Jolly June

Well May seems to have flown past and now we are into June.  The weather has been weird - cold and windy, downpours and now this week it's over 20 degrees.  Usually we go away with friends at the Bank Holiday and it's cold and wet and not nice.  This year it's lovely and we are at home!!  I have at least had chance to do some gardening, planting up new pots and tidying up the shrubs etc.   

To summarise May, well I've been doing exams for 3 solid weeks, testing for covid etc - the only thing I managed to catch was a cold and I have absolutely no idea where that came from.  Nobody else had one and I gave it no-one.  The students were great - out of the 230 I looked after very few were absent and those that were missing had either broken their writing hand, on crutches or dropped the subject.  We Invigilators even managed a trip to the pub - first time in 14months!     

Other than that, more photos of the garden, birds and the sky - a hedgehog one night and a pigeon that seems to have made his nest over our front door.  I also took a photo of my rocks in the downstairs toilet - I pick up quirky stones when I go to a beach and that's where they live!!   It made a nice long narrow photo as May has 31 days and it's a bit tight on an A4 sheet of paper.

Anyway that's my photo diary for May.   One more month and I'm halfway through the Photo365 Challenge and some days I can assure you it is a challenge. Fun to look back on though!!

Thanks for reading and see you in a month

Elaine  xx

 

Merry Month of May

 Hello Readers

Here's another montage of photos for the month of April.   It's lots of flowers but then I think a lot happens in April in quick succession - the bulbs flower,  trees start to bud up, leaves come out and the sun has been out which always makes you feel cheerful.  

The lowlight was the calendar where the only thing I had written on there was cancelled.  The highlights, well there were a few - an orange supermoon,  an exam,  meeting friends in the park etc.  

I've been researching a Pape family who moved to York, Ontario (now Toronto) in 1844.  My Papes are from East Yorks, UK but there is a Pape Avenue, Cemetery, Subway Station in East York, Ontario and it's taken me years to pin the family down.  Apparently 3 generations of Papes (Joseph James and his 3 sons John Joseph, Joseph James and James Joseph) were market gardeners and florists in the area of Leslieville and were so well liked they named Pape Avenue after them.  I found an old photo in the Florists Magazine so have included it.  Sadly I don't think they are relatives of mine but still interesting!

So what will May bring?   I have 3 weeks of exams/assessments so guess I won't get out much to take photos but we will see.  I'm definitely starting with Bluebells.

Take care

Elaine  xx 

April and Spring is here!

 It's April, the weather is vastly improving and all life seems to be improving.  I've been busy with my camera everyday and here is my March set of photos - a reminder of what I've been up to during the last month.   They are mostly in order although I have moved some wider ones to the top - February was easy with 28 days, March more tricky as I really need 5 rows!!

To sum up March, well lots of Spring flowers, blossom and walks in the countryside and local park where one day I spied the Shire Horses that had been used to tow a glass funeral carriage. March has been a good month - we went to Sheffield Park (NT), we were vaccinated, we did the census, the clocks changed and the last days were very warm.  

The Bench at the top and the Memorial Wall near the end were both featured in the town's remembrance on March 23rd of all those who have died in the last year.  The wrought iron bench features various people and words remembering the pandemic.  

Let's hope April continues to stay warm, bright and normality resumes soon!!

Elaine xx

March News

 Actually February's news but it's March and things are looking up!!  The best resume of my February is to look at the photos..... we had snow, we had sun, we had birds in the garden and the best bit is all the Spring flowers coming out.   We planted about 100 snowdrop bulbs a couple of years ago and we have one paltry flower .... admitted the bulbs were very dry, but they were a present so we planted them!  Crocus's are flowering and daffodils too - it just makes the place so much more cheerful.

Exciting things I've done in February - it's going to be a short list.  Photographing flowers and birds in the garden.  Walking in the local park.  Taking random photos in the house. Watching Biathlon and Andre Rieu on TV.   All these things are a reminder of life at the moment but March looks promising. 

East Grinstead where I live is famous for Archibald McIndoe and his pioneering facial reconstruction of burns casualties, mainly RAF in World War II.  He worked at the local hospital and if you'd like to read more my daughter wrote a piece for the West Sussex Record Office -  Queen Victoria Hospital Archive Project: the Guinea Pig Club and the people of East Grinstead – West Sussex Record Office (westsussexrecordofficeblog.com)  The statue of him (top row) has been in town a few years now but this week they have also added a bench nearby as a reminder of all those who have lost their lives during the covid pandemic.   That's a photo for March!!

