…. Youngest granddaughter, Olivia aged 13 was once again competing at an Athletics competition at the weekend. This time it was held at Charnwood Athletics Club. Unlike the previous competitions this time she was competing against rising stars of the future.
Although she didnt take a place on the podium, she ran really well again and was awarded a Star of the Future medal!!
Another surge day we had n Wednesday... They launched they landed they launched again and landed again and did this for several hours..
Not sure how much fuel they use when doing this but its fun I enjoy it very much.I am not the only one either it was packed up there this week..
Even the children loved the noise they gave.Next week we have the pleasure of F16s visiting I just cant wait!!
On Tuesday, I worked my last day at Freddies of Pinewood to take early retirement. I had been there for 5 years, and as it is a very small team, it was a bit emotional on the last day.
I mainly worked with my boss, who is around my age, so we used to have some amusing conversations. The business is a 1940s and 1950s reproduction vintage fashion casual clothing brand, specializing in denim jeans, dungarees, skirts, jackets, as well as 1940s and 1950s knit tops for men and women, ladies blouses, reproduction and vintage workwear.
Think Marlon Brando, James Dean, Jayne Mansfield, Mamie Van Doren, Marilyn Monroe.
I had fun and learned a lot about the era. But the time was right to relax and spend more time with my hubby. The first thing we did was book a weekend away. I will also have more time to pursue all my hobbies and more time for designing.
So, you will see a lot more from me in the future. I received this lovely houseplant as a leaving gift. It is called Painters Palette. I also received a £100 garden centre gift card, which I cant wait to spend, and a bundle of denim to make lots of handbags with.
… read Enid Blyton. I recently joined a new Facebook group dedicated to lovers of Enid Blyton. As a child I loved her books, they encouraged my reading, they helped my spelling and also educated me on animals and nature.
When I received gifts of postal orders from relatives at Christmas and Birthdays, I couldnt wait to cash them and take a trip to the bookshop in town.
I delved into different worlds Enid Blyton created. Sometimes fantasy, sometimes adventures on a farm, sometimes mysteries, and sometimes boarding school. My very first book was The Book of Fairies and I was hooked.
Joining the group has rekindled such wonderful memories so I decided to buy a few well loved books. It was wonderful going back to Cherry Tree Farm which I have just finished. Now Im onto my next one and its lovely just to delve back to a time of innocence and happier days than what we are in now.
I made the astronomical clock card many years ago. I thought it was unique. Recently we took a river cruise and made a stop at the Prague Astronomical Clock. Its really a beautiful clock with many more layers than my card. We also saw other clocks on our trip.
They would make a good retirement card too.
Last weekend we had the pleasure of babysitting one of our fur grandbabies while our daughter was away enjoying a weekend of paddle boarding and exploring Lake Wyeba in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland.
This was a birthday present from a friend for her 40th birthday.
Although Jaylee has been down here for day visits with her mum, she hasnt stayed for a few days so we werent sure how our cat would accept her.
Well turns out Jaylee is scared of cats so although our cat was on guard, there was no problems at all.
She is used to sleeping in the bedroom at home but we werent sure how itd go with our cat on the bed and Jaylee on her bed in the room but amazingly there was no issues.
The grand daughters cat that also lives here was a different story. Apart from meal times we didnt see her for the whole 4 days Jaylee was here! She managed to find some well hidden hiding spots.
It was great having Jaylee here, she knows Nanny will always play ball with her so every time I went near the door, she was there with the tennis ball.
As her home yard is very small, she did enjoy our huge back yard and it became more of an adventure because the ball could be thrown in many directions.
I think now we will have her a lot more often when the daughter wants to go away.
Im not complaining because we love her - she is a gorgeous girl.
Just look how close Ive got to the cockpit, I was as normal at my happy place this week once again.The Anniversary jet still has that photo appeal.
And looks stunning in the sky.Lakenheath was very busy they had surge week this week which means they go do their sorties come back land refuel and off again.
Weather was quite windy so the heat haze wasnt so intense as it normally is this time of year Oh well thats all from me.
Till next week !Enjoy your long weekend
Today, our granddaughter Jessica received her GCSE results. Over the last few days, she experienced a mix of excitement and nervousness. However, there was no need to worry, as all her hard work and dedication paid off – she achieved fabulous grades in all her subjects.
