tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181884628874433202024-02-07T17:49:54.008+00:00Rambles from Frog EndHelenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13624194722106155800noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-518188462887443320.post-51171021448534498722013-01-01T14:53:00.002+00:002013-01-01T14:54:37.175+00:00Reading 2012During 2012 I read 47 fiction and 10 non-fiction books. My favourites were The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway (historical fiction) for its incredible insight into how people feel during wartime and Infidel, My Life by Ayaan Hirsi Ali (non-fiction) for completely changing my thoughts on religion.<br />
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The fiction I gave 10 stars to were:<br />
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Dunmore, Helen - The Siege<br />
Shaffer, Mary Ann - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society<br />
Pratchett, Terry & Baxter, Stephen - The Long Earth<br />
Kane, Ben - Hannibal, Enemy of Rome<br />
Burnett, Frances Hodgson - The Secret Garden<br />
Shute, Nevil - A Town Like Alice<br />
Iggulden, Conn - The Conqueror Series<br />
Galloway, Steven - The Cellist of Sarajevo<br />
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The non-fiction I gave 10 stars to were: <br />
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Ali, Ayaan Hirsi - Infidel, My Life<br />
Albanov, Valerian - In the Land of White Death<br />
Seierstad, Asne - One Hundred and one Days<br />
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The other books I read were the following. The books with a star did
not receive 10 stars, but I still consider them 'must-reads':<br />
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*Szpilman, Wladyslaw - The Pianist (non-fiction)<br />
Dobbs, Horace - The Magic of Dolphins (non-fiction)<br />
Bryson, Bill - Notes From a Big Country (non-fiction)<br />
Cornwell, Bernard - The Last Kingdom<br />
Cornwell, Bernard - The Pale Horseman<br />
Niffenegger, Audrey - The Night Bookmobile<br />
Cornwell, Bernard - The Lords of the North<br />
Cornwell, Bernard - Sword Song<br />
Cornwell, Bernard - The Burning Land<br />
Cornwell, Bernard - Death of Kings<br />
Drayson, Nicholas - A Guide to the Birds of East Africa<br />
King, Rachael - The Sound of Butterflies<br />
Shreve, Anita - Resistance<br />
Earle, Liz - Skin Secrets (non-fiction)<br />
Savage, Sam - Firmin<br />
*Haddon, Mark - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night time<br />
*Du Maurier, Daphne - Rebecca<br />
*Seierstad, Asne - With Their Backs to the World (non-fiction)<br />
*Adams, Richard - Watership Down<br />
*Verne, Jules - Around the World in Eighty Days<br />
*Joyce, Rachel - The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry<br />
Zafon, Carlos Ruiz - The Angel's Game<br />
Lewycka, Marina - A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian<br />
Jian, Ma - Red Dust (non-fiction)<br />
Cornwell, Bernard - Redcoat<br />
Cornwell, Bernard - The Fort<br />
Cornwell, Bernard - Rebel<br />
Cornwell, Bernard - Copperhead<br />
Cornwell, Bernard - Battle Flag<br />
Cornwell, Bernard - The Bloody Ground<br />
*Lee, Harper - To Kill A Mocking-Bird<br />
Dann, Colin - King of the Vagabonds<br />
Potter, Beatrix - The Fairy Caravan<br />
*Adams, Douglas - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy<br />
Adams, Douglas - The Restaurant at the End of the Universe<br />
Adams, Douglas - Life, The Universe & Everything<br />
Adams, Douglas - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish<br />
Adams, Douglas - Mostly Harmless<br />
Montgomery, LM - Anne of Green Gables<br />
Fitzgerald, F Scott - The Great Gatsby<br />
Paolini, Christopher - Eragon<br />
Paolini, Christopher - Eldest Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13624194722106155800noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-518188462887443320.post-158970551720261092012-07-01T20:17:00.000+01:002012-07-01T20:17:09.677+01:00Assault on scratch post III<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I posted a video of Misty so thought it would only be fair to post one of Roland too. At least he's attacking something that's meant for cats. I'm glad I'm not that post! </div>
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<br />Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13624194722106155800noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-518188462887443320.post-59996944084717706072012-06-24T10:54:00.000+01:002012-06-24T10:54:50.264+01:00Misty monkey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
One of Misty's favourite occupations is attacking the soft furnishings and
recently she's developed a new technique for the net curtains. She
claims to be attempting to clean her claws by hooking them in the
curtain first, but she's not very good at it:</div>
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What will she think of next?!Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13624194722106155800noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-518188462887443320.post-53698834770857064982012-06-16T21:17:00.001+01:002012-06-16T21:17:32.191+01:00RolandRoland (often known affectionately as Roly Poly) is settling in very well. He had a couple of medical problems relating to stress during his first few days, but a day at the vets and some medication has sorted him out. He's a lovely natured puss - very happy and friendly, but doesn't demand attention all the time. He uses the scratch post (Misty uses the carpet and furniture) and even enjoys being picked up - unlike the four other cats we've had at Frog End.<br />
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Roland is very interested in making friends with Misty, but unfortunately the feeling isn't mutual. Misty is currently avoiding him wherever possible and if he comes towards her she growls and hisses. At least he doesn't seem offended and is currently still trying to make contact with her by sitting near her and allowing her to get used to him. At least Misty doesn't seem afraid of him and having lived with other cats will probably back down after some more time has passed - presumably she's attempting to defend her territory at the moment.<br />
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Please keep your fingers crossed that the Frog End pusses make friends soon.Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13624194722106155800noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-518188462887443320.post-52887271623107925222012-06-09T20:08:00.000+01:002012-06-09T20:08:48.622+01:00Toby or not Toby: that is the question!Today we picked up the latest member of our household - a brown tabby to keep Misty company (not that they've been introduced yet). His name was Rooney, but we can't think of that without thinking of the footballer and not being football fans we were confident that the name had to go.<br />
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After much deliberation over the last week we decided that we liked the name Toby, but unfortunately on picking him up and having a good look at him we've decided he simply doesn't look or act like a Toby. Since we happened to know a similar cat called Roland and we were watching the women's singles tennis final at Roland Garros at the time we were thinking about it we came up with the name Roland instead.<br />
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So here he is:<br />
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Unfortunately he has a habit of curling up one half of his upper lip - probably because he just had three teeth out, which makes him look rather vicious, but I still managed to get lots of photos of him with a less ridiculous expression<br />
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or not!<br />
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<br />Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13624194722106155800noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-518188462887443320.post-35369327759466124272012-05-25T16:20:00.002+01:002012-05-25T16:20:35.524+01:00Maldives Marine LifeWe saw hundreds of new species in the Maldives. Most were in the water and as we didn't have an underwater camera I only photographed those that could be seen from the boardwalks and jetties. Apologies in advance for the quality of the photographs.<br />
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Black-tip reef sharks:<br />
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Sea cucumber:<br />
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Feathertail sting-ray:<br />
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Jellyfish:<br />
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A species of halfbeak:<br />
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Blackspot snapper: <br />
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Klein's butterflyfish with humbug dascyllus:<br />
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Either a goby or a blenny:<br />
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Bluespine unicornfish:<br />
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Unknown species: <br />
