You don't remember me - do you?

Good afternoon

Long time no see - entirely my fault, life got busy and I stopped blogging. Also my old desktop PC died and its taken a while to save to get a new shiny laptop and learn how to work it - even now I am unsure if this blogging lark will even work and if it does whether I can get back into the swing of it.

Lets see if I have learnt how to save photos and also if I can get them on here!

The easiest way to catch up is a photo mosaic from each month I have been missing.

So November - a smallest giant treat an afternoon of archery, Remembrance Parade, my other half took up Molly dancing my initial role to make a Molly style raggy for a Christmas display, a birthday cake for S and a treat night out - a Bellowhead gig.

December - so much stuff I got roped into Molly dancing, big son came home from Uni for a month, little son played his last brass engagement, we went to the panto (twice - 2 different ones) and we celebrated Christmas in style.

January - more dancing both Molly and Border, little son turned 17 and he gained a title!

Feb - we visited big son at Uni for his 19th birthday, there was Valentines day and Shrove Tuesday to celebrate.

March - more dancing, my birthday, mothers day, little nephews birthday, the eclipse and we bought a little caravan (more on that another time).

April - we danced for St George, celebrated Easter, had a very sunny day out at Southwold and spring began to appear in the garden.

May - more dancing and little stumble!, visiting big son again, decorating my dining room, garden sorting time and my first ever trip crabbing.

Ok so that's the past 7 months in brief - I will be back with proper posts soon and I want to catch up with bloggy friends and their lives.

Sorry its been so long

xxx Vintage Vicki xxx

I've not really vanished!

Good morning

As the title I've not really vanished completely - however life is rather busy and my pc which is my main blogging space is rather creaky and temperamental. Sometime soon it will get sorted - a newer tower is sitting here waiting to be swapped with my current old tired one - its just a matter of copying all the important stuff across - and it takes time and there's not been much spare!

I just looked and its 3 months since my last post - so much has happened and so many photos taken of places visited, days out, days at home and family life in general. Here's 3 mosaic pictures which condense it rather a lot;

 August - a long weekend in Wales - mainly to take the boys to the Doctor Who Experience - very much loved by us all, 2 wonderful festivals - Folk East and Shrewsbury Folk Festival - dancing at one and just paying punters at the other.

 September - so much foraging and jam making happened - enough to last us through to next year. Little Son started 6th form having passed his GCSE's with flying colours. Big Son also passed his A levels and we said a tearful goodbye mid September as he started his new undergraduate life at Uni.

October - Little Son passed his CBT test and bought his first moped - meaning he can get to work easier and not rely on lifts and public transport. As the days shorten its been time for fairy lights and candles and also the dreaded raking of the leaves in the garden. S & I had a short holiday in Dorset - we spent one day on the steam trains which run down to Swanage. Hard to believe that on Halloween, we sat on the beach in t-shirts, eating icecream and watching little witches paddling in the sea!!

We had a busy start to November - last weekend we made the trip north to visit Big Son - oh what a happy Mummy I was - first cuddle from my giant boy in 6 weeks :) and the best bit - its only 4 weeks till we head up there again to collect him for Christmas!!

Where has 2014 gone?

I can't make any promises about regular blogging - I do miss it and the reading of everyone elses - but I will try to by a less slack blogger!!

xxx Vicki xxx

Marching, Morris and A Lion!

Good evening

This posts title sums up my weekend rather well!

Firstly marching - our little town commemorated its involvement in WW1 this weekend. The main employer at the time of the war was the Garretts factory which amongst other things made steam engines. They were also the sponsors of the town band - the company headed the donors for the first set of instruments - these were purchased in 1886 and the band mastered these in time for the celebrations of Queen Victoria's Jubilee later that year. 

Anyhow I've wandered off already. The band were at the time all Garretts employees and when war broke out many signed up to fight for King and country. They marched up to the station in the town and caught their train - many never to return. Their instruments were taken back to the band room on a horse and cart.

This weekend their march was remembered by many groups in the town and headed by the town band - now a British Legion Band.

Little son has played in this band for about 6 years now with his Dad and this weekend, he was marching just behind him - now only a few inches shorter than him!

In recent years when we've had events in town one of the biggest problems has been stopping traffic from coming face to face with a marching band. It seems no longer a job for special constables or community support officers and its often left to the parade to sort something out. Its seems for this one the perfect solution was found - British Legion motorcycle outriders who soon stopped traffic.

 

It is always a lovely sight and sound to hear the band marching through the town and this weekend there was a wonderful turn out of townsfolk and visitors to watch and listen;

They made their way on a long route on a hot muggy day - through the town - up the hill to the old station where some of the band left the parade and put their instruments on a horse and cart as happened a century ago. Little son was one of these and when I realised he'd have been the right age to sign up and go to war, it might have made my eyes leak a little bit.

