Ben playing the piano recently.

Another video of Ben playing the piano.

Listening to Ben playing........xx

Our Maestro Ben.

I took this at our house at the beginning of the year, when our Martin, Rachel and their little brood came to visit.  I really look forward to seeing my grandchildren!  Ben had only had  8 lessons and I think he is doing wonderfully well!  He is playing with two hands as well as reading the music.  Don’t  children pick up new challenges quickly?
I have another one or two in which you can see he has progressed.  I will have to wait before I can upload though.
Amy Grace is sitting quietly on her stool and Matthew who is 7 is dancing about.
Time flies doesn’t it?  It hardly seems like any time at all since I posted a photo of Amy Grace on here when she was new born.  She will be four on the 17 of April.  She will graduate to the infants from nursery, not this September but the following one.
She loves her ballet dancing classes and Matthew would love to learn to play the Bongos.  That sounds like it will be fun.  lol
You will have to turn off the music in my sidebar to listen to him play.



Bye for now!  xx

Spring visits the garden…at last!

 

 

 

My miniature cherry blossom tree.

The waterfall is running again and the cover has been rolled back.  Fish are eating once a day at the moment.

Everything is shooting out of the ground since our recent rains.

Love Lies Bleeding are the pale green leaves and red stems to be seen under the Japanese Maple tree.

Heather, primroses, and the green leaves of the poppy plant.

 

Hope the sight of these promises of more to come…cheer you up.

   Jeanie xx

Community Photo Challenge - Spring

Community Photo Challenge - Spring
This is a beautiful time of year and we want to see what spring looks like in your area.  This challenge starts today and will end April 14. Come back and leave your blog link by clicking the link above.
I thought I would take part in this challenge.  I hope more of you do .

Click on the photographs to see a larger version.

                  Spring in the Lake District

Lambing time.




A corner of my garden today in the spring.  Primroses, hellebores', heathers and the fresh green leaves of the poppies, to name but a few.

Good luck and have fun to those who enter.


            HUGS  JEANIE

Sunshine On My Shoulders….today in the Lakes

A wonderful sunny day full of birdsong and contentment as we sat out on the patio.

Sharing some photos of my grandchildren.  Martin, my son, is learning to play the saxophone and Ben is learning to play the piano.

 

 

Amy ..believe it or not could get a sound out of Martin’s saxophone; unlike Grandma who nearly burst a blood vessel trying!

 

Ben showing off his piano playing.  He’s very good!

 

Amy, Matthew and Martin.    Matthew wants to play the Bongo drums.  He has yet to have them.   Maybe if he says he will practice in the wooden Wendy House at the bottom of the garden he might be able to?Time will tell….. lol

We had a great weekend recently with my son’s little family.  We managed to fit in a church visit as well as ten pin bowling over the weekend.  The church was choc-a-bloc as there was a christening for a family with their three children.  A lovely celebration was had by all.

The weekend was sunny too..at long last!  The children got a chance to play in the garden.  I wish it had been longer but I hope to go back down there soon.  Amy has to perform in a dance at a theatre hired by her ballet school.  I can’t wait to see her and her little friends perform.  She has three costume changes.  Tap, ballet and modern.  Bless!

Hope you enjoy the photos.  xx

Spring

Just testing out Windows Live Writer on my Blog.

It’s a beautiful Spring day here in the Lakes.

 

The hotel bedroom where we stayed this last weekend.

Ornate ceiling and friezes around the room.

 

A comfortable room but a bit spooky!

Something woke me up the second night shaking my right arm.  It didn’t upset me and I went back to sleep.  I was again woken up by what felt like a cold hand stroking the back of my hand. It felt calming and not a bit scary so I returned to sleep.  Weird or what?

I am pretty much sold on this Live Windows Writer.  It is working a bit like AOL did when we were al on there.

This is just a test page and will/should disappear after I have viewed it. 

Jeanie  xx

Bloggers Community Photo Challenge Entry

http://communityphotochallenge.blogspot.com/

Read these directions below from the CommunityPhoto Challenge Organisers

This month's photo challenge is LIGHTS! We have beautiful holiday lights all around us. You can venture out and capture city lights or even towns lit up at night. You can use anything, it's not just holiday lights.
The Challenge starts today, and ends on Dec. 23, 2010. You have 2 weeks to post.
Remember you have to post your image on your blog, come back here and click on blue button on the bottom of this post. SELECT your image, NOT your profile image, the image you are submitting for the challenge. Follow the EASY directions.
Voting will start on Dec. 23th(only one week to vote)

Try to link to this challenge on your blog post.
Have fun!

The first one is my entry although I found it difficult to choose one from the five.

