aliholli

Diddy's 50th and Cov v Boro

2012-01-21T23:53:00.010Z

WOOOO Diddy is 50!

(I've been telling everyone at the Ricoh today but I still can't actually believe it)

I worked hard to make him feel special (as opposed to "OLD"!!) and the LEGEND OGGY

sent him a great card and the other LEGEND Geoff Humpty Humpage

sent him a text-a nice surprise for him.

He had a great day but I wonder whether it was as good as mine?

I was
Playing With The Boys !!! at the Ricoh where Coventry City scored 3 GOALS!

OMG We battered Boro!!!

Chester was so windy when we left we thought there was a vague chance of a freak goal today (the City and the Boro haven't scored many this season) so we parked in space number 44, never in a million years thinking there would be 4 goals in the match, it had nil nil written all over it.

Jimmy Hill made us feel very welcome

and after the traditional fish n chips in the corporate lounge we were ready for the action.

Boro started off stronger (ish) but we were buzzing. (I definitely was)

We had two loanees making their debuts today. Hermann Hreidersson looked strong and seemed to be reading the game well, and Man City have kindly lent us Alex Nimley who impressed us all. Great feet highlighted by bright yellow boots. The Boro defence must have seen those boots coming but Nimley got past them several times, he was the one-two with McSheffers for the first goal and he scored the second with a header. Man of the Match without question.

When the THIRD GOAL (yes, the THIRD goal) went in I was worried that

a) the scoreboard might blow up, and
b) I might be walking home to Chester

OMG what a great day. =)

Diddy was celebrating his 50th and Cov were battering Boro. And the icing on the cake was a hug with the LEGEND Bussty.

Harry (James VII)

2012-01-19T22:34:00.004Z

Wooooo look at Harry!

I had no idea they even MADE babygrows like this.... what a brilliant idea!

Harry was able to join his good looking parents at the Black Tie event this Christmas Eve at the grand old age of 3 weeks old.

Brilliant.

Of course he has a name plaque. (I love it.... double elephants haha)

Welcome to our crazy world little man.

Sian's 50th

2012-01-14T16:07:00.006Z

I am totally and utterly absolutely and quite positively NOT a fan of surprise parties.... but Alex, Ad and Will did a great job of organising their Mum's special evening and it WAS a brilliant night. Naturally we-keep-fitters danced a lot. And the cake was one of the best I have EVER EVER tasted - I ate my piece, Theresa's piece and Wendy's piece (how can they not like fruit cake???) (YUM!)

She had NO IDEA it was a party for her.

Theresa and I burned some calories dancing

Amanda, Yvonne, Lyn, Wendy.

I remember Sian doing Aerobics with me 3 hours before Will was born. (Gasp)

Theresa and Denise

Sian dwarfed by her children!

Congratulations on your HALF A CENTURY Sian! (I hope she liked her ODE!!)

Ludlow Races

2012-01-14T13:27:00.008Z

You can catch a direct train from Chester to Ludlow but we drove and took the scenic route through Wales - this was actually due to the fact that the A41 was closed because of blown down trees and power cables.

We did in fact get hit by a flying tree branch on the way and did wonder whether we should be travelling at all, it was so windy. The rain was coming down as well adding even more water to the flooded River Severn which was quite spectacular, spreading across about 6 fields either side of us and alarmingly near the road.

Others would have turned back for home well before us but the weather improved as we approached Ludlow....we followed the first signpost to Ludlow Racecourse and were suddenly ON the course...

The B4365 crosses the racecourse at three points of the track and traffic is stopped when the course is in use.

We headed straight for the parade ring

and then across the course to the main stand to watch the race.

It is lovely. Billed as Britain's friendliest racecourse.

But there were not many there. In fact 3 bookies packed up their stuff and left after the 3rd race. Including Dave Smith. Hmmmm I was going to give him some of my hard earned cash....

Interview with winning trainer Paul Webber for ATTHERACES (or whatever)

Not only can we tick off Ludlow in our quest to visit all the courses in the country but we had a few winners between us which is always a bonus. (My face was cold though)

Christmas 2011

2012-01-07T13:30:00.005Z

Highlights of Christmas this year include

A FULL NEST! All the children together.

2 home wins for the City PUSB PUSB on Boxing Day and my birthday,

1-0 v Bristol City
2-0 v Brighton
6 points!!!! Get in!!! (We are still bottom)

Lots of schleeeeeep zzzzzzzzz. (lots of late nights painting mugs)

An alarming amount of Licquorice... I can HIGHLY RECOMMEND the sweet version of Finnish Licquorice (though that was slightly salty too)(Good choice Cub)

Not doing any planks.

Teapots (gorgeous and CHINA)...

..and elephants from England and Vietnam....

AND OMG A MALAYAN SUN BEAR!!!!

Me and my lovely sis on Chester's wheel

(Someone got stuck on it this week and had to be rescued hahaha)
(oops I shoudn't laugh)

John joining in this years Board game TENSION

Mission Impossible and Pizzahut (Its tra-DITION!)

Orla goodies, sporty stuff, pearls, racing books ...

and a day out at LUDLOW Races with several winners between us.

Fabulous and although we missed Dad we laughed a lot and he would have wanted that. The Pixen in particular was very hilarious.

New Years Day Walk

2012-01-03T23:53:00.015Z

I may be another year older but I can still do a handstand.

I even managed to swim a length under water this week (OMG!)

(Although it felt like I'd ruptured something when I came up for air haha)

Anyway the year 2012 IS HERE!! TWENTY TWELVE whoop whoop!!

So we opened the year with a refreshing walk at the woolly cows.

Where was everyone? Were they all still in bed?

We weren't, we were UP.

A great way to start 2012....but now to get into the Olympic mood....these will help with that...

..and Orla is with me all the way!

(OMG Get ME with my designer stuff)

R.I.P. our amazing Dad

2011-12-29T17:07:00.004Z

Where has the year gone?

I miss his voice

and his visits to Chester where he was happy to just sit.

I miss our meals in the Mount Pleasant

but most of all I miss his sense of humour, he always joined in the fun and has never failed to make us laugh. We have such wonderful memories to cherish.

"Always go through life with a smile on your face" - we will.

R.I.P.Dad

Christmas and L+J's visit to Chester

2011-12-29T00:02:00.015Z

This years Christmas was a cracker which started with a wonderfully wrapped elephant shaped present from Vietnam, courtesy of the cub

and continued with total carpet chaos

("Oh Sammie, you just want to play don't you?")

and 25 toastie warm cosy toes

(Have I married a horse trainer??)

But one of the best bits was the day spent with Liddy and John. After a Debenhams tea and a jewellery shop we headed to Chester's Christmas market...

and then to the Chester Eye

John and Drake looked tiny from the top.

Wow...really tiny...

Whoop whoop it was windy up top! But a lovely clear day.

The Racecourse in the sun.

Still small but getting bigger...

John and my elephant bag

It was (brrrrrrr) a great day and it ended with a steak each at the Piper and a festive game of "Tension".

Fab.

Its just such a shame their train journey back wasn't quite as straightforward as planned. Thanks for coming Sis!!

Christmas in Chester + SLOWBOAT

2011-12-24T22:32:00.016Z

Christmas baubles, tinsel, antlers and glasses have travelled to all my classes...

Square One

The hotel pool

Powerplate

and spinning

but this week it was time to decorate the house. The Pixen was in charge and she promptly jollied up the elephants and the plants.

She even decorated Penny the hamster ... it took us half an hour to get this photo and I burnt the tea in the process. That'll serve me right for trying to multi-task.

At 5.40pm Chester was quiet for shopping. And I'm sorry but the Christmas lights still look like a girls petticoat. Nice though.

The supersparkly tallest-in-the-country Christmas tree at Choaks...

is actually bright red in the day!

The annual Aerobics Christmas party went ahead as usual at the Slowboat, it was a great night, good food, good company and a good turnout, well 86 of us, I think we all enjoyed it and although every year I wonder whether we should have a change of venue, every year its so good we decide to go back again.

Husb is such a great Christmas shopper! Party food from M+S haha, its worth the year long wait for such a treat. I'm looking forward to the clementine and lemon turkey tomorrow.

R.I.P the lovely Mark

2011-12-20T13:03:00.004Z

A year ago today we lost a fantastic friend.

Words cannot express how generous he was. For several years he kept me supplied in elephants of all types:- ornaments, tee shirts and my absolute favourite item- a decorated blown ostrich egg that he carried on his lap all the way back from Zimbabwe.

