This week there is a theme of travel.  Travels by car, by coach and then by foot, as me and Mr Cooper valiantly attempt to walk the South Downs Way in a week.

But firstly, I know you must be looking forward to more news of our latest 6th wedding anniversary.........there will be a slight disappointment on that front, as we only had 2 ceremonies all those years ago.  so no more wedding photos!
But to cheer you up, let's look at our wedding artwork instead.

I created and produced this lino-cut to be the design on our invitations, and the order of ceremony.
If you love this style, and your wedding is being planned even as you are reading this, you will be happy to hear that  commissions are gladly undertaken.  Or, why not propose to someone, just to I can design you invitations?

Back now to travel, and a visit to Mum's, in the comfort of my 16-year old Volvo.  This is a journey I have made so many times, and during the last 5 years we have taken to stopping for refreshment at the Stratton Arms in Turweston, near Brackley.
Do not even think of calling in there unless you totally love a pub with tables for drinkers to sit at, visiting real ales, filled rolls on the bar for £1.50, and always the right pint glass for your choice of beer.  Plus, no fruit machine or anyone playing with their phones.  And joy of joys, they were serving Everard's Tiger, just the right accompaniment to my ham salad roll.

And the 'joy of joys' feeling did not stop there.  The village where Mum lives has only one pub left, and their wonderful Indian restaurant closed a couple of years ago.  Recently, a new sign had appeared outside the closed restaurant......'Opening soon, Gastro Pub' and when we drove past the sign had changed to Now Open.  So the 3 of us hastened there to have a pre-dinner drink and to be generally nosey.  We ended up sharing a starter and relaxing in lovely surroundings being looked after by friendly, efficient staff.  So, joy of joys, a place where we can eat out with pleasure, in the village.

And it was pleasure too that we admired Mum's side garden, which had been sewn with wildflower seeds 3 years ago, and now, each spring, a slightly different wildflower spectacle appears.

Enough of floral rhapsodising, let's get back to the important issue of food......
........followed by a little light  culture.

We went to the Bluebell pub in Glinton for our Sunday lunch, and very good too. http://www.thebluebellglinton.co.uk/ We all had different and delicious starters and mains, and having read the dessert menu, all opted for the same one.  Pimms jelly with macerated strawberries and a mint granita, superb.

After such a gastronomic couple of hours, we hastened over the road to compensate with a visit to Saint Benedict's church for our afternoon's culture.  http://www.glinton.net/church.html
There are some lovely gargoyles to be found on this church, but the last in the line is with a difference.  Apparently there was a bit of a disagreement about the money the stone carvers were owed, so they left the church with this rude memento.

And then inside, to marvel at the huge spider that lives in the belfry.
Luckily, it appeared to be resting, so all was well.

Then back to west Sussex, to check all our equipment, and prepare ourselves for the week of walking.
We were joined for this by Susie and Werner, who also stayed with us for the duration.  I had, of course, planned ahead (along with KBO, another invaluable motto is 'Preparation, preparation and preparation') and filled the freezer with nutritious and delicious dishes, and filled my fridge with the accompanying vegetables.  In fact, I was so prepared that I was going to use the evenings to create the beginnings of a significant artwork. (Ha ha)

It was a very long and tiring week, but well worth it, the countryside was absolutely stunning throughout, and so different every day.
Below will follow a very brief description of the week's walk, punctuated by some images.

Day One, Queen Elizabeth Country Park to Cocking road, 13 miles.
Bit of a worrying start to the day.......

..........but the rain stopped in time for us all to complete, and mainly enjoy, the first leg.
My coat is no longer waterproof!

Day Two, Cocking road to Whiteways car park, 9 miles.
Being in a small group, with some friction going on, does not make for a very pleasant day .
Plus, we paid good money to do this!
My shower-proof coat is not very showerproof!

Day 3, cocking to Whiteways car park, 9 miles (though it was really nearly 11)
Much more enjoyable, perhaps I will make it to the end.  Mr Cooper thinks so too!
Too tired to do anything more than produce the evening meal.
Have bought a new coat from Chichester, at the end of the day.