I took these at the beginnng of our snowfall.

The Lion is almost indistiguishable but I reckon he looks quite snug in his white blanket.

What do you think?

Good luck to all the competitors. Why not try entering it yourself?

All the best!

I'm looking forward to having a look at the other entries.

Take care!

The Lion In Winter

This is my entry.

This Lion looks like it is trying to garner heat from the lamp.

A snowy mantle.

                                                                Brrrr!

Some snowy photos in December

The pond wearing a mantle of snow and lit by a watery sun low in the sky.

From my bedroom window out over the rooftops to the fell tops beyond.

Outside my bedroom window.

Blue skies and snow.

The view from my bed.

The woodland behind the garden.

How can anyone be allowed to feel poorly when confined to bed with a sore throat, a burst eardrum from a silly infection, and a cough; when there are views like these to 'die' for.  I used that word on purpose.  lol

Here I am ..holed up away from the freezing temperatures, when all I would love to do is be out there enjoying the scenery and the warmth in the sunlight.

It is bitterly cold in the shade, which I experienced yesterday when I walked to and from our surgery to get some antibiotics for myself.  I don't like taking my car out as I live at the top of a hill.  A neighbour said not to worry, if you think you are going to slide out onto the main road on the ice without stopping at the bottom of the hill, just put the car into reverse and that should stop the car.

No fear!   I don't thinkI would want to put myself into that situation!

Though...I wonder if it works?

I thought I was being well organised by baking my Christmas cakes, mincemeat pies and Christmas puddings in advance prior to Christmas shopping.  Now I am holed up here because of the snow and my 'bug'. That'll teach me to try and get ahead of myself.  Life, and its happenings' is a great leveller.  lol

Hope anyone who pops by enjoys the photos. I'm going to enjoy an nice cup of tea which Bryan brought for me in bed.  I will get him trained up perfectly  before long.   hahaha!

Stay safe and well everyone.

God bless!

Jeanie x

Another entry from Jeanie.. at long last!

Well as you can see by the photo I AM STILL ALIVE!   LOL
I have been visiting Blogs but not found the time or the inclination recently to add to my Blog.  Writers block I suppose.  I know some of you have experienced the same over the years we have known each other.


Recently we had a little tootle 'around the block' the other day, where to our surprise, the chickens and geese have been moved from alogside the tarn!  Instead of seeing them all, and their coops, there are now some raised beds where, we presume, the tenants are going to grow vegetables in the near future.  I  always looked forward to approaching the gate to the tarn when out on our walk. The hens and cockerel always rushed to greet us, expecting food I suppose.  We never ever fed them, but presume others may have done so from their 'road runner' actions towards us.
Below is a photo of the tarn where sheep are now grazing.  There are a few coots and ducks using it, but not as many as there has been in the past.  I miss our little feathered friends.  They wore such variable plumage giving each one its own unique character. Although and old photograph, this is how it now looks. Sheep quietly grazing.  It is still a beautiful view but  sheep never ever rush up to greet anyone.  lol



I took delivery of a piano tuition book and a Yamaha keyboard stand this morning. 
I intend to have a wee go at learning how to play the piano.  My grandson Ben, who is nine, already brings tears to my eyes when I listen to him play his piano for me over the phone.  He is learning so fast!
They will be arriving this Sunday and staying until Wednesday as it is half term.  Samantha will be arriving on Wednesday, before they all leave, and will stay until the Friday or the Saturday. So, next week will be a busy family orientated week.  I am looking forward to spending lots of time with them all.  Lots of home baking will be on the cards from now until then.  Especially Ben's favourite, chocolate caramel shortbread.  Or 'Millionaires' shortbread, which is its other name.
I might just make some fudge too, as Rachel and Samantha love fudge.
Bryan has been spending the past few weeks in the attic re-arranging the train track, building more models and adding more scenery too.  It is all being done lovingly, so they have a nice surprise when they get here.  Matthew and Ben just love granddad's train track.  It is the highlight of their visit.
We also hope to pay a visit to our 'local zoo whilst they are here. (About 16 miles away).  One of the Sumatran Tigers has given birth to a cub, without the keepers even knowing she was pregnant.  If we go I will try and take photos of the little 'surprise' cub and place them on here.

                                
                         I must away and have a wee practice at the piano keyboard.

This is Rachel, my lovely DIL, Amy Grace, Matthew and Ben, dining out on Ben's birthday.

love to all

Jeanie  xx

Sharing a brilliant video with you all

My thanks to Sal of...
http://www.britsal.net/journal.php
Follow the link to her wonderful journal and webshares.

Don't forget to turn off my music first before you play the video.