Mark's favourite was the warthog.

Shawn the Panda held so many secrets, Mark would sit in him for ages after aerobics telling me all his worries and concerns but where we also had so many laughs... he loved to casually mention the celebrities he had brushed shoulders with... Michael Owen, Nicolas Anelka, the cast of "Heroes" - he became a very close friend. (Until he fell in love. I heard all about that too.)

I think about him so much. I don't think he realised how much we all adored him. Top bloke. I will never ever forget him. R.I.P.Mark.

(Diddy) and The Official Baked Potato Party 2011

2011-12-13T22:38:00.007Z

I'm glad I don't know too many Man City supporters

(haha Diddy)

cos this mug took me AGES to paint!

So it was a welcome break from painting when, today, I got into the Christmas spirit with our Annual Baked Potato Party. The Arena potatoes are fab, they are baked in the upstairs oven. I couldn't believe it though when over 40 ladies turned up... I didn't make enough crackers!!!!!

It was a great party - most of the ladies kept their festive antlers and baubles on after sploshing around the pool in them, we played Heads and Tails, and we had a communal "scratch"-the crackers all had lottery scratch cards inside. (NINE winners whoop whoop!)

Me and my Janets!!

OMG DOT!

Dot had a great time, she won the Heads and Tails and then won a fiver on her scratch card! She is now 81 - I want to be like Dot when I am 81 - and still does Aqua every week. I don't think she had ever scratched a scratch card before though!!!

R.I.P. Gary Speed

2011-12-09T22:47:00.004Z

The private funeral of Gary Speed took place in Hawarden today and I believe his wife Louise requested this song by Stereophonics singer Kelly Jones to be sung during the service.

I'll miss seeing him around Chester and I particularly liked his TV interviews because he always seemed so "normal" like your mate down the pub. It is just so sad and I really feel for his lovely family.

R.I.P. Gary you will never be forgotten.

Sam, Bears, Christmas, Mugs, Stockings...

2011-12-05T21:41:00.015Z

Sammie is a teenager!!!!!

So she had a brand new Sky Blue collar. Husb felt there was a slight bias to this colour choice but it really suits her and hey PUSB PUSB we need to KEEP THE FAITH guys (until it is mathematically impossible...)(hmmmmm)

Meanwhile my twinnies have been bear spotting! Look at these magnificent creatures... the first being very dramatic in the Natural History Museum, London

and this one shimmying up a tree in Vietnam. Classic!

Back home and AT LAST Husb and I have had a mozey round some shops in an attempt to be inspired with Christmas present ideas. The trees at the Choaks never cease to amaze me...

..is this the tallest tree in the country? There can't be many/any higher than this, it towers above everything.

We deserved a meal at the Red House with our taste card- all that mozeying was tiring. Mozeying has passed the spell checker-is that really how you spell it?

I've had an eventful month with one thing and another and all the TLC I gave Husb slightly scuppered my production line but I did manage to paint my "staff" a 30th birthday mug.

And have now baked my first batch of Christmas mugs

Naturally with the oven on it was only right and proper to make some of Lorraine's "twisties" and sausage rollers...they didn't last long.

I've painted some football mugs...... I'll be an expert in team badges at this rate. Phew only 2 red devils, my paintbrush had a few problems painting those.

The biggest challenge was Tranmere - a tricky little badge.

And as usual I've been in the attic sewing stockings...

So if anyone is wondering why my blog has been a little quiet of late, this is the reason why (!)

October half term 2011

2011-10-29T18:08:00.008+01:00

Its the end of October already (can anyone believe it?) but the weather was nice enough for our half term week.

While Husb and Drake were in our capital city researching various glass artists and exhibits, I met Fiona at the Choaks woooooo!

It was also graduation week at Glyndwr Uni and my goodness, doesn't Kay's daughter Karen look fantastic in her cap and gown, it brought tears to Kay's eyes and so it should, she should be very proud of her.

WELL DONE KAREN on your 2.1 degree in Social Studies!

The Pixen drove home for a few days and naturally we went geocaching... firstly down by the canal and secondly down by the river and both times wearing her gorgeous new red coat which will be SOOOOO cosy for those snowy days up North.

The exciting part was finding a TRAVEL BUG in the geocache by the river OMG OMG!!! We now have to make sure we help it to fulfil its mission, I personally think Malaysia could be a good next stop!! (?)

Cub meets Dids and Ben at the Emirates

2011-10-25T23:05:00.005+01:00

Arsenal faced Premier League strugglers Bolton Wanderers in the Carling Cup tonight so the Cub made arrangements to meet Ben and Dids at the Emirates along with 56,625 others... a record crowd for a Carling Cup fixture and evidence that Arsenal's pricing policy is working!

No wonder I couldn't persuade Diddy to come to watch Cov v Forest at the Ricoh if he's been accompanying Ben to the Arsenal games this season!

Cub and Benners

Diddy has a new bezzie!! The Chesterfield legend Kevin Davies was near enough for a photo although he wasn't actually playing.

The shirt numbers added up to a few hundred (both 49 and 56 started) but the young Gunners came from behind to win 2-1 and they now go through to the quarter finals for the ninth year running.

Dids and Kev

Full report here if you are a fan (No....PUSB PUSB!! haha)

Meanwhile back in Chester, Husb and I took the Pixen to our new John Lewis where there was a good selection of Orla Kiely stuff at fairly silly prices. (But that's designer stuff for you...

Anyway we enjoyed watching the 3D TV despite feeling a little queasy after the underwater scenes and then had a lot of fun being photographed with silly faces on the new ipads and computers.I'm not sure I should be posting these but they are funny!! We were chipmonks, frogs and aliens!

Chopping down the Forest CCFC v NFFC

2011-10-16T13:39:00.008+01:00

The Sky Blues need plenty of support at the moment so I headed off down the M6 to watch the game versus Forest, a game we really needed to win to kickstart our climb back up the Championship table. I promised Cub I'd send him the programme.... look who's IN IT presenting Man of the Match award!!

I met Browny and it was only right that we had our photo taken with the mighty Oggy!

Dick and Pam were on excellent form, especially Pam who was fantastic company. It was lovely to meet them.

Do you recognise them Dids? They remembered giving you lifts home from your cricketing days with the GEC.

Forest made it hard work for the City in the first half, we couldn't seem to get through their defence at all. It wasn't a great half, but apparently it wasn't "as bad as Barnsley".

Half time NIL-NIL....time for plenty of these! (The others had a drink from the bar so I had their cups of tea, no point in wasting the hot water...)

The Forest fans helped the crowd total over 15,700 and they were in good voice.

Until we scored!

c

Lee Camp had produced a brilliant save from Keogh moments before Lukey Jukey headed the goal in from about 8 yards WOOOOOOOOOO One nil!!

And it stayed like that. City were far better in the second half and I think on balance we were the better side. Chris Hussey had a good game, Platty caused a few problems for the Tricky Trees and Cyrus Christie was on very good form.

I wonder who John Sillett would have chosen as his Man of the Match. (OMG OMG JOHN SILLETT the legend. He is now a life President of the Club PUSB PUSB)

It was a very welcome win for Andy Thorn's lads, YIPPEEEEE!

"I like it when we win" - Mr Brown was clearly delighted with the 3 points

Cyrus Christie came through to the lounge to receive his Man of the Match award.

But the highlight of the afternoon was a cuddle with David Busst.

Click HERE for the other highlights!

Down by the Dee with Edna

2011-10-04T18:02:00.004+01:00

I should have been colouring letters or painting mugs or sewing stockings (not even started on those yet) or even clearing out the attic (seems to have taken a back seat) but it was such a lovely day I took Edna to Hickory's for a baked potato.

Hickory's was packed, every table outside was taken, and we tried to decide whether these people were just like us making the most of the unseasonal October sun or whether they were tourists or on a day off. We found a nice corner seat from which we could see both the suspension bridge and the city walls.

It was nice to see how the Groves were looking after all the improvements this year, I know when Sis came over Easter it was all cordoned off.

Anyway the Dee looked lovely in the sun - "twinkly water" - delightful!

Remembering Dad

2011-09-25T09:48:00.001+01:00

Dad would have been 85 today.

I have so many happy memories of him and I'm so thankful for so many things but I wish I could hear his voice one more time, I miss him so much.

Not one day goes by without me thinking of him.