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Of the fish we saw whilst snorkelling we identified the following:<br />
<ul>
<li>Grey-streak lizardfish</li>
<li>Flutemouth</li>
<li>Lionfish</li>
<li>Redmouth grouper</li>
<li>Peacock rock cod</li>
<li>White-spotted grouper</li>
<li>Jacks</li>
<li>Harlequin sweetlips</li>
<li>Black pyramid butterflyfish</li>
<li>Double-saddled butterflyfish </li>
<li>Longnose butterflyfish</li>
<li>Reef bannerfish </li>
<li>Schooling bannerfish </li>
<li>Regal angelfish</li>
<li>Sergeant major </li>
<li>Blue-green chromis</li>
<li>Batu wrasse</li>
<li>Bird wrasse </li>
<li>Blackeye thicklip wrasse</li>
<li>Checkerboard wrasse</li>
<li>Jansen's wrasse </li>
<li>Bridled parrotfish</li>
<li>Roundhead parrotfish </li>
<li>Several other species of parrotfish</li>
<li>Longfin batfish</li>
<li>Coral rabbitfish </li>
<li>Convict surgeonfish</li>
<li>Eye-stripe surgeonfish </li>
<li>Lined surgeonfish </li>
<li>Powder blue surgeonfish</li>
<li>Thompson's surgeonfish </li>
<li>Orangespine unicornfish </li>
<li>Filefish </li>
<li>Indian triggerfish </li>
<li>Picasso triggerfish</li>
<li>Red-toothed triggerfish</li>
<li>Titan triggerfish</li>
<li>Black-spotted pufferfish</li>
</ul>
Ian also saw a moray eel and we both saw a couple of turtles on our last day, but it was quite murky and we don't know what species they were.<br />
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My favourite fish were the batfish as they were really friendly. A group of them came right up to us and followed us around for several minutes. They were about 30cm long and were nearly close enough to touch (not that we would). Some of my other favourites were the parrotfish, the wrasses and the titan triggerfish. I really enjoyed snorkelling and am looking forward to doing it again sometime in the future.Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13624194722106155800noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-518188462887443320.post-92017149042108991452012-05-18T08:12:00.003+01:002012-05-18T08:12:59.907+01:00A birthday in the MaldivesI had a fantastic birthday. The staff at Baros were wonderful as usual. Instead of breakfast in the usual restaurant we were treated to breakfast in our villa for no extra cost (bottle of champagne and beautiful flowers included).<br />
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In the afternoon we went in a glass-bottom boat which gave us wonderful views of the reefs near Baros.<br />
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We saw many species of fish, sea cucumbers, starfish, sponges, clams and lots of beautiful corals.<br />
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In the evening we had dinner on the beach - actually part of our honeymoon package, but we moved it to coincide with my birthday. They took a photo of us before dinner and by the time we'd finished dessert it was framed and on our table.<br />
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I also received a birthday card and this lovely cake:<br />
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Despite being thousands of miles away from home I was still in touch with family and friends via facebook, blogger and email and received lots of lovely birthday messages.<br />
<br />
A memorable birthday indeed :-)Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13624194722106155800noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-518188462887443320.post-64501596782145401272012-05-17T17:13:00.003+01:002012-05-17T17:13:57.999+01:00The Baros ResortAfter taking a taxi, two trains, two planes and a boat we arrived on the island of Baros in the Maldives.<br />
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We stayed in a villa over the water:<br />
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Our villa had steps down to the lagoon and the reef was only a 2 minute swim away. Not that we needed to go to the reef to see all the fish as many swam under the villa and into the shallow water underneath the boardwalks (I'll save the photos for another post).<br />
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There are three restaurants on the island - the Lighthouse:<br />
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Lime Restaurant:<br />
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<br />
and Cayenne Restaurant:<br />
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The staff at Baros are incredible. They outnumber the guests 2 to 1 and whatever the time of day you can't go for a walk without half a dozen people saying good morning, good afternoon or good evening to you. The majority of staff seem genuinely friendly and you can't go to breakfast or dinner without someone coming over to chat and ask how you're enjoying your holiday. All questions were dealt with quickly and even when our air conditioning unit broke the maintenance people worked on it until midnight and then again very early the next morning to have it fixed (we slept in another villa that night).<br />
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The villas are cleaned twice a day and each morning the cleaners drop off bottle water and a couple of pieces of fruit. Ian tried rambutan for the first time:<br />
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Breakfast at the Lime Restaurant was the largest buffet Ian or I had ever seen. There were rolls, toast, croissants, pain au chocolat, doughnuts, danishes, fruit bread, muffins, fresh fruit, tinned fruit, nuts, seeds, yoghurt, cereals, waffles, omelettes, oatmeal, maldivian curry, rice, vegetables, nine different types of juice, smoothies, champagne etc etc. Needless to say we only ate lunch on one day out of the ten we were away.<br />
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Tropical fruits, including 3 types of melon, pineapple, papaya, guava, grapefruit, orange, apple and 2 types of dragonfruit:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz7_EZzx1mFvlFHnF_yqrh5nQrsjKfMNHYGl0XJeb92sBLolHuAkvD5Knet8nCZIDaDxgnU1gPkCrxkthhC9j9fDSN5QAnGsP5Runb15Rccj1gyzHkQpDFTGv_ZRY3ECUZEYQm925tnNgV/s1600/Baros_breakfast02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz7_EZzx1mFvlFHnF_yqrh5nQrsjKfMNHYGl0XJeb92sBLolHuAkvD5Knet8nCZIDaDxgnU1gPkCrxkthhC9j9fDSN5QAnGsP5Runb15Rccj1gyzHkQpDFTGv_ZRY3ECUZEYQm925tnNgV/s320/Baros_breakfast02.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCEBKmNKS9c8Wa70FZAIap5Dfn9impZlehItpgBOCwGL-JdJ0TSdWaAWE0jbHKooXuciWKZwHQc4PBUxcuGhtxKm2qg4yWPszfIsVmxfpcaCP5YXxBMHlmj0ZYVGI35xMuyFoxtphJwivk/s1600/Baros_breakfast01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCEBKmNKS9c8Wa70FZAIap5Dfn9impZlehItpgBOCwGL-JdJ0TSdWaAWE0jbHKooXuciWKZwHQc4PBUxcuGhtxKm2qg4yWPszfIsVmxfpcaCP5YXxBMHlmj0ZYVGI35xMuyFoxtphJwivk/s320/Baros_breakfast01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJRQKtIIt6o6y9cuhUKxSccTc8IBQQhHX74agNAzeUXiNl5tYT3ocSZPjaWrgkelFnJHlDBXLdJD0uy4FL8N-hWCfRPQpJvcpZ1GZNyLroA2LvIGidk7lf0VORKSjuv3wgqzvf41vg4mh/s1600/Baros_breakfast03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJRQKtIIt6o6y9cuhUKxSccTc8IBQQhHX74agNAzeUXiNl5tYT3ocSZPjaWrgkelFnJHlDBXLdJD0uy4FL8N-hWCfRPQpJvcpZ1GZNyLroA2LvIGidk7lf0VORKSjuv3wgqzvf41vg4mh/s320/Baros_breakfast03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
A maldivian omelette with maldivian curry:<br />
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We ate dinner at the restaurants, but also on the deck of our villa and down on the beach one night.<br />
<br />
The island itself is lush with palm trees and all sorts of beautiful tropical plants and trees. I bought a book to help me identify them so will be spending some time with it before I blog about the vegetation in greater depth<br />
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<br />
Although there were many hundreds of aquatic species there were relatively few
animals on the island. One of the most common species was the grey
heron. It was wonderful watching them fishing in such an exotic
location:<br />
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<br />Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13624194722106155800noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-518188462887443320.post-8592168061253309002012-05-16T08:37:00.002+01:002012-05-16T08:37:45.068+01:00We're back!Ian and I just got back from a fantastic honeymoon on the island of Baros in the Maldives. Over the next few days I'll be sorting through the photos and I daresay there'll be quite a few blog posts. For now I'd like to say a massive thank you to Dad for Misty-minding and thanks to everyone who sent me birthday cards and presents.<br />
<br />
Of course I couldn't really blog without a photo so here's one I've picked randomly from the folder of honeymoon photos: <br />
<br />
