Work

I had taken my camera with me to work a couple of nights ago so i could call at my parents to photograph the previous photo's for Nichola.....while being let loose with my camera i took these random photo's. [Of course i was restricted because of confidentiality reasons.]

Our shifts are normally busy and often stressful but i managed to catch a couple of smiles...and a puzzled look from Cat...who i hope will start to feel better herself soon, she has had more than her fair she of illness this last year.

Hall of fame

I noticed on facebook recently that someone wanted to know about people born in Sharlston. This reminded me of the book on all the professional rugby players that came from Sharlston of which my dad is one.

He grew up with Don Fox and has his photo in Don's autobiography...the group one here is the same one. My dad is top middle and Don bottom right...they had all just been chosen for some match or other.

My dad is also mentioned in the hall of fame and was mentioned at Don Foxes funeral.

Also pictured here is my dad when he was conscripted to the army...he was a groom and was offered a very good job in the country on leaving the army but my mum was very young then.

He also trained the horse for the very popular film Blue Velvet, and for many years broke in horses and looked after them for various people.

My sister was the other horse person in our family and at one point had her own thorough bred and Shetland pony, which i will add in a future post.

Thought for today:-

"Enjoy when you can, and endure when you must."

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe [1749-1832] Germany.

Our garden and more arrangements.

It's that time of year when we need to start work in the garden. I am hoping this year we will learn enough to have colour all year round every year.

March has always been one of my favourite months because the weather brightens up and you feel you can venture away from the warmth and comfort of the house. I am looking forward to serious planning and planting just before we leave for the Gambia.

Casey is staying for eight days from the 19Th of march, that will stop me booking extra shifts [which will please Vin] and give me time for the garden.

The eighth of march will hopefully be our next car boot which will give an added boost to the money we will be taking for the children, no rest for the wicked so they say.

We have two weekend trips to Nottingham ahead of us, hopefully sometime in July with my three boys and their partners to visit Nichola and Justin. Followed by our annual visit at the end of October when the friends of Lochnagar get together for an evening dinner to raise money for the crater.... that same weekend we also use the opportunity to spend an evening with Nichola and Justin.

I have six night shifts to work starting tonight and need to fit in serious excersise so i can fit into my holiday clothes, so am not sure if i will manage to post anything on my blog but maybe could put in a 'thought for today' before i leave for work each night.

Places and people we will visit

We will have a lot to fit into our visits to Belgium and France, here are a few.

Meningate and the 8pm last post that takes place every day of the year including Christmas day.

A number of museums including Zonnebeke, Talbot house, cloth hall and Albert.

Quite a number of cemeteries and the contrast between the German and British cemeteries. As well as the many different headstones for each nationality. We will also visit Tyne Cot which is the biggest commonwealth cemetery in the world.

Shrapnel Charlie or Ivan who makes model soldiers and monuments from shrapnel brought to him from around Belgium. He is visited by people from all over the world who buy his models...Ivan says it's his way of returning the soldiers home. Above are photo's of him at work. He gets invited to many important events one of which was the trooping of the colour as a special guest of the Queen mother.

I have also added photo's taken of the post and room that were used for the 'shot at dawn' soldiers who have finally been granted a posthumous pardon.

Essex farm is another particular place of interest where John Mcrae sat and wrote the poem In Flanders fields. It also shows the first aid shelters that were used.

Of course Lochnagar crater will be our first visit on The Somme and the many other memorials around the Somme, i always find Delville wood a special place to visit. We will also be laying a poppy at Mametz wood for Harry Fellows who fought there and lost many of his close friends and who's son and family are amongst the friends of Lochnager and friends of ours.

We use the term friends of Lochnager when we are talking about members who subscribe to the crater....the upkeep of the crater not only relies on the hard work of volunteers but also on donations and subscriptions to maintain it and keep it safe for the many thousands of visitors it receives each year. At £12.50 a year which includes a news letter i feel the subscription is very reasonable.

