Three is NOT a crowd!

Katie, our niece, has recently moved in and brought a breath of fresh air and exuberance to the Fresh/Buffo household. We are enjoying every minute and trying our hardest to make her feel at home. We have taken this to also include domestication and today was marked by the first, independent, cleaning of her room. By the time she leaves we will have converted her to an obsessive compulsive , at the very least !!! : ) (We will have to work on getting the bag of rubbish put IN the bin. Currently it is believed to walk there by itself !! :)

But, seriously, we are loving having her here and looking forward to spending Yuletide together.

Solstice greetings and a Merry Yule

Up and out, before a Robin's twitter, Tree and I headed to the Malvern Hills to celebrate the return of the sun. Taking a small lamp and a seat (an essential item) we walked up from The Wyche cutting to midway between the Beacon and British Camp. Snow had fallen overnight and the top of the hills was cast in a subtle blue light as the first rays of sunlight came over the horizon. It seems that this year was a little too cold for others as we remained alone for the whole time we were up there. At one point we did begin to feel the cold creeping into our bones and decided to dance to get the blood moving again. This worked well but would have presented quite a sight to anyone walking by. This Solstice will be most remembered for the fact that we were able to share it together and uninterrupted.

A very Merry Solstice Blessing to one and all and a Happy Yule.

A well earned rest.

Following on from the prang on my bike, I couldn't wait for this week and a long awaited break away at Ragdale Hall. Tree and I treated ourselves to a few days at this 5 Star Hotel and Spa to recharge the old batteries after working so hard for the recent craft shows. Every day has consisted of doing nothing apart from chilling out and using the Saunas, Pools, Steam Rooms, Thought lounges and having all-over body massages and getting my feet massaged as well!! Heaven. My favourite had to be the Candle Pool. Built like catacombs underground with podlike areas under the water, a rich, deep blue in colour, that you lie on while watching the lights in the ceiling twinkle in complete silence. Not a child in sight as well!!!!

Tree and I needed this break and with the Winter Solstice coming up soon there was nothing finer than watching the sun come up from the comfort of our bedroom each day. An experience I would recommend to anyone.

Overbury Craft Fayre

I finally made it, literally, to this craft event at Overbury, with the last mirror finished only the night before. This village is completely owned by one estate and therefore has managed to survive all the usual ravages of time. To visit there is to take a step back in time. The whole place is like a chocolate box picture. The hall we were in was a beautiful example of joinery skills from days gone by! Well worth a visit, I say!

Slip sliding away.....

Well it had to happen at some point I guess and happen it did in style. I am talking about an accident I had this morning at the top of Newtown Road. I set off for work as usual at about 5.30'ish in the morning, taking extra care because of the hard frost the night before and made my way up to the top of Ronkswood Bank. What I didn't know was that a water leak, left unattended ALL weekend, had turned into an ice rink on the other side of the brow of the hill. Yep, you guessed it, as I hit the ice I crashed the bike and proceeded to slide on my ass for 65.2 feet ( as calculated by the insurance company on Google Earth) coming to a halt some way down the road. I was helped up by a passer by who remarked on the prang as "spectacular". A Police car soon arrived, having been notified by a motorist who nearly crashed, and I chose, at this point, to phone Tree. As I was on the phone, another bike came over the hill and slid past me, missing me and the Policeman by inches. Tree was going crazy by this time as all she heard was me shout "Noooooo" very loudly and then the sound of the crash as his bike disintegrated.

I went on to work and got checked out as okay, apart from bruising, but, in hindsight, I should have taken the rest of the day off. It was a good job I wear an armoured jacket as I certainly would have broken my arm without it. The elbow plate is cracked and the arm torn.

Tammy, however, took the brunt of the crash and looks in a very sorry state. I am still riding her but she needs a full makeover. My insurers are taking a case against the local water authority for negligence in doing nothing about the leak, knowing there was a frost due, so I should get her fully repaired. I, meanwhile, feel more than a bit stiff and achey now the adrenaline is wearing off !!!

Oh I almost forgot, I also got a mention on Radio Wyvern as the "White bike man". There is now traffic lights and one way traffic, a frost sign, a slow sign, a police slow sign and a slippery road sign out at the scene. Smacks of too little, too late !!!!!!