28th May, 2015...Old Hawcoat and late hawthorn...!

Well, Whit holiday or not, I'm still wearing my parka and boots, and the maythorn and apple blossom seems to be hanging around this year....nearly June and no sign of any warm weather!

 

 

Lovely blue skies though.... and what is going on here, we asked as we arrived at Furness Abbey this morning! We thought perhaps the stage was being set for the arrival of a celebrity (Rob Thomas I hoped!!), but no.....

 

 

 

...it's just the railway repairs system setting up a temporary wok station and road surface to go and fix landslides on the embankments down here! Oh well! The helicopter confused the issue!

 

 

Cold or not, it is looking lovely down here at the moment....

 

 

...and busy!

 

 

 

We decided to take the SteveHillman camera around Hawcoat Village today, as it is looking quite lovely at the moment...

 

 

 

 

 

...we looked at this farmhouse when it came up for sale unrenovated 12 years ago, when plants were growing on the inside and small streams were running down the walls...but then a certain baby boy came along, and that was that!! I guess all the farmland around it belonged to the farm at one time, and Dalton Lane was the green path that got the villagers to Dalton, across farmland and fields that are now the more modern Hawcoat estate, including our house!

 

 

And every bit of sandstone could tell a story, I bet!

 

 

 

 

 

The baby boy's grown up a bit now though!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

25th May, 2015....Angel of the North....

We haven't blogged since last Bank Holiday...so much has happened....close people know! BUT...hooray...we made it down to Furness Abbey this Bank Holiday; skies may be grey and heavy but we are feeling very grateful for the life we have at the moment! We celebrated with a 'brunch' at Abbey Mill!

 

 

 

Frankie is never far from a phone or a fizzy drink...teenagehood is impending! I'm looking a bit windswept today...my hairdresser is away at her daughter's wedding...how dare she!

 

 

Talking of weddings...the SteveHillman camera has been very busy lately, at some stunning local venues!

 

 

 

 

Clarence House is a beautiful place for a wedding.....and a retirement party as it turns out, when our long time colleague retired this Friday...here she is with a selection of 'mad guys'!

 

 

 

 

She looked stunning, as always! I do work with some great people...and we look even better when we've scrubbed up for a night out...I don't though, thanks to NIVEA....friends...don't laugh!

 

 

 

It is looking lovely in the woods around the Abbey at the moment...wild garlic and bluebells...positively bridal!

 

 

 

It's nice to be back, out and about, walking, skating.....

 

...so proud of the way our year six children handled these dratted SATs earlier this month...we took them all skating to celebrate the end of it!

 

 

Mr Hillman senior has been painting the town red again, and has fallen and broken his femur...he will seriously have to curtail his partying now...it's not seemly in a gentleman of his age!! He was impressed at the professionalism and efficiency of the paramedics who came to his aid though...the health service (especially in this town) often get slated, but he couldn't praise them enough. We do have to say another goodbye to one of our old friends from the 'Derby Days' this week...it's so sad, especially when his car facilitated me and Mr Hillman getting together, but it was a life well lived! So, this blog is dedicated to the people we've all lost and miss and to those whom we appreciate even more because of it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4th May, 2015....Bank Holiday Breakfast...!

At last...the sun put in an appearance, after two days of staring out of the window at the rain! (To be fair though, roast dinner cooking did take up a large part of our Sunday, so couldn't have got out anyway!)

 

 

 

The 'Bootcampers' beat us down here today...good to see this exercise lark keeping the townsfolk busy.....I like an hours power walking myself! But we were on a mission for a breakfast rendezvous with friends today, and Abbey Mill delivered, as always!!

 

 

 

 

 

The kids preferred ice cream and 'sausage'n'chips for breakfast, and Abbey Mill caters for all!!

 

 

 

 

Despite the wind being a bit chilly, it is starting to look lovely and 'floral' down here at last.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

....and the kids from 'restorative justice' have been doing a bit of tidying up too!!

 

 

 

This engine and it's carriages passed as we were walking today.... a 'blast from the past'! It was as though a pile of old carriages were being taken away for some reason....wonder where to? Frankie had a huge fascination with trains when he was little...we must have purchased every 'Thomas the Tank' style engines and figures, and sat for hours in York's Railway Museum....where does the time go...he's thirteen in August!

 

 

Sad to see one wing of the Whitehouse has gone now....the demise of another great Barrovian institution!

 

 

 

Bumper fund raising effort from the Greengate Team on Friday......Central Ward families are so supportive of our events....I hope everything works out in their favour on Thursday, in terms of resources being ear-marked for struggling town and city centres! Here's hoping!

 

 

 

 

 

All of our kids and staff are joining in the 'Race for Life' this year too, at the Furness Academy new running track, and after watching the sterling performance from Sheridan Smith last night to highlight the research still needed so that ALL cancer sufferers can survive, it is the least we can do!

 

 

 

Lovely in the meadow today.....

 

 

...they are getting incredibly bold, these bullocks....look at those tiny horn buds, poised as if readying themselves for a fight!!