Sunday Snaps!

Hi all my little bloggy friends.  Here we are - it's another Sunday and time for some more of my snaps.  We're going to start off with a couple more photos of the Easter Egg Hunt last Sunday, and finish off with some photos from my 65th birthday celebrations on Friday.

I am just feeling so blessed and so very lucky at this moment in time.  Friday was wonderful, which started off with champagne and opening of the pressies and cards.  Then I had to close my eyes and was led out to the driveway, where the pressie from my hubby was waiting - a lovely new car! I am still in total and utter shock about that, believe me!  It really was a complete surprise. 

We then all went out for lunch at a lovely restaurant near here.  Then, today, the family held a celebration 'Afternoon Tea' here, when they invited a few of my friends around to join us.  Lots of Pimms and champagne was drunk, and I had such a lovely time.  Hubby gave a little speech, and then presented me with a little photo book on my life so far.  It was absolutely beautiful and all the milestones in my life were there, starting off with a photo of my mum and dad.  So many memories were in that little book, even containing photos of special friends that had passed away.  It was very emotional for me looking through the pages.

I really do want to thank my family for making my 65th birthday so very special.  I will never forget it, and it was so lovely having everyone here together.  I will now share some of the photos with you, and hope you enjoy them.

Oh! To cap it all, I placed a bet on the Grand National today, which is a very famous horse race held annually here in England.  My horse came in Third! Yay, and I did it 'each way', so I have won a little bit of money.  I scanned the list of runners and came across a horse called Sea Bass.  Well, as I love eating Sea Bass whenever I go to a restaurant, I decided to have a little flutter.  Well, it's as good a way of picking a horse as any!!

Now we have some birthday photos.

beautiful granddaughter

beautiful daughter

pretty plant stand from Eleanor to Grandma

Ruby, Alfred and Eleanor

Ruby in her little party dress!

Eli with his beautiful mummy.

The new car! How lucky am I?!

hubby giving a little speech.

Helping grandma blow out the candles.

Well, I think that's enough for this week, but I hope I have managed to convey just a little of the happiness being enjoyed.

“The love of a family is life's greatest blessing”

"The best inheritance a parent can give to their children is a few minutes of their time each day."

I'll say au revoir again for now.  Most of you know that my family from France are staying with us for the next couple of weeks, but I will try to get round to see you as often as I can.

 

 

Hi  everyone. The Easter holiday is now over and on we go with Spring, full of new life everywhere, and the hope of a wonderful summer season in front of us, when I hope that we will all will be blessed with blue skies and sunshine.

Easter Sunday dawned with blue skies and sunshine, and all went well with the Easter Egg hunt out in the garden.  Eli was so good, and just picked up his own little eggs, pointing out to Ruby where she could find some.  Ruby on the other hand wasn't averse to just picking up a little pile, without leaving any for Eli!! (Tears WERE shed, just for a moment.  I couldn't resist sharing  this photo with you today where you might just spot a tear on Ruby's face, but I will be showing you some more photos in my Sunday Snaps feature on Sunday.)

Of course, the country is now gearing up to two huge events this coming Summer, being the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the 2012 Olympics.  I expect there will be street parties held throughout the land and a general feeling of the country pulling together, which can be no bad thing.  In these recessionary times, we all need a bit of feel-good factor to keep us all going.

Red, white and blue bunting is everywhere in the shops now and I'm sure within a couple of months, the whole country will be going mad!!  We're a pretty reserved bunch over here, but we can let our hair down when there is something important going on.

I can still remember the Royal Wedding which was held in April of last year, with everyone being so happy and full of joy.  That event really did bring the whole country together.

I think it's lovely that as the Queen visits every part of the United Kingdom as part of her Diamond Jubilee celebrations, she is keen to be accompanied by members of her family, both young and old.



This is Princess Beatrice, one of the Queen's granddaughters, who accompanied her Gran (as they call her) on the visit to York. I actually think that this is a lovely photo - she must have been having lessons from Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, because, I don't know if you will remember, but she was vilifed at the wedding of William and Kate because of the ridiculous outfit and hat she was wearing!





I hope you are all keeping well, and I'll look forward to seeing you again on Sunday.

What Is a Grandma?

