This little chap is celebrating his 75th Birthday!!!!
His creator, The Rev. Wilbert Awdry, released the Thomas story in his Railway Series but soon became the favourite along with Gordon, Edward and Henry. He originally created the story for his son, Christopher, as a bed time story when he was at home with measles.
Needless to say both of our Boys adored the books and eventually the DVDs’ and more often than not the bed time stories were one of the Thomas stories. In fact they both have a huge book full of the stories and the original drawings.
We are very lucky where we live to have a steam railway near and they host Thomas The Tank Engine Days regularly during the year and we always went. Here are the Boys with Thomas. Eldest is 10 and Youngest is 6. In fact Eldest actually spent his third Birthay at a Thomas day at the railway!
Even when they were older and we were visiting the steam railway for another event they could not resist getting into the toy Thomas on the platform!
Above is the model railway they both had in their bedroom when they were young and they played for hours with it.
This was taken at the next station along on the steam railway line and we just love the old fashioned style of it.
So Happy Birthday Thomas The Tank Engine, you are looking good for 75.
Stay Safe All. Hopefully we will be able to go to the Steam Railway again very soon.
The weekend flew by but we all had a lovely time. Eldest and Treacle were tucked up at home for the weekend and Treacle loved every minute of having Eldest to herself. We had a lovely time in London with visits and shopping and to see the show on Saturday evening. Here are some pictures of the weekend.
DH and I caught the train early on Friday morning and once we had left our bags at the hotel went for lunch at Fortnum & Masons in The Gallery.
It wasn’t too busy when we got there but soon filled up.
The Gallery over looks the sales floor.
Dessert, orange panna cotta
Hundreds of years ago Tea was a very expensive commodity and it was almost a thing to be displayed such as this tea house in Fortnums.
Tea was also kept in locked caddies such as these as it was so expensive.
From the first floor looking down to the lower ground floor and this spectacular spiral staircase in the centre of the store.
Youngest and Girlfriend arrived in the evening and we had dinner in our room.
Pictures of our room.
We had evening drinks in the lounge before Youngest and Girlfriend arrived. It is very cosy with the fire especially as it was very cold and frosty on Friday evening which made a change after all the rain again.
Sorry for the radio silence and no I was not busy with Christmas things. Eldest called me from work yesterday morning “I am on the way to hospital my shoulder has dislocated again”, me “okay I am on my way”!!!!!!! This is the third time this shoulder has come out! Anyway I finally found him in A&E already being looked at and fortunately by a shoulder surgeon who put the shoulder back in after some drugs to try and relax Eldest!!! We have then had to go back to the hospital today for a further update and he now has to have an MRI on it to see if the surgeon can actually do anything to stop this happening again!!! He is signed off work for four weeks!!!
We think he is getting used to being at the hospital having had his appendix out at the beginning of October, I mean I will just take him to have a look round if he really wants to, he doesn’t have to injure himself to do it!!! Oh and the best bit of how his shoulder came out? He sneezed!!! Yep that’s right he sneezed!!! Boys!!!!
I am still doing okay with getting jobs done for Christmas although yesterday and today have sort of thrown a spanner in the works but I am determined not to be stressed about it, honest!!!!!
I also missed Book Club Friday last week but I am hoping to do that tomorrow after Treacle’s Wednesday Wag, she has a tale to tell as well!!!!
Made it to Wednesday and Treacle is very busy outside to be bothered to do her Wednesday Wag!!!!
Today all the children went back to school and, like when they break up in July it heralds summer, today heralds the beginning of Autumn. Of course our two are now all grown up and in the World of Work but here is a sneaky throw back to when they were at school.
Eldest Aged 10 and Youngest Aged 6, Primary School.
Eldest Aged 18 and Youngest Aged 14, Senior School.
I love looking back at old pictures!!!!
Work has been busy yesterday and today and I managed to get a huge amount of ironing done so at the moment I am back up to date with everything!!!!! Yeah!
At the weekend DH is busy the whole weekend with swimming duties so I am going over to Nottingham on Saturday to run some errands and then Sunday I will be getting on with some quilting. I am a bit behind on those projects!!!
Good Morning BlogWorld I know we have missed a few days but we have been so busy. Here am I, above, on Mom’s knee yesterday as it was her Birthday!!!!! We shared some Popcorn as Dad and Boys were all away and busy so it was just her and I!!!
Although it was Mom’s Birthday I got some treats when my food delivery arrived! I am always envious of Molly as she gets lots of things to try and now my foody people are doing the same. So far I have tried the Training Treats and I really like them. I don’t need the weight control of course, as my Doctor says I am in perfect condition but I am sure they will taste nice and the pouch is wet food which I have never had, so that will be different to try.
Mom has been washing up a storm now that her new washing machine has arrived including all the beds and I was with her when she was unmaking them, any excuse to snuggle in the bedding!
So after a very busy few days I am just busy relaxing now that Mom is working at her desk this morning!!!!!
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Thank you Treacle you have a snooze now! I went to the quilt shop that is closing at the end of this month and got a few things which were reduced and I thought I would show you what I got.
