Our 2016 - A Pictorial Review

As a family we began the year in one of our favourite places - Crosby beach. We really are blessed

to have this on our doorstep and a brisk January walk along the seafront certainly blows away the cobwebs after the festive period. This is a special place - it clears your head when lost or upset and shines brighter when happiness fills your heart.

At the end of January we went down to Malvern to visit relatives and included a visit to Malvern Priory, above, and a walk in the beautiful hills. We really do live in a lovely country, both by landscape and history. 

February saw the first of many visits to wonderful Chester Zoo - here showing my daughter's beloved giraffes. The weather is always kind to us here and we always have a super time. So much to see and learn.

The end of February saw a trip to the Lady Lever Gallery to see the exhibition of Hollywood dresses and of course some of Millais' paintings. Port Sunlight is a beautiful village - both it and the gallery are well worth making a detour to visit if you are ever in the area.

March was a quiet month but we managed lots of park walks and I kept up with my gardening and birdwatching. If you ever feel a little stressed or tired, time in your garden is a wonderful thing. 

April saw a trip to stay with special friends in Scotland - a visit to Linlithgow, the Flight Museum, Scotland and sailing on the Firth of Forth around all three bridges.( I didn't take the camera sailing) We had such a lovely time and were very well looked after.

May brought some fine weather and time for lovely walks. Lots of fun was had hiking along Parbold canal above and being rewarded with Mr Whippy ice creams. It also gave us the chance to dress as ladies of the manor at Lyme Park.

Amber discovered Brideshead Revisited this year so, of course, early June saw a trip to beautiful Castle Howard. It was a brisk Yorkshire day when we went and the Temple of the Four Winds lived up to its name but the castle's beauty still shone forth.

July was our busiest month of all. Amber turned 18, so many parties and celebrations for that, my cousins came from Canada to stay - it was so lovely to see them, the miles really are too far. We visited the Cavern Quarter, the Albert Dock, toured Anfield ( Evertonian son unimpressed) and spent time with other relatives we see far too little of.

Early August brought a lovely holiday in Western Scotland. We stayed in a lodge sitting on a river and visited so many pretty places, some historical, some by the seaside and fine lochs. 

Later in August my lovely friend and her son came down from Scotland. There was another visit to Lyme Park, Ormskirk, Mere Sands Wood, St George's Hall, the Anglican Cathedral and, as you see above Southport's super model village. All great places but even better when shared with special people

September saw the return to school but still fine weather and time for trips to the beach and visits to Southport and lots of book shopping.

October saw another return to Malvern to visit family and see Worcestershire at its glorious, autumnal best, the colours really were wonderful. Then came my annual birthday treat to my beloved Bronte Parsonage and a little trip to Heptonstall.

November started mildly and we were still able to fit in lots of walks like the one above along the Broomscross Road. We had our first real frost which was very welcome and painted the garden with a festive glow,

And so came December which, while not without its difficulties, was also surrounded by the love of family and friends . reminding me that I am one of the luckiest people in the world and am truly blessed with all I have. The Christmas decoration above was sent from Canada the year we married and has adorned our tree every year since, though we are now not so young. 

In review, this has been rather a nice year, much has been achieved, lots of love has been shared and much laughter too. All that is left is for me to wish you all a wonderful New Year filled with love and happiness. May your troubles be few and your joys many. Remember to look for the good, it is always there.

October Morning - A Photographic Walk

Today was a beautiful October morning, the sort that makes you glad to be alive and grateful to live in such a beautiful town and so I picked up my camera to begin a quiet, peaceful Sunday morning walk reminding myself of the beauty of nature.

All around the town has begun to take on the colours of autumn. A rich vibrancy greats you at each turn as nature compensates for the cooler days and darker evenings.

All around blankets of rusts and gold were being woven into pathways as I walked by.

