Chrissy"s Birthday today

This is my favorite photo of Chrissy when she was a baby. You can see just by looking at her how she would develop as an adult and she certainly has exceeded all our wishes.
Have a lovely birthday Chrissy; smile often, love life and bring joy to everyone you meet.
All our love and best wishes...
Nanny and Grandad

Spring comes to my garden

Up come the bulbs

Here are the bulbs that are flowering at the moment in my yard. Some I never put in. I guess they have been having a sleep underground for a while.

Daffodils, narcissus, grape hyacinth and unknown but looks like a tall snowdrop.

This year I left all the Autumn leaves from the trees over the winter all over the ground and I have been very surprised by how moist the ground is under the leaves.

We have bulbs coming up in places they haven't before and the prior ones have multiplied. Lots of green leaves so I am hoping for even more flowers if we ever get some good rain and slightly warmer weather.

Moonlight and trees

"Moonlight and trees"
This is my latest painting and I did it completely using palette knives instead of brushes. I used acrylic paints.
 This is a technique I had used many years ago and if you can do it well it makes for outstanding paintings. 
It is difficult to master and I still think I prefer to use brushes!

Meet Lionel the rock lizard

Sitting on a rock in the geranium plant in my summer room, there he was, my new little friend, Lionel, a green Texas lizard to be sure. He doesn't move much; he never changes color like a chameleon and for sure he doesn't kill and eat flying or crawling insects. I wish he did!

I saw him first in the moonlight. What a neat little fellow!
Here he is in close up. 

I'll put him out in my garden as soon as Spring comes!

A wind Spinner for my Birthday

I love wind toys and decoration; spinners, kites, flags. All are great.

So when Granddaughter Chrissy and her son Nate gave me one for my birthday I thought it was a lovely present.
 I just know they had great fun painting it; 2-year-olds just love messing with paints! 
It took very little time to put it out in my front garden where it can twist and twirl in the wind!
Thank you Chrissy and Nate.

Birthday Gifts!

I let it be known to my friends that I would love to have anything for the garden for my birthday.

Seeds and more seeds.
Can you spot the Loofa full of seeds!

I enjoy pottering in the yard and I thought this way, my birthday will last all year long and maybe, with help from God and the weather, even a little longer. 

My friends brought me seeds;  lots and lots of them. My relatives and other friends bought me garden decorations, planters and garden gift cards. One special friend gave me a lovely card with a lovely special message; a beautiful gift to keep.My sister sent me books and a painting.
I had a lovely birthday because with wishes all around from friends near and far I shall remember my 80th birthday for years to come!

Birthday Bouquet.

Birthday Bouquet.

It's always lovely to receive a beautiful bouquet of flowers and on my 80th birthday, I  had a wonderful assorted flower bouquet delivered to me from my son in Toronto.We only get to visit him occasionally and this was a lovely surprise.

Some flowers I could recognize. Beautiful pink tipped roses and tulips.

 These were some kind of large daisy and the rest I can only guess at. All were beautiful and now 6 days on are still going well.

A fun birthday Lunch

I started out my 80th birthday a day earlier with lunch for my British lady friends at my house. Here are some photos.

Mike agreed to make lunch for everyone and as usual, it was a lovely lunch of spinach salad, bubble rolls, taco crescent roll pie, and baked potatoes followed by lovely cakes from La Madeline's restaurant.

Priscilla bought lovely party hats which we all said were so much better than the Christmas cracker hats which always fall off. Lots of good chat, good eats, and fun.
I have known most of these ladies for many years and it was a joy to get them together to celebrate another milestone in my life. Thanks, ladies.
Also thanks, Mike. You made a super lunch for us all to enjoy.

An Old Friend Lives Again

An Old Friend Lives Again

This is Teddy. Teddy is very old. We think Teddy must be about 84 years old. He was Michael John's Teddy given to him by his Grandmother. Teddy survived the 2nd World war despite being blown out of his house and moving all around  England. He became very dirty and roughed up and so Michael's mother, made him a new fur skin and new eyes and a nose because everyone loved Teddy.
 Years passed and Teddy had 2 other little boys to live to play with. Their names were Russell and Trevor. The whole family flew to Canada to live. It was the first time, Teddy had ever flown in an airplane.It was fun.
 More years passed.The family moved to Texas. Teddy was squashed into a moving box, his head broke off and there he stayed for a long, long, time. Indeed many. many years.

This Christmas I  found Teddy again. He looked so sad that I knew it was time for him to come out and join the other Teddies again.We fixed his head; it's still a bit stiff and gave him a bright new red bow. It cheered us all up
I even believe I can see Tedy smiling again. 
I know I am!

Goodbye Christmas Cards

Here is the unfinished painting of a robin that I started far too late for it to be made into a Christmas Card. Just as well I didn't send it, doesn't look much like an English or American Robin. Maybe next year......

We always get a lot of Christmas cards and Christmas letters each year and look forward to seeing them and hearing the news from our relatives and friends.

Here are a few of them for you to appreciate as well.

Two lovely hand-painted cards, homemade from friends in England and Canada. I always think it is lovely when someone takes the time to make a card.

As we are old now we have many friends from all over the place some we see often and some we haven't seen for years

Often the cards start arriving early in December and continue even sometimes into the New Year. They are put on display but it isn't until they are to be taken down that we have time to stop and appreciate the lovely cards, and the news and the good wishes they bring.

Oh well, always next year, I'll start in September...... 

Resolution 1- Clean up Christmas.

Goodbye Santa Claus for another year
I reckon Trevor made this about 48 years ago and it is still hanging in!

Whoever keeps annual resolutions? 
I would think probably very few people. We always start out well:-this year I'll walk  1 mile each day; this year I'll get a new job; this year I'll lose weight, etc. etc. but usually life gets in the way. 
This year I decided to make limited time resolutions- one day, one week, one month with a task I think I can do and see if that works.

The Bear family
Reminding us of the pink bear given to Nanny Bond by Ashley.
the heart bear given to Nanny Bond by Chrissy
and our friend Bob Billman who gave us SueBee bear
So to start I made an easy one.

 Clean up Christmas!
We had fewer visitors and fewer family events at our house so I kept Christmas decorations to mostly some of the items we have collected or been given over the years. We have many things and each is a delightful reminiscence
of a special person or event or story. 
Clearing up is a lot quicker than putting out decorations.
 I am DONE.All Christmas items stored safely away in the attic.
Resolution 1 accomplished.