January Brings the Snow

Hello everyone. 

Before I get started for today, can you guess what might be inside this cupboard? 

All will be revealed at the end of the post.

While you ponder what lies beyond those doors, I'm taking a look back to the last day of 2025, when hubby and I wrapped up warmly and went for a walk. We started in the small village of Alvechurch and followed a circular route that included Cobley Hill. The walk was about 3 1/2 miles, and the day was bright and sunny with no wind. Just perfect for walking. 

Engineers building the Birmingham and Worcestershire Canal tunnelled their waterway under part of the lower slopes of the hill.

We also discovered this fourteenth-century church, hidden away behind the hedgerows.

We had our first flurry of snow on Friday (2nd) and a little bit more over the next few days. Not very much compared to some parts of the country, and it didn't stop us getting out and about. This was our back garden after the first snowfall.

However, after Storm Goretti, there was an awful lot more snow! If this storm visited your area, you are all safe, and any damage was minimal.

On a brighter note, I bought a pack of six small white Hellebores before Christmas, and they have been flowering beautifully ever since, even under the blanket of snow they were covered with by midweek. I am hoping the thick snow coat they received this weekend will not have harmed them.

We don't tend to watch much television, but this year, over Christmas, we had a marathon of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings films - The Extended Versions. As hubby and I had been to Hobbiton a few months ago, it was fun recognising some of the settings and remembering what we had been told about the filming. I still have not read the books. D wins the gold star for reading all the books, though.

I really wanted to show you this while I was making it, but as it was a present for D and she always looks at what I have posted, it had to wait. As always, I underestimated how long it would take to complete it, and there were a couple of evenings of frantic stitching. I finished on time, and D is thrilled with the result. 

Note to self: 'Think carefully about how long you think a project will take and then double it at least. 'Will I ever learn? Probably not.

Did you guess correctly about the cupboard?

We started decorating the end of our living room just before Christmas, and this week the flooring has been put down. One of hubby's new interests that we have encouraged is darts. For his birthday, we bought him a dartboard, but it came with no case to hide it when not in use. We searched the internet and eventually found this case, which was perfect. Now he can enjoy this game, and the room doesn't feel like a pub lounge. 

Happy people all round.

Hopefully, the snow will start to melt soon, and the forecast for the week is slightly warmer weather. Here's wishing very hard that it is true.

Whatever the weather in your small place, stay warm, safe, and well.

B x

Out With the Old and In With the New

Hello to you all for a final time in 2025.

I hope you had a lovely Christmas, however you celebrated the day. Here in this small corner, we had a wonderful time which was quieter, less busy and more relaxed than we have had for a long time. I put that down to being Christmas-ready much earlier, but also limiting what we were able to do in the time, whether that was baking or crafting.

Just before Christmas, our family visited Worcester Cathedral to see their Christmas tree festival. It was a fantastic display with many wonderfully decorated trees. Children, charities and other organisations decorated trees. Each tree was personal and decorated beautifully. Most were based on a traditional tree shape, but some people made theirs from wood battens and other household objects. We also saw a tree made from different-coloured strips of light and a tiered wine bottle tree, complete with a very large champagne bottle on top. Here are just a few of the trees we saw.

(sorry about the added thumb!)

(The coffee cup tree)

(Just lights)

(All dressed up with a Christmas tree skirt)

(All knitted)

(Patchwork)

Back at home, D and I did manage a little Christmas crafting together. We found some ceramic baubles lurking in a cupboard and covered them with some pretty robin paper napkins.

I also made a batch of chutney with my helpful hubby doing much of the chopping of the fruit and veg. He is becoming a man of new talents since his retirement!

And so as the old year ends and a new one begins, D and I wish you every happiness and good health for 2026. May it be a good year for all of us.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE

🎉🎉🎉

Christmas Greetings

 

HAPPY CHRISTMAS

Hello everyone. 

Just to wish you and your families a very Happy Christmas, and that 2026 brings you peace and contentment in abundance.

Love B and D xx

(The star was made out of matchsticks by my lovely husband)

Last Stop - Vancouver, Canada

Hello everyone. I'm back again for the final stop of our trip around the world.

