Fridays will never be the same again.  Simply because my lovely "milk girl" has given up her job.
Yes, I am one of the few people who still have milk delivered to the door. Whatever the weather, the milk is on the step in the morning after being delivered in  a white van decorated with black splodges reminiscent of a cow.
At teatime on Fridays this dynamic young woman parks the van and rushes to the door to collect my money. It takes less than five minutes but in that time she tells me her plans for the weekend - the meals she'll be having with friends or the Hen-party she's going to in Benidorm.  She shows me her healthy-looking tan produced on a sun-bed that afternoon.  We discuss the clothes she's wearing or the twin sons that make her so proud.
But now she's going to work in a factory on day shift so she'll no longer be getting up at 1 o'clock in the morning and driving in all weathers.  The reason is that the milk round has increased so much that the work is just too hard for her.
She gave me a big hug when she told me the news and another before she walked away down the path.  She was a wonderful character and I'm so pleased she was my "milk girl."

Happy New Year to all my Blogging friends.

Christmas has come and gone in a very happy way this year; spent mainly with family from toddlers to teens and with their parents and grandparents; even the dogs have been part of the celebrations..
We've had meals together and all the fun of  unwrapping presents; their bright paper transforming the plain carpet into a sea of colour..

But now another year has begun.  My good resolution is that each morning I will continue to write as well as finding some time for reading later in the day.
Recently I've been introduced to novellas, slim books that can be digested in an afternoon - J L Carr's charming tale "A Month in the Country."  "Death in Venice" by Thomas Mann and Ian McEwan's "Chesil Beach." But in contrast I am now attempting to read a doorstop of a novel, "The One Plus One," by Jojo Moyes. With 516 pages I felt completely daunted at first but am now absorbed in its story-line of a single mother struggling to cope against all the odds.

Good luck with your New Year resolutions whatever they may be!

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"The Gruffalo" by Julia Donaldson.  Illustrated by Alex Sheffer.

If you go down in the woods today ...............
make sure it's Hamsterley Forest near Bishop Auckland.

Take the children across the impressive new bridge that spans the river and follow the Gruffalo trail through the trees.

Cross the wood-and-metal bridge, enjoy the reflections in the water
before you reach . . .

...

 . . . this board.

Scuff your shoes through the dead leaves on the ground
and listen for the eerie call of the birds above your head.

Walk on until at last you spot a sign for the Gruffalo

and there he is standing in a clearing - The Gruffalo,bigger than a man but friendly in his  own ugly way!

"By all these lovely tokens
September days are here,
With summer’s best of weather
And autumn’s best of cheer."-   Helen Hunt Jackson, September, 1830-1885

I wonder how many people enjoyed last week's sunsets as much as I did.
From the back of my house I have wonderful views
of the sun going down and only a short time later
I can walk to the front and see the moon rising above the rooftops.

7.30 pm The sun sinks lower and the sky turns orange.

But on Sunday morning the swallows were swooping and diving across the sky or perching 

impatiently on telegraph wires as they prepared for their long flight to warmer climes.

And in the afternoon, Raby Castle near Staindrop welcomed a crowd of visitors on their Heritage Open Day. The 15th century walled garden, with an almost unbelievable riot of colour from its display of roses, was admired by many people while others paid a visit to the castle itself or explored the extensive parkland. A day to remember whatever their choice.

A few weeks ago I entered my story, “Body on the Track,” into the Room-to-Write Short Story Competition.   http://roomtowritepublishing.wordpress.com/

On 27th August the Long list was announced.
From about 200 entries, only 20 had reached this Longlist. Mine was one of them!

I was so proud and delighted and grateful to the judges who appreciated my work.

Many thanks to all the friends who sent messages and congratulations.

Welcome to Samson - he can never replace Gypsy but he's the latest addition to the long line of dogs this family have owned.

A lively 2 year old now;  he should enjoy at least another 10 years with the younger members of the family. Good luck, Sammy.

Cold Cotes Garden at Harrogate and Littlethorpe Manor, Ripon made a magical combination for an end-of-summer outing with a coach full of friends on Wednesday this week.

A Footpath at Cold Cotes

Cold Cotes is a small garden almost hidden between green hedges and twisting lanes – a delightful place where footpaths meander through trees and flowers blossom as high as a person’s head.  Be welcomed by the owner and hear how they’ve renovated the house and developed the garden over the last eighteen years. Drink coffee before exploring the garden; sit on wooden benches in shady corners; read poems written by Ed Loft and soak in the peaceful atmosphere before enjoying a really delicious lunch in their pristine café.

In complete contrast the second garden Littlethorpe Manor is a large estate offering 22 varied gardens and walks. Stroll under the arches hanging heavy with ripening apples; gaze at the fountain between statuesque trees; discover the pets’ graves in a small wood; walk round a lake with the clearest reflections of the building and trees beyond it and wander by the river that forms a boundary.

Already in August conkers are on the ground. A gardener explains how one of the ancient trees was almost blown down in a gale but some of it was saved and the damaged trunk is now a home for wild bees.

Continue across the grass and back to the Cut-Flower Garden; listen to the gasps of surprise and appreciation as people look at the beauty and colour of its beds. Even well known flowers are twice as high here as in other gardens and the colours defy description.  Congratulations to the head Gardener and his wife with their very knowledgeable assistant.

We came away with memories of a wonderful day and a coach full of healthy plants.