Train Ride

Hello friends. 

Despite the continued rain in many parts of the UK this week, I hope you have all had a good week. If you live in other parts of the world and visit us here, I hope the weather has been better for you, too.

On Wednesday, hubby and I went on a very special train ride, which we had booked a few weeks beforehand.

I had seen an advertisement for tickets to ride on the Flying Scotsman and thought it would be a fun thing for us to do, creating some special memories to share. The locomotive was only in Birmingham for a few days, and so we booked tickets for a ride. 

As it was only a short trip, the outbound journey used a standard diesel locomotive, but the return was pulled by The Flying Scotsman. It was a very popular event, and lots of enthusiasts turned out to enjoy it with us. Ours was the first journey of the day, and to start everything off, we were treated to a piper playing his bagpipes for us.

We all had allocated seats, which made life easier, and everyone was seated in carriages very quickly. Each carriage had its own train steward to assist us and provide necessary information. As we travelled along the tracks, we saw people waving and taking photos as we passed by, an experience for them too. All too soon, we were back at Moor St station, taking our own photos and holding on to the memories of this fantastic day. Even better, it stayed dry for the whole trip!

The Flying Scotsman

The Flying Scotsman, built in 1923 for the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) in Doncaster, was designed by the British railway engineer Nigel Gresley.

It was built as a long-distance express passenger train. On 30th November 1934, it gained a world record for steam traction by becoming the first locomotive to reach the officially authenticated speed of 100 miles per hour.

It was retired from active regular service in 1963, but it continued to serve on tours and at other events.

When it toured Australia in 1989, it set another record for the longest non-stop run by a steam locomotive at 422 miles.

In 2004, to preserve this wonderful piece of machinery, the locomotive was bought by the National Railway Museum in York so that many more people could enjoy it.

In its centenary year of 2023, a £2 coin featuring The Flying Scotsman was issued. Also, the Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage, composed a poem about the iconic train, and an all-female crew operated a journey for only the second time in its history.

The Flying Scotsman has also appeared in several television programmes about trains, including guest appearances in the Railway series by Rev. W. E. Awdry's Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. 

One of the specially produced £5 coins for the 2012 Summer Olympics featured The Flying Scotsman on the reverse.

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Both hubby and I thoroughly enjoyed our short journey on this famous locomotive and were glad we had the experience. Steam engines are wonderful pieces of engineering and bring back memories of a bygone age. 

If you have a fun event to look forward to this week, I hope the weather stays dry, and you have a great time. If it is another ordinary week, I hope there's something to make you smile, too.

Thinking of all the friends who visit D and me here. Thank you all.

B and D xx

Happy Valentine's Day

 

Happy Valentine's Day

To You All

With Love from

B and D 

xx

Hello friends,

We hope you enjoyed today and found something or someone to make your heart sing.

Other things that have made us happy today;

It has been sunny and dry all day; no rain

Washing has been drying on the line outside

Hellebores in full bloom

Baking heart shaped shortbread together

Seeing the catkins on the Hazel

All the chilli plants have sprouted and started to grow

Potatoes are getting started ready for planting

Garlic is ready for planting out under cover.

it has been a really positive day and now D is also looking forward to half term holidays from school.

Have a great week everyone.

B and D

xx

February Gold

Hello friends.

Again, the rain clouds and dull weather have been hanging around in this small corner for most of the week. Wherever you are, I hope the rain has only been an inconvenience and not a disaster. I know some areas suffer badly with flooding. I am thinking of you all.

After the beautiful colours of the amaryllis last week, I have been looking for more sunny flower colours.

I'm looking forward to seeing the first daffodils in my garden, but they are still hiding underground, having only sent up bright green shoots so far. They are obviously waiting for drier weather before they burst into flower. 

"Daffodil" is the common name for bulbs in the narcissus family. They can flower from mid-February to May, so planting several varieties means enjoying them for longer. Their colours can range from pure white through lemons and yellows to apricots and oranges, with a few pinks in between. They can be early or late flowering, single or several stems and short or tall. Such a choice! 

My favourite is 'February Gold' because it can flower very early. I also like 'Cheerfulness' just for the name, as well as the creamy white double flowers and scent. Do you have a favourite?

While I am waiting for the first of these bulbs to brighten the garden, I have started a small cross stitch to remind me of the sunny colours to come. I am using a random mix of yellows and oranges to make the flower heads and will link them together with some green stems.

Most of the week has again been indoors, where we have started decorating the front half of the living room. We spend a lot of time in this space, and it was impossible to remove all the furniture for the time needed to complete all the work. Instead, we are working on one wall at a time and moving furniture out of the way. So far, the plan is working, and we have a wall completed. On the far right of the photo, you can see the original colours, complete with the dado rail. Next week, we tackle the bay. 

Next week, the weather is looking predictably wet again, but there may yet be a few dry spots in between. Who knows!

Whatever your plans, stay safe and well, and enjoy the week wherever you are.

B x

Last week a bud, This Week a Flower

Hello everyone.

January has come to an end, and a new month has just begun. For much of last month, the weather was dull and wet, but some things still made me smile. 

I showed you my Amaryllis last week. A vey small bulb that seemed to hold little in the way of beautiful blooms. I waited and waited and then suddenly, almost overnight two buds appeared. Now the buds have opened to reveal these amazing flowers.

The outside of each flower petal look as though it has been shaded and painted by hand with all those markings; it is so pretty. The reverse side of the petals is a peachy orange with streaks of pink. It has turned out to be quite a stunnung plant and worth the wait. It would be lovely if I could get it to flower again next year.

It was also a week for catching up with family and friends—time to enjoy time together over coffee, cake and meals. 

On Saturday, my niece and her family joined us for the evening, and after we had eaten, we played this game. While Monopoly (The Original version) is familiar to some of you, you may not be aware of this one. 

The game was not a British invention; it originated in the United States and is based on a 1904 patented game by Elizabeth Magie. A UK version was later licensed by Waddingtons. This is the London version, most recognised as the game we either love or hate!

There are now many versions of the game, some based on towns and cities and some based on other concepts. The version we played on Saturday involved hidden keys and money in a coded vault. Guess the correct code, and everything in the vault is yours!

That wasn't the only mystery we had while playing the game. Somehow, D kept moving around the board without landing on any of the properties. In the end, I don't think she landed on any property the entire game. It was truly bizarre and left us all a bit flabbergasted. We are still not sure how she managed this amazing feat!

It was a good game, and there was much laughter—a great evening spent with family.

As the days begin to lengthen and Spring grows ever closer, here's to the new month of February. I hope we all find things to make us smile and bring us joy. Have a lovely week, everyone.

 

B x