Morning....

It is the 11th of August already......



Last Sunday Chris and I went to Leeds to the Golden Acre Park, a beautiful place, only minutes from the city centre. It has a formal garden, a large lake, with ducks and geese and a woodland walk. Took loads of photos, including this one of some "wild" californian poppies, I quite like this photo, and might even use it in the photographic society competition











I also like this photo as well....it was taken down a country lane, while we were looking for red kites, which we were reliably informed were there.....but they must have been having a siesta, as they were nowhere to be seen. This seed head popped its head up above the hedgerow, and was silhouetted against a bright cornfield, I thought it would make an interesting photo, and it actually came out how I wanted it to......for a change!!!! :)




I took yesterday afternoon off work, as the sun was shining, but by the time I got home the sun had gon in, so I had a "play" in the garden. I wanted to get a picture of the fuschia, but I wanted to have the pollen in focus but the flower out of focus, and this photo was straight out of the camera, the only thing I did in photoshop was cropped and re-sized for the internet. I can't believe that I actually got the photo as I wanted.....






Chris and I are out all day today scrapbookin, and then Vikki and I are doing a carboot sale tomorrow at the Chester Rugby Club. Mum wants to get rid of her cabinets in the living room but needed to empty them first. So we went up on Thursday night and wrapped it all up ready for the car boot tomorrow. Just need to look around now for anything I need to get rid of as well.

Speak to you again soon

It's the 1st of August....

....As promised I have come back to post more often :)

On Sunday Chris and I went to Tatton Park in Cheshire and took quite a few photos, mostly flowers, but did manage to get a photo of a few aeroplanes, which were taking off from Manchester Airport every few minutes.......

On Monday night, we decided to go to Chester, down by the river, as the sun was going down, to get some photos of the river at dusk.

I quite like this photo, it is a bit different to the photos I usually take.

Enough of photos, what else has happened since I last posted???? i made an appointment at the dentist for a 6 monthly check up back in January, and the appointment was for tonight at 4:45, why is it, that I started with a tooth ache last Thursday???? She couldn't find a reason for the pain, so I am using Sensitive toothpaste, to see if that improves it...we will have to wait and see.

Chris and I are going to Leeds on Sunday, to meet up with our friends from http://www.photography4allforum.co.uk/ which is a photography forum we belong to. We are hoping that the weather will hold until at least Monday, as every time we all meet up, the weather isn't too good....

I have lost another 2lbs so I have now lost 36.5 lbs in total.....still a long way to go.

I have another lot of acupuncture tomorrow, on my knee..... this will be the third go, it does seem to be helping, but would probably be better if I gave it a rest at the weekends :)

Magical March "Me Treat" in Mollington, near Chester

Forgot to tell you all that a friend is arranging a "Metreat" in a wonderful Hotel just outside Chester http://moiramcadam.blogspot.com/

If I knew how to attach a link I would.....will have to see Chris to give me a lesson.....it is such a shame when you are old and lose touch with technology

Amended to read that I have managed to figure out how to attach a link :)

OOPS

I seem to have been neglecting my blog lately, a lot of things have happened since I last posted "a few weeks ago" ;)

For one, I had my birthday on March 27th, I have been away to Brecon with Chris to the Scappers unlimited Retreat, when the weather was glorious we took rather a lot of photos on the way there and even more on the way back!!!!This photo was taken in the grounds of the hotel



This photo of a bluebell was taken on the way home at Berrington Hall



We went to Betws y coed in March, this is my favourite photo from this trip



Also quite like this candid of a photographer by the river......



At Easter, Paul and I booked a "last minute" weekend at a hotel called Bosworth Hall, near Leicester. I can't say that I was very impressed with the hotel, but we had a lovely weekend, and the weather was very good to us......little did we know that that was our summer!!!!!

A couple of photos, this is the hotel....



I got up at 6am on the Sunday morning to get this sunrise. I must say, that I just love this photo, and I was crossing my fingers as I was taking it, hoping that it would come out OK.....



In May, chris and I did a photo session with my daughter Vikki, we both got some rather nice photos.....



and



In June Chris and I went to Bodnant Gardens in North Wales, near to Colwyn Bay, and took some fabulous photos....

The Laburnum Grove



And this young man was "strutting his stuff" trying to impress the ladies....



On the 6 june, Chris and some of her friends from work ran the Race For Life at Chester Zoo, I was nominated the official photographer, because I couldn't even walk it due to my "gammy" knee.

Chris........



About a 100 metres from the finish line.....



At the end of June Paul and I went to our favourite Hotel Thorseby Hall in Nottinghamshire, where we were meeting a couple form Kent who we had met there last year......



This is another peacock who was "strutting his stuff" but the poor thing doesn't even have a peahen to show off too - poor thing!! However, he was very good and just stood there and posed for me!!!!



i had taken wome wild bird seed with us, and fed the birds every morning and afternoon, this little chap was one of the very many who came to feed....



