tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19833521122289367082024-02-07T05:12:42.009+00:00Lovely's BlotA blog about living in rural France, and currently surviving through the coronavirus times.Lovely's Blothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00893362347406889242noreply@blogger.comBlogger760125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983352112228936708.post-55577722804813210292020-03-30T12:01:00.003+01:002020-03-30T12:01:36.280+01:00Be more dogI'm always grateful that we have our dogs. We had never been dog owners up until our move but it had been something that we both wanted to do. So we have two. One is a pure bred Australian Cattle dog, who lives up to all the most extreme stereotypes of the breed, including being the most loyal, funny, glue-pot, funny dog in the world, and the other who is a mix of goodness knows what, and is the most loving and gentle big girl. They are like chalk and cheese, yin and yan, and yet they work together perfectly to claim their own space and place in the household.<br />
<br />
Mostly dogs are great. They centre you as you have to be home to care for their needs, which are not that complicated, but must be done. They need exercise, which we also need, even when it is cold and wet and you don't feel like going out. They need food and they need affection. Sometimes when you want to go out or you have to work they can feel like a bit of a tie, but they put up with any inconveniences or lack of attention graciously. There is nothing like coming in from a busy day to be greeted by two lively dogs who act like they haven't seen you for years.<br />
<br />
So dogs are great, but I hadn't realised truly how great they are until our confinement. They don't worry about confinement, about the virus, contamination, the future or the past. They are just over the moon that at the moment they are never left alone and that we are together all day and every day, because for them that is exactly how it should be. They are not stressed, they sleep, eat and do dog things just as usual.<br />
<br />
They must have their routine (all dogs love routine), and in these routine-less days for us, this has become an anchor. So if we have nothing else, we know that we need to walk the dogs in the morning and afternoon. It gives us our daily exercise and daily purpose.<br />
<br />
They find pleasure in everything; they enjoy relaxing in the sun, sniffing around the garden, cuddling up on the sofa or barking at any noise they hear (this is much less now as there really isn't anything to be heard).<br />
<br />
I've learned a lot from our dogs in the past two weeks and I know that the confinement would have been many times more difficult without them. Anyone who says they are 'just a dog' has no idea.<br />
<br />
We walk dogs once a week at a local rescue (sadly on hold now). This picture sums up everything.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe3_JSzcvzr3qphRMSk2ndqY7Fmf-d_68lsZRwLPh-EZYLDcxXPUC0vllUP_fVK5nZ6PMCeq1cnV9E49JnEbdZUupBdeGHxMpqPRjf4YmUCKrlPQG3if1jrzMNUsK7TRD_8wRjlZebPY-p/s1600/dino.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe3_JSzcvzr3qphRMSk2ndqY7Fmf-d_68lsZRwLPh-EZYLDcxXPUC0vllUP_fVK5nZ6PMCeq1cnV9E49JnEbdZUupBdeGHxMpqPRjf4YmUCKrlPQG3if1jrzMNUsK7TRD_8wRjlZebPY-p/s320/dino.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
To translate:<i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i><br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;">After two weeks of confinement</i><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b><i>The human thinks only of eating all day long</i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b><i>Waves frenetically at everyone who goes down the street.</i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b><i>Goes bonkers when he knows that it's time to go for a walk.</i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b><i>He has become me!</i></b><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.wikio.co.uk/subscribe?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcubbles.blogspot.com"><img src="http://www.wikio.co.uk/shared/images/add-rss.gif" style="border: none;" alt="http://www.wikio.co.uk"/></a></div>Lovely's Blothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00893362347406889242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983352112228936708.post-40905753903757729762020-03-28T14:34:00.000+00:002020-03-28T14:34:52.173+00:00Routine confinement Our weekly routine is quite unstructured anyway, in that we don't get up and do the same thing every day. It was something we particularly longed for before we moved to France; to be free of that sense that you are a slave to someone else's timetable and to know that although we wanted to work hard, we wanted that effort to suit us and our bodies and needs. So we get up with the sun, which means that in winter that might be quite late, but in summer can be at 6.00 am. We take it in turns to make the first cup of tea, a half pint mug of liquid that we drink while still in bed. Gremlin, the cattle dog is allowed in to lie on the bed with us during this period, and as soon as the door to the kitchen is open, he is there in anticipation, waiting to leap into his spot.<br />
<br />
After tea, we get up and have breakfast. Sometimes the plans for the day will be formalised during those moments and sometimes we wake up more slowly. Of course on some days one or the other of us is working elsewhere, so we get up and go, but if we are both here we both take the dogs for a walk around the field and down to the land owned by our late neighbour. We have a cut a path along by the river, where the dogs can run and sniff, hidden by the trees. Occasionally we see deer and the dogs give chase for a while, or coypu splash in and out of the water. We can see as the spring flowers start to appear and watch the water in the river go from flood height the early spring to a gentle trickle in the middle of the summer. In winter it is sheltered from the wind and in summer it is sheltered from the heat. In these times of quarantine it is sheltered from prying eyes as well, who cannot see our leisurely walks together, relaxed and not wondering whether we have ticked the correct box on the form to say that we are walking the dogs or doing personal exercise. It is free from worries about the virus, about infecting others and being infected. It has been that way for centuries with it's Roman bridge over the river, still intact, the remains of an ancient irrigation system, and the ruined water mill and sluices. In times gone by it housed the leper colony and during the war the little caves were used to hide members of the resistance. It has always been a little forgotten corner that continues to be a place of rest and retreat.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsWtnXNdlUHh8Oa3e8EMBYbUDoe4VhIR0ygaIy19c0yboYd4XLCoThnwojq4bdIjTkW1aK6nHYn4uf6bwHGXtJzj-bdURFvuM8o25fyKk8NVqioNV6-IGnhYJZn0d6kNTl4iQrivJyiDI2/s1600/20200320_173009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="778" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsWtnXNdlUHh8Oa3e8EMBYbUDoe4VhIR0ygaIy19c0yboYd4XLCoThnwojq4bdIjTkW1aK6nHYn4uf6bwHGXtJzj-bdURFvuM8o25fyKk8NVqioNV6-IGnhYJZn0d6kNTl4iQrivJyiDI2/s400/20200320_173009.jpg" width="193" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Afternoon walk along daisy drive</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After the walk we return to our jobs. Sometimes these are jobs for ourselves and sometimes for others. The list is long, as although the inside of the house is now largely finished, the outside work is only beginning. Lunch is a sandwich and there is usually a late afternoon/early evening walk around the fields again with the dogs. In the summer this becomes a dip in the pool for all of us, because the temperature doesn't reduce until well into the evening.<br />
<br />
So, that has pretty much been our routine throughout this confinement, except we keep the dogs on lead. We are coming to the end of the first 14 days. We all knew it was going to be longer, and it has been confirmed until the middle of April. No doubt it will go on after that as well. Our area does not have many cases. I don't think it ever really took hold in the general population this way, but that doesn't mean there won't be affected people still to manifest their symptoms. Most people seem to be abiding by the rules, but then we can't see many people from here anyway. I prefer to do things as far away from prying eyes as possible. So we actively avoid anywhere where the gendarmes might be if we can, and if we have to go out, try to do it when there are as few people around as possible. That is after all the point of the whole thing anyway!<br />
<br />
Our farmer neighbour gave us 20 eggs today. Her chickens are enjoying the sun and the clear skies and producing more eggs than she can use. The skies are gloriously clear. Yesterday afternoon we looked up as we walked the dogs and saw one contrail. Usually that time of day there would be six to eight cross crossing each other across the sky.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.wikio.co.uk/subscribe?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcubbles.blogspot.com"><img src="http://www.wikio.co.uk/shared/images/add-rss.gif" style="border: none;" alt="http://www.wikio.co.uk"/></a></div>Lovely's Blothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00893362347406889242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983352112228936708.post-72193032937161129392020-03-24T15:38:00.000+00:002020-03-24T15:38:59.691+00:00End of week one and the value of being a secret "prepper"So as predicted, the UK has followed a similar path to Spain and France. First it was the schools, then it was pubs and restaurants and then people were sternly told to stay at home, only of course that didn't work. When the order came that everyone must stay at home, the decision was blamed on the actions of the people. It was in part true for those who continued to go out in the exact same way as before, but for those who work, the lack of clarity and uncertainty about jobs and money really placed them in an impossible position, torn between the request of the government and the demands of their employers. However, it's always easier to blame and divide the people rather than take full responsibility, and that's what happened up until the announcement. Four days was all it took!<br />
<br />
Here in France we are on the start of our second week of isolation. Everyone knows it is going to go on for much longer so I doubt we will even bother to listen to the announcement when it comes. Some things have apparently got stricter (because the people weren't behaving ). Leaving the house for personal exercise and to walk dogs was an example of a situation where the regulations were unclear (if you design legislation in four days its never going to be perfect). Now it has been clarified that you can only go out once a day for no more than an hour, on your own, and no more than a 1km radius of your home. Of course full compliance depends on enforcement. In areas where there are lots of people living close together then there are plenty of police with their measures and watches. Out here, where we barely see a tractor all day, we have yet to see the police. Many aspects of the rules don't really make sense from the point of view of the spread of the virus, but they do from the point of view of enforcement. Strict and simple rules are easier for the police to enforce.<br />
