Photos of friends & events in 2011
(for photos of family
events click
here)
New Year's Eve party at Belinda's
a 'get rid of the effects of Christmas pudding' walk over Walton & Clent Hills; and later a good meal with friends at Peter & Phyllis's - Friday 30th December
It was a busy Christmas Eve 2011 with (1) carol singing for 3 hours with church folk @ Barnett Hill garden centre (2) the now traditional visiting to see friends (3) a superb family gathering of 21 in the evening at my brother Barrie's to exchange presents (4) a late night meeting up of friends and finally (5) going to midnight communion at Overend Methodist Mission.
(To see family photos of the day, click here)
Walking along the Worcester canal on a sunny and oh so warm December day, the 22nd, We're 3 days away from Christmas Day, but with temps in the low 60s we were able to sit outside for a much welcome break at this canal-side cafe; the bacon sandwich & cup of tea were much needed!!
It was good to see Kevin Beale who popped round 19th December to deliver his Christmas card .. always good to catch up with former Boys' Brigade guys
Walking through a muddy and rather bleak Bluebell Wood, near Clent Hills, on Thursday 15th December. It had rained very heavily the night before and is was very muddy, a lot of rain having run off the hills
walking locally on Thursday 1st December with my neighbour Terry Curzon. It was a sunny but cold day and where we had a nice and deserved cuppa & bacon sandwich later @ Nimmins Cafe on Clent
Belinda and I at a Festival of Remembrance concert on 12th November where our Choir sang .. joined by the Salvation Army brass band .. and attended by the Mayor and local Member of Parliament .. spot the difference in poppies .. the Scottish one has 4 petals .. the English one has 2 petals and a leaf .. here endeth tonight’s (educational) lesson!!
walking from Tardibigge locks to Astwood locks on Thursday 10th November
Walking along the Tardebigge canal locks on the 4th November 2011 which are the longest flight of locks in the UK, comprising 30 narrow locks on a two and a quarter mile stretch of the Worcester and Birmingham Canal. It raises the waterway some 220 feet.
walking over a rainy & misty Kinver Edge with my neighbour Terry - 27th October 2011
at a Baggies' training day on a very sunny, if not chilly, Hawthorns, Tuesday 25th October 2011
a week away on the Isle of Wight with Joy & Lynton and Lynne & Ian - 10h to 14th October 2011
walking in the Wyre Forrest on our weekly walk, a much colder day than last week .. and not a narrow boat in sight for once! Thursday 6th October
hosting a birthday-celebrations meal for my former boss Paul Bond's 73rd birthday and for Nando's 30th birthday along with Ian Lacon - Friday 30th September
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HALLELUJAH – the Worcester & Staffordshire canal walk is ended!!! Let the flags be flown and the church bells be rung .. the junction with the Trent & Mersey canal has been reached .. and in temps of low 80s to boot!! - Thursday 29th September
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walking over Clent Hills with Joy & Lynton and then bumping into Judith & George and Peter - Wednesday 28th September
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I met up on Monday 26th September with Paul Bond & Graham Handley .. former work colleagues of mine
!
at the BBC Question Time TV programme in Birmingham on Thursday 22nd September 2011
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walking locally this week, this time at Bluebell Wood near the Clent Hills - Wednesday 7th September 2011.
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At a Fairtrade wine tasting evening in Stourbridge, seen here with Judith & George - Friday 2nd September 2011.
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Wednesday 31st August - another get-together of our 'old gang' from our teenage days at Short Cross some 45 years-ish ago.
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We’re nearing the end of our Worcs / Staffs Canal walk .. hallelujah .. this week walking from Acton Trussell near Stafford to the Radford Bridge - 24th August 11. Hopefully a couple more walks should do it
!
Me, Judith & Peter enjoying a pre-meal hot tub at the Tyler's on Saturday 20th August 2011 - the others were too busy chatting to join us .. !!
Stage 4 of the Birmingham/Worcester Canal walk, on Wednesday 17th August, where we started at Alvechurch. The muck-spreading tractor didn't overly help our walk through that particular field!!
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I went to the first game of the 2011/12 season at the Hawthorns on Sunday 14th August 2011. It's a pity our opening game was against Manchester United - they beat us by 2 goals to 1 .. it was almost a draw!
