridesmaids had these lovely stunning red dresses! But how some of the women could bear to sit there with bare arms I don't know - I was wearing three layers, and with the exercise of ringing!

Day 317 - November 13

2009-11-14T09:57:00.000-08:00

This is a tree down the road from our house which is still looking very pretty. However, I think it will soon be gone because today the weather turned horribly rainy and windy, and is forecast to get worse!

Day 316 - November 12

2009-11-14T09:55:00.000-08:00

You may not recognise what is shown in this photo - this is one of the big church bells up in the tower, and the clapper is half-muffled. We ring on Remembrance Day and on Armistice Day (one was on Sunday, the other on Wednesday when the wreaths were laid) but with half-muffled bells, so you hear one sound clear as normal but the other dull. So this was the "day after", when the guys went up to "un-muffle" the bells - I asked Sean to take this photo for me as it's the only way to document this special ringing...

Day 315 - November 11

2009-11-11T15:32:00.001-08:00

Today is Remembrance Day here in the UK - the laying of the poppy wreaths at the War Memorial is always on 11/11 at 11am, but I didn't go to the ceremony and only sneaked a photo after dark when I happened to come by...

Day 314 - November 10

2009-11-11T15:31:00.001-08:00

We've started handbell ringing practise for the Christmas carols - one carol only needs a limited number of bells, so I had a chance to stand back and take a photo! Sean is on the far right ringing the two lowest bells, while I'm on the far left when I'm ringing, the two highest bells.

Day 313 - November 9

2009-11-11T15:30:00.001-08:00

Our corn has dried now and this was Sean making the first popcorn from his own cobs. He put in far too much which burnt a hole in the bottom of the paper bag - well, live and learn! Then we had this big bowl full of popcorn - we've had several smaller ones since!

Day 312 - November 8

2009-11-11T15:29:00.001-08:00

Something really annoying happened: Sean's van got vandalised in the night, in our driveway! One mirror was completely ripped off (see photo) and on the other side, the frame was still there but the mirror part inside was gone. Sean has taped a mirror inside now so at least he can drive the van, while waiting for the right parts to fix it.

Day 311 - November 7

2009-11-07T14:31:00.001-08:00

At the big church bonfire party at the Vicarage.

Day 310 - November 6

2009-11-07T14:29:00.001-08:00

My (belated) birthday dinner at my friend Eve's - just the four of us: Eve and Duncan, Sean and me, plus Harvey the cat of course (can be seen between Eve and Sean on the sofa!).

Day 309 - November 5

2009-11-07T14:27:00.001-08:00

5th of November - also known as Guy Fawkes Night in the UK. It refers to a historical happening when this guy Guy Fawkes tried to blow up parliament on the 5th of November 1605. Apparently, the people were then encouraged to commemorate the occasion (or better said the King's escape!) with a celebration every year on the day, and it became a tradition that included bonfires and later fireworks. Officially, it all happens on the 5th but of course if that's a weekday you also get big parties with lots of noise and a definite sulphury smell in the air on the weekends before and after. Still there are always some fireworks around the neighbourhood on the night, too.

Day 308 - November 4

2009-11-07T14:26:00.001-08:00

This was at the farewell party for one of our bellringers who is moving down to the coast for his retirement. He's cutting the cake with his wife!

Day 307 - November 3

2009-11-03T15:25:00.001-08:00

Tonight ,we had our monthly bookcrossers' meeting at The Crown, one of our local pubs. The silly moos were hiding behind their books!

Day 306 - November 2

2009-11-03T15:22:00.001-08:00

I went out with my SIL to a play at church in a neighbouring town. It was called "Origins and Lemons" - the title refers to an English nursery rhyme about church bells in London called "Oranges and Lemons" (you can find it here if you don't know it). The play was superbly done with constantly changing costumes and props but as you can see, no big scenery. It was a professional company called Riding Lights who are doing Christian plays all over the country and at the moment they are touring with this one which is about Genesis upto the Babel story (the latter scene being the photo). It was witty, even funny, and very thoughtprovoking - mainly about the "Science versus Religion" debate.

Day 305 - November 1

2009-11-03T15:21:00.001-08:00

We had a big Service of Light for All Saints at church, with lighting of candles for lost loved ones. The photo is one of the trays of lighted candles (the one in which my candle sat).

Day 304 - October 31

2009-10-31T12:21:00.000-07:00

For today I chose a photo to suit the occasion. But it also has a special story - it was taken at the beginning of the year! Every winter we seem to have two of these big black house spiders living in our bath room, one behind the radiator and the other behind the sink stem. (BTW, they have just appeared again - so I COULD have taken a new photo...call me lazy.) And every year for 2 or 3 times, my German friend Nicole used to come over to work bank shifts at the local hospital (she's a midwive) which is just down the road, so she stayed with us. Nicole is totally arachnophobic so when she first saw one of those spiders, she didn't want to go into the bathroom anymore! Then DH in his ingenuity made up a story about them being our pets, and that they had names - I then quickly called them Amalia and Charlotta, two very old-fashioned German names. Strangely enough, after that, Nicole was okay with the bathroom, as long as I went in first to make sure neither of the two was in evidence at the moment... And ever since, the annul spiders in the bathroom are Amalia (behind the radiator) and Charlotta (behind the sink). So - meet Amalia!!!

