Bun Mountain Cottage

Turrets

2012-01-15T18:34:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I did a post about my grandson's birthday and used some photos from last year when he and his mum visited us. I hadn't shown these photos previously, which is a shame as we had some lovely visits out and about and took (as usual), loads of photos. So here are more photos from the visit we made to Eltz Castle.

The only disappointment was that they were doing some work on the outside of the castle which spoiled it's appearance. However, it may have spoiled the initial views of the castle, but it couldn't detract from the rest of the visit.

It's a typical fairy tale castle. It's quite small. I get the impression that German people are very proud of this castle. It is privately owned and I think the family live there. We had a guided visit inside the castle, but of course I wasn't allowed to take any photos. The inside is as impressive as it is from the outside.

The reason for making the visit in the first place, was because my daughter remembered visiting the castle as a child with my parents, her brother and me. She had some fond memories of the visit and the holiday. I remember walking along the river to get to the castle and walking through hoards of butterflies. I've never seen so many altogether before or since.

It was a lovely day out. It was quite a hot day, and a paddle in the river below would have been nice, but the effort of walking down to it and then back up would have defeated the purpose of cooling off, so we gave it a miss.

It's such a lovely place to visit, I would certainly go again.

Seven Up

2012-01-14T17:39:00.001+01:00

A very Happy Birthday to my Grandson!

Seven years old today!

I can't be with my grandson today, but I'm sure he's enjoying his special day.

The photos I've used on today's post were all taken last June when my daughter and her son visited us here in Germany. I was very proud of my daughter for making the visit as she isn't a keen air traveller. In fact she's had to overcome a fear of flying to make these visits, all the more remarkable that she makes them with her young son. And of course I was very pleased and happy to see them both, excited even. Yes I do still get excited at my age, especially if it's to do with seeing the family.

The first two photos were taken on a local visit, but these two were taken on a day trip to Eltz Castle.
A great day out.

Maybe I will celebrate an unbirthday day with my grandson this June, or the next time I see him. It will certainly be worth celebrating whenever it is.

Peachy Morning

2012-01-10T01:12:00.000+01:00

I enjoyed my walk with the hounds this morning.
It was like spring.

The sky had a lovely peachy hue. I was reminded of some David Hockney paintings I saw a few days ago on the TV. There was lots of colour around, despite it still being winter.

Later in the day I cycled along the river which has started to subside.

Shame that the sun had disappeared by then.

Flood Water

2012-01-09T10:41:00.000+01:00

Just to show how much rain we've had lately, I went out with the camera on Friday just to see if I'd won. (See previous post). Yes I did! The river was indeed higher. The river is coming up through the bridge on the road that leads down to the river.

Then again for more pics on Saturday.

Well, there'll be no walking alongside the river here will there?

You can see how the trees are not only surrounded by water, but it's quite deep as well.

It looks quite pretty though.

This road sign is taped to show that the road is flooded up river.

Last year, the floods were higher. The water came right over the road at the bottom where you can see the cars. Today, the water has subsided from how it was when I took these photos at the weekend.

Saturday was Mike's birthday. There are 3 of us Capricorns in the family.
We had a quiet day,
as you can see.

A Sorting Pastime

2012-01-05T23:59:00.000+01:00

This morning was very wet, and grey.

With all the rain we've been having lately, the river has flooded over it's banks.

In the next picture you can see the river, it's not usually visible from this point.

So it was a good day to stay inside, warm and dry. A good day to sort through my fabrics. I've joined Clare's rose star block party. I needed to check whether I had some suitable fabric. I didn't want to have to buy any, and my main stash is still in Sweden.

I had more than I thought I had. I enjoyed sorting through my fabrics. Funnily enough when I took the photos of the fabric this afternoon, the sun was shining.
I've also signed up for Anne's swop. So I need to have a think about what to do for that. I did something similiar sometime ago making ATC's. Whilst checking the ATC's I found a post I did about postcards that I'd forgotten about. I never did frame them.

We've just taken the hounds out for their last walk. We couldn't get along the river because the river is too high. We noticed cars on the road on the opposite bank slowing down and one turning round. That must mean the river has flooded the road on the far side. I think the river will be even higher tomorrow. Mike thinks it will have gone down a bit. It's been very windy today as well.

One Big Happy Family

2012-01-05T00:15:00.000+01:00

Happy New Year!

Countdown

2011-12-30T23:30:00.000+01:00

I made sure I took the camera with me

on our morning walk on Wednesday.

It's been wet and muddy here,

so the hounds have not had a run for a few days.

But we took a chance that it wasn't too muddy

and gave them a run.

I knew it would be a good opportunity

to take some pictures of the hounds running.

I set the camera to take multiple shots.

It tends to be a bit of a pot luck,

with plenty of blurriness

with unexpected focused bits .

In the afternoon,

as it started to get dark,

we took a trip into Bernkastel.

We had planned to do this before Christmas

and visit the Christmas Market.

But because of my cold,

we didn't.

It was my birthday

on Wednesday,

so it was a good reason to go out for a while.

The Christmas Market had finished,

but the market place was still decorated with Christmas lights.

We had a leisurely walk around,

looking in shops,

and taking photos.

I played about with some of the different settings on the camera.

This last photo was taken on a night setting with a longer exposure.

I deliberately moved the camera around to get a blurred effect.

I like it.

Something I'm not so pleased with is the countdown to my next birthday.

In a years time

I will be 60.

It seems such a monumental event to me,

something I will have to get used to.

I'm sure lots of people reading this will have celebrated a sixtieth birthday

and they are fine with it.

Maybe in a years time

I will have come to terms with it.

I am planning to mark the occasion by having a party.

That should help.

Happy Christmas

2011-12-25T11:44:00.000+01:00

Greetings to you from us and the Hounds

may you have a wonderful time over the festive season.

Wading Through Treacle

2011-12-20T00:06:00.000+01:00

I've been back almost a week,

and I've had a cold

most of that time.

Which is really strange for me

as I haven't had a cold in years.

I haven't been outside the house for almost a week,

in an effort to stay out of the wet blustery weather we've been having.

Poor Mike has been walking the hounds on his own.

I think I got it from travelling on

planes, buses and trains,

while I was away.

Hopefully it will be gone soon,

but today,

I've felt as though I'm wading through treacle.

Being full of cold,

I haven't felt like taking any photos.

So here are the last few from my UK visit.

The day before I left to come back to Germany,

I met my daughter in Newcastle

and we went down to the quayside.

Unfortunately,

in an effort to be a bit smarter,

I wore my boots instead of my usual trainers.

By the time we got down to the river

I was footsore.

It wasn't so much like wading through treacle,

more like stepping on marbles.

But we continued over the bridge to The Baltic.

Where we visited the Turner Prize exhibition.

Although I enjoyed the visit,

I can't say I understand modern art.

But it was nice to spend more time with my daughter.

I wrote this yesterday

but didn't get round to posting it-

blame it on the cold.

We had snow overnight.

Book Love

2011-12-16T09:56:00.001+01:00

My Grandson loves books.

Last week we went to choose some books for his Christmas present.

We did the same last year.

He will be seven in January

and is progressing from the picture books to the smaller books

with less pictures and more writing.

In fact when he visited us a couple of months ago

it was the smaller books he brought with him.

So he's been reading them for a while.

He likes mysteries

and you can see him here reading the first book in

Enid Blyton's the Secret Seven Series.

Today he will be the narator in his school play.

What an honour!

I'm just sorry that I'm not there to see him.

While I was over in the north east staying with a friend

she invited me to her great niece's first birthday party.

I chose a book as a present.

I forgot to take a photo of it before I wrapped it up.

The book is called

'The Pig's Knicker's'

and was illustrated by my blog friend

Vanessa.

It's a colourful book

with lovely illustrations.

You can see it here.

I love books,

don't you?

Fruit Cake and Cheese

2011-12-14T20:30:00.000+01:00

I arrived back in Germany yesterday,

to an extremely wet and blustery day.

The weather has been the same today.

So how better to spend it than

sitting inside,

where it's warm,

catching up?

