NOTE 2:
photos shown on this page tend to be albums of multiple photos. Where
I've just take a single photo at an event etc they will be shown at
'Latest News' which can be seen here
New Year's
Eve
- partying
with friends
at Belinda's
celebrating
my
great-nephew
Archie's 3rd
birthday
.. 31st
December
2012
Wyre Forest
- walking
off the
Christmas
pudding on
28th
December
2012
Boxing Day
- mum,
Belinda & me
at my sister
Bev's for
lunch & tea
Christmas
Day -
first at my
brother's to
see his
family and
my mum ..
and then to
Belinda's
for lunch
yum! And
watching the
Queen's
Speech
broadcast
for the
first time
in 3D
Christmas
Eve -
carol
singing at
Barnett Hill
Garden
Centre in
the morning
& then the
Family
gathered at
Belinda's
for the
exchange of
presents
Popping in
to see
Cal' second
art
exhibition
on Saturday
22nd
December -
this one in
Dudley. We
were treated
to live
music too.
Walking over Kinver on Thursday
20th December and I bumped in to Santa and his crowd. A Nice festive
walk it turnout to be!!
walking the woodland over Kinver Edge - thinking it would protect us from the heavy rain .. it didn't!!
swans and a dredger on Netherton canal .. !! Seen here Thursday 6th December.
Walking from Droitwich towards Worcester @ 8.73 miles (I have an iPhone app for that!!) but on the flat. A cold but sunny autumnal day ... 29th November 2012
walking through very wet Wyre Forest and the mud-churned Dowles Brook there - 22nd November
beating
the European
Champions
Chelsea by 2
goals to 1 @
the
Hawthorns
today 17th
November was
no mean
feat!!. So
tense were
the last 10
minutes that
even I burst
into song -
and
considering
I went with
Stephen, my
Choir's MD,
that was one
brave move.
at the
annual
Festival of
Remembrance
with our
Choir and
the
Salvation
Army band
held on
Saturday
10th
November
where - the
RBL, local
youth
groups, the
Mayor, local
civic
dignitaries
and local
Member of
Parliament
attended
A lovely
Autumnal day, Thursday 8th November, where we walked over Kinver Edge
before making our way to Kinver for a well deserved cup of tea and a
sausage sandwich!!
On Friday
2nd November I went to the wedding of my Godson Adam Weston to
Jen Connor, followed by their reception at the Four Stones @ Clent.
I was at a
talk Thursday 25th October on ‘Cradley before Anglo-Saxon
Times’ that featured small finds that have been made in Cradley from
the Stone Age to Romano-British times. Interesting to think that circa
8000 bc nomadic Mesolithic communities camped on our hills (oh how
intelligent that last sentence makes me sound!!)
As
if we needed proof that autumn is definitely here .. photos taken while
walking through Haden Hill Park today, 25th October, on a carpet
of leaves.
Almost
famous!
While
finishing
off our
Birmingham-Worcester
canal walk
4th October
(walking the
last segment
from
Droitwich to
Worcester)
in the
middle of
nowhere we
stumbled
across news
teams from
the BBC &
ITV
interviewing
on the
tow-path
members of
the
Environment
Agency about
the recently
discovered
shrimps from
Eastern
Europe which
are
destroying
the
indigenous
ecology of
the rivers!!
You may have
seen the
reports that
did appear
on TV. Oh,
and we
walked a
total of
12.06 miles
[accuracy
courtesy of
my iPhone
walking
app!!!] way
more than
our norm.
Exhausted is
an
understatement!
Cal (the boyfriend
of a daughter of friends of mine - oh do keep up!!) held his first
paintings' exhibition in Dudley on Friday evening, 28/09/12. It was
good to go & support the event. The food (courtesy of Judith & George)
was good too
walking with my neighbour Terry
through Nimmins Wood on Thursday 27th September .. ending up at
its cafe, one of our favourite places for a door-stop style sausage
sandwich!! Calories galore
A 5-day break in Amsterdam
with Joy & Lynton and Lynne & Ian, staying in an apartment @
Keizersgracht
within the city's Canal Ring. Like most of the old buildings alongside the
canals it was quite narrow - my bedroom was on the top .. 88 steps up!!