In July i went to Center Parcs in the Lake District with my mum, sister, brother in law, daughter and her partner, son and his partner, nephew and his partner, and little nephew and his mate.

We had a wonderful week, and it only rained on the Thursday afternoon...... Here is Vikki doing a tree trek!!



and Vikki and Mand, my eldest nephews' girlfriend.....



Enough of photos!!!!

I am back on my diet and have lost nearly 6lbs in 2 weeks, making 36.25lbs, which in English money is 2 stone 8.25 lbs!!! I want to have lost 4 stone by Christmas, but would really love to have lost 4.5 stone!!!! We will have to wait and see.........

Speak soon

Gill
xx

Your Dominant Intelligence is Logical-Mathematical Intelligence

You are great at finding patterns and relationships between things. Always curious about how things work, you love to set up experiments. You need for the world to make sense - and are good at making sense of it. You have a head for numbers and math ... and you can solve almost any logic puzzle. You would make a great scientist, engineer, computer programmer, researcher, accountant, or mathematician.

What Kind of Intelligence Do You Have?

I have lost another 4 lbs

I have been trying to lose weight now for the last 15 months, as I now know that I need a knee replacement before I am 60, I know that I cannot afford to sit on my laurals and allow the weight to go back on again. Since my second knee operation in December last year, I have put on about half a stone :( So this week, I gave myself a kick up the bum (very difficult to do, especially when you have a gammy knee!!) and decided that I had to make a concerted effort to start my healthy eating plan again.

It has worked, because, today I got onto the scales and I have lost 4 lbs this week. Another 4lb to lose to get back to where I was before Christmas!!!

I would be happy to lose 2 stone this year but would prefer if I could lose another 3 stone by this Christmas, that is a target of 1 lb a week!! I think I can manage that......we will see.

I will tell you now and not a lot of pwople know this!!! On January 3 2005 when I plucked up the courage to get onto the scales I was horrified to find out that I weighed 17 stone and 2 lbs. I knew that you had to be under 17 stone to have an MRI scan, which I had to have the following week, and I was petrified that I would get stuck in the damn thing!!!!

Today I weigh 14 stone and 4 lbs (a loss of 40lbs). So if I get my wish, and be a VERY good girl until Christmas, I could be somewhere between 11 and 12 stone!! Then I will take it as it come, if I feel OK at that weight, I will try to maintain it, but if I feel I could afford to lose a bit more, I will.........we will see.

We're going to Crickhowell

Chris and I are going to Crickhowell in South Wales on the 11 April to see our friends from Scrappers Unlimited!!!

We are leaving on Wednesday afternoon, and staying in a hotel in Llandidrod Wells and travelling the rest of the way on the Thursday morning.

We have booked our classes and an extra nights stay at the hotel on the Saturday night, so we will be exhausted when we get home, and I will need a day off to recover!!!!

When I was leaving the house this morning, an ambulance was going down our lane (it is a cul de sac) and as I got to the bottom of the drive it went back up the lane. As I was going through our village, it came back out of another lane - think he was lost - I though " I hope the poor person who is waiting for it isn't dying!"

At about 8.30 my DS rings me from A & E, his girlfriend had fallen down the stairs and hurt her back!!! Yes you'ce got it - it was their house they were looking for. Their house is on the other side of the valley to ours, no wonder it took 15 minutes to reach their house (I haven't told DS about it yet!!!!

Anyway, she was on a spinal board in A & E, after tripping half way down the stairs and hurting her back on the way down. I haven't heard anything else yet, DS hasn't called, so I am assuming that no news is good news at the moment.

Will give him a call, if he doesn't call soon.

I am at work on my lunch hour, and have forgotten to bring my book to read, so I thought I would update my blog, because Chris will shout at me if I don't!!!!

Off to the gym after work, and to have a nice healthy tea there afterwards too.

I have been very naughty, and not posted in my blog for 6 months :(

I am so sorry for this, and I promise that I will do better in the future.

I have had another operation on my knee since I last posted, and I now know that I have to have a knee replacement - but not until I am 60, and I am 52 next week!!! So I have a while to wait :(

I am really enjoying my photography, and here are a few photos I have taken in recent months



This photo was taken in November at Lower Slaughter in the Costwolds, on the way home from the Scrappers Unlimited Scrapbooking Retreat in Gloucester.







This photo was taken of the River Dee at Eccleston, just outside Chester last year, we were attempting to get Autumn colour, but for some reason the autumn colours were later this year.

