Tuesday 8 January 2013

Christmas and New Year - part 2

28th December we all parted and we began our 8 hour drive - taking No 4 back to Dumfries and Galloway, and then across the hills to Northumberland. This second part of the trip was rather hair raising due to severe winds and flooding. On a deserted  mountain road trees had fallen and parts of the road had excessive water. Just not what you want at 11pm after a 7 hour drive. But by midnight we arrived safely at our lovely cottage and all the  horrors of the journey dissipated. Sorry the photographs are rather displaced but I am trying to use my new laptop and transferring pictures from one computer to another is rather tricky! The above picture I took because I loved the way this man had no qualms about carrying his partner's handbag around Holy Island! I have a job to get Mr P to hold mine for a few minutes!

 


Of course you know me I just love taking photographs of the lobster pots! Call me "sad"!




Then I can never resist taking another picture of the upturned boats - the rope was huge!


Every trip to the cottage always never passes without an outing to Barter Books in Alnwick. I just love the atmosphere.





The roaring fires, filter coffee for 30p and cookies to help yourself to. Lots of lovely seating to idle away many hours.



The mural was painted by someone local.


New Year's Eve we saw 2013 in with our neighbours. after frequenting the newly opened village pub. Then the 1st day of January was one of our favourite walks along the coast to Low Newton, to the pub for a well deserved glass of mulled wine.  



Seems as if we were not the only ones out for a trot. How wonderful it must be to be able to ride horses across a beach.


Thought I'd show you some of the locals! The cockerel was a handsome brute - lucky girls!


But these two are very  new neighbours. They are my favourite - highland cattle, or I like to refer to them as "woolly bulls". Mr P says they don't qualify as highland cattle if they are not in Scotland but we are only a few miles away from the border! Have to say they didn't seem quite so cute when they came running up to me and only a shaky fence between us!



Wednesday evening was another trip to Alnwick to meet up with a friend for a meal. The lights were fantastic. Sorry but my camera does not seem to work well in the dark. 



We ate at the White Swan and had a very yummy meal. But what I didn't realise was that the Titanic dining rooms were filmed from here.


This cat was rather entertaining. We watched him sit for ages and then suddenly leap by this gravestone and come out with this mouse.



Oh dear - more lobster pots!



Tried to take a photo of some of the birds landing on our new feeding station - was very difficult as they did not seem to understand they were going to be shown to the world! I'm sure they would have posed more if they understood - rather than fly off as soon as I tried to click.



This is what I call absolute luxury! Sitting in front of the log fire, a glass of red wine on the go, crochet in my lap and a nice murder to watch on the TV. What more can a girl want?


Managed to complete 89 granny squares! But oh boy my shoulder was aching.


Forgot to show you this picture last time I was at the cottage I bought this curtain for a grand total of £1.50! I really like it - think it reminds me of France with their small curtains. Oh and the pole cost me 99p. What a bargain.


Time for another story about one of the locals. The white building to the right is the local pub and one of the houses to the left lives someone who visits the pub. BUT this person does not walk - NO. Reason being that this person isn't able to walk back so he drives because of the drink!


Another picture of our new feeding station. My dad got it us for Christmas. We get lots of birds and I really love idling away many minutes watching them feed.









Well I guess I have given you a flavour of our New Year. Oh just remembered Mr P had a small drama. He went out walking on the Cheviots and came back with something in his eye. Spent the evening with a rather sore eye - I offered to take him to casualty and he refused saying it'll be alright soon. He came to bed later on but then was up again unable to sleep. So at 2.30am he drove himself to the minor injuries unit at Berwick (where he's been before - but that's another story). The wonderful nurses dug out the remains of a fly behind his eyelid - after they'd given him some anaesthetic drops. He was back home in 45 minutes (20 of these to drive) with some cream. His eye was rather painful the next day. But would just like to publicly say thank you to those wonderful nurses who work at Berwick Infirmary.

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