<br />
Anyway, back to the end of our first week. We've been cracking on through the jobs. Gardening, cleaning, cooking. The weather has been lovely with not a spot of rain since the start. The grass continues to grow and we have had plenty of time to cut it! Ian is reorganising the soil in the garden so that we can install our fencing. We are hoping that at some point we can find somewhere to buy the materials so that we can at least finish that job. In the meantime, the dogs have decided to help us by digging in the garden .<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEissrctUmL3tAYEd4TKmG3IJ66eiH09x6WYCNfSEEwPFsYwAiZWjkyAaZtSitE2fZUr84SdEhyphenhyphenAdbtqNcZfVqGM638pfQvMVvQeSwehwYXDu_qpRQLS3VGU_Mk_vD1-lRqdDEnB5cUDIYDE/s1600/20200324_090949%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEissrctUmL3tAYEd4TKmG3IJ66eiH09x6WYCNfSEEwPFsYwAiZWjkyAaZtSitE2fZUr84SdEhyphenhyphenAdbtqNcZfVqGM638pfQvMVvQeSwehwYXDu_qpRQLS3VGU_Mk_vD1-lRqdDEnB5cUDIYDE/s400/20200324_090949%255B1%255D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrQlT0k41eVacOgBgQST6sxcmph5XQsJYQAjGkI6aTg8vbVM-gLjD3dlFgMRv_1EMV_KZL2_ATR7aeQdiVSggnXxH13Ud_QLlJkH0oJV-ohyphenhyphen6yxmWXStnB7dS0iMJltvC_X3Wu_jYcEXXO/s1600/20200323_154127%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="778" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrQlT0k41eVacOgBgQST6sxcmph5XQsJYQAjGkI6aTg8vbVM-gLjD3dlFgMRv_1EMV_KZL2_ATR7aeQdiVSggnXxH13Ud_QLlJkH0oJV-ohyphenhyphen6yxmWXStnB7dS0iMJltvC_X3Wu_jYcEXXO/s320/20200323_154127%255B1%255D.jpg" width="155" /></a>Unlike the UK there hasn't been too much problem with panic buying here. For a few days the shelves were a bit sparse, but once people had to limit their shopping it settled down a bit and most of the stores have had adequate supplies. However it hasn't been a particular problem for us, because ever since we moved here, to the middle of nowhere, I have become a secret "prepper". First it was the tea... Yes you can buy it in France but it is expensive and so much more sense to bring it in bulk when we are in the UK. As you can see our supplies are ample and should last a while and see us through at least some of the apocalypse. Then there is the wine. I usually stock up when there are offers, or when we visit various places. We must have at least enough to last a year, which is good, because in some areas they are starting to ban the sale of alcohol! I also have three crates of beer for Ian that I bought when it was on offer, so we won't be having a dry apocalypse.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2_2Wdx2bGnx0d6I7DjERgtAKR9eMPjf5Iybun8CwHetaPnYrG5h09K5pqEvwlNXCaa1k7FCkl2uK-VRfEr2lAV3PeVgAC76R9YP1u7ut09nkfIRcrWfjrw8TZr0y0jXxV4uPVPAzj-yvU/s1600/20200323_154107%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="778" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2_2Wdx2bGnx0d6I7DjERgtAKR9eMPjf5Iybun8CwHetaPnYrG5h09K5pqEvwlNXCaa1k7FCkl2uK-VRfEr2lAV3PeVgAC76R9YP1u7ut09nkfIRcrWfjrw8TZr0y0jXxV4uPVPAzj-yvU/s400/20200323_154107%255B1%255D.jpg" width="193" /></a><br />
And then there is the general supply of non perishables. Homemade jams, beans, tomatoes etc. I just make sure I have one or two extra in stock just in case! I also have 23 remaining tins from a case of Heinz spaghetti that we brought with us when we moved over 10 years ago. I don't know why we bought them in the first place really, but I have a feeling that if we don't eat them soon then we might have to admit that we never will.<br />
<br />
Add into that a full freezer and cupboard, and I don't think we will be hungry.<br />
<br />
I am sending Ian out to do the shopping for fresh stuff tomorrow. I might ask him to get a few extra tins!<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSPEcmvlBDXTibUVIyqJqGUDXTNjzqwyFLpOYFSZUXPAMoVGF08Tj6-FHS6HFbXaQ9DIY1x3LPxtsw9Y-_j43ojWyOsljpuBqIU3Hqc0NqJ5Dcml3Iw6JcU-DEYfYo-BdWUk_HK9HyPeHj/s1600/20200323_154100%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSPEcmvlBDXTibUVIyqJqGUDXTNjzqwyFLpOYFSZUXPAMoVGF08Tj6-FHS6HFbXaQ9DIY1x3LPxtsw9Y-_j43ojWyOsljpuBqIU3Hqc0NqJ5Dcml3Iw6JcU-DEYfYo-BdWUk_HK9HyPeHj/s320/20200323_154100%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.wikio.co.uk/subscribe?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcubbles.blogspot.com"><img src="http://www.wikio.co.uk/shared/images/add-rss.gif" style="border: none;" alt="http://www.wikio.co.uk"/></a></div>Lovely's Blothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00893362347406889242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983352112228936708.post-15498131119778745522020-03-22T14:47:00.005+00:002020-03-22T15:39:22.980+00:00Four days (was all it took)Saturday evening, 14 March. We were sitting in a lovely farm restaurant in the middle of the Pyrenees. Official guidance was to stay away from public areas if you were elderly or had health problems, but otherwise wash your hands a lot and don't hug and kiss people. Rumours were circulating that more stringent rules were to follow as the numbers of those infected with Covid 19 increased dramatically and hospital services began to struggle. The Spanish border was closing and the schools had closed on the 13th. Some restaurants had also closed down voluntarily.<br />
<br />
The meal was good traditional mountain food.The wine was plentiful, the company was fun; definitely a restaurant to remember. Then someone mentioned 'the last supper' as in, this will be the last meal out for a while. We asked the waitress, and yes, the order had been announced at 8.00 pm that all restaurants, pubs, bars and clubs were to be shut from midnight. (The restaurant did say that they would be breaking that instruction for the following lunchtime as they had a booking of 50 people and they hadn't received anything in writing! That's France!) We ordered a round of cognac to finish off the meal and us, and feeling slightly shell shocked and disconcerted wondered what this would mean for us, our families and our businesses. It was a bit like an out of body experience and hard to comprehend.<br />
<br />
On Sunday we walked in the hills, just up to the snow line for the dogs to play. The ski village was still open but for the last time, as people did their final run, packed up and left. It was also election day for the French local elections so the town halls were busy with people coming in and out to vote, and the Maires sitting anxiously to see if they were going to be re-elected. Up until this year we had been able to vote in these elections, but after the UK left the EU we lost that right, so we hadn't been too bothered about staying at home that weekend. People were standing around, talking, wondering.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudAeKXfapLDPJD9SSfFSXYXYwvn1-JsPhsXdtEtDDhbw9vjG9XdQnjrzfoM6yKNln10jJr0u5je7CQ537qmGori5wRDx7wkaFIoqYn-r_rgR8z9R4Vfg09JxyVw25MabngvXgdPriqs2L/s1600/20200315_104608.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="778" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudAeKXfapLDPJD9SSfFSXYXYwvn1-JsPhsXdtEtDDhbw9vjG9XdQnjrzfoM6yKNln10jJr0u5je7CQ537qmGori5wRDx7wkaFIoqYn-r_rgR8z9R4Vfg09JxyVw25MabngvXgdPriqs2L/s320/20200315_104608.jpg" width="155" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Fortunately we had bought some food for Sunday night and had planned to eat in.. Cars were being packed up, shutters shut. Rumour was strong that France would be following Spain in ordering everyone to stay at home. No details were provided, but it became clear that from Tuesday we would be not be allowed to leave the house. We considered staying down in the Pyrenees a bit longer but didn't dwell long on that idea, as a small apartment is not as easy to be confined in as our own house, even though the views are beautiful.<br />
<br />
On Sunday afternoon we had a stroll through the village. It is an old mountain village with mostly hill farmers and tourists. The holiday makers were packing up their cars.whilst the farmers checked on their sheep and cows. We remarked that for the older inhabitants the shut down would barely be noticed in the rhythm of their lives, lives that had gone on unchanged by modern ways, providing of course, no one had brought the virus to their doorstep. On the way out for our walk we passed an old stone village house where a row of hens were cuddled up sleeping on the front doorstep, looking like they had been there for centuries. When we returned an hour or so later, an elderly woman was in the doorway, feeding the chickens with a bowl of corn. She waved and smiled at us as we walked by with the dogs.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu0F_yBPDkDZie5ehtKO1MMUkHWXDIxyvm0i9yryYMT2wbQcp0iQsWXIWPbLpZLh3GNLXRyMpEVEbN5an3eUqrkVpLPgCbTAOTn03xyDVjYE3SeAeq0FDnRsEcAvwc05yecJZe2JW9JZ9P/s1600/20200314_160258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu0F_yBPDkDZie5ehtKO1MMUkHWXDIxyvm0i9yryYMT2wbQcp0iQsWXIWPbLpZLh3GNLXRyMpEVEbN5an3eUqrkVpLPgCbTAOTn03xyDVjYE3SeAeq0FDnRsEcAvwc05yecJZe2JW9JZ9P/s320/20200314_160258.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Monday morning we got up, tidied and locked up the apartment and left for home. I wanted to get a few bits from the supermarket on the way back, mainly fresh things, but the supermarkets had queues or empty shelves. Everyone was rushing around trying to get their last jobs done. Eventually I found a few bits in a supermarket near home; a ready made pizza for the evening, some cheese and milk. And then we were home...<br />
<br />
Tuesday at noon the order to remain at home came into force. People in the UK call it a 'lockdown' but it isn't really that. We are instructed to stay at home and only go out for essential shopping, walking the dog or for a short walk to exercise, for medical needs or essential work, if you can't work from home. To go out you need to print off and sign a form ticking one of the four categories and if asked you have to show it to the police. And although I haven't seem them, the police are apparently out in force stopping and checking people to see if they are obeying the laws.<br />
<br />
So four days.. that is how quick your life can change. And yes, I know all the reasons for it, good, honourable reasons, to save lives, to protect those more vulnerable and to spare the health professionals the ordeal of having to decide who lives and dies. I support it wholeheartedly, but nevertheless it is shocking to see how quickly and easily we can lose what we have and how much we have taken that freedom for granted without question.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.wikio.co.uk/subscribe?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcubbles.blogspot.com"><img src="http://www.wikio.co.uk/shared/images/add-rss.gif" style="border: none;" alt="http://www.wikio.co.uk"/></a></div>Lovely's Blothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00893362347406889242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983352112228936708.post-51748889772770502372020-03-19T20:47:00.002+00:002020-03-19T20:47:40.719+00:00Currently locked downAs of Tuesday 17th March at noon we are under house arrest. Well not exactly, but France has taken a firm approach to try and contain the spread of the virus, before it totally overwhelms the health services.<br />
