A belated Happy New Year to you all.

I hope you and your families are all managing to keep busy and stay safe.

Like everyone, we have not been on any trips lately so I have had no interesting photographs to share with you. I have been trying to keep busy by getting creative. If you click on the ‘My Creations’ section of the blog you can see what I have been up to.

In December I created a lino cut of ‘Princess’, the cat of a friend of mine.

Since the beginning of the year I have written several short stories, some of which you can read here – ‘Weather the storm’, ‘The Visitor’, and ‘Gluttony – a cautionary tale’.

Looking forward to being able to add more holiday photos to my blog later this year, although there will be no foreign holidays this year!

Stay safe,

Carol

Christmas isn’t cancelled, although it may feel very different in these ‘unprecedented’ times. The magic of Christmas can still be found in the twinkling lights reflected in the children’s eyes, the joy of giving presents to loved ones and the sharing of lovingly prepared meals with our nearest and dearest.

However you are spending Christmas, may you feel a sense of hope that 2021 will see us returning to near normal where we can share good times again.

I haven’t posted very much in the last few months. Hopefully next year I will be able to share photos of several trips we are hoping to take.

Have a lovely Christmas, however you are spending it, and here’s to a happier, healthier, safer New Year.

Cheers!

Today, on the 60th anniversary of the Severn Railway Bridge Disaster, Andy and I went down to the river. The disaster occurred in thick fog. Two barges hit one of the piers on the bridge causing two spans to collapse. Five men died.

While we were there we noticed a ship about to enter the lock and stayed to watch.

The weather changed suddenly, and dramatically and we rushed through the rain to the car.

Until next time,

Carol

One of the few benefits of the situation we find ourselves in, is that I have more time to write stories.

‘Major’s Army’ was inspired by a photograph of a dog standing on a chair, looking down at four kittens.

Hope you enjoy the stories,

Carol

We travelled to the New Forest for the weekend to meet up with friends we made in India earlier this year.

On the way we visited Stonehenge, one of the world’s most famous prehistoric monuments. Erected in about 2500 BC it consists of a ring of standing stones.

We carried on to Old Sarum, the site of the earliest settlement of Salisbury.

We carried on to the New Forest, a large area of unenclosed pasture, heath and forest. Rights of common pasture are still recognised today and ponies, donkeys and cattle are free to graze all year round.

We enjoyed our visit to the New Forest.

Till next time,

Carol

Thank you for the nice comments I have received about my blog during our holiday to Scotland. Are you now short of something to read?

Now I am back I have continued with my favourite hobbies of reading and writing. Yesterday I wrote ‘Lilian’s Last Protest’. I have added this and seven other stories I have written during Lockdown to my site. If you would like to read them click on ‘Create’ to access ‘My Creations’.

Lilian’s Final Protest

I realise that, at 88 years old, I was getting a bit long in the tooth to be protesting, especially by climbing up a ladder and spray painting the side wall of the corner shop. Fed up with the ‘black/white lives matter’ nonsense (obviously all lives matter) I was adding my own view by painting ‘Old Lives Matter’ on the wall.

Just as I was putting the finishing touches to the ‘r’ a car behind me honked its horn. I jumped, and turned round, the walker overbalanced, and here I am in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital with a broken hip and battered face. Talk about wearing gloves to stop leaving any DNA! I left plenty of blood and skin cells, and was still holding the spray can when the ambulance arrived.

It’s not all bad, though. No one is pressing charges, my hip needed replacing anyway – been on the list for months, and everyone is being very kind to me. I’m a bit of a local celebrity. Jordan, the young man who was in the car with his brother, managed to take a photo of me before Jackson hooted his horn. That photo, and one of me being stretchered into the ambulance, has been in the local paper, and on TV. I’m the ‘Old Lives Matter’ lady!

