November 2024

For us, the highlight of the month was a coffee morning which we organised in the village hall to raise awareness and money for Admiral Nurses, a charity which supports people with dementia. Several people helped us prepare the event – signs, raffle prizes, tea and coffee, and setting up tables and chairs. We opened at ten and charged £2 per person for tea, coffee and cake. We were supported by many visitors and Tom, Tara, the children and Tara’s parents.

We held a raffle – prizes had been donated by villagers – and we donated a village calendar with some of my photographs. We were very pleased with the turnout and, about halfway through, a whole lot more people arrived, queuing out of the door. The noise level increased by a few more decibels. Our new neighbour, Karen, attended with her friend (the house next door had been empty since we moved to the village). We had to put out more tables in the hall and onto the stage. Tom and Tara and various villagers helped us to clear away.

Several people said they would like to buy one of the calendars and this gave the fund-raising an extra dimension. We eventually had to call it a day after selling forty-four, the surplus being added to the fund. That evening, my ankle started to feel uncomfortable, so I removed my socks and asked Annabel to take a look. Unfortunately, Annabel is not at all keen on feet – except baby feet – but she was very brave when she discovered my ankle was swollen. I must have knocked it when I tripped on the stairs in the village hall.

Back home, I looked at the newspaper and discovered one of my photographs – a picture of Theo – in the Cumberland and Westmorland Herald.

We also discovered two wooden structures, erected by Cooper. Tom helped us to move the heavy pieces of garden furniture into the garage for the winter. We had a home visit from the podiatrist attached to the local surgery. She cut my toenails and fixed me up with some different insoles. I could tell she had done an excellent job as I still had ten toes!

Another day and off with the Ramblers, this time up the M6 – the car journey, not the walk! We started off well, and it was quite pleasant. However, the walk leader had muttered something about an extra loop without consulting us. The advertised walk was supposed to be 6 –7 miles with well under 1000 feet height gain. By the time we finished, I was exhausted and could hardly walk. I later checked the height gain, which was about 2000 feet, and a greater distance, way above what was notified. I won’t be going on any of walks with that leader again. Back at home and after a shower we went to Bolton for Tom’s 45th birthday with Tara’s family. How can my younger son be 45?

We went for a walk with Tom to Wallah Crag and Ashness Bridge. We had planned to have a late lunch at the pub, but it was full of people in dark clothes, talking about keeping awake; or was it a wake? We wondered why there were so many cars near the cemetery; it wasn’t as if it was a Sunday or Christmas.

In contrast, it was sobering watching the Service of Remembrance, the poppies falling from the roof of the Royal Albert Hall, each one signifying the death of an individual from the Army, Navy or Airforce.

We had to clear Annabel’s office of all the furniture and fittings, so Darren could sand the wood, strip the wallpaper and put on the first coat of paint. He returned the following day for the wallpapering and finished on the third day. A very professional job.

We went into Penrith to buy me a new laptop, as the current one became temperamental and kept stopping mid task. I’m not sure I’ve got that right; maybe it was Annabel! We had our lunch at a local café, then watched “Blitz” with the U3A Cinema group in Penrith. We delivered a few more calendars and found that some people had not realised that I had taken the photos. We’ve now sold 44 calendars, which sold for an extra surplus of £100 for the Admiral Nurses charity.

My U3A walking group, led by Brian, went well. He and his wife gave me a lift towards Carlisle to watch Paddy McGuiness on his a 300-mile charity cycle ride from Wrexham to Glasgow on a child’s chopper bike. He raised over nine million pounds! By the time we got back to the Crosskeys Inn, where I had left the car, it was quite misty and virtually dark. Unfortunately, the A66 was closed because of an accident, so I had to use the satnav to get me home. That evening, we went to the village hall and had an enjoyable time with the wine-tasting group.

Another busy day wrapping Xmas presents. It’s one of my super skills. Well, I like to think it is! Phil and Deborah from Penrith joined us for an evening meal – an excellent beef pie. We hadn’t seen them for a while, so we spent quite a lot of time catching up. At the end of the evening Deborah couldn’t find her glasses. I had a senior moment – I thought I’d lost mine too. It turned out that I was wearing Deborah’s glasses (by mistake) and my glasses were tucked in my jumper. Oooops!!!

We visited Tom and family and had another look at April’s dragon. We picked up four terrariums (terraria?) that Cooper had built for us. While we were there, he showed us a new large-scale terrarium that he had created which included a waterfall and a stream running through it.

We met Greg and Ann near Barnard Castle (Anabel’s brother and sister-in-law), not to have our eyes tested, but to exchange family Christmas presents, for each other and for offspring.

Two thirds of the way through the month, I joined a Ramblers’ walk in Stonethwaite in ideal conditions. The sun was out, the air was warm and there was no wind. I was attracted to the patterns in the ice (above). Annabel went out in the evening for the ladies’ supper night. People living close to the village hall contacted the Noise Abatement Society! In the meantime, I stayed at home and cooked sausage, egg, beans and chips. I’m quite a foodie, really.

It was good to meet Stephen (from Plumley in Cheshire) at Tebay for breakfast, once again boosting my foodie credentials. He was travelling to stay with Helen, his sister and her husband, on their farm in Scotland. From there we drove to Rheged to see a photographic exhibition about Herdwick sheep. The quality of the photos was excellent. While we were there, we spotted a book about the breed, priced at only £115.00.

We caught the train with Tom to Ribblehead and completed a circular walk. The viaduct, in the middle of nowhere, was, as always, spectacular. Several photographs were taken. We did see a train going along the viaduct, but I wasn’t able to spot its number. Just kidding!

Unusually, we went shopping in Appleby on a Saturday. We’re now using our Toyota Yaris for local journeys. Snow had fallen and melted, making the pavements slushy and slippery. As usual, I went into the greengrocer’s shop and discovered that Tom was there already. When Annabel came into the shop, I said, “look who’s here”. It took several seconds to click. We also visited a carpet shop along an alley off the main street. We arranged for the proprietor to measure up in Annabel’s newly decorated office/spare bedroom.

The Sunday was another vile weather day. We spent time moving books back onto the shelves. We were invited to Tom and Tara’s for a late Sunday lunch/dinner. We chatted with Cooper about his burgeoning terrarium activity. It was great to hear that April is so much happier in her new class, because she is now with a lot more of her friends than before.

That afternoon, we watched “Gladiator 2” in the cinema with the U3A cinema group. We had previously seen the original Gadiator film (NOT movie!). It started off at a brisk pace and continued at that speed throughout the rest of the film. Quite exhausting, really. Our pre-ordered hot drinks appeared as the lights were turned up.

Open morning in Penrith for the U3A Open Day. We chatted to quite a few people that we knew. I’m already in the photography and moderate walking groups and tentatively put my name down for the industrial history group (my first degree included economic history). WE have found that the U3A is an inclusive and welcoming group. Annabel drove to Carlisle to collect our neighbour, David, from hospital.

Another day out with the U3A Photography group, this time returning to the dam in Wet Sleddale, near Shap. Unfortunately, there had not been much rain in recent days and no water was falling over the top. However, us keen photographers were not daunted and found plenty of photo opportunities in the vicinity – as below.

And finally, our coffee morning and calendars raised £1,071 for the Admiral Nurses charity! We were so pleased, especially when out initial thought was just £100. And, finally, a big thank you to the generosity of local people; we couldn’t have achieved this without you!!! (Below: clouds over Temple Sowerby)

Thank you for reading this blog. Apologies if you have sent me feedback and I haven’t responded. I’ll try to remember to do so.