Trains

Husband has been busy making trains run on track. The video is one and a half minutes, and a few megabytes.

Coombe Hill

I worked at home this morning. This afternoon husband, daughter and I went blackberrying up Coombe Hill, where, despite living here for eight years, I'd not yet been. It was a lovely day for a walk, neither too hot, nor wet. We saw loads of butterflies and flowers: St John's Wort, scabious, vetch, rosebay willow herb, harebells. I don't know what a yellow flower I saw was but a purple one was greater knapweed. I got stung by a nettle. We saw something like a red oakapple growth on roses, like a lot of strings all tied together, perhaps hiding a bug. I wonder what made those.

Husband is really good at recognising butterflies. We saw a peacock butterfly and a yellow primstone and a meadow brown. Husband collected loads of blackberries for a pie. Daughter and I ate blackberries.

Then we walked down to Rumseys in Wendover and ordered vanilla ice espresso, hot chocolate, shortbread and raspberry pavlova. Finally we stopped off at the Chiltern Brewery and bought some beer.

That was as good an afternoon holiday as any!

Parents fame

I wanted to find a link to this newspaper article my parents sent me. They are famed at last in the Darlington and Stockton Times, where, on their wedding anniversary on 29th July, they also celebrated the tenth anniversary of Richmond's university of the third age. But the article doesn't seem to be on-line, so you can't see the nice photo of my parents and their friends from the U3A.

Shame.

It reads:

"Lifelong learning was celebrated in Richmond as the town's U3A marked its tenth anniversary.
One of hundreds across the county, Richmond University of the Third Age is a learning co-operative providing educational, creative and leisure opportunities for people over the age of 50.
Last Friday, members gathered for their tenth anniversary luncheon at the King's Head Hotel."

And then it talks about parents' 59th wedding anniversary and even quotes my dad, "

It certainly keeps the old brain cells alive.

" My dad has very alive brain cells, a very bright man.

Taekwondo olympics

We won a bronze medal in taekwondo, thanks to Sarah Stevenson. There was some drama over decisions when the referee didn't allow a kick initially, then overturned the decision.

There was even more drama when another taekwondo player, a Cuban called Matos, kicked a referee in the head.

I know from my limited experience that sometimes they just don't see that you've scored a point. They need these instance replayers like they have in tennis. I see various commentators are saying this, such as the BBC. Quite right too.

Retail therapy

I thought I'd work at home today. I've done two loads of laundry, defrosted the freezer and took daughter for a bit of retail therapy at Bicester Village. She bought a skirt that looks fantastic on her whether it be every day wear or teamed up with something special like this red backless top.

Fighting Grannies

I hope we do well in the taekwondo Olympics. We lost this morning to the Afghan contender. Sarah Stevenson is our hope for tomorrow, but look what Korean grannies do. And I thought I was the oldest in our club.

Maths at Bristol

Daughter must have chosen well - I see Bristol maths department comes really high in the Times Good University rankings
http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/gug/gooduniversityguide.php?AC_sub=Mathematics&x=31&y=7&sub=22
being beaten only by Oxford and Cambridge.

A levels

Daughter's results are out and really really good so she's off to Bristol university to study maths, but not just maths, but maths with a year in continental Europe too.

Photos

We walked up the Wrekin.

This really was an uphill walk. The sign posts were a tad confusing too.

The flowers were gorgeous.

If you looked closely too you could see some wonderful insects, caterpillars and bees.

At the top of the hill, it was a bit windy, but you could see for miles, even if what you could see was the rain coming towards you.

Weekend away

Yesterday we went to Coalport and walked along to Ironbridge - see photo - more than 4 miles and back to the hotel uphill. Daughter would have hated it.

The flower beds in this town are not town flowers, but the council has taken the opportunity to sow pieces of 'waste' land with wild meadow flowers, which are absolutely gorgeous.

Spoke to son on mobile phone about what he could raid from the freezer. Half way through conversation he says "B...g..r!" He's just unloading the washing machine, where he finds his passport!

Weekend break

We're off tomorrow to sunny Telford, Coalport and Ironbridge. We're leaving the 'children' to look after themselves, the house and the cat while we explore the museums (we've already got books of tickets) and walk the countryside.