The quietness of Sunday morning was broken by the sound of an engine and I looked up to see a small plane gleaming white against the clear, blue skies. Perhaps one day I will learn to fly. Who knows?

All around Little Crosby village are recently harvested fields, still looking fine with their brown stubble, preparing to delight next year with golden wheat and the sunshine yellow of the rapeseed crops.

The horses in the fields of Crosby Hall had donned their winter coats but still looked happy in the warm October sunshine.

Overhead geese were flying away to warmer climes, whilst others were flying here from countries colder than ours, calling out instructions as they flew. A wonderful sight and a fine sound.

While, down below, the trees prepared to spread and increase, scattering acorns, horse chestnut and sycamore seeds.

I passed St Mary's and in my head I could hear the harvest songs of childhood and I filled with the contentment felt as a child playing in the fields in the last beautiful days autumn had to offer.

I passed by my favourite house in the whole village. The one I always say that I will live in one day.

Up in the skies were summer clouds, defying autumn and calling out "See we will not leave and let the rain clouds take the days"

The fruits of late summer and early autumn were still clinging on to add to the palette of colour all around and at that moment I felt so happy and contented to be a part of it.

Then a lady passed me walking her dog. She was complaining vociferously down her mobile phone about somebody and was totally unaware of the beauty all around. It made me think how much we ignore around us these days because we have let technology control our lives, instead of using it positively.

Will you promise me that you will take the chance to take a walk and that you will look around you and appreciate the world, like you did as a child? The scents, sounds and beauty are still there. If you look for them.

Sometimes All A Girl Needs Is Her Mother

Today I have been thinking about my mother.

Some days all you need is your Mum, no matter how old you are, you just need her. Maybe to fix things, maybe to put you in your place and tell you to suck it up and get on with it or maybe just to tell you that you have done well. Mums are, mostly, the only people who will take the time to tell you that.

I can remember in my first job an older lady saying that she wished her Mum was there to tell her what to do. At the time I thought that, at 64, she shouldn't need her Mum anymore and must be old enough to get on by herself. Now I am older and considerably wiser and I know that we all need our Mum's advice sometimes and will do until the day we die - even if that is at 110.

My Mum was firm but fair. She took no nonsense but she had our backs every step of the way. She would help us whenever we really needed it but she would also make us stand on our own two feet and face up to things whenever possible. We had unconditional love but we were not molly coddled. If we stepped out of line we were told so in no uncertain terms and then spoken to only when necessary until we learned respect. And we did learn it. We learned to show it and we learned to expect it from others too.

If we did well Mum told us - and everyone she met. If we found something difficult we were encouraged to keep at it and not give in. If it was not possible for us to do it in the end,we knew that she was proud of us for trying - she made sure that we knew - but if we walked away from something because it wasn't easy, even though she never said a word, the look of disappointment in her eyes said it for her. So we tried and, mostly, we succeeded. And we succeeded because of her.

She lit up the world just by being in it. I can still hear her singing around the house, I can hear her laughter - she smiled and laughed so much. She said life was too short to be miserable. I can see the look of joy on her face whenever we walked through the door. We were her world and she was ours and there will always be a hole in our world now that no one will ever fill. She wouldn't be happy about that and would tell us to get on and stop wallowing but it is true, there will always be a Mum shaped hole in our hearts.

She taught us well, then set us free, though we always came back.

Though most times I know what her answer to my questions would be, I would give the world just to have her hold me and tell me herself. Even if it is "Janet, pull yourself together and get on with it!"