<br />
It seems that the virus is very infectious and being novel, no one has any immunity to it. In most people, it is mild or like flu, but in about 20% of people it is severe, causing pneumonia and, if people are not given medical assistance in the form of assistance with breathing, they may die. To make it worse, you can still be infectious even if you don't have symptoms and then pass it on to others.<br />
<br />
So what does that mean for us? We must stay in our homes and not venture out except for essential shopping, going to the pharmacy or doctor, supporting someone vulnerable, or taking brief personal exercise such as a walk, or walking your dogs close to home. If we have to go out we must take an attestation stating where we are going, and if stopped by the police we have to produce it. Failure to have the piece of paper may result in a fine.What has this actually meant for us so far? To be honest not a big change in our day to day life, which was always a bit antisocial. We walk the dogs around our field where no one else ever goes, we get on with jobs, we sit on the terrace, I cook dinner.. tomorrow I might venture to the shops. We can't visit friends, all restaurants are closed, no parties or socialising..<br />
<br />
We await to see what happens next.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.wikio.co.uk/subscribe?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcubbles.blogspot.com"><img src="http://www.wikio.co.uk/shared/images/add-rss.gif" style="border: none;" alt="http://www.wikio.co.uk"/></a></div>Lovely's Blothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00893362347406889242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983352112228936708.post-8973655279691091432020-03-19T20:21:00.000+00:002020-03-19T20:48:36.114+00:00Returning ( or how the past becomes the future)I started this blog to write about our experiences while we were in the process of upheaval. Giving up stable lives to come and live a new life in France. The journey was amazing and an experience of ups, downs, fun, stress, steep learning curves...a real journey. After we arrived however, daily life took over and the blog posts got less. Life took on it's own rhythm that just led us along, and I had less need and less time to write.<br />
<br />
So what has changed? Well, now we are experiencing one of the biggest challenges of my lifetime in the form of the coronavirus..a new pandemic that could kill hundreds of thousands of people and that has swept from China to Europe and onwards, and changed all of our lives in the process.<br />
<br />
So it was time to reinstate the blog..to record and describe our experiences and to try and make sense of them...so more to follow on all of that...<br />
<br />
But before I go on..in reopening this blog I noticed that the last post I wrote was about the plague and China! Too much of a coincidence!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.wikio.co.uk/subscribe?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcubbles.blogspot.com"><img src="http://www.wikio.co.uk/shared/images/add-rss.gif" style="border: none;" alt="http://www.wikio.co.uk"/></a></div>Lovely's Blothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00893362347406889242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983352112228936708.post-72698131612694466152014-03-07T12:19:00.001+00:002014-03-07T12:22:28.150+00:00From China: Sepia Saturday 218I was struggling to find a picture and a link to this weeks theme.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_cQJbICv7sXePqjMgvR25Ig-0zrdCpAgUyeBOqCu4bgfJsNN-UDIK1_JKue5-hf0oFrjgOZ9Ss0ZADBJ5GxA2vJ4uNmvQFSIu0AME_xL15lxTT8Pl38IZVSfevQEkx5YzZqFdUVwHO3Y/s1600/ss+march+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_cQJbICv7sXePqjMgvR25Ig-0zrdCpAgUyeBOqCu4bgfJsNN-UDIK1_JKue5-hf0oFrjgOZ9Ss0ZADBJ5GxA2vJ4uNmvQFSIu0AME_xL15lxTT8Pl38IZVSfevQEkx5YzZqFdUVwHO3Y/s1600/ss+march+7.jpg" height="128" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The picture shows " the areas in Sydney affected by the outbreak of Bubonic Plague in 1900" and the suggestions for a topic are " fences, back yards or bubonic plague." Well, I have no interesting pictures of backyards, or of fences and I didn't think I had anything I could connect to bubonic plague either. However, having always been interested in things medical, I started to research around the topic of bubonic plague, or 'The Black Death' .</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
According to research "<a href="http://news.discovery.com/human/health/black-death-plague-china.htm">The first outbreak of plague occurred in China more than 2,600 years ago before reaching Europe via Central Asia's "Silk Road" trade route</a>" and then went on to kill around one third of the population of Europe in the middle ages. It's a zoonotic disease, meaning it's caught from animals, and in this case rats and fleas. Without treatment, the bubonic plague kills about two thirds of infected humans within four days.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So here is my link to the old pictures of China, maybe with or without Bubonic Plague:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIaSB2suri-koNQJXlvH1yPiY8vcKRFhiwdU2M-lv_vmfuT3VQmbuRfcDwL18-8lxyQedWf0Oz875aQJuTX2Nq6keZCPdDxcm4k919mMgVkAiBLR4wQ7R_BnfOGRSjzz-XDHOtpnocp5dP/s1600/European+gardens+shanghai.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIaSB2suri-koNQJXlvH1yPiY8vcKRFhiwdU2M-lv_vmfuT3VQmbuRfcDwL18-8lxyQedWf0Oz875aQJuTX2Nq6keZCPdDxcm4k919mMgVkAiBLR4wQ7R_BnfOGRSjzz-XDHOtpnocp5dP/s1600/European+gardens+shanghai.JPG" height="504" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">European Gardens Shanghai</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I can't find any reference to these gardens in modern times and my guess is they were removed as part of the cultural revolution in China.</div>
<div xmlns="">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLTuDuCqmnc18yfU8arBZsKbSwKh59VLAVwREoETyS4WjvXux8Dx8Ln3OLx5qTvi5fP8sicbWA6shdo2xSt2ERK8sB2qvhsjBcZMrxRc3Er8bnYWPGiOBJ_CcBls_2LFBC6ldDlMaOs8qf/s1600/Scan10001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLTuDuCqmnc18yfU8arBZsKbSwKh59VLAVwREoETyS4WjvXux8Dx8Ln3OLx5qTvi5fP8sicbWA6shdo2xSt2ERK8sB2qvhsjBcZMrxRc3Er8bnYWPGiOBJ_CcBls_2LFBC6ldDlMaOs8qf/s1600/Scan10001.JPG" height="640" width="492" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hankow Road, Shanghai<br />
<br />
<div align="left">
However Hankow road still exists but looks rather different now!</div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGEbthUbKNKNk-joU5AsMkrKB5gD5Q_U_PSj-I4alflE5hY9QjOdgK2e_3UF1rD7_WwqhCRKLZNxhPSaCIadGI3FP9GZGmvg8rCvcuVEBrcjOrjLX-2y6G0-hGRjZ1OrTFx32-vHh-mK3o/s1600/800px-Hankow_Road.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGEbthUbKNKNk-joU5AsMkrKB5gD5Q_U_PSj-I4alflE5hY9QjOdgK2e_3UF1rD7_WwqhCRKLZNxhPSaCIadGI3FP9GZGmvg8rCvcuVEBrcjOrjLX-2y6G0-hGRjZ1OrTFx32-vHh-mK3o/s1600/800px-Hankow_Road.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture Wikki commons</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div xmlns="">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTWQe9EhPpsampGu1OcmGLBxDtFWc3fdYRxseFObIzq-rOGQB3oDbKYe383gmKwVlIIzicsW4CCHI3-0sS0YdoOk66cv5vnJ6LUZ7VqQwfHc0L9sSnV8_4EOwsrcPGYzJ2M_gENj0rcAm6/s1600/a+chinese+houseboat.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTWQe9EhPpsampGu1OcmGLBxDtFWc3fdYRxseFObIzq-rOGQB3oDbKYe383gmKwVlIIzicsW4CCHI3-0sS0YdoOk66cv5vnJ6LUZ7VqQwfHc0L9sSnV8_4EOwsrcPGYzJ2M_gENj0rcAm6/s1600/a+chinese+houseboat.JPG" height="640" width="492" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Chinese houseboat<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="left">
</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div xmlns="">
And this Chinese houseboat may well have attracted the odd plague infected rat!</div>
<div xmlns="">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I learned about the Black death at school but thought it had died out, but apparently a case was reported as recently as 2012 in China, and also in parts of Africa and South America. I remember this nursery rhyme I learned at school</div>
<div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<em>Ring a ring o' roses</em></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<em>A pocketful of posies</em></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<em>A tishoo A tishoo</em></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<em>We all fall down</em></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We thought it was sweet but it is supposedly about the<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_a_Ring_o'_Roses"> Black Death.</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
For more on this theme go to <a href="http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.fr/">Sepia Saturday</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.wikio.co.uk/subscribe?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcubbles.blogspot.com"><img src="http://www.wikio.co.uk/shared/images/add-rss.gif" style="border: none;" alt="http://www.wikio.co.uk"/></a></div>Lovely's Blothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00893362347406889242noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983352112228936708.post-47267014194835391112014-02-20T17:54:00.001+00:002014-02-20T17:57:46.924+00:00Sepia Saturday 216: Three men - a mystery This weeks prompt for Sepia Saturday is of three men in hats.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhknAdH9F2ojP3kGG_jyQWqt6Nt4ODDfUVY8UjYPBvfGC6XJuDNaHXMvADjSc1_EfAg29Yd0X8G5qE4Nw7X3-UMxwGHBfExkHb81rzpL3FhWVEtEwUxI8__uYgL1XufchCIxlwpfe5KgXC2/s1600/ss+216_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhknAdH9F2ojP3kGG_jyQWqt6Nt4ODDfUVY8UjYPBvfGC6XJuDNaHXMvADjSc1_EfAg29Yd0X8G5qE4Nw7X3-UMxwGHBfExkHb81rzpL3FhWVEtEwUxI8__uYgL1XufchCIxlwpfe5KgXC2/s1600/ss+216_04.jpg" height="128" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I couldn't find three men in suits but I did find a picture of three men in hats.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBHhSa7jfl1AJBd7dC9s2Ux5mHAKr28J6mmgHlq56tkU_50O0FU779Cih4vF7kiEp741y3Aah-d7bii2Oq3AeqB5nhKK0sbHR_2dPbPTGCqlj2HP1XDU8l7oKYLgpMcWVCV2ygRNz1Ra_E/s1600/three+men.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBHhSa7jfl1AJBd7dC9s2Ux5mHAKr28J6mmgHlq56tkU_50O0FU779Cih4vF7kiEp741y3Aah-d7bii2Oq3AeqB5nhKK0sbHR_2dPbPTGCqlj2HP1XDU8l7oKYLgpMcWVCV2ygRNz1Ra_E/s1600/three+men.JPG" height="306" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The picture was amongst the collection recovered from the house of Ian's neighbour. It's in poor condition but you can definitely see three men and by the looks of it they are in some kind of costume. Perhaps they are in a play or a charade of some sort? I hope that's what it was because if you look closer....<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDBBsdV3vP0_lhI79CUWFZcUvO_tEwa7KqqmQ3DiN6od02m6PneIOrXFdciXw0ir3dlcVhHiQ0aSEnsrIlvOtMHfcBZBVosFVFNF_oRaOrT-AVpYmQXeNk5Ae5Er4P-Vvhm3Hnck3Byrx/s1600/three+men+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDBBsdV3vP0_lhI79CUWFZcUvO_tEwa7KqqmQ3DiN6od02m6PneIOrXFdciXw0ir3dlcVhHiQ0aSEnsrIlvOtMHfcBZBVosFVFNF_oRaOrT-AVpYmQXeNk5Ae5Er4P-Vvhm3Hnck3Byrx/s1600/three+men+2.JPG" height="460" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