Day 4, Whiteways to Washington, 9 miles.
At last, a pub at the end of the walk!  Good job I can drink a pint quickly.....here comes the coach.

Day 5  Washington to Devil's Dyke, 12 miles.
Absolutely stunning again, especially Devil's Dyke.
A pity the pub there is not as good as the view.........another rapid pint consumed.
Some parts of my body have stopped hurting as others take over.  Why are we doing this again?

Day 6, Devil's Dyke to Newmarket Inn, 13 miles.
A beautiful day, and at the end of the walk we enjoyed a pint outside by the propane gas tank, watching  workmen doing their best to unblock the drains.  Luckily we managed to use the facilities just before we couldn't!

Day 7, Newmarket inn to Alfriston.
We ended up bu being at the highest point on the ridge, passing by the two ariels, when we were caught in the worst thunderstorm I have ever experienced.  And no, we didn't crouch down, having discarded our poles....we walked extremely quickly for the last 5 miles, becoming saturated as we did so. ( My coat worked, but not my boots or shorts.)
 Apparently Alfriston is a beautiful village full of tea shops and pubs.  We were so soaked we would not have been allowed in them!  Perhaps we will return one day.

Day 8, Alfriston to Eastbourne, (11 miles) which felt a lot longer.
After a steep climb, we saw the sea, towards which we were heading, hurrah!

So, so beautiful, but thank goodness there were only 7 sisters.....

and two light houses before Beachy Head.

Then downhill all the way to the best cup of tea ever, at the end of the walk. (Better even than beer)

Then onto the reception at Sussex University.
After a week of being in the countryside and away from much of civilisation,  (apart from those of us who are wedded to their smart phones!  Why do you need to read the news when you are in idyllic countryside?), it was indeed curious and amusing to see this sign on the toilet doors.

I just wish the sign had also described what the toilets were there for, which was not to double as changing rooms!  However, after queueing for 20 minutes to watch people emerge in pretty evening blouses......I was able to claim my free drink, collect my certificate and sit and enjoy the buffet...
albeit smelling slightly.  If only I had bought a change of clothes with me.  I could have taken the time to express myself differently and emerge as another.

But there is always next year.  I would be curious to do it again, and walk from Eastbourne to Winchester, but this time I would do it alone (unless Mr Cooper wanted to repeat the experience.)

Back to normality now, hurrah!  I am looking forward to starting my significant artwork, whilst not looking forward to starting to prepare the last room for decoration.
 Well, as my dad used to say, you've got to take the rough with the smooth.
I hope your smooths this week are positively silky, and your roughs only a little gritty.
And you are only out in the rain through choice!  See you all next week, KBO!

A weekend of walking, mainly in the sunshine, and celebrating another wedding anniversary, our garden wedding.  So firstly, why all the walking?  Well, in less than 2 weeks time, we are walking the South Downs Way in 7 days (hopefully) as, for the first time, we are part of the South Downs Annual Walk. http://www.southdownsway.com/  An excellent scheme...we turn up in Chichester each morning, then a coach takes us to that day's starting point, then returns to pick us up later, from that day's finishing point.  No carrying clothes, or staying overnight in B&Bs, all as civilised as walking 12 miles each day can be.

It was very handy for our fitness having our walking week in Malham.  Here we all are, fresh at the start of it, with Kevin next to me, and Werner next to Mr Cooper.  Werner is joining us, with his wife Susie, for the South Downs walk.

And here are Mr Cooper and Werner, towards the end of the week!

Many people, as they picked their way around Werner's recumbent form, on their way into the Lister Arms, said "I want a pint of what he's had".

Back in sunny West Sussex, our first walk of the Bank Holiday weekend did involve pints, or rather half-pints.
We set off  with a spring in our step, to the cider and sausage festival, at the Stag's Head in Westbourne.  http://www.stagsheadwestbourne.co.uk/  When we saw the list of ciders, we decided that a half pint of several was the way forward, and my absolute favourite was the perry.

Anyway, after 9 halves between us, and several sausages later, we walked home, without the spring in our step.  More like a floating sensation.  Another benefit from those 9 halves was that the already beautiful countryside became even more beautiful, and indeed  we found beauty everywhere!

Never have two concrete fence posts been artistically appreciated so much!

