Simply Seasonal......18th of February

Hello Lovelies,

another week gone already? Actually I'm glad this one is over as I seem to have been a little too busy for my liking. Still, when I look back at these images I can see there is a balance in my life. For that I'm very grateful.

Lets go back to last Sunday to start with my seasonal images, this 7th week of 2018

1 ♥ Company. Each year I volunteer to marshal on a local road race. They always give me this corner and I like clapping the runners, offering words of encouragement and guidance. As a former runner I know how much it's appreciated. This year a friend offered to help. It was freezing, we even had snow flurries at one point, but we still had so much fun. Thank you M :0)

2 ♥ More company. Eldest came walking with me in the week, on a very grey day.

He never moans. It made me smile when he said his boss called him a "glass half full kind of guy". His boss...yes that's a thing. Part time work at the moment but we have hopes for more when he finishes college. Keep seeing the world as your oyster love.

We focused on the ice patterns. Of which there were lots, all different.

and the brilliant green of the furry moss.

3 ♥ Mum's Paintings. If this one looks familiar mum used a photo from my blog post last week as inspiration. Her version is so much better than the photo I think.

4 ♥ Indoor sunshine. This 50p ( I had a money off voucher at the co-op) bunch of Daffodils has made me smile all week, particularly on the rainy days.

5 ♥ Sunshine in the Winter Woods. I had been looking forward to our group walk around one of my favourite local places for weeks. When the sun finally managed to shine on Thursday I was delighted.

Looking towards our coffee stop, peeping out between the trees.

Ooooh, getting closer, but got to climb that hill first

I love this view.

It was cold and windy on the hill, but walking warms you up.

A shot into the sunlight gave dramatic silhouettes and sun rays. Lovely.

Getting higher and looking back at the path we climbed.

Phew, almost there.

and relax. This is one of my most favourite and best coffee stops :0)

I love the views up here, along with the tower.

Bradgate park is our only local walk to make it into the recent poll of Britain's top 100 walks. 
I think you can see why it's much loved.

Yay, time for lunch. We sat outside....but but this is a great facility...with toilets :0)

Woodland, hills and views of water. Perfect.

The wind was making the water in Cropston reservoir choppy. No reflections today.

But plenty of interesting shadows.

I love seeing this landscape change throughout the seasons.

6 ♥ Brain Exercise. Oh dear, I do feel my brain is seizing up sometimes. I call everybody the wrong name at work. They think it's funny, but it is annoying to me. I found some easy crosswords online. As you can see, my first attempt is a bit rubbish...score on the left.
Lets hope I get better with practice and my brain responds to the challenge.

7 ♥ A tidy Kitchen. A busy week and a love of walking meant my kitchen (ok,whole house) was pretty messy by yesterday. Time to knuckle down and sort it. I know it won't stay like this, but it does make me happy while it lasts.

8 ♥ The Night Sky when we were on our way to visit relatives yesterday evening the beautiful crescent moon caught my eye. It was the thinnest sliver and so bright. I stood for a while in the cold air trying to capture a decent image of it.

To my naked eye only the crescent was visible, but looking at these zoomed images I can see the whole sphere. Amazing.

Thanks for all your kind comments left on these posts Lovelies. I really do appreciate them.
They are another thing that brightens my week.

Jacquie x

Simply Seasonal .....11th of Feburary

 Hello Lovelies,
I hope your week went well. I do like using this catch up to remind myself of the photogenic moments my week held.  I thought I hadn't taken many pictures on my little camera, but uploading them I was surprised to find 75 images. Don't worry I've whittled them down a bit :0)

So here are my happy seasonal moments for the second week of February

1 ♥ Cold and Frosty Mornings. I loved waking to blue skies on Wednesday, yay. Time to take a walk. Can you spot my shadow in this photo?

it was very cold, but than meant no mud :0)

The birds were singing

And through the tunnel I spotted a heard of sheep.

They were grazing peacefully.

But when they saw me they all started calling out...baa, baa, baa.

and approaching. They must be hungry I thought. I'm sure they are heavily pregnant. Eating for three, or four.

I was really surprised how brave they were. Sorry lovely lady I haven't brought your brekki.

No you can't eat the flowers on my skirt. Bless her. She was so lovely, you could pet her like a dog.

The heard followed me through the field.

Sorry girls, I'm sure the farmer will be along soon.

2 ♥ A Sunny outing with Mum. As Wednesday remained bright Mum and I decided to have an outing somewhere different. We went to Newark on Trent. A place that's full to the brim  with interesting old buildings.

I do love to see cobbles.

 and interesting roof-lines.

There's a lovely market square which was quiet busy despite the chilly temperatures.

This old building always catches my eye.

as does this view...perfect with a beautiful blue sky backdrop.

I made a bee line for these shelves of Stylecraft to do a little more re-stashing ( is that a word?)

Then there was a little more walking

Before I spotted a sign, this is where I had in mind for mum and I to visit.

Ooooh, look, look, look.

 I had been researching Tea rooms....like you do :0) THIS PLACE came highly recommended by online reviews.
 And as a bonus it is within a really old timber framed building...I can't find an exact age but it is listed as Medieval, and a similar building in the town dates from 1337.
 Just look how "wonky" it is, not a straight line to be seen. The windows were all seamed up so we would have to wait to see what was inside.

Open the latch.

and step into the warm and cosy interior.



Happily it wasn't busy and the whole place was charming. I loved the vintage crockery and table linen.

 another cream tea? Ooops. I do seem to have got a bit of a taste for them.  I think I'll aim for one a month this year. That doesn't seem too indulgent, does it?  February's was very good :0)

 We sat on the ground floor but could hear customers upstairs. When they gradually left and it went quiet I couldn't resist taking a peek. Wow.

Just look at those beams. How much history have they seen unfold.

This place used to be a bakery. How many thousands of loaves must have been made within these walls.

I felt lucky we called at such a quiet time and I had the chance for a good look around. I hope it stands for a few more hundred years. It's longevity shows the workmanship that went into it's construction. Apparently the seep roof line shows that it was once thatched. How lovely. Simple, characterful places like this really make me smile.

 4 ♥ Walking with a Friend. On Thursday I was back at Calke Abbey to meet up with an ex-work colleague. She retired about three years ago and this is only the second walk we have managed to organise. Happily we have decided this is not good enough and already pencilled in a date for March.

I think she liked my choice of destination. The Snowdrops were a hit :0)

 5 ♥ Roadside Flowers. And the time to stop and capture them not just drive hurriedly past.

These were in a  pretty village I've driven through several times.  I loved having the chance for a wander on foot.

6 ♥ A Wintry Sunrise. I had to work on Saturday, but this was my reward for getting up early.

Mother natures stunning colours. Better than any man made light show, if you ask me.

Phew, seems like I only managed to get rid of 25 photos. I hope you enjoyed the 50 that were left :0)

Have a good week Lovelies.
Jacquie x