I bought one of these today.

 It looks like an electric toothbrush but is actually for use in the kitchen.It cleans in hard to reach places eg hobs,around taps.I have tried it out and it is brilliant.It takes away all the "elbow grease".It comes with four different heads for different places and one is pointed.I don't usually get excited about cleaning but if this makes life easier it will be moneywellspent.I got it from Lakeland in Chester.£18.99.I also bought a te bag squeezer saving all those drips.Isn't life exciting!!!

We haven't been to Chester for ages so it was lovely to wander round this beautiful city.Then it was out tolunch(no cooking tonight,yay.
This afternoon we have spent a bit of time in the garden.We have a gravel drive which needs keeping tidy and weed free.Hopefully it burned off some of the calories eaten at lunchtime.

A trip to Conwy

                                          Conway castle (North Wales) from the back.From the front it is on a main road across the river so tricky.

 On the quayside with the castle in the background.

Below the town walls and the smallest house in Uk.

It takes us about fifty minutes to drive here.I was saying to OH today that I a so glad we are close to the sea and mountains.We are very lucky.
Lunch was mussels at the Mulberry pub on Conwy Marina.It was cold but sunny.A lovely way to spend a January Saturday.Iforgot we also went to the Cambrian Art Gallery inConwy to see the 2020 Open Exhibition.

I have to confess that I came back and had a nap.Allthat fresh air!!!!!

It is my birthday today!

 We started the day at Dunham Massey which is a National Trust property with a winter garden.We didn't expect there to be much out but were pleasantly surprised

 This is the house which is closed at the moment for winter.

                                           Winter aconites.

   
                                      Wonderful silver birches.

                                          Daphne.I can't remember which variety but wonderfully scented.

                                          This is a shrub which was new to me but again a lovely perfume.

                                          Snowdrops.

                                          Hellebores.

                                          Even daffodils.

                                          Witch hazel.

                                         Witch hazel again.Beautifully scented.


From here we moved on to Salford Museum and Art Gallery.They have recreated a Victorian street with about 12 shops.Fascinating.We had lunch here and a good look round.We then navigated our way through Manchester (lots of traffic and traffic lights.Not used to that here in North Wales!!!) to our daughter's in Northwich.Sarah and the girls cooked tea .We had pro secco and birthday cake.Lots of love and laughter.
We are back home now and have just had a phone call from our son and granddaughter who have just arrived in Wisconsin.Sunny but minus 12 degrees.
I have had lots of cards and presents and am truly blessed to have had such a wonderful day.

A walk by the River Dee .

We had a walk this morning by the River Dee.This is a stretch which has been canalised and is between Chester and the coast.The wings for the Airbus 380 are made just a few miles upstream from here and are transported by barge to the port of Mostyn where they are loaded on a larger boat and taken to Toulouse in France to be assembled.It was so peaceful today with the winter sunshine and just a few cyclists around.I like this walk because it is flat,somethings very difficult to find round here!!!

I was really disappointed on Monday.The talk on the BayeuxTapestry was postponed.Instead we heard a a talk from someone who had converted his drive into a garden.Not really social history.There were 150 there so it was good for a catch up with friends.

I am back and need to blog more!!!

It was our wedding anniversary last week and this is the card I got for C.Inside it said "together through thick and thin".It is by Quentin Blake ,a very famous British illustrator.I thought it was very apt in two ways.We are both a lot heavier than we used to be but we have been through a lot together as well.
I am going to adopt a new personal mantra of "live each day to the full and enjoy it." Who knows what is round the corner.O ver the last month we have received lots of bad news about friends who are ill.We have Mike's op hanging over us,due onFeb 4th but apart from that we are fine.We had a great Xmas.Sarah ,Mike,Emily and Ruby came to us .We catered and all went well.We patted ourselves on the back that we had pulled it off.We played lots of games and laughed a lot.They stayed for three days.We were exhausted when they went but it was really good.
I am looking forward to getting back to a normal routine.I have been so confused about what day it is!!!
Tomorrow morning it is our U3A Social History Group and a talk on the BayeuxTapestry.We are hoping to go to Normandy in July(fingers crossed all goes well with M's op) and would go and see it.We went years ago but I would like to go again.
Aren't the fires inAustralia terrible.Many years ago we were on holiday in the south of France and we were evacuated in the middle of the night because a fire
was rapidly approaching our campsite.I can honestly say it is most frightened I have been in my life.The sky was orange and the air thick with smoke making our eyes sting.It stopped 50 yards from our mobile home.Scary.