His blankets have been great for Sammie and Sadie's wet paws..

and when I got my bike out for work and had to fix the lights, his Creative Travel screwdriver set was just what I needed (its been on the kitchen worktop since January)

These opera glasses are FAB! We used them for WE WILL ROCK YOU and yesterday at the races!

His tin opener has saved the day many a time at cricket.

Swedish glass robin sits at the top of the stairs

and his spider plant is positively THRIVING, look it has had babies!

He always had a cuddle for me.

Chester Races 2011

2011-09-24T20:13:00.007+01:00

It was the final race meeting of the season today. I've not been this year, mostly due to cricket or spinning, but as Drake was going with people from work, I tagged along too.

There were different statues in the parade ring.

This was the race I didn't win on! I love the noise when they come thundering past though...

How come Drake is as tall as Ian?

Aaah, high heels and a step...

We really enjoyed it but all our horses except Dick Doughtywylie(great name!!!)(WON!!!) came second so we won't be retiring just yet.

Earlier in the week we were in the racecourse restaurant, for lunch for Frannie and Jude's birthdays

Oh Alison? ♫♫ Oh Anna Sun! ♫♫

2011-09-08T22:36:00.004+01:00

What a HAPPY video!!!! This is absolutely brilliant Cub, I WANT I WANT I WANT (haha) their album please!!!

I nearly want to zumba dance to it with them all...

This house may be falling apart....we got no money but we've got our cars.... (he's got the words wrong)

EXCELLENT ♫♫ FABULOUS ♫♫ and HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY ♫♫ I LOVE IT!!!!!

The "Cygnets" are CHAMPIONS!!!

2011-09-04T22:45:00.006+01:00

What a great day WHOOP WHOOP!!

Our Under 18 "Cygnets" were through to the final of the North Cheshire Junior Cricket Association Cup to be played at Little Heath, 2pm.

But even more exciting was the fact that they were playing local rivals Chester Boughton Hall who had a very strong side and began the day as firm favourites.

Brian had prepared the usual Christleton "road" and the ground looked magnificent in the September sun. It was fantastic (especially for the bar) to see so many people there to support these young lads.

Our lads were so up for this!

They batted really well scoring 178 in 20 overs, a tough target for the opposition.

And then we promptly BOWLED THEM ALL OUT WERHOOOOOOOOOOO !!!!!

Our scorer John has written the official report HERE

Celebrating after the last wicket.

Matty Astbury topscored for us.

He is wearing an orange Jack McKenzie wrist band in memory of Jack who tragically lost his life recently in a car crash. Because Jack played for both Christleton and Boughton Hall Under 18s, these two teams will meet up every year to play a friendly match in his memory.

Reflecting on the magnitude of the win (and looking so cool)

Presentation of medals.

Cricket tea with Peroni !!!!!!

Greg scored a superb "6" so had to be "sconed"...

and had fresh cream squirted down his back :)

Well he actually only scored 7 in total so it was quite fitting really, well as fitting as his inside out shirt... :)

Well done lads! FANTASTIC!

LOTOS various cruise pics

2011-08-25T00:27:00.009+01:00

We had a lovely time which was made all the better for the fabulous company on our table at dinner every evening. Loads of laughs and good fun.

I ate everything. I didn't fuss. I didn't stomp my head off (ok I did go in the gym.)

Neil had an educational trip, he learnt about spinning and worked out how to "sudoku", he learnt some good jokes and read Slipless in Settle.

We didn't need amazing weather to have a fab time but the glorious weather in Portugal, swimming in the sea and then sailing home through a calm Bay of Biscay made it all the more fun....

and I MASTERED HOOLAHOOP OMG!!!!

(left elbow!)

English and Welsh...

aaahhhh ALI! He looked after us well, nothing was too much trouble for him.

Room service... the tray kept getting bigger..!

The gentleman on the far left could have got a game for India the way they were playing this series...hahahahahaha

lobster... overrated apparently(?)

I always serve cheese like this...

Total Distance travelled 3,674 NM

Cabins: 520
Passengers: 1,040
Crew: 360

4 laps of deck = 1 mile
ship length: 196m

cooks-69

Food consumption (you don't want to read this)

eggs 27,000
milk 3866 litres

vegetables 7.6 tonnes (good! we still got our 5-a-day!! and the rest)

cheese 672 kg (yes we've seen it)

pork 2,000kg
beef 2,000kg
lamb 667kg

Now you know why I had to master hoolahoop!

Lisbon (Estoril)

2011-08-25T00:06:00.004+01:00

Up early (Room Service of course)

Straight off the boat on to the train station

to catch the metro (tube) and train to ESTORIL

Well why shop when you can GO TO A BEACH??!!

We have never IN OUR ENTIRE LIVES been on a beach by 9.30am but even that was too late, it was packed! But chance for my last dip in the sea (OH MY GOODNESS ICY COLD SEA) before sailing home.

Heck does the camera really never lie? Are my thighs really this tree-trunk-like?

Slipless in Settle was a good read anyway, I leant it to Neil as the cricket was from his neck o'th'woods and he really enjoyed it.

Portimao, Algarve

2011-08-24T23:19:00.007+01:00

OMG OMG OMG Wotafabday!

Major hotness and sun sun SUN AT LAST!!!

I jumped in the fountains

and spent some euros in town (backpacks, shoes)

but why shop when you can GO TO THE BEACH!!

A superb beach, top quality sand...

and great fun in the rollers.

with a perfect opportunity for "doin-a-lottie"

Looking back to the beach from the sailaway made us realise just how big this stretch of sand was. We could easily spend a week here, loved it.

Waving goodbye to our pilot...

..as the sun went down..

and now we are looking a healthier colour. Wotafabday.

Gran Canaria

2011-08-24T22:26:00.009+01:00

Oh dear.

Apart from the market...

All the shops were shut. It was a Sunday.

Even Macdonalds was shut!!!!! Whaaat?

So we headed to the beach......

Do they iron/roll/sift/flatten beaches in Gran Canaria???

Husb managed to find a space on the beach. "Here dear???"

But it was so cold, so cold, so so so so cold brrrrrrrr we didn't last long on the beach, not when a free delicious lunch on the Braemar was there for us.

The highlight of the day in Gran Canaria was the sand sculptures on the beach.

ESPECIALLY THE ELEPHANT =)

A bit of a disaster really but we laughed about it.

And we had a bit longer to get dressed up for formal evening!

Tenerife

2011-08-24T16:30:00.009+01:00

Next stop Tenerife....

We went straight to Tourist Information and said "We need to go to a golden sandy beach please" and within minutes we were on the local bus to

PLAYA DE TERESITAS

a beach with sand imported from the Sahara.

Cloud cloud cloud cloud cloud (it didn't look anything LIKE the link above!) but our patience was rewarded as the sun eventually DID come out and we had a hot hour. I managed to avoid the little lady offering massages on the beach (though she was entertaining to watch) and I actually did some PROPER swimming here as there was a wave-breaker which created a sort of lake.

Others took an hours bus ride to the south to Playa de Las Americas but the weather was no better there either.

Then a walk back through the town.

The Art Gallery (and me being arty, multi-tasking, pointing and snapping)

The long corridor (it was... a long corridor!) (Pixen)

Yes!! Those were the wardrobe-jumping-shoes!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a bonus! Tonight Andrew Robley entertained us all with songs from Phantom of the Opera. He was fantastic and had us wondering "What is someone THIS GOOD doing on a cruise ship?!!!" He had just finished performing as the Phantom in Sydney and was on his way to New York City to continue his Phantom role that week. AMAAAAAZING!!

His web site is here

La Gomera

2011-08-22T00:01:00.014+01:00

Shakey Drake's birthday!!!!!!

She was WELL WORTH the £3 phonecall =)

You cannot fly to La Gomera from Europe, you have to fly to Tenerife first, then catch a ferry (adding hours to the journey) and thus it is very quiet here and not a lot to do if you aren't a keen walker. We heard that the family of Fred Olsen owns a high percentage of the island which would explain our cruise stop here!

Las Hayas Trek

We did the Hike through the north-western area of

Garajonay National Park

which is the highest point of La Gomera (1,487m) .... and didn't we know it, the coach went up and round and up and round higher and higher into the fog and mist. I was glad I had learned the lessons from Girl Guiding...BE PREPARED....we were glad we had taken jumpers and cagoules. Others hadn't (well it WAS our summer holiday.)

It became a World Heritage site in 1986 and is home to "fauna and flora" native to the Canaries. The peaks of the park are usually covered by humid fog, the rainforest lies beneath but has a constant temperature all year round.

