Mount Usher Gardens Re-visited Part 3

These looked stripey where the leaves were peeling-it made us think of a zebra!

Below you can see "pond skaters' they were very active. Hundreds of them close to the edge of the river.

My eldest grandson with his mum and dad in the background.

Youngest grandson decided to try something a little more active!

Not sure he's looking too happy!!

Grandaughter looking serious!

I guess she was planning a change of hair colour as a couple of days later it looked very different to these two pictures!

Some debating about the camera!

Beccy with Embee in the background (he likes to be included in my blog posts!)

One last glimpse of the river before we headed back to the car.

(Click for an enlarged better view)

Postcard from Dublin

I'm having a lovely time and Beccy is looking after me very well. I thought you might like to see one of the photos I took on Sunday when we walked along the beach close to where Beccy lives. That is my son-in-law in the picture. The time is goes very quickly when you're having fun and I'm flying home tomorrow.

Archives:
2008: Meme + Award
2007: How not to treat your baskets

Fun Monday # 97 --- Happy Birthday Joules

Faye at Summit Musings wants us to reveal our innermost thoughts this week she says:

"What's on your mind as we close out 2008 and begin 2009? Large and small. What are often your first thoughts the minute you wake up? When you're alone and unguarded? Working? Stuck in traffic? Playing with the children? Walking the dogs? When you can't sleep?"

First thoughts when I wake up at 4am every morning and can't get back to sleep until it's time to get up, is simply Why!

As I lie there trying to empty my mind and think of lovely peaceful things, like the sun and walking along a beach, with the gentle lapping of the waves, other thoughts begin to creep in and suddenly instead of relaxing my mind is alert and alive!

Take the other morning, I heard (or thought I heard my mother calling) I was out of bed like a flash and as I opened the bedroom door and listened I could hear really weird breathing coming from my mother's room which is on a different level of the house to mine.

I was immediately transported back to nursing on night duty. Those early hours of the morning when you hear stertorous breathing (a bit like the *death rattle*). I felt really panicky and went into my mothers room and touched her on the forehead, and still she didn't wake up. I'm sure it was only seconds, even though it felt like minutes, but I tell you I was seriously wondering if she had suffered a stroke. It was at this point she woke up with a start and said she was OK and I left her to sleep.

I'm not sure whether she even remembered this incident the next day, and I certainly didn't mention it. However, it made me realise that this scenario could become a reality and I've been wondering just how I would cope!

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Today I'd like to wish my son-in-law, Joules, a very Happy Birthday.
We hope you enjoy your day (Joules remember where this was taken!),

Chris, Mike and Granny Betty

Archives:
2008: Artistes and Achievements
2007: Busy doing nothing much!

Artists and Achievements..

I think I've mentioned once or twice before that some members of my family are very artistic, and I've shown examples of their art (in fact I have a draft post about when my grandfather started painting very late in life~ must finish that sometime!).
So you can imagine my delight when my eldest grandson, Dillon (he who made us curry), gave Embee and I this lovely picture for Christmas. It was one that he drew especially for us and it will be treasured and hung on my wall as soon as it is framed~ so you know what we are doing later today!
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Also today is my son-law's birthday so Happy Birthday Joules.

I also want to publicly congratulate Joules on recently becoming a Bachelor of Engineering Technology (hope I've got that right!) He has achieved this going to college on a part-time basis, mostly during the evenings, over a five year period. He has worked incredibly hard and was very dedicated so I am delighted he was rewarded by achieving a Distinction.

Archives:
January 5th 2006: Busy doing nothing