Category Archives: Photography

Empty Chairs and Empty Tables…

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When the rest of us were all having a day of rest a good fairy by the name of Lizzie (one of my nieces and sister of the recent bride) went out to the farm and spent five hours cleaning and clearing up after the wedding reception on the previous day. Bless her! And she also joined us in the final clearance yesterday.

At last the work was finished and we all partook of the left-over cheese and biscuits, and roast beef, which had remained untouched, along with numerous cheese cakes, ice cream and other delights, in the two fridges. We washed lunch down with Sangria and beer (for the menfolk) and ended with cups of tea and coffee. It felt like another party. While I was taking after-the-ball photographs I was reminded of the sad song “Empty Chairs and Empty Tables” from “Les Miserables” but I wasn’t sad of course – just a bit flat after the excitement. We had had a ball.  “After the Ball” seemed rather more appropriate until I looked up the lyrics…

AFTER THE BALL

A little maiden climbed an old man’s knees—

Begged for a story: “Do uncle, please!

Why are you single, why live alone?

Have you no babies, have you no home?”

“I had a sweetheart, years, years ago,

Where she is now, pet, you will soon know;

List to the story, I’ll tell it all:

I believed her faithless after the ball.“

”Bright lights were flashing in the grand ballroom,

Softly the music playing sweet tunes.

There came my sweetheart, my love, my own,

‘I wish some water; leave me alone.’

When I returned, dear, there stood a man

Kissing my sweetheart as lovers can.

Down fell the glass, pet, broken, that’s all—

Just as my heart was after the ball.“

”Long years have passed, child, I have never wed,

True to my lost love though she is dead.

She tried to tell me, tried to explain—

I would not listen, pleadings were vain.

One day a letter came from that man;

He was her brother, the letter ran.

That’s why I’m lonely, no home at all—

I broke her heart, pet, after the ball.”

Chorus:

After the ball is over, after the break of morn,

After the dancers’ leaving, after the stars are gone,

Many a heart is aching, if you could read them all—

Source: Many the hopes that have vanished after the ball.

Just One Hitch – A Country Wedding for Katie and Javier

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On Saturday my beautiful niece Katie got hitched to Javier (her handsome Spaniard) at Mamhead Church near Dawlish and had her reception in a place very dear to some of our hearts – Rosie’s barn! It was wonderful. The only hitch, it seems, (as I noticed when going through some of my eight hundred odd photographs) was a slight trip up on Katie’s hem; James appeared to find it hilarious, as did those naughty boy cousins onlooking behind them (to the left of James in the third photo). They remind me of the children in “Giles Cartoons” – do you remember Giles? Anyway, I’m still too tired to go through ALL the photos but here are some to give a flavour of the day…

Foxgloves and Wild flowers in the Hedgerows and fields

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The sun was shining, beckoning us up the path and to the fields beyond the gate at the end. Inca and Malachi walked ahead of me and, from time to time, stopped and waited patiently while I took photos of the wild flowers, many of which were caught in irresistible spotlights of sunbeams. And when we reached the open fields my faithful companions ran freely to their hearts content.

Back on the path homewards I ran with them – they didn’t have to stop once to wait for me – and they arrived home panting and thirsty, whilst I wasn’t even out of breath. I had a chuckle to myself.

As Beautiful as a Michelangelo Statue

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“If only I had a spare five hundred pounds,” I said wistfully in bed recently.

At the time I was wearing my reading glasses and staring at my ankles. Now normally I don’t look at myself whilst wearing glasses (ignorance is bliss) but for whatever reason on this particular morning, such was the case.

“Oh, why’s that?” asked Chris, perhaps suddenly worried that I wished to take money out of our savings.

“Well, if I had five hundred pounds – I know it’s expensive – I could have my veins done,” I said pensively (if not searchingly).

“But you don’t have varicose veins – do you?” Chris tried to remember.

“Not exactly varicose but there are broken capillaries, especially on my right ankle. Haven’t you noticed them?” I queried.

“Not really,” said Chris, “but we all get a few blemishes as we get older. Anyway, I think you look like a Michelangelo statue.”