(Looks awful doesn't it, but it was a great trek and very accessible, we saw one lady walking her dog)

We came out of the forest passing terraced fields IN THE SUN before heading back to the boat.

It was a scenic journey back.

with our first glimpse of Tenerife's Mount Teide

Colourful rocks (there's a geology lesson here)

We walked through the harbour

But all I wanted to do was SWIM IN THE SEA.

Can you SEE ME???? I think Husb was busy getting Mount Teide in the centre of the photo! (Good job I'm not doing a CLIFFORD T. WARD)

black sand

Colourful houses

church

Lovely inside the church

roof!

Four of us in our tropical night gear (I love this night, everyone and everywhere is so colourful and SO much nicer than Black and White night)

Neil and Susan made up the 6..."All present and correct"

La Palma

2011-08-19T23:20:00.018+01:00

♫♪♫♪ "Oh Santa Cruz you're not that faaarrrrrrrr" ♫♪♫♪

Next stop was the volcanic ocean island of La Palma, the most north-westerly island of the Canaries. Braemar docked at the main port Santa Cruz de La Palma, the island's main port...

..near the beaches with black volcanic sand.

Today's tour on this stunning and beautiful island began with a visit to the Sanctuary of Nuestra Senora de Las Nieves, The Church of Our Lady of the Snow, the patron saint of the island. It is the spiritual centre for all the people of La Palma and is located in the midst of an area of outstanding natural beauty.

The existence of this church is proved as far back as November, 20th, 1423 so it is one of the oldest places of worship in all the Canary Islands.....it is beautiful inside.

A great view by church

us

But the highlight of the tour was the visit to

Caldera de Taburiente National Park

created in 1954, which is one of the biggest volcanic craters in the world. The visitors centre had loads of information for us.

If you click on this photo to enlarge it you can see where the ship was docked on the cloudy cloudy cloudy east side of the island, and the road we took through the tunnel to the west side of the island ...THE SUNNY SIDE!!!! We came out of the tunnel on the other side of the island into glorious sun, what a bonus!

If you book a holiday here go on the west .... the sunny side.

We had a short hike over the crater border path... what fantastic scenery. The crater has a circumference of 28,000 metres, diameter of 9,000 metres and depth of 1,500 metres, lined with pine trees and bossed lava, the photos could never do it justice.

Wonderful stuff! Click for more info!

Great tree roots.

map of where we walked

me and some SKY BLUE (PUSB PUSB)

me

husb

Then back through another tunnel,the longest tunnel of all the Canaries with the longest stretch of straight road... 2km....

Apparently many locals used this stretch to see how fast their cars could go, only to get a speeding fine, the total amount probably repaid the cost of building it...

into cloud

crater

crater

This long building is one of the 2 hospitals on La Palma, all single rooms, free (NHS) and every room has a sea view! You would't mind being here for a while.

OMG OMG DID YOU SPOT THE IKEA???????!!!!!!

Back for a walk through the town...they like their flowery balconies, very pretty.

We didn't have to leave till evening so we had a beer and a bearhug.

And because we'd missed our tea we ordered room service..... the tray is getting bigger and better!

Has anyone spotted the picture on our cabin wall??!!!! What are the chances eh? =)

It was a brilliant day. La Palma is the home of the 14 international telescopes (Isaac Newton telescope, Liverpool telescope)

the Observatory

situated right at the top of the island and because of this there can be no industry, no pollution, no gases. Just good pure clean air.

There are no forest fires, no dangerous animals, no poisonous animals, no snakes, no foxes, no rats, no vermin....

just lizards, a frog and 80 varieties of bird.

No crime, no looting, no murders.

No rain.

(Well, maybe 25 days a year) (in Winter)

We loved it. (Black sand isn't very inviting though, but you can't have everything!!)

A GREAT DAY!!

Madeira (cake and wine)

2011-08-18T16:53:00.010+01:00

Funchal in Madeira is a pretty place with glorious flowers and wonderful views. We enjoyed our day here opting for the 4x4 drive around the island which took us through typical streets where it seemed the whole of the male community were playing cards, ("playing"? "Thrashing" more like!)

Then onwards and upwards to Cabo Girao, the highest sea cliff in Europe, 580 metres above sea level.

Down by the harbour the fish were hanging out to dry.

There are no beaches as such in Funchal but look at the colour of the sea.

How about this place for a game of football!!

Rum (poncha)in Camara de lobos which went straight to my head, it was so strong.

On top of the world. Great view from the top.

We got dropped off in the old town and walked through the market, it was so colourful.

Who's that peeping?

Me and Mr Columbus. (I'm looking rather white)

Back to Braemar with a fruity, nutty, honey Madeira cake and a bottle of Madeira wine which the security guards promptly confiscated (it was like an off-licence that had just had a delivery behind that check-in desk, honestly)

31st wedding anniversary

2011-08-17T23:48:00.004+01:00

We were still at sea but it was a hooty day - I nearly managed to disrupt the whole of the ship's plumbing system by somehow dropping a penny down the plug hole, and husb had to call out the little maintenance men after he knocked a new shoe off the top of the wardrobe into the cavity behind. They had to pull up the carpet and "go fishing for it" with a torch, a mirror and a long thing and they seemed to find it quite funny.

The red wine from Stellenbosch was superb, thanks Cub.

And no need for Wendy House dressing ups, it was a casual night.

Husb wore his new, newly rescued shoe! (He did, believe me)

LOTOS 5 starting in London

2011-08-17T22:39:00.008+01:00

Life On The Open Sea again, WHOOP WHOOP! heading to the Canaries and the Algarve... our journey stared with the fast train from Chester to Euston where we met the Cub and he helped us take the cases round the corner to

"the world's most wonderful railway station"

The Olympic rings were up ready for next summer....

...And we had time for a cheeky cuppa before catching the train to Dover
(armed with a very nice bottle of wine from Stellenbosch, THANK YOU)

where we boarded the Fred Olsen ship BRAEMAR and headed off into the Channel.
(nice tee shirt)(oh you've been to Tortola have you?)

The cliffs looked white.

FIRST FORMAL NIGHT ON SHIP

with our table companions who were excellent company, we couldn't have picked a nicer set of friends to spend the fortnight with, we had a lot of laughs.

We had single quilts on the twin beds, most amusing, you never knew whose quilt you were under when you woke up.

And this is what we came back to every night after dinner... like... WHY????

Ali's class cover

2011-07-29T16:45:00.002+01:00

Sometimes even I need a rest so these are the people covering my classes while I'm off...

N.B. Thursdays HI ENERGY classes are CANCELLED

Sat 30 9.30am ..SPIN ...Gill
Sun 31 10.30am.. Aero...Carly

Aug

Mon 1 6.30pm.. SPIN...Joy
Tue 2 9.30am..SPIN...Suzie
Tue 2 10.30am.. Aqua...Jo
Wed 3 9.30am...SPIN.........Cancelled
Wed 3 6.30pm..Aqua...Jo
Thurs 4 7pm...AERO........CANCELLED.
Fri 5 6.30pm..Spin...Joy
Sat 6 9.30am..SPIN.........cancelled
Sun 7 10.30am..AERO...Sophie

Mon 8 6.30pm..SPIN...Joy
Tue 9 9.30am..SPIN...Suzie
Tue 9 10.30am..AQUA...Jo
Wed 10 9.30am..SPIN.........cancelled
Wed 10 6.30pm..AQUA...Jo
Thurs 11 7pm...AERO.......CANCELLED
Fri 12 6.30pm..Spin ........cancelled
Sat 13 9.30am..Spin...Suzie

SUNDAY 13th Aerobics... MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE I'M BACK!

Monday 14th Spin...6.30pm... MEEEEE and 7.30pm... MEEEEE

Yes I'm doing both Spins Mon 14th, I'll be well rested by then (haha) and I owe Suzie a favour as she is doing some of mine.

*******SQUARE ONE VICAR'S CROSS*******

**Aerobics will be **ON**....***FRI 19th AUG and FRI 26th AUG*** !!!

Have a great Summer =)

Chesterfield v Sky Blues PUSB!

2011-07-27T23:50:00.014+01:00

We haven't been over to Chesterfield for ages but we had the perfect excuse this week when their football team entertained Coventry City in a pre season friendly at their swanky posh new ground, the b2net stadium. What a lovely day for the drive over the peaks...

with glorious sun and fabulous scenery...