The bonus for me was the roof terrace at the rear was outside my
bedroom, affording superb views of the city
first full day - 19th September -
having flown in to Schiphol Airport the
afternoon before, these photos show our visit to Rembrandt's house, a
barge trip around the canals of the city, our first foray on a tram and
the more than frequent stops at cafes!!
2nd full day - 20th September
The second full day in Amsterdam, starting off with breakfast brought
in, courtesy of the bakery two buildings up from us!! Then off with an
early start to the visit the Anne Frank museum, which was a moving
experience. Then yet more explor...
ing of the City with ‘coffee & cake’ breaks aplenty!! Next was the
Westerkerk but sadly the Royal Palace was closed. The evening, after
another tram ride and good Italian meal out, saw us tramping round
Amsterdam's famous ‘red light district’ – well, it has to be done!
3rd full day - 21st September
After another excellent breakfast brought in from our now friendly local
bakery, we took the train to Zaanstadband then walked to the tourist
village of Zaanse Schans, a typical former Dutch layout. Then back for
more walking around Amsterdam before another good dinner out
last full day - 22nd September
Our final day, which we spent just sauntering around the city centre
soaking up the sun and having a final fling at their lovely &
atmospheric street cafes [why are ours just not the same?]. I’ll even
miss the bikes, which greatly sharpened my reaction-times as they came
at you every which way but loose!! Our flight home wasn’t until 9pm
giving us plenty of time for a final and lazy meal. On arriving home it
was good to be able to use for the first time my new biometric passport
which enabled me to bypass the queues!! Welcome home.
my mother's 90th birthday -
celebrating first at her church, Short Cross Methodist, and then on to a
family & friends party held at Barrie & Jane's. Sunday 26th August 2012
a day out with Judith & George,
first to the lovely town of Marlow, on the Thames, and then on to the
Odney Club @ Maidenhed for the bulk of the day
at Millennium Stadium -
Saturday 4th August. More details soon
at Olympic Park - Thursday
2nd August. More details soon
my neighbour &
I have, in stages, been waking the canal from Birmingham to Stratford
upon Avon - on Wednesday 1st August 12 we completed it!!!
—
at Eaton Dorney for Olympic
rowing - Monday 30th July. More details soon
an excellent few days away with Joy
& Lynton staying with the rest of the groovy gangers Lynne & Ian in
Torquay - 22nd/25th July. Superb as always
19th July
Taking the
train to Lapworth then walking following the Birmingham/Stratford
canal to Wootton Wawen where we caught the train home .. Thursday
19th July
I took these
during the Queen’s visit to Birmingham as part of her Diamond
Jubilee tour of the UK - Thursday 12th July 2012
with a somewhat frenetic
practice the night before followed by a meal
at Al Fassia, the Moroccan restaurant where Alan proposed to Abi, my
niece Abigail Sian Bevan got married on Thursday 5th July at
Windsor Methodist Church.
It was my privilege to escort her down the aisle
Wednesday 4th July - the wedding
practice @ Windsor Methodist Church followed
by a meal @ Al Fassia
the morning of the wedding @ our
hotel - Thursday 5th July
the drive to the church with Abi
in the wedding car where we went via her
school and where her class came
out to see & cheer her - Thursday 5th July
the wedding service
at the church - Thursday 5th July
at the Hotel &
reception
So after the Olympics relay, it was
time to celebrate my sister Belinda's birthday!! So we gathered
at hers on the night
The Olympic torch relay run
came to Dudley on Saturday 30th June 2012 - a once in a lifetime
opportunity
for us to see it. A great atmosphere ..
Staying with friends at Llandanwg, North Wales from 26th - 29th June
2012. I went by train which a most scenic coastal run as you approached
Barmouth. The weather was wet but we did see the sun - a bit!!