Dad

Today on Father's Day we celebrate our fathers, give them gifts and pamper them. Those of us who have lost our fathers remember them and are very grateful for our time with them. I lost my Dad when I was just ten years old. I had him for a very short time. In some ways this is very sad but in others it has its benefits. Often, when I hear people praising my lovely Mum there is a mention of a fault of my Dad. It is not done unkindly just showing how good my Mum was, and she really was. This is where the benefit side comes in for me. Children see the world as beautiful, for it is, and, unless it is really horrible, they see past faults and ignore many. I have no recollection of my Dad's faults. My memories of Dad are all positive. I remember the love he showed me. I remember how he taught me to accept everyone, regardless of race or creed. I remember how he taught me to stand up whenever I saw or heard prejudice and injustice. I remember how much he made me and people around him smile and I remember how much he was loved - at his funeral there wasn't room inside for all who attended, there was a crowd outside who wanted to pay their respects too. That was because, despite his faults, he was a good man who cared about all mankind and in return they cared for him. I try to be the person he expected me to be. I get it wrong sometimes because I too have my faults, but each time I get it wrong I try harder because my Dad was right, this world works better when you love your fellow man and work together in a positive way.

Don't Let Hatred Ever Win

                                       My mother taught me love

                                       To forgive when you were wronged

                                       That's what my mother did

                                       And that's why she was strong

                                       My father taught acceptance

                                       Of folk from other lands

                                       He practised what he preached

                                       As he gently held my hand

                           

                                       My mother said "Don't listen

                                       When people speak with hate

                                       The truth gets lost, not cared about

                                       It's such a sorry state"

                                       My father gave me time

                                       Helped me pause to think things through

                                       That when upset and angry

                                       "You stop and think, you do"

                                       My mother showed me kindness

                                       How to love my fellow man

                                       Now, even on dark days like these, 

                                       I do the best I can

                                       My parents were amazing

                                       They taught how life should be

                                       Don't let hatred ever win

                                       Love's better you will see

Did The Sun Really Always Shine?

Recently I have been revisiting my childhood. There is a new approach to stress and anxiety of giving adults Mindfulness Colouring Books. My husband bought me some for Christmas and a super set of colouring pens. I enjoy using them and, yes, they do relax me. I began to wonder why, then one evening as I was sprawled on the carpet in front of the TV news I had a flashback to doing exactly the same thing as a child - colouring in while my parents watched the early evening news, I think that is what relaxes us. It takes us back to our childhood when we were happy, had no worries and knew we would always be looked after.

We mostly have happy memories of childhood. I remember playing outside with my friends from dawn to dusk - hide and seek, tying skipping ropes to lampposts if you were a few short, football in winter, cricket in summer, roller skating - our skates had a piece of leather that tied over your toes and a strap that fastened round your ankles when your feet grew you undid a screw and lengthened them. I remember playing in the garden making mud pies (do children still do that? My son says no) The summers seemed to last forever - at least that's how it felt. I remember very few rainy days. My husband says that's because I was stuck inside, bored.

I don't actually remember ever being bored. I do remember playing indoors but I don't recall the rain. Memory is a weird thing. I would play with my dolls house, my brother's old train set, I'd build things with Meccano or Betta Builda. I would spend hours with paper dolls, changing their paper clothes, I could colour in for ages. In those days we didn't have the Disney Store, dressing up outfits were your Mum's old castoffs but, with childhood imagination, they were just as much princess dresses as Sleeping Beauty had.

Then there was reading - oh I could read and read. I read in bed every night and every morning, My Mum would often come in to find me asleep with a book on my nose. I had some new books and lots of old ones inherited from relatives - all were magical and took me to imaginary lands in my head. I lived with the storybook characters - apart from the ones in Alice in Wonderland - they terrified me - as did Rumplestiltskin in the Ladybird books. I can remember being curled up in a comfy chair reading. It must have been raining for me to be indoors but I don't recall. I just remember being very happy.

My memories of Primary school are equally as happy. I can remember the excitement of learning new things there. In fact I can associate a lot of the nature and linguistic facts I know with which classroom and teacher I learned them with. Primary schools were fun places then, not at all an environment where teachers and children were stressed and anxious but we learned so much in those happy places. Playtimes were fun too. In the summer we played on the Infants field, making daisy chains, We'd play 'ollies' for keeps in juniors, or skip, or knot dozens of elastic bands together for a jumping game. We'd play two balls - juggling against the wall underarm, overarm, under your legs - we were skilful - and we were champions at handstands against the school wall.

