Swann, swans and swan

This is the week of the Swan!

Graeme Swann has just been awarded the England Cricketer of the Year Award having taken 99 wickets in 45 games for his country this year as well as helping us to bring the Ashes home last summer. He is rated 3rd in the rankings of Test bowlers and 4th in the rankings of best all-rounders, well done Swanny!

This week 6 cygnets have hatched on the Christleton pond and I was lucky to be able to see and photograph them as they usually make their way to the canal within about a week of hatching.






How fitting then that after weeks of nesting in the clubhouse container, our cricket club swan has now gone up, giving the final touch to our scoreboard.



It was a joint effort with Spen arranging for the stainless steel shape to be cut up in the North East,



... it was then sprayed with car paint by our 2nd team skipper.
It needed a beak and an eye so I painted those



and (Oh what a small world)one of my aerobics girls' boyfriend put it up!




Good team work folks, it looks good doesn't it?

Raby Castle, Mayday 2010

We have had May Day Bank Holiday since 1978, a day which signifies the end of the cold weather and the beginning of Summer,(usually) so after a particularly cold game of cricket at Urmston (where Husb kept warm by scoring 74) we headed up to Darlo to see the Pixen. Cub had arrived the previous day and they had already had a lot of fun at Low Force waterfall....



riding rams....



walking to High Force waterfall...






(It's a wonder they didn't fall in taking this..)



...and just being together (well they DID share a womb)



The following day we visited Raby Castle, seen here behind the cricket square, what an amazing venue for a cricket match.



The Pixen brightens everywhere up, especially when she wears her multi-coloured scarves...



....and the Cub just enjoyed being out in the countryside away from the hustle bustle of London.



As it was MayDay and there were no available maypoles to dance around, we tried a high frolic... (it took me several attempts to get this high)



followed by several large leaps...(whoopwhoopPixen)



It was such fun the cub joined in the May madness...(good landings, nice soft knees)



This is Cub being arty...



We were really impressed with this hedge, were the groundsmen slowly developing something here, maybe a portrait??




Raby Castle is set in spectacular grounds where Red deer and Fallow deer roam and this weekend we were lucky to see an orchid show in the greenhouse. It was a brilliant day and we all agreed we could get used to the idea of a 3 day weekend.



Drake didn't come, she was busy doing her new blog, well worth a look, here!