chop em off and munch em up...

I had a little big nut tree now it's not so big.

 I've been busy "making hay while the sun shines" this week.  I've done all the heavy pruning of all our fruit trees which should really be done over winter but "needs must" and they've had a haircut now.  It was getting beyond a joke cutting the grass underneath them they branches scraping my delicate young skin every time I went near the trees.  So it was a case of "off with their heads" and the old chain saw was brought into action.

Apple, pear, plum and another hazel nut trimmed.

It's ideal little electric chain saw which I bought in Greece maybe five or six years ago now to get fire wood sorted for winter.  I brought it back to the UK with us when we moved onto the yacht.  It has done very little little since it migrated countries but has now once again paid for itself.

The big green thing in the picture is one of our shredders, we have three, this will handle branches up to about as thick as a ladies wrist so is ideal for this job.

The mulch mountain is useful for later though.

All in all I have now got six or seven cubic meters of chippings which once allowed to die of completely can be used as a mulch to suppress weeds on the rest of the garden.  You could put them on the ground straight away but as they decay they will take nitrogen from the soil and thus rob existing planting of necessary food.

Finley (green) awaits the baton getting to him.

Today was Finley's sports day at school, the strange thing is he actually wanted me to go with his dad to see him.  I would have thought that Sandra would have been the chosen replacement for mum but no, I feel honoured.  Anyway the adults who looked after about two hundred kids all afternoon have my admiration especially when a good proportion of them are deaf, not an easy job.  Finley had a great day but was shattered when he returned home this afternoon and actually fell asleep in the car, normally he doesn't stop talking long enough to sleep!

A little R&R...

A friendly kick about in the paddock

 Well it's been a very different week for us this time around.  We had Jessica and Melissa both Saturday and Sunday so that John and Fi could get on with decorating their lounge and kitchen.  On Saturday we also had Dale, Finley and Mason for an afternoon sporting extravaganza in the paddock, consisting of football, rugby and just generally chasing around, well at least for most of the none geriatrics among us.

With an oval ball as well.

Five grand children all at the same time is somewhat challenging as you can imagine but Dale is now twenty and Gary and Claire where about as well so it wasn't too bad.
 The trouble is Mason is football crazy, Dale is a Rugby man and Finley just wants to be winning at any cost, result anarchy!

Even the girls get involved.

The Girls did join in but sport isn't really their thing especially when they can't get a touch of the ball for bruising boys.  Never mind they got Grandma's cooking instead.

Fi and John putting the finishing touches on.

 Sunday should have been more of the same but with the weather being typically British, Sandra was looking after the Girls and Finley whilst Mason and his dad were playing football with his team at South Cave.  She took them out for a MacDonald's as a treat.

Meanwhile I was helping with the decorating at John's house as time wasn't on their side.  We managed to gloss and emulsion in the day though, albeit a very long one, I was about buggered when we finished.

Some unusual poppies appeared in Geoff's garden.

 Sandra was doing some cooking at her dad's house the other day when she noticed some unusual (well at least to us) poppies in the garden, we think they have been self sown as they are growing alongside an hedge and would never have been planted there.  They look so pretty though and we think they can stay.

Wednesday San and I decided to have a little "us" time and went out for the day for a ride around the North Yorkshire Moors.  It was raining anyway so not much would have been done should we have stayed at home.  We had a great day with Lunch out at Kirby Moorside, not much chance to have a stroll but just drove about all day.  Of course San had to do all the driving because as yet I'm still not allowed but we had a good day.

Dale in his "new" car.

In the evening Dale, our eldest grandson brought down his newly acquired car to show us.  He passed his test a few weeks ago and this is his first motor and he seems chuffed to death with it or at least the freedom it gives him access to.  Insurance is the real problem for young inexperienced drivers twelve hundred quid for this little thing, although with a black box "curfew" device fitted it knocks twenty five percent off the premium.  Just be careful Dale, we are really proud of you but want you to live long enough to enjoy it!