I’ve had loads of calls and gifts from well wishers. Not many visitors as it’s still ‘family only, one visitor per time slot’, but Keith drove down from Aberdeen to visit, so that was nice. Haven’t seen him in ages. I even got a card from Sir Captain Tom. Imagine that!

I’m getting out of here on Monday. They won’t let me go home as I will find it difficult to cope with the stairs until my hip is stronger. I’m going to ‘The Gables’ care home. It’s a lovely place according to the social worker. Couldn’t bear the thought of going to ‘Parklands’ where my Bill spent his last weeks.

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“Morning, Lilian. It’s another beautiful day. Did you sleep well, Lovie?”

“Not too bad, mustn’t grumble.”

“You never do, Lilian, but some of them others ….” Amy’s one of the senior carers in the home. She always has a smile on her face. So do the others. I don’t know how they do it. Caring for us old ‘uns all day long, for a pittance. The last few months have been hard for them, and I know they lost a few residents in the early days. They must have been worried sick about taking the virus back to their own families. Been Covid free for weeks now though, thank goodness. I’m quite enjoying my stay. It’s almost like staying in a very solicitous hotel, and I’m getting to know some of the others.

The hardest thing for most of the elderly people in here is that they can’t enjoy visits like they used to. Elizabeth’s husband used to visit every day and have morning coffee with her. Now he has to book a half hour slot once a week and that is cancelled if it rains as they have to meet outside. She’s worrying about the winter time. Will she ever get to see her Robert? Some of the dementia sufferers won’t remember their loved ones if they don’t see them regularly. Michael used to enjoy a daily walk with one of his family but now he’s not allowed out. I realise that it is not the fault of the managers here, but I wonder if people know what is happening in care homes around the country. Boris seems to have forgotten us.

Art and Craft class that morning gave me an idea. I asked if I could take a few sheets of paper and pens so that I could work on perfecting my still life drawing. After tea I sat with Elizabeth at a table in a quiet corner of the lounge. When I explained what I wanted to do she was delighted to lend a hand. By bedtime we had six signs ready –

Families Matter

We Need Visitors

Let us Meet

We are not prisoners

A visit a day keeps the Doctor away

Dying for a visit

Breakfast time tomorrow morning should be interesting! Hope someone has their camera/phone ready.

I fall asleep with a smile on my face. Bill would be so proud of me.

We set off back to England via the new Queensferry Crossing across the Firth of Forth, and alongside the route of the re opened Borders railway towards Carlisle. Then the A7 and M6 to Morecambe.

We stopped for the night in Morecambe to break up the long journey from Dundee to Dursley. Also it was nice to revisit a place I visited as a child.

Tomorrow we will be back in Dursley.

Thank you for following, I hope you enjoyed my posts.

Until next time,

Carol

Today we went to St Andrews to meet up with Ralph and Jean, who we first met on our way to India in February. We had a bracing walk on West Sands, followed by lunch at the famous St Andrews Golf Course.

After lunch we followed the Fife Coastal route, visiting Anstruther,

Pittenween,

and St Monans.

Back in Dundee we went to the Tay Bridge Disaster Memorial. On 28th December, 1879, on a very stormy night, 13 spans in the centre of the bridge collapsed as a train was crossing. Everyone on board perished in the River Tay.

Tomorrow we leave Scotland. Our amazing road trip is nearly over.

Carol

After an ‘unusually rough’ crossing (according to one of the crew) we arrived safely in Aberdeen. That is not a journey I would want to undertake again!

Now in Dundee for two nights.

More tomorrow

Carol

Early post today as we are leaving the Shetlands and taking the ferry back to Aberdeen, a 13 hour crossing, including a stop on the Orkneys.

Unfortunately the weather has deteriorated and it is very windy!

The skies were still blue and the sun came out while we visited Jarlshof, a prehistoric and Norse settlement, with evidence of buildings from Iron Ages to the Middle Ages. Very interesting, and we nearly got blown off the cliff!

Dundee here we come. Fingers crossed for a not too rough crossing.

Carol