My purchases.
Thread was on offer and so were the needles.
Fat Quarters were on offer.
I always buy a new blade for my rotary cutter when I see them.
The material I got was £7 a metre which is half price to what it normally is. I just love the dog footprint material.
I just love the colours in this otter material.
And I love this beach fabric.
I don’t know what I am going to make with it yet but it will go into my stash until a project comes up.
I have finished the blocks for Kathleen Tracy’s Block of the Month and in July we will get the instructions of how to put it together. I have used scraps and bits to make the blocks so I hope they look good together when it is finished!!!!!
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June 20th!
I had a lovely peaceful day yesterday and then went out in the evening to Piccolino in Nottingham for dinner with DH, Eldest and Fiance as Youngest is away for the week on his first training week at the Head Office so he will be home tonight and we are going out with him tonight as Eldest and Fiance couldn’t make tonight!!!! That’s okay I get to go out twice!!!!! Not doing my diet much good though!!!
Tonight we are going to The European in Derbyshire, which is another lovely little Italian Restaurant (above).
I have house jobs to do today and grocery shopping and then DH is out all day again tomorrow commentating, so I have errands to run tomorrow morning and then will get back and do some more quilting. The weather here has been better yesterday and today with the sun shining after all the rain from last weekend and the beginning of the week but it is still cool and not as warm as it should be for Summer!
Today, of course, is the Longest Day and it was getting light at 3.30am (Yes I was awake to hear the birds start their dawn chorus!!!!) and it won’t get dark until about 9.45pm so a very long day! Of course that means that the nights will, although slowly, start to draw in again, Noooooooooo!!!!! We are hoping that the weather is going to be okay on Sunday so we can get into the garden as we have not been able to do anything over the last couple of weekends because of all the rain!!!!
Whatever you are up to this weekend I hope you have a great time.
Hugs & Love, Susie xx
Sometimes you just need to see a picture of sun, blue sky and clear water!!!!!!
Technology is a wonderful thing sometimes and it can also be maddening!! However one of my Apps shows me photographs from different years which is great as it shows you ones that you might have forgotten!! Anyway yesterday it showed me some pictures of when we went to Orlando in 2008, which I cannot believe is eleven years ago now!!! Eldest was twelve and Youngest was eight and we have the most fantastic holiday and The Boys still talk about it now.
All Three are car nuts, still are!!!!!
Epcot at USA World.
My Boys and I outside Cinderella’s Castle. I had my arms around both of them but Eldest was proving that he was taller than me by standing up really tall!!! It wasn’t much longer before they were both taller than I!!!!
We had dinner with the Characters and Pluto was a hit with us all!!!!
Main Street as it started to get dark and the lights came on.
One of my most favourite pictures of them with Baloo and King Louie. In fact “The Jungle Book” Disney film I went to see at the cinema with three friends for my Birthday in 1971.
We spent the day at Discovery Cove and although it is in the middle of the city you would not know, a little bit of paradise. The Boys loved the sand and the swimming of course.
We went to NASA and had lunch with a real Astronaut.
We did all of the Disney World parks several times but The Boys always loved the cars! DH has this picture on his dresser.
I have all the 2008 and 2010 pictures of our trips to Orlando in several places; printed, backed up on my computer, DH’s computer, my iPod and off site too. I am also going to print them all out and put them in an album each like we used to do before digital!!!!
Been working this morning and now I am going to get on with our house jobs. Treacle is busy helping by sleeping in her basket, very tidy!!!! DH checked behind the Boys’ Den last night and it appears she has not been digging but we are not too sure what she has been doing up there. DH had put a rather large stone to stop her which she had managed to move!!!!! Anyway she wasn’t in trouble fortunately!!!!!!
It is also Voting day today here in the UK for our local Councils including the Village Parish Council, so DH and I will be going later on this evening when he gets back from work.
Whatever you are up to today I hope you have a Thrilling Thursday.
Yes it is #Throw Back Thursday today and also so much news to comment on, tee hee!
If the US celebrities accused of paying to get their children into college had done some historical films, especially about Britain, they may have learnt from our past. The wealthy in the UK used to get their children into top Universities by donating a building here and there and having their name put on it!!!! This way the University then felt obliged to take their children even if they were as thick as custard! Generally known as “tit for tat”
Tomorrow is Red Nose Day in the UK and there will be lots of programmes happening and collections everywhere.
You will all know about Brexit after Treacle’s Wednesday Wag yesterday and our politicians have managed to vote out every possible deal but still want Brexit! Hence the above picture (it reminds me of Harry Potter)! I don’t like to get political here but the people of Britain voted to leave the EU (no matter what margin it was) and yet the politicians are now digging their heels in because they don’t like the deal. Which says to me that they want to make a name for themselves and not for the good of the people they represent! However even if we had an election the other parties are only the same if not worse than what is in at the moment so we would be no better off! It is a shame that they did not get business men and women to negotiate the deal, I think it would have been a lot better and be all done by now! Grr.
