Amy and Leela February 2008

After bringing the cats to Granny's, Ellie is ready for her holiday in Cumbria!

We were puzzled by a miaow and then found Amy sitting on top of the larder unit - heaven knows how she got up there!

Yes - up there!

I thought I would watch Natural World - life of the badger and A Wild Day in Heligan but it was even more amusing watching the cats - Amy took a front seat and stayed there for the whole of the two programmes!

Oo-er, perhaps Amy is wondering whether the badger has spotted her?!

There was a real live one outside the window at this moment but it was ignored.

Amy trying to catch a drip that fell off a head of blossom!

Leela pretends she wasn't watching the programmes (but I saw her)! This is her "sanctuary" - no feet or papers allowed on it during her visit!

Exercises for 60 year olds

The oak tree has a bough which is growing too near the wires - the Electricity Board used to regularly come out to check and prune but have not done so for quite a few years now. So here is the 60 year old at the planning stage - and I don't mean the tree.

Yes I can see a long way from up here - no I can't tell you where at the moment because I am trying to concentrate on my ropes - now if this bit goes here ....

The scenic view! All is organised and he's going down now for the handsaw.

Thankfully, in the field stands Seumus, holding very firmly onto the rope "Just how heavy IS that oak bough" as he visualises himself suddenly doing a Spiderman!

Sawing done and now to lower the bough. Oh blast - the end is perched on the wire - very very gently does it!

At last - it's clear of the wire and down it goes.

Task completed and in for a cup of tea! Perhaps some embrocation tomorrow for those achy muscles ...

And none too soon as the hail storm approaches.

18th January 2008

To London for the day via National Express to Victoria. We spent a couple of hours in Westminster Abbey (will have to go again!) then met up with Richard who took us to see his office building just down the road - he's on the 4th floor - an Art Deco building which I just had to look up: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/55_Broadway .

Richard took us into nearby St James's Park where we could look up the lake to see that the flag was flying over Buckingham Palace, thus The Queen was in residence but we had no time to call by. We could see the Victoria Memorial at the top of the Mall to the right.

Oh look - birding in the centre of London! Male red crested pochards with one duller coloured female.

Here's Father and Son on Westminster Bridge, just before Richard had to go off for a meeting and just before Mike was asked the way to London Bridge! On a previous occasion on this Bridge, thankfully we had the reins holding him back as Richard attempted to squeeze himself through the bridge's detailing and into the Thames below - I'd better add that the suicide attempt was when he was aged just 3.

And then to South Kensington where by the Natural History Museum we found this outdoors ice rink; there is also one apparently at Somerset House. This one was certainly being enjoyed and there was a class of tiny beginners making their way very carefully along the side to a smaller starter rink. No, we were not tempted - St Thomas's Hospital have said they've had a rise in ice-related admissions!

I couldn't see over the wall of the rink so stood on the edge of a flowerbed to watch the skaters whilst eating my picnic. Along came a group of Muslim ladies who clambered up beside me! As you can see, Mike disowned the lot of us!

And then we walked to the Royal Albert Hall for Cirque de Soleil's "Varekai" - no photos allowed but the Water Meteors act can be seen on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nEUy-MqKYw as a taster. The show was fantastic - full of colour, freaky costumes and amazingly bendy people! This is the Albert Memorial opposite - commissioned by Queen Victoria in memory of her husband Prince Albert - and restored in 2006 - Albert is covered in gold leaf and on a January day, my goodness, he glows!