“Truly?” I simpered at the thought.

“Yes,” Chris paused and added, “and even some of those have veins!”

Doh! A Deer

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Our old friend Roland in Brisbane must have had a tune in his head (now it’s in mine, too). And they say that men don’t like sissy films such as “The Sound of Music”!

Pants

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“That’s rather strange,” says Chris, looking at the words printed on the flower box that I’ve just put into the shopping trolley.

I hadn’t taken much notice of the printing – I just thought that the box of flowers looked pretty – but now that it had been brought to my attention…

“I suppose it is a bit funny, considering that it’s obvious what they are,” I agree with my astute husband.

“Well I think it would make more sense to paint out the ‘L’ and hang a little pair of pants on a line beneath the box!” laughs Chris.

 

No reasonable request is ignored in our household so, a few days later, a tiny pair of purple and white polka dot pants appeared. You may think we’re an odd couple….

Two New Paintings and a Joke

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Isn’t it funny how life just seems to get busier and busier? If I don’t write a blog post for a few days it’s usually because there has been so much going on, which has been the case this week.

As you will see from the photographs, when not on the farm, gardening or cleaning, I have been hard at work painting. Firstly there was my sister Mary’s birthday present – a painting of little Rosie, aged 19 months – and then I decided to finish the canal painting that I’d begun some time ago when I was giving an art demonstration at Sidmouth , and which was progressed at the art workshop I took two weeks ago. Both paintings were executed using acrylics, hence I was able to finish both paintings within a week.

And now for the joke which came to me by way of our friend Roly in Australia:

The Bank That Went Broke

“Dad, Dad!” shouts an eighteen year old girl as she rushes into the lounge room to find her father.

“Whatever can be matter? Now just sit down and try not to panic,” says her father who is trying not to show that he’s a bit miffed (because he’s watching the Grand Prix live on television – and it’s his favourite programme).

“Oh Dad,” his daughter sighs, “you know that bank you advised me to put my saving in?”

“Yes,” he nods.

“Well I think it must have gone broke!”

“What on earth do you mean?” he asks (quite sure that it hasn’t gone broke).

“Well I went to draw out a hundred dollars today and the teller told me, ‘Sorry dear, insufficient funds”!

 

You’ve Got the Cutest Little Baby Face

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We have a couple of fairly new arrivals in our family. There’s two and a half month old Daynah, daughter of our daughter in Dubai (all the “D”s!”), whom we haven’t seen yet, and, even more recently, one month old Annalise, daughter to my niece Katie; Aidan and Rosie, the toddlers, now seem much less babies by comparison.

This morning I went to see Katie and Annalise, who was sleeping soundly when I arrived. The dear little babe was rather shocked when she awoke to find me there to pick her up… as you will see from the photographs!

 

Name the Baby

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At the end of the day at almost the end of a particularly busy week I have a very short joke and some photos of the highlights of my week for you.

 

The Baby Jesus

It was all quiet in the stable until the three wise men turned up on the scene. As they walked in one of them unwisely bumped his head on a low beam.

“Jesus Christ!” he exclaimed (which wasn’t a profanity in those days).

“Now that’s a much appropriate name than Fred!” said Mary to Joseph.

 

Oh to be a Seagull

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I can’t say that I really like seagulls – they steal your chips and do their business on you just for fun – but you have to admire them, even envy them.

This morning Chris drew back the bedroom curtains onto a beautiful blustery, sunshiny day; the waves sparkled and the sky was a picturesque blue and white; and the seagulls loved it. They hovered and darted to their hearts’ content and I opened the window to take photos to my heart’s content. Of course, the door blew shut with a mighty bang and the seagulls decided not to hover quite so close as before to the noisy place with the woman at the window.

“Sorry if it’s a bit cold for you with the window open,” I said to Chris who had gone back to bed to have his cup of tea.

“I’m used to it,” he said, pulling the the duvet over him.

That’s true. I may be a terrible wife but hopefully I redeem myself by being a thoughtful blogger?