Last weekend proved to be an oasis of calm in our busy lives.  For the first time since the beginning of December, we had a weekend to ourselves, in our own home. No-one to visit, and no visitors; temporary bliss.  Me and Mr Cooper do love to be sociable, but sometimes it is good to have a break, a welcome respite between the Christmas Festivities, and the forthcoming Wedding Festivities!

Let's go for a walk, said I, ever conscious of the fact that I had signed up to walk the South Downs Way again, in June.  Yes, agreed Mr Cooper, ever conscious of the fact that a walk usually means a pint somewhere too (or two, in fact.)
So we set off towards Westbourne, talking avidly of our trip to The Falklands, for Sarah and Ali's wedding.  The colour scheme for the wedding is silver and purple, and some hedgerow flowers kindly obliged us by providing blooms of those colours.  It was lovely to see flowers in January.

In fact, nature seemed very much on our side for, as we left the roads in exchange for muddy footpaths, we came upon frozen, silvery puddles.

We weren't the first people to enjoy those icy puddles, but we were the only ones in the whole of West Sussex talking excitedly about the fast approaching silver and purple wedding.

It wasn't too long before the wonders of nature morphed into the wonders of Westbourne. 

 In particular, The Stag, where we were spoilt for choice on the beer-front.  What is not to like about a beer brewed by Listers (stationary engines) in Sussex (what better county?) and featuring a portrait of a fox terrier (or was it a 'dog on wheels', another of my very favourites.)

What was lovely about our break there, as well as the beer and the crisps, was the fact that, as it was not our local, we were able to sit and chat away without interruption.  It is lovely to share time in a pub with friends, but just once in a while, it is lovely to share time just with Mr Cooper.

Then back out into the now sunny day, walking through sunny Southbourne, on our way home to   nutty Nutbourne.
Spring is not yet springing, but it was lovely to see more yet blooms on our way home.
A very cheering sight, a real taste of things to come.

We did continue with the wintry theme that afternoon, as we settled down to watch 'Frozen'.

Then after a tasty roast pheasant, Sunday turned into Monday, and it was back to working life again.

Monday morning found me in Andover, working for Andover Mind. I completed my first stint there as a volunteer, leading a session on handicrafts.  It was good fun, and involved balloons, glue and newspaper.  Hopefully next Monday, these will start to take shape as decorative bowls.

Monday afternoon, time to go to Winchester, where I am a volunteer in the Monday afternoon art group at Trinity.  We were completing boxes we had made, which were used art to portray our ideas and experiences with the Health Service, the focus being  on mental health.  Next Monday these will all be in an exhibition there, complete with local dignitaries, and tea and cake.

Then the rest of the session was about our next project, where we are looking at, and understanding more about, the work of the Abstract Expressionists.  As well as working for Trinity, Ali also works for the Southampton City Gallery.  I wish he had worked for Winchester School of Art when I was there, as he is very good at explaining art theories.  But when I think about it, he probably hadn't even been born when I was a student there.  Oh me, oh my.

So glue and balloons in the morning, and oil pastels in the afternoon.  Can life get better than this?

This past week, in the time when I have not been at work, which was sadly very little, I have been gathering items to pack for our trip.  It has been very exciting to create a purple and silver outfit to wear, and for the first time for absolute ages, all my clothes for Sarah's wedding will be new, and worn for the first time that day.  Let's hope they all fit, and actually go together! 

All will be revealed next month, when the photos appear.

  I have also added a butterfly to my wedding 'fascinator', so I will also be carrying with me lots of love and beauty from Bristol!  Here it is, nestling against my startlingly bright jacket.

The colour scheme for the wedding has happily spilled over into my life.

I needed a new back-pack, and look what I discovered.  How fab is that!

And in the summer, I asked Sarah if she needed any bunting made.........

........what better thing to do on a cold and rainy day than sit and sew, whilst listening to radio 4.

Mr Cooper says he can think of lots better things to do, but to assist me in my productions, he helped me by doing the sitting bit very well!

Perhaps I should be a little more speedy, when writing my blog. A few paragraphs ago and I was writing about the forthcoming exhibition at Trinity.

It happened yesterday, and very good it was too.  It was hard work setting everything up in under 2 hours, but well worth it. (And the cakes were delicious, especially the homemade lemon shortbread)

Here is a snippet from it, with most of the boxes on show having been made by the same person.

 I was not quite so prolific, and here is my offering on the bottom left, with 3 pages of writing about the circumstances around the work.  In agreement with the artist whose work is above, we were both wanting to also make the point that funding cuts, from a budget that wasn't large enough in the first place, mean many people have not the help and support they need in their lives.  If people appear to be 'getting by', they are left to do so.  This is not a criticism of those within the health service, but of those who are cutting the resources for it.  They are so far removed from the actual people affected by this, that they can have no idea of the hardships they are inflicting.  Or if they do have any idea of this, 'heartless' is a word which springs to mind.

Returning now to our adventures on the horizon.