House jobs day today, as well as some work, and tomorrow some errands to run. The weather is supposed to be high winds and heavy rain all weekend, so it is a good job I am inside then!!!
Ten years ago!!!! Eldest on the left and Youngest on the right they did love dressing up especially if it involved the odd tank!!! They were 13 and 9 and we were away for Easter in London.
Have a Thrilling Thursday, tomorrow is Friday, yeah!!!
She doesn’t like it! Yep nice new quilt, slightly thicker than her old one BUT every time she lies down here now she pushes it away!!!! I mean the old saying of “Dogs remember faces and cats remember places” doesn’t apply to my finickity Airedale!!!!
DH has suggested that I put her old quilt, which is now washed but several blocks are now broken on it, on the top of the new one and see if Treacle will lie down on it with her old quilt on top. We shall see!
Unfortunately the cleaning has to be done anyway, which I managed to get done this morning beginning at 5.00am!!! However last night was the first night I have not woken up at 3.00am, which I have been doing for several weeks now! I don’t know why! Anyway DH had to be up and out as he has a long trip to Cumbria today so I got up with him and after breakfast started my cleaning and I was all done by 9.00am!!! I love it when I get a big job done before work work starts!
We had some sad news yesterday regarding an ex-member of the swimming club, whose family are still involved. She sadly died in a paddle board accident in New Zealand where she now lives. We all saw her at Christmas when she came home to spend time with her family and meet her new nephew and I think we can be thankful for that. When you receive this sort of news it always makes me thank God for my blessings and ask Him to keep them safe wherever they are and whatever they are doing.
As it is Thursday I am doing #TBT with this one, which I have probably shown you before but I just love it. Fourteen years ago and February Half Term (which is this week here in Derbyshire) we had taken the Boys to London for the week. This is Trafalgar Square and we had taken the Boys to the National Portrait Gallery which they just love, having been with school before and wanted to spend longer there. Then we were going to the theatre in the afternoon to see “We Will Rock You”, the Queen Musical, which was brilliant we all had a great time. Eldest was nine and Youngest was five.
I have some work to do the rest of today and I may go out and run some errands today or tomorrow. Saturday when DH is busy again (and Youngest will be out) I am going over to Nottingham to do some shopping and Sunday I will be quilting again.
Well there are fourteen days left of the first month of the year and how are you doing? The first sixteen days have seemed to fly by but with not that much happening. DH was busy, as were The Boys, and Treacle and I were just home doing all the every week things that one does!
I suppose after the busy last few months of last year, which I always think of being like Friday and Saturday in a week, January can always feel a little slow, however it is a good time to re-charge the batteries! We had a little snow last night and it was very icy this morning but that was it. It wasn’t even enough for Treacle to be interested in it!
This weekend, would you believe, we do not have anything on for the Swimming Club! I know, amazing!!! Then of course the age-old question of what do we do? We have a few things to do on Saturday morning, errands etc, and then the rest of the day, evening and all day Sunday is free!!!!! Do you ever have this happen to you and you end up talking about what you want to do and then waste the whole day as you couldn’t decide? Well it has happened to us so I now know to just pick something and do it!!!!
If the weather is going to be okay we were going to take Treacle for an extra long walk at the weekend! She will be okay when we first start but then half way round will decide enough is enough and want to come home!!! I will let you know how we get on!!!
I don’t know if you have seen the #10 years ago challenge well I won’t show you me from ten years ago but I will show you The Boys from 2009! Eldest is playing Guitar Hero and Youngest is waiting for his turn!!!! This was whilst we were away in Scotland in the summer, Eldest was 13 and Youngest was 9!
I hope you are having a Thrilling Thursday and your January is going well!
I am here! It just took all day Monday to catch up on all the work which had piled up over the previous week whilst my computer was upgraded!!! I managed to finish at 6.30pm from quite early on that morning, but so glad I am back on track.
Yesterday I had to go out and run some errands and drop Youngest off at the train station for him to visit Girlfriend at Uni. Again I didn’t get back until about 4.00pm, long day!
Here was one of my collection stops! 120 Advent Calendars for our Young Swimmers!!! This is instead of a party, this year they are getting a present! Just have to wrap them now!!!!!!
I also had to collect a laptop from the computer place which was 40 miles north of this place which has been sorted for the swimming club. I then came back the pretty way instead of the motorway through Chatsworth park and stopped at their Farm Shop to get a few supplies.
I also called at the Quilt Shop on the way home too as it is near here (!) I got home and was thoroughly tired and felt quite coldy so had dinner early and went to bed!!!! DH was out so Treacle kept me company.
This was cuddling last night.
This was Monday whilst I was working all day, you can see how busy Treacle is!!!!!
Two of the fireworks from Friday evening! It was very cold.
We have been spoilt with all the nice weather at the beginning of October and now it has turned very cold, with a biting wind so all the winter jumpers are out and now in use!!!!
I hope you are all having a great week and I should now be back every day! I also need to catch up on the Blogs I read too but that will have to wait until later. Have a great Wednesday, nearly the weekend.
Hugs, Susie xx
I hope everyone has a wonderful Halloween!
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