This And That

This week has gone so fast I have to think back to try and remember what I have done each day, nothing of great interest it has to be said. 

The u3a website was down for a few days and it was literally a nightmare to try and get it up and running again, it involved trying to get in touch with the person who had set the website up in the beginning in order to get access to the account area so that I could update a payment card, I needed the card details from the treasurer a simple thing you would think but no, the people involved were on holiday, there were a lot of emails going back and forth before it was sorted.

 The weather wasn't that great on Wednesday which is my long walk day, the solution was to go and visit the MetroCentre, my friend Baz has never been there before which I find amazing really the place was opened in 1986 and it's not that far away. 

I wasn't going to shop I'm not really a great shopper if I need something then I will go search for it but I won't shop just for the sake of it, dare I say it ...it bores me! I went there purely for the exercise because that place is huge, I lie because I was also going for coffee and lunch any excursion is only worth embarking upon if there is coffee and maybe food in the offing. 

All objectives were achieved, coffee was drank, lunch was eaten AND we walked over 10,000 steps without getting wet, Baz saw the place for the first time I asked him what he thought his reply....it's huge!! I don't think he will be bothered about going again. Having to wear a mask all day wasn't great either but we were indoors and they are the rules.

Last weeks walk was in Herrington Country Park which is just a 10 minute drive away from me and The Penshaw Monument is just over the road.

It's hard to believe this park sits on what was previously Herrington coal mine which closed in 1985, work on the park began in 1996.

The park itself is lovely to walk around and is skirted by plentiful wooded area's to get lost in should the mood take. 

We came upon this beautiful cemetery, some of the gravestones date back to 1854.

We eventually crossed over the road but not to walk up to the monument, I have done so in the past and it's a very steep climb I'm not sure this much older body would manage it now but I will try it sometime maybe at the start of the walk when I have more energy.

It was to sit in the café garden and have that much deserved coffee, you can just see the monument in the background as you sit there

 

I can't believe it's July already my favourite month of the year is June and it's gone,  I'm always sad when June has ended because it's the start of fresh new summer growth and the promise of  warm summer days, all things seem possible, by the time July arrives half of the year is over already.

Last month for the first time in too many years to count I didn't pick up a hook or a knitting needle, it felt so strange not to have some project to work on but I'm not in the mood, my mojo has gone right out of the window nothing seems to be inspiring me. We will see what July will bring.

I have however kept up with my personal challenge of completing a month of my cross-stitch 12 days of Christmas each month, only three more months to go!

Have a great week.

Yarn Bombing The Station.

 Early last Sunday morning before most people had even risen from their beds a group of knitters armed with bags and bags of knitted and crocheted items, arrived at Seaham station, the plan was to decorate the station and put a smile on peoples faces after the long dreary months of Covid-19 and lockdown.

The theme -  Trains and Flowers

As commuters stood on the platform watching with interest, the station was slowly transformed, passing trains revealed passengers smiling pointing and peering out of the windows trying to get a good look at what was going on.

It took nearly three hours but the results were well worth the effort, it was a lot of fun and we all enjoyed every minute of it. As people came and went it was obvious that it was a huge success, questions were asked about the u3a and lots of interest was shown. 

I left a lot of my painted stones around with our u3a address on the back, which have incidentally become quite famous the picture of my rocks was the headline in the June u3a National Newsletter.

It has led to requests for me to teach how to paint rocks which made me smile as I'm certainly no expert, I can however point people in the right direction and I may start a Rock Art tab at the top of my blog which will have links as to where people can find more information. 

In other news our u3a website has been down for almost a week, apparently the auto renew for our domain didn't work and so we have had to purchase it again, it's been quite complicated process but thankfully it's now working again.  It brought it home to me just how poor my knowledge is in terms of technology, anything out of the ordinary completely throws me. 

I have been so busy with u3a things these past two weeks I haven't had much time for anything else so I'm now off to have a look around blogland to see what you have all been up to.

Have a great week. 

It's Been A Busy Week.

The Rock Art

 Well I have been back and checked all the places where I hid my rocks and they have all been taken.  The one that I left in the most prominent part of the town centre was the last to go, just as I don't want to be seen leaving them people probably don't want to be seen taking them either. 

They have appeared on the u3a Day blog on the main website and apparently will be shown in the newsletter too along with other u3a's pictures of their celebrations for u3a Day.

My latest craze is flower bugs I think everyone I know is going to receive one sooner or later as they are such fun to paint.

The Replacement

Look what I've got at last! I have managed to get a replacement treadmill from a different firm. I am hoping that this one lasts a little longer than the last one in fact a whole lot longer. It has taken me ages to decide on a replacement so I hope that I have made the right choice,  This one has an incline adjustment as well so I'll get a better work out.  It's good to have it for awful weather days. 

I have just received my credit card statement and have discovered that the refund for my first treadmill hasn't been credited to my account even though I had an email to say that it had been, that's why I went ahead and bought this new one I should have checked first, anyway I am on the case, I'm sure that I'll get it but it sure is taking a long time. 

Lovely Weather 

It has been lovely to have some nice bright sunny weather for a change look who came to visit last Sunday.

Little Mikey playing with his toys with a very tame Robin looking on without me realising it, I only saw the Robin when I looked at the photo. 

Spooky

I had a phone call from a very dear friend, we don't speak often but we do keep in touch, this time she phoned me for a very sad reason, as I picked up the phone to answer her a robin flew right up to my window and perched on the watering can just in front of the conservatory doors, it stood there looking in while my friend broke the sad news that our very lovely mutual friend Frances had passed away. That Robin stood there looking in right up until the end of quite a long conversation. Coincidence? probably but I thought it was spooky and since then that robin comes into my garden and stands very close every time I go out (see above!) 

That makes four very special friends of mine that have passed away over the years, one just before last Christmas. Cancer in some form of another has been the cause for each one of them passing, of course as we get older it's inevitable but it's very sad just the same. 

Mahjong

Thank goodness for the busyness of this week it has kept my mind on other things, one of which is Mahjong, we have a u3a group which hasn't opened yet but four of us from the group meet when we can to have a game or two, this week we met in Paula's garden and had a very pleasant afternoon, if only the weather could be like this all the time.

Progress

Well there has been some progress on the station display, yesterday six of the ladies from the knitting group met in my garden and it looks as if we are getting there, we hope to erect the display a week on Sunday.

Coffee with a view

Sitting in The Outlook coffee shop with a friend down in our marina last Saturday, it's so lovely to sit there in the warm sunshine and take in the view, this time we had a visitor, that starling was sat just a foot away from us listening in to our conversation, it even posed for a photograph.

 It looks like the crochet, knitting and sewing have been put on hold at the moment nothing has been done, I'm not in the mood and the weather has been too nice to ignore, I'm making the most of it because it won't last long.

I hope you all have a great week