... you can see that one of them is pointing a gun at the other man. They don't look too worried however...<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.wikio.co.uk/subscribe?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcubbles.blogspot.com"><img src="http://www.wikio.co.uk/shared/images/add-rss.gif" style="border: none;" alt="http://www.wikio.co.uk"/></a></div>Lovely's Blothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00893362347406889242noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983352112228936708.post-2380812081164785392014-02-19T12:09:00.002+00:002014-02-19T12:09:28.390+00:00Sky's on FireLast night's sky really looked like it was on fire.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr3JM4M9jHq2hYDAGM2iV1svRX4OVhiDoOKPNUqoXIt_6G6LuDS-aKbUj3R9s1O7jQM6RCkU1-WTMPu_IEpVdhz7hFjhbZNyud6tZxQ8JrLHlw7t0eAaB58jJCeAEW26smuWY1T8RjkZNn/s1600/sky+fire.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr3JM4M9jHq2hYDAGM2iV1svRX4OVhiDoOKPNUqoXIt_6G6LuDS-aKbUj3R9s1O7jQM6RCkU1-WTMPu_IEpVdhz7hFjhbZNyud6tZxQ8JrLHlw7t0eAaB58jJCeAEW26smuWY1T8RjkZNn/s1600/sky+fire.JPG" height="452" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the office window</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsp0hjyVhpZ0wTv8lKMPtf2unNRKqf8L0Ejoco05cd4cluweEnTvsGrB4SkeCeur5pF5GQ3hADy-0LkxUCjybD0Mzp6hVqfmS7CkDWlGDwUGUo5EufmO6Ad9hXJMNPthJz79KQhnoWyNbi/s1600/sky2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsp0hjyVhpZ0wTv8lKMPtf2unNRKqf8L0Ejoco05cd4cluweEnTvsGrB4SkeCeur5pF5GQ3hADy-0LkxUCjybD0Mzp6hVqfmS7CkDWlGDwUGUo5EufmO6Ad9hXJMNPthJz79KQhnoWyNbi/s1600/sky2.JPG" height="396" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sky and clouds</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.wikio.co.uk/subscribe?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcubbles.blogspot.com"><img src="http://www.wikio.co.uk/shared/images/add-rss.gif" style="border: none;" alt="http://www.wikio.co.uk"/></a></div>Lovely's Blothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00893362347406889242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983352112228936708.post-12534769316785361062014-02-17T17:55:00.001+00:002014-02-17T17:55:33.536+00:00PingyPingy is the name we give to the extending lead that we used when walking the dog when we don't want to let him run free but we want him to be able to sniff and explore things nearby. We use it when we are in parks, or out on long walks where we might come across other people or other dogs, or where we might go close to a road. It's a solid, professional standard lead, that extends to about 10 metres, but can quickly be pulled back in when we need to.<br />
<br />
It's not that the dog doesn't understand 'come', and most of the time he is very obedient and does just that when called. It's just that he is a little wilful and if he is doing something interesting he will hesitate before returning. He also has a very high prey drive, and if he sees something fluffy or fast, such as deer or a sheep, a red mist descends and he becomes deaf and blind to anything else other than the chase. He will take off instantly and chase whatever it is he has seen until he has calmed down or lost the scent or until he remembers himself. This can take anything from two to thirty minutes.<br />
<br />
Today we went for our evening walk and I noticed that our neighbours sheep were in our field, so we ventured out with pingy. For a while he didn't notice the sheep, but then he got a scent and got exited. He still didn't see them, but then as we came over the hill they were there. I thought I had the lead locked short but it must have slipped, so he took off at full pelt. Realising that when he got to the end of the lead I was either going to dislocate my shoulder or he was going to strangle himself I had no option but to let go.<br />
<br />
I watched the stinky dog charge 100 or so metres with the extending lead flying behind him. I watched the sheep run through the hole in the fence from whence they came, and I watched him jump over the fence trailing pingy behind him, getting it caught in the fence for a while and then pulling it free. Dog and sheep disappeared.<br />
<br />
I ran over quickly calling him all the time, worried that he had gone down into the woods with the lead trailing behind him; imaging him hanging from a branch or tree, with the sheep gloating in glee at the bottom. <br />
<br />
I got round the corner and saw him wandering back, lead still there, looking annoyed that he had been hampered in his sheep chasing activities. Panic over!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.wikio.co.uk/subscribe?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcubbles.blogspot.com"><img src="http://www.wikio.co.uk/shared/images/add-rss.gif" style="border: none;" alt="http://www.wikio.co.uk"/></a></div>Lovely's Blothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00893362347406889242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983352112228936708.post-20525662652938990192014-02-13T14:13:00.001+00:002014-02-13T14:13:38.212+00:00Floods and EggsI have been watching the news reports of the extreme weather in Britain, with storms, gales, tidal surges and flooding and actually feeling rather glad that I am not trying to get to work or travel anywhere as I can imagine the sense of panic and the disruption that would permeate everywhere. Of course the sense of catastrophe always seems worse for those of us that are not actually there, whereas if I was 'in the thick of it' I would just be getting on with it and probably wondering what all the fuss is about.<br />
<br />
Here we have also had unseasonable weather. This winter we haven't had more than about 5 frosts, and none of them have been severe. Instead we have had day after to day of heavy rain. The ground is now waterlogged, every time the dog goes outside for a wee he brings in more mud, my coat is covered in mud, my wellies are just about holding up and the grass is growing but too wet to cut! We have had our own flood to deal with. Our house and garage are on a slope and the garage is lower than the house. We have always had problems with run-off from the fields when the ground is saturated. It used to hit the rock below the cellar and then sit there. This was solved by building a moat style drain in front of the house and installing a pump. However, we made a beginner's error when the electric and water supply were laid going down to the garage. <br />
<br />
We laid the conduit for the pipes but failed to realise that when it rains they become a channel for the water and take the water straight down the pipes and up into the floor of the garage. Ian spent a week out there in the rain, digging and laying another drain to divert the water away from the garage, and we had to unpack everything, check it, dry it all out and put it back afterwards. It wasn't really a problem we wanted to have to sort out, but at least it was something that we could solve, unlike the people living by the River Thames, who can only wait for dry weather and the waters to subside.<br />
<br />
Closer to home, the Gironde flooded in Bordeaux a couple of weeks ago, and the left bank and Bastide area was under half a metre of water. The towns of Marmande and Tonniens in the Lot et Garronne were also affected.<br />
<br />
So.. what has this to do with eggs? Well apparently the chickens like the milder weather and our local farmer friend in currently getting a dozen eggs a day. He has been giving them to us at the rate of 2 dozen a week! We pass some on to other neighbours but I am running out of ideas of things to do with eggs! I think we will having quiche tonight!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.wikio.co.uk/subscribe?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcubbles.blogspot.com"><img src="http://www.wikio.co.uk/shared/images/add-rss.gif" style="border: none;" alt="http://www.wikio.co.uk"/></a></div>Lovely's Blothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00893362347406889242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983352112228936708.post-7114245735299641452014-02-07T12:05:00.002+00:002014-02-07T12:05:30.403+00:00Master Tom Welch, Comedian: Sepia Saturday 214<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisZuNdiA8bPsnskbZQL8Xg_7ytye1TRv6s0v4-jh891xbbtQyixaLbm0h6H07RRMHRYq9fHqyiia1AuUpd8_QtUWmumBFM_UUbS8Rusx3MOFimr9MUDrDnctIMghLhQOydF7U-6gDNk6MQ/s1600/2014.01W.26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisZuNdiA8bPsnskbZQL8Xg_7ytye1TRv6s0v4-jh891xbbtQyixaLbm0h6H07RRMHRYq9fHqyiia1AuUpd8_QtUWmumBFM_UUbS8Rusx3MOFimr9MUDrDnctIMghLhQOydF7U-6gDNk6MQ/s1600/2014.01W.26.jpg" height="128" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
The prompt for Sepia Saturday this week is of a couple around a piano. It is an upright piano and similar to the one owned by my grandfather. One of my fondest memories of summer holidays as a child was listening to him playing the piano. He lived near the seaside and when we were younger the entire family descended on him and my grandmother for two weeks, staying with them in their small bungalow. The upright piano was in the sitting room; the sitting room that smelled slightly of pipe tobacco, mints, polished wood and musty music. In the evenings we could sometimes persuade Tom to open the piano, take out his songbook and tinkle on the keys. We were enchanted as we watched him loose himself in the songs. <br />
<br />
My grandmother told us that Tom could play anything, that he learned most songs by ear, and that often he would just sit and play for the sheer pleasure of doing so, and maybe for the memories. <br />
<br />
When they were younger my grandparents used to take part in music hall. I wouldn't imagine this was the music hall of the grand old type, but rather smaller, local events put on for and by communities across London. In the days before cinema and television live entertainment was more commonplace. <br />
<br />
Tom started early. Amongst his memorabilia I found the remains of this programme dated April<br />
1913, from the Hemmingford St John football club annual concert and dance<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCcL4TM09Q-LZvMl4X_aodvmP5IkOopbuwGe813Ws4KM4-jRvZKv7HXebJ2-1rSP8irf-84veDRVsxrwwYLDlAe6E0xo9iHRw68hG_Exsj7w5uJb_N8grsuXtFnv0k3vlEWvhjFtkYX2My/s1600/littletommywelch4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCcL4TM09Q-LZvMl4X_aodvmP5IkOopbuwGe813Ws4KM4-jRvZKv7HXebJ2-1rSP8irf-84veDRVsxrwwYLDlAe6E0xo9iHRw68hG_Exsj7w5uJb_N8grsuXtFnv0k3vlEWvhjFtkYX2My/s1600/littletommywelch4.JPG" height="400" width="258" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Add caption</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkNRY6b0iNTQ26OnEw47KBdZsIKDUJF1tfqweYXRrgxmjzRFS8a9lznZ-7Rp2KkHDUejssoFHLTKqPUrlvlGsRO5VL0mIA8WWqCBe7vYp5r-2uQuLrOo8jCsjgMmbQNLIMg5gB-cVJTbrj/s1600/littletommywelch5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkNRY6b0iNTQ26OnEw47KBdZsIKDUJF1tfqweYXRrgxmjzRFS8a9lznZ-7Rp2KkHDUejssoFHLTKqPUrlvlGsRO5VL0mIA8WWqCBe7vYp5r-2uQuLrOo8jCsjgMmbQNLIMg5gB-cVJTbrj/s1600/littletommywelch5.JPG" height="499" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
On the first page just before the presentation of the swimming awards, you can see that the 'act' is Master Tom Welch, who was billed as a Comedian and was performing 'Yiddle on your fiddle' maybe sounding something like <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUAxRveofYQ">this</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaQqtUHsgFE">'I don't care what becomes of me'.</a> Tom would have been around 13 years old at the time of this performance.<br />
