Belvoir Fireworks

Closing display by MLE Pyrotechnics

Osterley Park & House

Silverstone Practice

Hollowell Steam & Heavy Horse Show

We had a great day out at Hollowell Steam rally. It was our first time but the event is now in its 25th year and has raised over £1m for charity to date. The engines and horses are definitely the main attractions but there were plenty of stalls and other exhibits to browse around.

72 pencils

I'm liking this! George Hart makes some wonderful geometric sculptures, but 72 pencils is my favourite

Cotswolds Picnic

Suffolk

High End, New inn is a mediaeval manor hall acquired by the Landmark Trust in the early 1970s. One of more than twenty listed buildings in the village of Peasenhall, the property is now divided into three separate self catering apartments with shared access to the central hall.

We felt ourselves drawn back to the relaxed pace of life since our earlier trip to nearby Yoxford in 2009. Perhaps the biggest appeal is the sense of calm isolation that comes when you remove all phones, televisions and accompaniments to a modern lifestyle. Not least the invasive ones like Tesco, police sirens and Twitter.

April 2011

Coventry

Wolston

March 2011

Spring Flowers

January 2011

"Staying Cool" in the Snow

Have just spent a couple of nights away in Birmingham to celebrate our anniversary. Accommodation was tall and round in the shape of the Rotunda where we stayed on the top floor. Staying Cool offer various self catering apartments for rent and the location could not have been more perfect for our needs.

Spent Friday wandering around the Jewellery Quarter and doing some Christmas Shopping around the Bull Ring and Christmas Market. In the evening we went to see Chris Addison do stand up at the 'Alex'andra Theatre: very funny, satirical whimsy, but surprisingly cold in the stalls. Seeing the audience hunched in hats and coats prompted his idea of carol singers gathering for mince pies before heading out on the town. Perhaps they should have sold hot chocolate in the interval rather than ice cream!

Pumpkins & Fireworks

Stop Typing or the Bunny Gets It

Thanks Mark for the link

G R & E Signs

Had a pleasant day exploring the NEC at the Grand Designs Show. Clearly you are no-one if you haven't yet installed fully retracting fold-out patio doors, but for those who are more concerned with saving the planet, there was plenty of suppliers promoting the Government Feed in Tariff scheme.

For those who invest in the appropriate technology (usually solar photo voltaic panels) an application can be made to subscribe to FITS. Not only will your regular energy supplier be obliged to pay for all the electricity you generate (whether you use it or not), but you can use whatever you generate for free and even sell back any excess that you don't. Obviously solar is less effective at night so there is still a need to buy energy in the regular fashion, but the savings and return on investment can reach 10% rather than virtually nothing with your money in a bank.

Bon Anniversaire / Voyage (*delete as appropriate)

Had a lovely weekend back in Lincs to wish Happy Birthday and Good Luck where appropriate. Events ranged from Curry at the Agra via cakes at a Garden Centre to Driving Green Lanes in a Landrover. All good fun and quite frenetic. The pics are from Haverholme and High Dyke (Old Ermine Street)

Flower Power

Flower Power available at openrise.com

Come In [insert #], You're Time Is Up

In an effort to make the most of a Summer that seemed to pass us by, a hastily planned day on the water was in order. With Tesco sandwiches in hand and a faint recollection of how to row, we managed to get all the way upstream , enjoy our picnic and be back before the anyone sent search parties. A perfect way to enjoy the best of our Warwickshire countryside.