Chris and I have bought a light tent, so that we can take still life photos under controlled lighting conditions, and here are some of the photos taken using it




























And I couldn't post these without letting you see how we managed to take them so here is a photo of Chris taking one of the photos





Chris and I went on a trip on the "Ferry across the Mersey" a couple of weeks ago, with a couple of friends from a Wirral Photography forum, here are a few of the photos taken on that trip










The first is of the oil depot at Eastham, the second is of the Liver Bird on the top of the Liver Buildings, the third is of the Liverpool Waterfront, and the last one is of the Pilot boat coming across the river to the Birkenhead landing stage. (I particularly like this photo)

What else has happened in the last 6 months? VIkki, my daughter moved house to Helsby on the 1 December, and she also had to undergo surgery on the 5 February, she had a cyst in her neck. All is well and there were no complications.

Paul, my husband took early retirement from Vauxhall Motors at the end of September, and has now had 6 months off work, and is bored, He is starting a new job as a gardener/handy man at a local Home for the Elderly, it is 18 hours a week, so it will keep him active and he will still be able to do the housework and cook my tea :)

I think that that is enough for now, and I will try to post a little more often in the future

Bye

Mid September already

Went to see my uncle last Saturday, after scrapbooking. He looks well, considering what he has been through!!! He didn't know who I was, even when I explained. He kept shaking his head and thinking, and then saying "No"

Will go back to see him soon




Chris and I went to Biddulph Gardens on the 10 September, this is the pathway up to the door, the colours were lovely, considering it is almost autumn now.











The second photo is of the house from the other side of the lake















We had such a good time that we dicided to join the National Trust, that way we can take photos of all the beautiful gardens, and it won't cost us to get in.

We went to Erddig in North Wales on the 17th September, and took a lot more photos, with the aid of our new tripods. We did feel a little bit silly the first time we used them, but ended up using them most of the time.


















This is the first picture I took using the tripod, I like it and changed it to B&W

Update on my Uncle

His operation to complete the leg amputation went well on Monday. They tried to bring him out of the coma on Tuesday, but he got very agitated and they had to sedate him again.

He was transferred to Arrowe Park hospital in Birkenhead yesterday, and needs an operation on his pelvis, but he has now picked up a chest infection, and is having trouble breathing. I have asked my mum if she wants to go to see him, but she said she will wait for him to get a bit better, I think she is probably scared of getting upset when she sees him - my mum is not one for showing her emotions - I have NEVER seen her cry, not even when my dad died!!!!

I go to the wirral crop on Saturday, and have to pass Arrowe Park hospital, and I feel that it would be disrespectful, if I didn't call in to see him, so that is what I am going to do.

Had some bad news this week

My uncle, my mums yungest brother, has had a dreadful motrobike accident, and his leg was crushed, and his pelvis broken into little pieces. He has had to have his leg amputated 4 inches above his knee.

He had an op on Friday, which was completed on Monday to his leg, and they are keeping him in a drug induced coma at the moment, to keep him still and to minimize his pain, we have been told that to repair his pelvis, he will have to lie flat on his back for at least 6 weeks. They are hoping to move him to a hospital with staff and facilities to cope with his broken pelvis as soon as he has recovered sufficiently from the op on his leg.

We don't know where that is likely to be yet, but Arrowe Park in Birkenhead and a hospital in Stoke have been mentioned. Arrowe Park would be better for the family, as my aunty has a sister who lives in Birkenhead, so she could stay with her, and we would know that she was being looked after, as she has severe arthritis, and my uncle is (or was) her main carer.

They live in a house at the moment, but we don't know if they will be able to cope back home, so they may have to sell their house and move into a bungalow.

It is all a bit grim at the moment, but hopefully, as the weeks progress the news will get a bit better.

Will keep you informed of his progress

We've been "Hanging off motorway bridges"!!!

Chris and I decided to go on a photo shoot at the weekend, so off we traipsed with our trusty Fuji S9500's and went to the nearest bridge crossing the motorway. NOOOOOOOOOO we weren't going to throw ourselves off, we wanted to see if we could take a time lapse photo of the passing traffic. Welllllll we managed it, and here is the proof............


















We also went along to Chester Cathedral to see what we could take photos of, and here are some of the photos from our afternoon out.











My Daughter Vikki is in Sri Lanka at the moment, she is there on holiday, and also to be a bridesmaid for one of her friends. Her friends' father is Sri Lankan and she is having a traditional Sri Lankan Wedding.

she is getting married on the beach, in a red sari, and she will be arriving on an elephant. The three bridesmaids are going to be wearing coral coloured saris!!

She has taken my old digi camera and is going to get someone to take photos, as soon as I have any, I will post them here in my blog.................. She comes home on the 31 august.



I have been back to the Dr's about my knee, it still isn't back to the point before the operation, and that was almost 6 months ago. So she took a look and we have decided to give it another 6 weeks, if there isn't a significant improvement by then, she said that she would refer me back to see the consultant.