So near .. yet
so far!! Watching the England v Italy Euro 2012 quarter final -
24th June 12
Walking over
Kingsford Forest Park & Kinver Edge 21st June taking these rather
poor images taken on my mobile .. but when is summer coming!!
Singing with
Voices in Harmony choir today as part of Dudley’s ‘Songs of Praise’ @ Baggeridge Country Park. It was wet, cold & miserable but a good noise
was made to the brave folk who ventured out 17th June
2012
a gentle stroll for a couple of hours
through the 'countryside' of Netherton [it is actually quite
surprising the amount of greenery and fields alongside much of the
canal] on Thursday 14th June 2012
Getting soaked through to the
skin during a 2 hour walk over Kinver Edge today, 7th June, thanks to
relentless heavy rain .. the trees offered no protection!
Overend Methodist Mission's Jubilee 'Big
Tea Party' was held on Tuesday 5th June - sensibly held indoors in
view of the poor weather!! Games, quizzes, food and a sing-a-long
ensued!! 'twas good.
A good day
yesterday (3rd July) in London for the Jubilee river pageant – pity the
weather didn’t behave as well as the crowd who were amazing (not quite
sure why I was surprised at the spread of ages & ethnicities of everyone
near me who were enthusiastically joining in, but I was) and we had a
group of people who belonged to a choir near us who kept us entertained
throughout. A lovely [but damp!!] atmosphere. I was near Vauxhall Bridge
just down from the MI6 building – shhh I didn’t tell you that!
At a Jubilee event today where Pure
Harmony, the Juniors’ choir that I sing in, were performing a couple
of times. An excellent start to the long Jubilee weekend!
to see a YouTube video
of PH singing the Jubilee Song
click here
Over Clent Hills on Sunday 27th May
with mum, Bev & Archie to remember my sister Barbara at the start
of the week that sees the anniversary of her untimely death and what
would have been her birthday – it is on these hills her ashes were
scattered
In all this heat, it was good to be
able to sit outside for a meal - on Saturday 26th May I met my
former boss Paul together with Ian & Nando for a meal. We meet up every
six months or so. Good to catch up on the gossip with a laugh
inbetween!!
Even Birmingham City centre
looks good when the sun shines and the temperatures rise! Seen here
on Friday 25th May. The new library, still under construction, is
looking good. And how good 'for the working folk' to be sitting out in
the sun at lunchtime!
A swelteringly hot day, so
how typical it was the day we had planned to do an 11 mile walk in the
depths of Warwickshire [my GPS app clocked it at 10.82 miles but who's
counting!!] but when the heat is coupled with the wrong boots and the
consequent blisters it was a long, long walk indeed. Not helped by the
fact that when we finally staggered to the rail station [in the middle
of nowhere!!] to come home the trains were only every hour - a 40 minute
wait ensured!! Was I glad to step into a cool shower when I got home!!
Walking over a Clent & Walton Hills on Thursday 17th May.
Walking over a wind-swept Kinver
Edge on Thursday 10th May.
In London for the State Opening of
Parliament on Wednesday 9th May - thanks to a £8.60 return rail
journey!!!!
walking part of the National Cycle
Route 45, the Mercian Way, in the Wyre Forest
on Thursday 3rd May 2012.
A few days away staying with friends,
and which included my birthday on 24th. A meal at
my house on Sunday 22nd; a day out at Stratford upon Avon & tour round
the newly rebuilt Shakespeare Theatre on 23rd (his birthday!!}
witnessing a rather horrific road accident where a car crashed into a
coffee house. A walk & a meal out on my birthday 24th climaxing with a
superb performance of Mrs Brown's Boys at Wolverhampton Civic Centre.
weekly walk on Thursday 19th
April - by train to the Edgbaston reservoir and then walking along the
[long abandoned] single rail track from there to Harborne. The railway
was originally opened in 1874 and closed to passenger traffic in 1934.
