Happy New Year 2007

Happy New Year everyone - I've had my pint of Green Man and am about to bring in the New Year with a bit of champers, Jools Holland and Buck's Fizz (for J-Rock)...

Here's to a solid year...(photo taken in Yorkshire Moors)

A Trip North and West

We went north then a bit west a week ago just before Christmas. Our first stop was Greasby on the Wirral where we stayed with friends of our friends Mr and Mrs Brook and their daughter Lin. The friends were very kind and gracious and friendly. They even put us up for 2 nights in their caravan. Very cozy. They also were a mine of information re what to do when it is foggy up that way. So we decided, on their counsel, to visit Liverpool, Hilbre Island and Chester all in one day! Yowzah.

Well, next day, we did Liverpool for about 2 hours and got there via the train. The train dumped us right near the centre of town where we saw this big building (maybe an art museum?) which had a menorah outside - our first sighting this year. But we were starving so we made a beeline for the nearest place to eat. Which happened to be a Sayers - a local institution in these parts it seems. They had good tea, cheese and onion pasties and sausage rolls and cream rolls. It would have been nice to have a big fry up - tomatoes, eggs, bacon and fried bread but we DIDN'T HAVE TIME. So, we walked around Liverpool a bit. 2008 is the Year of Culture for Liverpool. Not sure what it means but there were tons of cranes building, rebuilding, renovating. So it's all good. Liverpool is 'edgy' but I liked it. Lots of character. Didn't see Macca or Ringo in our travels. The statue is of Lord Wellington. The guy who invented or had the Wellington Boot named after.

We wanted to see the Royal Hospital as it is featured on a reality type show which 'some of us in the family' really like! We would have liked to have explored the LIVER Building (pronounced with a hard 'i') a bit but didn't have time so we swept past it on our way to the Mersey Ferry which is immortalized in a song. Unfortunately, it was so foggy we couldn't see anything - but we did hear very clearly the fog horn. Brrrhhh. The ferry took us from the Liverpool docks to the Wirral which is a bit of land that is very nice and very friendly people live there. It is also where our Friends of Friends lived and where we stayed 2 nights.
Anyhow, we set off for Hilbre Island. We wanted to go there cuz it is a birdwatching island and they have a small observatory there. Check out the video! To get there you need to go on the low tide and leave on the low tide so you can walk across. It's pretty close to the mainland. But it all became a moot point with the fog as you can see from the photos. So our trip to Hilbre was a bust but we want to come back. maybe we will even come back with Mr and Mrs Brook and their daughter Lin. That would be fun methinks. We will have to torque about it.

So off to Chester. The only completely walled city in England. It was dark so we have no pictures. There was a great indoor market replete with wool stalls, meat, cheeses, clothing, fish, Dr Who cards and all sorts. We even had tasters of Cheshire Cheese. Yum. There was a mall too. With a La Senza!

Got back to our Friends of Friends and enjoyed a very nice evening meal as well as heard all about the RNLI lifeboats. Our host is a lifeboat volunteer so was very knowledgable. An excellent charity if ever there was one.

Had to leave our new friends the next day and move on to Stone. Before we got there we visited Blue Planet Aquarium. Best part was getting up close and personal with the rays at the Touch Pool.

We were keen to see Mrs Brook's Mum and Dad, the PleasantStones. Got to theirs about 3 PM and had to immediately take off for the tour of the Wedgwood factory. It was good to see that some places hadn't yet farmed the labour out to China. We returned to the house of Mrs Brooks parents, the PleasantStones, and were engaged in non stop chatter on all topics from the fire service, oatcakes, cheeses, the fog, potteries, BOATS, and washing-up by men-folk. Oatcakes are a particular culinary feature of the pottery district. Mrs PleasantStone even packed some up for us to enjoy with bacon, TINNED tomatoes, egg and cheese. We plan to return one summer so we can go on a holiday on a boat with the PleasantStones and Brooks. Mr PleasantStone is going to organize it and start his own tour company!

Next day had to head back to Ramsgate in our trusty car, listening to Radio One in the fog. Flights were cancelled out of Heathrow due to the fog so we were lucky the traffic was pretty much clear sailing....