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<br />Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13624194722106155800noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-518188462887443320.post-57006189598586507282012-03-14T10:32:00.015+00:002012-03-14T11:37:37.243+00:00A trip to the zooIan had a meeting at Paignton Zoo on his birthday and I took the opportunity to go with him and take one or two photographs ;-) Many of the animals were hiding from the cold and wet weather, but I was very pleased with my time spent in the reptile house. Not that I took many photos of reptiles - I'm no good at getting photographs through dirty glass. Rather I focused on capturing the tropical birds that were flying about freely.<br /><br />Feeding station. From the left: speckled mousebird, green turaco and Java sparrow?:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIdo5CukqwIGeJ6cSj1UtobNNUlPrs-3KcWoTxXNz9BbubgC85vQQB0xEl90FYtgHDvVrJDu28bnk-iNwxlSdht_fDIkhxFzwhQQcIumuO3ltl4_63z058P0PZ9a092RIluUWxXdork0c/s1600/Paignton_zoo_birds.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 334px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIdo5CukqwIGeJ6cSj1UtobNNUlPrs-3KcWoTxXNz9BbubgC85vQQB0xEl90FYtgHDvVrJDu28bnk-iNwxlSdht_fDIkhxFzwhQQcIumuO3ltl4_63z058P0PZ9a092RIluUWxXdork0c/s400/Paignton_zoo_birds.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719709585190960626" /></a><br />Speckled mousebird:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGgMjdm7xNAsTKoFh17TF9oiVoFZyksqWL0Usmv0gw4M44L5dXV8NqcNOyXHyJ5VdtKxskBhQxWNtCzrVI42jNiy_nTKT1Ph8cezlIPzVE5sailSl6GnZzVLXOhXUOQKkdcW1xfpllELJ8/s1600/Paignton_zoo_speckled_mousebird.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 170px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGgMjdm7xNAsTKoFh17TF9oiVoFZyksqWL0Usmv0gw4M44L5dXV8NqcNOyXHyJ5VdtKxskBhQxWNtCzrVI42jNiy_nTKT1Ph8cezlIPzVE5sailSl6GnZzVLXOhXUOQKkdcW1xfpllELJ8/s400/Paignton_zoo_speckled_mousebird.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719709230823264146" /></a><br />Orange-headed ground thrush:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTg9Mt0NYWC78zka1_WhcjkgAulIM9eR2iHjxY7Fr_vPsqXzHQmuJ4VwCxfQLSEPRetKiooLH1s4jR3GhVDyCq-ci5I-sCSwjhqEUNu2PFVcbXww5yoW6CBAVmeZPM5ilE0KXb2D_BIZ7I/s1600/Paignton_zoo_orange-headed_ground_thrush.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 316px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTg9Mt0NYWC78zka1_WhcjkgAulIM9eR2iHjxY7Fr_vPsqXzHQmuJ4VwCxfQLSEPRetKiooLH1s4jR3GhVDyCq-ci5I-sCSwjhqEUNu2PFVcbXww5yoW6CBAVmeZPM5ilE0KXb2D_BIZ7I/s400/Paignton_zoo_orange-headed_ground_thrush.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719709225746697138" /></a><br />Java sparrow:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ-mSgKxF6QryHz_pvSKDENclCcXKl6IgnVH2-nKicXRbWenzIQqTWtnW02zecWIUxRNvasrsU7O964ItfWYQP6EwJtesI2h0kfRXpCgmorq5QPVX230qRvc41SEYXroLujT5qm2z-dkea/s1600/Paignton_zoo_Java_sparrow.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 288px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ-mSgKxF6QryHz_pvSKDENclCcXKl6IgnVH2-nKicXRbWenzIQqTWtnW02zecWIUxRNvasrsU7O964ItfWYQP6EwJtesI2h0kfRXpCgmorq5QPVX230qRvc41SEYXroLujT5qm2z-dkea/s400/Paignton_zoo_Java_sparrow.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719709217278324434" /></a><br />Young Java sparrow?:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiropkZniTimMvJ3R9YpGoRr1vkd4X6MMCRHZoCNLw_NZXUc4ShP6Kwcee3kysE0PXunUcfS3Lo3XCc0JEOtzPylglIZ41Us2SspU8ExliOzckFYfXsLHiXZkbmbwDvNIwMSq8admAtYhmY/s1600/Paignton_zoo_Java_sparrow02.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 237px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiropkZniTimMvJ3R9YpGoRr1vkd4X6MMCRHZoCNLw_NZXUc4ShP6Kwcee3kysE0PXunUcfS3Lo3XCc0JEOtzPylglIZ41Us2SspU8ExliOzckFYfXsLHiXZkbmbwDvNIwMSq8admAtYhmY/s400/Paignton_zoo_Java_sparrow02.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719709220611454610" /></a><br />White-rumped shama?:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqeh3WlMndZnCXb82ZzYN7BixQF8zad4kVZBVKM4-2iI4YIDn5HOS6d-hrXbkVK9z1Qq2uj0CXpsfmLPBWJ6FZT23P-6t-TEvS7qZvoMRrDUeI41enxxWu6SUmH1-qzosI3Kwo9kNYh4tt/s1600/Paignton_zoo_white-rumped_shama.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 317px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqeh3WlMndZnCXb82ZzYN7BixQF8zad4kVZBVKM4-2iI4YIDn5HOS6d-hrXbkVK9z1Qq2uj0CXpsfmLPBWJ6FZT23P-6t-TEvS7qZvoMRrDUeI41enxxWu6SUmH1-qzosI3Kwo9kNYh4tt/s400/Paignton_zoo_white-rumped_shama.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719709234312806034" /></a><br />Scarlet-faced Liocichla:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRn6RnB7rty9sSjSmDdKaQNGSDcw6PLziZqFWLlhVXojGc9fKdBEhb2yyd4WkSL2Ha6J1kznXHG9MQJULQEpeBeh7bgjrIHAhMaX4qku1OyJ4GuKRArpeWOfZyjxoZumvNlAvZGaPcuPHz/s1600/Paignton_zoo_scarlet-faced_Liocichla.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 284px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRn6RnB7rty9sSjSmDdKaQNGSDcw6PLziZqFWLlhVXojGc9fKdBEhb2yyd4WkSL2Ha6J1kznXHG9MQJULQEpeBeh7bgjrIHAhMaX4qku1OyJ4GuKRArpeWOfZyjxoZumvNlAvZGaPcuPHz/s400/Paignton_zoo_scarlet-faced_Liocichla.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719710272341783970" /></a><br />Unknown:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiewB0GrzjXb9A8J1chaXt4ibnRtmk9rDbMd2HfplRve4Wisor3XJixeOJXPJk2q7agY9kWjVs5aTec_kcRvdPh6gB1JJQ09zr7phqnam0eD4CJjs8F7xZ6nbhmUNH8K6mUCsdSmx3_KBKu/s1600/Paignton_zoo_bird.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiewB0GrzjXb9A8J1chaXt4ibnRtmk9rDbMd2HfplRve4Wisor3XJixeOJXPJk2q7agY9kWjVs5aTec_kcRvdPh6gB1JJQ09zr7phqnam0eD4CJjs8F7xZ6nbhmUNH8K6mUCsdSmx3_KBKu/s400/Paignton_zoo_bird.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719715441423416370" /></a>Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13624194722106155800noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-518188462887443320.post-58466977083170877872012-03-14T10:21:00.005+00:002012-03-14T10:33:33.678+00:00A long weekUnbelievably it's only been a week since Ian's birthday. We both had a lovely day, but unfortunately we received a call to say that Ian's grandad had been taken to hospital the night before. Although he was initially discharged he returned to the hospital after less than two days. Ian is currently in the North juggling work with visiting the hospital. <br /><br />Since there's no internet at the house he's currently staying in I doubt that Ian has had an opportunity to thank you all for your presents and cards (indeed some of the cards arrived after he left so he hasn't even opened those yet). So I shall say a big thank you to everyone from both of us.Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13624194722106155800noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-518188462887443320.post-79085312945065797212012-01-26T11:05:00.010+00:002012-01-26T11:23:00.647+00:00The MaldivesWe've finally got round to booking our honeymoon. We're going to the stunning <a href="http://www.baros.com">Baros Resort</a> in the Maldives. We'll be staying in a water villa, shown on the left of the photo:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJEFBknzh926-vuR8liU46JIYdItjGy6eEV-yhpxbDqxjx7-ahnMQ-IFlOE-K5LmJ3NYdJSv0u0f2l2-h96u9wPjCe3jm0AS9hU2ozhpXtzdGAUS9oOUwBwHkbwPDvGPU_QOndwyu8u7mh/s1600/Baros.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 147px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJEFBknzh926-vuR8liU46JIYdItjGy6eEV-yhpxbDqxjx7-ahnMQ-IFlOE-K5LmJ3NYdJSv0u0f2l2-h96u9wPjCe3jm0AS9hU2ozhpXtzdGAUS9oOUwBwHkbwPDvGPU_QOndwyu8u7mh/s400/Baros.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701897903860716994" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzH38BJNWxnR-L-yepuU43LE98qYk1yjY5_4K6QEUsD0RCOiKBHNn_N9uWqK8A_KaFitXj30TQiwjveQ21r9UIJj6KEhwy-ODkkZBm4VspBtp0_1o7D2IUJpVhucNDM-VPJkcKgSkl4VBW/s1600/Water_villa_deck.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 144px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzH38BJNWxnR-L-yepuU43LE98qYk1yjY5_4K6QEUsD0RCOiKBHNn_N9uWqK8A_KaFitXj30TQiwjveQ21r9UIJj6KEhwy-ODkkZBm4VspBtp0_1o7D2IUJpVhucNDM-VPJkcKgSkl4VBW/s400/Water_villa_deck.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701897924999153954" /></a><br /><br />As well as the stunning location they offer lots of excursions and water sports. I really like the clear canoes (enabling you to see marine life without the use of a snorkel) whereas Ian has his eye on sailing in a catamaran. A dolphin cruise is also a must.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheCal0YiFrO1tf3uSGvStErB_V6ydmaFx6iW_-CQSKxoX3kmjCvjToFZnVNkJ4EV_iLhw1nDV-DHzdDHm98inX054f2Kqw8CvjdzbRQmAfw2qJVFCFZrko3pCJUqizFy2aqmL7f2djt_Ym/s1600/Baros_dining.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 177px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheCal0YiFrO1tf3uSGvStErB_V6ydmaFx6iW_-CQSKxoX3kmjCvjToFZnVNkJ4EV_iLhw1nDV-DHzdDHm98inX054f2Kqw8CvjdzbRQmAfw2qJVFCFZrko3pCJUqizFy2aqmL7f2djt_Ym/s400/Baros_dining.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701897911687875234" /></a><br /><br />We're really excited about the trip. I can't believe it's been 5 years since I last went abroad and this holiday of a lifetime will be a great way to get back into doing a bit of travelling.<br /><br />Thanks so much to everyone who contributed towards our honeymoon fund for making this dream possible. <br /><br />All photos taken from <a href="http://www.baros.com">www.Baros.com</a>Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13624194722106155800noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-518188462887443320.post-3297802586689578912012-01-15T18:03:00.033+00:002012-01-18T11:03:59.909+00:00Music 2011As for most (if not all) members of the Edwards family, books are an essential part of my life. Music is also extremely important to me and whilst I may not have time to read when I'm busy working I always have time to listen to music. For some strange reason music is something I've never blogged about, but having just blogged my favourite books of 2011 I thought I'd blog about the music I listened to last year. <br /><br />My tastes in music are eclectic, but whilst I do enjoy classical music I find myself listening to it only very occasionally. Most of the music I listen to on a daily basis would be classed as country, R&B or pop. I also love musicals and in the last couple of years have started listening to some blues and jazz.