Hi Lass how are you  hope all is well as for me not to good lots of time on the loo but we only have one life so lets live to the full had three good walks with RIA and ate well .brother came over and spent some time with us he is 20 years younger but we get on well and he is poorly .as well . kind regards lol george xx

Hi George,

What a great example you are.  Even when pretty poorly you are still getting out with the lovely little Ria and making the most of your da. Must have been nice to catch up with your younger brother and sory to hear that he is also poorly.  Is he a sufferer of Crohns too as I know it can run through the genetic line.  My sister in law has other members of the family with this problem.  She is just recovering from a short spell in hospital having more keyhole surgery (removing polyps associated with her particular problem) and like you has a constant need to be close to a loo due to the symptoms. It is certainly not easy but has been coping since the age of 18 so says she is used to it!

Unbelievably I am still mowing the lawn and only finally dead-headed the last of my roses last weekend. Only a couply of light frosts so far and the last couple of days have been mild again.  The birds have also been flocking to the feeders so are obviously stocking up for what's to come. I do not have a dog to walk but still enjoying getting out and about and have several routes I take when I have the time.  Today is a work day so will be on my feet for around 6 hrs so happy enough to sit down when I get home ha ha.

Look after yourself and best regards to you and the family. Jules

you are one fantastic lady will talk soon LOL  george  had a drink or two XX

Hi folks,

Well said George, I heartily agree with you. 

But then I also agree with what Jules has written about you. I have at last resolved my computer problems or rather have found a way to by-pass them. I have determined the problem was the update to my Firefox browser. Any site I access through it keeps freezing. So I have set up two other browsers until such time as I can find a way to sort the other one out.It has been a frustrating few days.

I have our Annual show coming up next Saturday for our woodclub so will be busy this week getting my goods ready. A lot of work goes on behing the scenes for this show so hope it will be as sucessful as usual

Mrs B and I have decided there was nothing much we wanted for Christmas this year so I bought something for the both of us. An internet radio. There are about 2,600 staions on it and I have found one we both like. Dreamboats and Petticoats station which plays non stop music with no adds or even news and plats music we both love. It has a great sound and was so easy to set up. There are also loads of Country music stations on it so we are both well pleased. Only one problem,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,The music played keep taking us back many years ago ha ha. Also when it is in standby mode it displays the weather forcast on the small screen.

Am guessing work is getting very busy for you now Jules. Allthose heavy annualls to move and sell. Bet your grandchildren and families are looking forward to Christmas. Children make Christmas dont they.

One thing I have managed to do recently is to make up two slides shows I can use as back up talk for our woodclub if a guest speaker drops out at the last moment  Both shows have 150 to 160 slides. and last about 3/4 of an hour each. One is about the beauty and variety of trees and the other one is about unusual things made from trees. I will also use them to give a talk/presentation to the group I spoke to a few weeks ago but this wont be untill next year. I have also now downloaded some photos of ancient trees and may make up a third show of these.

Hope you enjoy your usual Sunday walk and thanks for all the lovely photos. Take care and hope to be on here more regular now, Brian.  

A nice little bonus on your visit to Windsor, Jules, thanks for sharing.

Hazel xx

Hello George, hope you are feeling a bit better now and sending my best regards to you, Ann and, of course, Ria!

Hazel xx

Hi Brian

Well,it's a chilly frosty start to my working day so having a quick warm up before I set off by making sure the food and water is accessible outside.First morning I have de-iced in the dark ha ha.

This time of year is certainly a busy one in the shop.Mind you the annuals are probably the lightest of the seasonal titles and they have been on the shelves for a couple of months now!! We usually find the 'rush' begins in earnest from next week (after the last pre Christmas payday!!) and I am pretty thankful that I only work limited hours even though I may be doing a slightly longer day in the coming weeks ........ I await that chat!

You are right when you mention Christmas being a time for the children though personally have always liked this family time despite my own Mum never enjoying it.Maybe I just rebelled by enjoying it more.  Hubby loved the traditions and we definitely strived to celebrate and will continue to do so.  I am spending the time with my daughter and family as well as her in-laws and my sister in law in coming over fromthe Isle of Man too.  However the celebrations are on hold until after today as it is my eldest grandson's 9th birthday so there is plenty of excitement in their house this morning I have no doubt!

Glad the technology issues are once again sorted.  You have plenty of determination and knowledge to sort the gremlins out; well done. I am sure your slide shows will also bring great information to your future shows too.  Lovely to be able to share your passion with others. Would be great if you could get this into local schools/scout groups etc as it is the younger generation who will take nature forward in the future.

Sunday walk was somewhat different last weekend as you probably will have seen from my post to George.  Made a lovely change to go somewhere different and went with a friend I have made at the gym.  Not many pluses from losing your hubby but the social hub of the ladies only gym was a whole new outlook for me and I am thankful for their continued support and the life it now helps me lead going forward still.

Still pretty difficult seeing Mum in her frail state and permanently bed bound (they still try to tempt out into the chair or to the lounge as the doctor says it would be ok for her but she is not interested).  Visited yesterday and she was awake so was able to chat to her about the family.  She does not talk but hopefully likes to hear the updates.

Am still hobbling a bit following pulling a muscle/hanstring but on less painkillers now so hopefully will soon be able to return to my longer walks as I do miss them but need to pace myself!  Wear and tear down to age probably not helping.

Hope you and Mrs B have a pleasant week and sending regards to all.  Jules

Hi Jules,

Hope you are walking better now. I love going for walk but Mrs B gets tired so easily these days so do get to walk much these days. My son and youngest Grandson visited the other night and as they were leaving my grandson went up to Mrs B bent over and said "Look after him for he's getting very old now" then turned and ran out of the room Giggling away. Cheeky little man. Unlike me I might add ha ha.

One of my good friends from the wood club is in hospital and has had all medicines withdrawn. They have said they can do no more for him and are only giving him pallietive care. So sad as he is a geat guy  who has always supported our wood club and have had many a good laugh with him over the years. 

I ised to grow a radish called China Rose which grows to about the size of a large carrott. I havent seen any seeds in the garden centres for some years now. I decided to look on the intenet and managed to find some. After I had ordered them I found another site where they were selling 2,000 seed for 99p with free postage so ordered them as well The other pack was £2.87 and only had 500 seeds Just goes to show you have to look around. They are nice and crisp and my mother always used to grow them when I was a young lad. Yes I was young once,,,,, many many years ago ha ha. 

Cant belive your grandson is 9 years old; dont they grow up fast. Glad you have arrangements for Christmas sorted, sounds like you will not be on your own much. Its nice to spend time with family..

Laptop is working okay now and wont bother with my old browser as the one I am using now works well. Will have to find some more pictures to download once this weekend is done and dusted as I am getting low once again. There are some wonderful pictures out there . 

Hope work wont be too hetic next week  Did you get any snow yesterday Jules? We had just a few scattered snow flakes when shopping yesterday. 

Take care and sending kind thoughts to you and your family, Brian.

P.s. I have just recieved a phone call to say my friend at the woodclub passed away this morning Very sad news as I had a lot of respect for him. 

So sorry to read about your woodclub friend, Brian. 

Hazel xx