And to accompany us,

a piece of

fruit cake and cheese.

One of the cheeses is

Wenslydale,

one of our favourites,

and one of our favourite places.

The other is

White Stilton with Cranberry and Orange Whirl.

Very nice!

It's the kind of cheese we don't see in Germany,

so it's a real treat.

I brought it back in my suitcase.

The fruit cake is the Christmas Cake

I made the day before I went to the UK.

I sliced the top off ready for icing

which allowed us to try it.

Mmmmmm....

Second Day in Cumbria

2011-12-07T23:49:00.001+01:00

My sister has been putting up the Christmas decorations.

Even the family cat has her own Santa.

I was back in Carlisle this morning.

I took a couple of photos of some of the decorations.

This one is outside the old town hall.

The sun was catching the panels on the front and casting a coloured light

across the ground.

Yes I did say sun.

Most unusual,

as it usually rains whenever I'm over here.

True to form,

after taking these photos,

I went to the library,

and when I left it was raining-

very hard.

This evening we've been celebrating my nephew's 18th birthday.

It's been nice being able to share it with him.

View from a Train Window

2011-12-06T20:44:00.001+01:00

We flew through the dark,

being followed by the sunrise,

to land at Edinburgh airport,

still in the dark.

By the time

I reached Edinburgh city centre,

it was light.

I didn't have too long to wait before I caught the train.

It was the first time I got the camera out.

I missed photographing Edinburgh Zoo,

where two Giant Pandas had arrived on Sunday.

I also missed photographing

a camp in a park right in the middle of the city centre.

But I got to photograph

the big wheel that you see in the first photo.

It is part of the Christmas festivities along with

a Christmas Market.

I remember visiting Edinburgh a few winters ago

with a friend and my daughter.

My friend suggested we had a ride on the big wheel.

My daughter declined,

(sensibly).

Once at the top,

my friend was having seconds thought too!

As Mike drove me to the airport this morning,

he commented that we were fortunate that there was no snow and ice.

But that was when we were in the valley.

To get to the airport,

we have to drive up a series of hairpin bends,

continually climbing to get out of the valley.

As we continued away from the valley,

we could see snow on the road and either side of it.

We were so surprised that we didn't recognise what it was at first!

But there wasn't as much snow as you see in the next few pictures,

taken from the train window.

The sun was shining too!

It looked lovely

and I couldn't resist taking some photos.

You can see the reflection on the glass in the next picture,

and a blurryness of the trees.

But the train stopped for a while a bit further on,

so I snapped away.

We're on the move again for this next shot.

It's lovely countryside.

It's in the lowlands of Scotland.

But as we crossed the border into England,

the snow had gone.

I found it colder than what I've been used to.

I met my sister at her workplace in the library,

and once she finished work,

we had a walk through the town.

She had some shopping to do.

We made our way to the cathedral.

Where the crypt sells some nice warming soup and cheesy soda bread.

Thanks to my niece

for the use of her computer.

Hopefully,

I will have more photos for you tomorrow.

It's a good way for Mike to see what I've been doing.

Anticipate Precipitate

2011-12-05T21:00:00.001+01:00

Tomorrow,

I fly to Edinburgh

to see this young man,

my grandson,

and his mother.

Here she is

taking a photo of

me taking a photo of her,

on my last visit to the UK.

I also hope to see my son.

But I don't seem to have a photo of him from my last visit.

Well I do,

it's just that my daughter is on them all,

and she won't like me posting them.

I will be going to the quayside

in Newcastle upon Tyne,

and crossing this bridge

to visit

The Baltic.

That's the building on the left of those over the river.

The Turner Prize is being exhibited there.

The prize was awarded today to Martin Boyce.

It will be interesting to view the exhibits.

I haven't been to the Turner Prize exhibition before.

But I have heard quite a lot about previous

Turner Prize exhibitions.

On my last visit to the quayside,

two men stopped to ask me what this building is.

I told them that it is called the Sage

and is a music venue.

They were very impressed by it.

Well, it was May when I last visited the UK.

and the bluebells were flowering.

If I remember correctly,

the weather was pretty poor

the whole time I was there.

I think my flight got delayed on the way back

and I had to spend a few extra days there.

But the weather didn't improve.

This year seems to have flown by.

But some things don't change.

The UK had some of it's first snow of the season,

and it's turned very cold.

I had better pack some warm clothes.

Maybe I'll get some snow pics while I'm there.

Just as long as I manage to get back home

to Mike and the hounds.

What's it to be, Fog or Sunshine?

2011-12-01T12:57:00.001+01:00

A photo taken this morning from a first floor window.

I liked the mist weaving it's way along the tree covered hillside

The weather hasn't been able to decide what it's up to as the day has progressed.

We've had rain,

followed by sunshine,

and now strong gusts of wind

rattling those same first floor windows.

There's been a lot of fog and mist over the last few weeks.

These photos were taken two days ago.

Then yesterday we got some lovely sunshine.

This photo was taken in the morning.

I loved the long shadows.

In the afternoon,

I did some gardening.

Here's that same village I showed earlier,

only in sunshine.

Well, which do you prefer?

Settling In

2011-11-24T14:00:00.000+01:00

I hope you forgive me for doing another 'doggy' post.

But looking through photos from Tuesday,

this first one made me smile,

and I couldn't resist including it in today's post.

Jess is on the right and Arthur on the left.

I don't intend turning this into a doggy blog,

(though Mike has had thoughts of doing his own dog blog).

But I know that Jess's previous owner and friends at the kennels

(do take a look at their website if you have time),

look in here to see how she's doing.

I haven't been posting regularly.

So here's a brief update.

Most days after the morning and afternoon walks,

we go to our bit of land

so the hounds can have a run round.

Jess is very playful and she enjoys running after a ball, frisbee

or other toy.

I liked the way Jess and Arthur were facing the same way

but I couldn't get close enough before they moved.

So it almost looks as though she is on top of Arthur in the photo above.

Jess was interested in someone jogging by

and ran up to the fence

and had a jolly good bark.

Well Mike is due back from the UK this afternoon.
He had another brief trip over there a week earlier.
Before he went, you could see that Jess was besotted with him.
While he was away though she followed me everywhere I went.
She's been the same this time.
She particularly likes hanging out in the kitchen with me when I'm busy.
But I think that's due to hoping she might get a tasty snack or a drink of milk.
But when Mike arrived back,
she was a bit wary of him.
Though I should explain that he was in his motor bike suit,
and he had someone else with him.
It took a while for her to get used to him again,
then he was off again.
I wonder what she'll be like when he gets back today.
I will let you know.

Foggy Starts

2011-11-17T12:00:00.000+01:00

I took these photos on Tuesday

after an early start.

Mike and I were up at

3.45 a.m.

so I could take him to the airport

for his flight to the UK.

Rufus looks as though

the early start tired him out.

It was foggy on the way to the airport,

but this eventually lifted

and we got some lovely sunshine

later in the day.

So I took the camera with me on our afternoon walk.

I tethered the dogs while I took a couple of photos.

Unfortunately, my foot got caught in one of the leads

and I fell flat on my face.

After the walk,

I took the hounds to our bit of land so they could have a run.

The next three photos show Jess and Paddy having a run together.

Rufus and Arthur seem more interested in a hole under the fence.

They were fixated on it.

Maybe they were watching for a mouse or something.

The weather has followed the same pattern since Tuesday,

foggy starts followed by sunshine.

Somehow the grey seems to be in for today though.

I have a bad back for a while

which restricts time spent at the computer.

But for some reason it's worse this week.

It's not helped by the photos not loading,

it takes an age.

Which is why it's taken until today to post this

and why I haven't been visiting everyone as I'd like to.

But I'll get there.

In the meantime,

I hope you are all enjoying a little sunshine wherever you are.

Say Hello to Jess

2011-10-14T14:11:00.002+02:00

Last Friday,

I drove to Liege in Belgium to meet Mike off a train.

He had a very special reason for me to go and meet him.