<br /><br />Unlike my reading that I keep good track of it's very difficult for me to say what I listened to the most last year. I do, however, keep a record of my favourite songs of the year (not necessarily released in that year, but ones I find myself playing over and over again). Looking at the list for 2011 only two artists feature twice - Miranda Lambert (with 'the house that built me' and 'new strings') and Lady Antebellum (with 'I run to you' and 'hello world'), both country artists. Other songs that made it to my list of favourites include:<br /><br />Charlene Soraia - Wherever You Will Go<br />Adele - Someone Like You<br />David Cook - Permanent<br />Jim Brickman - Lake Eerie Rainfall (Instrumental)<br />Etta James - At Last (actually I've listened to the Christina Aguilera, Beyonce and Josh Krajcik versions more than the original)<br />Bomshel - Fight Like a Girl<br />P!nk - I Don't Believe You<br />Christina Perri - Jar of Hearts<br />Demi Lovato - Skyscraper<br /><br />With regard to actual albums I'm guessing the ones I played the most in 2011 were Carrie Underwood's 'Carnival Ride', Jim Brickman's 'By Heart - Piano Solos' and Michael Buble's 'Christmas'. The latter has introduced me to the 'Puppini Sisters' whose albums I will definitely be buying.<br /><br />My favourite song of 2011 is 'The house that built me' recorded by Miranda Lambert. Both the song and the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQYNM6SjD_o">video</a> can quite easily make me cry, but I love them for that. Enya's 'Book of Days' has also gained a big significance in my life having walked 'down the aisle' to it in July. What music did you listen to or 'discover' in 2011?Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13624194722106155800noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-518188462887443320.post-29378526856295889312012-01-15T10:22:00.022+00:002012-01-15T10:53:07.354+00:00Reading 2011I'm officially retiring my book blog, having only posted a couple of times in the last two years, so when I do write about reading it shall be here.<br /><br />During 2011 I read 39 fiction and 11 non-fiction. I also started Catch 22, but couldn't get past 50 or so pages. It's unusual for me not to finish a book, especially one that I feel I ought to read. I'll probably try reading it again in a couple of years.<br /><br />It's also unusual for me to read significantly more fiction than non-fiction, but last year I decided to focus on reading modern fiction that friends and family had recommended.<br /><br />The fiction I gave 10 stars to were:<br /><br />Iggulden, Conn - Emperor: The gates of Rome<br />Iggulden, Conn - Emperor: The death of kings<br />Hosseini, Khaled - The Kite Runner<br />Hosseini, Khaled - A Thousand Splendid Suns<br />Iggulden, Conn - Emperor: The Field of Swords<br />Iggulden, Conn - Emperor: The Gods of War<br />Golden, Arthur - Memoirs of a Geisha<br />Atwood, Margaret - The Handmaid's Tale<br />Martel, Yann - Life of Pi<br />Albom, Mitch - The Five People You Meet in Heaven<br />Mitchell, David - Cloud Atlas<br />Barbery, Muriel - The Elegance of the Hedgehog<br />Edwards, Clive John - 1874 (okay so I might be a little biased here!)<br /><br />I'd not read books by any of these authors before and it will definitely encourage me to read more fiction in future.<br /><br />The non-fiction I gave 10 stars to were:<br /><br />Chang, Jung - Wild Swans<br />Harrer, Heinrich - Seven Years in Tibet<br /><br />The other books I read were the following. The books with a star did not receive 10 stars, but I still consider them 'must-reads':<br /><br />Goodkind, Terry - Temple of the Winds<br />Goodkind, Terry - Soul of the Fire<br />Goodkind, Terry - Faith of the Fallen<br />Kuegler, Sabine - Child of the Jungle (non-fiction)<br />Fuller, Alexandra - Don't let's go to the dogs tonight (non-fiction)<br />*Kafka, Franz - The Metamorphosis<br />Horwood, William - The Boy with No Shoes (non-fiction)<br />Banks, Iain - The Wasp Factory<br />*Filopovic, Zlata - Zlata's Diary (non-fiction)<br />Horwood, William - Hyddenworld - Spring<br />Forster, E M - A Passage to India<br />Forster, E M - A Room with a View<br />*Zola, Emile - Germinal<br />Faulks, Sebastian - Engleby<br />Flaubert, Gustave - Madame Bovary<br />*Walker, Alice - The Color Purple<br />Latifa - My Forbidden Face (non-fiction)<br />Sebold, Alice - The Lovely Bones<br />Golding, William - Rites of Passage<br />*Donague, Emma - Room<br />Fielding, Henry - Tom Jones<br />Sasson, Jean - For the Love of a Son (non-fiction)<br />Randell, Nigel - The White Headhunter (non-fiction)<br />Faulks, Sebastian - The Girl at the Lion d'Or<br />Shah, Hannah - The Imam's Daughter (non-fiction)<br />Wharton, Edith - The Age of Innocence<br />Twining, James - The Double Eagle<br />*Marquez, Gabriel Garcia - One Hundred Years of Solitude<br />Ishiguro, Kazuo - The Remains of the Day<br />*Thomas, Abigail - A Three Dog Life (non-fiction)<br />Steinbeck, John - The Grapes of Wrath<br />Zafon, Carlos Ruiz - The Shadow of the Wind<br />Fynn - Mister God This is Anna<br />Fielding, Helen - Bridget Jones's Diary<br />Fielding, Helen - Bridget Jones - The Edge of Reason<br /><br />I find it extremely difficult to choose the 'best book' that I read in 2011 - for me it comes jointly between Cloud Atlas and Wild Swans. Interestingly my <a href="http://bookeverysixdays.blogspot.com/2012/01/2011-summary.html">father's favourite book of 2011</a> was also written by David Mitchell.<br /><br />I'm back reading non-fiction in 2012 and have already given 10 stars to Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali and The Pianist by Wladyslaw Szpilman.Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13624194722106155800noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-518188462887443320.post-44524879730833750492012-01-08T17:09:00.014+00:002012-01-08T17:26:36.728+00:00MistySadly we were unable to keep fostering Sophie because dementia had set in, causing all sorts of problems including scratching the walls and howling every morning at 5am for no reason. She's now back at <a href="http://www.cats.org.uk/axhayes">Axhayes</a>, so at least we can visit her when we like (I have the scars to prove it!)<br /><br />Before Christmas we visited Axhayes to meet some of their older cats. We were very taken with two of them - Misty and Frankie, but unfortunately Frankie had come from the countryside and wouldn't be suitable for homing in the city.<br /><br />We offered to adopt Misty, but didn't bring her home until after the New Year because we knew that we would be visiting family over the holiday period and didn't want to leave her on her own. <br /><br />Misty is a 10 year-old white and silver tabby. She's a little shy, very affectionate and also quite playful - something we've not been used to, but are enjoying immensely.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh40wSsfJOk-p6w3udeKzwHO3eXHrii3da3tbYplXBP83Ce9a63PZ0lCDEEW7dhPtnnZX_qS9QdCm82AAn0CpOeC5BCgpy97Jp3pdnDNkvKcUQ3zYhYOpHQGdrcRsSgF9q8wzCdjVxCMekt/s1600/Misty_week1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 270px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh40wSsfJOk-p6w3udeKzwHO3eXHrii3da3tbYplXBP83Ce9a63PZ0lCDEEW7dhPtnnZX_qS9QdCm82AAn0CpOeC5BCgpy97Jp3pdnDNkvKcUQ3zYhYOpHQGdrcRsSgF9q8wzCdjVxCMekt/s400/Misty_week1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695312559168684146" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWDFEAwx7rFyoeIYIEca-ehk3oBm0u1FbEMaWVy1eWTWCr7mXlimqOntnjpHD0ueP3vhA454z9I8pSfq8CHbb1i9u8SsweaORw302-fPkPIu8nIkQHMxl0xaYWwiHd0KYtJ4qMSxjGKcYJ/s1600/Misty_week1b.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 173px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWDFEAwx7rFyoeIYIEca-ehk3oBm0u1FbEMaWVy1eWTWCr7mXlimqOntnjpHD0ueP3vhA454z9I8pSfq8CHbb1i9u8SsweaORw302-fPkPIu8nIkQHMxl0xaYWwiHd0KYtJ4qMSxjGKcYJ/s400/Misty_week1b.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695312556509841170" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDuQzXmjDF2jinypMzvyYCsq7wFLk_T03OehnNlbvgk2VHnQBw63Gzd44AMO5qA9uggqflT_SvxpW2pjmEy-yHYJS1_Iltcdc9sgoqTD1-mSleurxu7J08A28DPW6yI8UDXIrGXkKWSD4i/s1600/Misty_week1d.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDuQzXmjDF2jinypMzvyYCsq7wFLk_T03OehnNlbvgk2VHnQBw63Gzd44AMO5qA9uggqflT_SvxpW2pjmEy-yHYJS1_Iltcdc9sgoqTD1-mSleurxu7J08A28DPW6yI8UDXIrGXkKWSD4i/s400/Misty_week1d.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695313628099575458" /></a><br />Only a couple of days after her arrival and she'd already made friends with our other companions the laptops:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIKlJWBN1Vd1vD1nZ15hEWA5gVCVq7pywA5Q90RTupJRvHSE33UxikfyXfW5TXT8wUDTyFNh9KE66dh4YULUv7zwQU3bwJ6sualv_W5qwqpu7NZFuS_vNf_-Ns1QDSOpQZUGvdCGkC8Mqk/s1600/Misty_week1c.