A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL

Resolutions??? umm, never been keen on making these as it is so disappointing when you break them.

• I stopped smoking over 2 years ago which I suppose would have been a good candidate but  no longer available. I added up my savings the other day – a whopping £3000+ which has funded some holidays and more enjoyable pastimes.

• Lose weight! The proverbial battle which just seems to get harder each year. I remember when I could lose 7lbs in a week, no problem; would take me a month now. I’ve done the –

Grapefruit diet.

Egg diet

Low carb diet

High protein diet

Weightwatchers

Slimming World

Nutracheck online,

High fibre

Starvation.

All of which worked to one degree or another but eventually you slip up, revert to old habits and you find that you no longer even fit into those fat clothes which you very nearly threw away.

At 50 I thought I would no longer worry about my figure – I did.

 

 

At 60 surely no longer caring what I looked like – I did.

Now 66 do I care? wish I could say no but I do. Whether it is enough for me to climb onto that treadmill again only time will tell. There is the cruise in February to act as a catalyst as I will want to look my best but not a lot can be accomplished in 6 weeks. Is it worth it? I’ll let you know.

• Take more exercise. Ha Ha! All the exercise I enjoy is moving my fingers over the keyboard on my laptop. It does prove a point though – my fingers are slimmer than the rest of me. Wedding and engagement rings still fit after 45 years. Strange that. Here I am doing my daily exercise. JJ.



 

WHITE CHRISTMAS

Very nearly. As most will know to get snow here in Torbay is very unusual but the week before Christmas it arrived – in bucket loads.

The cold weather produced some brilliant sunsets

 

The snow turned the grey winter’s garden into one coated with icing sugar and giving off a bright glow – magical

 

 

 

Our bird feeding station has been a hive of activity during these unprecedented cold temperatures. Day after day below zero and with hoar frosts so thick they look like snow.

This chaffinch has been nick-named “ bloater” she is so fat her belly touches the ground. Bless.

This is a rare visitor – a pied wagtail. He knows where he is well off and is camping nearby as we now see him several times a day.

Today 27th December is the first day the temperature has risen above freezing and the remaining snow and ice in the sheltered parts of the garden have, at last thawed. Snow does of course remain on Dartmoor but I have no intention of photographing that!

Some of my Christmas Cards

This one features our friends’ beautiful grand - children in Australia.

A futuristic Christmas Tree

Here are Phoebe, Toby & Olli in Victorian Dress.

Art Nouveau – one of my favourite periods

Sparkling Tree

Mr & Mrs Robin & Family

JJ

Christmas Time

The poinsettia above was from a photo taken in California two years ago when we visited The Hotel Del Coronado near San Diego.

Someone needed to water them!

Here is the plaque telling us all about the hotel built in 1887. Reminds me of our Victorian Villa in Torquay which was built in 1881 but that’s another story for an other time.

Back to California -

A very large Christmas Tree in the Foyer but not the most colourful.

The ice rink was very busy – just off the beach!

To round off the photos here is one of the beautiful hotel

Early Christmas

We celebrated Christmas with our friends Lynne and Barry on the 22nd November as they are off to Australia ( via Tokyo) tomorrow.

The table looked good I thought although lacking Christmas decor which I could not find as it is buried deep in the attic …….. somewhere.

We had salmon pate to start, duck and gammon for main course and Christmas pudding for dessert. We started eating at 1p.m. and finished well after 6 as we all went for a walk along the seafront  late afternoon.

Last week we all went to North Devon for the day. The weather was wonderful when we left Torbay but as we drove north it became darker and darker and eventually the rain started.

We aimed for Woolacombe as Mike and I went there when we were courting ( funny old word that) and I remember one visit when I got so sunburnt that I had to strip off most of my clothes as we drove home. I ended up with three degree burns so I never ever used coconut oil as a tanning lotion again!  The days before we knew of the damage the sun can cause.

The rain stopped just long enough to take a couple of photos – a wild and windy coast.

Sitting in the car eating our sandwiches we watched a brave couple with their dogs walking on the sand. They could not see the rain heading towards them but we could. They must have been soaked.

On the way home we escaped from the rain to a 16th. Century pub  - the Williams Arms at Braunton.

We sat by the log fire which was very welcoming and enjoyed a drink.

Then it was time to drive home as the weather closed in and little could be seen out of the misted up windows.

Still, it reawakened some memories for Mike and I and a visit in the Spring is on the cards.

TODAYS FLOWERS - ROSES

 

JUST A FEW PHOTOS OF SOME OF THE BEAUTIFUL ROSES WHICH HAVE COME MY WAY.

ENJOY.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And more fab flowers are here -

Click on this link to see more of natures beauty.
http://flowersfromtoday.blogspot.com/

A FEW OF MY FAVOURITE THINGS !

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh.

Our Garden

Have not posted for a while as it is all quiet at home after our holiday. Our friends are away in London with their families and we are sitting here, watching the wind and rain coming towards us from the west and bemoaning the thousands of leaves covering every square inch of our garden.

It is very much a spring garden – full of flowering shrubs

 

A rather overloaded camellia

Now, you will be able to imagine me sitting on my deck with a G & T in hand and enjoying the view over the woods to the sea beyond.

JJ

And more fab flowers are here -
Click on this link to see more of natures beauty.
http://flowersfromtoday.blogspot.com/