Afterwards marching to only the beat of the drum the parade made its way to the school field for an afternoon of music and community events. Sadly I'd already agreed to be at another event in the next town so had to miss this.

Yep - we were dancing again - a very hot afternoon to be dressed up in our finery and face paint. Luckily not to long a dance spot and we were sharing it with another side. They did an audience participation dance and several of our dancers joined them;

Yesterday was another hot one - so all sensible people headed to the coast - many of them visiting Little Son now nicknamed Ice-Cream boy due to his holiday job at a lovely ice-cream parlour in Aldeburgh!

However I am not sensible and certainly S isn't. We were inland at an event in his home town and he was dressed as the mascot for the sport centre he works for! Yep temperatures hitting the high 20's and he's dressed as a lion!

 My role? Make sure he didn't stand on any small children or fall over any picnics. Also stop tweenagers trying to knock his head off - good job I've perfect that 'don't you dare look' over the years!!

Right - that's all for today. Time for a wander and to see what others got up to at the weekend.

See you soon

xxx Vicki xxx

Festival fun - in the mud!!

Good morning

It was festival time at the weekend - Ely Folk Festival - not as dancers but as paying public!  We were lucky and sent our tent ahead with friends who were arriving early in the afternoon - they secured us a good spot which was easy to find late at night after a pint or several ;)

All tents need bunting and windmills don't they! And purple fairy lights inside too - and a later addition of a colourful flag as well! We've quickly adapted to camping together and can get everything set up quickly so the beer can be opened and the fun times begin.

I'd never been to Ely FF before but friends and S had and they were right - it was lovely. Quite a small festival - very friendly. There are shuttle buses running all day and evening into town and back. We headed out on the Saturday to watch the Morris parade and dancing;

 The end of the parade - dancers gathered beside Ely Cathedral.

 Love the rainbow outfits of this side - Gog Magog - they always make me smile.

 Green Dragon - lots of friends of ours in this side.

 One of my favourite border sides - Witchmen - they are brilliant and it was lovely to be able to watch several of their dances without having to rush off and dance ourselves.

Thai street food for lunch whilst watching this lot dance in brilliant sunshine - blissful.

Sunday morning the Witchmen ran a dance workshop - we went over - and whilst S danced, I took photos and video and spent time chatting to a couple of the Witchmen dancers about all things Morris and teenagers leaving home to go to Uni!!

When we were watching a set on Saturday night - they announced the winners of the Club Tent competition - the prize is to open the Main Stage on Sunday night - it was fab to hear that friends of ours had won!

They got a 15 minute set this time - here's hoping after playing a blinder they get a longer set or two next year.

Despite mixed weather - brilliant sunshine and then torrential downpours of almost biblical proportions, we had a fab weekend. Each day started the same - I make coffee and S cooked a proper breakfast for us both;

We tried over the weekend several times to get pics of us together with no Morris kit on - now it seems the art of the selfie is more tricky than teenagers make out - we gave up in the end and a random stranger did the job for us!

Felt weird yesterday - getting dressed and not adding the flowers to my hair - luckily its only a few weeks till back to back festivals - might just have cleaned the mud off my boots by then!

See you soon

xxx Vicki xxx

A quick catch up aka where did the time go?

Good afternoon

Ok who is making this year whizz by so quickly? How can it be July already?

Here's a mosaic for June - very hard to pick just 6 pictures for the month;

A birthday with a theme song - and of course the answer was yes ;) An anniversary worth celebrating - 45 years! A rare snap of me and my boys, the first batch of home grown raspberries, many meals in the sunshine and me and my Morris man.

On to July - 3 big events all running back to back - Big Son's leavers dinner, Little Son's leavers Prom and a big Morris event up on the north Norfolk coast;

 Big Son - all 18 1/2 years of him

 With his gorgeous girlfriend

 Little Son - ok so not so little anymore

With his girlfriend - they travelled with 6 friends in a very smart stretch Lincoln limo.

Both of them had a fab time with their friends - celebrating ends of eras and beginnings of new chapters.

3 pics from a fab if wet weekend away dancing - 2 taken by someone else and one snapped by me;

Someone got confused - he heard the phrase 'dancing' and thought it was a pole-dancing event ;)

Camping gear has been sorted, washed and dried and is sitting on the front room floor awaiting another trip soon - folk festival time - here's hoping its a bit drier - still haven't got any wellies!

See you soon 

xxx Vicki xxx

Summertime fun

Good morning

Another sunny start here - with an increase in the pollen count too - which means I am sneezing like Mr Sneezy from the Mr Men series but hey ho.

Its been a lovely and busy past week here at No6. I have to keep a written note of who is doing what/when/where. The best thing - big son finished his exams and whilst he still is slightly 'shell-shocked' from the whole finishing thing, his big smile has appeared and the stressed look from the past few weeks has gone.

