Saturday 27 December 2008

Boxing Day in Walton on Thames

Yesterday was a great day for walking along the Thames tow path in Walton. Here are some photos from that walk. It is a turelly beautiful village and I am so lucky to call it home




















Thursday 25 December 2008

Thoughts on a grey christmas day

This year's christmas was always going to be a challenge. It is the first since Dad died and it would have been his birthday too. The idea that I would not be able to ring him to wish him a happy xmas and happy birthday did not sink in until last week. I miss the debates we used to have regarding how presents he should have for xmas. I must say he always won.

I didn't plan anything, in fact having only written my Xmas cards very late in the day I left so many people off the least. Two days ago whilst browsing the website of my local authority Elmbridge, I discovered that there is a guided walk on Fairmile common in cobham starting at 11AM.

I thought this was a great way to start the day, so it was today that I got up made calls to friends and family then hit the road to cobham. The organiser has a surprise too, Mulled wine, mince pies and other snacks. I can't tell you how beautiful this part of town is, here are some pics you can see fro yourself.



















this is a pond in the middle of the woodland












I love the mix of colours this time of the year




I am now ready for lunch..Merry Xmas

Wednesday 24 December 2008

The reluctant turkey farmer

I don't know how, why or when my Uncle David (right) got into rearing free range turkey.



But I all I remember is that he got into in a big way and got so attached to the turkeys that he could not bring himself to sell any of them at Xmas or any other time for that matter. The first time I became aware of hi attachment to the turkeys was when Nigel and I were invited to join him and his family for Christmas in 2004. I asked my Aunt how it was that they were so many turkey roaming the compound. her response your uncle is very fond of them and would not let us have any for Christmas lunch"

Two year's later in 2006 I was back in Uganda and I stayed with them for three weeks. It was during my stay that I became fully aware of uncle David's attachment to the his birds. It was December and various people from the neighbourhood would call around to enquire whether the turkeys were for sale. They would be invited in and offered a cup of tea/beer or soft drink.

A price negotiation would ensue. This was very interesting to watch. My Uncle would ask the person how they had became aware of his turkeys, then he would go into a long song and dance routine about his turkeys, how they well looked after etc and finally ask for such an obscene amount of money for the birds. Mostly people walked away at this stage but some bargained with him until he gave them a sensible price. That year (2006) Christmas was interesting, as my auntie declared that time had come for the family to try the home grown turkeys. My Uncle said absolutely not, unless it was apparent the any of the birds were frail in some way, we would have to buy frozen turkey from the supermarket.

I had to see this for myself so I volunteered to tag along to the supermarket. My auntie had the trolley and she avoided the frozen food section, my uncle walked to it and picked up 2 large frozen turkeys, this was Dec 22. When we got home my auntie instructed the housekeeper to leave the turkey out to defrost as we were to have it for lunch the following day and that what happened.

Around 3PM on 24 December my auntie told my uncle that we Had no turkey for Christmas lunch. My uncle asked what had happened to the frozen turkey and he was informed that we had, had for lunch the previous day and that we had no hope of getting any turkey at the supermarket at this time. You could almost see a sign of resignation on his his face as he agreed that two of his turkeys could be slaughtered for Christmas lunch.

My Auntie found the turkey's toilet routine irritating to say the least as it cost her a few Housekeepers, and because the turkeys were free range they roamed everywhere and ate the entire lawn and my next next in December 2007 there was no lawn to speak of.


My Uncle died during the first week of July this year and I went to see my Auntie in August. The lawn had grown back and I asked how she had managed to stop the birds from munching away at it. She told me that before my uncle died, he had decided that all the turkeys should be sold or slaughtered for food and when they were all gone he brought in a landscape gardener and asked him to lay a new lawn, three months later he died.

there was real feeling of loss and emptiness about the place, I missed my Uncle as much as I missed the noise from the birds.

Merry Christmas all

Sunday 21 December 2008

Some from Havana

Jan 2008.. Just loved the old cars in Havana, but the fumes these things give offf..phew!!!















this chap was a guest at the Hotel where we were had stopped for lunch. he promptly joined the resident band and broke into a song. I was surprised at how good he was and told him he had missed his vocational calling it turns out that he is an English singer currently passing his days in Butlins and such like.. He was surprised I had never heard of him but happy that my husband knew who he was;-) I still don't who he is





there was a note on this thing in the old town that said MOBILE JUICE DISPENSER..hmmm;-)



view from our apartment




Street entertainers in the old town





Hotel Nacional.. if you are ever in Havana, don't miss whatever you do. A real grand place to dine and stay with a garden to match





Have you joined LTHT
Follow this link for unusual fashion accessories

Ethnic Supplies




View my page on Business Fights Poverty >>

Thursday 18 December 2008

My Year in Pictures








I wonder who has the right of way here.. I wonder if those pedestrians will make it across!





In search of water.. not sure whether the driver can see through any of the mirrors





Well what can I say about Miss blondie here.. we had to wait on this mountain road for 30minutes whilst she decided whether to get out the way, she is cute though!




17 December 2008

I am not quite sure what to make of yesterday. I planned a few things to fill the day as I didn’t want to just sit at home feeling sad about losing Dad. Dad was someone who got on with things so to say.

I travelled to Chesham Buckinghamshire for meeting with Neil Fairbrother. This meeting was to explore whether he could edit the recorded material I brought back from my trips to Uganda and Tanzania into something usable. Neil is a pleasant man and I was pleased to meet him. I learned a lot about what is involved in the process but was disappointed to note that due to what is involved the charges are quite high and I therefore had to abandon the whole idea.

I travelled to Esher Surrey for the next thing I had planned to do, which was catch up with Nathalie over lunch. She wasn’t having a particularly good day due to a mix up at her bank. Lunch turned into, evening and when I got to my car in the council’s car park I had a parking penalty on the windscreen.

You can’t imagine how down I felt on realising what had happened. It appeared to me that my efforts to fill my time with constructive things and keep my spirits up were doomed. I went home and had a call from my friend Sarah and my sister Liz.

Liz is great as well as being my sis she is my best friend. We had a heart to heart about how we felt and for the first time we talked about Dad’s death without crying. I had a glass of wine and went to bed!

Wednesday 17 December 2008

It is one year since he left

but it feels like yesterday. Will it get easier at some point? Will xmas ever be enjoyable for our family? Some say I should let go, let his spirit rest.

I sincerely want to, but how can I when I have conversations with him almost everyday and he appears in my dreams too.

I ask myself day in day out whether I will ever be good enough, generous enough to those less fortunate than I am. The man I called Dad was all those things even on his death bed. In his will he made 2 requests of me.. be generours to those less fortuante than you, love and respect your mother.

I will do my best Dad, but it is a huge ASK