Another week dawns...

Mummykins.

 We have had a strange week with three deaths close to the family which only serves to remind us all of our own mortality.

Whilst moving tons a stuff around at home in the garage I came across a CD with a stack of ancient pictures on some of which I have decided to put on here whilst we were in a reminiscing mood.

Me trying to be David Bailey.

It's amazing how a simple image can transport you back through time and space to happier times and fond memories.  The first one is of my mum I think it was taken at her work around 1970, unfortunately the colour doesn't reflect her flaming red hair very well or for that matter her temper but we all miss her very much.

The next one is of me when I had idea's of having photography as a bit of a money spinning sideline.  Trying at all times to come up with unusual angles and views but as usual it was a case of don't give up the day job.

Gary's first swimming lesson

 Back in the days when seaside holidays in the UK were what everyone did San and I had decided it's never too early to teach the nipper how to swim.  So here is Gary, No.1 son being dunked at I guess eight or nine months old, I can't remember where but probably Scarborough, you never see that many on the beach now.

San with Nanna & Grandad.

Here is Sandra very much beloved Nanna and Grandad.  Both living into their nineties despite the fact that David had quite severe injuries from WW1, he carried on working well into his eighties.  Both of them were super people, they don't make em like that any more you know!
Sandra is very much like her Nanna in looks as well as temperament.

And then it's back to Gary with his big daft cheesy grin after loosing his front tooth and avidly awaiting the arrival of the tooth fairy.  He still has the cheesy grin but not the fringe although he still has his hair at forty much like the rest of us, I think Sandra will be the first to go bald :-).

No. 1 Son awaiting tooth fairy.

The last of these is of Sandra looking absolutely dogged out after no doubt having a gruelling day with the kids Chris (No. 2 Son (right)) and John (No. 3 son(left))  looking like butter wouldn't melt in their mouths.  To be fair they were angels at that age and could have been much more of a problem if we hadn't beaten them as much!

No's 2&3 sons with San looking ready for a rest.

Oh well that's the end of my quick trip down memory lane.  Just another photo to add to this which is one I took at earlier this week of the sunset, please excuse the pylon wires going through it but I thought the wind turbines silhouetted looked great.  Unfortunately only had my phone to do it on (sold the SLRs and lenses year ago after not making it as David Bailey!).

Wind turbine sunset.

Into June and sunshine at last...

One of the grand daughters has turned into a snake!

 Well we seem to have finally welcomed in a taste of summer this week.  we've gone from needing heating on to being able to wear shorts in the space of about three days.

Clifford's tower in York centre.

At least that has allowed me to get all the grass cut but I'm afraid that for the moment cutting hedges, especially as many and as big as mine, is out of the question so we've employed a little old Irish guy, who our son knew, to do our hedges a couple of times a year as well as keep Sandra's dads garden in trim.  We sort of mentioned the possibility of having someone to do it for him a couple of weeks ago.  He of course being stubborn the next day tried cutting his hedges and completely exhausted himself, so now he has help whether he wants it or not!

The old Guitar is getting hammered.

We took No.3 son to York the other night for a company booze up.  Whilst he was getting slightly inebriated we went to our favourite Thai restaurant in Escrick and had a fabulous meal, we do like Thai food and it's good for us diabetics.  Whilst waiting for John in York, at about ten thirty, I took the picture above of Clifford's Tower, can't believe how light it is here on a night now.

Thought I would put in the picture of one of John and Fi's Snakes which have been entertaining me while we have been looking after the Grandkids.

Finally I have been giving it hell on the guitar for the last couple of weeks in an attempt to get some more dexterity into my left hand.  It seems to be paying off because now it just sounds bad rather than abysmal.  It's getting better all the time but all things are relative!

Just a note to Linda Paisley, I will post pictures of your challenge when I get around to doing it, the kids were out playing all day when we were with them after you had set it so we've not yet had the opportunity.