As departure date comes ever closer, lots of little loose ends must be tidied away.  For instance, installing our friendly house-sitters, and showing them where everything is, making lists, crossing things from them, then creating new lists.  It feels strange to be packing summer clothes when it is frosty outside, but this is a strangeness I could get used to!

If you have anything strange in your forthcoming February lives, I hope it is on the 'pleasantly strange' side, as opposed to the 'really weirdly strange'. 

 Just welcome some strangeness in, and adapt a little around it.

We can all view something new and strange with reluctance and fear, let's go for viewing new things with curiosity and excitement; providing they are legal, of course.

I am hoping my next blog will be broadcast from foreign lands, but this very much depends on my grasp of new-to-me technology.  ( Sam has been assisting with my gaining a grasp, but he did say 'You're not very good at this, are you?'  I said that I wasn't allowed to say that, in all my years as a teacher.  To which he said, 'Well, it's true!')

At worst, it will be a blog without images, but I will be striving for my usual format.

Until then, keep warm and keep walking, and be welcoming to what is new.

I am looking forward to seeing you all again soon, and sharing what is new and exciting in my life.

January is well known for being a time of abstinence, most unlike its naughty neighbour, December.
In December, 'plenty' not only seems to be the order of the day, but becomes a very enjoyable, if tiring, way of life.
Christmas came and went, and me and Mr Cooper were a little slow in putting away our decorations this year.  As soon as the last festive feast had been prepared, consumed and cleared away, I was back at work, and Mr Cooper just felt a little slow.
We did get as far as removing the tree decorations from the tree by Twelfth Night, but not actually removing the tree from the house.  That has finally happened, but on the Eighteenth night.
 All is done now, however. 

The cards came down first, and this is the card Mr Cooper gave to me.
It seemed hilarious just before Christmas, and more than a little apt.

 Now I look at it with sadness and nostalgia, as January seems to stretch out before me.

However our spirits were lifted when the estate agent rang, to say we had our first viewing. We had to be elsewhere, so we opted to walk into Emsworth.  It was cold and wintry, but so good to be outside.  If you look really hard, you can see an egret.

We warmed ourselves up in Emsworth with a most welcome drink.....Earl Grey tea.
Then back to find that the viewing wasn't a great success, as the drive is too small for a caravan.
Oh well, better luck next time, and back to work again.

When I have my packed lunch at The Greyhound, I always eat it outside, next to the River Test.
 It doesn't matter that it is sometimes very cold, as I am not out there for very many minutes, just long enough to eat my fruit, nuts and cottage cheese before the lunchtime rush.

You can see why I choose to eat outside, and if you look hard, this time you can see a swan.
(Another white shape on the water)

Then good intentions somewhat deserted me (and several others besides) as we had our Christmas Staff Party to go to.  This year, we went to Kyoto Kitchen in Winchester, which was so lovely.
We were treated to beautiful food and wines to match.  I had taken my flamingo umbrella with me, and I was probably aware that my good intentions had been dissolved in wine, when it became important for Earnest to enjoy the food too.  I know had a fine time, but Earnest did tend to fall over later on, when left unattended.

Time to 'party on down' one more time, back at Juliette and Colin's abode. We were very happy to be joined by 9 weeks old Eric!

Back to the real world yet again, and to more yet clean living during these frosty days,
 and long evenings.
Let's stand a fighting chance of remaining awake to watch all our recorded programmes, and buy some wool, thought I.  The only thing is, the more complicated the garment is, the less chance I have of making sense of the actual programme! (Do the knitting, lose the gist.  Put the knitting down, return to it, start counting all over again.  Or, just give up and fall asleep!)

Well there is always a little light sewing instead.  It's a month till Sarah and Ali's wedding, and I have one thing still left to make for it, although there are many things still to buy... ( lipstick, eyeliner, etc)
After a little while, I was wondering why I had ever thought it was a good idea to actually make a fascinator, let alone wear one!

It seemed counter-productive to attempt something that would actually drive me towards drink, and then it all seemed a whole lot better, and worth the struggle.

As January progresses, I also progress with my resolution to walk round Stockbridge Marsh in my break.  Apart from yesterday, that is, when it was pouring in rain.  Sam and I settled instead to watch an old Julia Child's French cookery programme.
 I will go swimming tomorrow instead, thought I.  Well tomorrow has definitely come, and with it ice and biting cold winds.  I cannot even imagine changing to swim in these conditions.  But swim I must, so I will away now to shake the cobwebs from my goggles.
I hope you are progressing well, into January, and you are still persisting with any sensible resolutions you made.  Silly ones too, if fun and achievable.  Just stay away from those extremely ridiculous ones.  Leave them behind, as we leave behind the excesses of the Festive Season.

Keep moving forwards with humour and determination, whilst sipping hot water and eating fruit.
Who knows, we could get used to it all!
Have healthy fun in the week ahead, and I am looking forward to catching up with you all very soon.

ps.  3 hours later......just having returned from the swimming pool.  It felt wonderful to be in the water, and it feels wonderful now that I am home again, happy and relaxed after my half-mile.
So, perhaps the mantra for the coming week should be 'Feel the reluctance, and do it anyway!'
You know it makes sense!