We spent only a few days in Vancouver before we travelled home, so we tried to take in as much sightseeing as we could.

On our first day, we visited Gastown to see the steam-driven clock. The clock was built in 1977 and incorporates a steam engine and electric motors. Every quarter of an hour, the clock emits a whistle, and then on the hour, it plays part of 'Westminster Chimes'.

If you are there at 12 noon, visitors are treated to a full rendition of the 'Westminster Chimes' , complete with all the steam—a fascinating piece of technology.

As we had braved the views from several towers during our holiday, it only seemed right to finish with one in Vancouver. The following photos are therefore from the top of the Vancouver Lookout. I'm done with high towers for a while now, but I have to admit the views were amazing.

Later, once we were back on the ground, we took a stroll around Harbour Green Park. We watched several seaplanes taking off and landing from the terminal and braved a floating jetty to get some of the pictures.

We were in Vancouver during the latter part of October, and we were treated to all the beautiful Autumn leaf colours. So beautiful.

And so finally we reached our last full day of holiday adventures. We chose to spend the time in Stanley Park.

We thought the black squirrels were very cute. These are Eastern grey squirrels with a colour morph caused by a genetic mutation.

While we were in the park, we also visited 'The First Nations Totem Poles' at Brockton Point, which represent many indigenous people.

And so our travels ended on this mammoth adventure. We arrived home safely, bleary-eyed and longing for sleep. Normality is returning along with the new adventures of retirement. What will come next? Who knows.

Thank you to everyone who has visited this small corner over the last few weeks. I hope you enjoyed our big adventure.

Now, it is on to Christmas. Have a good week, everyone x

Honolulu and Big Island

Hello everyone.

I'm back again with the next stage of our travels. It all comes to an end next week with our last stop and return home ready for Christmas festivities.

However, this time, I am reminded of that crazy day(s) when we crossed from Auckland to Honolulu and the International Dateline. It was a very long day, and my brain still can't deal with all that time travel. 

We were exhausted when we arrived in Honolulu, but somehow needed to stay awake for most of another day. Our hotel was across the road from the zoo, so that seemed a good place to while away an hour or two. It was very hot, and I'm sure the animals had better sense than we did as they found shelter from the heat. I was still able to take a few photos before we headed back to the hotel and collapsed for the evening.

We also visited the small aquarium that was not too far away.

We also visited. I found this sea dragon quite fascinating.

As we were only in Honolulu for a short time, we used the hop-on, hop-off buses to make the most of our time, including a visit to Diamond Head crater.

We also enjoyed walking along Waikiki beach and seeing the towering buildings along the skyline.

Of course, the one place we had to visit in Honolulu was Pearl Harbour.

Our first stop was at the Arizona Memorial, which is erected directly over the place where Japanese war planes sank the Arizona on the 7th December 1941. There is a small viewing area where you can see part of the Arizona itself, still in its watery grave, which holds the remains of so many brave sailors who lost their lives that day. I found it profoundly moving and shed a tear.

Above is the USS Missouri. On our visit, we were able to see the signed documents of Japan's surrender, signalling the end of World War II.

This was a memorable but very sobering day, but I'm glad that I was able to visit.

From Honolulu, we journeyed on to the largest of the Hawaiian islands, known as the Big Island.

The condo we stayed at was amazing, and I would have happily stayed there for the rest of the holiday.

The following day, we drove across the island from one side to the other to visit the National Volcano Park. Yes, this is also the place where the Kilauea volcano has been erupting over the last few weeks with great gusto. It is one of the world's most active volcanoes. We were there for only about 10 days before its current eruptions, and you can see the steam rising from vents in the crater.

On the way back to our condo, we also stopped at Rainbow Falls for some more breathtaking views. The falls got their name because, on a sunny morning, you can see rainbows in the mist thrown up by the waterfall. Sadly, it was late afternoon by the time we got there, but it was still spectacular to see.

We spent the rest of our time on the Big Island relaxing and enjoying the beautiful and varied scenery.

Next week will be my final holiday post. 

Have a good week everyone, while I try and get on with some Christmas preparations instead of dreaming of our next adventure. 

B x