We are home after almost three weeks away and it is so good! After delivering the children to school this morning, we set off on the route that would take us past Stonehenge and then enjoyed sunbeams as we drove West.
Monthly Archives: January 2017
The National Gallery, Charing Cross and News!
I can hardly believe that this was my first visit to The National Gallery! I discovered several new paintings and artists new to me. Join me here for some of the beauty we found today.
Judith by Eglon Hendrick van der Neer
I just love how the artist has captured the shine of the silk, the delicacy of the finger nails with their half moons, the jewellery and then, on reading the description, the decapitated head in the shadows! Just brilliant!
I’m sure many of you, like me, know of Monet’s Water-Lilies but maybe, also like me, you may never have seen this beautiful Setting Sun of the scene.
We went home via Charing Cross, a delightfully decorated station with interesting history.
And our news! Our twin Grandbabies arrived at 2.15 this morning and all is well. LiveWire No 5 weighed in at 2.75kg and his sister, LiveWire No 6 at 2.45kg . That’s 6lb 1oz and 5lbs 6oz respectively. We saw pictures of them, a few hours old wearing their Christmas tree hats! We are, of course, all delighted! 🙂 🙂
Parking, Detritus and Himalayan Cat
We did the school run this morning though it was more of a scoot. I loved the scooter parking spot.
While the LiveWires were at school we cleared up the Christmas confetti and glitter all of which had been left up for our special family weekend. I liked the pretty collection in the dustpan!
One of the family cats likes to rest halfway up the stories and has to be carefully stepped over. Boris is very beautiful indeed and is a Himalayan. Here he waits with Piglet for the return of the children.
Sharing, Scooting and Climbing
A quiet morning watching Brave and sharing a bowl of popcorn followed by a busy afternoon scooting and walking to the park where tree climbing was the best fun.
Family time, Nutcracker and Holiday Homework
We have celebrated two birthdays and Christmas today and what fun we have had, exchanging presents, eating well and playing games.
I have been in Granny heaven this afternoon! I took two little Granddaughters to see Nutcracker and it was just wonderful. Here they have been invited up onto the stage to have their photo taken with the dancers.
LiveWire no 2 showed me his Christmas holiday homework which is perfect
Knitting, Barcelona and Bristol
A parcel of baby clothes has been sent from Daughter no 3 for the soon-to-be-born Grandbaby twins. It contains little things that I have knitted over the last eight years for all of our Grandbabies so far and among those treasures I found the first tiny cardigan that I knitted in 1973 for our own first baby!
We left Barcelona this morning……..
…….. arriving in Bristol this afternoon where we picked up the car and are now in London with two more LiveWires. Our eldest daughter has arrived this evening and tomorrow the rest of the family will be here for a rather late family get together for Christmas!
Just before landing in Bristol, green fields of home!
Fiesta de Los Reyes
It is our last day here and tonight is the Festival of the Kings which starts at dusk. On our walk around today we saw that people have been hanging out Three Kings as they did the Santas on December 24th ready for presents to be delivered tonight.
In the bakery with our LiveWire we bought a Kings’ Cake, Roscon de Reyes, a beautiful looking sweet bread ring with fruit on top and surprises inside. Traditionally, it is supposed to be eaten for tomorrow’s breakfast but we had some this afternoon as we will be leaving very early in the morning.
As night fell, crowds started passing our door and we joined them to see the Parade of the Kings which started on the balcony in the town square and continued all around the town with the Kings throwing sweets out at the crowds! I so enjoy learning about other cultures.
Making, Roses and A Poem
Oldest LiveWire and I have spent much of the day making one of her Christmas presents, a wooden jewellery box that needed construction and painting. It is a present from her Aunt, Uncle and Cousin in Norfolk. N is remarkably careful and attentive to detail and all the construction is done. Tomorrow she will paint and decorate it when all the glue is thoroughly dry.
It is lovely to see yellow roses blooming.
New Year Resolve by May Sarton
The time has come
To stop allowing the clutter
To clutter my mind
Like dirty snow,
Shove it off and find
Clear time, clear water.
Time for a change,
Let silence in like a cat
Who has sat at my door
Neither wild nor strange
Hoping for food from my store
And shivering on the mat.
Let silence in.
She will rarely mew,
She will sleep on my bed
And all I have ever been
Either false or true
Will live again in my head.
For it is now or not
As old age silts the stream,
To shove away the clutter,
To untie every knot,
To take the time to dream,
To come back to still water.
I really do need to clear the clutter!
Balcony, Oranges and Knitting
The sun shone on the Geraniums on this colourful balcony in Canovelles.
We love to see oranges growing in gardens here in Spain. We don’t see this at home in Cornwall.
Oldest LiveWire has completed the first square for her blanket for her baby brother and sister whose arrival we are still awaiting!
Winter Pansies, Jessour Agustson and Millionaires’ Shortbread
In Canovelles today we saw that the town’s gardeners had been out planting Winter Pansies to brighten up the area.
We found the fourth sculpture by Jessour Agustson today, a young man sitting on a bench with his laptop. We love the natural poses of these sculptures and feel sure there must be times when people speak to them!
Oldest LiveWire is going to write the next item as my Guest Blogger again.
This afternoon Granny and I made Millionaires’ Shortbread for my mummy as a treat. My mummy thought that it was so good, she called Billionaires’ Shortbread!