A grandma is warm hugs and sweet memories. She remembers all of your accomplishments and forgets all of your mistakes. She is someone you can tell your secrets and worries to, and she hopes and prays that all your dreams come true. She always loves you, no matter what. She can see past temper tantrums and bad moods, and makes it clear that they don't affect how precious you are to her. She is an encouraging word and a tender touch. She is full of proud smiles. She is the one person in the world who loves you with all her heart, who remembers the child you were and cherishes the person you've become. ~Barbara Cage~

Sending Easter Blessings Your Way...from Southhamsdarling

Wishing you all a very Happy Easter from my little corner of the world to your little corner of the world.



"Hot Cross Buns, Hot Cross Buns; One a Penny,Two a Penny, Hot Cross Buns!"



Hot Cross Buns Nursery Rhyme. Hot Cross Buns! Hot Cross Buns! One a penny, two a penny - Hot Cross Buns. If you have no daughters, give them to your sons, One a penny, two a penny - Hot Cross Buns! Hot Cross Buns are a small, spicy bun decorated with a white cross and, although they now appear in the shops at any time of the year, they are mainly to be eaten at Easter to celebrate the religious significance of the resurrection of Christ, following his death on the cross.  Hot Cross Buns were hawked by streetsellers to the cry of "Hot Cross Buns!" in the nineteenth century.  This particular way of selling wares is demonstrated in the movie "Oliver" , based on the novel by Charles Dickens.  They are usually eaten (warm obviously!) with butter, but my earliest childhood memories are of my dear dad bringing me a hot cross bun in bed every Good Friday, and the bun would be filled with Devon clotted cream.  Yummy scrummy! If you haven't tried them with clotted cream, then I can highly recommend it.  For me, eating a Hot Cross Bun on Good Friday morn, marks the nearing of Easter. The obvious connection between the buns and Good Friday is the cross on the top of the bun, but there is more to the story of the Hot Cross bun. There are two legends that revolve around the association of Hot Cross buns and Good Friday. The first one dates back to the 12th century when a monk baked a batch of buns and placed a cross on them to honor Good Friday and asked everyone to eat only buns for that day. The second legend is more interesting and touching. This legend tells about an English widow who sent her son to  sea after promising  to make him a batch of Hot Cross Buns every Good Friday. The son never returned but she continued baking the buns and putting them up in the bakery window in the faith that he would come back. After the old widow passed away the villagers kept the tradition going. Well, after typing this little post, I'm ready for MY Hot Cross Bun - bring on the clotted cream! If you are travelling to visit family or friends this Easter, I wish you safe travels.  Keep safe and have a lovely time. One of the days, we will be seeing my youngest daughter and her hubby, Eli & Ruby and my daughter's two step-sons, as they will be coming down for a meal, and, of course, we will be holding an Easter Egg Hunt in the garden. The family from France won't actually be here for Easter, but they are coming on the 13th April and staying until the 30th, so we're all looking forward to that. Sending big hugs your way my little bloggy friends.  

Wordless Wednesday!

Vintage Easter Cards

Many of you will know that I absolutely love vintage Greetings Cards, and as we are approaching Easter, I thought I would share some with you that I found on Pinterest.

I put the following onto my facebook page today, but I think it is well worth repeating here.

I do hope your week is going well so far my little bloggy friends.

Sunday Snaps!

Hi there all my little bloggy friends.  Forgive me if I haven't been around quite so much over this past week, but the weather has been so glorious here in Devon that I have been taking advantage of the hot sunny weather and spending lots of time outside, and I'm so glad that I did, because the temperature has dropped ten degrees again now.

This weather is almost unheard of here in England in MARCH! It has been absolutely glorious, and my Sunday Snaps this week record a walk I had with a friend during this past week.  We really couldn't believe just how blue the sea and the sky was.  I only took my little camera with me, and I have to apologize for a slight haze on the left hand side near the top.  It wasn't misty outside, but, obviously, my camera lens needs a little attention.  So here we set off on this delightful coastal walk, and you will notice the little thatched cottages which are so much a part of the scenery here in this beautiful part of Devon.

“Our memories of the ocean will linger on, long after our footprints in the sand are gone.”

--Anonymous



“Don't grow up too quickly, lest you forget how much you love the beach.”

-- Michelle Held

Who does not love the sea? The beach is a place of healing and joy. The salt cleanses us and the sun embraces us in its warmth. The ocean heals the heart, mind, and soul.

I'll finish off my Sunday Snaps post today with a photo of a new little sign that I have bought for the house.  I just adore little signs like this and have them all over.

Have a lovely week out there.  I know that many of my friends are embarking on their first day of the A = Z Challenge today, and I've really enjoyed reading my first batch.  Good  luck everyone!