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Dom and Tilly stay for the day
Posted by Webby at March 29, 2009 10:08 PM | Comments (0)
In an attempt to help Helen and Jim ready their home for their return from Jo's, Jilly and I looked after Dom and Tilly for the day...and they behaved brilliantly.
Jilly asked Dom and Evelyn to help her make cookies and butterfly buns as Tilly slept (and I was out-of-the-way in the loft), before going to the park for a game of footy and a play on the swings...
Mothers' Day - Shibden Park
Posted by Webby at March 22, 2009 09:46 PM | Comments (0)Jilly, Evelyn and I visited Grandma and Grandad this morning, to deliver some Mother's Day pressies, before driving to Shibden Park to meet Nanna and Poppee.
The weather remained quite good (while it threatened to rain most of the day) and we had a lovely afternoon in the park. We all found it a little 'crazy', though, when Evelyn decided to show Poppee the stone spiral staircase in the corner of the Hall gardens (that she'd somehow remembered from the last time we visited Shibden).
"Come on Poppee, she told Bernard, "There's some lovely turkey-meat down here!"
Quite bizarre, but equally lovely! And...Poppee is partial to a bit of turkey meat, after-all.
Evelyn's New Spectaculars
Posted by Webby at March 17, 2009 09:27 PM | Comments (0)Jilly and Evelyn went into town this afternon to collect Evie's new spectaculars...er...I mean spectacles.
And Evelyn looks absolutely beautiful in them.
Julie & Ged's Wedding Weekend
Posted by Webby at March 14, 2009 12:00 PM | Comments (0)
13 March 2009
To help Julie and Ged celebrate their marriage on Saturday, Jilly, Evelyn, Kieran and I drove to Norwich during the day on Friday. Leaving home at 10:30, we arrived in the Sprowston Manor hotel (the venue for Julie and Ged's marriage) at 15:15. Of course, as there is a swimming pool at Sprowston Manor, we organised to take Evelyn straight to the pool after booking in. We had an excellent 'splash about' before getting changed for dinner at Julie's parents' house.
Meeting Helen and Alan was an absolute pleasure (er...though I would say that, wouldn't I?), and Alan treated us to an excellent spaghetti bolognese. Julie was perfectly relaxed before the big day and we left her smiling. Having returned to the hotel, Kieran and I went to the bar where we met Ged for a drink.
14 March 2009 - The Big Day
I dropped Jilly off at Julie's parents this morning to help her get ready, then immediately returned to the hotel to take Evelyn swimming in the pool. After our swim, Evelyn and I returned to our room to get ready for Julie's arrival, and the beginning of the ceremony.
Julie looked absolutely beautiful as she stepped from the white Morris minor (joined by an equally beautiful Jilly and Julie's mum).
The ceremony was quite short, but very moving as Julie was obviously very emotional. Jilly began blubbing, herself, even before she began her reading (which I've added below). The weather remained fine, so we were able to go outside to take photo's of the happy couple and guests.
The day was lovely, with excellent food and drinkies (he makes a drinky-drinky motion!) and Jilly, in true bridesmaid fashion, became extremely 'tired and emotional' (so much so, that she was unable to take advantage of the breakfast in the morning).
From ‘Love over Scotland’, by Alexander McCall Smith
Although, he began, they are useful sources
Of information we cannot do without,
Regular maps have few surprises.
Their contour lines,
Reveal where the Andes are, and are reasonably clear
On the location of Australia, and the Outer Hebrides;
Such maps abound.
More precious though,
Are the unpublished maps we make ourselves
Of our city, our place, our daily world, our life.
Those maps of our private world we use every day,
Here I was happy,
In that place I left my coat behind after a party
That is where I met my love; I cried there once.
I was heart sore, but felt better around the corner
Once I saw the hills of Fife, across the Forth,
Things of that sort, our personal memories,
That make up the tapestry of our lives.
Old maps had personified winds,
Gusty figures from whose bulging cheeks
Trade winds would blow.
Now we know that wind is simply a matter of isobars,
Science has made such things mundane,
But love, that at least, remains a mystery,
Why it is, and how it comes about
That love’s transforming breath, that gentle wind,
Should blow its healing way across our lives.
Fabulous Granny Annis
Posted by Webby at March 9, 2009 09:14 PM | Comments (0)Jilly was desperately upset this morning when she rang to tell me that her lovely granny Mary had died. Apparently, she was waiting for the taxi to take her to LGI for an eye appointment when grandad turned to her to get her coat on as the taxi had arrived. Sadly, she'd 'popped off' after finishing her cup of tea as she sat in the living room.
Jilly fondly remembers a great many things about her fantastic grandma (who died at 92), but most memorably Jilly remembers the pink and white candy stripe knitted bikinis that grandma made for her, Sam and Kate; and the devastating effect that sea water had on the same bikinis on the beach in Skipsea in 1975!
Updated - 06 April 2009
Granny Mary had always said that, when she died, she wanted her body to be left to medical science. Consequently, Granny Mary's body is now residing at Leeds Medical School.
There was no funeral, as such, but a lovely memorial service held at the day centre in Bramley where Grandma and Grandad lived. A representative from the humanist society conducted the service which told the (touching and, at times, very amusing) story of Granny Mary's life. Following this, we all stayed for the traditional 'bun fight', and the slightly-less-traditional few games of bingo and a sherry.
Jilly strictly edited this entry (i.e., she essentially wrote it)
Evelyn's visit to the optician
Posted by Webby at March 8, 2009 09:30 PM | Comments (0)Jilly and I took Evelyn for her long awaited eye test at the opticians today. Evelyn behaved impecably as the staff put her through all the necessary tests.
The optician told Jilly and I that there is nothing wrong with the health of Evelyn's eyes, but that her right eye may be a little lazy. The optician made another appointment for Evelyn to return for another test in three months time to see what affect Evelyn wearing spectacles has on her vision.
Evelyn is still terribly excited at the prospect of wearing 'gebs', and has chosen the same spectacle that she was looking at last week. They're not the pair that Jilly and I would have preferred she'd chosedn, but we agreed that we would prefer she was happy wearing them, and that she looked beautiful in them never-the-less.
Of course, I didn't have my camera with me to record the event, but I remembered that my mobile took decent photo's (and as Jilly seemed not to object), I took a few shots to record the event.
The latter photographs were taken after the optician had put drops into Evelyn's eyes to make them relax and dilate. The optician warned me that the eye drops would make Evelyn's eyes "smart abit" but Evelyn didn't bat an eyelid...er...so to speak! That's my brave liddle beaudee!
Mark Watson
Posted by Webby at March 1, 2009 11:07 PM | Comments (0)In celebration of my 40th birthday, Druz very generously bought Jilly and I tickets to see Mark Watson at the West Yorkshire Playhouse for tonight. Originally, James planned for Jilly and I to join him and Jenna at the theatre but, unfortunately, Jenna wasn't feeling up to joining us tonight.
The Wassock-meister, himself, joined us in Jenna's place, and a brilliant time was had by all. Watson was excellent - and funnier still - after realising (a little late) that at least four members of the audience were minors...ooops! I'm only hoping that I can find a review of the show that will do it a greater justice than the pitiful nonsense here.
A Whole Week of Calm
Posted by Webby at March 1, 2009 09:22 PM | Comments (0)In a tremendous turn of events, Evelyn has gone a whole week, this week, without becoming upset when Jilly or I left her at school...FANTASTIC! As a special treat for Evelyn, and to celebrate her doing so well at going to school this week, Jilly and I took Evelyn to Cannon Hall Farm. Evelyn simply loves the 'liddle piddies', and Jilly and I always enjoy a visit too.