Back now  to another significant event of the weekend, our garden wedding anniversary.  
Here we are, 6 years ago, enjoying our wedding ceremony in our garden.

And here we are 6 years to the day, in the garden of the 'Hare and Hounds', Stoughton, http://www.hareandhoundspub.co.uk/enjoying a refreshing pint after our Sunday morning walk
(5 miles, with hills and everything).

A brilliant place to be on a sunny day, especially after a fairly rapid walk through the beautiful West Sussex countryside.

And the countryside in May is looking at its best.................

.............with all the verges looking positively bridal, very appropriate for our day of celebration.  

Mr Cooper had given me another 'Happy Anniversary' card in the morning, and I had given him a slightly modified one, which he had received 18 days previously.  Apparently that is not an acceptable thing to do!  I even added a bar of chocolate, but that didn't count, as it was one Mr Cooper had purchased.
Sadly it is a little more than the thought that counts, there has also to be appropriate actions.


Bank holiday weekends have to end, and work beckons once more.  That, or the increasing overdraft.
But how lovely it was to return to my little damp and slightly smelly corner of the kitchen  to find a bottle of Beaujolais nestling next to the plunger, plus tulips and a knitting magazine!  Thank you very much for my anniversary presents, Juliette, they really made my day. Mr Cooper is very interested in one of them.

I do think that a knitting magazine brings a different element to a busy kitchen.  Amidst the bustle and fury, Juliette and I were there discussing the merits of 2-ply versus 4-ply, and when chunky is positively a good idea.

And to crown it all...

......................here is the crown that with makes its sparkly debut at Southbourne's Women's Institute.  At least I can't complain that my life is monotonous, and my work is tedious.  Lots of fun can be had with a bottle of PVA and a selection of sparkly bits.

Lets hope we all have a good week ahead of us, with a good selection of 'sparkly bits'.  And may the 'worky bits' be ,at the worse, slightly tedious, heading towards 'positively uplifting.'  If you do feel you need to be uplifted, just wear a sparkly crown for a while.  One that you have made, of course.

See you all next week, eat lots of vegetables, drink lots of water and have plenty of fun too.

Can it really be six years ago that me and Mr Cooper were married in  Chichester?

 A lot has happened since then.  We have been to too many funerals, for both family members and friends.  We have both left the teaching profession, and typically, Mr Cooper has gone one better, and has properly retired.  I have discovered many diverse ways of earning not a lot money (but quite a lot of happiness)
 Mr Cooper has had more ailments than me, only one or two of them being imaginary!
 But luckily all have been responsive to treatment.
I gained a significant tattoo to mark my fiftieth year ( a present to myself) and am now designing the next two, to mark my 55th and 60th years.
And of course, this year, we gained a grandson!

Anyway, here we are, 6 years to the very day, back in Chichester, just over the road from the now defunct Register Office, celebrating our anniversary by indulging in something we both enjoy.........
............fine dining!

It was just so good last time, we had to return.

Where are we, both still smiling after 6 eventful years?

Where else but at Amelie and Friends. http://amelieandfriends.com/
We weren't boring in the clothes we wore (why break the habits of a lifetime) but we were a little bit boring in our food choices, and ordered exactly the same dessert, it was so delicious the time before.  (And this time too, I hasten to add.  In fact, I would probably order it a third time....a hint here if you are reading this, Mr Cooper!)

Then, party time's over, and back to one of my ways of making money.
This week's windowsill art at The Greyhound on the Test http://thegreyhoundonthetest.co.uk/
featured some of my knitted cakes, plus pink roses and tulips, courtesy of Juliette.  Please feel free to buy any of the cakes featured, I usually sell them for £8 each.  You can find me in the kitchen window most Tuesdays and Thursdays, or just contact me through the blog.  It would be far more exciting if, after having enjoyed your lunch or dinner,  you stopped me washing up in order to ask me show you my selection of 'French Fancies!'

Then it was time to hang up my silicone mitts for a week (a must for any dish-pig) and set off for Malham, in Yorkshire.  Mr Cooper and his two best mates, Kevin and Werner, were having a week walking together.  I was there to walk mainly alone, shop and cook, and create a significant artwork.

