4th January, 2015...Happy New Year....!

With a New Year's Eve wedding and various other happenings, it's taken us this long to do our first blog of 2015!!! The weather was lovely yesterday but very cold, and today has followed suit but without the winter sunshine.

No shortage of people down here today though, dog walking and partaking of the excellent food and drink at Abbey Mill!

 

 

Cute wild-life too!!

 

 

 

Frank has been bought a new coat by Santa, so he has no option but to wear it at the moment, and it's killing him!!

 

 

 

Some stunning photography from the Steve Hillman camera when he popped down here the other day in between wedding 'sessions'.....

 

 

 

 

Wuthering Heights or what...! So, after watching Tony Robinson walking through Bronte Country last night, we had a discussion about the best Heathcliffe portrayal...

 

 

 

....no contest (as I'm sure my colleague and friend Gracie would agree!)!!!

 

 

 

These brown and white sheep seem to making an appearance amongst the usual breeds of sheep down here...the are called Jacobs I think, and would seem to be quite a rare breed...never seen them down here before??

 

We took a walk over to Ormsgill Quarry last night in the last of the winter sunshine...actually this photo was taken at 4.15pm, so it wasn't even evening really...it is lovely over on How Tun Woods and the quarry...you should take a walk up there if you haven't tried it. In front of us was the sunset, and directly behind us was the moonrise...stunning!

 

 

 

 

Yes, that IS a Steve Hillman photograph taken with a 28-300 Canon zoom lens (so he tells me!!).

 

 

This little 'Helli-med' was just landing as we walked past FGH on the way home today...we always stop and watch because the pilot, crew and medics are just so inspiring, they way they save lives on a daily basis....it brings a lump to your throat.....and our friend was driving the ambulance too, so she gave us a wave!!

 

 

 

Back to work tomorrow.....actually it has been a lovely Christmas break this year...all about family and friends....and carrot cake, of course (just off to ice another one now)!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

28th December, 2014...Nana's birthday blog!!

At last, a frosty morning, and Nana's birthday too...a perfect excuse for heading down to Furness Abbey......and it did look lovely in the morning light!

 

 

 

 

Exactly the right weather for a birthday cappuccino and a slice of cake at Abbey Mill....thanks to Jacquie for providing a delicious slab of chocolate cake for the occasion!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No, she's not one, or one hundred, but I'm 51 so work it out!!! And she's still holding down a full time job!!

 

 

How lovely...a festive robin had a few crumbs of the cake too!

 

 

So....we are planning next Christmas now!!! Met our friends down at Abbey Mill yesterday.....we are decamping there on New Years Afternoon for more partying! It has been lovely this Christmas catching up with people......guess it's what Christmas is all about...but this time next week we will be getting ready to go back to work again!! Actually, I love my job, so have not a thing to complain about!!! The SteveHillmanPhotography machine is just setting up to shoot a wedding at Crooklands later this afternoon, so what a lucky bride with all this sparking sunshine!

 

 

 

Oh, to be a kid again, just messing about at Furness Abbey!

 

 

Get yourself down here whilst it's still frosty....lovely!

 

 

And to Mrs. J,......have a lovely trip up here today.....come back refreshed and ready for next weeks onslaught!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

26th December,2014...Boxing day Blog!

The light powdering of snow wasn't there when we woke up this morning.....not this.......

 

                                                                  ....more like this.....

 

...very dank and drippy....

 

 

......and quiet at Abbey Mill!

 

 

 

Frank has his new Gap jumper on, and a designer hat from Kate's Skates, bought for him by this pair!

 

 

Hope you all had a lovely Christmas Day....we saw pretty much all of the family at some point......

 

 

 

 

...parents....

 

 

.....children....

 

 

...brothers and sisters and their families.......it was lovely to get every one together!

 

 

Not these two though....they were in the Bahamas (well, North Hants actually!)

 

 

Even we got out of our boots and hiking boots long enough to cook dinner and have a photo taken!!

 

 

The town centre looked quite festive too....but...as Frank says.....

 

 

....that's it for another year!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

22nd December,2014.....Family...it's that simple!

Well....it's happened.....we have a THIRTY year old daughter!! Here she is at five months and thirty years five hours!

                                    And we celebrated in style at.....Abbey House...where else!

 

 

Somehow, Frank managed to get Santa to give him an 'Ive been good' certificate to give to his parents...eh...no!"

 

 

Very blustery and damp at Furness Abbey at the moment...lovely for walking though!

 

 

 

I was thinking, as I was walking, as you do.....I am so lucky to have the wonderful family and friends that I've got....there are some lovely people out there, who would do nothing to cause hurt to anyone else....bless them all!! Most are coming round to my house for Christmas dinner this year...argh!!! We met some new and very nice people yesterday who also might become part of the family, so even better.....! We had a lovely finish to our school term this year, with a Christingle celebration for our children and families, and a presentation to one of our community stalwarts, which was fantastic as I've know her for a good 25 years now! 

 

 

Heartfelt good wished to you all this Christmas!