Yesterday was sunny again so we decided to venture out to our local National Trust property Standen.  The last photo shows the house which is closed at the moment but it was decorated by William Morris so very stylish!  The gardens are just starting to colour up - uplifting for the soul - even if it is still a little chilly.

Well that's all for now - see you in April!!

Elaine xx

February already

 

The question is where does the time go when we're all having so much fun.   I guess it goes slowly at the time but January has gone already.

I decided to do a Photo 365 challenge this year.  Having looked online there are loads of places to find daily hints and upload photos but none appealed so I'm going to add them to my monthly blog posts.  I've downsized all the photos but a bit tricky to get 31 photos on one A4 sheet of paper.  February will be better with only 28 days so 4 rows of 7 snaps.   I can't say I'm the best photographer but I try!   Most of the photos are in the house or from the house into the garden but a few are of the local park - just something that catches my eye that day, nothing too deep, just random stuff.  

As I said .... very random and very small but it beats writing a diary and hopefully I can keep going all year.   We really just need the weather to improve and then we can enjoy being outside a bit more.  The bulbs are coming up so shortly there will be more colourful flowers. The last photo shows a small bunch of cyclamen that I spotted in the local park!

I'm not sure that I have any more news, so will just keep my camera to hand and while away February. Stay safe everyone!! 

Elaine xx

Happy New Year

 

Happy New Year to one and all!

For some reason I seem to have missed writing a post in December but then again what was there to write about - same old news etc   So now we are into 2021 - a new year, hopefully a new start on life and things can only get better.   We've got to stay positive!!

We treated ourselves to a new set of bird feeders plus mealworms, peanuts, niger etc to see what different birds we could attract.  We've had 3 blue tits, 2 robins, 1 goldcrest, 1 magpie, 1 blackbird, a family of sparrows and 2 fat pigeons.   We also seem to be atrracting a hoard of starlings - as soon as my OH fills the tray with a handful of mealworms and returns to the house, down swoop 15 starlings squabbling over them.  Well I think I've counted that many - they are on the feeder, on the tray, on the ground etc. I have no idea where they live,  where they are sitting but it must be close as they are obviously sat waiting for brunch!!

The other day it was cold but sunny so my daughter and I went for a saunter round the local park.  There were people everywhere but well spread out.  There were squirrels everywhere too - we must have counted at least 40 out and about.  Why is it that they seem to hide on the far side of a tree as soon as I get my camera out.  This one I did manage to catch eating his nut but there were 3 others chasing around the tree too - so fast as well!

Going back to the blackbird, we have a pair in the garden every year.  The male arrives first, and then about a month later we have a bit of snow.  The bird that has arrived was a little too brown to be the same male so I'm wondering if it's the baby from last year so maybe we won't have snow.

Snow makes everywhere look lovely and in this day and age of the pandemic I really feel it would be good to keep everyone in.  Anyway, to repeat myself, surely things can only get better. 

Stay safe everyone.

Elaine xx

November News

 

I'd better write a post before the month is out otherwise it won't be November's news!   I was thinking I'd write on the 1st of the month to keep my blog up-to-date but the good thing is I've been busy.

Since the beginning of November I've been invigilating exams at the local school  - a few A level re-sits followed by over 2 weeks of GCSE mocks.  I'm in charge of the main hall so that's 240 students with more space for us.   Everything was going fine until last Monday when a girl tested positive for Covid so we lost 50 students overnight who were put in isolation.   We also lost a few more who probably told their parents they had to isolate to get out of doing the rest of their exams.   Sadly this wasn't the case as all their exams papers were parcelled up and hand delivered by staff.    I was amazed we got most of the exams done as I thought everything would go downhill!!

The area where we live is reasonably clear - a lot of people are still working from home and not travelling to London.  Also Gatwick Airport is very quiet so lots of people have been made redundant.  Not really good economically but it keeps interactions down.   

So roll on Christmas....we've decided not to rush to the shops and buy Christmas presents this year.  We're already looking forward to Easter, maybe buy presents then and visit friends and relatives. 

Take care everyone.

Elaine xx