Sunday Pics and this and that.
9 Jan 2011 08:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
curiouswombatIt seems like a long time since Christmas and New Year - D-d flew back to York on Monday, I went back to work on Tuesday, and now things are so much back to normal that that could have been a month ago!
It was my mother's 84th birthday on Wednesday - we bought her a new, sensible, watch as her old one was becoming unreliable. This was obviously a hit because when my sister was up on Saturday she was actually wearing it, rather than keeping it in the box!
D-d has just been on the phone - she is planning her 'gap trip' for the summer - she has 11 weeks between finishing at college and starting her training contract and intends to spend much of it in Australia, not only visiting her grandparents and aunt, but having a look at the rest of the country too. She is going to go to buy her main air ticket on Wednesday - so her mind is well into summer whilst I am still deep in winter, still putting the Christmas decorations away. I think this might be a reflection of our different ages.
Talking of putting away the decorations - and there is a picture of me doing just that under the cut (how exciting!) - I also took a picture of my glass vase of baubles and lights as![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
melegyrn was asking about it.
Most of the pictures, though, are of the walk I took before lunch in one of our local glens.
So, firstly, for Melegyrn, this is the big glass vase filled with red and gold baubles and some LED lights
I would be inclined to leave them there all winter - but D-d insists that they really are Christmas decorations and must be taken down.
One of the very important jobs, but one I rather like, when putting away the decorations, is carefully wrapping all the glass tree ornaments. Here they all are on the coffee table waiting to be bubble-wrapped and packed into their box -
There are 20+ assorted crystal twists and drops in that pile on the right, honestly, including the 6 in the separate box (a gift fromdougalsservant) - all bought one or two at a time, or given by friends. I didn't get around to counting the assorted glass angels, snowmen, nativity scenes and so on - but I think they, too must be running into their 20s - again all bought in different places, at different times, or gifts - then there are the golden angels, the crystal and gold wire snowflakes - and Archbishop Sentamu! All now packed away for 11 months.
So - it is still cold, but the only snow for the past two weeks has been up on the hills. Down at sea level it is bright and clear -
I decided, after church, to work up an appetite for lunch - so I went for a walk in Groudle Glen and took a few pictures. The glen is quite steep, with a very busy little river running through it.
I liked this tree root - perhaps a bit small to be a hobbit hole...
It is quite a steep glen, which is why it is easy to take pictures of tree roots. I left the car on the roadside and the road, in a very short distance, is a long way above the glen although the road is level. It goes across the arches you can see in this picture.
This is taken at the bottom of that path -
Yes, it really does say to the trains! If you look in this picture, that I took from the road about 1/4 mile away from the glen, you can just make out the rail-lines -
The glen runs steeply from left to right of that picture, down to the sea. The railway is the Groudle Glen Railway - miniature trains that go from a point half way along the glen out onto the cliff side and along to place where a natural pool was, in the 1920s and 30s, adapted to house captive performing sea-lions! People went on the train to save them walking.
The trains have been restored and now run along the track purely for the joy of going on the train. But I didn't bother going to the 'station' as they don't run in January. Maybe in the summer...
Oh - and in other news, Shaka wasn't very well after Christmas; he had a nasty cough and a wheeze, and was very sleepy. So I took him to the vet who diagnosed bronchitis and gave him a couple of injections. The cat has perked up well - but I took him back for his follow-up appointment a couple of days ago and Edric (our vet) declared Shaka to be in very good condition for a 16 year old cat, but still a little wheezy, therefore he will need to take oral medicine for a further 10 days.
Edric laughed when I told him my plan to make sure the cat took the medicine - but it works very well... Well, if you were a cat and someone kept giving you small portions of smoked salmon you'd eat it without question too, wouldn't you?
It was my mother's 84th birthday on Wednesday - we bought her a new, sensible, watch as her old one was becoming unreliable. This was obviously a hit because when my sister was up on Saturday she was actually wearing it, rather than keeping it in the box!
D-d has just been on the phone - she is planning her 'gap trip' for the summer - she has 11 weeks between finishing at college and starting her training contract and intends to spend much of it in Australia, not only visiting her grandparents and aunt, but having a look at the rest of the country too. She is going to go to buy her main air ticket on Wednesday - so her mind is well into summer whilst I am still deep in winter, still putting the Christmas decorations away. I think this might be a reflection of our different ages.
Talking of putting away the decorations - and there is a picture of me doing just that under the cut (how exciting!) - I also took a picture of my glass vase of baubles and lights as
melegyrn was asking about it.Most of the pictures, though, are of the walk I took before lunch in one of our local glens.
So, firstly, for Melegyrn, this is the big glass vase filled with red and gold baubles and some LED lights
I would be inclined to leave them there all winter - but D-d insists that they really are Christmas decorations and must be taken down.