He had gone to the UK a few days earlier

to meet for the first time, and collect,

Jess,

our new greyhound.

Isn't she gorgeous?

Here she is with her 3 new brothers.

She seems to have taken a bit of a shine to Paddy.

You can see how much smaller she is.

She is settling in very well

and making herself at home.

Last night she made me laugh.

Mike was already in bed

and I was on my way to bed

when she came trotting through

and pounced on Mike's slipper.

She carried it off,

jumped on the bed,

and put it next to him,

where she had already put

one of my shoes.

Here she is on her own bed

with a bone.

We think we will be able to take her lots of places,

as she doesn't seem to mind other dogs.

She isn't too sure of loud or unusual noises yet,

but I'm sure that's only because it's all very new to her.

She even came to one of the wine festivals with us.

She has been on lots of different walks with us.

And seems to be enjoying her new life.

I'm sure you will be seeing lots more of her.

The Last of the Sunshine?

2011-10-06T17:37:00.012+02:00

Thank you for your comments on my last post.

I was so heartened by them,

especially when I've been away so long.

Up to yesterday, we had been having some glorious weather.

Though the mornings would be very misty.

But once the mist had burnt off,

the day would be transformed into

the most glorious of days.

So I thought I had better

take advantage of the good weather,

and get my bicycle out.

So I went for a couple of rides at the weekend.

Cycling is very popular here.

Of course we are in the valley

which means that the cycle routes

alongside the river remain quite flat.

These photos were taken

on the Sunday, (I think).

We've been having trouble with the camera.

I've been a bit clumsy with it,

bumping it a bit too much,

and now the batteries keep falling out,

and the date needs correcting.

I cycled along the river to Traban-Trabach

a round route of about 20 miles.

I came back on the other side of the river for part of the way.

Most of these photos were taken

when I got to Traban-Trabach.

Traban is one side of the river,

a bridge spans the river

connecting it to Trabach.

That happens a lot here along the Mosel.

Villages have hyphenated names

and are usually separated by the river.

It has been a busy time here in the vineyards.

Everyone, it seems,

has been harvesting the grapes.

Only this morning whilst out with the boys,

I passed three separate vineyards being harvested.

I have been witnessing the little tractors coming by our house,

their trailers laden with grapes,

then passing a while later, empty,

on their way back up to the vineyards for more.

I just had to stop and get off my bicycle

on my way to Traban-Trabach

to take the photo below.

Whilst I was doing that,

a like minded lady coming the other way

did the same thing.

Except, she was with her husband,

and he went cycling on ahead not realising she had stopped.

There was a festival in the market place at Traban-Trabach.

I think it's main aim was to sell food and drink.

I had a wander round

before getting back on my bicycle to ride back.

I passed this pole,

a remnant from the springtime festivities.

I thought I would include the photo below

taken in the morning,

just to show the contrast.

Unfortunately,

I think we have seen the last of the good weather now.

Today it has been raining,

for the first time in about seven weeks.

So this picture is the same colour as it is here today, grey.

But I will leave you with a sunshine picture

taken at Traban-Trabach

from the weekend.

September Sun

2011-09-30T14:14:00.001+02:00

These treasures are from my walk with the hounds.

I collected far more walnuts

the next day.

These photos have been sitting waiting

for me to post for a couple of days now.

I haven't been spending much time on the computer.

We've had people staying at different times

and the weather has been too hot to sit at the computer.

But I just had to get the camera out

to record the weather

and what the boys have been up to.

As you can see,

they're doing what they do best.

It's not often that Paddy lies on his back outside.

I think the temperature must have been just right for him.

Arthur's enjoying a spot in the sun too.

But Rufus is taking it easy on his favourite seat inside.

I took a walk round the garden

to see what's still blooming.

The sweetpeas are looking just as nice

if not better than they have all summer.

They smell lovely too.

This hollyhock was battered by the hailstones a month back,

but it's still producing large flowers.

I was surprised to see these rose blooms

as they are the first ones I've seen on this plant

which I planted earlier this year.

I think I'm good at growing

marigolds

and nasturtiums.

They grow themselves really.
I love their cheerfullness.

Well, some things don't change

do they?

I'd best stop napping

and get blogging again.

Getting back to Normal

2011-09-08T18:47:00.001+02:00

Thank you, thank you,

for all your kind words and thoughts regarding Jewel.

It has been a very sad time for us,

and your comments have meant a lot to Mike and I.

It has been a period of readjustment

of life without Jewel.

On the afternoon that Jewel died,

Mike and I were reminiscing about her,

when the wind started to blow the open window.

I got up to close it and as I looked down at the road outside,

I could see hailstones the size of golf balls,

not falling,

but catapulting into the road below.

They were coming down with such force

that Mike and I

dashed round the house

closing all the shutters on the windows.

I later mopped up a bucketful of water

from the balcony caused by the hailstones.

We later learned from friends

that not only cars had been damaged by the hailstones,

but houses too.

A few miles along the river,

the hailstones had weighed just under one kilogram,

about 1.9 lbs.

Car windscreens had been smashed,

bodywork had been dented.

But not only that,

roofs of houses had been damaged,

and in one unfortunate village,

the hailstones had caused so mush damage to the houses

that people had to be evacuated.

Some of these houses are having to be knocked down.

Added to that was the terrible hurt caused to animals,

many being killed,

and others having to be put out of their misery by vets.

It sounds unbelievable,

but we happened to take a bike ride

out that way and passed a different village

where several roofs had been covered with plastic.

We have also seen the damage done to cars.

A windscreen smashed of a car parked in our village,

and a back window covered over with plastic on a car that we followed for a while.

Our friend who has a car workshop

has been inundated with repairing windscreens.

We have never seen the like before.

Unfortunately,

that seemed to mark the change in the weather here,

which has now become cooler.

Typically,

some friends arrived on Tuesday.

I haven't been out yet,

but today looks decidedly cooler still, and dull.

September marks a busy time on the Mosel.

It's when the main wine festivals take place.

Last weekend it was Bernkastel's festival.

It is the largest in this area.

Mike and I went along on Saturday evening

to watch the fireworks.

They mark a battle which took place

when Napolean sailed up the river and fired on the castle.

The castle of course retaliated.

So the display focuses on the castle and the riverside.

It was lovely.

I heard a group of Americans saying how good it was.

The photo was taken last year

is of the castle overlooking the river.

A beautiful setting for the fireworks.

I have had to use a photo from last year

as unfortunately,

I have broken the camera,

again!

I haven't been using the computer much lately

and it will be a few days yet before I will be using it regularly.

But then I will get round to visit you all.

So in the meantime,

thank you once again for visiting

and your kind comments, they mean a lot.

Jewel

2011-08-26T19:12:00.000+02:00

Jewel

August 2003 - 26th August 2011

Day By Day

2011-08-20T16:41:00.000+02:00

Thank you for all your good wishes regarding Jewel.

Unfortunately,

she has been back to the vets

and a further X ray on a different part of her leg,

(not previously X rayed),

shows that she has bone cancer.

We are taking one day at a time

knowing that soon we will have to say goodbye to her.

Wet Garden

2011-08-07T18:15:00.000+02:00

Thank you for all your good wishes for Jewel.

We have seen an improvement in her.

She is able to make her own way up and downstairs,

she is eating better,

and generally seems more like herself.

So we are hoping that

she is recovering

and that there is no underlying cause.

Thanks also for your encouraging comments

regarding my orangy red elongated hexagons.

These photos were all taken in the garden

on Wednesday, after the rain.

I meant to post them yesterday,

but went off to a wein kirmes last night,

returning too late to write anything sensible.

Or maybe it had something to do with the amount of wine consumed.

Yesterday started off sunny and warm,

hot even.

But by midday,

the sky was very heavy,

bringing with it,

thunder and torrential rain.

It was a shame.

I had planned to go and see

the crowning of the king and queen of the wine in the next village.

But as it was due to take place in the market square,

I thought it would be a rather wet affair.

So wisely,

(as it turned out),

gave it a miss,

(I would have got soaked to the skin!)