<br />
Fifteen years later, at the age of 28, Tom was still performing but this time he had a more sedate roll as the pianist at the 'Grand Smoking Concert' held after the final and semi finals of the Domino Championship, hosted by the ECDO sorters (the post office sorting department). (He worked for The Royal Mail for most of his life).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOdDRkbp8r_80ACyGdhx4mM-U7PkiF04CgEMm7MSZAKMbc21mxJ3mXCjjhypQvRx-cWWbpQpbgrNkCOy-ItYXhK3yl7lTb2CkZSWs2iiALl-o914_Kc_xz3tRTLQYClEJvNgxyDk1rl9q7/s1600/littetommywelch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOdDRkbp8r_80ACyGdhx4mM-U7PkiF04CgEMm7MSZAKMbc21mxJ3mXCjjhypQvRx-cWWbpQpbgrNkCOy-ItYXhK3yl7lTb2CkZSWs2iiALl-o914_Kc_xz3tRTLQYClEJvNgxyDk1rl9q7/s1600/littetommywelch.JPG" height="640" width="417" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5T8ooj2dy5p-Bhsyzohw39-LIyf8xXCBhzZ30mlv9W3_J2fq9Nkkxd9KrPhlXVPHhlOgwTKyNmcdhvLdDYEMVv-HH5yxrr5Z8qTccdZ8xAKMYyciF3z_8x89N28G4A9xGmTbACgzb1cW/s1600/litteltommywelch2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5T8ooj2dy5p-Bhsyzohw39-LIyf8xXCBhzZ30mlv9W3_J2fq9Nkkxd9KrPhlXVPHhlOgwTKyNmcdhvLdDYEMVv-HH5yxrr5Z8qTccdZ8xAKMYyciF3z_8x89N28G4A9xGmTbACgzb1cW/s1600/litteltommywelch2.JPG" height="496" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhimEfuvDRw3aen9UhWv0o4c73loNHaaqkwJ0nVMFCZwGEitLKmYBBXL5kLm8RC7xnk5FntPrBf9PF9yjVt2CHDRbl3S5TJ-K8Ta9-kZB2ghUtI69PkFLd2cSAjfBWlWvI1Cge_SxSt7Scw/s1600/littletommywelch3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCcL4TM09Q-LZvMl4X_aodvmP5IkOopbuwGe813Ws4KM4-jRvZKv7HXebJ2-1rSP8irf-84veDRVsxrwwYLDlAe6E0xo9iHRw68hG_Exsj7w5uJb_N8grsuXtFnv0k3vlEWvhjFtkYX2My/s1600/littletommywelch4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
This time he was the opening act for both parts of the evening and the accompanist. <br />
<br />
Tom also played the piano accordion, and my grandmother sang with him as a soprano. She once told me that she deeply regretted not following her desire to become a professional singer and have her voice properly trained. <br />
<br />
In his later years Tom would occasionally play the piano at the local old folks home and day centres. When he died none of us had room in our small houses and apartments for the piano and my grandmother couldn't bear to look at it so she gave it to the church.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtUwopf08eMwevtau10VXalierkQ_MrwDxMq8G5VvJoxfGpk4o6VQLBJJZgEKSZ6PJgDMlTO65Y2sESLbOrlQmDhZvQS_lqJfVTMnvPBKY5NWgKA8FpimbQGxTroYbSkc-GuCAKOgwBMIn/s1600/tom+and+dorothy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtUwopf08eMwevtau10VXalierkQ_MrwDxMq8G5VvJoxfGpk4o6VQLBJJZgEKSZ6PJgDMlTO65Y2sESLbOrlQmDhZvQS_lqJfVTMnvPBKY5NWgKA8FpimbQGxTroYbSkc-GuCAKOgwBMIn/s1600/tom+and+dorothy.JPG" height="309" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom and Dorothy </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.wikio.co.uk/subscribe?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcubbles.blogspot.com"><img src="http://www.wikio.co.uk/shared/images/add-rss.gif" style="border: none;" alt="http://www.wikio.co.uk"/></a></div>Lovely's Blothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00893362347406889242noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983352112228936708.post-47339071507597953022014-02-01T15:08:00.000+00:002014-02-01T15:10:30.328+00:00China and other stories: Sepia Saturday 213I'm afraid there is a bit of tenuous link to the theme this week of holidays and suitcases, but I feel that now the time is right to share my secret 'treasure trove' of sepia with my fellow Sepians, and I can't wait for a more relevant prompt.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEhwmVbfvlAfD7XbgDvPLJ7TRKcQfe781zsr-7s73Qiv-MKV8L8AW74HwxcrUxzbaRLBrOaBD3cJQSQpaUfbY6hSeGvXMgeWPDYCzs_xj-RMPjvFYnbI2eCD6CAxOYwNVIOBP_2Y6eZo6m/s1600/china+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEhwmVbfvlAfD7XbgDvPLJ7TRKcQfe781zsr-7s73Qiv-MKV8L8AW74HwxcrUxzbaRLBrOaBD3cJQSQpaUfbY6hSeGvXMgeWPDYCzs_xj-RMPjvFYnbI2eCD6CAxOYwNVIOBP_2Y6eZo6m/s1600/china+1.JPG" height="640" width="482" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
I have to start with a bit of background information... Ian's mother used to live next door to two elderly ladies in South East London. They were sisters and shared a large Victorian House until they were both too old and frail. They never married and Ian's mum used to help them our from time to time. When they died she helped to clear their house and acquired a large wooden chest of drawers. When they finally got to look inside, tucked at the back was a collection of old photos. Most of them are on the original glass plates, there are a few negatives and a small collection of prints. Most of them are in poor condition.<br />
<br />
No one has ever known what to do with them. The women's father was a Captain A Edwards and I think at one time he had some kind of ambassadorial role in China and/or Japan. The photographs must be from around the early 1900s and as such must have some historical value. In our hurry to move to France we just packed them up and brought them with us and they have remained in the boxes until now, when we have finally managed to unpack a few.<br />
<br />
Amongst other things, the photographs seem to be of life in China and the day to day life of these two sisters, who we think were the photographers. So, I suppose the link is to one great big voyage that needed more than one or two suitcases.<br />
<br />
The writing on the back of this picture says it was taken in China but that's all I know. We would like to be able to recover the images from the glass plates, so if any fellow Sepians have any ideas as to how that could be done we would be most grateful. Until we can find a home for them where they will be appreciated we will continue to be their guardians and maybe share a few more along the way.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZqGvyMAZ4b-IVvKTKSjPBoyS_iYwflaxbCeQxlpjjwkPAiXRJtyO25Y5tGvhaMEhqr3e6muP6WV98Js7SwFBZ-fy-HgFJY-V9Y3HOwm_5q61uKfdqMAMx9wHAaZPf4OrCCY1PnIBcnumr/s1600/sepia+saturday+160.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZqGvyMAZ4b-IVvKTKSjPBoyS_iYwflaxbCeQxlpjjwkPAiXRJtyO25Y5tGvhaMEhqr3e6muP6WV98Js7SwFBZ-fy-HgFJY-V9Y3HOwm_5q61uKfdqMAMx9wHAaZPf4OrCCY1PnIBcnumr/s1600/sepia+saturday+160.jpg" height="128" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.wikio.co.uk/subscribe?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcubbles.blogspot.com"><img src="http://www.wikio.co.uk/shared/images/add-rss.gif" style="border: none;" alt="http://www.wikio.co.uk"/></a></div>Lovely's Blothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00893362347406889242noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983352112228936708.post-45036025043486948492014-01-24T12:06:00.001+00:002014-01-24T12:06:58.795+00:00Making ProgressThis week I had one of those moments where I suddenly felt all those weeks of French lessons, all the headaches, all the hours spent feeling like my head was going to explode, are beginning to pay off. The occasion was a meal at the home of some French friends. They are a lovely couple, who are interesting and interested in the world around them. Now retired, they were teachers and have travelled extensively. They also speak very good, clear French and are prepared to be patient with people who are making an effort to communicate.<br />
<br />
When we go out with English friends Ian is normally the quieter of the two of us, preferring to limit his discussions to technical bits and pieces. I have always enjoyed a more in depth debate about things and the ability to be able to do more than just talk, but to express my ideas, ask questions and discuss current issues, is really important to me. My aim for my French was to be able to speak it well enough that I was able also to express a little of my personality and humour. Up until now, although I have been able to get by in most everyday situations this aspect has alluded me and when we are out with French people Ian has taken the lead in conversation, with me chipping in, if and when I was able to follow what was being said. <br />
<br />
My French had sort of reached a plateau over the past year or so and I hadn't felt I had made much improvement. Fortunately I found a new more advanced class and got back into the studying in September. I hadn't really noticed much progress for a while but last week I spent three days in Bordeaux and suddenly found that I didn't have to think all the time to communicate and that I could make jokes with the students in French that made them laugh (and not just because of my accent!) The meal last week marked a turning point as for the first time Ian was silenced and I was able to talk! <br />
<br />
For anyone who thinks that you can come to France and 'be fluent in two years'.. it's taken me 6 years of lessons to get this far!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.wikio.co.uk/subscribe?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcubbles.blogspot.com"><img src="http://www.wikio.co.uk/shared/images/add-rss.gif" style="border: none;" alt="http://www.wikio.co.uk"/></a></div>Lovely's Blothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00893362347406889242noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983352112228936708.post-80765128123640439412014-01-17T13:25:00.000+00:002014-01-17T13:25:24.651+00:00Sepia Saturday: Tom's war So, it's 100 years since the outbreak of the first world war. This is a picture of my grandfather Tom. I would guess from this he was around 13 years old. He was born in 1899, so this would perhaps have been taken in 1912 or 1913, just before the outbreak of the war.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9R6SF2JpicMgdPDGeUA5eSRVcW7rMXBzcOdx4vfFls3fFWEWCt8fZO1pxoCEY3FkVE-UqDDa5ayijfZYGjYHIcJ12mRcWiwzhZxQk0E-AFqB66-hpm3leWnfCRQ5TW-Pos9K2zp0JcG_T/s1600/Thomas+Welch2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9R6SF2JpicMgdPDGeUA5eSRVcW7rMXBzcOdx4vfFls3fFWEWCt8fZO1pxoCEY3FkVE-UqDDa5ayijfZYGjYHIcJ12mRcWiwzhZxQk0E-AFqB66-hpm3leWnfCRQ5TW-Pos9K2zp0JcG_T/s1600/Thomas+Welch2.jpg" height="400" width="270" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Fortunately for us he would have been too young to be conscripted in the first or second wave but he was not immune to the wave of jingoistic patriotism that made young boys feel they were cowardly if they did not do their bit. From what I remember of the story he was keen to join up as soon as he could but somehow chose or was guided in the direction of the Navy rather than the Army.. another stroke of good fortune as it turned out. Like a lot of young boys he lied on his application and at the age of 15 or 16 spent two years on board ship as a communications officer. I like to think that somehow it was realised that he was just a child dressed up in uniform and someone tried to make sure that he was assigned to roles where he was less likely to get killed. That's what I would have done if I had been there.</div>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I don't really know how much this experience affected him except that he always loved the sea and eventually retired to live near Portsmouth. He came back from sea after the war, and although he had known my grandmother as a childhood friend they didn't marry for another 8 years.</div>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_mO88avDynfLS26WJYom1ECFddoiPjdYL_mfPQqkIAgW96vHSZ1TnxqtlPsgY4rc_9svlzliN-ybX1T7AKgAhKp3pDnVW8_nxG5YZ4AgjXcNV-4qBxFl7J8Xdh4l0V7xWhCt6DtOcXSen/s1600/2014_01W_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_mO88avDynfLS26WJYom1ECFddoiPjdYL_mfPQqkIAgW96vHSZ1TnxqtlPsgY4rc_9svlzliN-ybX1T7AKgAhKp3pDnVW8_nxG5YZ4AgjXcNV-4qBxFl7J8Xdh4l0V7xWhCt6DtOcXSen/s1600/2014_01W_04.jpg" height="80" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.wikio.co.uk/subscribe?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcubbles.blogspot.com"><img src="http://www.wikio.co.uk/shared/images/add-rss.gif" style="border: none;" alt="http://www.wikio.co.uk"/></a></div>Lovely's Blothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00893362347406889242noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983352112228936708.post-89965994033783134602014-01-11T18:07:00.000+00:002014-01-11T18:07:14.820+00:00New YearI won't bore you with a list of reasons as to why I have not written anything since September as none of them are very interesting and it would just read like a list of excuses! The only comment I will make is that I am well, all is well and life continues. Progress has occurred on the house in that one room has been finished, but there is still much more to do.. the dog continues to be a work in progress, the cat is still alive and we are still enjoying things and so far have not regretted our decision.<br />