Apart from one lightning storm one afternoon in Infants school I only remember the sun shining at school but I guess it was probably similar weather to now. I do know one thing though. We sure were happy!

What is a Christian?

"So you're a Christian?"

That is a question I am sometimes asked, followed by people stepping back as though I am going to eat them alive. Once many years ago I gave a lift to a colleague at my new school in the pouring rain. She gratefully climbed into the car and then thanked me profusely whilst adding that she was so surprised that I would offer her a lift. I was thoroughly bewildered. Even more so when she told me why. She had announced that day that she was to have a lovely baby. This, it seems, was why she thought I would not let her into my car. "Well I'm pregnant and not married - and you're a Christian" she said. I really could not believe that anyone could think I would be such a judgemental prig. Later she often laughed about it and said "Well you're not exactly a normal Christian are you?"

Which brings me to the question I am asking in this blog. What is a Christian? We once had a vicar who gave a sermon about this and informed us that if he asked everyone in the church he would not get the same answer twice. I really don't think he would. So if we are all so different then why do we get the same label? Probably because, as with everything, it's only the negative side of things that gets the publicity and is then classed as 'the norm'. I don't think I can ever be accused of fitting anyone's 'norm' in anything.

So today I am going to explain what being a Christian means to me. You can read, find out more and then at least choose to avoid me with the truth rather than an imagined idea of who I am.

Well first of all I believe that a Christian is a follower of Christ's teachings - or at least what his friends remembered and wrote down about his teachings. From what I read this is based on tolerance, forgiveness, understanding and, before you start to have a go at others, accepting that you're not so great yourself! So I will not judge you,I have no right, because I have made plenty of mistakes of my own and am sure to make plenty more. I believe that we are all here to help and support each other wherever possible. I don't manage to get that right always but I try my best. It's all I can do.

So do I believe all that is written in the Bible? I am afraid that I do not. The Bible was written by humans, simple fallible humans, making sense of the world as  best they could.  As with everyone I choose to follow the parts of the Bible that speak to me and that I feel make me a better human being - there are a lot of those. I am an evolutionist, rooted in scientific fact and I am afraid that I do not believe in the virgin birth, I believe the resurrection was probably because medical standards then could not determine a death as we can now. This may shock many other Christians but to me this does not make him any less of a person whose teachings are worth following. He preached about ways of living that I still believe to be right today. Yes, he was called the son of God but he taught all to call God Father so I don't think it lessens my faith if I believe him to be just a wonderful human. Yes I still feel happy accepting the Trinity - I follow the Father, the teachings of Jesus and I sure get a lot of help from somewhere so I count that as the Holy Spirit giving a little help.

I also believe that Jesus would have taught far more acceptance than my Church allows today. Don't tell me that there were no women followers or that he would have let gay people be punished etc because I do not believe this to be the case. His story was written by friends who had watched their leader put to death in the most horrific way. I am sure that if I was trying to spread his teachings then that I would have been careful what I wrote too. The truth is that we do not know but I try hard to love my neighbour as myself and I don't believe that should have a lot of exceptions added.

So what about God? Do I believe in an invisible, all seeing being who answers prayers? Yes, I do. Do I believe that he/she is full of wrath and judgement? No, I do not. I believe him/her to be a loving God. And, before you ask, no I cannot explain all the suffering in the world and, yes, I do get very angry about it all very often but that doesn't stop me believing or praying. I am sorry if this makes you feel uneasy but it is just the way I am. Do I believe that only Christian prayers are answered? No I do not. I believe that we all pray to the same Deity just in different guises.

So, that is what being a Christian means to me.  Now, if you still choose to avoid me, at least you are doing it knowing who I am and I respect your decision.