There will much more to see and hopefully on our way back to the ferry we will visit Vimy Ridge the Canadian memorial and trenches with an underground tour.

La Boiselle, [The Somme in France.]

Since i met Vin ...which is coming up to eight years this year....we have spent a lot of time in France sometimes for a month at a time when we had a caravan close to Cambrai.

For the past five years we have been staying close to la Boiselle and more recently actually in La Boiselle at Mash valley B&b.

This year extra visits are going to be added.

Apart from the may working party weekend, when we work preparing and maintaining Lochnagar Crater, the June/July visit that includes further preparation and the 1st of July remembrance ceremony....[the first day of the battle of the Somme] and the November 11Th Armistice day when we travel to the Somme from Belgium and Meningate and pay our respects at various memorials around La Boiselle. We will be visiting both Ypres and around Ypres [staying at varlet farm where Charlotte, Dirk and family always make us very welcome] and The Somme [staying at mash valley, Brian and Linda also make us very welcome] in August with my sister Vicki and her husband Trevor and again in September with my daughter Nichola and her partner Justin. We are really looking forward to it, apart from Justin they have never been.

Our November visit this year includes friends Martin and Jules who we refer to as our battlefield friends....they haven't been with us for a while especially Martin. Neither have been to the Somme for the Armistice.

So we have a really full year ahead of us especially as The Gambia also plays a big part in our lives now. I feel very lucky that Vin and myself have shared interests.... the battlefields especially our work at the crater is very important to us and it is something i have to admit prior to my first ever trip i didn't think would be for me. It's always been a passion of Vin's so he's pleased that i am enthusiastic and enjoy our trips even if it is solemn at times. And we have made many very special friends.

The Gambian charity work i am pleased to say Vin is as enthusiastic as i am which is great for me because being involved has brought a spark back to my life that i haven't had since losing Jade and i am so looking forward to going back to help the children.

I received the above photo's from one of the friends of Lochnagar taken on Armistice day around La Boiselle....more and more people are attending including the Mayor of La Boiselle.

I have included here photo's i took including an arrangement placed on the evening of the 10Th November for the Australian soldiers....this ones for you Jules x

I am including two 'thoughts' for today:-

"We've survived by believing our life is going to get better."

Paul Simon, Musician.

"What you dislike in another, take care to correct in yourself."

Thomas Sprat, Preacher.

Flowers and fairies and a night at the dogs

Last night i couldn't believe i forgot my camera...i had arranged a night out quite while ago which included my children their partners, my sister and her family and others very close and important to me about twenty three in all. Five didn't make it and were missed but we still had a really good night. I am now waiting for photo's taken by others on their phones.....

These photo's were emailed to me today [Tues] by Nichola hopefully there may be more, Paul had left when these were taken and Nichola feels sure there is a photo of them together which i would love to see....as you have already guessed i am family and photo crazy!!

Above are gifts bought for me by Nichola it was as though Christmas had arrived again.


Thought for today:-

"We live in feelings, not in figures on a sundial. We should count time as heartbeats."

Aristotlt [384-322 BC], Greece.

Steptoe and Son!!!!

As we are approaching our next car boot our loft has been taken over....our storage side now longer has storage space and the furnished side is now a mixture of car boot items and ornaments, pictures etc., that we have moved up there until we have decorated. We have stacked them as neatly and compact as we can but i don't think these photo's reflect that...still it's all exciting stuff.

Other care boot items have been promised and will have to go into my sisters loft and garage. We are really pleased with the response we have received.

Thought for today:-

"At the heart of your being lies your answer. You know who you are and what you want."

Kabir, India.

Cousins

I love these photo's of Casey with her cousin Cerys [Sam's sisters daughter] taken last night when i visited.

Libby and Casey taken on one of their sleepovers...the rest were taken on a family get together...these are both libby and Caseys cousins....trudy and Jaynes children.

Thought for today:-

"When one door closes, another opens, but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us."

Alexander Graham Bell. Scotland/USA.