More of the same

Again, where does the time go? It doesn't seem five minutes since my last blog and now summer is nearly over. The house martins are having a final flurry over the house and it won't be long until they are off for warmer climates and it doesn't really feel as if we have had our summer yet.

MP and I did manage to get a week off together and after doing some jobs at home and some chilling we took ourself off for a nice day out at Chester Zoo. Even getting there just after it opened it was packed, well I guess it was school holidays and one of the few nice days we had. We had a great time and took loads of photographs.

I love bats. It was hard trying to get photos of them with no flash, so pleased with this

Can't go to the zoo and not see the elephants.

And how cute is he? Unusual to see one awake.

As usual most of our time is taken up with Sam. When he stays with my Dad he spends all of his day out in the garden, as we don't have a garden we tend to take him out for walks instead. We joined the National Trust last year to go to Formby Point but haven't been there this year so determined not to let the membership go to waste looked for nearer places to go. Turns out we have a fantastic place on our doorstep, Hardcastle Crags.

Someone from work told me about it but advised it isn't good to go there in bad weather as the riverside path gets quite treacherous but after a few dry days we decided to give it a go and what a joy it was. Sam being a water baby loved all the spots along the river where he could go in for a paddle and in some cases a swim and the lovely tree lined sheltered path led up to an old mill and a fantastic coffee shop with home made cakes.

Sam having his customary paddle

See what they mean about the path

Gibson Mill (toilets and coffee shop)

So pleased we have found this and we have already been back for another walk there. Only down side is that we like to go walking early and the coffee shop doesn't open until 11am but Hebden Bridge is just below Hardcastle Crags and there are plenty of nice coffee shops there.

I haven't done much scrapping but then I haven't posted the ones I have done previously, as promised. So here is what I have done .........

Another page from the altered art CJ I have been doing, this one was self portrait

A Steampunk Alice entry

Two attempts at Shimelle's And now for something completely different over on UKS

My boys (who don't get on at all) having a very rare moment

Another for my Childhood memories album

Just need to do the journalling on this one. When I moved down south to be with MP after we got married I had an awful panic about a parakeet I had seen in a tree and how it must have escaped from it's home. Turns out they are everywhere around London and the home counties but I never tired of seeing them. 

No-one is sure how there got to be so many or where they originally came from. Some people think they escaped from a zoo or a home and bred but another story is that some parakeets escaped from Isleworth Studios when they were filming The African Queen. This is my favourite.

Well, enough for now. Be back soon to tell you all about another great day out we had and all about the She Art class by Christy Tomlinson I am doing. Till then