On our first full day there, we all walked together, easing ourselves gently into the week ahead.

This is where our walk started and ended, in Kirkby Malham, at the church of St Michael the Archangel.  We walked through the most beautiful countryside, through glades filled with wild garlic, and also through Airton, a really beautiful little village.
When we completed our walk, just outside the church, we all decided a pint was called for, and headed to the pub that was conveniently next door,  The Victoria.  And even better than its location, we found it to be a free house too! http://malham.pub/ 

But before I joined the men, lured by the ironwork on the outer door, I decided to do some ecclesiastical exploring.  The ironwork was beautiful, and was a really good taste of what was to come.

  The written messages that greeted me upon entering the beautiful church were really welcoming.  What was not beautiful, however, was the previous behaviour of some thieves, who had stripped the church of it's lead roof.  And most unusually for buildings belonging to the C of E, although the parishioners were raising money, they were not demanding donations as a matter of course from their visitors.

I bought a wonderful little book from them, with all the proceeds of the sale going to the church.
A Barry bargain at £5.

When we had returned to the comfort of our cottage, Kevin and I looked through the book.
We both decided that 'Whisky Chicken 'sounded delicious (we had one of the ingredients already...)
I made it the next night and we were proved right!

If you can, buy the booklet.  For a start, you will be helping raise the money, and to follow on from 'Whisky Chicken,' the next one we tried,'Bobotie', pages 26/27 was excellent (and I had been meaning to make it for only 29 years.)  I am now looking forward to making 'Chocolate Juliette', the recipe in the book that first caught my eye.  In fact, I might very well make it when Juliette and Colin are with us, in a couple of week's time.

And onto another book, my choice for our monthly book group.
I first read Candide over half my lifetime ago, and though over the years I have had to discard many of the hundreds of the novels I have owned, Candide has always stayed with me.
Well worth a second reading for me,  but I wonder what the girls thought, after the first time?

I will be finding out very soon, as they are descending on The Gaybells later tonight.

It should provoke an interesting and thoughtful discussion.  Another reason I chose it as was that it was mentioned often in 'A Life in Ruins', the previous month's choice, and a real hit with those present at the gathering.

After completing it very early this morning, before my very early swim, I set out to visit Joyce, always a pleasure, and also one of the many ways I earn some money.

Joyce greeted me as always with a smile and a chat, then gave me two lovely bunches of roses, as a thank you for a previous act of kindness. 

 As with all acts of kindness, well, from most people anyway, it was done without any expectations of a reward.

Aren't they beautiful? That is also what I said after 'You shouldn't have.'  After I had done my best to arrange them, it made me think about the ending in 'Candide', and how being a big cog in life isn't always the best thing to be.  Things also turn out well when many smaller cogs come together.

Not only were the roses beautiful, but also too many for one vase!

And to add to my list of different ways of making money, today I have been commissioned to make a wonderful crown, out of cardboard.  This is sounding like fun!
 I hope you all have a good week Bank Holiday Weekend ahead of you.
Try the Whisky Chicken. If you like the two ingredients already mentioned, you will almost certainly like it (unless you are dairy intolerant, or a little bit boring.)
I hope you have fun times, with friends and/or family.  Don't forget to add a little kindness to the weekend, whether you are on your journey to the top, or are feeling like you are descending instead.
You do tend to reap what you sow in life, even if the harvest is a long time coming.
Have a great time, I will let you know what we all thought of 'Candide' next week.
Have fun, take care, and be kind.

ps I did many walks and meals in Yorkshire, but the significant artwork remained untouched.

Well, what a packed week, and happily so.  Not so much a week of filling and painting, but rather of rocking and soothing,  removing and replacing.
Wednesday saw us heading up the A1 on the way to Leeds to meet Henry, Mr Cooper's grandson, for the first time.
In between the arrival of Henry, and our meeting him, four weeks had passed.  I had filled that time by knitting 2 garments for him, luckily in an autumnal colour, as they should fit him either this autumn, or probably the next.  Always good to look to the future!

Henry is absolutely lovely, which is not surprising, given that his parents are too.  Mr Cooper is, for the main part, absolutely lovely too, interspersed with times of being a trifle tetchy.
Perhaps Henry does take after him, especially in the evenings.