I still find it hard to believe the Cat and the Fiddle is actually in Cheshire

We drove past several cricket grounds where Husb began his cricketing career and the pub where he was served his first pint, and then we stopped at his old school which was called Chesterfield School when he was there...

walking round the sports field and running track (which was still there) but there was no sign of the cricket pitch or the nets, where he spent hours as a teenager. The buildings looked exactly the same as 35 years ago although there were several more buildings in the yard.

When we headed into town it was soon obvious there was some sort of festival on... it was "Medieval Week" and the funfair was in town. It would have been rude not to have had a ride on the Ghost Train.

What a hoot!

£2 each but a very funny 30 seconds in the dark where a man was lurking and waiting for us to ride through so he could tickle our heads and blow on us... it made us both jump. Quality!

Although Husb was brought up in Chesterfield he had never been up the tower with the twisted spire so here was our perfect chance.

The addition of the spire doubled the height of the building,it being 37m high, the church and tower 35m high.

The crooked spire

How did it happen? Legend tells of a powerful magician who persuaded a Bolsover blacksmith to shoe the Devil. The blacksmith, however drove a nail into the Devil's foot. Howling with rage, the Devil took flight towards Chesterfield. Skimming over the Church, he lashed out in agony, caught the spire and twisted it out of shape. Then again, was it lightning? Or did Lucifer sit on the Church and spitefully let his massive weight crush its elegant spire? Local people of course have their own explanation. Rumour had it that a virgin was getting married at the church,and the spire, never having seen a virgin bride before, leaned over to have a closer look. Should the event ever happen again, the spire will think it commonplace and straighten up.

There are, of course, more mundane explanations.

Historians tell us of the dark year 1349 and the outbreak of the Black Death in Chesterfield - around the time that the spire was being built. Did too many skilled craftsmen fall to the Plague? Did the survivors use too much green timber in the spire?

Architects note the lack of cross-bracing in the 8 sides of the structure, and remind us of the weight of those lead tiles which cover the wooden spire - all 32 tons of them!

The rest of the damage is blamed on sun, rain, wind and, according to one expert, bell-ringing!

Can you see the cone on the floor? Tthe cone indicates where the top of the spire is directly above it, it is SOOOOO off centre isn't it, wow!

Onwards and upwards and it got tighter and tighter...

we passed the bells...

and looked right up inside the spire.

We got to the top and the guide said to Husb "It doesn't help when you are tall because the safety rail only comes up to your knees" (OMG OMG!)

The Christleton swan??

Chesterfield FC new ground, the b2net stadium, is right next to an enormous Tesco (so big you need to take a packed lunch) and it was very smart with the plushest (?) grass we had ever seen! The attendance was a very creditable two and a half thousand and we saw a great game.

PUSB!!

Chesterfield 2 - 2 Coventry City

The City did so much passing!! Albeit in our own half! We seemed to waste a lot of crosses too. Chris Hussey was impressive, he scored one goal and Lukey Jukey got the other to put us in the lead twice before the Spireites equalised. Sammy Clingan is a class player, I hope he doesn't get injured! Joe Murphy may have let in 2 goals but he is very vocal and knows exactly what he wants his defenders to do (to be sure to be sure)

All in all a good day at the office, even Husb enjoyed it.

PUSB!!

Legally Blonde

2011-07-14T23:03:00.006+01:00

I wish I had taken my aerobics crowd to see LEGALLY BLONDE.
They would have LOVED it.

This fantastic show is on tour and so is only on for a week, and Husb and I enjoyed it so much that, given the chance, I would have rounded up the girls and got them on a bus to the Liverpool Empire and we'd have seen it again. It was fabulous. Lively, bright and cheerful and predominantly pink, the show is the worthy winner of Best New Musical (2011 Olivier Award) and Best New Musical (Whatsonstage.com Awards) "Smart, sassy and spectacular" to quote the Daily Telegraph... We loved it.

The show is based on the film starring Reese Witherspoon (oh and the novel by Amanda Brown) and the story centres around Elle Woods, a gorgeous blonde college girl who heads for Harvard Law School in an attempt to win back her boyfriend, Warner, who has just "dumped" her for someone more serious. How the show directors made the court scenes so vibrant, musical and hilarious was pure genius, the lad sat next to Husb was on the end of his seat all night with the biggest smile on his face, he couldn't get enough of it!

If the truth be known, Husb coudn't get enough of it either... let's face it ...it was like GLEE for grown-ups, set in Harvard not high school!

Personally I just LOVED the skipping scene with fitness guru Brooke who would later appear in court, I don't know HOW they managed to sing while they were skipping so furiously.... good aerobics girlies!

Faye Brookes played Elle. Liz McClarnon, ex Atomic Kitten and celebrity Masterchef 2008 starred as her hairdresser friend, and Neil Toon from Hollyoaks played Warner.

HARVARD UNIVERSITY FACTS (just a few random ones...!)

(Chris.. how do I do bullet points?)

It is the oldest uni in the USA, founded in 1636

It was named after John Harvard, an Englishman who bequeathed his library of 400 books and £779 (half his wealth)

In its first year there were 9 students with 1 tutor. Today there are 18,000 students, 6,000 academic staff and 10,000 support staff.

It is the richest university in the world.

Harvard's motto is VERITAS meaning "truth" and its official colour is Crimson.(The famous college newspaper is called The Harvard Crimson.)

Cub visited Harvard

Liverpool with Cubba (Rene Magritte is a Sky Blue Fan)

2011-07-03T23:14:00.012+01:00

The Cub and I recently had a lovely afternoon out in Liverpool.

35 minutes on the train from Chester to James Street ...

then across the road to the Albert Dock to the Tate. There was rain at Wimbledon apparently but we had sunny weather.

We walked past the new museum which opens this month.

We were heading to the Tate for the Belgian Surrealist painter Rene Magritte exhibition.

"...and I make use of painting to render thoughts visible"

Magritte was primarily a painter of ideas rather than subjects. His painting of a pipe was entitled "This is not a pipe". Similarly his painting of an apple had the title "This is not an apple". Well he was right because you couldn't actually smoke the pipe or eat the apple.

"An object is never so closely attached to its name that another cannot be found which suits it better"

Bowler hats figured predominately in his work as did women's bodies!

He admitted that it didn't matter what colour the sky really was that day, he would always paint it SKY BLUE. PUSB! PUSB! Magritte must have been a Coventry City fan werhoooooo!

I liked his "frame within a frame" paintings but some of his work was a bit odd. (But hey, he painted SKY BLUE clouds!!)

On the ground floor were some works by Robert Therrien...

I felt like one of the Borrowers...

The chairs were magnificent but I have no idea how comfortable they were...

If you walked round these saucers they appeared to be moving. Very effective stacking.

Antony Gormley made a bread bed...

with two body shapes eaten out of it.

When I looked out of the window the tide was on its way in.

A walk back to the station through Liverpool One collecting a couple of tee shirts and a reduced Easter Egg (in July?) on the way (Green and Blacks)(Didn't last the night)

Family reunion and 2 x 60ths

2011-06-28T23:00:00.006+01:00

Taio was one of the first to arrive for our family reunion

His mum brought his new baby sister to meet us all, the beautiful Leilani.

There was the customary Ode.

Everyone had a brilliant time.

Glynny brought some Atlanta sun to the Hilton, Coventry, where we all gathered this weekend.

Ross with Bet

Nat brought Omi from Trowbridge and Seb brought Nicole, Kelsie and Maisie all the way from Brisbane, Australia. It was an International event!

Wills and Ben

Who would have believed Brian went to the same Uni as Matt... although there were many years between them studying in Essex they had plenty to discuss, "skinny-dipping in some Uni "water" being one of the topics!

Moo's nest was full for a few hours with her Cheery Chaddy Chicks.

The Smith-Rayner clan together again!!! Good times!

Forever cousins (but really we are brothers and sisters)

Beka, Maisy and Fi.

Did I mention 2 of the party were/were about to be 60. It didn't seem to bother them!

They had a great time, a lot of fuss and a personalised bottle of plonk.

Oh... and a mug each.

Glynny searched the archives for some classic photos of the past, John had a moustache and Bean was posing in EVERY SINGLE SHOT

There were so many hugs.

Nic, Nat, Mai, Omi and Al

I painted Kelsie and Maisy a mug each too as, living in Australia, they had missed out on the traditional coloured name pictures and Christmas stockings.

