Tuesday 26 August 2014

Some sweet words by Miss Boo

Don't you just love the tomato sauce on the nose?
My daughter told me this and I felt it just needed to be shared. Bear in mind that Miss Boo is nine and a half years old, an only child who spends a lot of time with Grandma.

We spent Sunday doing a Treasure Trail and the theme of this one was a treasure hunt where we had to answer all the clues and the location left at the end was where the "treasure" would be found. As Boo and her parents were walking from our house to theirs after our delightful day out she asked "Mummy, what was the treasure?"
Mummy replied that it was just the pleasure of working out the clues and finding the answer. Miss Boo walked a few more steps and then said
"No, the treasure was that I got to spend a whole day with my family." Then she skipped through the gate, eager to be in the house and curled up with her cats. This left my daughter and my son-in-law swallowing hard and trying to sniff quietly.
When I was told I did the classic sharp intake of breath and then quickly wiped my eyes and harrumphed a few times.
Sometimes that kid can reach the parts other kids don't know exist

Monday 25 August 2014

Treasure Trailing AGAIN

We have had the booklet for the Usk walking trail for quite a while now. So we decided to have a day out with Miss Boo and her Mummy and Daddy. Mr Ms knees were bad so he stayed in the car and read his kindle while the rest of us walked the trail. We had a lovely picnic at The Island, the first time I had been back there since 1962 and then I decided that I was too fat to walk the rest of the trail so I made my way back to the Square and sat in the sun waiting. No anxiety no panic - new tablets so I am free of that and I revelled in the simple pleasure of being able to go where I like.
This is Twyn Square in Usk, where the trail begins. Are they looking at the answer to a clue? you'll need to do the trail to find out!

Mummy was so thrilled to find the answer to a clue we had to have a cup of coffee before we'd really got started

"Is this a Kissing Gate Grandma?" "Yes Boo, but that's not quite what it means."

This isn't part of the trail but we thought the idea of a book stall in the church was delightful

Tuesday 19 August 2014

Not joining in a Meme, but...

I have looked at lots of Blogs that are doing the ZIZO meme and thought that I would never find anything to Zoom In and Zoom Out of - if you see what I mean. However, (don't you just love that word? I do, nearly as much as I care for "apparently", apparently)... I seem to be seeing good things to zoom into and that little voice in my head says "ZIZO!" so I am not joining in but...


this is Newport Castle, seen from the window of the coffee lounge of the Riverfront Theatre

These are "professional abseilers" it says so on their van. They are putting up new banners so that when the NATO leaders fly up from Cardiff in their helicopters they won't see the dirty ones left over from the 2010 Ryder Cup. Heaven forfend that they should be subjected to old banners!
I just keep thinking that Mr M is paying their wages with his council tax ~sigh~

Sunday 17 August 2014

Take to the Hills!!!

We had a day out with the Bluefunnels. Their turn to drive and choose the destination. They chose a Treasure Trails Spy puzzle in the Malvern Hills. We like Treasure Trails because they take you to places you would never stop at and make you seek out things you would never look for.
I pointed the camera and they all immediately went into the Cousin Pat pose-for-the-camera-mode.

We met Jill the clockwinder, She helped us with a clue and then told us about the cafe. We carried on with the trail as there were several clues in this village and she sought us out because she thought she might have told us the wrong answer. We talked to a great many villagers who asked if they could help. and even the ones that were just walking along the street said good morning. I could live there





We discovered a nice coffee shop in a village. Their pain au raisin was very nice. Admiral Lord BF didn't like the chocolate "thing" that Lady BF chose for him but Mr M and I both tried it and said it was very nice. Oh it looks like they are eating and we aren't! ours arrived after the picture. Mr M has pies from the butcher next door. Recommended to us by Jill the clock winder

we saw a witch in Wyche. It wasn't until I just really looked at this picture - I was standing still when I took it but we were parked in a bus-stop so I had to be quick - that I realised just how dramatic she looks against the sky. We were fortunate that it didn't rain on us at all although it did threaten several times

Lunch was "Just up the road" at the OK Diner in Leominster. This is our favourite eatery. I like that we can order a mushroom and cheese burger then say "No bun, no fries, just a side of coleslaw" and that's what they give you!

On the way home we stopped to show the Bluefunnels the delightful 12th century church at Kilpeck. This little Gem is an absolute must-see. We take all our friends there at some point and we always buy a pack of notelets and I usually put any odd change into the box as well