<br />
We managed a week away in the Alps over the New Year but how times change, as we decided that we were not fit enough to ski and such a decision would invariably lead to injury and thus even more delay with the house. Instead, we went walking with the dog and had a go at snow shoeing, or raquettes as it is called here. That was all going well except for the fact that the very day we needed the snow shoes we didn't have them, and ended up trying to walk thorough snow thigh deep in places. One kilometre has never seemed so long as it did on that day! <br />
<br />
I do love the mountains even though I find the air a bit 'brutal'. At the end of the 5 days we were just ready for another week to really enjoy our improved fitness.. except it was time to go home! Here are some pictures taken from the balcony of my brother's chalet.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC-BFielgfVxUM1WsE19KI4OHy9qVVpkf024mlcRidD6WXR5QfSA9gC7BpcBSdkNqVPd-l9jq2iSjV5_T6ZJkMOJkT_VU2d9FI7RtUeXrzo9xLiXyxKJMc7hBGCqqebE0efuWU6PES1PQ0/s1600/jan14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC-BFielgfVxUM1WsE19KI4OHy9qVVpkf024mlcRidD6WXR5QfSA9gC7BpcBSdkNqVPd-l9jq2iSjV5_T6ZJkMOJkT_VU2d9FI7RtUeXrzo9xLiXyxKJMc7hBGCqqebE0efuWU6PES1PQ0/s1600/jan14.JPG" height="400" width="273" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">watching the skiers come home</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLLWxz507K4E0hfcwJttVzcej0_7n-tkgFjALDEG5vHrmfpOAuGDySyUj977mFcXPEqJgP1MQQKMpd32emGnO31bF32hfAzDBVqARI4CP0v43Vs9qm2ioY5O-qVicUsTD2sYsR9rrA9Yqb/s1600/jan141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLLWxz507K4E0hfcwJttVzcej0_7n-tkgFjALDEG5vHrmfpOAuGDySyUj977mFcXPEqJgP1MQQKMpd32emGnO31bF32hfAzDBVqARI4CP0v43Vs9qm2ioY5O-qVicUsTD2sYsR9rrA9Yqb/s1600/jan141.JPG" height="212" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">morning on the mountain</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHWap9K9T3aZ5LYdjjSDRO5JkkWiCpStlOnr9lTGvXSCk3Hu0Q6ntbaMOr0BoLe_MZHITQo_iJs0nNw39dcbpXQGZMZDzRbD7OZvpYjfWw51D14ic0LdtzBukcd529_HQFhwCx2uIRLgsw/s1600/jan142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHWap9K9T3aZ5LYdjjSDRO5JkkWiCpStlOnr9lTGvXSCk3Hu0Q6ntbaMOr0BoLe_MZHITQo_iJs0nNw39dcbpXQGZMZDzRbD7OZvpYjfWw51D14ic0LdtzBukcd529_HQFhwCx2uIRLgsw/s1600/jan142.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the snow (for sepia friends)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.wikio.co.uk/subscribe?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcubbles.blogspot.com"><img src="http://www.wikio.co.uk/shared/images/add-rss.gif" style="border: none;" alt="http://www.wikio.co.uk"/></a></div>Lovely's Blothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00893362347406889242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983352112228936708.post-39079424261652308992014-01-05T20:04:00.002+00:002014-01-05T20:04:38.567+00:00Service will resume as soon as possibleI realise I have been very poor with my blog this year but I really want to do better in 2014. Here's hoping!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.wikio.co.uk/subscribe?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcubbles.blogspot.com"><img src="http://www.wikio.co.uk/shared/images/add-rss.gif" style="border: none;" alt="http://www.wikio.co.uk"/></a></div>Lovely's Blothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00893362347406889242noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983352112228936708.post-9745617365195520322013-09-06T11:54:00.000+01:002013-09-06T11:54:52.910+01:00Snapshots: Sepia Saturday 193<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg16ijquh_xh56xyUMkrVNbj7ZgVEeJzfBUhoUtmiLAFisKE-xshb5OM3zTYwlNbi8T3nZ3Ga53qnqAg90AoQIVA_xdr78a9Rc7DF7sFl_-GkTBsbl-QwVNihictUJ_TBe9ycpKNq0c5Mld/s1600/snapshots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg16ijquh_xh56xyUMkrVNbj7ZgVEeJzfBUhoUtmiLAFisKE-xshb5OM3zTYwlNbi8T3nZ3Ga53qnqAg90AoQIVA_xdr78a9Rc7DF7sFl_-GkTBsbl-QwVNihictUJ_TBe9ycpKNq0c5Mld/s320/snapshots.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
This little book was amongst the collection from my grandmother. It only measures about 4 inches by 2 inches and the pictures inside are half that size. Some are missing and some have handwritten notes from my grandmother on them. They were taken in 1924 in Broadstairs, Ramsgate and Margate, on the Kent coast and are of my grandmother, her sister, their husbands and my grandmother's niece and nephew. <br />
<br />
There's something about tiny photos that completely draws you in.. you have to look so closely at them to see what they are and then they are just like looking at something a long way away. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOtn-3vDlxsR76ZQmmvVEGNzFwHe-thuKudzrIHbcAh9sigOrF4PNyA3Y46hFJMxOkREve04jkYB_iLYCwT0p3jkTduCRq3goXu8C_RwWwvwSxaEWWLteoQLKZNHhfJ65JQ0GxE4uWPsd0/s1600/margate+1924.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOtn-3vDlxsR76ZQmmvVEGNzFwHe-thuKudzrIHbcAh9sigOrF4PNyA3Y46hFJMxOkREve04jkYB_iLYCwT0p3jkTduCRq3goXu8C_RwWwvwSxaEWWLteoQLKZNHhfJ65JQ0GxE4uWPsd0/s400/margate+1924.jpg" width="275" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joan 1924</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
This is my mother's cousin, Joan, staring out to sea, looking at something way off in the distance! The rather unnerving thing is that, in the photos she looks just like me as a child!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk6sIviJOlkm2awL1Kx-_-WGUf1Kv2HUEzE5OqWxX1dvwg3HNjEKCWmxPPQqAmSzfriHaWVGCGB_DOzTAinBy57DsnERwxdy8g0LC2X6P9B2lQlMpwr7HPaW8IYyKQlr3FUO4zAVPGWBuJ/s1600/lovely.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk6sIviJOlkm2awL1Kx-_-WGUf1Kv2HUEzE5OqWxX1dvwg3HNjEKCWmxPPQqAmSzfriHaWVGCGB_DOzTAinBy57DsnERwxdy8g0LC2X6P9B2lQlMpwr7HPaW8IYyKQlr3FUO4zAVPGWBuJ/s320/lovely.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lovely 1963</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFK-a2aZ8xOfHWeyiet2gsdyz9GoD7ISEuSBIXTuUyBel3LIIfuvZM5qzF1MkZdswZ-ZUiuB56i1qpHQcXNhkQgUZVQP_4fJu8h_fwHL5mjpX7jOSRPmusd1Dhi2-TJ5wo5TTf_FRjyMj0/s1600/2013_08W_36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFK-a2aZ8xOfHWeyiet2gsdyz9GoD7ISEuSBIXTuUyBel3LIIfuvZM5qzF1MkZdswZ-ZUiuB56i1qpHQcXNhkQgUZVQP_4fJu8h_fwHL5mjpX7jOSRPmusd1Dhi2-TJ5wo5TTf_FRjyMj0/s320/2013_08W_36.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.wikio.co.uk/subscribe?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcubbles.blogspot.com"><img src="http://www.wikio.co.uk/shared/images/add-rss.gif" style="border: none;" alt="http://www.wikio.co.uk"/></a></div>Lovely's Blothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00893362347406889242noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983352112228936708.post-37875500987471304672013-08-04T12:33:00.002+01:002013-08-04T12:33:20.798+01:00Too hot to make cheeseSummer seems to have been around for a while now. It's funny how you long for it all year and then when it arrives with a vengeance you soon get fed up with it. It has been the hottest and driest July for several years, with temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius on most days. <br />
<br />
We have our village summer party next weekend. This is the poster.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtQ6fI0UfnaEUiw-ylTw7oWU1WYDp5n0RghwWqdwlYhAK70xUMHX6zQZP4q6GehHGJserbvWwFps30PR4invRE_wqlJxXM0ksn7hWyc0nVai9dxAiJBCtPJ4DRGWqf9mOCDihlPA_Nyscf/s1600/soireeboeuf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtQ6fI0UfnaEUiw-ylTw7oWU1WYDp5n0RghwWqdwlYhAK70xUMHX6zQZP4q6GehHGJserbvWwFps30PR4invRE_wqlJxXM0ksn7hWyc0nVai9dxAiJBCtPJ4DRGWqf9mOCDihlPA_Nyscf/s640/soireeboeuf.jpg" width="451" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
I put it in in extra large size so you can see the menu. One of the items out of the 7 or so courses is the 'fromage'. This is usually purchased from the local diary who make the cheese from locally sourced milk..and do a very good special offers on their excess produce. However this year there are no deals to be had, as for the past month it has been too hot to make cheese and they are only able to make butter and dried milk products. <br />
<br />
The dry weather has crisped up all the farmland nicely and so we are on an alert for fires. If they occur then there are a couple of fire planes that are stationed locally, that will pick up water from the lake to use on the fires. The lake starts pretty much at the end of our field and they have been out practicing. They fly pretty low over the field and it can be quite scary to watch at first as it looks like they are about to land!<br />
<br />
Unfortunately they were on their way off by the time I got my camera out!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZEiJTDqFqRkbCLSh4D36HAWImG4AAyRGRic4SNfdvX7yS1gW4ZSeTmD7WmIa2RPcktEhYNpt8VgWgIz6WzMk5mePgLN_Tk50ffnilBZ4QhRsKwADL_01QaiL496mbd4bR7r0ImzZQSZdz/s320/plane.JPG" width="320" /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs6S4eW52Wvn_e8XstFlKFP7Sd00x6GCkYDEjRfZZiWVY3KbhXtvkEOhb6SZ9eKwyGZgtjXMbBF-yBjumfB2Pdmtym8lZzZmKibrv0MsdaCRQd2kOSy_J-gwC53XWOJUjTnsojhdaCC1FN/s1600/plane2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs6S4eW52Wvn_e8XstFlKFP7Sd00x6GCkYDEjRfZZiWVY3KbhXtvkEOhb6SZ9eKwyGZgtjXMbBF-yBjumfB2Pdmtym8lZzZmKibrv0MsdaCRQd2kOSy_J-gwC53XWOJUjTnsojhdaCC1FN/s200/plane2.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