This means she met the requirements to move on to the next stage of her education. She is eagerly looking forward to starting college next month. We are all incredibly proud of her, and she truly deserves it. Well done, Jess!
This is my latest finished crochet project. Meet Autumn and Leaf her little fox. This has taken me a couple of months to complete as there is a lot of shaping and a wire framework in the doll which allows her to be able to pose.
It is also the largest doll Ive done standing at around 18 inches. I did start her before Christmas, but was struggling with the shaping on the legs so I put it to one side.
Then a couple of months ago, I decided to have another go.
The main issue was, although the pattern is in English the creator is not and that did make things harder, also basic instructions like shifting stitches was not included.
So I had to be creative, and Im so glad I did. The fox isnt part of the patter but as with most of my dolls I do like to give them a little furry friend.
Last week, we took care of our daughters little rescue dog, Cookie. She has settled right in and is a bit of a princess. She rules over the boys and thinks they are silly when they play wrestle.
Since its been so hot, it was hard to get in any good walks, but one day we managed to take them all to the beach.
Cookie was so excited when she saw the sea and even got her little toes wet. She was trying to run after the boys into the water, then ran back when a wave came. It was so funny.
We took lots of pictures to share with the family when they got home, as even though they had a great holiday, they missed her a lot.
Last week I had to go to Sydney for a surgical procedure. The procedure isnt done in Queensland so it wasnt such a pleasure trip but a necessity.
I had to have a biopsy done where they take a piece of muscle from the top of my left leg so I was bandaged up and hobbling (and in pain) the whole time.
However the hospital is only streets away from where my birth mother is so I couldnt pass the opportunity to pop round and see her.
I brought her flowers as I usually do when I go down, in her favourite colours of course.
I required a wheelchair to navigate the airport on the way home and the staff were absolutely brilliant. First to board the plane and then when we landed back home they had one waiting at the door of the plane for me.
The one in Brisbane was so cool as the staff lady stood at the back and operated it.
She zoomed round the airport right to the car where hubby was waiting to pick us up. My daughter came with me as my carer so it was great to have the help and she got to see her grandmother again too.
Im not supposed to do much walking for another week and no strenuous exercise/work for 6 weeks. Frustrating but its nice being waited on !!!!
This week my daughter and family are on holiday in Cala Millor, Majorca. They are in a Tui holiday village and been enjoying the sun, sea, Food and entertainment.
I write about my family a lot as I am more or less housebound due to health issues so I always get lots of pictures my daughter sends me.
So this week I have felt like Ive been there with them. From the sunbathing and fun in the pool (where Harry has learned to swim) also he has been attending the Football Academy and Alfie has been attending the climbing academy which is all part of the village activities.
The family are all inclusive and have said the food is really good and as I write they are at a dinner and Pirate show in Magaluf, which as my daughter has been texting me saying its the best show she has seen (and she has seen a few, particularly in the Westend and Broadway).
Theyve still got a few days left and Im sure it will be very eventful for them.
Well Thursday 8th August I was up at 3 at the base fence at 5.45 to catch the F22 Raptors that had stopped off at RAF Lakenheath on the 6th due to being deployed to the Middle East.They were sent to bolster the security due to war talk out there.F22 Raptors came from Elmendolf in Alaska..They will probably be out there approximately 3 months then change with another squadron from another base elsewhere in the world.These are my fave aircraft of all time
My mum sadly died a few weeks ago. She had dementia and was in a home, so we had already lost her bit by bit over the last few years.
The other day hubby and me met with my bother and sister and her husband at mums house to clear it out ready to sell.
I found it difficult to go in at first, very upsetting. But once we got started we all worked very well together. We found lots of lovely photos and memories, including this plate that I painted for mum and dads Ruby wedding anniversary.
I was only dabbling in ceramic painting, it was just another of my many crafting hobbies, but I really wanted to mark the occasion.
Mum and dad loved it and it had pride of place in thier display cabinet for many years.
Sunday I got together with my daughter-in-law, Lauren, and my granddaughter, Alyssa and we headed off out to the Nail Salon for a bit of pampering.
Alyssa, who is 7 is not allowed to wear nail varnish on finger nails at school, had her toe nails painted instead, in a striking blue, very nice they looked too.
I chose a 1925s colour red for my nails, just loved the result, while Lauren had the most exquisite design painted on hers.
After out pampering we retired to the nearest coffee shop for a nice cup of java and a juice for Alyssa - a good afternoon was had by all.