Saturday 6 May 2017

Five April Things

Hello, thank you for your patience and your kind comments.  You lot are bloomin' lovely.  It's all still rumbling on and I am putting one foot in front of the other every day.  Last weekend we went to North Yorkshire, a hospice visit to one of my two remaining aunts.  The week has flown by since then but I was keen to join Five on Friday this week as I haven't been able to join in since Tricky Wolf began hosting.  Easter might seem a long way back now but it's really only a fortnight since the new school term began.  We had a good break, a mixture of chores, relaxation and outings, including our trip to London, so here are five things we did during the holidays.
 
1.  Llangollen
 
On the spur of the moment the Best Beloved and I drove to Llangollen one sunny afternoon and took a trip on the canal in a horse-drawn boat.  It took about twenty-five minutes for Harley to pull us a mile down the towpath, a lovely, gentle journey past leafy trees and flower-filled gardens accompanied by a family of ducklings and the steady clip-clop of Harley's hooves.  It was impossible not to slow down mentally and relax.  Then we glided back to the wharf and ate ice creams in the sunshine.  I still feel a bit strange doing this kind of thing without our girls, and a teeny bit guilty, but I am learning how to have fun without them.  (Oh, and in case you were wondering, it's pronounced Clan-goth-len.)

 
 
2.  The Long Mynd
 
The Mathematician flew home for a few days and we took her over to the Long Mynd to remind her that while Guernsey may have beautiful beaches, Shropshire has stunning scenery too.  A blue sky with cotton-wool clouds perfectly set off the greens and golds but my goodness, it was windy up there.

 
 3.  Jesus Christ Superstar
 
It has become our family tradition to watch this film, the 2000 version, on Good Friday, preferably whilst eating a gazillion hot cross buns.  I have a video copy, yes, old-fashioned VHS, and I am probably the only person I know who still has a video recorder on which to play it.  Well, if I didn't have the machine, I wouldn't be able to watch the film, would I?  Last year we were a little worried that the video might be wearing out as it was a bit shaky in places so this year, I bit the bullet and bought a DVD copy; it was like watching a different film!  The quality of the images was amazing.  I wept buckets.  (There were not enough hot cross buns, an epic failure on the part of the Best Beloved, who will now have to wait a whole year to redeem himself.)

 
 4.  Pistyll Rhaeadr
 
(Try this: Pistith Rye-adder).  Pistyll Rhaeadr is the tallest waterfall in Wales and taller than any waterfall in England.  We have been going there for more than twenty years and this was the first time we have been without any children.  Many memories surfaced of happy, sunny picnics and splashing in the water.  This visit was different but it's a special place which, as usual, worked its magic upon me and it probably deserves a blogpost of its own but in the meantime, here it is.
 
 
5.  Crochet
 
I have been spending a lot of time in the passenger seat of a car recently so I have been using that time to learn to crochet.  I know that some of you are very skilled in this art but I only started learning last year so I am delighted with this, the beginnings of a rainbow blanket for a baby due next month. 

 
So that, with a trip to London and a fair bit of gardening, was our Easter holiday.  Thank you to Tricky and Carly at F.A.S.T. for hosting Five on Friday - if you have time, gentle reader, please hop over there and see what everyone else is sharing this week.
 
I shall be back here on Tuesday with another post.  I know that's terribly definite, but 9th May is a very definite date. 
 
See you then.
 
Love, Mrs Tiggywinkle  x



 
 
 

22 comments:

  1. Mrs. T, you do indeed have some beautiful skies and some lovely scenery in your area. Your crocheting is much better than mine ever was. You make me want to learn all over again.

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  2. I enjoyed your five on Friday. Just stopped by to see how you are doing. It sounds like you have been having a challenging time lately. Glad you found time to stop and enjoy the scenery. Take care x

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    1. Thanks Marie, I miss your posts. It's certainly been a tough time but I can see light on the horizon now. You take care, too. x

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  3. OOh Well done on the crochet, it is looking good. Excited about seeing that. I am making a baby blanket at the moment too. Jo x

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    1. Well Jo I think we know that your blanket is bound to be a thing of great beauty whereas mine is very simple trebles. Thanks for your encouragement, I plan to share once it's complete. x

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  4. A good five, Thai you for the Welch pronunciations. Never too l ate to learn to crochet, that's such a pretty color. I like you trading of watch Jesus Christ SuperStar.

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    1. I think it's a great film, Janet, but this version is quite raw and harrowing. It leaves me in pieces! x

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  5. I have never seen Jesus Christ Superstar! I think I might be missing out :-)
    Crochet is good for the car, isn't it? Less treacherous than knitting needles! Have a good weekend. x

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    1. Definitely less treacherous than knitting and less chance of losing a needle down the side of the car seat! JCS is fabulous but this version is definitely not for the under-12s, it's a bit graphic and very powerful. x

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  6. I too take crochet on long car journeys. Take a look if you like -
    http://hooksandneedles68.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/easter-holiday.html
    I've not seen your film choice before. We're still trying to watch The Passion, which is on an old VHS. It needs a strong stomach, which I just don't have. Enjoy the week. Cathy x

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    1. Cathy, your crochet is fab! At the moment all I can do is trebles and doubles, backwards and forwards in straight lines, but I have aspirations. x

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  7. Life sure is different when the kids fly the coop. You have some lovely spots to visit in your corner of the world. I do love the great outdoors! Congrats on crocheting! I take it everywhere I go so waiting and traveling is never a chore. :) We still have two VHS players here, though we don't use them anymore, but my boys always enjoyed watching some of their favorite videos over and over again.

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    1. My children loved the Disney videos, especially when they were ill, but now they have dvds I suppose I could actually get rid of the player. Your crochet work is lovely, Tammy. I am still practising. x

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  8. It sounds like you've had a splendid time and your crochet is coming along wonderfully. See you Tuesday.

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    1. Thanks Karen - one day I might be almost as good as you at crochet. I've been reading your posts but not commenting as I can't stay on your blog for long enough to comment without it sending my laptop doolally. It's very odd. x

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  9. The crochet is looking wonderful, well done. It was a joy to visit and see those beautiful scenes. It does get easier having trips out without the family. Such a lovely Easter tradition.

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    1. Oh thank you for your encouragement, you are so kind. My scenes may be beautiful but you have sea! x

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  10. I loved Llangollen when we visited a while ago and would like to go back and see more of that part of Wales. The trip by horse-drawn boat on a canal sounds special as does the time by the waterfall. Shropshire must be a beautiful county especially looking across the countryside from high on a hill.

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    1. I am passionate about the Shropshire countryside but Wales is lovely, too. There's quite a lot to see in Llangollen for such a small town, we've been going there for years and it never palls. x

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  11. What a busy Easter, I have just moved to an new city and country and there is a group called the Empty nesters who get together for lunch every Friday which is perfect for our first move without our kids and me being a wren and all that , haha! So I know how you feel!!
    Wren x

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    1. What a lovely idea! It certainly takes some adjustment. My little bird has one year left at university and then I think she will fly for good, which will feel very strange. x

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