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 260px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIKlJWBN1Vd1vD1nZ15hEWA5gVCVq7pywA5Q90RTupJRvHSE33UxikfyXfW5TXT8wUDTyFNh9KE66dh4YULUv7zwQU3bwJ6sualv_W5qwqpu7NZFuS_vNf_-Ns1QDSOpQZUGvdCGkC8Mqk/s400/Misty_week1c.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695313103907129634" /></a><br />Welcome to Frog End Misty.Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13624194722106155800noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-518188462887443320.post-3953930403188817802011-12-25T12:10:00.005+00:002011-12-25T19:45:48.045+00:00A new clockGB remembered from his visit earlier in the year that we hadn't got a clock for our new kitchen and kindly offered to buy us one for Christmas. We wanted to get a black one to match our units. Searching on the web came up with lots of lovely clocks, but we both fell for this one. It arrived a couple of days ago and was the first present we unwrapped this morning. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiakKiq-254wAD5dkgy9zOhY57_YY2L87XxvE9vkGT-sL9fzPZseGBZVJbs9O9vOuGlXdLJCmfBu-OHdYPyYSOGURmjPf6ZDdYn-UgPshGyJYE714Gy08UZVrCTfuPVh4F9twSj0UVIAtve/s1600/Clock02.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiakKiq-254wAD5dkgy9zOhY57_YY2L87XxvE9vkGT-sL9fzPZseGBZVJbs9O9vOuGlXdLJCmfBu-OHdYPyYSOGURmjPf6ZDdYn-UgPshGyJYE714Gy08UZVrCTfuPVh4F9twSj0UVIAtve/s400/Clock02.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690154235022927698" /></a><br />As well as being a little bit different and less serious than most clocks it also has three lovely little animals - a bird, squirrel and a rabbit. The rabbit is my favourite.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfkVdnhcc_KqOHQjv8kt1ysX4qWaoDe2WgkkxFQDaznOK6R1JEyV593QYFSARN-FiHWWi27oaAjgBn0nwwnl1_fK64nvxWUaX1Jg_niwge5hKqcgzb0In5IvJQrjLgw7rYbdTyGgafxRxs/s1600/Clock01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 388px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfkVdnhcc_KqOHQjv8kt1ysX4qWaoDe2WgkkxFQDaznOK6R1JEyV593QYFSARN-FiHWWi27oaAjgBn0nwwnl1_fK64nvxWUaX1Jg_niwge5hKqcgzb0In5IvJQrjLgw7rYbdTyGgafxRxs/s400/Clock01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690154226773713426" /></a><br />By Christmas dinner time the clock was in its new home: <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifkyaUWWxYIB4fqLAhZPHZkvztoDXkPt742v-tcHGC-Tw6jun5fUHc4Ey7PFuO1SRLfCMFOcWQfoTTnfvlnsHW8EE2FQU-7x05ayrxKL5iiM82TfFjFno4K11veDMnlnJn7VTjNYDHL8Pl/s1600/Clock_in_kitchen.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 297px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifkyaUWWxYIB4fqLAhZPHZkvztoDXkPt742v-tcHGC-Tw6jun5fUHc4Ey7PFuO1SRLfCMFOcWQfoTTnfvlnsHW8EE2FQU-7x05ayrxKL5iiM82TfFjFno4K11veDMnlnJn7VTjNYDHL8Pl/s400/Clock_in_kitchen.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690154222844816978" /></a><br />Thank you GB for a wonderful and thoughtful present.Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13624194722106155800noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-518188462887443320.post-77232102532223549492011-11-14T15:07:00.002+00:002011-11-14T15:08:15.792+00:00HalloweenWe celebrated Halloween a couple of days early this year as Ian was going away for a week. We were very busy with work so I didn't manage to do any baking, but we got these wonderful cakes from the supermarket (no doubt the first and last time that I'll happily eat spider):<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWYFTHtMyvXACswkeX6jZ65-eJ1WBTslSX9ML4Ef7cB8TFJuPeLssq7_x9kc5KpaJr3hqpQEwgaU3NBhlXjM_u5Rn282yrO6JXS-5lLB2sDEiXvTam09KrqwuGHmJwn0cxq8klFYMoCh3A/s1600/Halloween_cakes.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWYFTHtMyvXACswkeX6jZ65-eJ1WBTslSX9ML4Ef7cB8TFJuPeLssq7_x9kc5KpaJr3hqpQEwgaU3NBhlXjM_u5Rn282yrO6JXS-5lLB2sDEiXvTam09KrqwuGHmJwn0cxq8klFYMoCh3A/s400/Halloween_cakes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674852609288869106" border="0" /></a><br />As usual we carved pumpkins. I decided upon a bat which we both agreed looked more impressive in the light than in the dark:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjmfBH9l3QNwDqvQ80GjCjO14rk5RkvB8S7cV1BfgiyZf2NUVrz-cSq2FD52Kp2U4PtyT0B0kqdWuSFuNJhY3mZ0CHbG-ZRH11JVbx710eXbH7ZOxqIl2JiLGb-8eRfh-lZuWibtL45_bL/s1600/Halloween_bat_light.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 288px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjmfBH9l3QNwDqvQ80GjCjO14rk5RkvB8S7cV1BfgiyZf2NUVrz-cSq2FD52Kp2U4PtyT0B0kqdWuSFuNJhY3mZ0CHbG-ZRH11JVbx710eXbH7ZOxqIl2JiLGb-8eRfh-lZuWibtL45_bL/s400/Halloween_bat_light.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674868508561581986" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb48CfDtX3ar0Z06nglhuQwJm6g5cicbkDiCu63RpPZfAac5eKY4G1w72dETvSASarpzIRv9Rw9QkGcfe_RUFh_ZIEMrPfdeo_bxDMCFOnjAFTzJ2zLOCp7ynCw6PvU1Y3GD35JVUwV94n/s1600/Halloween_bat_dark.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 324px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb48CfDtX3ar0Z06nglhuQwJm6g5cicbkDiCu63RpPZfAac5eKY4G1w72dETvSASarpzIRv9Rw9QkGcfe_RUFh_ZIEMrPfdeo_bxDMCFOnjAFTzJ2zLOCp7ynCw6PvU1Y3GD35JVUwV94n/s400/Halloween_bat_dark.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674853371809410962" /></a><br />Ian carved a graveyard scene which looked fantastic when lit:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDt2-4oQRSTkGT44FM7m0sTNX3rxZYbpjFIC651qZr9a8Xs8GFjrTMEp03cC9JkcPMsX86Cpt5iFuxKoi7RZIb5OsYA7DP9eNUOQtsVyiMPJmQ2iAnFTmMbwJrnwF5YWeIGNfJ4NLaHrMB/s1600/Halloween_graveyard_light.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDt2-4oQRSTkGT44FM7m0sTNX3rxZYbpjFIC651qZr9a8Xs8GFjrTMEp03cC9JkcPMsX86Cpt5iFuxKoi7RZIb5OsYA7DP9eNUOQtsVyiMPJmQ2iAnFTmMbwJrnwF5YWeIGNfJ4NLaHrMB/s400/Halloween_graveyard_light.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674860279996125570" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtXezQO4e-X_BSTCpNWqNWmElN2LpMefzrvpO25lc2ObtMkpa_b8JK_amC7zWrwHwcXr-wPUQElXFJdu29VYyWP9Qnr8yeGjXkuW6rwUoHiUkj0KTa1osiG8zi4PDSi_T6jQH5ZavDH-aV/s1600/Halloween_graveyard_dark.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 332px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtXezQO4e-X_BSTCpNWqNWmElN2LpMefzrvpO25lc2ObtMkpa_b8JK_amC7zWrwHwcXr-wPUQElXFJdu29VYyWP9Qnr8yeGjXkuW6rwUoHiUkj0KTa1osiG8zi4PDSi_T6jQH5ZavDH-aV/s400/Halloween_graveyard_dark.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674860277080556226" /></a><br />Mum got us a lovely little tealight holder:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj07Oe5ByK1fYIE5sr2uejv-08yiavu42LkCO7suz_T54DhvP40dSRQwRsxJD3yteOHbdxqBrt5rRm8Z3FvKHLYWzWIYehAMlgZ4Bt1Lkiu1ni7X9CPJcfMP9eoni7fDxuM_xw-T0aEGY0t/s1600/Halloween_witch.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 297px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj07Oe5ByK1fYIE5sr2uejv-08yiavu42LkCO7suz_T54DhvP40dSRQwRsxJD3yteOHbdxqBrt5rRm8Z3FvKHLYWzWIYehAMlgZ4Bt1Lkiu1ni7X9CPJcfMP9eoni7fDxuM_xw-T0aEGY0t/s400/Halloween_witch.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674860829202592274" /></a><br />and we brought out these lovely little guys that Ian bought in Sweden:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiza9T80JWcLvyBI3fkCpady68nZJMuzUd8qnYwiSgsRpkooXpfD5Ey2ZvQstDN4eQVDpC9ZbUclMuxID76Eij46so7B5hQIkVfaCEv-IqcL3ismAWLn-BsEg83nwOqqBnRcfEoDbU56rZ1/s1600/Halloween_Swedish01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 260px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiza9T80JWcLvyBI3fkCpady68nZJMuzUd8qnYwiSgsRpkooXpfD5Ey2ZvQstDN4eQVDpC9ZbUclMuxID76Eij46so7B5hQIkVfaCEv-IqcL3ismAWLn-BsEg83nwOqqBnRcfEoDbU56rZ1/s400/Halloween_Swedish01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674861552937505922" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSYVENYD2520CkEeZsh2K7I_jmlOjoFKWuA551defakEcEB3ZtmV1jHLEzQXrQx0_vEYKW7hpqqJ9WZSYMFq4V6W0HFRPBngKXh7f-Y2DTCu1e-vu7lRnXiC-uqH7WTj38On_IbMjzex4m/s1600/Halloween_Swedish02.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 361px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSYVENYD2520CkEeZsh2K7I_jmlOjoFKWuA551defakEcEB3ZtmV1jHLEzQXrQx0_vEYKW7hpqqJ9WZSYMFq4V6W0HFRPBngKXh7f-Y2DTCu1e-vu7lRnXiC-uqH7WTj38On_IbMjzex4m/s400/Halloween_Swedish02.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674861568843815170" /></a>Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13624194722106155800noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-518188462887443320.post-51452798045978250292011-11-14T14:42:00.022+00:002011-11-14T15:05:58.013+00:00HarvestIt's traditional in my family to celebrate harvest by decorating the dining room with vegetables and sitting down as a family to a home-cooked meal. Over the last few years we haven't manage to keep up the tradition, but this year Mum visited us in October so we celebrated in Exeter for the first time.<br /><br />After <a href="http://frog-end-food.blogspot.com/2011/09/celery-tomato-and-apple-soup-3-colours.html">homemade soup</a> for lunch we went for a walk around Stover Country Park<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOihgiIuh-EBLQKARpaYCfhHRm_gid53jSmthD09KJEtXi41R9tP8DM4Y64zTaDUlzdPkv4HwClpKbMrh_9YyLlSIRfQas8QPPdMdWMEfQKOKNCMiorczBneGC-SdJtgSVnvO65YJnJ8rB/s1600/Harvest_Stover.