We decided to celebrate the end of exams for both boys at once and properly. It involved takeaway pizza, their favourite beer/cider, a huge water fight with water bombs& super soakers and this monster paddling pool;

 Doesn't look too huge in this picture but here's how it looked when we blew it up and propped it up overnight in the dining room;

It's large enough for those two giant boys of mine to lounge around in/throw each other and me into as well.

Here's big son on his first day of school 13 1/2 years ago;

 Apart from one leavers BBQ today at lunchtime, that's the end of school till results day in mid-August.

This past weekend of course was the summer solstice/midsummer. Our Morris side headed a few miles inland to the village where we practise and to their Midsummer Folk Festival. The weather was perfect for dancing and camping. I've topped my tan up nicely.

As I was getting the camping stuff and kit sorted for the weekend I snapped this pic of our morris kit;

 

Oh yes, I've tweaked my kit again and added a corset top - surprisingly comfy to dance in.

Here's me and my man together yesterday;

One last photo for today - a snap from the garden of one of my favourite things about summer - the geraniums coming into flower;

Right I'd best go and wake little son - he seems to think he might sleep till school for him restarts in September - sadly I have other ideas!!

See you soon

xxx Vicki xxx

More sunshine - more dancing

Good morning

Where has the past week gone? In a blur of exams for the boys and just a very busy life here for all of us.

Another 10 days and its all over - no more exams for either boy and a long summer break for them both. Holidays have been booked for us all - one for the boys & I is very special - off to Cardiff to see the Doctor Who exhibition - not sure who is most excited!

Anyhow back to the past week. Firstly car boot bargains - lavender plants to make a hedge for the front garden - amazing the difference it makes - hopefully soon they've grow bigger and attract lots of wildlife;

 Even after just a week they seem bigger and starting to flower.

The picture at the top is big son and his 2 best mates taken a couple of years ago on a 6th form charity dress up day. When I found the 2 Thunderbird figures for sale I knew they'd go with the Brains from a birthday cake I made for him a few years ago and I'd be able to recreate this favourite photo!!

This past weekend I've been dancing again - this time in Aldeburgh on the seafront. It was a perfect day - sunshine, blue skies and a slight sea-breeze. We shared the spot with another side and a great time was had by all. Even little son came to watch me dance for the first time - though perhaps I need to rename him as you can see - he towers over me;

I as usual had loads of fun - twirling around and flashing my bloomers!!

As well as Little Son, a further 11 members of my family came along to watch - my baby sister took the photos of me;

As you can see - I'm having far too much fun!! and best bit - it happens again on Thursday night - we're off dancing in Southwold down at the Harbour Inn.

See you soon

xxx Vicki xxx

Hello again

Good morning

Well that didn't last long - nearly 3 months away from blogland and a little look to see whats been happening and reading a few favourite blogs again and here I am - resizing photos and trying to condense the past 3 months into one managable post!!

Things have been busy here at No6 - both boys have been working hard towards exams - Big Son is doing A Levels with a view towards leaving home and going to Uni in September and Little Son is almost through his GCSEs and is planning on going to 6th form in September. Both are also preparing for end of school Proms - can't wait to see both my boys all smartened up and ready to party with their friends and girlfriends.

Anyhow - where did we leave off? Oh beginning of March - here's what happened afterwards;

I had a birthday and was thoroughly spoilt - flowers, balloons, cake and 2 nights out with friends. Little baby nephew turned one and we had a big family party to celebrate. Then it was Mothers Day and my lovely boys spoilt me again.

April - a belated birthday celebration with someone special. A Morris dance out at Snape Maltings. Easter with loads of chocolate. My cute nephew with a cuddly orange I'd just bought him.

May sees that start of the proper Morris dancing season. We headed as a side down to Rochester in Kent for the first bank holiday weekend. We had a massive camp area with about 7 caravans and 10 tents. We danced all day on the Saturday and half the Sunday. One of the things I am now getting use to is having my pic taken by random people and I love hunting them out on Flickr at a later date. Here are just a few pics from the weekend - some taken by friends and others by random strangers!!

 Me and some of the other girls in the side

 Me again 

 and again

 Just one more!!

Once the dancing for us was done on the Sunday we headed to one of the pubs to a gig by a band we are good friends with and despite us all being tired most of us danced the whole gig!!

The following weekend I watched the Ladies Tour of Britain come through Suffolk - what a difference a week made - it was wet and a bit chilly but those girls didn't seem to notice as they whizzed by.

Last weekend was actually spent at home! Time to make an assault on my garden - weeds to clear, grass to cut and tubs to plant. Once it was all done - time to build the hammock and spent a little time studying the inside of my eyelids!! 

Right I think that's enough for today. Time to get sorted, hang washing out and then head to see one of my sisters and my little niece and nephew. I saw cute pictures yesterday of someone who is coming to live with them in a few weeks time and I need to hear all about it!!

See you soon 

xxx Vicki xxx