One of the very important jobs, but one I rather like, when putting away the decorations, is carefully wrapping all the glass tree ornaments. Here they all are on the coffee table waiting to be bubble-wrapped and packed into their box -
There are 20+ assorted crystal twists and drops in that pile on the right, honestly, including the 6 in the separate box (a gift from
dougalsservant) - all bought one or two at a time, or given by friends. I didn't get around to counting the assorted glass angels, snowmen, nativity scenes and so on - but I think they, too must be running into their 20s - again all bought in different places, at different times, or gifts - then there are the golden angels, the crystal and gold wire snowflakes - and Archbishop Sentamu! All now packed away for 11 months.So - it is still cold, but the only snow for the past two weeks has been up on the hills. Down at sea level it is bright and clear -
I decided, after church, to work up an appetite for lunch - so I went for a walk in Groudle Glen and took a few pictures. The glen is quite steep, with a very busy little river running through it.
I liked this tree root - perhaps a bit small to be a hobbit hole...
It is quite a steep glen, which is why it is easy to take pictures of tree roots. I left the car on the roadside and the road, in a very short distance, is a long way above the glen although the road is level. It goes across the arches you can see in this picture.
This is taken at the bottom of that path -
Yes, it really does say to the trains! If you look in this picture, that I took from the road about 1/4 mile away from the glen, you can just make out the rail-lines -
The glen runs steeply from left to right of that picture, down to the sea. The railway is the Groudle Glen Railway - miniature trains that go from a point half way along the glen out onto the cliff side and along to place where a natural pool was, in the 1920s and 30s, adapted to house captive performing sea-lions! People went on the train to save them walking.
The trains have been restored and now run along the track purely for the joy of going on the train. But I didn't bother going to the 'station' as they don't run in January. Maybe in the summer...
Oh - and in other news, Shaka wasn't very well after Christmas; he had a nasty cough and a wheeze, and was very sleepy. So I took him to the vet who diagnosed bronchitis and gave him a couple of injections. The cat has perked up well - but I took him back for his follow-up appointment a couple of days ago and Edric (our vet) declared Shaka to be in very good condition for a 16 year old cat, but still a little wheezy, therefore he will need to take oral medicine for a further 10 days.
Edric laughed when I told him my plan to make sure the cat took the medicine - but it works very well... Well, if you were a cat and someone kept giving you small portions of smoked salmon you'd eat it without question too, wouldn't you?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 09/01/2011 08:41 pm (UTC)That glen is really lovely, and oh so hobbity. And that vase of ornaments and lights... gorgeous!
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Date: 09/01/2011 09:01 pm (UTC)We have a lot of small, steep, glens - it is to do with our geology I guess, but know very little about it.
The vase full of baubles is such a simple thing - and it looks good, I think, even without the lights.
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Date: 09/01/2011 08:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 09/01/2011 09:04 pm (UTC)The smoked salmon works really well - if I put medicine on his food he decides he doesn't like that flavour of cat food and refuses to eat it; try squirting it into his mouth and both us us end up annoyed and frustrated; add it to some snippets of smoked salmon and he almost takes my fingers off trying to get at it - result!
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Date: 09/01/2011 08:53 pm (UTC)Those pictures are absolutely beautiful. You have a gorgeous island.
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Date: 09/01/2011 09:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 09/01/2011 09:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 09/01/2011 09:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 09/01/2011 09:12 pm (UTC)I love the vase filled with babbles and led lights - what a great idea. My family room always looks so dark and gloomy after the Christmas tree comes down. I think I'm going to do that just to banish the winter blahs!
Happy Sunday - I LOVE your Sunday pixspam...
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Date: 09/01/2011 09:39 pm (UTC)The vase full of baubles and lights really does give a nice warm glow - LEDs are still cool to the touch, so it would probably look good with pine cones instead of baubles, too.
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Date: 09/01/2011 09:16 pm (UTC)Your decorations are beautiful and that looks a lovely walk beside the brook.
Hope Shaka is fully recovered soon or it could get expensive!
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Date: 09/01/2011 09:43 pm (UTC)All those glass, brass and gold coloured ornaments have been built up over the years - and very carefully wrapped in bubble wrap and packed into a box which is just big enough, so that they don't rattle.
We have a lot of deep glens down tot he sea, cut by streams like that one - all rather beautiful, and almost all public walks.
Shaka is improving - and he only get a bit about an inch by two inches once a day!
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Date: 09/01/2011 09:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 09/01/2011 09:45 pm (UTC)D-d and I bought a large quantity, on special offer, just before Christmas and had it for a lot of lunches over the festive period - so the cat is not overly surprised to get a few scraps of it each day now - just extremely grateful!
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Date: 09/01/2011 09:24 pm (UTC)Mentioning Shaka & the smoked salmon reminded me of my mother - I think you met her a couple of times. If there was smoked salmon at Christmas humans were served first but there was a plate for cats, on the table, ready for them. My mother would be furtively (in the way that a cat can be furtive, that is to say totally obvious) feeding them her smoked salmon under the table. I did try saying that if she had too much she could just add it to the cats plate....... In the end I decided she thought she was Grannie to the cats and so was allowed to undermine me! But probably my only cat rule is no scrounging at table while the humans are eating. Oh well....