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOihgiIuh-EBLQKARpaYCfhHRm_gid53jSmthD09KJEtXi41R9tP8DM4Y64zTaDUlzdPkv4HwClpKbMrh_9YyLlSIRfQas8QPPdMdWMEfQKOKNCMiorczBneGC-SdJtgSVnvO65YJnJ8rB/s400/Harvest_Stover.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674867035293028690" border="0" /></a><br />When we got back our neighbour's friendly cat Sweep dropped by for a fuss:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMlVqcqqofGZuedKhO7vU_vPT_BSrWJTSA5A2HmQ5C2OhBWT0OSiScuzifvx7qBxCJMM3BlPX5Ppps1QsQr4tIsO4nF4PQl5sOyNe5W-w6qXa-9GME50F7WpMPpc9rV8M6SeEWHg1MFMi_/s1600/Harvest_Sweep.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 374px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMlVqcqqofGZuedKhO7vU_vPT_BSrWJTSA5A2HmQ5C2OhBWT0OSiScuzifvx7qBxCJMM3BlPX5Ppps1QsQr4tIsO4nF4PQl5sOyNe5W-w6qXa-9GME50F7WpMPpc9rV8M6SeEWHg1MFMi_/s400/Harvest_Sweep.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674864757810561474" border="0" /></a><br />In addition to the fruit and vegetables we also decorated with the fake maple leaves that we bought for our wedding cake and with the hazelnuts that we collected on our walks:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_K1OZvga7_PWAiIUy-qr0Bq2nNLJ0B3BE3sqimSR5PTMJGep6ytO-6BmH7Uif8Qa717rs9oB7TMRR6MH1FbdYBVy1nIZcfPdPNyyDZrZTjSN3KuNV8bM55_tTrUUg9-wXjtOam_9oLHD/s1600/Harvest_decorations01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_K1OZvga7_PWAiIUy-qr0Bq2nNLJ0B3BE3sqimSR5PTMJGep6ytO-6BmH7Uif8Qa717rs9oB7TMRR6MH1FbdYBVy1nIZcfPdPNyyDZrZTjSN3KuNV8bM55_tTrUUg9-wXjtOam_9oLHD/s400/Harvest_decorations01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674866450154403250" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKfDUFnLjdfJas4j2avMzjcojICV6_9_xnYDGLkBCAAAnGfIcuOqy8BlyRByamfLann2-TdTxaBexBf1ClWHPi8yDlgUi2Cdglak_N-SXJoNCclc4VbHbpbx185IhRYHTZOL403PEO8lt/s1600/Harvest.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 313px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKfDUFnLjdfJas4j2avMzjcojICV6_9_xnYDGLkBCAAAnGfIcuOqy8BlyRByamfLann2-TdTxaBexBf1ClWHPi8yDlgUi2Cdglak_N-SXJoNCclc4VbHbpbx185IhRYHTZOL403PEO8lt/s400/Harvest.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674865387831037362" border="0" /></a><br />We had a blackberry and apple pie for dessert and we used our delightful new pie crust cutters from Williams-Sonoma to decorate it:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhnXHrjVLkaA8IrfEWhE55sVQryltU2P-2VFXMd6snDAU86HoqhTXjuuP9ZfgDTDjkFFeNv58D0R9CMaSC3V3kBPMHK19kb2u246Ufxhz85av1bz_9-jnHhWum3oAoQ7tl2BmyIX_Ok-9y/s1600/Harvest_pie.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 330px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhnXHrjVLkaA8IrfEWhE55sVQryltU2P-2VFXMd6snDAU86HoqhTXjuuP9ZfgDTDjkFFeNv58D0R9CMaSC3V3kBPMHK19kb2u246Ufxhz85av1bz_9-jnHhWum3oAoQ7tl2BmyIX_Ok-9y/s400/Harvest_pie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674863810745967714" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsVkNPmQwHcBNfJ90HEdGJwjT_f5eHQxT7KqDV7AdxDsOFRWpjfwsHnqzwAJsFu79GKV-DQnTju5iWXWQQKsxY4A5R7W9y0vA0cOib-5pJeTrTpu0qEWRuX4KggycTQX2jZtcsNrm3_MLS/s1600/Harvest_family.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 292px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsVkNPmQwHcBNfJ90HEdGJwjT_f5eHQxT7KqDV7AdxDsOFRWpjfwsHnqzwAJsFu79GKV-DQnTju5iWXWQQKsxY4A5R7W9y0vA0cOib-5pJeTrTpu0qEWRuX4KggycTQX2jZtcsNrm3_MLS/s400/Harvest_family.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674865389386302546" border="0" /></a>Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13624194722106155800noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-518188462887443320.post-81840072545442126872011-11-14T13:49:00.000+00:002011-11-14T14:02:46.204+00:00TintagelDuring our trip to Cornwall we visited the village of Tintagel on the north coast. Tintagel and its castle are associated with the legends of King Arthur - see the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tintagel">wikipedia page</a> for more information.<br /><br />The Camelot hotel has incredible views of the Celtic Sea<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh570PwEyYRhAz5TEk9ohy5X_JMJQn6d7BJWtCAkKM2MRkSx7IIZhGlM2cQ_kVPWbiB-bFWMuCC_9gHteW9geImHnK3dQRvnPh5WLdCM-v8E57dLBcnsfSrQQ07k9EaM6XhfP8DXihl8FKg/s1600/Tintagel_Camelot_Hotel.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh570PwEyYRhAz5TEk9ohy5X_JMJQn6d7BJWtCAkKM2MRkSx7IIZhGlM2cQ_kVPWbiB-bFWMuCC_9gHteW9geImHnK3dQRvnPh5WLdCM-v8E57dLBcnsfSrQQ07k9EaM6XhfP8DXihl8FKg/s400/Tintagel_Camelot_Hotel.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671510887371015346" border="0" /></a><br />The castle is partly on the mainland and partly on an island. To get to either part involves climbing a lot of steps. On the mainland:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilr8Fk01mfH0GoSTGUL4OhyOk6qPtjFoBssSztkOJTFNDLlVVPrbuPH9SJ2M2aL4_WxHKgcT3O5le1V9f-pSEY2gmJCJLU1_cZQpX3WcXdQn1cl1pAxx-joJUzobqkbOikcxvvHeYTkIFV/s1600/Tintagel_mainland_castle.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilr8Fk01mfH0GoSTGUL4OhyOk6qPtjFoBssSztkOJTFNDLlVVPrbuPH9SJ2M2aL4_WxHKgcT3O5le1V9f-pSEY2gmJCJLU1_cZQpX3WcXdQn1cl1pAxx-joJUzobqkbOikcxvvHeYTkIFV/s400/Tintagel_mainland_castle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674850151524521746" border="0" /></a><br />On the island:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqsABhbSI4IGWnlbJmtatjU68TOkOruUiKEQ-2QfLlVBOk_xXXyBr0f6dgGMrHnqGFQJRJTpnbWnmhuWHyryiC454iKqPy7QxWsKtkM5is-BYRRidAfu6sgUZqrN7EgqNHOu4CK6JVHH2w/s1600/Tintagel_island.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqsABhbSI4IGWnlbJmtatjU68TOkOruUiKEQ-2QfLlVBOk_xXXyBr0f6dgGMrHnqGFQJRJTpnbWnmhuWHyryiC454iKqPy7QxWsKtkM5is-BYRRidAfu6sgUZqrN7EgqNHOu4CK6JVHH2w/s400/Tintagel_island.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674850915408479970" border="0" /></a><br />The castle ruins:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6AGix7aFocJVFi48XIFWTMe7oMT7Ad1G9n6OyauPZfy8Rq1M6_NJ_bADGmWYmIYKEPBmrn-74pCuGrx_mPiz7hpUziFEgGv-jW2pHI3Z_jD44op0k2rfZr4113W90RVFm29zu9jMB0JNq/s1600/Tintagel_ruins.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6AGix7aFocJVFi48XIFWTMe7oMT7Ad1G9n6OyauPZfy8Rq1M6_NJ_bADGmWYmIYKEPBmrn-74pCuGrx_mPiz7hpUziFEgGv-jW2pHI3Z_jD44op0k2rfZr4113W90RVFm29zu9jMB0JNq/s400/Tintagel_ruins.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674851397619418914" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcqKGi3q5zCoiIy9cmebckQNDrGUGiPO9QWVKg906DQ5TQ6_iTyVKR8AvOlyBs1eEgKbGliDtNrAErc18R2wX9-ct4vqiFcm4ocixNtqcE8a77zn4_ATI36MG2-69pSSGWcI4mWLYE0ey2/s1600/Tintagel_Ian01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcqKGi3q5zCoiIy9cmebckQNDrGUGiPO9QWVKg906DQ5TQ6_iTyVKR8AvOlyBs1eEgKbGliDtNrAErc18R2wX9-ct4vqiFcm4ocixNtqcE8a77zn4_ATI36MG2-69pSSGWcI4mWLYE0ey2/s400/Tintagel_Ian01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671513200917195170" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiodq643S9tHEUL81eJmlY1OZnR9EYJzYmxdfhZOl38zCDDJFIqxKJiIiv_qNwZqHp0KuIOKCy-XYczfZTxiYQxbm173J31YvmG7LHb-jPcqnqyXDL85B74kELzJYEVtm2ZqLIjHQ9QP03H/s1600/Tintagel_Ian02.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiodq643S9tHEUL81eJmlY1OZnR9EYJzYmxdfhZOl38zCDDJFIqxKJiIiv_qNwZqHp0KuIOKCy-XYczfZTxiYQxbm173J31YvmG7LHb-jPcqnqyXDL85B74kELzJYEVtm2ZqLIjHQ9QP03H/s400/Tintagel_Ian02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671513204953205666" border="0" /></a><br />Merlin's Cave was very difficult to photograph, but I think this photo shows the atmosphere:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKuYeqDm1Ivk_DZHHSyqYLLVq_kpGSfY9HdV8dFRmusmdUY_0zICv88NUj66QfgUWzdBs6cB6pd2qb-q0NOqnZ3lTJFKS7PR6EkSqJtjhghVqs-yM4GPl-S1J6-_OBUgggdQrvPGEbH6aj/s1600/Tintagel_Merlins_cave.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKuYeqDm1Ivk_DZHHSyqYLLVq_kpGSfY9HdV8dFRmusmdUY_0zICv88NUj66QfgUWzdBs6cB6pd2qb-q0NOqnZ3lTJFKS7PR6EkSqJtjhghVqs-yM4GPl-S1J6-_OBUgggdQrvPGEbH6aj/s400/Tintagel_Merlins_cave.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671510887042547810" border="0" /></a><br />The cave is open at both ends and is only viewable at low tide. We just managed to make a quick stop there before the tide blocked it off.Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13624194722106155800noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-518188462887443320.post-72521775279716629412011-10-13T18:56:00.010+01:002011-10-13T19:53:02.992+01:00Princess SophieToday we brought home our second foster cat from the local Cats Protection Centre. 15 year-old Sophie is a grey and white and had rather a reputation for grumpiness at the Centre. Certainly our first encounter at the Centre was a little trying with her scratching both Ian and I despite our trying not to upset her. The vet there even called us saints for taking her!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzM0aUzTjA8NTe2u1-dREJWyuE6fVlTvhoGcK49a2Bnc02AgKDcEGFgXSvf0oivz1OfWxuW_fuOZ13TbzVB_9Hs4E6cZIBXyoqQYbU4Y_mE0yCzX4S4jkWnloF3C2LzT-4vuNZaaPWDzO1/s1600/Sophie_first_day01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 318px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzM0aUzTjA8NTe2u1-dREJWyuE6fVlTvhoGcK49a2Bnc02AgKDcEGFgXSvf0oivz1OfWxuW_fuOZ13TbzVB_9Hs4E6cZIBXyoqQYbU4Y_mE0yCzX4S4jkWnloF3C2LzT-4vuNZaaPWDzO1/s400/Sophie_first_day01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5663051554911390434" /></a><br />Although it's only been a few hours she seems like a different animal now that we've brought her home. She's both friendly and responsive. Her initial shyness wore off after only an hour and she's spent the afternoon begging for meals and treats. She loves human company, but also seems to be completely comfortable being left alone to amuse herself.