In another nearby village,

a group of Harley Davidson bikers

have been visiting.

We could hear them

passing on their bikes all afternoon.

We felt sorry for them,

knowing that they had a run out on their bikes planned for the afternoon,

winding up somewhere for coffee and cake.

But the rain didn't seem to stop them.

We know what it's like to come to the Mosel

on motor bikes and get caught in a thunderstorm.

I remember when we visited here in 2003

(it might have been 2004),

we had to shelter in a shop doorway in Bernkastel.

I got soaked to the skin.

Once the rain stopped,

we got back on our motor bikes

only to stop and shelter under a bridge

not far from here.

Little did we know then that we would be living here now!

My sister bought me this Echinacea

last year.

But marigolds have self seeded themselves about the garden.

A bit like the one and only sunflower.

I think potatoes and tomatoes

belong to the same family.

It's easy to see why in these two photos.

The one above is a potato plant,and the one below,

a tomato.

I'm quite pleased with the tomatoes,

as they are all grown from seed.

I didn't really expect them to germinate,

so now I've got loads.

But I'm no gardener,

and so they have all been fending for themselves

and are therefore smaller than my neighbours plants.

But I'll put it down to a learning experience.

And try and do better next year.

I'm surprised to see this lupin in flower.

I sowed the seeds this spring,

so I didn't expect them to flower this year.

When I checked this morning to see if the plants were all still standing

after the deluge yesterday,

I noticed this lupin flower had turned a delicate pink.

I hope you are all in the pink this weekend!

Trial and Error

2011-08-04T22:50:00.000+02:00

It's been a bit tense here lately

as we have noticed Jewel becoming unwell.

It's difficult with animals,

they can't come and tell you that they have a pain

that won't go away.

You have to notice the signs.

What you first thought was a bit of stiffness

due to age,

a reluctance to go down stairs

or a reluctance to eat,

(she's often indifferent with food),

becomes more apparent

when instead of improving,

it gets worse.

Then you begin to fear the worst.

So today

we took Jewel to the vet.

A thorough examination

in which the vet

manipulated Jewel's limbs and joints

in what I think must at best have been uncomfortable for her,

(and yet she didn't protest),

and X rays

were inconclusive.

So now we are hoping that the anti inflammatories

that the vet prescribed for Jewel

give her some relief

and that she is soon back to her little minxy self.

Hot and Bothered

2011-08-03T18:22:00.000+02:00

Yesterday I was hot.

The thermometer on the balcony,

in the shade,

was reading 30 degrees centigrade.

Which is hot for me.

I decided to get my hexagon quilt out.

Truth be known,

it was already out,

just waiting for me to

leave the crocheting I have been doing,

and start stitching instead.

I've always thought that I tend to have

lots of projects on the go

so that :-

I don't get bored;

there is a project to suit my mood;

there's a project to suit the time (such as crochet in front of the TV);

or location (such as hand sewing to take on holiday).

I'm sure there are other reasons I could add.

But yesterday,

I realised that I have all these projects

because I can get a different one out when:-

I can't find the thread I need for the first one,

(that's the thread I ~~found~~ sorted out last week

and thought I had put in the tin with the hexagons).

Even if I did find the thread,

that I simply MUST use,

no other will do...

I can't find my sewing glasses.

When I get the next project out,

I can't decide on the layout for it.

And when I do decide on the layout,

I think,

I really do need to prewash the fabric.

In the process,

of all of this,

I come across some fabric left over from some other project,

(completed I might add),

and think,

shall I start a new project?

Do you have days like that?

In the end

I watched this bird for a while

helping himself to our plums

that aren't quite ready.

If you are interested,

you can see the right side of the quilt

from the first 4 photos here,

Just don't look at the date!

P.S. Can you tell I like hexagons?

Grey to Blue in a Day

2011-08-01T23:56:00.003+02:00

August already.

This year seems to be flying by.

Our walks with the hounds today

have taken us

above the vineyards,

through woods

and overlooking the river.

This morning we stayed on this side of the river.

It was rather grey.

But still beautiful.

In the afternoon,

we crossed the river,

and walked in the shade,

it was so hot.

The river has gone from grey to blue.

All in a day.

A Little Bit of What You Fancy.

2011-07-24T23:06:00.000+02:00

We woke to a cooler, greyer, showery day.

The sort of day

you want to stay indoors

and take it easy.

Doing a little bit of what you fancy.

Turn this...

Into this...

Hope yours was a good day,

whatever its colour.

Doggy Post

2011-07-23T16:28:00.000+02:00

As requested by Mike and Mildred,

here is Paddy peering through the flowers.

Anyway,

how could I not resist posting these today

when I couldn't include them in yesterday's post?

I think I would like to take more photos of Paddy amongst the white flowers.

White on white is rather nice.

I'm not sure he would stay still long enough though.

So following on from those photos,

I thought I would make todays post a doggy one.

Especially as Mike is missing his pups!

This morning after our walk,

I went to a small piece of land that we rent

amongst the vineyards.

We got it specially for the hounds!

Being greyhounds, they love to run,

but we can't trust them off the lead.

Well,

we have sometimes

let Rufus and Paddy off for a run along the river.

And if we have treats in our pocket,

Paddy is very well behaved

and comes back first time when called.

But there is no way

that we can let Arthur and Jewel off for a run.

Although we have on an odd occasion tried it.

Arthur tends to get himself lost in the undergrowth chasing interesting smells

and doesn't hear us when we call.

But Jewel.

She is willfull.

She stands and looks at us,

then looks at the open spaces,

and runs off,

into the distance!

The last time this happened was earlier this year.

She ran around to begin with,

then spotted some interesting looking trees and bushes,

and ran into them.

I can tell you it was a thicket,

well near to impenetrable.

She was lost for the next two hours!

Mike and I searched,

and searched.

calling her,

but to no avail.

I even scared

a wild boar

from it's hiding place

in the undergrowth

shouting for her!

Eventually,

Mike came across our friend

with her dog,

(Brenda),

with Jewel!

Brenda and Jewel are good friends.

Apparently,

Jewel had wandered to the next village.

Completely away from our village,

and not somewhere we take her.

Where,

someone had spotted her

looking through his window at him and his family eating.

So he invited her in.

And gave her a drink!

Can you imagine it?

So he phoned our friends

and asked if they knew anyone with greyhounds!

And of course they did.

So we were reunited,

eventually!

And we said,

we would never,

ever,

let Jewel off again.

So we asked around to see if there was any land going spare

that we could use for the hounds to have a run round.

Some other friends heard about this piece of land,

in fact it's next to some they own.

So we fenced it in,

and made it Jewel proof.

It was during some of the hottest weather we've had this year,

that we put in fence posts,

and attached the wire fence.

Something neither of us had done before.

It was so hot,

my shoulders got burnt,

and I rarely burn.

It was quite exhausting work.

And do the hounds appreciate it?

Well yes, I think they do.

Do they run around a lot?

Well,

no,

not really....

Rufus doing acrobatics,

Or is it gentle stretching exercises?

Jewel will often make her way to the far end,

away from all the lads.

Except that this morning,

Paddy joined her.

Arthur sometimes likes to stay close

and whine in my ear if I don't stroke him.

Looks like Jewel has moved away from Paddy.

She looks happy enough,

relaxing in the sunshine.

Who would think she was such a little minx?

Morning Walk

2011-07-22T23:23:00.001+02:00

All these photos were taken during this mornings walk.

I thought Mike might appreciate them seeing as he's missing our walks with the hounds.

Even though most of the photos are of flowers.

I took a circular route

near the top of the hill.

The grapes are getting bigger,

and there's lots of them this year.

The hounds caught an interesting scent.

It's certainly thick enough to hide an animal or two in there.

This bird caught my attention.

It's call was a 'click clack' sort of sound.

I tried to get closer but it would fly a bit further away.

I don't know what it was.

I looped the hound's leads over a post to follow it,

but it got away without me getting a decent shot of it.

Turning round,

I thought the hounds looked sweet waiting for me

amongst the flowers.

