Hobbies and Crafts

Hello Vera.... how lovely to read about your special holiday in Russia. It is sure to be one to remember forever for you ad your OH. Enjoy every moment, both of you.

Are you off on your travels then Ann? If so I hope you two will enjoy yourselves.

Jane are you cleaning up after Thomas and his latest hunting feast? Uggghhh.

It is looking good here since Damian blocked up the hole in the garage wall and we
cleared and swept the garage floor.. NO MICE...... shhh.... I have yet to check today

Sounds like a wonderful start to your trip Vera :-D Shame about the rain .
I won'tbe able to see any further posts for a few days as we are away for a family wedding.

No mice .....Brilliant news Kandj :-D :-D

Hope the wedding goes well Jane.

Wow!! good news Kandj, no mice, fingers crossed they stay away.

Vera, it all sounds fascinating but not the cold and rain. Look forward to hearing more.

We fly this evening to tenerife 19.15 flight so a very late arrival. Hope our weather is better than vera's. Hope to be on line when we are there. :-) :-) :-)

Have a happy weekend at your family wedding Jane. Safe travels on the road.

Thanks for sharing your Russian holiday adventures with us Vera. Very interesting.

Ann, I hope you and your OH have a good flight and enjoy yourselves in Tenerife.

Seems like with Damian blocking up the hole in the garage wall our mice infestation has ended...... HUGE RELIEF...... 23 dead mice in one month hasn't endeared me towards these little creatures. I still DON'T LIKE MICE and hope they won't return!!

I hope that your wedding went well Jane and that everyone had an enjoyable time.

Kandj, a big thumbs up for being mouse free. I hope it stays that way for you.

What's the weather like in Tenerife Ann? We have had no more rain and several bright sunny days but there is a cold wind and it definitely feels like autumn. We have spent a couple of days each in Suzdal and Vladimir and then moved on to St Petersburg.

We did the Vladimir to St Petersburg trip by overnight sleeper train. That was an experience :-D. First time I have had a plate of bulgar wheat with meat in a tomato like sauce, followed by a plate of cheese slices for breakfast :-S

I had a bit of a shock when I saw our guide here for the first time - hair died bright red, a silver ring in one ear and a pink crochet shoulder bag. You are probably thinking she doesn't sound too bad, except she is a HE, and he is the most charming, knowledgeable young man with near perfect English. He knows St Petersburg inside out and we have learnt so much about Russian history, art and architecture from him and, an added bonus, he has a lovely sense of humour. Yesterday we had a general city tour, today he took us to the Hermitage and tomorrow we are going to Tsarskoe Selo with him. Just shows you shouldn't go by appearances.

The cherry on the cake is that yesterday we heard that our archer grandson has been selected to represent GB at the World Youth Championship in Argentina in October. Next stop Olympics?

Nothing to add about the wildlife here as we have only seen the usual selection of city birds.

Vera, very windy here but a warm wind, about 28 degrees today, it has been around 30, no rain although some forecast for Monday.
It sounds as if you are having a great time, a lot to take in by the sound of it, have you collected lots of booklets to read at home? That is what I found we had to do with one of our American tours, there was so much to learn about the different American Indians and how they lived.

Not much to learn about here except how much people on all inclusive can eat and drink.
We have just been watching the waves, the wind is roughing up the sea and the waves are high over the rocks.
Enjoy the rest of your stay Vera, when do yo return home?

So Tenerife is lovely and hot Ann. It is getting a bit cooler here now but still warm enough for me :-) Looks like we could be in for a bit of a wet weekend though.

Vera ,you do sound as though you are having just the best time !! .Not sure I would have fancied your breakfast though. Maybe for lunch :-D
Your Guide sounded like he was quite a character :-D :-D

My Nephews wedding was just amazing.In an Oak Grove and the sun shone all day.Evening got a tad chilly but there were plenty of shawls for anyone who needed them. Flip Flops too for the ladies who had to kick off high heels :-D. Just the best day ever. I can't tell you how many tissues we all got through during the ceremony and then the speeches. I think my OH was the worst one for tears !!!!(and that is not like him). My little Gt Nephews and Niece were wrapped up in shawls and went to sleep on Hay Bales in the evening when they were totally exhausted :-D
The toilets were in converted Horse Boxes :-D. Full plumbing and all very plush. The biggest problem was walking back down the ramp LOL

Had a rather wet day yesterday so we didn't spend as long in tha gardens at Tsarkoe Selo as planned, but we did see a cheeky little red squirrel who ran up the leg of a lady standing near us, much to her surprise. It then leapt off and started showing off bounding in and out of the trees and running round us. It didn't stay still for more than a second or two but OH managed to get a couple of photos.

Yes Ann we have collected maps, booklets, postcards etc and have bought 2 nice books with beautiful pictures as there were some places where photography wasn't allowed.

Car is coming to collect us at midday to take us to the airport and we really don't want to come back yet. And wouldn't you know it..........today is bright, sunny and a bit warmer........ideal exploring weather. Oh well, back to reality.

Can't believe you are on the way home already Vera !!!. It sounds like you have both had an amazing trip :-D :-D You may already be home now. I hope you had a good flight.

Vera, your holiday sounds as if it was all that you both wanted it to be. You will both relive the experiences through the books when you get back home. Have a good flight

Enjoy your time in Tenerife Ann. It is much better weather than we are having here.

Jane, I'm really pleased that your nephew's wedding isn't taking place tomorrow as I think it is forecast to be a generally wet weekend.