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZDikTup-vZIk8NITHM5H_ep3zIj6S_QkJsExUmPxAw7Ew6iYevlCrzQ96_D39_2vsIISV0g98GF-1BqlneA745Hd9B9tUl_7ljNstjqXlk6ogWuDynoGibDGKfu2TFEFROrYgsYwulOp8/s1600/Sophie_first_day02.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 234px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZDikTup-vZIk8NITHM5H_ep3zIj6S_QkJsExUmPxAw7Ew6iYevlCrzQ96_D39_2vsIISV0g98GF-1BqlneA745Hd9B9tUl_7ljNstjqXlk6ogWuDynoGibDGKfu2TFEFROrYgsYwulOp8/s400/Sophie_first_day02.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5663051548419643842" /></a><br />Welcome Sophie.Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13624194722106155800noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-518188462887443320.post-71081718702715739772011-10-13T18:34:00.016+01:002011-10-13T18:55:59.606+01:00PolperroOn our last morning in Cornwall Ian and I visited Polperro on the south coast. It's an adorable fishing village with some wonderful buildings. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggNFMo8WMYkcSGXEtaqmvoahMcKxahTgslS2GQQaTT-UZW-ZmYmrZ3Ykvhig9JiwVDb2vP6Q6O7gHXWfyGLLjswpO9TWes_edwqQDZrjbFUuGIwV6EecN3728CNqx_qaf-irEfvyEpAh2d/s1600/Polperro02.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggNFMo8WMYkcSGXEtaqmvoahMcKxahTgslS2GQQaTT-UZW-ZmYmrZ3Ykvhig9JiwVDb2vP6Q6O7gHXWfyGLLjswpO9TWes_edwqQDZrjbFUuGIwV6EecN3728CNqx_qaf-irEfvyEpAh2d/s400/Polperro02.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5663036670638168514" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY4v2OZFV6HqaKr1tYePosxTNCwrAovVC713ve7UV8S7dgQbWDdltn-ozA43lCgeoIp9lbaUaMI9TzrHcSE-dEec_osMT1p-A0tDpAE3hcTO5FDBps5ANVnAySFYZn14PxzdCBPsUEFG6d/s1600/Polperro.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY4v2OZFV6HqaKr1tYePosxTNCwrAovVC713ve7UV8S7dgQbWDdltn-ozA43lCgeoIp9lbaUaMI9TzrHcSE-dEec_osMT1p-A0tDpAE3hcTO5FDBps5ANVnAySFYZn14PxzdCBPsUEFG6d/s400/Polperro.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5663035317000623458" /></a><br />None of the houses had numbers - instead each had a (presumably) unique name. It must be a daunting task for new postmen. The houses were all different and had lots of unique features like this front door<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGz_hd5h4da_HYZQE6hrFfpKfM5159eJf3OhUpjyCgfwUl22IBwLX5lVt-jqPGKqtnE4VU1vjTA6YB687u37_1ea-DwPPI6Nw0Wm95coXhecYbcL7A9WxcHu1cYZuc65P6TzgEzDQgfAW/s1600/Polperro_door.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 212px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGz_hd5h4da_HYZQE6hrFfpKfM5159eJf3OhUpjyCgfwUl22IBwLX5lVt-jqPGKqtnE4VU1vjTA6YB687u37_1ea-DwPPI6Nw0Wm95coXhecYbcL7A9WxcHu1cYZuc65P6TzgEzDQgfAW/s400/Polperro_door.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5663034271274167570" /></a><br />and this wonderful sign<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwNTvytg4DMlyZ2NbdqYm0kp6drqfJwQydlQwapU6-jXffnqLei_Sky9DRxnSDmtL3VmBYkDrrxcsrHFyDiYJfgiJpnxX26OVDUQAWCeUfjtWCTBAwSv6N3XpjN0QVNr_95eb5NDATY_0T/s1600/Polperro_sign.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 190px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwNTvytg4DMlyZ2NbdqYm0kp6drqfJwQydlQwapU6-jXffnqLei_Sky9DRxnSDmtL3VmBYkDrrxcsrHFyDiYJfgiJpnxX26OVDUQAWCeUfjtWCTBAwSv6N3XpjN0QVNr_95eb5NDATY_0T/s400/Polperro_sign.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5663035310535849042" /></a><br />The pubs were themed appropriately and we saw so many interesting eateries that we could have happily stayed there for a month and gone to a different one each day<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEity0QU4i1NbJSJgx-6SYnEiyrQPZ4iLXbTDKye1JHRCcyB4iVnXQpdj3LO0vRjAOie2TVRcJvauM4N-rcgToigmaPT0QJZiXLxe9uHiRrq8mgJVyuw_AGjL8ztJNvYJMDrYGLQGdD99zYv/s1600/Polperro_pub01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 287px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEity0QU4i1NbJSJgx-6SYnEiyrQPZ4iLXbTDKye1JHRCcyB4iVnXQpdj3LO0vRjAOie2TVRcJvauM4N-rcgToigmaPT0QJZiXLxe9uHiRrq8mgJVyuw_AGjL8ztJNvYJMDrYGLQGdD99zYv/s400/Polperro_pub01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5663036162773882306" /></a><br />Just as well this ice cream stall didn't open until the afternoon otherwise I'd have probably filled myself up before we even went to lunch.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJNPm9tVmssY88nPXNh1Er5BL0iWxjgObMa3toStUO_uMB8Qp9eqdpptFC4sCwu235cxALjL34_uqlRyvPpn0LthtLDqWADhwY1Nib4FOQKckjYjImW2BhPyV8O-h0szXqGJOiKB1Tak7G/s1600/Polperro_ice_creams.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJNPm9tVmssY88nPXNh1Er5BL0iWxjgObMa3toStUO_uMB8Qp9eqdpptFC4sCwu235cxALjL34_uqlRyvPpn0LthtLDqWADhwY1Nib4FOQKckjYjImW2BhPyV8O-h0szXqGJOiKB1Tak7G/s400/Polperro_ice_creams.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5663034277383192338" /></a>Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13624194722106155800noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-518188462887443320.post-53551567431444844462011-10-07T10:26:00.008+01:002011-10-07T11:41:44.527+01:00Pockets<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_z5IC0RFegw2Fs3zX4TuSkxQKXAEn-qCx0hCAYh_IoEUHGsqG-GCmZX1e-iZMYJ5lQcEy_7uSzeFpqiENUqzmdiH9301P7dbH4jhDYdlU13UlQUYUV5ahvFSnhJAX0uiRzdPKB2iCmjy/s1600/Polly04.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 393px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_z5IC0RFegw2Fs3zX4TuSkxQKXAEn-qCx0hCAYh_IoEUHGsqG-GCmZX1e-iZMYJ5lQcEy_7uSzeFpqiENUqzmdiH9301P7dbH4jhDYdlU13UlQUYUV5ahvFSnhJAX0uiRzdPKB2iCmjy/s400/Polly04.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660696674320490306" /></a><br />Sadly, after only a week at Frog End blood tests showed that little Polly was in serious renal failure, probably caused by her thyroid medication (if she hadn't taken it she probably would have got heart failure so it was a no-win situation). Her health declined quite rapidly and only two weeks after we got her she had to be put down.<br /><br />Although Polly was only with us for a couple of weeks she touched our hearts far more than we could have imagined. All her wonderful little grumpy noises became so endearing and the way she would sleep really made us smile. How she managed to breathe in this position I'll never know (luckily for us her tail swished constantly so we didn't need to check to make sure she was okay):<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl5ZJJLT6mDjQBe-jemdlLC9N71KnV_Vuja8C4xUpkl2X6b1KwvVPmvtH2oy8xHn8BFZlspqKMq1NQ8zTscMcIOt2xgBTrPH08IBqEZ9Teo39Fjo5MoiNr6_Dt7vObw7ltpSE_kPcwrqlh/s1600/Polly02.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 346px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl5ZJJLT6mDjQBe-jemdlLC9N71KnV_Vuja8C4xUpkl2X6b1KwvVPmvtH2oy8xHn8BFZlspqKMq1NQ8zTscMcIOt2xgBTrPH08IBqEZ9Teo39Fjo5MoiNr6_Dt7vObw7ltpSE_kPcwrqlh/s400/Polly02.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660696670122482370" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUwCx6OB5zjIonHHHczcVw4-7wnYt7wt2TSKylxJ3qyHPekYp7Fw4N1E6LI8QiYwoN5dXAyNa9Wf1Y5ISLJEriddNRfSJ-pDTdMT8hwwhjyNGnxR-uwvjDAV580EnvbCQrV3GR5oaKKa1H/s1600/Polly03.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 201px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUwCx6OB5zjIonHHHczcVw4-7wnYt7wt2TSKylxJ3qyHPekYp7Fw4N1E6LI8QiYwoN5dXAyNa9Wf1Y5ISLJEriddNRfSJ-pDTdMT8hwwhjyNGnxR-uwvjDAV580EnvbCQrV3GR5oaKKa1H/s400/Polly03.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660696669172827858" /></a><br />Not people to stick closely to pet names we started calling Polly different names within a day or two and she quickly became known as 'Pockets' (from poly-pockets - those plastic wallets that hold papers in folders). The name really seemed to suit her.<br /><br />We're very grateful to have known her and glad that she spent her last two weeks out of a cage. We will miss you Pockets.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgksT-Xvu5ljFPERHW23TdhhN1HE9jK9wuQ2jQRvyoge0_pdTQ2yVaesYDI1eikF4ddKB2UXxtPMoEDntTN9l1qjhCTO7JC71GWZrbsYxBxQ6Dvcd0OAKWXaDJOjYDomp4rkkOCz16xdEhm/s1600/Polly05.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 260px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgksT-Xvu5ljFPERHW23TdhhN1HE9jK9wuQ2jQRvyoge0_pdTQ2yVaesYDI1eikF4ddKB2UXxtPMoEDntTN9l1qjhCTO7JC71GWZrbsYxBxQ6Dvcd0OAKWXaDJOjYDomp4rkkOCz16xdEhm/s400/Polly05.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660696675452084450" /></a>Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13624194722106155800noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-518188462887443320.post-43340443679979188752011-09-25T17:44:00.006+01:002011-09-25T18:04:16.733+01:00The Tamar Otter and Wildlife CentreJust a few miles from Launceston (the historic capital of Cornwall), the Tamar Otter and Wildlife Centre is well worth a visit if you're ever in the area.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhycKdEkvIC01pcG0yAFGo2f5rrAr-NU4snaTNx54q2QFANFBPbHj7IxQSAGtJ8T7tiO1Y-yc1JVTXf-r1FWt_wJ2ccZPEz3xUmCz5FnxdKbGXZHIMnWpmdBDQ7AjXht9IlgmXmyGwaGb28/s1600/Tamar_otters.