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walking along the Worcs/Staffs Canal [again!!] 10th August 2011
in Torquay 4th - 7th August
Friday 5th - in Sidmouth for their annual
Folk Festival
Saturday 6th - in Berry Head for a
Britain v French Napoleonic battle re-enactment
Sunday 7th - in Torquay walking along the
sea front
at Upton upon Severn doing a murder/mystery trail - Saturday 23rd July
at a Q&A session with Ed Miliband at Fort Dunlop on Thursday 21st July
during a walk along the Birmingham & Worcester canal on Wednesday 20th July I saw nature in action with a heron feeding himself from the fish in the canal
walking another stretch of the Worcs & Staffs canal - from Penkridge - Wednesday 14th July
my sister Belinda's birthday bash - Saturday 2nd July 2011
A few days staying with friends in Llandanwg, North Wales,
from 29th June to 2nd July
Wednesday 29th June
travelling down by train, along a beautiful coastline, and later walking
on the beach
Thursday 30th June
coffee in the hills, a picnic in a beautiful & secluded spot and another
evening
walk along the beach
Friday 1st July
Harlech, a relaxing [last] afternoon at the cottage & the evening in
Barmouth
Saturday 2nd July
an early morning walk on the beach & journey home
A visit to see St Kenelm's Church - Wednesday 22nd June 2011
At RAF Hendon museum, London, on Saturday 11th June 2011
a walk along the Kinver canal on Friday 13th May
a fabulous long 'weekend away' at Catshill with Joy & Lynton and Lynne & Ian, 6th April - 10th April.
Friday 6th at my house
Saturday 7th at Croome Park & Pershore
Sunday 8th at Birmingham Botanical Gardens & The Barber Institute Art Gallery
Monday 9th in London, visiting Westminster Abbey & Claridges Hotel for afternoon tea
yet another lovely sunny & warm day for my weekly walk, this time from the Trimpley Reservoir to the Arley SVR station - 28th April
A fabulous day out at the Wren's Nest national nature Reserve on an extremely sunny & warm St George's Day, 23rd April, followed by a canal trip to view, underground, the limestone quarries,
Photos from Pat Sanger's 50th birthday party at Patshull Hall in Pattingham on Friday 22nd April
My traditional Good Friday, first going with mom to church for the 7.30am service. Then it's off to June & John's for my toasted tea cakes and Easter egg hunt! - as you can seem from the photo left, I was having a little trouble finding it!!
Continuing our walk, in stages, of the Worcestershire & Staffordshire Canal my neighbour Terry & I walk to Brinsford Bridge which meant we had to walk under the M54, quite a milestone for us - especially as it was a glorious & unseasonally hot [21st] April day
it was Deborah Westwood's 40th birthday party at the Copthorne Hotel @ Merry Hill. A splendid night with good food, good company and the wine was pretty good too .. Friday 8th April 2011
6th April was the warmest day so far this year. I was in Malvern with Joy & Lynton to see 'Yes Prime Minister' at the theatre, but with such a lovely day we went walking over the hills first!
walking over a sun-soaked Wazeley Park on Friday 25th March
these were taken during a 'What to look for in Spring' guided tour of the Wren's Nest national nature reserve on Wednesday 23rd March
these were taken at Nicki's birthday bash on Saturday 19th March
walking over the Clent & Walton Hills Friday 18 March 2011, a superbly sunny day, where we saw both newly-born lambs and the Air Ambulance landing on Clent Hills for an injured woman
four days away in Torquay, staying with Lynne & Ian: 14th - 17th March 2011 .. Places visited were Budleigh Sulterton, Totnes, Buckfast Abbey, Dartmouth and Coleton Fishacre
walking the Netherton Canal on Thursday 10 March 2011
with Paul Bond and Graham Handley in the Edwardian Restaurant @
Birmingham Art Museum - Wednesday 2nd March 2011
at a 40s
Evening on Saturday 26th February
taken at &
near the settling pool at Trimpley Reservoir
- Wednesday 24th February
over the Long Mynd with Judith,
George & Peter - 22nd February
A Burns Night party
at Judith & George's - Saturday 22nd January
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