Seb and Bean

Aah, Uncle Jack!! Didn't he do well!! He is94 and still has a hearty appetite!

This was beFORE the complimentary wine... Good tooting by Hayley and Sis! (We never did manage to make any noise with them though...)

Dad would have LOVED it. We were all missing him despite the fun and giggles.

It was so so good to see Glynny again. We are really sisters you know!!

It was a fantastic day.

Blue Moon!!!!!!!

2011-05-16T22:18:00.008+01:00

On 16th May 1987 the SKY BLUES won the F.A.CUP having beaten Bolton Wanderers, Man Utd (!!!!!!) Stoke City, Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds Utd on the way. Keith Houchen scored a diving header in the match, a goal that has been described as one of the top ten goals ever to be scored at Wembley (whoop whoop)

(I just needed to get that in first!)

Being F.A.Cup day this Saturday, I thought it appropriate to wear my commemorative tee shirt!! PUSB PUSB!!!

Bro and neph got their hands on a couple of tickets!

Basically Bro would have gone to any length to get just one ticket..anywhere in the ground. The last time Man City won a trophy was in 1976 when they beat Newcastle Utd to win the League Cup, an outing our family went to (even though Dad, God bless him, bought seats in the Newcastle end!)

N.B.THE PRICE!!

(Great overhead kick by Dennis Tueart!)

Here's the Neph all ready for action!

They saw David Gold... this was before he sacked Avram Grant.

Did you get the jist?? Man City won (one-nil)...he was a happy chappy!

So a good couple of months for Bro because he won a bottle of rum for having his letter printed in April's edition of Wisden!

The Great Salford Swim 2011

2011-05-15T23:23:00.010+01:00

It wasn't the best of days, weatherwise, to swim a mile in 14
degrees water but there was no stopping these swimming enthusiasts! Husb and I were full of admiration for them all. The Great Salford Swim was superbly organised, just very, very, very cold.

Matt Baker and the 5 times Olympic Champion "ledge" Ian Thorpe were commentating from the quayside, they didn't look too warm either but they were both exceedingly handsome. We expected the Thorpedo to be bigger, and our first reaction was to look at his feet which seemed quite a normal size too.

Thorpey has announced his retirement-from-retirement

after visiting the Aquatics Centre in London and is now training for the 2012 Olympics... but Matt couldn't persuade him to join in the race...

The Pixen had entered the sub 30 minute wave which was the fastest wave of the day, here they are warming up.

Ian Thorpe started them off with a ready steady go and they plunged into the water with admirable courage and enthusiasm. They had been warned quite emphatically beforehand that if anyone hadn't made it to the half way buoy by 15 minutes they would be pulled out. This was because the men's elite swimmers were starting their race at 2.20pm.

No pressure then? !

There was live coverage on BBC2 that afternoon, we saw some very high tech cameras and have since watched the programme, it was excellent.

Here is the Pixen (top right) swimming along Mariners Canal, easily distinguishable from all the other wet-suited, orange-hatted, heads-down mass of swimmers (!) by her Livestrong yellow armband and the pink flashes on her shoulders.

SHE DID AN AMAZING TIME OF 23 MINS 20 SECS, A MINUTE FASTER THAN LAST YEAR!

11TH FEMALE TO FINISH....WHOOPIDOO!!

40TH OVERALL...........WHOOP WHOOP!!

David Carry, Olympic swimmer, mens elite group.

Mens elite group.

Tom Allen , ex Upton High School, did a fantastic swim, coming 4th in the mens elite, lost his purple hat though, a "one to watch" for the future!!
(He recently won the European Juniors Open Water 5km Championships.)
(Stuart Clamp has high hopes for him in the 2012 Olympics)

Pixen deserved more than a medal after the drama of this weekend.

The clutch went on her journey home, resulting in an embarrassing 70 mile rescue and tow. Undeterred and determined to swim, she caught the next train home which nearly ended in disaster when she missed her connection. (Friday 13th?? YES IT WAS) Today the weather was cold and wet and we had to do battle with the Manchester funrunners too, some of the roads were closed.

But hey, she got her medal and was 11th female to finish.

FANTASTIC!!

and SHE LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT, ESPECIALLY MATT AND THE THORPEDO.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

2011-05-04T11:16:00.009+01:00

I think we all would have liked another day in THE BAHAMAS but we had a flight to catch, flying home from Fort Lauderdale in Florida and as it was an evening flight we had time for a look around before going to the airport.

Fort Lauderdale is 23 miles north of Miami, on the Atlantic coast and is home to over 5 million people. We were taken by coach for a drive along the coast which to me lacked character because it was just like a motorway of sand... miles and miles of it!

Fort Lauderdale is sometimes known as the VENICE of AMERICA because of its massive and intricate canal system. It is also a major yachting centre with over 40,000 resident yachts and 100 marinas....its an amazing place (but I'm sorry, its not like the real Venice)(!)

WOW! Some of the boats were obscenely massive...

We had lunch at a very swanky hotel (shame about the garlic vegetables, I'm still getting over the smell, Urrrgh) which had very posh lifts..

a lovely pool...

..and a fountain with huge koi carp...

This may look like a petrol station but it is a bank... a drive through ATM

The afternoon was spent in a mall ("maul") (c'mon, folks, get the American drawl)...a clean and modern shopping centre with Dillards and Macy's and other horrendously priced retailers.

It was so not the Choaks!!

(Poor Husb, he only wanted a Carrier bag from Macy's!!) ( Failed!) It was a fabulous place and I can't imagine what the rent on some of these shops must be.

I picked up a couple of fitness mags for the flight home (well you know how fanatical the Americans are about fitness)but really I wanted a photo of this gorgeous floor!

View from the plane, coming in to land at Heathrow...WE DID IT WE DID TT!!!

We had 2 hours in London before catching the train home which was just enough time to see Gary Lineker and Dustin Hoffman in Selfridges, and I'm SURE it was Theo Walcott too,

this is what to do with your trainers...(Nike shop)

Whoop whoop!

It was a brilliant holiday which did us both the world of good, I just wish I could tell Dad all about it.

We have now "raised the bar" so ....."where next, Husb?"

Princess Cays, BAHAMAS

2011-05-03T19:01:00.011+01:00

The Bahamas! The Bahamas! I kept saying that!!
I still can't believe we visited THE BAHAMAS!

Princess Cays is a luxury day resort on the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas for exclusive use by cruise ship passengers and is privately owned by the Princess Cruise Lines. The fast facts in the link below made me smile...

Population...0 (or up to 3,000 when a cruise ship stops by)
Best time to visit....January to December.

PRINCESS CAYS

Princess Cays

As the island is surrounded by coral the Sea Princess dropped anchor 2 miles out and we were taken ashore by lifeboats where we were welcomed by the playing of Caribbean music.

I couldn't wait to get in the sea!

Snorkeling was fabulous, the water was crystal clear and really warm.

(Next stop-Fort Lauderdale, Miami) (N.B. Hartlepool!! Christopher Columbus)

We caught the sun that day! It was brilliant!

PRINCESS CAYS

Princess Cays

Day at Sea

2011-05-02T23:51:00.005+01:00

Seaday! so after a lie-in (at last) I went to "Ceramics at Sea" and painted a pot, Husb went to a navigation talk which was far more interesting than it sounded and then it was entertainment from JOURNEY SOUTH, runners up (3rd) in the X FACTOR a few years ago. They sang well but didn't have much patter..

At midnight we counted down to the big Balloon Drop as we were going into Easter Sunday next day (YOGHURT!!!!!!) it was all good fun.

British Virgin Islands

2011-05-02T21:50:00.009+01:00

We woke to find we had been joined by AURORA, another beautiful ship. They look fantastic when they are together like this, don't they?

Although we docked on Tortola, we had heard it was worth a trip to
Devil's Bay on Virgin Gorda so we caught the earliest ferry with Speedy's.

The dramatically shaped island of Virgin Gorda reminded Christopher Columbus of a reclining woman, so he named it Virgin Gorda, the "Fat Virgin."

The Baths on Virgin Gorda are a spectacular natural feature at the southern end of Virgin Gorda in the Caribbean and they are on their own a good enough reason to visit the island. The Baths are a collection of giant boulders which form spectacular pools and grottos which flood with sea water at high tide.

The hundreds of huge boulders and rock formations are worn smooth by rain and sea water and form a maze that leads to Devil's Bay beach. It was great fun clambering over and under them.

