Umm. Hello...

Well, I am still here.  And shamefully I realise it's over 12 months since I last posted.

Still summer begins today, and what a glorious day it is to dust this blog off and start again!  No photos today, but there's cricket to come in a couple of weeks and then a fortnight of lovely laziness in Westward Ho!

Spring on the Western Front

The maddest of mad ideas - a day trip to Belgium!

We left home with a glimmer of light in the eastern sky and after breakfast in the tunnel were in Calais before 9.30am!  A quick whizz round Carrefour and we had some munchies for lunch, and all those essentials that are so much better value in France.  Another hour and we were on the outskirts of Ypres.

So different in the Springtime.  What would have been a bleak place ten weeks ago, was now pretty and peaceful.



The daffodils were gone, but tulips and irises had taken their place.





All around was colour and softness





Too soon it was time to head back to Ypres for fantastic steak, salad and frites followed by pancakes - tell me, what is wrong with jam and cream?!

Tired (15,000 steps), wind and sun burned we headed back to Blighty - planning our next trip as we went.

Peace & Quiet on the Western Front

Four people, four days, 34 cemeteries and many thousands of graves.

Large cemeteries with thousands of graves


or small ones with only a handful - it's hard to say which are more moving.


Row after row of identical stones.


Graves of those who were decorated for their bravery


And graves of those whose punishment needed its own kind of bravery.


The Cross of Sacrifice with the downturned sword showing the battle is over.


And the Stone of Remembrance whose inscription says it all.


And still we've only scratched the surface - we've not even finished Ypres yet.  Our journey of remembrance has some distance to go.

Spring Offensive

At long last I can feel the spring is coming!  Waiting for the train this evening, it was light!  The air was much milder, the sun was poking through - and my spirits lifted!

And we're off on a sortie next week - Wilf and me, Gladys and Ernie are off to Ypres to carry on with our battlefield tour.  Dispatches to follow.

Snow Fest

So much snow!  It just doesn't seem to have stopped this week!  This was Tuesday evening



By Thursday we had a whole heap more



My poor rosemary bush was drooping under the weight!



The ruler doesn't lie!



But, by Friday it was even worse.  We woke up to nearly as much again!



The road was only just passable





Eventually the sky cleared and the sun set in a blaze of glory.  And the whole jolly lot froze!!!

Did someone mention Christmas?

Well, the past three weeks have passed in a blur of tissues, cough medicine and Christmas decorations.  Tissues and medicine are shelved, decos are still twinkling.

Talking of twinkling - we had a bit of a Christmas market fest.  First Bath (check out the ghostly lady!)



Then Lincoln.



Both were full of people and extremely cold - actually, Lincoln was more than full and much more than cold!

Somehow in amongst all this we've managed to get plenty of Christmas shopping done - and stuck to the budget.  Tomorrow is set aside for the turkey and the last few stocking fillers, then it's done!  

Back to Blighty!

Well, we're back.  And it's cold!!!  And dark!!!!!  And Christmas is in four weeks time.  Yikes!  Somehow I thought we'd be coming back to early summer here.  But evidently I was wrong!

Jet lag abounds, but we're being stoically English and soldiering on regardless, though I haven't got the composure to post anything sensible today.  You might have to wait a few days for any sense to come out of here!