Pleased the wedding entry off well Jane, it sounds lovely. Vera, home already, time does fly when we are on holiday but you certainly packed a lot in and will no doubt be re-living it all through photos etc.

Kandj it is still about 27 in the day here, windy but very pleasant. We have four days left after today, no doubt they will soon go.

Last night and today we have been watching a small fleet of decorated fispshing boats out in the bay, part of the fiesta at the fishing village opposite.

I haven't seen any birds in the garden since we came back, even though I have filled up all the feeders. I think a fortnight without food has convinced them that Vera's Hotel has closed down and they have moved elsewhere. Hopefully they will reappear at some stage.

Of course, if they try to visit today they will be blown straight across the garden and probably into the next county :-D

They will be back soon Vera :-D :-D.. They just don't know you are home yet :-D
I expect your holiday seems a lifetime ago now. It sounded such a wonderful trip.
We haven't anything planned yet for next year.But will be booking a week in Annecy in France probably in May before it gets too hot.
How is Tenerife Ann? Still hot?

Around 26 degrees Jane but actually here right by the Atlantic the wind has strengthened again which cools it down a bit. All packed now ready to go home tomorrow, I will miss the lovely temperatures and the sound of the sea.

Make the most of the temperatures Ann. It's cool, windy and raining again here.

My son and dil were due to fly to Florida today to visit with her other in-laws (her first husband's family, she was a widow when she married my son). Of course they have been unable to go but they have heard that her sister-in-law's house has been flooded and they had to move out in the middle of the night and her other in-laws have roof damage. But thankfully they are all safe.

The feeders are still full after a few days but today we saw two little bluetits visit the fat balls. They didn't stay but at least they know there is food there now. :-D

Are you still mice free Kandj?

Well we got home at 9pm last night. Journey was fine, flight on time but Birmingham Baggage handlers (Swissport) lived up to their atrocious reputation and we had to wait an hour for our baggage to come up to the baggage area, meanwhile we think it had been sitting in the rain. We then had a drive home partly in rain, in the dark when we had hoped to be driving at least in twilight. Still we did it and traffic on the M5 was reasonable. Today has been shopping, unpacking, sorting out bits and pieces from travelling (sun cream etc) and two loads of washing, probably another two to do, and preparing a meal for tonight which comes hard after two weeks of restaurant meals.. OH's way of unpacking is to tip most of the clothes into the washing bin and to give me any of the other bits on the premise he 'doesn't know where they go!'.

Vera, at least it is sunny here today if nor very warm, warm enough indoors though and I am still in a short sleeved T shirt. We thought we would have lost all our birds but there is some seed left and the blue and great tits were very busy along with a couple of sparrows eating it this morning. :-) :-)

Vera thank goodness the famly were safe in Florida but so sad that the house was flooded and they had to be evacuated.

Ann welcome back :-). I remember some years ago at some airport our cases were so wet !!! and like yours probably been left out in the rain on those baggage trucks.
Ha! OH naughty boy just tipping everything out and pretending he doesn't know where everything else goes. We have our own cases so he does his and me mine. OH unpacks straight away whereas I tend to still be doing it days later LOL .Just the dirty washing gets sorted immediately .
We are off to Suffolk in a few days for a short break so it is just the one case.I say one case.But I will no doubt have another couple of bags stuffed full of things I probably won't need .At least it can all just go in the car.I will be taking my pillow too :-D

The birds must be pretty wet today after an afternoon of really heavy showers. The window feeder is just starting to get busy again now.

Know what you mean Ann about having to prepare and cook meals again after being away. Horrible isn't it :-S I do enjoy having my meals cooked, served up, and cleared away
:-D :-D

Welcome back Ann. Glad your weather is OK. Cold and grey here again with heavy rain on and off since about midday. I've almost forgotten what sun looks like. Are you sure you want to come to Suffolk Jane? This is normally a dry county but not this year. I keep complaining about being cold and OH offers to put the central heating on but I keep thinking we might get an Indian summer. We've got underfloor heating and, once it goes on, it stays on till next spring/summer so I don't want it to go on too early.

I'm also very jealous of you both having OHs who can pack and unpack. I generally have to do it for both of us. I always mix our stuff up since the time that OH went to Sweden and his suitcase went to India. It arrived at his hotel in Sweden a week later just as he was getting in the taxi back to the airport to come home. I do sometimes wonder what customs or security would think if he was asked to open his case and out came some of my underwear and tops!

What part of Suffolk are you going to Jane?

Not many birds again today but there have been three or four bluetits and a robin.

Vera we are staying at The Crown and Castle Orford.OH loves this part of Suffolk,with Aldeburgh ,Snape Maltings and Southwold to visit.We have stayed twice before in Aldeburgh .I just can't wait to get to the coast :-D :-D.. No matter the weather .I want the smell of the sea and the sea air :-D :-D.. I miss that so much after growing up in Plymouth and now living so far away from the sea .

Good to know that Vera and Ann are back home safely after their travels. It is so many years since we went abroad I have forgotten what an airport looks like, but we plod on here happy enough to watch the comings and goings of folk on TV and outside too as our lounge window looks out on to the road.

Ann, I'm sure that you both will soon be out in your garden tidying things up there.

Vera, what a relief to hear your daughter in law's ex in laws have survived in Florida.

Jane, I imagine you are looking forward to your little break away in Suffolk. Enjoy it!

Whilst tidying up in the kitchen I have been amused earlier watching the antics of two magpies on a neighbours roof. There has only ever been one magpie around for months, I'm relieved to actually see two today........ "two for joy" ha ha.