Here they both are, keeping each other entertained

Whilst in Yorkshire, we visited a great outdoor shop, to get more outdoor gear for Mr Cooper, in readiness for his latest walking holidays.  http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/pudsey
I will have to walk behind him soon, in my antiquated gear.  At least all the new purchases are light-weight, so my burden becomes lighter in my role as packhorse.

I did buy three very handy objects, for myself and my bros.  Si has a gecko tattoo, so I thought the combination of that image, plus its function, would be an appropriate gift for each of us.  The orange one for Mark, of course.  It is always handy to have a bottle opener attached to your keyring..........

.................it is very easy to get a little thirsty on a long drive.
We did get a little thirsty on our visit, in Rodley.  Happily, we found two lovely watering holes on the banks of the Liverpool to Leeds canal.
 One called, predictibly, 'The Rodley Barge'  http://www.therodley-barge.co.uk/
and the other, 'The Railway Inn'.  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Railway-Inn-Rodley/200921693271756  Excellent beer from both, and a truly delicious haloumi and sun-dried tomato salad from the latter.
That is a brief glimpse of the 'rocking and soothing' part of the week (plus a little slurping). Now on to the 'removing and replacing' element.  Having started to render our house to be suitably neutral for potential buyers, it was decided that all nudity had to be removed from the walls.
We removed two of my more significant paintings from the landing,

'You Gave Me My Freedom'

and 'The Mistress'

the former to be replaced by an almost finished 'Cinderella'.

As I have not painted anything other than walls this year, it was very good to see 'Cinderella' again, and to remind myself that I could actually paint in another way.  I have got to finish the shoe and the flower, and add another black cat.  Potential viewers may think that we are bonkers, but they won't be confronted by embarrassing body parts.

I have been getting into the artistic doldrums this year, having swapped emotions for magnolia, so I decided, for my own sanity and those around me, to slow down the decorating process, to allow time for my own creations.  And also to register once again for the Jerwood Drawing Competition,   https://jerwooddrawingprize.artopps.co.uk/ and also for the NOAC. http://www.nationalopenart.org/register.php
I have been gathering ideas for this year's significant artwork, and now it is time to put the ideas onto paper, and then some hot-pressed paper, then drawn in ink.
  I am excited already, just thinking about it!

And for this week's good read........

.............thoroughly enjoyable.  Packed with antics, antiques and outrageous adventures.  It is not to everyone's taste, but I will be reading more by this author.

We left Rachael, Ben and Henry with a degree of sadness.............and look forward to returning soon, in our new roles as Grandad, and as Granny Sue.  Soothing babies is a bit like riding a bike, you may not do it for years, but you don't forget how.

But looking at the picture below, showing a holiday snap from many years ago...... 

.......John has been buried by his loving parents, but is looking far from impressed, although Sam and Hannah think it was a good idea.
If that was how I looked after my children whilst on holiday, will I ever be allowed near Henry on a beach, in my new role as Granny Sue?  Well, I did go on to release him, so it was not all bad.

Here I am behaving most properly, so lovely to be holding a baby again, even more lovely to be holding a Henry baby!  Thanks for the photo, Rachael, and your skill with the new photo app!

A week at home now, doing the usual, and then off to Yorkshire again.  Mr Cooper will be walking portions of the Pennine Way with his 'besties', Kevin and Werner.  I am, in theory, working on my 'significant artwork', whilst producing the odd meal along the way.
I will tell you all about it, next time we meet.  Until then, take care, work hard, and do something a little bit different as well, that is fun.

This week has seen me mainly upright, hurrah!  And once again, thank goodness, mainly holding a paintbrush.  The work in progress is not on a canvas, but the transformation of a room.  Work had been held up for a while, as at the start of the transformation, I managed to transform myself into someone who was unable to do very much apart from visit the osteopath. A sad contrast to my April intention, which was to run or swim 5 times each week.  I only managed to do 9 days of this.

So back to normal now on the painting-front, today has consisted of the application of white satin and candy pink satin, interspersed with sorting out the belongings in the next room requiring a transformation.