Anyway, the thing about summer is that eventually it comes to an end, and the cracks are beginning to appear. Such intense heat generates dramatic storms, and on Friday we were on an 'orange alert' for severe storms. That didn't stop us from going out to the local food producers evening. It is an outdoor event held in the summer months, where all the local producers set up stalls. You can choose from hot dishes, salads, grilled meat, deserts etc. all washed down with a bottle of local wine and enjoyed while listening to a local band. We got there early and as we were finishing our food and drink we saw this approaching from the West!</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5_GMt8h13NoKO7lz1eTHEY1FT0ksQxtU_1Ed-MXzmEKfMkJ4tLTQr6LRf__OfvLZnru29K2KgZD86AaKRAUKnhSoQkb3Pnq-8pRUHBfo2pdVIVqNy64xlOyQmD4IN35lpUltgz2gl3dK0/s1600/storm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5_GMt8h13NoKO7lz1eTHEY1FT0ksQxtU_1Ed-MXzmEKfMkJ4tLTQr6LRf__OfvLZnru29K2KgZD86AaKRAUKnhSoQkb3Pnq-8pRUHBfo2pdVIVqNy64xlOyQmD4IN35lpUltgz2gl3dK0/s400/storm.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Fortunately it passed us over, but where it hit the hailstones were the size of golf balls and they destroyed much of the grape crop.<br />
<br />
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.wikio.co.uk/subscribe?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcubbles.blogspot.com"><img src="http://www.wikio.co.uk/shared/images/add-rss.gif" style="border: none;" alt="http://www.wikio.co.uk"/></a></div>Lovely's Blothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00893362347406889242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983352112228936708.post-31868959919851208122013-07-30T08:00:00.000+01:002013-07-30T08:00:10.911+01:00My Poem (aged 8 1/2)At the weekend I was in the mood to sort through some of my mother's papers. She must have liked this poem that I wrote when I was at primary school as she kept it all these years. <br />
<br />
I find it rather disturbing! (I'm only guessing about my age)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO4JLmv8-mkOUE5MGX0_Vr2RPLXuClw0Dy5IT2N_Yt23Em96Gn3jykZmHSpipX3hxxk0ZjTz8S9u1AS2LJLq1KY9OUqHm3cJ6bHSLr0BDQm4ru0rGV7OoHPeRgR01tivgZAOz6UK4bTJLB/s1600/poem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO4JLmv8-mkOUE5MGX0_Vr2RPLXuClw0Dy5IT2N_Yt23Em96Gn3jykZmHSpipX3hxxk0ZjTz8S9u1AS2LJLq1KY9OUqHm3cJ6bHSLr0BDQm4ru0rGV7OoHPeRgR01tivgZAOz6UK4bTJLB/s400/poem.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<u>By The Sea</u><br />
<br />
<br />
I was walking along the shore<br />
It was really rather a bore<br />
The I came across a cave<br />
Marked on the walls was the devil's grave<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I went in and saw<br />
Mermaids dancing in fours<br />
Then there was a big loud roar<br />
And the mermaids fled from the shore<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSy5TS1tjz9WiG_Uc_4AuNa0gXd9oBKvzbXa7QMQTcLdBLNbAs7szu34Ql2UWjhbpmEraulVDK5EtrHD_zR1CgDLqN6467MZD33ZyEXjxp6EjL0zA_b4GNq4e9BpIq7lcHmp92rbg4tbWt/s1600/poem2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSy5TS1tjz9WiG_Uc_4AuNa0gXd9oBKvzbXa7QMQTcLdBLNbAs7szu34Ql2UWjhbpmEraulVDK5EtrHD_zR1CgDLqN6467MZD33ZyEXjxp6EjL0zA_b4GNq4e9BpIq7lcHmp92rbg4tbWt/s1600/poem2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSy5TS1tjz9WiG_Uc_4AuNa0gXd9oBKvzbXa7QMQTcLdBLNbAs7szu34Ql2UWjhbpmEraulVDK5EtrHD_zR1CgDLqN6467MZD33ZyEXjxp6EjL0zA_b4GNq4e9BpIq7lcHmp92rbg4tbWt/s320/poem2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSy5TS1tjz9WiG_Uc_4AuNa0gXd9oBKvzbXa7QMQTcLdBLNbAs7szu34Ql2UWjhbpmEraulVDK5EtrHD_zR1CgDLqN6467MZD33ZyEXjxp6EjL0zA_b4GNq4e9BpIq7lcHmp92rbg4tbWt/s1600/poem2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"> </a><br />
<div align="left">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSy5TS1tjz9WiG_Uc_4AuNa0gXd9oBKvzbXa7QMQTcLdBLNbAs7szu34Ql2UWjhbpmEraulVDK5EtrHD_zR1CgDLqN6467MZD33ZyEXjxp6EjL0zA_b4GNq4e9BpIq7lcHmp92rbg4tbWt/s1600/poem2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
I ran and I ran<br />
And behind me the devil sang<br />
If I catch you alive<br />
You'll die in a hive<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Then up I awoke<br />
And thought it a joke<br />
And now I'm no more<br />
On the sea shore<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.wikio.co.uk/subscribe?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcubbles.blogspot.com"><img src="http://www.wikio.co.uk/shared/images/add-rss.gif" style="border: none;" alt="http://www.wikio.co.uk"/></a></div>Lovely's Blothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00893362347406889242noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983352112228936708.post-36255562286318613972013-07-26T12:00:00.000+01:002013-07-26T12:00:00.074+01:00Sepia Saturday 187: The family bibleThis is a photograph of some members of my grandmother's family. At first I thought I didn't know who they were and then I found this handwritten note from my mother in the photograph album.<br />
(It's a small picture and not in good condition, so you can only really make out the shapes of the people)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8MUvnJS0QBf5c0_xQPvvWjEgpeQFUHm24S8O4ca4Wh4k425q3D_7Z1b8cPxpnnrnepHfyHc8eOA-AZixgYUgjE8nWTX-lIynHqZDZPgoYRQ3QwsYRXKUUNr0teCSbO_H_FwfQWFvnl74R/s1600/Grandmother's+family+retouch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8MUvnJS0QBf5c0_xQPvvWjEgpeQFUHm24S8O4ca4Wh4k425q3D_7Z1b8cPxpnnrnepHfyHc8eOA-AZixgYUgjE8nWTX-lIynHqZDZPgoYRQ3QwsYRXKUUNr0teCSbO_H_FwfQWFvnl74R/s640/Grandmother's+family+retouch.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
"<em>from left to right:</em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>Nan Welch's mother Charlotte Turner, nee Sayer</em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>Nan Welch's mother's sister Gertie</em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>Nan Welch's mother's mother, Helen Thackery (maiden name)</em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>Nan Welch's mother's father, Luke Sayers , compositor</em>"</div>
<br />
<br />
'Nan Welch' was what we always called my mother's mother, Dorothy Welch, nee Turner. Interestingly those were my mother's exact words in the description, so she must have been writing this down for us, as she would have referred to her as 'mum'.<br />
<br />
I'm veering from the point of this post now, which is about the family bible, but that is because I have just read something on the back of this slip of paper that just has to be included here!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>"Sister Gertie 'got into trouble' with a Canadian in the First World War who 'passed on something to her". She was taken in by my mother's mother until treated and cured in spite of scandal and opposition from my mother's father</em>!" (I would guess these to be the words of my grandmother.)</div>
<br />
Anyway, a fascinating if rather sad insight into the times. Syphilis, which I would guess this was, was rife amongst the soldiers returning from the front and as this was in days before the invention of penicillin I would imagine treatment was as unpleasant as the disease. <br />
<br />
Now to the bible. None of my family have ever been particularly religious. That's not to say they were atheists, but they were not regular church goers. We had a bible when we were at school but it was not a regular feature of our lives. My mother grew up with her parents in <a href="http://cubbles.blogspot.fr/2007/06/my-mothers-house.html">a house</a> in the suburbs of London. My grandparents bought it when it was first built. When my parents got married they bought the house from my grandparents and I grew up there as well. Families stayed put in those times and so my mother knew the parents of my friends and some of their parents as well. <br />
<br />
I can't remember the exact details as to how this came about, but my mother met the family of someone who lived round the corner from us. They were moving house that week. Somehow the conversation turned to families and names and addresses, and the woman my mother was talking to stopped dead in her tracks and said "We have your family bible". One of my grandmother's relatives had lived round the corner for many years. (I can't remember what one, maybe her mother?). When she died the house was sold to this family and somehow the bible got left in it. By the time the new owners moved in and found it they had no contact details for the seller. As it was a bible, no one wanted to throw it out, so the family held on to it for about 50 years, never knowing who the bible now belonged to or anything about the names of all the people in it. Had she not met my mother that week the bible would have probably been lost to the family forever.<br />
<br />
My mother held onto the bible until she died last year. I couldn't bring it on the plane with me as it is enormous and so my brother has it at his house. Writing this has made me think that I should do some investigating into the surviving relatives of other branches of my grandmother's family, as we have no children on our side to pass on the family bible. It was obviously meant to stay in the family.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilttl4R214ycfnr8dv1yK3biicdYjkbhdtqavnvpKMl2V43HvAeUzHTfH2KwDiqS5XZmVK98wClpu96RiSGyppfkEbiCwzb_nGXGj1Rocm-DmTiD33pL_5l61zwYIK3CAxYyViF1CnASbv/s1600/SS187.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilttl4R214ycfnr8dv1yK3biicdYjkbhdtqavnvpKMl2V43HvAeUzHTfH2KwDiqS5XZmVK98wClpu96RiSGyppfkEbiCwzb_nGXGj1Rocm-DmTiD33pL_5l61zwYIK3CAxYyViF1CnASbv/s320/SS187.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.wikio.co.uk/subscribe?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcubbles.blogspot.com"><img src="http://www.wikio.co.uk/shared/images/add-rss.gif" style="border: none;" alt="http://www.wikio.co.uk"/></a></div>Lovely's Blothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00893362347406889242noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983352112228936708.post-20951796567331002452013-07-22T16:13:00.000+01:002013-07-22T16:13:12.072+01:00Where have I been?I've been away too long! Summer seems to have taken over and I haven't got round to posting recently. I have in fact just got back from a lovely few days visiting with a friend in Holland. She does not live there, but her family originate from those parts, and so it seemed a good place to catch up with her. <br />
<br />
I took a short flight from the local airport to Rotterdam-The Hague. It took less time than it does to go to Bordeaux on the train. We met in a really nice<a href="http://www.hotelpincoffs.nl/en/home/"> hotel</a> and in the evening walked a few hundred metres to a<a href="http://www.restaurant-allure.nl/"> restaurant</a>, where we had exactly what we had hoped for: a lovely meal of the sort that we could never cook for ourselves, with wonderful wine and good service. All this was because we hadn't seen each other for seven years and we had both lost our mothers in the last year, and so wanted to do something special.<br />
<br />
How lovely it is to spend time with those friends that you don't get to see nearly often enough, but yet when you meet them again it is just as if you just left them. The truth is that with the great distance that separates us, who knows when we get to meet again and where that will be. Even with the best intentions, we are only likely to meet a few times more in our lifetimes, so we decided to enjoy it!<br />
<br />