Here's Rufus.

I tried to upload more photos,

I had some of Paddy.

But Blogger had had enough.

Me too,

I'm off to bed.

The computer is acting up again.

Snapping Away

2011-07-21T22:02:00.000+02:00

This first photo

is from my walk with the hounds this morning.

Low cloud shrouded the hillsides

making the tops of the hills indistinct.

After walking the hounds

I went back for a check up with the dentist

just to make sure everything was okay.

He seems quite a jolly fellow.

He told me that there's a relation of Lord Mountbatton's in the next village!

After that,

I had a stroll around the village.

It was quiet,

you could even call it sleepy....

The image below seems to have some meaning in the village

as there is a large 3D image of it elsewhere in the village.

But as I didn't walk past it,

I forgot to take a photo.

The area we live in is mainly catholic.

These giant wreaths below

I think must be left over from Mayday.

Then I was back down at the river.

I spent a while sitting by the river watching the birds and the boats.

By which time the sun was covered by cloud and it had cooled considerably.

So I took my leave.

But thought I would leave you with this last photo which took my fancy.

A Grey Day with a Silver Lining

2011-07-20T16:22:00.000+02:00

Mike flew off to the UK

last Tuesday.

Just before he went

one of the crowns came off my tooth.

I went into a mild panic,

followed by denial.

I hate anything like that happening with my teeth.

But today I finally did something about it

and went off to find a dentist.

I took the camera with me

as before Mike left,

I told him to

check my blog daily,

that way,

he could see ~~what I was up to~~

what the weather was like here.

I also thought it would

prompt me to update my blog regularly.

Unfortunately,

I haven't been doing such a good job

with that side of things.

Well I did have a very busy week last week.

I went to a village the other side of the river

a few miles down stream,

where I found the light airy dental surgery.

It has an elevated position

and the views from the windows are lovely.

A good way to take your mind off what's happening

in the dentist chair.

However the procedure was straight forward,

and I now have the crown

back in position.

I have to go back tomorrow

to have it checked.

Hopefully, that's it sorted!

On the way back

I stopped a couple of times

to take some photos.

The following photos are of a different village on the way back to ours.

I think today has been the greyest day yet since Mike left.

In fact there was some very heavy rain earlier,

so I hope we don't get anymore of that when I walk the hounds later.

This last photo shows how closely the road follows the river.

It does that pretty much all along the river.

It crosses over the river now and then.

It's very scenic.

I had some more photos to share with you,

but Blogger doesn't seem to want to accept them.

So I'll leave well alone

in case I end up losing them all!

I'll take the camera with me again tomorrow

and hope that there is a bit of sunshine

to brighten up the pictures.

Quick, While the Sun's Out

2011-07-18T00:32:00.000+02:00

That's what I said to myself

when I looked out of the window earlier.

So I left the hounds sleeping off their dinner,

and dashed downstairs for my bicycle.

I wasn't going far,

but it was an opportunity to get a little cycling in.

I was going down to the river

where the Wein Kirmes has been taking place.

The photo above should be an indication of what a kirmes is.

Kirmes is a funfair.

It's been taking place over this weekend,

and it's been Very Noisy.

They've even been firing off cannons

on Friday and Saturday,

much to the hounds consternation.

I think the cannons must indicate the start of proceedings.

After cycling along to where it was all taking a place,

I took the first photo,

turned round,

and took this next photo...

It looks like two different days doesn't it?

Then I walked into the big marquee.

It was surprisingly busy for a Monday afternoon.

It's where most of the noise has been coming from over the weekend

in the form of music.

Outside the marquee,

and there's the obligatory-

Sausages!

There's always plenty of sausages at these events.

I liked this row of toys

that these girls were walking purposefully past.

Maybe to get to the Dodgem cars.

There were a few market stalls too.

And all next to the peaceful looking river.

And yes,

I did get caught in the rain briefly.

But the sun soon came out again.

Then I was off back home,

to the hounds,

and a cup of tea,

and a cherry bun!

This post has been sitting waiting to be finished,

(which I've just done).

It's now half past midnight,

and the music is still going on at the Kirmes!

Happy Birthday

2011-07-11T15:13:00.000+02:00

A very Happy Birthday

to my daughter today!

The above photo is probably all you'll get to see of her,

she's camera shy.

It was taken last month

on a river boat trip here on the Mosel.

I'll follow up with more photos in the week.

I meant to say in my last post

thank you for all your anniversary wishes.

We had a lovely day.

Good Intentions

2011-07-08T18:41:00.001+02:00

These photos have just been waiting

for me to sit down at the computer long enough to post them.

They are from a couple of weekends ago

when I took myself off for a bike ride.

Any bicycle ride here

naturally goes alongside the river.

Any other route would mean

climbing hills,

and I wasn't inclined to do that

as it was too hot.

Though not as hot as it's been since then.

Not long into the ride

and I stopped to listen to a band playing.

These people seemed to have the right idea,

sheltering from the sun.

I didn't cycle very far,

but took a few photos on the way.

Unfortunately the heat must have sozzled my head,

as a number of the photos

showed that I must have been holding the camera at an angle,

making the photos unusable.

The one below is straight enough,

just.

I sat for a while on a bench here,

before cycling back,

passing this sun dial showing the wrong time.

To me it reads 2 o'clock,

but it was actually

3.45.

How can that be?

Following that cycle ride,

I had intended to take the bike out regularly,

but Wimbledon

and Glastonbury came on the telly

and I watched them instead.

Good intentions....

An Anniversary

2011-06-21T14:41:00.000+02:00

Today is our wedding anniversary.

Fifteen years.

For both of us,

it's our second marriage.

The plan is to go out somewhere to celebrate.

Maybe a trip out somewhere different with the hounds.

A long walk somewhere new.

Maybe a meal out in the evening.

Or maybe just the two of us

out for a couple of hours for

coffee and cake,

somewhere local.

But as I write this on Sunday,

(I know how bad I am at posting at the moment),

the weather forecast is not looking very good.

So it might be a stay at home day.

The best sort when the weather is wet and windy.

Just have to make some nice cake

to enjoy at home

while we keep dry.

I enjoy baking.

The photo shows the flowers and card Mike gave me last year.

Gardener's World, or Spot the Presenter

2011-06-20T12:46:00.001+02:00

Watching Gardener's World Friday evening on the TV, I was reminded that I had some photos from last year that I have not shared with you. (In fact I have quite a number of photos that have not made it to this blog)!
Gardener's World is a long running BBC programme. During the summer Gardener's World and BBC Good Food programmes combine to present an exhibition at Birmingham's NEC Centre. Last year I won two VIP ticket's for it. So my sister and I went along. We had a fabulous time. The VIP tickets gave us access to a lounge where we could sit and rest our feet, and drink endless cups of tea, any time we felt in need. We had a wonderful time. I really should have told you all about it when I got back- sorry.
Well the show has been taking place these last few days, so I got my photos out from last year. A nice reminder of a wonderful day out last year. So I'll share them with you now.

With so much to see, and so many people, I was eager to make a start. We began with the show gardens. The textiles caught my eye in these first two photos.

A garden for football fans.

A garden for wildlife.

A garden for sitting in and enjoying the plants close up.

In the pink.

The next garden shows a neat way to keep your vegetable garden tidy. It was used by the BBC for the presenters to meet the public and answer questions about gardening.

Above you can see Joe Swift being presented, and below Carol Klein.

I was particularly interested to see the Good Food Halls.

Above, Andi Peters, below, James Martin.

With the VIP tickets, I got two tickets (on the front row) for Masterchef.

Above John Torode and below, Gregg Wallace.

I've included a second photo of Joe Swift, just because I like it.

Despite being so keen to see eveything to do with food, and incidentally winning the tickets through Good Food, the plants were the stars of the show for me.
Below is a garden based on Alice in Wonderland.

But the best bit was the plant hall. After seeing everything, that is where we spent most time.
Can you blame us?...

My sister bought some lovely rose bushes. I had to content myself with some Lily corms. That's all I could get in my case. They're due to flower soon.