A Festive Star Fish

Ho Ho Ho and Merry Christmas.

This creature visited us while we were at the Blue Planet Aquarium this week in Cheshire.

Off to 't pub for refreshments before the onslaught of dinner...starter, turkey, gammon (ham), stuffing, potatoes, carrots, parsnips, brussels sprouts, sausages in bacon, cranberry sauce, bread sauce?, mince pies, Christmas pudding, Christmas cake, brandy butter, stilton, Port, crackers, seasonal napkins, wine, champers, beer, sherry...

Oh yes, A quiz. Anyone who guesses the owner of the house on the last post (Dec 24) wins a festive dishcloth...

Update on "So Much To Do"

Right. Having the rellies over for a bit of Christmas Eve food this afternoon. At the moment I await my minions to return as I desperately need DRY BREAD CRUMBS for the 3 Tourtieres I am making. In the absence of bread crumbs I will have to make them myself which will mean drying the crumbs and crushing them. NOT the favoured option. And, currrently in the oven I have a Chocolate Cake and right now after this post I am going to make icing because Betty Crocker didn't include the icing in the mix.

More later but just thought I would let my readers know how BUSY I am - Just now. Anyway.

Picture is of a typical kinda house you might find near Stone...

So Much To Do Etc...

Ok.Ok. I will update. But there are so many things to do and tell. Will update re trip to Liverpool in next few hours!

Panto Time!

We struck out across Kent to Canterbury yesterday to go see the Pantomine at the Marlowe Theatre. Jack and the Beanstalk this year. Excellent stuff. A British tradition that I wish was more of a fixture in Canada. They do something similar in Toronto but can't really vouch for it as I haven't seen it. I just know that it is expensive....Over 'ere it cost us all of £25 for 3 adults and a kid.

And Canterbury, as usual, was bustling. Also took in some roasted chestnuts and had lunch at a cheap and cheerful little spot called the Custard Tart. Highly recommended. But there is so much stuff in the stores over here from all the European countries. I have done all my shopping so it was really nice to be able to just browse! As my brother-in-law Mr. Almond says being able to "pick things up and put things down" is a luxury!

Today went to Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory for a visit but by some strange turn of events ended up at the St. Crispin Inn in Worth. Then came home to a delicious meal prepared by Our Kind Hostess. Tonight we are going to the St Mary Magdalene Church for carol service and J-Rock might even feature in the play. If he doesn't balk...

Two More Days of School....

The fun and games have begun leading up to the big day. I've posted a piccy of the menu for the school dinner meals that are being served to the kids at J-Rock's school this week. Not too shabby eh? (If you click on the photo you can read some of the items on offer.)

On top of that his class had a big party all yesterday afternoon. We were instructed to bring 'something healthy' so we sent cocktail sausages on J-Rock's insistence. Apparently, at every school dinner meal this week the kids have been singing the Merry Christmas song from ASDA (which is soon going to drive me to drink) as loud as they can and we understand it is a lot of FUN! They also, we have been told, sang Fight For Your Right To Party.

Tonight we are all attending Christingle. It's a thing started many years ago by the Moravians. Rumours abound that J-Rock will be playing guitar!

Festive Fun!

Been scouting out the internet for some festive fun.

Having problems making your homemade Advent calendar? Try these sites:

• 
  
  BBC Advent Calendar - with a piece of music or poetry for every day of Advent...
  One for the kids...
  Here's a sporty one...(although from 2005- it's still fun)
  
  And if you are into snowflakes try this...Make Your Own Snowflake
  
  Thanks to TheMothMan for the festive Annulet moth - a chalk cliff specialist!

Blustery & Blowy...

So we are going to go 'down the town' and watch a movie "Flushed Away", while away at the Amusement Arcade and go to the Chippy for lunch. Very windy today. Gale force winds coming from the south so it is not too cold.

Watched the Liberal Leadership Convention last night on the computer - Started watching on CPAC then switched to Lloyd on CTV. Just like being there. And had to watch the final results with earphones hunkered down in the cold (we have no central heating). Are people like, talking about this in Canada?

A cat has befriended us. His name is Max!

No weekend is complete without a visit to the pub! Some of our choices listed above!