And of course furfles to Shaka
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Date: 09/01/2011 09:49 pm (UTC)Under usual circumstances Shaka has to wait for his salmon until we have finished - so he is quite impressed that I am currently giving him some at the same time as I am getting my own lunch.
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Date: 09/01/2011 09:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 09/01/2011 09:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 09/01/2011 09:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 09/01/2011 09:53 pm (UTC)Of course if you bought the red hat you could, like someone else here on LJ, join the Red Hat Society (http://www.redhatsociety.com/).
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Date: 09/01/2011 09:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 09/01/2011 09:54 pm (UTC)I was just thinking how much better he was - I think he must have heard the thought as he just lay over the edge of his bed and coughed, pitifully!
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Date: 09/01/2011 09:46 pm (UTC)You live in a very beautiful place. The pictures of the glens are glorious.
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Date: 09/01/2011 09:56 pm (UTC)I really do think that I am lucky to live here.
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Date: 09/01/2011 09:59 pm (UTC)What a beautiful glen. I love the hobbity-hole tree root. :)
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Date: 09/01/2011 10:17 pm (UTC)I rather liked that hobbity hole when I spotted it beside the path.
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Date: 09/01/2011 10:04 pm (UTC)Glad to hear Shaka is doing well.
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Date: 09/01/2011 10:20 pm (UTC)Shaka is sleeping happily at the moment - and I can't hear a wheeze at all.
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Date: 09/01/2011 10:16 pm (UTC)I hope Shaka does well on the extra meds. :)
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Date: 09/01/2011 10:23 pm (UTC)Shaka seems to be improving, and he is certainly enjoying the treats!
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Date: 09/01/2011 10:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 09/01/2011 11:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 09/01/2011 11:45 pm (UTC)And: lovely pictures! I love the purple on those river snaps and your beautiful ornaments. I don't think anything so delicate would last for many Christmases in my house. And that's such a heartening vase of ornaments and lights, I'm not surprised you'd want to leave it up all winter!
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Date: 10/01/2011 12:11 am (UTC)Occasionally a glass ornament gets broken - but amazingly infrequently considering how clumsy I am, and the cat's penchant for tinsel and baubles. The baubles and lights do 'warm the place up' - I am rather fond of them.
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Date: 10/01/2011 12:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 10/01/2011 08:37 am (UTC)They would make lovely table centres, especially as it got towards dusk and into the evening.
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Date: 10/01/2011 03:46 am (UTC)I'm with you--I'd want to have it around all the time. I've plenty of ornaments I could use, but would need to find some led lights. Hmmmmm....
Do you have any idea how Groudle Glen got its name? I'm curious about groudle... It's quite a wonderful place! I wonder, if not a hobbit, who does live down that hole?
I love pairing winter branches with blue water or sky--and that is awesomely blue ocean.
But my favorite pic is...besides the vase...the one of the train. I love the view of that piece of land.
I'd better not let my Misty get wind of how Shaka's pills are being delivered. We just finished a course of pills--mainly by me poking them down her throat. The salmon method is much more civilized...and tasty for both!
But I am glad to hear that Shaka is improving. He does not look his age at all!
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Date: 10/01/2011 08:50 am (UTC)Do you know I have no idea where Groudle got its name from - and my usual sources on-line aren't helping - just that in 1511 it was called Crawdall and in 1860 it is in one guide book as Growdale.
I love the view of that piece of land.
I am always happy to take pictures of coast and sea.
As for the smoked salmon - it is worth every penny of the £3.00 or so it will cost to do it that way - I certainly recommend it as a system!
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Date: 10/01/2011 05:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 10/01/2011 08:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 10/01/2011 10:02 am (UTC)Lovely pictures, as always.
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Date: 10/01/2011 12:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 10/01/2011 11:43 pm (UTC)I leave a set of white led lights in a Waterford crystal vase (given me by my Ma-in-Law many years ago) all through the year and switch them on when it's gloomy no matter what season.
Smoked salmon is used as an illness indicator in this house. We knew all our GSDs were ready to go when they refused tempting tidbits. Sixteen is a good age for a cat but I wish Shaka many more years of smoked salmon dinners.
Thank you for the lovely photos of the fairy glen. I can hear the gurgling of the water and feel the icy coldness.
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Date: 11/01/2011 12:11 am (UTC)Shaka appears to be doing quite well on his medicated smoked salmon, so I'm hoping we'll have him for a good while yet.
It has only really occurred to me recently how fortunate we are that so many of the glens are public so that we can wander in them as we want.
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Date: 11/01/2011 05:06 am (UTC)I didn't realize Shaka was so old; Trophy is 15 1/2. You are fortunate that salmon works for him. Trophy doesn't fall for such tricks. I used to have a kitty that would wolf down his pills if I smooshed cheese around them, but I haven't found anything that works for Trophy. I can trick him into ingesting ointments by placing them on his paw, but he isn't pleased with me!
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Date: 11/01/2011 08:39 am (UTC)Snap!
I'm not sure the salmon would work with tablets, but this is a small amount of liquid and so I can get away with it. At least for now.
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Date: 11/01/2011 10:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 11/01/2011 01:53 pm (UTC)