Passing the Lake District on the way back to my sister's, there was the most fabulous, memorable sunset.
But guess what, my camera was in the boot of the car, and we were on a motorway, so no stopping.
What a beautiful end to a great day out.

In the Vineyards

2011-06-19T13:26:00.002+02:00

It's taken several goes to get these photos up.

I'm not sure whether the computer or Blogger was at fault.

In the end I haven't included all the ones I had chosen.

Never mind.

I thought you might like an update on how the vineyards are looking.

As you can see they are in full leaf now.

I enjoy walking amongst them.

I've been doing a lot of that this last week

with the hounds

while Mike has been away.

I've noticed quite a few workers in the vineyards.

I think many of them come from other countries,

Poland and other East European countries.

By the time I reached these workers

they were having a breather on the track

before continuing down the next row.

They parted to let me and the hounds through.

I suppose we were an unexpected sight,

four greyhounds being walked amongst the vineyards.

I'm not sure what the workers were doing,

probably tying the vines in.

They have grown quite rapidly

while I've been away.

Here are the beginnings of a bunch of grapes.

The area I tend to favour for walking the hounds is rich in wildlife.

Can you see the deer in this last photo?

It's got it's back to us

but has turned it's head around,

most likely to keep an eye on the hounds.

Click on the photo for a larger view.

It's in the centre.

I wish I had had the camera with me the other morning.

But walking with 4 greyhounds

and a camera isn't always that easy.

Especially when Jewel frightens any wildlife away

before I can get the camera focused.

Fortunately she didn't see the hare

hopping past us in the field,

to our left,

or the deer in the courgette field

to our right,

bounding away.

In fact none of the hounds saw them

I think they were hidden from view

with wild rose bushes and grasses.

But it was the best view I've had so far of a hare,

so close.

I haven't forgotten,

I'll be back to report on my UK trip soon.

But before that,

tomorrow in fact,

I'll have something different.

Busy Weekend

2011-05-16T21:36:00.000+02:00

Compared to our usual weekends,

this last one was busy.

For different reasons

we had visitors,

a young couple who have recently moved over here from the States,

and later another couple from Luxemburg.

It was the couple from Luxemburg that brought us the cake pictured above.

A nice gesture we thought.

His family own a Boulangerie.

Perhaps if I'd known that I wouldn't have offered them my own fruit cake,

but apparently they liked it.

The cake they brought is almond flavoured

and is cut horizontally.

It tasted really nice.

That evening, we went to a concert.

It was a local affair involving some friends of ours.

The concert was in aid of Mali.

Tomorrow, I fly over to the UK.

I am spending some time in the north east of England before travelling west to Cumbria.

I'm taking the camera, so I hope it won't rain all the time-

it usually does.

So, I will be away from the computer for a while.

But I should have some photos to share with you

on my return.

Family Portrait

2011-05-10T22:59:00.002+02:00

It has been so hot lately

that at the end of our afternoon walks,

the hounds and I

have ourselves a rest

before getting in the van for the short drive home.

They have a drink of water

and settle themselves down.

It's a nice way to finish a walk while it is so hot.

In the photo,

Arthur is sitting at the back.

It's very unusual to see any of our hounds sitting,

except for Rufus sometimes,

and then only briefly.

But I think that's the first time I've ever seen Arthur sit.

Clockwise from Arthur is Jewel

our only lady hound.

Rufus is at the front.

He's been upset by the thunder tonight

but fortunately it's stopped now,

so I can go to bed.

Paddy is the white one.

He's big for a greyhound

and he finds the weather too hot at the moment.

He will often have a lie down part way round.

It used to be difficult to get him to relax

and settle anytime we wanted to have a sit down and admire the views.

Now it's him deciding to take a break.

I'm quite pleased with this photo.

At least none of them ran off while I was taking the photos.

Maybe next time,

I can work on them looking towards the camera.

Simple Pleasures

2011-05-09T14:50:00.000+02:00

-such as enjoying the beautiful wild roses.

I noticed on our morning walk yesterday

that the wild roses are blooming.

So this morning I took the camera with me.

The Dog Rose as it is known,

is one of my favourites.

I love it for it's simplicity,

but also for the colour,

and the sweeping arching shapes of it's branches.

Elsewhere it is sometimes known by other names such as

stone rose and bird nose,

have a look on Wikipedia for more.

It's rose hips are high in vitamin C and is used to make rose-hip syrup.

I remember collecting the hips in the autumn

to take into school in Cumbria.

They were used for that very purpose.

I think there was a prize for the person collecting the most.

This rather large insect was enjoying the flowers.

They have just started to flower

so I hope they will be around for a while.

Buttercups and Blue Sky

2011-05-08T20:23:00.000+02:00

It has been another hot day here.

More like summer than spring.

So I chose to walk the hounds in the shade.

We were on the other side of the river for a change.

It affords a good view of our neighbouring village.

The church is quite distinct

even though it's in the background here.

We stopped for a rest

I think Jewel's admiring the view.

You might have to click on this last photo to see the fox in the centre.

We disturbed it while it was sunbathing.

I saw a leap of brown that I thought to be a fox,

it was only a while later that I saw it below us.

I think it was enjoying the sunshine.

Fortunately, the hounds didn't see it.

Has the sun been shining where you are today?

Swan Update

2011-05-06T12:10:00.000+02:00

Before Easter I had to have some emergency dental treatment,

I had toothache!

Yesterday I went to pay the bill.

I took my camera,

as I knew that before Easter they had this lovely little display outside the door.

I had taken my camera on an earlier visit, but the batteries had given up,

so I was hoping that it was still there.

It was!

On the way to the dentist

I stopped by to see how the swans are doing.

Obligingly she was rearranging her eggs when I arrived,

and I got a photo of them.

There's three at least.

They have their own little fan club.

This last photo shows one of the holiday cruise ships

that frequent the river.

Bernkastel seems to be one of their stops.

It's a lovely way to see the river.

I don't think the swan is very impressed with it though.

Enjoy your weekend.

Swanning Around

2011-04-25T20:58:00.000+02:00

Here are the photos I was telling you about yesterday,

even though the post is dated for today.

I took so long between starting it and posting it.

The first photo is taken just down from the swimming baths.

It just gives a different perspective of the river to the one I usually photograph.

Also the path/cycle track runs right next to the river.

A downside if you're a bit wobbly on a bicycle maybe!

This set of 5 photos shows a swan that's made it's nest

in the car park of our local town, Bernkastel.

A temporary fence has been put up between the nest and the road.

It looks quite at home don't you think.

This next photo shows you how I am spending my time on the balcony,

now that I have run out of books to read.

Crocheting.

I've just added this last photo.

All the rest I uploaded earlier today.

It takes so long, that I go off to do something else.

So they've been sitting here since this morning.

This photo was taken a short while ago when Mike and I

visited Bernkastel for an early evening stroll around the town,

and an ice cream of course.

I will have to visit the swans regularly in the hope of seeing the eggs hatch.

Maybe I should do a weekly update.

What do you think?

Funny Bunnys

2011-04-25T01:24:00.000+02:00

Just stopped by with some Easter Bunnies to wish you all a Happy, Hoppy Easter!

This morning I set off to go swimming,

only to get there and find the pool was closed.

I half expected it,

but luckily,

I took my camera with me

and stopped off a couple of times

to take some pictures before returning home.

These weren't the photos I took though!

I was just messing about with these this afternoon.

Then I had a go at putting them on Blogger.

I had trouble trying to upload some photos onto Blogger last week.

So I'm afraid I just gave up.

But I have been taking photos most days.

I haven't been spending much time on the computer lately.

For two reasons I suppose.

One, it's been very hot here.

And it seems wrong to sit inside on the computer

on beautiful, sunny hot days.

But it feels right

to sit on the balcony,

in the shade reading a book.

I've been reading 3 books since I last posted on here.

I've been engrossed with the Stieg Larsson Millenium trilogy.

It starts with 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.'

And it just took over my waking hours.

But now they're finished

and I've run out of books to read.