Here the choice was to wade waist deep through the water on the right, or to haul yourself up on the rocks on the left, by using the ropes, we chose the latter but that was tricky when carrying snorkel, towels etc and also in barefeet. Thank goodness we had healthy enough knees for all this scrambling.

What struck me first was how empty it was and then how clear the water was, it was honestly like a swimming pool (and I should know!!)

There were loads of beautiful fish all swimming close to the shore, I had a great time with them. (even though I had a mini panic attack trying to use the snorkel tube)
(How DOES Cubba do it??)

Lottie Daly pose take 2

What a brilliant day and at last after 4 days sailing the Caribbean, we finally had a day on a beach!! YIPPEE!

St Kitts

2011-05-02T14:27:00.016+01:00

St Kitts, along with its neighbour Nevis, has been known as the "Crown Jewels of the Caribbean" so we were looking forward to visiting this island. We docked at Basseterre, the capital, and once off the ship we joined a trip to the Romney Gardens, the Caribelle Batik Studios and a walk deep in the cool rainforest.

Romney Gardens had some magnificent plants and trees.

Winston was our guide for the day, he was excellent.

He explained how the island was abundant with food (especially when all the mangoes ripened, far too many for the islanders to eat)

This was the first piece of Batik work made here at the Caribelle Studio, there were some nice items for sale and I bought myself a tiny box which was covered in batik.

Look at this enormous tree, its amazing, it must be thousands of years old. The "Tree" on the bottom left is actually a branch, it seemed to go on forever.

Lizzy

The shells from the fruit of this tree are dried out and filled with rice or beans to make marraccas.

These, believe it or not, are going to be avocado fruits.

"Stinky Toe".

When Winston picked it up we were nearly sick at the smell, when he then started to eat it we practically fainted, OMG OMG

No guesses as to why this rainforest tree is called the Monkey No Climb Tree

The Monkeynoclimb tree is also known as the Monkey Pistol because this seed pod from it (looks like a wooden satsuma) explodes like dynamite sending the seed pods flying. Winston was wearing one of the dried, painted and varnished seeds as a name badge.

We expected the rainforest to be damp and humid with leaves dripping with moisture but it was in fact very dry due to no rain for several days,but luckily for us there was a running stream and as long as there is moving water there will be no mozzies to bite us (YIPPEE) so we were "safe".

We saw monkeys playing in the trees here.

Massive tree roots...

Hundreds of tree roots...

Winston playing at "TARZAN" swinging on a tree root...

Winston plucked a fern, put it onto his arm and pressed it down.... HEY PRESTO a tattoo!
(It didn't look half as effective on our white skin though!)

RUM!! "Cheers m'dears"

This was the best lunch/refreshments stop ever... Mango juice, guava juice, guava juice with rum, bananas, banana cake, coconut and banana chips...all delicious!

Time to head back to the ship and it was a nice ride back, they took us through the main square or "Circus" as it's called.

So many people have told us how beautiful this island is so I would have liked to have had time to see a beach, but Sea Princess has a tight schedule so we used the last hour NOT buying any island rum. However much of a BARGAIN it was. I won that argument ha ha (argument?? jokin!)

The ship crew were setting up Movies under the Stars when we returned - sunbeds become cushioned and blanketted, and it was "full" when we walked past later on. (Even though we could have watched from anywhere else on deck there were loads of undressed sunbeds!)

The big screen also showed Premiership football matches (7am for the Saturday lunchtime game!) and no doubt the Royal Wedding too.

The sunsets were beautiful, far more spectacular than these photos...

Dress code for tonight was Smart/casual so I wore my Gibraltar dress, you know, the one I bought when on the Gibaltar cruise...

Dominica

2011-05-01T22:47:00.015+01:00

Dominica (Dom-in-eeeka) lies between Guadeloupe and Martinique and was our next stop. WOW!! What a beautiful island. I loved it. It is so picturesque, an unspoiled Caribbean paradise. However, with all those stunning but high mountains, rough roads and hairpin bends, I'm not sure whether I could live there. But it is so pretty. Gorgeous.

And for the record, Christopher Columbus discovered this island on a Sunday so he named it after the Spanish word for Sunday.

We chose to join others from the ship on a tour of the island which began with a tour of the Botanical Gardens, here is a sausage tree.

We climbed higher and higher till we reached the viewpoint looking over the bay

and down onto Dominica cricket ground.It is an 8,000 seater stadium built with Chinese money. You could come up here with your radio for commentary, a few cans for refreshment and a pair of binoculars and have a brilliant view of a game. FOR FREE! Indeed that is exactly what a local taxi driver plans to do when India take on Pakistan here later this year!

Orla and me. Drake and Orla. Pixen and Mr Denton.

Husb and possibly a Scirocco.

Local traders must love it when a cruise ship comes to their island.

We headed into a rich rainforest where one of the group spotted this crab.

Some trees had roots which grew DOWN to the ground.

This is why cashews are so expensive.. there is only one nut per fruit.

The waterfalls were lovely.

Pineapples growing by the roadside.

Tree with a skirt.

It was a short ride to the Emerald Pool (phew... one can only take so many hairpin bends)
There was a vague mention of a possibility of swimming in the Emerald Pool so I had half a cossie on but no towel or change of clothes...

...but it didn't stop me stripping off and going in for a swim!! We may not come back to this beautiful island again. Gotta take your chance! The Pixen would be so proud of me!! (It was "refreshing!!") I just had to dry myself on my teeshirt (now in the bin)

Back down the hill to the boat...

...to meet our cabin's new swans.

"Christleton CC, these will soon be appearing on your tea table" (if I can get the tea towels to behave)

Tropical Night! so flowery clothes!

Doing a "Lottie Daly" haha. =)

I LOVED Dominica. I can understand the locals saying

"after God, it is the land."

Caribbean Cruise-Martinique

2011-05-01T21:19:00.009+01:00

Chester to Warrington.

Warrington to Euston.

Euston to Gatwick.

Gatwick to Barbados.(Thomson, Boeing 767)

First port...Martinique.

Here she is, the magnificent Sea Princess, what a lovely ship.

We docked at Fort-de-France, the capital of Martinique which is one of the islands of the Lesser Antilles (and measures about 50 miles by 22 miles.)

Christopher Columbus discovered Martinique in 1493 though he didn't land until 1502, at which time he was met by the native Carib indians. Today it is a French island (YIPPEE!!),the language is French, the currency is the Euro, the citizens here vote in French national elections and it currently enjoys one of the highest standards of living in the Caribbean.

The fruit and veg stalls in the local market were magnificent.

As was this lady's hat.

And the cathedral.

Sea Princess shone in the afternoon sun.

Husb got a French supermarket carrier bag (Result!)

Then after a little wander we took a boat across the bay where it looked sunny AND FOUND A BEACH! Where was everyone?

French flag flying in the Fort-de-France

Caribbean Sea-Tick. Done it.

Clouds were gathering over the Ship but we were happy in the sun and sea on the other side of the bay...

...where we saw some St Tropez style boats, very shiny white.

Back on ship it was formal dress for dinner so Husb pinky-bow-tied and I frilled.

Everyone gathered in the "Atrium" for the champagne fountain

so I went down in the ship's snazzy lift

to help the maitre d'hote pour champagne all over my shoes.

Back home for fishy feet!

2011-04-29T13:43:00.014+01:00

WE DID IT WE DID IT!!! (I still can't believe we did it!)

Husb and I are now home from a fantastic holiday which did us the world of good and which convinced us both that flying is not too bad when there are idyllic islands in the Bahamas waiting for you. WOW! It really was a lovely week and photos will follow as soon as possible. We had a perfect homecoming with the Pixen and the Drake waiting for us at the station and Sammie and Penny at home (and Rod, her tiny little boyfriend)

Penny doing her party trick.

There was even a beautiful bunch of flowers to welcome us (and a hoovered carpet WOO!)

As the Pixen was only home for a couple of days (Royal Wedding Street Party Committments!) we thought this would be a good time to use our vouchers for the fishy feet at Aquasiva up on the Chester rows.

Garra Rufa fish originate from Turkey and are renowned for their ability to enhance the appearance and texture of our feet by gently exfoliating them by nibbling away at the dead skin cells. It has also been discovered that the Garra Rufa fish excrete an enzyme, diathanol, which improves skin regeneration. Initially it felt a bit ticklish but we had lovely smooth feet afterwards.

We started with a foot bath...

...and then in went the feet!

They didn't seem to like the feet of the lady sat opposite me.