I had my review at work on Tuesday, and everything seemed to be going fine at first, until he said that if he didn't know me better he would have given me a verbal warning!!!!!! It appears that someone has been snooping in my office and found out what one of the managers' earns!!!! The only way that that could happen is if someone was looking over my shoulder, or I have left a spreadsheet open on my PC while I went away from my desk!!! I am SOOOOO annoyed that someone I work with could be so nasty, and to tell someone else what they had found out!!

I now want a meeting with the MD again, so that we can discuss my office security, I have thought about getting a "split door" so that if anyone needs Petty Cash or something, they do not need to come into my office, and if I leave my office, I want a security push button keypad lock put on my door. IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN!!!!!!

I have been nagged by my friend Chris to post on my blog, as I have been a very naughty girl, and not posted for a LONG TIME

So what have I done since I last posted way back in MAY............................

I told you that Chris and I have joined the gym, well we go 4 times a week. On Monday nights, we go to pilates, and I have stretched muscles I didn't know I had, I can tell you!!!!

On Wednesday nights we go straight from work, and do our 1 to 1 and a 1/4 hours of our work out, then go into the hydrotherapy pool for a lovely soak in the hot water, and give my knee a massage with the water jets, it is SO soothing!!!

On Friday nights we also go straight from work and go into the hydrotherapy pool afterwards.

On Sundays, we get up really early, and get to they gym as early as we can, it opens at 8am. We do our workout and the hydrotherapy pool, and then have breakfast in the cafe, or back at our local craft store, which is in a garden centre.

The first weekend in July I went to Center Parcs in Sherwood Forest with my DD and her partner, my DS and his partner. My mum, my sister and her husband, their two sons and two of their mates. We had to chalets, and had a wonderful time. The weather started off really, really hot, but as the week progressed the weather deteriorated, but it wasn't too bad. I found walking aroung the Park a little painful, so I hired a bike..................I haven't ridden a bike since I was about 12, so it was quite a sight!!!!! :lol:




Here is a photo of my DD Vikki and her partner Adam












And this is my DS Keith and his partner Gemma







The first weekend in August, Paul and I went to Thoresby Hall again, it was lovely and peaceful, and we didn't want to go home!!!

On the Sunday morning my DH decided to go for a bike ride before breakfast, so off he went..................I decided to go and have a play with the camera around the grounds, and wait for Paul to ring me when he came back, so we could go for breakfast.

At about 9.30 he rang me to say that he was lost, but had found a road sign to say which road he was on, and the village he was in. He asked me to go and get him, so off I go, back to our hotel room to get the car keys.

BUT when I go there I couldn't find the car keys, so I rung Paul to see if he had them ;)

Of course, he did, so I couldn't go to get him. He had to cycle back!!!! So I went down to breakfast, and got him some toast which the staff kindly wrapped in some foil. One of the staff, who knew he was diabetic, offered to make him a bacon butty.

At 10.30 he arrived back at the hotel room, tired, hot and hungry. He ate his breakfast out on our patio, and then had a shower!!!! We went out in the car and retraced his steps..............he had gone about 24 miles!!!


Tomorrow, Chris and I are going to go to the Zoo (if the weather isn't too bad) to play with our cameras, I haven't been to the zoo in about 15 years, and I know that it has changed a lot since I last went!!! So I will try to take some good photos!!

We went to West Kirby tonight just as the sun set, and took some photos - but they didn't turn out very well This is the best..............



Any how, I am getting tired now, and I promise, I will come and post on here at least once a week!!

It's the end of May already!!!!

Where is the year going to?!?!?!?!

It only seems like yesterday, that we were shouting Happy New Year!!!!

What have I been up to for the last 10 days???

Well, we have eventually booked to go to the Gloucester Retreat with Scrappers Unlimited, having worked out how many holidays we would have left, and if the Egg Card would stand it!!!

My DH works at Vauxhalls plant in Ellesmere Port, and the Company have announced that they are to go from 3 shifts to 2. Which means they have to lose 900 jobs. As my DH is 52, he has put in his request for early retirement, we have worked out how much he would get, and after paying of the mortgage (it finishes anyway in 2010). We will continue to pay the endowments so that our funds will be "topped up" again in 2010. He will probably look for a little part time job "to keep him going", it isn't worth getting a full time job, because the tax man would take too much!!

I have completed an album for my God daughters' little girl Olivia, a bit like a brag book for them to record her first twelve months.


































On Saturday, Chris and I went to Bodelwyddan Castle, as the North Wales Flower Festival was being held there.

We were very disappointed as we paid £7 each to get into what was in effect a market, with a childrens' fairground!! We left the event and went into the castle for a coffee. Whilst in there we noticed a signpost to the walled garden. When we got there, the sun came out, and we took lots and lots of photos of flowers, which is what we wanted anyway, but we could have got them for free!!!





These are the three favourite photos of the day!!