17th January 2025 Mailer

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Skills Bout 3 by Janice McFarlane

Last Sunday my grandson Alfie had his 3rd skills bout. A skills bout in boxing is a controlled, non-competitive fight that allows boxers to practice their skills without worrying about winning. Skills bouts are often used to help young boxers develop their skills and prepare them for amateur boxing. Boxers demonstrate their skills in a controlled environment and there are no winners the bout is strictly controlled by the referee and is also closely monitored by their supervisors. The bout for under 16s consists of three 80 second rounds. It also gets young boxers used to boxing with an audience watching. They are introduced in a typical boxing style and at the end the Referee holds up the arms of both competitors and announces a draw. Both boys get a medal for their achievements. Alfie was told by an official afterwards that if it had been a proper amateur fight, he would have won.

cup1358565_905 by Janice McFarlane

cup1358683_905 by Janice McFarlane

Last …. by Carol Clarke

…. Weekend I was out and about supporting my youngest granddaughter, Olivia aged 12, in yet another cross country race. This time it was held at Bullwell Hall Park near Nottingham. It was a bitterly cold day, with a hard frost, but the sun was shining and at least it wasnt muddy underfoot! lol Olivia once again won her race with a huge gap before the girl in 2nd finished! All the runners had qualified for this race over the last few months and it was the big final …. As such Olivia was presented with a trophy and she got a rather large gift voucher too! Im out and about this coming weekend again too …. Its another cross country race, but this one was postponed in December due to bad weather and its a mini league competition this time …. The last of 4 races, of which Olivia has already won 3 …. I wonder where shell finish this week! lol

cup945781_359 by Carol Clarke

cup945778_359 by Carol Clarke

She Loves Dinosaurs! by Helen Howell

We had our 8 year old granddaughter stay with us for a few days, and decided to take her to Garden World where there are a number of Dinosaurs, some of the models even moved, which was a delight. But she also loved the models of the enormous bones, including this one of somethings jaws. Of course we had to take a picture of her with it. Her raw is as fierce as the models. Needless to say she enjoyed her visit.

cup1356927_37881 by Helen Howell

cup1356757_37881 by Helen Howell

My Orchid by Vicki Avcin

This orchid was brought down from Hervey Bay when I moved. I am not even sure where I got it from! I think it may have been there when we went there and I just let it grow ….and grow it did but I cant remember it ever flowering in the 14 years we were there. So when I moved I just grabbed it as it has a lot of aerial roots. I just stuck it in the garden, it got moved a couple of times and just sat on top of the ground. A few weeks ago it started to get buds and I have been waiting patiently to see what happened. My birth mother is into orchids big time and had the most amazing greenhouse full of various orchids. Although she is now in residential care, her/my cousin goes to the house and gets orchids and takes them to her to tend to. She cuts/repots and can tell you the name of every single one. But this one had her stumped. Thanks to Google I have now found out it is a Holttumara Hari Afghan Orchid. The orchid Holttumara Hari Afghan is a hybrid in the Holttumara genus. It is originated by A.Peh & Peh Eng Kee. Registered parents (cross) are Aranda Bertha Braga × Renanthera storiei. It was registered in 1982 with the Royal Horticultural Society. It has been in flower now for 2 weeks and the blooms are still nice and healthy. I want to find out more about the plant but there doesnt seem to be too much more information on it.

cup1358693_543 by Vicki Avcin

cup1358696_543 by Vicki Avcin

New Fabric! by Sue Way

Ive really started to regain my sewing enthusiasm. Currently, Im working on a little crossbody bag, which is turning out to be more challenging than I initially thought because I chose a thick fabric. Its been a bit of a struggle, but Im determined to finish it. During the Christmas season, a Facebook sewing group Im a part of held a 12 Days of Christmas sale. Each day, we were tempted to splurge on beautiful fabric and haberdashery items. The first thing I bought was a surprise bundle of gorgeous, water-resistant fabric. A few days later, I returned for some lovely black vinyl and cork. I cant wait to have fun using all of it!

cup1358677_38 by Sue Way

cup772277_38 by Sue Way