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhycKdEkvIC01pcG0yAFGo2f5rrAr-NU4snaTNx54q2QFANFBPbHj7IxQSAGtJ8T7tiO1Y-yc1JVTXf-r1FWt_wJ2ccZPEz3xUmCz5FnxdKbGXZHIMnWpmdBDQ7AjXht9IlgmXmyGwaGb28/s400/Tamar_otters.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656343635036724034" /></a><br />The otters at the centre seem so much more relaxed that those at Buckfastleigh and even the New Forest or Chestnut Centre. Rather than going back indoors after their feed they stayed outside for over an hour swimming, playing, going down slides and even sleeping out in the open.<br /><br />Biggy, Smalley and their father Raymond (asian short-clawed otters):<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZxbaDSSKKUwPDCFVXVUI1T7ZYB0ATAs-RRVT2Fx8mni8gR-zHSPAnk70oQtc9sOcKG9D2WsTXK3PoD-IATadTtikScz9bRs8ua07pE2Iv2woxqegKvINAQJDlht9ybmueBUI04_V3wG20/s1600/Otters_asian_Biggy_Smalley_Raymond.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 340px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZxbaDSSKKUwPDCFVXVUI1T7ZYB0ATAs-RRVT2Fx8mni8gR-zHSPAnk70oQtc9sOcKG9D2WsTXK3PoD-IATadTtikScz9bRs8ua07pE2Iv2woxqegKvINAQJDlht9ybmueBUI04_V3wG20/s400/Otters_asian_Biggy_Smalley_Raymond.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656280153177587538" /></a><br />Although I've seen European otters before at Buckfastleigh I'd never had such a good opportunity to photograph them. William and Harriet:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcGvTQZwA1AIt0B5pMQBk-HC9bPaHzxtycFMNZSPdKs1m9-6BxRlSTA-8h2CyRjUnuaQz9T-2wx2L_4xa5RQerEA-vsjp-VX_lp5TZZmJN7txWoKLKdDTPYrMRPTB6meXe6VxzXNurulLH/s1600/Otter_William.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 182px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcGvTQZwA1AIt0B5pMQBk-HC9bPaHzxtycFMNZSPdKs1m9-6BxRlSTA-8h2CyRjUnuaQz9T-2wx2L_4xa5RQerEA-vsjp-VX_lp5TZZmJN7txWoKLKdDTPYrMRPTB6meXe6VxzXNurulLH/s400/Otter_William.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656279599060826802" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUMvz9odkcJqmBK1REL4a65FfdHVyyQMD8AKf0oafDqJ-T7qUmJO542AVIo3D0kJGFZO1BrSOH6QMNVIgpOpgdt31abWFwdntVEqTl5o2O_VtLzd0WVAJu5zu7c7Q2SuD-K4HvujQI52lF/s1600/Otter_Harriet.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUMvz9odkcJqmBK1REL4a65FfdHVyyQMD8AKf0oafDqJ-T7qUmJO542AVIo3D0kJGFZO1BrSOH6QMNVIgpOpgdt31abWFwdntVEqTl5o2O_VtLzd0WVAJu5zu7c7Q2SuD-K4HvujQI52lF/s400/Otter_Harriet.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656284604373148354" /></a><br />I'm not sure who this is:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhHVCRCPnKmvBmmaPo1oVfAYFGAOXRcmtG387ao_kUF8bBbonPks3iF1N2KzxB5Ndl9UWIoqGZg9t9mAe7z_xLtoZzcv3vwAKK9yOJUpPSitrTWFhXgj1DLwY7UsKMsMZS9VRncO7T878Q/s1600/Otter_unknown.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 260px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhHVCRCPnKmvBmmaPo1oVfAYFGAOXRcmtG387ao_kUF8bBbonPks3iF1N2KzxB5Ndl9UWIoqGZg9t9mAe7z_xLtoZzcv3vwAKK9yOJUpPSitrTWFhXgj1DLwY7UsKMsMZS9VRncO7T878Q/s400/Otter_unknown.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656284609753819058" /></a><br />A very relaxed otter:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnMFlgV0h_601S0NdVXGEv0bB33ur4ZMeu4Iyw-olDt6OfasRvNgLdvVK6VJFgkW51FbMJHj0kfvG20_McPRpQgt2tLP42Y_HZwOGoQJYdfsBaPLMoAA-YMbXkZ6NY8UlNphxmK1gvLBVm/s1600/Otter_unknown02.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnMFlgV0h_601S0NdVXGEv0bB33ur4ZMeu4Iyw-olDt6OfasRvNgLdvVK6VJFgkW51FbMJHj0kfvG20_McPRpQgt2tLP42Y_HZwOGoQJYdfsBaPLMoAA-YMbXkZ6NY8UlNphxmK1gvLBVm/s400/Otter_unknown02.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656340888731193410" /></a><br />This is Dasher, a three-legged muntjac: <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4RzvMMdKO5PkgVLheAfztv7-WvqZOTP_xjNS4dnlg0FfhWd5k40QAbTvwZIrfVZNC8XgyrEiqA8Kt00eBxtpS47Xz5lCtymmiBODCyIpyksL-K_nI6vXfMODgvMDaymsrruBfIqZqU4i_/s1600/Dasher.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 347px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4RzvMMdKO5PkgVLheAfztv7-WvqZOTP_xjNS4dnlg0FfhWd5k40QAbTvwZIrfVZNC8XgyrEiqA8Kt00eBxtpS47Xz5lCtymmiBODCyIpyksL-K_nI6vXfMODgvMDaymsrruBfIqZqU4i_/s400/Dasher.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5653402852814530146" /></a><br />There were other muntjac in the woods at the Centre, but we were unable to spot them.<br /><br />Jack the kestrel:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAEAGX_JChwrtvcUVdIkpGpdYpLH71Cl905nJbyMCVqCQlc4DV-zGEYminynFWt3gyOZSgyEbb2A2SKZB4A0uwKBtKI2Auxr0VTlz2qSwAPyS_22a2it-qr5ygSs6I1-P9mnef_vwzR0F-/s1600/Jack.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAEAGX_JChwrtvcUVdIkpGpdYpLH71Cl905nJbyMCVqCQlc4DV-zGEYminynFWt3gyOZSgyEbb2A2SKZB4A0uwKBtKI2Auxr0VTlz2qSwAPyS_22a2it-qr5ygSs6I1-P9mnef_vwzR0F-/s400/Jack.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656279593922209250" /></a><br />We both thought he was adorable. Ian asked to hold him for a minute and they were kind enough to let him.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6crqX4ysgiCMXisYxrktnRmOVa9qtjCwcIDLWJlBx3qtIYyCPrqZLdX8X6HzeZQG7ip5Fc89iOEdSs6QE0Y75yN6pSqAMKjXhJqEWhJ6QnYBBi3p3F46olfzwr9Ctt6i8BZnt6IhCqt3q/s1600/Ian_with_Jack.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 378px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6crqX4ysgiCMXisYxrktnRmOVa9qtjCwcIDLWJlBx3qtIYyCPrqZLdX8X6HzeZQG7ip5Fc89iOEdSs6QE0Y75yN6pSqAMKjXhJqEWhJ6QnYBBi3p3F46olfzwr9Ctt6i8BZnt6IhCqt3q/s400/Ian_with_Jack.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656280721760787794" /></a><br />A wallaby in the grounds:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzYgGfzrlNrYdhllxUPkbLgOYpRBoqzfS4CWzKHjxtVGHBp8FyOoxCEzFbddYgRpcAqMuUS6tDOC504IevalSjLmGrGo58HBJTzQGpRui4oXlQkV_ye4I8vd7cZyEmw5K_mn769LNXpe26/s1600/Wallaby.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzYgGfzrlNrYdhllxUPkbLgOYpRBoqzfS4CWzKHjxtVGHBp8FyOoxCEzFbddYgRpcAqMuUS6tDOC504IevalSjLmGrGo58HBJTzQGpRui4oXlQkV_ye4I8vd7cZyEmw5K_mn769LNXpe26/s400/Wallaby.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656341836204418706" /></a><br />and an adorable duckling:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpoqiKWadF3Jhq87yDiKyl6QbPJn9ODbJF7Hrv1gOkn9u0r4UqLH2LkfvCvnSChlpqb7xmfyW0C8Q3k6eGRgH1B2SwCDy6-D4AtbyiI93auCUpYKsBeGjRrG9Z9P8aQP8XxPXDud5pGzE2/s1600/Duckling.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 189px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpoqiKWadF3Jhq87yDiKyl6QbPJn9ODbJF7Hrv1gOkn9u0r4UqLH2LkfvCvnSChlpqb7xmfyW0C8Q3k6eGRgH1B2SwCDy6-D4AtbyiI93auCUpYKsBeGjRrG9Z9P8aQP8XxPXDud5pGzE2/s400/Duckling.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656340882286528098" /></a>Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13624194722106155800noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-518188462887443320.post-1015681070295211712011-09-19T13:55:00.010+01:002011-09-19T14:27:00.843+01:00SulkingPolly has a thyroid condition which requires us to give her a tablet once a day. The first day took 6 attempts, the second day it went down straight away. Today it took 5 hours of on and off attempts. Once we understood how to hold her jaw it's actually quite easy to get her to open her mouth. The problem is that if we fail to get her to swallow the tablet the first time she becomes angry and growls and snuffles which makes it more difficult for her to swallow.<br /><br />This is Polly after she finally swallowed the tablet today. <br /><object width="460" height="240"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xj-Etq-L4Nc?fs=1&version=3&hl=en_GB"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xj-Etq-L4Nc?fs=1&version=3&hl=en_GB" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="460" height="240" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object><br />She's actually a very sweet cat, but she sure can sulk!<br /><br />Please cross your fingers that we all get the hang of this process soon.Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13624194722106155800noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-518188462887443320.post-53687363125633582712011-09-16T13:04:00.001+01:002011-09-16T13:05:40.370+01:00Along came PollyFrom today Ian and I are going to be fostering 15 year old Polly from the Cats Protection Centre near Exeter. Polly has been at the centre for a long time and because of her age no one has offered to adopt her. We're giving her a home at Frog End so that she can enjoy her old age in peace. By fostering her we're also receiving support (mostly medical) from Cats Protection to help look after her.<br /><br />We picked Polly up this morning and she soon found a patch of sun to sit in.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju16V64G8BOxhQd4z8Rn66qqKJBShWRWvtmzo8VoDI1OI41RWTmXt22Bk7dntpYuBd4iD1oiY-SjqxII4ilCBSeGpb6wE5-KwlVI8yr1zXkcFG9UuEzU_KDkEnJEoCIZIJYuHfzTBYbYAq/s1600/Polly_first_day.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 381px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju16V64G8BOxhQd4z8Rn66qqKJBShWRWvtmzo8VoDI1OI41RWTmXt22Bk7dntpYuBd4iD1oiY-SjqxII4ilCBSeGpb6wE5-KwlVI8yr1zXkcFG9UuEzU_KDkEnJEoCIZIJYuHfzTBYbYAq/s400/Polly_first_day.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652927154833635954" /></a><br />Welcome Polly.Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13624194722106155800noreply@blogger.com4