So I must get all those photos sorted

and start posting them on here.

Hope you all had a lovely Easter.

Fancy a Walk?

2011-04-07T23:33:00.000+02:00

As I'm on my own at the moment,

I thought you might like to join me

on this mornings walk.

As it was very misty this morning,

I waited until it had cleared

before driving up the valley.

So it was later than usual

and very warm.

I decided to seek shade where I could.

This road offered some shade for a while,

as well as being very pretty.

It was a shortish walk

to where the view opened out across the valley.

While admiring the view,

this plane flew over.

It is a regular.

Sometimes there are two of them,

and they fly quite low,

and slow.

Apparently they are training planes.

On a bit more

and we have reached the end of the track.

It used to continue,

but now they are building a new road.

So we turn round to go back down,

but not before we see a deer leaping through the bushes.

As usual, Jewel got very excited.

She would have ran after it if I hadn't had tight hold of her.

Unfortunately the deer was too quick for me with the camera.

Back near the start of our walk

we pass this hostel.

It's used by groups,

mainly young people I think.

The new road runs right behind it.

It's future is uncertain.

I think the beauty of this place

is that it feels quite isolated

without really being so.

Next we follow the road down to the left.

We pass where the van is parked

and carry on.

Admiring the trees as we go.

We take a track into the vineyards.

I stop to watch a lizard

on these old poles.

Can you see it?

It's more or less in the centre of the photo

on the end of the pole.

It's tale is hanging down.

Click on the photo for a larger view.

As I stop a moment to look at the lizard,

Jewel takes the opportunity to have a lie down.

Paddy joins her.

So I take a look at the vineyards.

They are looking very bare.

No leaves,

and little vine.

You can see the difference in these two photos

in the way that the vines are trained.

Looking below me,

I can see that the dandelions are taking hold in some of the vineyards.

Can you see the little tractor

in between the vines?

Time to go.

There's a welcome drink at the end of the walk for some.

It turned out to be another hot day today,

perhaps the hottest yet.

I noticed the thermometer reading 26 degrees centigrade in the shade this afternoon.

But there was some wind as well,

always a sign of a change in the weather.

As long as it doesn't rain tomorrow.

Sprinkles Anyone?

2011-04-06T22:19:00.000+02:00

It was an early start for us,

4 a.m. to be precise,

to get Mike to the airport for his flight to Stansted.

This afternoon

I was sitting on the balcony

missing Mike,

when the phone rang.

It was my friend

inviting me out for a bike ride

to Bernkastel,

and an ice cream when we got there.

Her 12 year old son,

and his friend

were coming too.

It was just what I needed.

Though when she said

ice cream,

I imagined an

ice cream cornet.

So what a surprise

when we sat down to these.

What a delight.

The bike ride was good too!

Going Barefoot

2011-04-03T23:52:00.001+02:00

This is the weather we woke up to yesterday.

Mike was disappointed as it was forecast for

beautiful sunny warm weather.

I took these on our morning walk with the hounds.

But look at it an hour later.

This is taken from our window.

The forecast was correct.

Later when I was at the computer,

I heard a familiar noise.

For some reason,

this little Blue Tit keeps coming to this window

and flying at it as though it wants to come in.

It doesn't appear to be looking for insects.

Sometimes he sits on the windowsill

and looks in.

In the afternoon

I went into the garden and

took some photos.

It was too hot to do anything else.

I planted these tulips last year.

Unfortunately,

all the sunny weather

has brought out the dandelions.

It's amazing how quickly they flower.

There was only about 3 in flower the previous day.

I did manage to put some pansies in a window box.

Before collapsing back inside with a cup of tea.

A pick-me-up

before walking the hounds with Mike.

There's patches of white blossom

across the hillsides.

Is it wild plum do you think?

We kept our walk short as it was so hot

and tried to stay in the woods

which offered some shade.

It was 24 degrees centigrade on the balcony

when I looked earlier.

It was all too much for Jewel

who just had to lie down

while waiting for Mike to take

the boy's collars off.

Once back home,
I had a shower to cool off,
and then went barefoot
for the rest of the afternoon/evening.

Today,
it has been raining!

Pollen Paddy

2011-04-02T13:21:00.000+02:00

Pussy Willows.

Aren't they lovely?

There have lots of them here in the valley

for the last few weeks.

I think Paddy likes them too.

Looks as though he has been nosying around in them.

Not sure how he reached them though.

I don't think he likes having his photo taken.

Not close ups anyway.

The sun is shining here after a very misty start.

Hope the sun is shining for you.

Have a great weekend.

River Reflections

2011-04-01T20:39:00.001+02:00

These photos were taken on two separate occasions

just a couple of days apart.

Of course we were out with the hounds on both occasions.

Can you see the sundial on the far side of the river?

I liked the look of this truck

with it's reflection.

The river is so still.

Unlike here, where Jewel is doing her usual mad splashing in the water.

Here's a barge heading our way.

Jewel's keeping her eye on it.

The hounds aren't usually bothered about the barges,

except once they've passed,

and the bow wave comes

and splashes us if we don't move.

Either way, it often makes a lot of noise as it runs

along the banks.

Arthur gets excited when this happens.

Maybe he doesn't see what's happening so well.

I especially like to walk down by the river

when there's no wind.

That's when the reflections are at their best.

A Little Oasis

2011-03-31T11:21:00.001+02:00

My blog has been looking a little dull of late.

I do so like to have photos on each of my posts.

And I've missed not being able to share them with you.

Especially now that spring is underway,

though you wouldn't know it today,

as it's dull and rainy.

But not to worry as I have some springlike photos

tucked away just waiting to be aired.

But before I do,

I'd just like to thank you all

for sticking with me through these sporadic blogging months,

and welcome new readers and followers.

It's lovely to have you all here!

Now that I've upgraded my account on Blogger,

and found a way to download photos from the camera

onto the computer,

in a roundabout manner,

I hope to be here on a more regular basis.

After all

there's so much to share,

and I miss not being in touch with you.

Back to the spring like photos...

These were taken about a week ago

on the way back from a walk with the hounds.

It's become our practice to drive above the village each afternoon

with the hounds.

It gives us lovely views over the valley

and new smells for the hounds.

The photos you see here

were taken on the way back down the valley after one of these walks.

I'd been admiring one of the trees which is laden with blossom.

I asked Mike to pull over so I could capture it.

There are a number of areas throughout the vineyards

which invite you to stop

and take in the view.

Sometimes it's just a clearing overlooking the valley,

sometimes a bench,

sometimes a bench with a telescope for you to get a closer look.

Sometimes,

a chapel.

The area pictured here is larger than most,

with tables, chairs,

water on tap,

and an interpretation board.

It is a popular place for people to sit or stand.

Each day as we passed last week,

there was always someone there.

Except for when I took these photos.

A little oasis.

Mad March Hares

2011-03-28T22:03:00.000+02:00

After more than a week of lovely sunny weather,
it started raining as I came back after dropping Mike at the airport yesterday.
Typical, I thought,
it always rains when he goes away.
It's not pleasant walking 4 dogs in the rain, day after day on my own.
However, the sun came out later.
And this morning,
it was even brighter.

In fact it was a beautiful morning,
full of promise.
Unfortunately, as I started off on the walk,
I noticed a herd of sheep a bit further on,
so did the hounds.
They were not in a field, but loose,
and I couldn't be sure how the hounds would react.
So I turned round to take a different route.
Only to see a hare,
followed by another hare,
chasing each other around,
seemingly oblivious of our presence.
At one point they even ran towards us.
That was time to turn around again
and try yet a different route.

Greyhounds are trained to chase after
small furry animals.
That's all they want to do when they see one.
A switch goes off in their brain,
and they are not aware of anything else.
They are fully focused on the movement.

Rufus was very interested,
Jewel was too,
and for once she didn't bark.
I'm not sure whether Paddy saw them,
he's often on a different wavelenght to the other hounds.
But Arthur didn't see them at all,
he has poor eyesight.
But I needed to take evasive action,
before Jewel started barking
and got the others excited,
and I got dragged along behind them all!