Day 303 - October 30

2009-10-31T12:20:00.001-07:00

Another spot of Halloween: In the little flower shop opposite the church they had two really magnificent old witch marionettes for a window display - I tried to take photos but it didn't work too well. Instead I got a really good reflection of the church - does that want to tell us something?

Day 302 - October 29

2009-10-31T12:18:00.001-07:00

Finally an autumn tree in its full glory - in good old Chertsey, down by the Bourne!

Day 301 - October 28

2009-10-31T12:17:00.001-07:00

I stopped at Truss's Island on my way to Staiens, to get some autumn foliage photos, but there wasn't much to speak off. Truss's Island is just a little island in the Thames with a carpark by the side - people go there for their lunch breaks, so instead there were lots of wildfowl waiting for treats...

Day 300 - October 27

2009-10-31T12:16:00.001-07:00

My little car parked ankle-deep in leaves when I went to visit my friend in Staines.

Day 299 - October 26

2009-10-31T12:13:00.002-07:00

We are having an absolutely splendid Indian Summer week over here, and I was out hunting for "autumn photos". Shame that most of the colours are already fallen - it went so quick this year once it started... Along the way I also couldn't resist taking some "halloweeny" photos - it's not as much in evidence over here as it is in the States for example, but still you can see some bits... This is "Hobgoblin" beer at the supermarket - do they make that only for Halloween???

Day 298 - October 25

2009-10-31T12:13:00.001-07:00

This month Club Scrap asked for my profile and artwork to be featured in the Spot Light of their Digi Scraprap.

Day 297 - October 24

2009-10-24T04:03:00.001-07:00

Some more mushrooms I found in the garden - different type. These are under our rosemary bush. Strange - the past years since we moved here there were never any mushrooms and this year we have loads. Must be something to do with the weather...

Day 296 - October 23

2009-10-24T03:58:00.000-07:00

I had quite a job getting the photos going today: our main hard drive (network drive) crashed and since Sean is away I can't do anything about it. I don't dare touch it in case I do something wrong and make it worse because my "whole life" is on that drive (photos!!!, my scrapbooking stuff, work, accounts etc) and some of Sean's, too. I really hope that it hasn't lost anything - I'd be heartbroken if I lost the photos inparticularl!
Problem is that I can't open Photoshop either without the drive because it's also my scratch disk... So I had to locate the Windows Image Processor and fiddle around with it which I had never used before. Luckily these photos were still in the camera!
This is Sean in his van as he was leaving for the Yalding slalom yesterday - thought it's a really nice picture of him actually. He'll be back tonight, so until then I have to keep worrying about the hard drive - boohoo...

Day 295 - October 22

2009-10-22T08:40:00.001-07:00

And today this little furry friend came walking into the kitchen while I left the door open for a moment in the sunshine. It's milder today, so I thought a bit of fresh air in would be good... I have no idea what he will turn into but I thought he was cute - picked him up on a sheet of paper and Sean took some photos for me while I was holding him up.

Day 294 - October 21

2009-10-22T08:39:00.001-07:00

An unexpected present from my friend Eve: a lace making beginner's kit. She found it in a charity shop. Looking forward to trying that out some time over winter...

Day 293 - October 20

2009-10-22T08:37:00.001-07:00

I went out in the evening just after it had rained and found this huge spider web over our melothries, sparkling with drops. The photo isn't too great - it looked much better for real, but it was getting dark and it was difficult to focus on the thing...

Day 292 - October 19

2009-10-19T11:12:00.000-07:00

My new Wellies which will come in handy for the winter gardening/allotting. I got them via Freecycle (i.e. free!) which was a lucky find, brandnew!

Day 291 - October 18

2009-10-19T11:11:00.000-07:00

Cherry apples in the churchyard. Another pretty autumn sight. I love autumn for its colours!!!

Day 290 - October 17

2009-10-19T11:10:00.001-07:00

I love the sight of the bright orangr pumpkins! They always do them at the local Farm Shop. I don't shop there because they don't do organic stuff, but it's worth for the show at this time of the year...

Day 289 - October 16

2009-10-17T09:06:00.002-07:00

This is Sean's 3-sisters bed which is a bit more exposed and as you can see, pretty much died down now - WINTER'S COMING!

Day 288 - October 15

2009-10-17T09:06:00.001-07:00

We had a ground frost warning, so Sean covered the main bed with the crookneck squash, which are still carrying, with a tarpaulin - so far they survived.

Day 287 - October 14

2009-10-17T09:04:00.001-07:00

Snapshot by Sean. It's in the dining room (you can see some washing still drying on the rack in the background - it takes ages now because it's cold and humid, best hated combination!). The room behind me is the kitchen and then through to the bathroom - typical old Victorian semi-detatched house layout... And as you can guess from my rollneck and fleece - it's quite cold!

Day 286 - October 13

2009-10-17T09:03:00.001-07:00

When I went to the back of the garden the other day I was surprised to find the place full of clusters of mushrooms like these - we've never had them before here.