Mine were obviously delicious.

I would have wanted a refund if the fish in my tank were so full they didn't nibble...

As it happened I was ♪♫ ♪♫ simply irresistible ♪♫ ♪♫ (right foot especially)

Mini foot massage to finish and then we slid all the way back to the car. Brill!

(How long have Freddos been 20p?????? TWENTY PEE!!!! OMG)

Big Sis and BIL come to Chester werhoooo

2011-04-13T23:14:00.001+01:00

How exciting!!!!!!

Big Sis and B-I-L coming to Chester!

So without further ado we headed off to the river for a baked potato in Hickory's

before mozying down the river on the Mark Twain.

I must know the commentary off by heart by now but we all smiled at the story of the witches on Barrel Well Hill. Those ladies suspected of being involved in witchcraft were put in a barrel and sent rolling down the hill into the Dee. If they drowned they were deemed innocent and therefore must be on their way to heaven. If they survived they were obviously guilty and were hanged on Barrel Well Hill anyway!

A little retail shopping followed...

and a look at the Chester Clock..

before the scenic walk along the walls (alongside the cathedral looking splendid at the moment, lovely colours),

and the old "Chester Cathedral Cricket Team"'s ground, back to Orla who was safe and sound in her parking space with noone else near her (!!)

A ride in Orla was a must and she needed a run out so next day we headed off to the Choaks (BIL fancied a trip to Milan)

Meanwhile his wifey had found YET ANOTHER BAG SHOP!! HOW many bags????

As you can see we had a fantastic afternoon!

It was rounded off with a trip into school for the GCSE Art Exhibition, the lure being the free glass of wine that Husb was serving(!) but we were all very impressed with the amount of work the students had done. Shoes featured a lot and the work was mostly textured rather than painted...

naturally we discussed this over an excellent carvery tea where we were looked after by Joy, Kay's daughter.

Brilliant fun! and Sis and BIL seemed to be loving it all too. I'm not sure who made the greatest impression, Orla or Sammie?! They both received a lot of fuss anyway!

(Now then...what do I need to do for my forthcoming holiday...???)

Pre-season cricket dinner

2011-04-11T23:33:00.003+01:00

Wareing, Nigey, Bear and Will...

Bob and TC (the colonel)

...not quite sure how this happened...(Possibly had something to do with me giving Bob stick about his new non-stick chewing gum?)

Entertainment by the Deportees (Greenie and Bill!!)

Its always a good night as it signifies the fact that the long winter is over at last.

(and once more, into the kitchen I go with the bread and butter...)

Good luck for the coming season lads.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EDNA!!

2011-04-06T17:20:00.004+01:00

91 !!! Still plenty young enough for steak and ale pie in the Piper (I think it was the mashed potato that won it!!) Happy birthday to an amazing lady!

Mothering Sunday 2011

2011-04-03T17:31:00.012+01:00

Mothering Sunday is always the fourth Sunday of Lent.

Mothering Sunday was also known as 'Refreshment Sunday', Pudding Pie Sunday (in Surrey, England) or 'Mid-Lent Sunday'. It was a day in Lent when the fasting rules were relaxed, in honour of the 'Feeding of the Five Thousand', a story in the Christian Bible.

(Hmmmm does that mean we could have had chocolate, crisps, biscuits, cheese and/or yoghurts today then????)

No one is absolutely certain exactly how the name of Mothering Sunday began. However, one theory is that the celebration could have been adopted from a Roman Spring festival celebrating Cybele, their Mother Goddess.

As Christianity spread, this date was adopted by Christians. The epistle in the Book of Common Prayer for this Sunday refers to the heavenly Jerusalem as "the Mother of us all", and this may have prompted the customs we still see today.

It is known on this date, about four hundred years ago, people made a point of visiting their nearest big church (the Mother Church). The church in which each person was baptised.Cathedrals are the 'mother church' of all other churches in an area.People who visited their mother church would say they had gone "a mothering."

A card from Singapore plus the sound of Cub's voice, a visit from the NixenPixen and some fabulous glass earrings from Drake...great ingredients for a great day! And aerobics was busy enough this morning too!

We had a lovely afternoon hunting geocaches in Chester yesterday.We met Nic under the Eastgate clock..

and walked through the Roman Gardens..

and Drakey found the first... a tiny nanocache, werhooo!

Then headed towards the river for the second..

which I found, YIPPEE!

Geocaching takes you to places you wouldn't normally visit and we saw a beautiful cherry blossom tree...

It was a lovely weekend. Thank you all at hollindale.co.uk

ORLA+EDNA+THE RIVER DEE

2011-03-29T19:44:00.005+01:00

Edna often used to go down to the Dee to sit on the bench and watch the ducks and boats. However she will be 91 next week and the walk back uphill is now getting too much for her.With the impending visit from sis next month coupled with the ongoing improvements by the riverside, it seemed a good opportunity to go and have a look at how things were shaping up down there. PLUS I HAVE A NEW CAR!

OMG OMG "Edna, you shall be my first passenger!!"

After a little snack in Hickory's we sat on the bench for half an hour. None of the big boats were going out which had me worried as sis has plans for a trip down the river... but

CHESTERBOAT

start up their daily sailings on 2nd April. Traditionally the season starts on Good Friday but this year Easter is so late.

The boats may not have been sailing but the ice cream kiosks were open! Selling the award winning Cheshire Farm Ice Cream.

It was a lovely couple of hours, sunny and warm.

(I'm just dreading the day it rains and Orla's leather seats)

"Orla"

2011-03-28T16:31:00.006+01:00

I am looking forward to some smaller fuel bills with the arrival of Orla who was delivered at 7am this morning. Last night felt exactly like how Christmas Eve used to feel in Glenroy Close, I was so ridiculously excited I hardly slept.

She is absolutely lovely and smells amazing (though no doubt will soon smell of dog). She caused quite a stir at Aerobics.

I've put a bit of Dad's famous carpet in the boot to keep Sammie clean and keep mud off the car, it matches the headrests perfectly.

I want to say "I went to Morrisons and bought a car".... that is not strictly true but I DID sit in the demo model outside Morrisons and liked it enough to decide on buying one.

An Orla Kiely one!

Gorgeous song, gorgeous voice, gorgeous car.

Night out at the Mill

2011-03-27T21:56:00.007+01:00

I was hot and sweating on a spinninbike half an hour before this...

These lovely lovely PowerPlate trainers are responsible for my lovely lovely arms

the "rabble" haha

Val and Chris

Hel, Mardi 'n' She

Kay overlooking the Blacon lot

Donna!

Kay and Marjorie

Jackie in her gorgeous dress, I want one, I love this fabric.

Gill, little Sue and Irene, combined ages 184

OMG OMG DON'T THEY LOOK AMAZING!

"Hello Dolly"

Aaaah Jude. Smashing person.

The garden tidy up

2011-03-27T21:28:00.003+01:00

We have a large silver birch in our back garden which needed lopping... I couldn't believe how big the pile of branches was when I took Gary Ardener a cup of tea out.

It looks much better now.

Naturally Sammie wanted the man to play with Woody.

But she was quite content to lie in her dip.

Gary Ardener tidied up the front too. (Nice car)(Aah Dessie)

Red Nose Day Fun 2011

2011-03-18T16:44:00.007Z

As usual for Red Nose Day it was "Look Ridiculous Day" at Square One today. I didn't see a single red nose but we all made a big effort to wear something bright and cheerful which was aerobic-friendly and most of us managed the whole class in fancy dress.

I used a lot of hairspray on my beehive. (!)

Kathryn looked like she had put on weight but she assured me it was all ventilation and surprisingly cool in there!

Denise sprayed her hair red.

Theresa is a Dublinner so Guinness suited her just fine.

I did the whole sweaty hour with NOT A HAIR OUT OF PLACE!

I EVEN DID THE PLANK!

I couldn't believe it when some silly cow walked in...

YEY!!! It was Claire, hahahaha (the front half was anyway!)

Jean, Mandy, Kate and Vanessa.

It took me 30 ins to work out who actually was Elvis!

"You put your right hoof in, your left hoof in..."

Lyn, Sue and Lindsey.

Leprechaun Theresa!

They are such a great crowd, we had a lot of fun this morning!

However I need to congratulate Chris Moyles and his team on his world record breaking mammoth radio show which ran for 52 hours non stop and raised TWO AND A HALF MILLION POUNDS for Comic Relief.... WOW!!