So we went off in yet another direction.
Luckily there's lots of routes to choose from.
However further along,
a deer ran across the road.
The hounds all spotted it this time,
it was difficult not too.
But maybe our training is having an affect,
they all remained quiet.
Or maybe it was the earlier start.
Maybe they haven't quite got used to the clocks going forward an hour at the weekend.
I think the wildlife isn't used to it either.
I wonder what we'll see tomorrow.

I did manage to take some photos,
though not of the hares,
or the deer,
too quick!

We're still having problems with the computer.
and despite Mike showing me an alternative way to download photos,
I seem to have forgotten.
But I have managed to resize a photo from 5 days ago, that he downloaded before he left,
and I've managed to post that to Blogger.

It's taken from our balcony
early evening.
I was attracted by the lines the jets make
leaving their traces in the sky.

So I will continue to take photos,
and maybe try again to download them onto the computer.
If I can't manage that,
I will look through photos already on the computer,
and start posting them,
now that I can post to Blogger.
Unfortunately,
I think the carnival photos are on the other computer,
which isn't connecting to the internet!

Ahh well,
I'll try again tomorrow.

Swimmingly

2011-03-17T11:05:00.001+01:00

On Sunday I went swimming.
I usually go with a friend,
but she was busy celebrating her father's birthday in Dortmund
on a tram!
So I went alone.

It's good to see youngsters enjoying themselves
and being confident in the water.
I didn't learn to swim until I was 18.
It's also interesting to see the difference in cultures when living abroad.
And I think I notice some interesting differences
between the English and German cultures during my swimming trips.
I've often commented to my friend
the casual approach to water safety that they seem to have at the pool.
For instance,
Not once did a pool attendant come onto the pool side.
There was one I noticed sat behind some glass, observing,
but often I don't even see that.
I don't think it's that they have a casual approach to safety,
more that the resposibility is given to the individual.
Parents are expected to be resposible for their children
and children learn that difficult concept of taking resposibility for themselves.

A child of maybe four years of age was enjoying jumping off a diving board.
It was about one metre above the water.
He was clearly enjoying it,
even jumping off backwards,
and doing it all in an orderly manner.
Not running,
not shouting,
or screaming,
and checking that no one was underneath him in the water.
His father was in the pool,
watching him closely and commenting from time to time.
I don't think the boy could swim.
He was wearing something to keep him afloat.
It's not unusual to see children wearing float belts,
swimming in the deep end,
and diving off the boards,
but always accompanied and supported
by a parent.
What I found more unusual on Sunday,
was when this boy's older brother,
maybe seven or eight years old,
took it upon himself to put the chain across the metre high board
and take down the notice on the 3.55 metre high board
and proceed to climb the steps,
followed by his younger brother.
At this point, the father came in close to where the boys were,
though he remained in the pool.
In fact he only got out and went to his son,
when the boy realised his mistake in taking on something so big.
His father went up the steps and carried him down,
quietly.
The boy then reconsidered,
and decided he did want to try.
So the father went up with the boy,
and together they stood on the board,
and watched as the older brother jumped.
The father then waited while the younger boy eventually jumped off
this very high board,
then the father jumped, once his young son had got to the side of the pool.
The boy clearly enjoyed the experience
as he continued to climb up the steps and jump off by himself after that.

My experience of pools in England are generally that;
there are always,
always at least one pool attendant on duty
on the pool side, at all times.
Always ready to take charge,
stop any child wearing swimming aids,
who dares to go past the non-swimmers imaginery line,
with or without a responsible adult in attendance.
Diving boards are separate from the general swimming area.
On Sunday, it was the resposibility of the divers,
(and swimmers),
to make sure no one dived onto a swimmer.
In England the diving board would be regulated as to when it could be used.
Also pools are generally much noisier in England
in a negative way,
with a lot of shouting.

Having lived abroad now for a few years,
it's interesting to note these cultural differences.

I just wish I'd have the nerve
to make that leap into the water.

Dozing

2011-03-16T08:46:00.000+01:00

After a misty start,
as forecast,
yesterday turned into a beautiful,
sunny,
warm day,
It was above 20 degrees centigrade in the shade.
So what did we do?
Did we go out for a ride on the motor bikes?
No.
Did we take the hounds for a walk somewhere new?
No
Did we eat cake on the balcony?
No.

I dug the garden
and Mike put up a fence.
All hot work,
on a hot day.

But I did sit on the balcony afterwards.
And as I looked through the seeds
waiting to be sown,
thinking ahead to the beautiful garden we shall have,
if we ever get the garden dug over!
I dozed off for a while.
What a lovely feeling.
So I did get to enjoy the warm weather on the balcony
after all.
But only after some hot work beforehand.

The Difference Between Men & Women

2011-03-12T10:44:00.000+01:00

It's a lovely morning here,
probably the nicest we've had here so far this year.
I even left my jacket off when walking the dogs earlier.

Mike said it is forecast to be 18 degrees centigrade on Tuesday.
I said we should plan something to make the most of it.
Perhaps chose a destination for a nice walk with the dogs.
Somewhere new to us, where we haven't been before.
Or perhaps tidy up the balcony,
and I'll make some cake,
and we can sit out on the balcony enjoying the sunshine whilst having tea and cake.

Mike said,
'How about a ride out on the motor bikes?'

Carnival Time

2011-03-07T13:22:00.001+01:00

It's carnival time here otherwise known as Fastnacht.
On Saturday I went to watch two processions.
Otherwise known as umzug.
Normally I would have some photos to share with you,
and indeed I was sorting through them last night for that very reason.
But, I need to upgrade my account with Blogger
before I can post more photos to my blog.
And I do so like to have photos on my blog.

I believe the carnival celebrations are to celebrate the coming of spring.
Our village has it's umzug today at eleven minutes past three.
So Mike and I will go along.
It's a great time for the children as each float that passes throws out sweets for the children.
The adults don't do too badly either.
On Saturday, I was given two cupfuls of gluwein and two cupfuls of wine.
It was a wonder I managed to stagger back home.

In the evening, Mike and I went together to an evening umzug across the river.
Friends had invited us to go along with them.
It had a great atmoshere.
I had decided not to have anything to drink,
but it was so cold,
I initially had some gluwein
and then because I was stood up on a bank behind everyone else,
(in order to take photos),
Mike and the others kept passing more gluwein back to me, wine and even schnapps!
It is just given out to people as they watch the procession.
I must admit,
I slept in later than usual on the Sunday,
and even missed my swimming with my friend,
though she didn't go either.

So this afternoon,
I will take along the camera
and take some more photos,
and hopefully get them onto the blog soon.

I have missed blogging
and need to get back to it.

You can see my posting about the same celebrations in our village last year here @ http://bunmountain.blogspot.com/2010/02/winter-frivolities.html (not sure why the link isn't working properly.

I hope to be back with some photos soon.
Till then, I hope the sun is shining where you are.

Prosit Neu Jahr

2011-01-12T14:49:00.002+01:00

DSCF5084
Originally uploaded by Bun Mountain Cottage

Happy New Year.
If a bit belated,.
We are experiencing problems with our computer.

Happy Christmas

2010-12-25T00:51:00.000+01:00

Wishing you a very

Happy Christmas!

Proper Snow at Last

2010-12-09T00:35:00.000+01:00

I've been watching all the snow reports from the UK

and hoping that Mike would make it back okay,

which he did.

Thank goodness!

Yesterday we took a walk along the river as usual

and saw that the level of the river was high.

It was raining steady, and what snow we had

was thawing.

Today when we took our usual route to the river,

we found our path flooded.

Not only the path

but a large expanse of area

was under water.

I've shown the view below before

when people have been waiting for a boat.

Now I know why the benches, bins and playground are removed over winter!

Last night,

it snowed properly,

making everything very pretty.

So after the hounds had finished their walk,

I went back out and had a walk through the allotments near to our house.

And snapped away.

Well I had been missing out on all that snow

everyone has been experiencing in the UK.

I wonder what tomorrow will bring?