During the sorting, I came across my  brochures, from when I lived in Southsea,  in the Pink House.
That was the time when I gained my qualification to be a 'Colour Therapist for Interiors', which involved studying the use of colour  to enhance living and working environments, and also to support the emotional needs and changes of people within these environments.

 

This is the front of the brochure, showing a detail from my bathroom.  Each year when we went on our hot, sunny holidays abroad, Mr Cooper used to emerge from the sea with anemone shells for me.  Almost all of them survived their journey home. 

When I was looking through the brochure today, I smiled to see that my bedroom from the Pink House had indeed been the inspiration for two more.

Here is my bedroom in Southsea, as featured in the brochure.

In fact, made famous by that.

And here is the bedroom that I share harmoniously with Mr Cooper.

One visitor we had thought Mr Cooper shouldn't have to sleep in such a pink room, as it might, and I quote, 'make him gay'.  I don't think we need worry, as for those of you who know Mr Cooper, you know he is already a very jovial chap, and does indeed wear what what Granny Beba would have described as 'lovely gay colours'.

And here is the latest transformation, aided by £10 a roll wallpaper from B&Q, and aided also by my trusty paper-hanger, son John. 

The last time I papered a room, son Sam helped me. The event turned into a slap-stick farce. I don't think many people laugh a lot when hanging wallpaper, or indeed many manage to turn the floor into a skid pan, and use it as such............the end result was surprisingly good.

With John at the helm, we had an ordered and tidy experience, with no elements of Laurel and Hardy creeping in.  I said to him that we was a far more proficient paper hanger than Sam, and his reply, coupled with an almost withering glance was, 'Of course I am, what did you expect?'

 Saturday found me working with John again, this time in the shed with Dan, for another Saturday morning art session.  Last time, Dan painted a really lovely picture, and this time we started by making press-prints.  These are prints made from thin sheets of polystyrene...you impress a line into them with a pencil, and when you apply the ink with a roller, the impressed lines stay white.

I forgot to photograph Dan's work before he left, but here is the page of prints that John did.
Dan enjoyed printing so much that he completed 2 pages of prints.

Again, like my bedrooms, there does seem to be a theme running through John's work.

Here is his oil pastel image from the previous workshop.

And here is some 'fibre art', which heralded the start of his interest in making clothes.

If only Hibernia realised what an inspiration she is, whilst munching away at her carrots and greens.

The endless sorting of possessions continues.  Boxes are being filled, and labelled with 'keep' or 'sell'.  Our new pasting table will also be used shortly at car boot sales.  Some items have been re-homed.   In fact on Saturday I went to see Nigel, to give him some books.  It was good to find him at home with Jennifer, and not out on a recovery.  http://www.winchesteronline.co.uk/info/480/

And I suppose we made progress for I did get rid of 4 items, whilst gaining two more!

Thanks Nigel, mother and baby bowls are truly beautiful.

And to keep a beautiful theme running through Saturday, me and Mr Cooper and son John went to walk through our nearby bluebell wood.  We discovered it by accident 15 years ago, as it cannot be seen from the road (we were on our first ever off-road cycling experience) and each year we return to wander, and to marvel.
Mr Cooper chose which photo to include, and here it is.

After that, we went to The Woodmancote for a reviving drink and salty snacks.  Very good value and as always, exciting surroundings.  http://woodmancotepub.co.uk/
But next time,  I won't choose to have the huge bowl of mixed nuts, or the immense portion of pork scratchings.  Rather, it will have to be the small pork pie, served with salad and pickles, for a mere £3!  Just beat a path to their door!

And I leave you with another recommendation.......
Read this book.

And make sure you also read 'Life After Life".
Not so much a recommendation as an instruction!
Let's just say it is so good that at our monthly book group meeting, we talked more about the book than our own very interesting lives and problems.  What more can I say?

I hope you are all enjoying the long weekend, and also enjoy the week that follows it.

  Keep taking exercise....I am hoping to swap painkillers for regular exercise in the near future.  

And always drink plenty of water.

I'm looking forward to catching up with you again next week.  And don't forget, as it is a

 Bank Holiday weekend, why not keep up with tradition, and drink irresponsibly for once? Enjoy!