24th April, 2016...."It is not in the stars to hold our destiny, but in ourselves..." Shakespeare 400 years on!

Okay....it's not a 'word perfect' quote from Julius Caesar, but the meaning is clear, and 400 years later The Bard's wisdom still holds true...just got to look at the education system in his native country at the moment.....but don't get me started!!!!

 

Luckily, the kids at our school have teachers who focus on their 'self' development, and not on the transformation of them into 'test-passing' automatons!! Hence, not many blogs at the moment...hyper busy doing this! But still time for a chilly walk to Furness Abbey this morning....

 

 

 

 

...and it's looking slightly more green that when we came down last....a few signs of the blossom daring to open up against the icy wind!

 

 

 

Some beefy looking bullocks in the fields now......Frankie's not exactly looking 'dainty' either is he....still only thirteen!!

 

 

Always time for a spot of tea at Abbey Mill, whatever the weather!!

 

 

The SteveHillman camera has been busy as usual this week....My colleague and I went on a training course to the beautiful Netherwood Hotel in Grange, so along came the camera for a day out....

 

 

 

 

 

....lovely spot...not ready to retire there just yet!!!

 

 

Very elegant wedding at Abbey House yesterday too....gorgeous flowers, lovely setting, beautiful bride.....what a life the SteveHillman camera leads.....

 

 

 

...he even got to photograph HRH a few years ago...Happy Birthday to both her and The Bard this week!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6th April, 2016...Sunny Stratford and Blustery Barrow!

There's quite a few degrees difference between the temperatures up here and those in the Midlands, as we found out last week. It was our annual pilgrimage to Stratford via Northants, and the weather was lovely!

The magnolias are already in full bloom down there...unlike mine, which are still tightly curled up!

We did see a very 'forward thinking' production of Hamlet at the RSC.....look at those blue skies!

That's me, with The Bard himself!!

We did get to visit Anne Hathaway's cottage this time, and the gardens were stunning!

I have mad children....

....and don't even mention my mother!!

We did have a lovely lunch at my brother's BARN too!

Lovely place! But then we headed back up the motorway to Blustery Barrow....what happened to the mild spring weather??

Parkas and wellies back on!!! It's freezing today, although these photos don't show it! There is hail in the 'northern' weather forecast!!!

The SteveHillman camera shot his first wedding at Ford Park in Ulverston last week....the weather was awful for that too...poor brides who think a 'spring wedding' will be lovely!! (sorry Em!)

He also had a very interesting time at his first Chinese wedding....apparently when a baby girl is born, the relatives all buy gold bracelets for her to have at her wedding, so here they are....

......when he arrived home from that wedding, his first words were..." most of the guests had better cameras than me"! But, in the words of our friend Mike Resort, "it's who is behind the lens that counts, not the camera!"