The power of 'Worry'

Hmm! well I seem to have returned revived and recouperated. I'm not really sure how it happened - all I did was worry about it - and here I am!! Some may say my reappearance is due to the computer prog, some that it was something to do with the internet, some that it was 'just something that happens' . . . but I know my problem was solved purely by Worry. Hoorah for Worry, my tried and trusted friend!!

And before I disappear again, I'll just add my photos of the Dancing show . . .
I went up to Yorkshire a couple of weekends ago to see Kpie and Jpie performing. It was a marvellous weekend . . . and the pies were magnificent!! I took these after the Saturday matinee back at the house.
Here are both Kpie and Jpie as two of the 'children' who lived with the Old Woman in her shoe:

Kpie as a dream fairy:









Jpie (who had all the audience saying 'aahh!!'):










Cpie can hardly wait until she is old enough to start dance classes. Here she is dressed in Kpie's dream fairy costume:










Frankie, Alex and Lucia came too - here is Lucia 'doing the ironing' and Rich and Cpie in the background:











3 Pies and a Pip:

i'm not sure what is happening here . . .

something somewhere is going sadly wrong
I was in the middle of adding an item about my weekend in Yorkshire in which I saw the Pies performing in their dancing show, adding photos I was . . . when my computer disconnected.
I left it a while and then tried to re-connect only to find that all the photos from the wedding and at O and G's had disappeared . . . and the weekend in Yorkshire didn't appear at all . . .
and now I find I am unable to add photos, change the font etc etc
I hope I don't have a bug . . .
Oh dear!! (sob)

catching up!

It's been aeons since I paid blogland any attention . . . least of all my own blog . . . and as I have been taking photos with my new camera I thought it about time I posted a few of the better ones and updated this with a few of the past couple of months' highlights!

Mary's 'Hen Do'
This was on Spring Bank Holiday Monday in Jackie's back garden. Lots of lovely people came including Stella, Kpie and Cpie down from Yorkshire just for the day. Cat came and brought F (a lone male!!) who had a lovely time playing with all the other littles. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon and we ate, drank, talked and played a funny competition game of dressing Mary, Ruth and Jane up as 'brides' using tissue paper.
Meal at Lynn and Mick's
Drove up with P and C one evening. We all had a great time catching up on our news.
Mary and Kevin's Wedding
What a wonderful day!! Mary was quite amazingly laid back about it and I have never seen them look so good! The mass was beautiful and everyone looked gorgeous!! Then we all went next door to the Parish Centre for Afternoon Tea and, later in the evening, Fish and Chips. When it was almost time for M and K to go off to London, all the guests formed 2 lines down the hall and M and K had their 'First Dance' in the middle. I've not seen that done before - but what a great idea!! The whole day had a wonderful party atmosphere!! Here are some photos:

That's: N, Jpie, Cpie, Kpie and J!









And here are: Jpie, Jackie, Cpie, Kpie, Ruth, Cat (in the hat!), Imy, David, Mary, Kevin, F'ster, Rich, Stella, someone behind S - probably Brian and Pete.







Cpie in the parish centre looking very cute!!












Mary's attendants:
Jpie in his new 'Bowing Suit', Ruth, Cpie, Kpie, Doireann and Imy:









and finally . . . and most importantly: The Happy Couple, Mary and Kevin:

After the Wedding
I have done quite a few good things since:
Meeting G:
I met my friend G - after 38 years!! G and I and 3 other girls had shared a grotty flat during the Second Year of our Teachers' Training Course. We met at Euston Station and went along to the British Library Cafe/Restaurant. I had wondered if a) I would recognise her and b) if we would find each other much changed and c) if we would find enough to talk about. The answers are yes and no and yes, yes, yes! We both had the most marvellous day and just sat and talked and talked and talked - for almost 8 hours!! We had sooo much to catch up on. And the most amazing thing is a) we had had many very similar experiences and b) we kind of relaxed together like we had seen each other only last week!! Next time, I am going up to Manchester and we can continue the story . . .
Going to O and G's

On one of my Wednesdays-with-Lucia I took her up to O and G's and Stella, rich and the Pies came too. We had a lovely day, mainly sitting in the garden as the weather was so good. Here are some photos: (incidentally, here is a funny thing: if you look on www.maps.google.co.uk - and you know where to look!! - you can actually see O sitting in her garden!! - all the way from outer space - incredible!!!)
Kpie and Cpie dancing and Lpip getting into mischief!

I love this photo of Kpie practising with her violin:

I watched the sunrise . . .

. . . is:
1. one of my favourite hymns and to my mind no wedding or funeral is quite complete without it (no offence intended!!)
and

2. what Jackie, Danuta and I did yesterday morning!
Ivinghoe Beacon has long held a special place in my heart: it was where Boogs and I (and half a million other scouty-types) went for the Annual Aspidistra Competition in November 1967, meeting on the summit at mid-night. This was our first date - aahh!!
It was also where Stella, Rich and approx. 50 of their guests went on the morning of their wedding in June 2002 - to see the sunrise and drink tea and coffee and feast on danish pastries.
Of course it is rather a hit-or-miss activity as one can never be too sure if the sun will be seen to rise or whether it will be obscured by clouds. This year we were lucky: there were no clouds on the actual horizon and the good old sun had just enough space to rise and be seen in all his glory before hiding behind the clouds which covered all the rest of the sky! Here in Hertfordshire, the sunrise yesterday was at 4.44 a.m. - so an early start - but it was surprising how many others were up there too: the usual scouts sleeping in their orange survival bags, a group of about 5 girls who had spent the night under a sort of fishing shelter and numerous others, like us, who trudged up in the morning, including 2 or 3 druid types.
I find it amazing that in this digital, technological world, so many people will go to see an event which has been happening for millions of years - but which is breathtakingly beautiful and still evokes a sense of wonder!
Here he is just rising over the Hertrfordshire countryside.


And talking of beauty, I bought myself these lovely peonies in Costco last Sunday. Rather an extravagance . . . but aren't they superb?
Back again for 'catch-up' news soon . . . .