New Year's Day 2009!

Phew, 2009 already. What a year it's been. A trip to Australia, my 60th birthday, my brother getting married, Russell and Caz getting married and finally, Ali and Joe having their gorgeous little girl, Poppy Rose. Jim's first 'blood' Grandchild. Oh, and we acquired Buster. We remarked today how he has changed our lives.

We've spent the past few days gathering wood to keep warm and generally chilling between Christmas and New Year. I've taken Buster for several walks and he's taken himself for some more.

We've managed to avoid the troublesome neighbours but on the 30th December we were invited for drinks and nibbles to our lovely neighbours, Joe and Hilary. We had a great time there, most of the Dylan clan were there plus twin girls in the care of 'Gran' for the evening. They are only a few weeks old, absolutely tiny and gorgeous naturally. Jim drank too much and can't remember getting home! He wobbled his way up the hill quite successfully and was in bed soon afterwards, sleeping until the following afternoon, when he felt human again. Joe and Hilarys' daughter Cassie played her guitar and sang for us. She's very shy so it was brave of her. She has a sweet voice and it was a delightful interlude.

A couple of my Christmas presents hadn't arrived by 25th but turned up yesterday. My wonderful 'High performance, Ergonomic and Compact Felco Pruning shears. I tried them out today and they sliced their way through thick and thin twigs and sticks with ease. Brilliant.

The other exciting present was the brand newly published book, 'An Ungodly Child' written by my daughter's partner Rachel Green. Her very first published book. I can't wait to read it. You can buy it on Amazon.

We've had a little visitor in our front porch. Here's his photo, before I rescued him:
















Sandy and Buster have been vying for the use of the chair in our kitchen/diner:

I have put a cat bed by Stanley to encourage Sandy in that direction, but he still prefers the chair. Buster looks pleadingly at Jim!




Eventually Sandy moved but Jim just missed the actual 'jump'. Can you spot Sandy in the photo below?













I took just a few photos from my walk with Buster by the lake yesterday. It was fairly late afternoon and rather dull and dark.





I am amazed at both the size of these oak leaves and their gorgeous markings. You can gauge the size by the beech leaf at the bottom of the photo.



















I could not resist one photo of the bull rushes. Even on a bad day they look magnificent.










The lake shores were all frothy yesterday. Maybe the locals had been doing their washing....



















Buster was quite a way away from me when I took this, so it was very dark. I've done my best with it. How handsome he looks!











How walkers are supposed to work out which way to go, I have no idea!
















This is the road that cuts Dillons' wood in half, snaking through the middle. Oh, and Buster's there too...








Jim has just made some muesli bread to go with our ham and chicken stew for dinner. It was just chicken stew yesterday! We have eaten all our Christmas pudding and mince pies so now it's the chocolate biscuits to go. Lovely.

I do hope all my blogger friends have had a wonderful Christmas and New Year and that 2009 is happy and healthy for everyone.

Sunrise on a Dewy Morning, 12.10.08

Buster in the long grass of the meadow. He didn't appreciate the cobwebs.










Yesterday was a bad day. I have my ups and downs and take antidepressants daily. This was a down - into the slough of despondency. I went to bed in the afternoon and woke up feeling a bit better and headed off up to the meadow to light a bonfire and burn the brambles accumulated over the past day or so. I was up there until it got dark and managed to burn most of the piles, plus I demolished a few more while I was at it. Gardening usually does it for me.

I couldn't sleep last night and was up early as the sun was just rising. I thought that the fire would probably be still going and was about to walk up the meadow when I realised my camera was a must. The cobwebs were beautiful and as I looked across the meadow they looked like cotton tail grass. I don't think I've ever seen them as clearly. Then, as I reached the 'crossroads' of paths, I saw what looked like snow on the gorse bushes. A sight to behold, they were covered with cobwebs. The sun was now up and shone on the cobwebs making them glisten in the warm light. It was just beautiful.

Buster and the cats accompanied me most of the time and I also took some pleasing photos of them. I almost went and woke Jim up but decided he probably wouldn't be best pleased if I had. A morning to treasure indeed.
This was the first cobweb I saw on a slow growing evergreen. On its other side were lots of rather 'messy' ones.



















They look rather like net curtains in a deserted house


















Still in the front garden, this splendid cobweb decorated the flat headed achillea









The sun shone through the trees on the arboretum.









You can see some cobwebs in the photo on the right of the picture



How pretty the scabeus look in the morning light













Probably my favourite. The long shadows of the morning sun fall across the arboretum










The white fluffy cotton grass, actually it's all cobwebs. Amazing.








A cobweb amongst the 'hard heads'

It really is worth clicking on the photos to see them at their full size











a cobweb amongst the sedge














I thought these looked like washing lines, maybe for my fairies









Just like tiny jewels













I mentioned the gorse. This, to me, is the most stunning of all





















If you have the time, do click on the photos then they really come alive.


These shimmered in the sunlight










Like lights at the seaside down among the sedge and grasses











Who would have thought this little holly bush had so many cobwebs on it?






















While this solitary loose strife stem is in a cocoon












One lone thistle flower, even that is decorated with tiny dewy beads
















I took this view from the meadow 'crossroads' towards Tipperary. What a strange landscape it looked. This was when the clouds had started to gather




A beautiful thrush watched me from the telegraph wire

























Sandy, BlackJack and Buster were playing on the way back to the house. When Buster gets too boisterous, the cats go up.



BlackJack
































Hey, that's not fair. Come Down!!











Sandy














Sandy about to leap from one tree to another. He's much more agile than BlackJack, who was stuck up one of our big trees for 2 days.







Just looking out at the world.






I hope you've enjoyed this morning's photos.

This evening it was 'Strictly Come Dancing', the results show, which Jim and I both enjoy. A lovely dinner of roast bacon, potatoes, broccoli and butter beans followed by fresh picked apples from the orchard, all cut up and ready to eat. Lovely.