Day 285 - October 12

2009-10-12T08:39:00.001-07:00

There are plenty of berries around this year, both edible and not! This is yew, which is poisonous, but pretty... The berries always remind me of stuffed olives gone wrong!

Day 284 - October 11

2009-10-12T08:36:00.000-07:00

The leaves somehow are not very spectacular this autumn but luckily other things provide some colour! Fly Agarics are amongst the most poisonous toadstools in Britain, but I love their cheerful looks, and they always remind me of the fairytales of my childhood!

Day 283 - October 10

2009-10-12T08:33:00.001-07:00

This year's District Bellringers' Outing was to the Redhill area where we had the opportunity to ring at eight different churches with rings of 4 to 10 bells! We saw some interesting artwork such as one of the best preserved doom paintings at Chaldon and a collegiate church with brass and tombs to rival Westminster Abbey, which brought it the nickname "Westminster of the South". We also made a little detour to the oldest working post windmill in Britain which was a great treat!

Day 282 - October 9

2009-10-09T10:17:00.001-07:00

Arrival of delivery from Goodness Direct which is an online health food shop. Due to my special diet this year I need to buy a lot of things I can't get in local shops, and the online shop has free delivery for orders over £35, so I make up big orders once in a while (hoping I forget nothing essential...).

Day 281 - October 8

2009-10-08T15:07:00.001-07:00

We have some lovely late-flowering sunflowers in our garden, and just one small sprig is perfect in the little hand-thrown vase Emily gave me as a birthday present. It's sitting on my window sill by the computer now and giving me so much pleasure!

Day 280 - October 7

2009-10-08T15:05:00.000-07:00

It rained all day - I don't think it stopped for even a minute! We needed the rain, but really it made me feel just like Chiefie looks in this picture. No idea why she keeps sitting in the rain - she's got a great big kennel!

Day 279 - October 6

2009-10-06T16:05:00.000-07:00

Fuchsia - sadly not in our garden but in the churchyard. It's ever so pretty!

Day 278 - October 5

2009-10-06T16:03:00.000-07:00

Finally come out of the woodwork again and back to normal. Sean brought home a pile of sweetcorn ears that were past their prime, hoping to make them into popcorn. So the honour was mine to peel back the laves and tie them up. They are now hanging upstairs to dry...

Day 277 - October 4

2009-10-06T16:02:00.000-07:00

Pine cones - yes, it is autumn, even if the colours are still missing.

Day 276 - October 3

2009-10-06T16:00:00.000-07:00

My hot water bottle - sign as well of the turning season (at least temperature-wise) as of the fact that I'm still under the weather, feeling the need to keep warm...

Day 275 - October 2

2009-10-06T15:57:00.000-07:00

Yuck, I was ill again. After hanging on to an incredibly nasty fluey cold (inherited from Sean!) I came down straight away with some gastro bug. It was absolutely disgusting: green poo!!! Didn't want to eat anything really for two days and then felt absolutely washed out, cold, shivery and tired. No idea what it was - hope I won't get that bird flu they are all talking about!

Day 274 - October 1

2009-10-06T15:55:00.000-07:00

Uncle John's beehives at Woodlands - soon to be a thing of the past. Now that John and Jenny have moved to the New Forest, he has taken some with him and sold the other hives and swarms...

Day 273 - September 30

2009-10-06T15:46:00.000-07:00

So, I was born on the 273rd day of the year, hmmm. My birthdays are usually non-events these days, and this year I spent the afternoon working in the garden as well as the allotment, but there was a surprise in store for me! While Emily and I were digging over beds on our plot, the two neighbouring ladies turned up, too, and all three of them had brought some simple picnic food. We sat on the boardwalk for about an hour, munching away and doing Girl Talk... Emily also gave me a lovely little hand-turned flower vase, quite a treasure and I felt so chuffed! Shame I didn't bring my camera...

Day 272 - September 29

2009-10-06T15:44:00.000-07:00

Picture Paula and Vince sent, bought during their holday in Barbados earlier the year. I really love this, so usual but quite my style I'd say.

Day 271 - September 28

2009-10-06T15:42:00.000-07:00

An amazing tree fungus seen at Windsor Park. I seem to be going for lots of walks at the moment - Chiefie is in luck. Waiting to see some autumnal scenery, lovely coloured leaves, mushrooms...

Day 270 - September 27

2009-10-06T15:40:00.000-07:00

Mandarin Ducks at Painshill Park (near Cobham/Surrey).

Day 269 - September 26

2009-10-06T15:38:00.000-07:00

There are lots of geese gathering now; I suppose they'll soon fly away for the winter. (Looseley Pond)

Day 268 - September 25

2009-10-06T15:35:00.000-07:00

You guessed it? Yes, another project for Sean to do: materials for a large cold frame to be built next to the shed. Brickwork topped with an old window frame. Hopefully for THIS winter - here's hoping.

Day 267 - September 24

2009-10-06T15:34:00.000-07:00

Heron, spotted by the Bourne, one of our three "rivers" here in Chertsey.