Scotland - 13th & 14th April
- A
bitter-sweet and fleeting visit to Scotland for the funeral of this
family’s adopted auntie, Margaret McMillan. The service was a lovely &
fitting tribute to her.
Easter Sunday 8th April
- I went to
Short Cross Methodist church for their morning service followed by a
fleeting visit to my brother Barrie's to pick up Katie who joining me,
mum & Belinda - we were off to lunch at Bev's . She had staying with her
my nephew Ali and his girlfriend Tig, Abigail and Amie and her boyfriend
Tom. We were also joined for lunch by my niece Jodie who was introducing
to the family her fiancé Simon
Walking from the Waterfront
at Merryhill towards the Stewpony on a gloriously sunny & warm Thursday,
29th March. I had to put suntan lotion on for the first time this year.
let's hope it's the harbinger of a great summer!!
I went to the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery on Friday 23rd March
because, as
part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, 10 drawings by
Leonardo da Vinci from the Royal Collection are being exhibited in
five galleries across the UK.
with mum and the family on
Mothering Sunday 18th March. First at church, then all out for a
meal and then back to mum's
I had a four day break away
with Joy & Lynton and Lynne & Ian, staying at the Guyers House Hotel in
Wiltshire
Sunday 4th March - Lacock Abbey a beautiful Abbey in its
own right but also where the latest Harry Potter film was made
A long but good day out – first to the
historic town of Marlborough for shopping and eating (!!) moving on to
the National Trust village of Avebury which is famous for being
picturesque (it was the village used for the filming of 'Cranford') and
the nearby Silbury Mound earthworks (the largest man-made in Europe
dates between 3400 and 2625 BC) and several stone circles - the Avebury
ring - which is the oldest stone ring that is known to be in existence
anywhere in the world and is even older than Stonehenge. We finished off
the day at the 500 year old Avebury Manor recently made famous by the
BBC programme ‘to the Manor reborn’ where the BBC completely redecorated
the manor in various periods - Elizabethan to the 1930s. Then back to
the hotel for a rest and an excellent meal
Tuesday 6th March -
at Castle Combe, a small village in
Wiltshire with a population of about 350. It is renowned for its
attractiveness and tranquillity, and for fine buildings including the
medieval church. Then on to the Manor House Hotel for coffee, which was
an arm & a leg job!! Then of course we couldn't resist driving through
the nearby village of Tiddleywink! Then back to our hotel, Guyers House,
where we were treated to a a balloon flight taking off in a nearby
field.
Meeting up in Birmingham with
Graham Handley and Paul Bond on Monday 27th February - the second
photo shows the logo from Graham's MBE tie. An anachronistic comment no
doubt, but it still sounds good to me ..
We helped Adrian Sanger celebrate
his 55th birthday on Saturday 25th February
It was Bethany's 17th birthday on
the afternoon of Saturday 25th February
My auntie, Gladys May Walker, celebrated her 102nd birthday on
19th February 2012 at the home where she now lives. The family turned up
- and hopefully we helped her celebrate in style!
Walking
in the Wyre Forest on Thursday 9th February, an ice-ridden & snow
placed area!! It was cold.
Out walking on Thursday 2nd February, walking from the Galton Bridge
along the canal towards Wolverhampton on a bitterly cold day
A good, long day out in London on Thursday 26th January, primarily to
visit the Leonardo da Vinci Exhibition at the National Gallery. I
also did the usual 'touristy' bits
A lucky escape for my niece Amie, her boyfriend
Tom & my great-nephew Archie [aged 2]
last Saturday when, at no fault of Tom as driver, his car was
involved in a bad accident causing it to roll over 4 times, ending
up on its roof.
It poured down during our walk around Kinver on Thursday 19th January,
even the ducks seemed to be sheltering from the rain!
It was ‘sore feet day’ for me today, 12th January, walking
for just over 4 hours, which is a bit longer than the norm!!
my niece Katie's
24th birthday - 5th
January 2012
walking
over Kinver Edge on an extremely windy day- 5th January 2012
more photographs ...
to see earlier photos from 2005 to 2011 click here