This blog is pretty unusual for one of mine, as not only does it straddle two years, but it also contains several photos of actual people, plus a couple of arty outdoor ones.

On Christmas Day, which seems a while ago now, Sam was the designated photographer. and I am sure you will soon agree that he captured the atmosphere beautifully.
Si rang in the morning, and we exchanged Christmas greetings, and also had the
'thanks for the wonderful.......' conversations.
Si reminded me that Dad would not say 'Merry Christmas', preferring to use 'Happy Christmas'.  The word 'merry' implied that too much alcohol had been taken, not a situation that Dad was in favour of.
However, I think Si was all prepared for a Merry Christmas, and at The Gables, after our pre-dinner pints and our turkey accompaniments (red, white, or both) it was both a Merry and a Happy Christmas.
Sam did not think it was funny that Mr Cooper had to stick a cracker onto his ear.....

.........and definitely didn't find it funny that I stuck crackers on both ears. I did, however.

But luckily, Sam regained his good humour when he spied the Christmas ham, adorned only with cloves, not crackers.  And very good it was too.  And it remained very good for many days.

Going back in time briefly, when me and Mr Cooper enjoyed the delights of Corfu in October, we dined several times at the Blue Dolphin Taverna, enjoying both the food produced by, and the company of, Nikki and Nicos.
When it was our last meal there, not only were many hugs exchanged, but we were also given a bottle of Corfian red wine which we said we would save, to drink with our Christmas dinner.
We decided to open the bottle to go with our second Christmas dinner, when we would be joined by Rachael, Ben and young Henry.

Here are me and Mr Cooper behaving far more sensibly, enjoying the red wine without wearing crackers, Rachael now being the designated photographer.
We will send a copy of this to Nikki and Nicos.

Much more exciting than a bottle of wine, here is young Henry, enjoying his first Christmas.  Being 7 months old, a table mat holds as much fascination as a real toy.  Being 64 years old, Mr Cooper remains fascinated by the camera!

Christmas comes and goes all too quickly.  All that time spent planning and preparing is over in a flash.  I always think that Christmas Day should be spread over 2 days, as Boxing Day is always a little bit of a sad day for me.  In fact, so festive did I feel this Boxing Day that I did some dressmaking, then started my yearly accounts.  What fun I had!
Then back to work for a couple of days, before preparing to enjoy the New Year celebrations.
The time between Christmas and New Year can be very busy at The Greyhound.  When I first got to work on Wednesday, it was initially quite good to have a change of scene, but as the day got more and more hectic, I began to wish I was actually there to eat lunch, not clear away after it!
When I returned to work at 6pm, Jay made me a very delicious salad, festively garnished with violas.  Nothing like smoked salmon and flowers to lift the spirits, I always find.

After a couple of days at work, it was time to continue with  the festivities, and Friday saw us heading clockwise round the M25, on our way to Suffolk.  Well, it didn't see us very clearly, as it was a foggy morning.  We were off to stay with Susie and Werner, for New Year.
Luckily the fog had lifted the following day, and we headed to Orford, for a coastal walk.
What better place to be than by the sea?

Unexpectedly, after a mile or two of walking, the sun appeared, the skies became blue, and it was a even more of a joy to be out and about in the Suffolk countryside.  This year I have signed up again to do the annual South Downs walk, this time for 9 not 7 consecutive days.  Let's hope I am still using words like 'joy' to describe walking in the countryside, on day 5.

We spent New Years Eve in Kettleburgh, having been invited there by friends of Susie (from the tennis club). We met 3 couples we didn't know, and spent a very convivial evening.  At 10pm, we left the dining table (rather sadly, in my case as I had tried to eat as much braised fennel as it was polite to.  Well, I mean as much braised fennel as I possibly could.)
 'Let's play Pictionary' said our host.  Great idea, thought I.
They certainly take their board games seriously in Suffolk......instead of us gathering round a table, and drawing on a small pad, Dennis carried a large flip chart into the room.  It was rather like giving a lecture in silence.  I do love Pictionary, and red wine.  It is best to focus on just one of them at a time as, at 11pm, my brain could visualise the image I intended to add to the paper, but my hands made it look a little different.  But it was still a success, I think we were all in the same boat.  Plus, none of our 'friends for the evening' knew that I was an artist, so there were no great expectations.

Sadly, back to reality, and a return to work.  On the day we left, the rain had ceased, the sun was shining, and Jack Frost had visited.
Here is Mr Cooper looking at the roof of his car, this photo capturing two wonders of nature.

Here is a close up of one of them again, but a transient one.

I get to return to West Sussex with the other natural wonder, who though is perhaps not quite as decorative, is really a lot more useful, and very lovable too.

In 2016 I spent a lot of time sorting out my possessions, and getting rid of those that were not decorative, functional or very much loved. 
Hard to start, but it certainly became easier as the year went on.

I hope you have a happy year ahead of you which contains things which are decorative, useful and lovable.  Not necessarily all together, but a good sprinkling of the three of them throughout.
I wish you all a very Happy New Year, perhaps even a 'merry' one at times, and I look forward to seeing you often in the weeks and months to come.