We spent a day exploring Rotterdam. The architecture was quite interesting; modern but in a way that seemed to blend in with the style of the port. We walked around the buildings, just looking. This is a picture of the 'red apple' building, or rather the reflection it made in the waters of the canal.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilnP_yeNWivUi-zeUcOQrd7dDpIf75nStgQEB4a_tOk7BZA9l8mN5abMq8jmM68oCqFFmuk8xoj_dA8cXHDjUml01U_WXOrp5A_UcIl8GPCuGRmN9Mh6mTpSSmu96di8Rgc-MStFDA6IHA/s1600/refelctions.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilnP_yeNWivUi-zeUcOQrd7dDpIf75nStgQEB4a_tOk7BZA9l8mN5abMq8jmM68oCqFFmuk8xoj_dA8cXHDjUml01U_WXOrp5A_UcIl8GPCuGRmN9Mh6mTpSSmu96di8Rgc-MStFDA6IHA/s400/refelctions.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
In the afternoon we took a boat trip to <a href="http://www.kinderdijk.com/">kinderdijk</a>, to see some of the famous windmills. It was hot by then and so we were grateful of the chance to sit in the shade for the hour it took each way, even though the trip along the river wasn't very interesting! <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjGgrQtNWFaA432O_StEeTygjAJkbpxbzZsLWvFxj_GKsgqbzt7Ikk4SkRB94jfNkGPBSPCLeZqv7GF-sah5U8x6g5EG9mI4HB1kYHzqWvIeNFfaK9C7muNY5mLfX5lmWe3-Hcav3heYpN/s1600/windmills.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjGgrQtNWFaA432O_StEeTygjAJkbpxbzZsLWvFxj_GKsgqbzt7Ikk4SkRB94jfNkGPBSPCLeZqv7GF-sah5U8x6g5EG9mI4HB1kYHzqWvIeNFfaK9C7muNY5mLfX5lmWe3-Hcav3heYpN/s400/windmills.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
We managed to get a quick look at the windmills along with all the other tourists and day trippers, before heading back to Rotterdam and on to Utrecht for the next couple of days. Utrecht was a complete contrast to Rotterdam; old buildings, lots of people, noise, shops and restaurants. We did some shopping, looked at the people, drank coffee, and generally caught up on seven years worth of talking! In the evening we hired a canal bike and explored the waterways that run through Utrecht. It was a warm evening and so the edges of the canal were packed with people eating and drinking and talking.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh90-HtkmZvFRzo91l1vCf2lVjhFUNuF60W6EiMUs6qx2esfB_lQ3kgEu4SPPYHZuLt5GZoIMiHUF6uA-LyJ2P2Ri6Mj-NJN_PvwV1CVke0oetNMC2mNz4OX7fZaOmX0PguKlalvELi4tuH/s1600/canal+utrech.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh90-HtkmZvFRzo91l1vCf2lVjhFUNuF60W6EiMUs6qx2esfB_lQ3kgEu4SPPYHZuLt5GZoIMiHUF6uA-LyJ2P2Ri6Mj-NJN_PvwV1CVke0oetNMC2mNz4OX7fZaOmX0PguKlalvELi4tuH/s640/canal+utrech.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.wikio.co.uk/subscribe?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcubbles.blogspot.com"><img src="http://www.wikio.co.uk/shared/images/add-rss.gif" style="border: none;" alt="http://www.wikio.co.uk"/></a></div>Lovely's Blothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00893362347406889242noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983352112228936708.post-79945759734594752022013-06-18T11:41:00.002+01:002013-06-18T11:41:27.659+01:00BirdlifeSummer marches on; although not as warmly or consistently as in previous years. Rather than the usual long days of hot sun, we have had one or two humid and sultry days to intersperse the rain and storms that seem set to continue until at least the end of the month.<br />
<br />
It's good for the wildlife and nature. The grass grows as you watch it and the insects proliferate everywhere. The birds have plenty to eat! The redstarts have been back this year. Unable to get inside the house for the first time they have built nests under the terrace, on top of the pool filter, and in the garage on Ian's shelves. They seem to do quite well and the second batch are just learning to fly. One bird was a lot smaller than the rest and I saw it several times resting in the grass, or staring at me from the window ledge. It seemed quite fearless and I was sure it would be eaten by one of the cats or other hunters. But no.. it has persisted and is still around.<br />
<br />
We have a pair of hoopoes that are feeding the garden. I'm not sure where the nest is, but they are amazing looking exotic things. Hoopoes appear each summer and return to warmer climates after they have nested. When the dog is not in his outside house they take advantage of the structure to perch and rest. They also like to shelter from the rain.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="height: 482px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; width: 653px;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBG8dllY-ZiTfDuB5WThywrX5NYxZhTn0CAodx3TPvEiif5Ev67bWQOwUB-jRks1TM3pIOcdPbRBW5pCVEw7ls5m3YZbDeWa7ZWW0RzPzbaxcel9sB3fWQgekSy6t0f-R6Bqx0DmaDCz1n/s1600/sheltering+from+the+rain.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBG8dllY-ZiTfDuB5WThywrX5NYxZhTn0CAodx3TPvEiif5Ev67bWQOwUB-jRks1TM3pIOcdPbRBW5pCVEw7ls5m3YZbDeWa7ZWW0RzPzbaxcel9sB3fWQgekSy6t0f-R6Bqx0DmaDCz1n/s640/sheltering+from+the+rain.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Redstart and Hoopoe sheltering from rain<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="left">
</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The 'hirondelles', which are either swallows or swifts, also return this time of year. (In fact the French call the English second home owner 'les hirondelles' as they also follow this migratory pattern!) They converge on the swimming pool first thing in the morning and in the evening to grab a drink and an insect or two. The other thing that happens this time of year is that the fields are cut for hay. This brings all the birds of prey out to 'shop', looking for some fast food. This one is a regular over our field this time of year. I think it is a kite.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div align="left">
</div>
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAt4vwZcOBpI8iw9X7s0eF-5G9kGFfbY-kY2nCo9cQVOkyRVrL5CqwPtdl2fxPJNHx9dsggVcLW3xindREgU9r4xal51wrKl6T0ne4PbX7-EFeOXjo8thMqKta2hq8IIwhiPZdjxv6d8IJ/s1600/shopping.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAt4vwZcOBpI8iw9X7s0eF-5G9kGFfbY-kY2nCo9cQVOkyRVrL5CqwPtdl2fxPJNHx9dsggVcLW3xindREgU9r4xal51wrKl6T0ne4PbX7-EFeOXjo8thMqKta2hq8IIwhiPZdjxv6d8IJ/s1600/shopping.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shopping <br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="left">
</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.wikio.co.uk/subscribe?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcubbles.blogspot.com"><img src="http://www.wikio.co.uk/shared/images/add-rss.gif" style="border: none;" alt="http://www.wikio.co.uk"/></a></div>Lovely's Blothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00893362347406889242noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983352112228936708.post-79574792922580042932013-06-01T15:52:00.002+01:002013-06-01T15:52:46.526+01:00HolidaysPhew..just catching up after a week away. We spent a lovely week in Limoux, in the heart of the Cathar country. Here are a few pictures.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcnSH4nqci_uGyF8sYbU7vdOonkQ7HMA1G_afcnCTYLJhhd_344aRLHa7ywjkLGmv9d0noKhVxgt8hIHRA_bR4a7LSzQXW7ZnjTOu7NSIjIYhxrfI9MKnJzZosMbahDV4ntCMWRIFO6xce/s1600/DSC_0298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcnSH4nqci_uGyF8sYbU7vdOonkQ7HMA1G_afcnCTYLJhhd_344aRLHa7ywjkLGmv9d0noKhVxgt8hIHRA_bR4a7LSzQXW7ZnjTOu7NSIjIYhxrfI9MKnJzZosMbahDV4ntCMWRIFO6xce/s400/DSC_0298.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The citie- Carcasonne</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTfxAKSbDIy0ii1sY9Hl8LfhfgrOH554d2bkESnq4d_RKysWqYRs4v7S6wjZBwhdy-ztSue1_qaYg29NtIwvSXVl7fHfyXsSFD0GTyQ7uX4uVfuODhVVgvjbzei832Z78T0mfhsPVwQKmb/s1600/DSC_0224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTfxAKSbDIy0ii1sY9Hl8LfhfgrOH554d2bkESnq4d_RKysWqYRs4v7S6wjZBwhdy-ztSue1_qaYg29NtIwvSXVl7fHfyXsSFD0GTyQ7uX4uVfuODhVVgvjbzei832Z78T0mfhsPVwQKmb/s400/DSC_0224.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vineyards of the Languedoc-Roussillon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLFu5bNtQroMiw91Wam3W4qj4_Yk63sySyu07bUQst2Cys4DIAHcZ1ojmjsPCwPdopqXgVTLZBZjNGknGBOViK6neqxPJXOX0tP-VQN8E2ZQwXCvhfw3YhMOxWKURn_J6spsyXMpBsG3gg/s1600/DSC_0366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLFu5bNtQroMiw91Wam3W4qj4_Yk63sySyu07bUQst2Cys4DIAHcZ1ojmjsPCwPdopqXgVTLZBZjNGknGBOViK6neqxPJXOX0tP-VQN8E2ZQwXCvhfw3YhMOxWKURn_J6spsyXMpBsG3gg/s400/DSC_0366.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ax-les-thermes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUdDIil0VU1bn4SfQgGPfpXE-PQqNnPR54zefC63SVk4XO_rOaHW1jj-qajTFXMOaLwUdzUdKzu6rONsXbtKKL-jYc52mgoUeArjw7BLA9o-2zjmD60thWMDBCESREFfUUlWWezfh5IKwR/s1600/DSC_0419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUdDIil0VU1bn4SfQgGPfpXE-PQqNnPR54zefC63SVk4XO_rOaHW1jj-qajTFXMOaLwUdzUdKzu6rONsXbtKKL-jYc52mgoUeArjw7BLA9o-2zjmD60thWMDBCESREFfUUlWWezfh5IKwR/s400/DSC_0419.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snow on the Pyrenees (in May)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPvbfOhdCZHlPW45yBhyphenhyphenxjV4rUSScyiU8CPCWnNjauw6qNC4bSaw7itM8cpdtJ5lW2fIrLkKl6wMRkBvyav6iDXPQfsOGpdOYxEZv0CDUsPIKylOgJbuDh99R_lv6g8QQDQTvnxHdXVREn/s1600/DSC_0445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi75qSTWPqxMiuuERUQ_fsKdl8IQKRl-mzE4OE0jxvkgU_bj6D3CxGSdrgw26mgXx5oMY13Pb8f3IOTYf3QHfq6MNSZnhvwYlhCAHjVZgwlzPz1R0cDkRMjeiAL8yOM5Ghe5c6EZ1prqBtW/s1600/DSC_0422.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi75qSTWPqxMiuuERUQ_fsKdl8IQKRl-mzE4OE0jxvkgU_bj6D3CxGSdrgw26mgXx5oMY13Pb8f3IOTYf3QHfq6MNSZnhvwYlhCAHjVZgwlzPz1R0cDkRMjeiAL8yOM5Ghe5c6EZ1prqBtW/s400/DSC_0422.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rennes le chateau</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOvj1i3ayAAyAN3XAa0kpPABrZadGg8L5Hq3RtOZT-34C4U-BD8v_9d0P2JgxjW9Ty7x66LjDLqN7UGcMBEAuvgj6cmI3K_h7UXaAv7DThWSjrWksjjY8VSPSxrTZqDxi_aUMDzibqIwuh/s1600/DSC_0295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.wikio.co.uk/subscribe?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcubbles.blogspot.com"><img src="http://www.wikio.co.uk/shared/images/add-rss.gif" style="border: none;" alt="http://www.wikio.co.uk"/></a></div>Lovely's Blothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00893362347406889242noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983352112228936708.post-40768048454607797292013-05-11T13:07:00.002+01:002013-05-11T13:07:52.810+01:00OrchidThis year we've had a cold and slow start to spring together with a lot of rain. The orchids are later this year and for some reason are a darker purple colour, rather than the usual lighter pink.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2eQNGVNYcAqbqQJoMWIG_3M49cMWs6HGjVdBalDLqHM9RK4IxPB4W7PXN1y0ZonLiMg1tlk7ZLvhJuD8Dw7D30tsPTNj2qONKkV08uiC0-c6gYVzyAuyigRDb41h73YrmG5uI6LSm94x2/s1600/porchid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2eQNGVNYcAqbqQJoMWIG_3M49cMWs6HGjVdBalDLqHM9RK4IxPB4W7PXN1y0ZonLiMg1tlk7ZLvhJuD8Dw7D30tsPTNj2qONKkV08uiC0-c6gYVzyAuyigRDb41h73YrmG5uI6LSm94x2/s640/porchid.jpg" width="412" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pyramid Orchid</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Still rather magnificent even in purple.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.wikio.co.uk/subscribe?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcubbles.blogspot.com"><img src="http://www.wikio.co.uk/shared/images/add-rss.gif" style="border: none;" alt="http://www.wikio.co.uk"/></a></div>Lovely's Blothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00893362347406889242noreply@blogger.com1