Birthdays

A few hours ago Jenny and I returned from a long weekend in Paris where we went to celebrate my birthday. Among other things we were able join the crowds on the Champs d'Elyssee to see part of the final Tour de France race won for the first time by a British cyclist. What excitement, what cheering, what flag-waving - Well done, Bradley Wiggins and the British Team. It was not easy to get a photo of the riders speeding past at 40mph but Jenny managed to get this one over the heads of the massed crowds.  You can see the 3000 year old Egyptian obelisk on the Place de Concorde in the background.

Being away for my birthday reminded me that four years ago Jenny and I were on holiday in Turkey on my birthday when I received an email from our son, Olly, saying that he had set up this blog(The Peets of Pippin Cottage) for me as a birthday present. At that time he and his family were living in a heavily guarded house in Monrovia, the war torn capital of Liberia in West Africa. They had no mains electricity, water, sewage or land line telephone, there was no postal service to or from Liberia and the best way for them to keep in touch with what we were doing was through a blog, with photos and narrative. And so it was, for three years as Olly and his family worked with the charity Mercy Ships (http://www.mercyships.org/) in the developing countries of West Africa we kept in touch via our blogs. But since they returned to the UK a year ago we don't have to rely on the blogs, and my entries have become spamodic and since February none at all. Despite that I see that people in places I do not recognise are regularly logging on. Sorry folks that there's not much to read at present. And I'd be fascinated to know who you are and what your interest is - just email me at peet.pippin@virgin.net.

Wonderful weather

This weekend was more like Spring than February down here in deepest Somerset - blue skies and warm sunshine, although still cold at night. On Saturday Jenny and I loaded our folding bikes into the car and drove to Creech St Michael where we parked and cycled for several miles along the towpath of the Bridgewater-Taunton Canal. It was very quiet and we saw only one canal boat on the move. There was mistletoe everywhere, beautiful swans and several concrete "pillboxes" built at the start of the Second World War and still in good condition over 70 years later. These were designed to protect our soldiers whilst providing them with a good field of fire in several directions to shoot at invading forces trying to get inland - a very real threat in 1940. Thankfully the invasion never came and the pillboxes were never used for guns - the one is the first photograph is now a potting shed!

London Trip

Back in January Jenny and I spent three nights in London, in a luxury hotel adapted from the old Whitbread Brewery in Chiswell Street, right in the heart of the City. Arriving in London Thursday lunchtime we first visited the Dickens Exhibition at the City of London Museum in the Barbican and in the evening went to the National Portrait Gallery in Leicester Square where there was a late night exhibition of Victorian portraits. Thursday morning we had breakfast with Ben in his staff restaurant just 10 minutes walk from our hotel, then visited the Canal Museum, the Jewish Museum and the Wellcome Institute, walking from one to the other. After dinner in a West End restaurant we went to see an excellent performance of the "The Ladykillers". Saturday morning Ben and Thomas came to our hotel to collect us and we walked to Liverpool Street Station (see photo) to catch the first of two buses which took us across London to the Science Museum where we spent most of the day. In the early evening the four of us had a delicious meal in a new Italian restaurant in the shadow of St Paul's Cathedral. Then Ben and Thomas had to catch the train home and Jenny and I crossed the Millennium Bridge to the Tate Modern. This was our second visit and I'm sorry to say that we still don't really "get" modern art. Sunday morning we got the bus to Rotherhithe to visit the Brunel Museum then walked back along the south bank. The weather was bright and sunny throughout (see photo) but very cold. What a great weekend!

New Year

A Happy New Year to all. On the day before New Year's eve we were at the Kings Arms again - this time with Olly, Sally, Noah, Anna and Libby, for a splendid lunch (see photo). It was a very wet day so we could not do the treasure hunt round the village and came straight back to Pippin Cottage to play hide and seek, Pictionary (again!) and UNO. Next day Jenny and I went to Bristol and explored the ancient Cathedral, the city museum and the M Shed (a new exciting museum). Then we went to a party at a neighbours with a lot more bellringers and their partners before we all made our way down to the Church to ring out the Old Year with muffled bells. At midnight we took the muffles off the bells and rang in the New Year loud and clear. Then we had a few glasses of phizzy wine - it was all great fun. That's me in the orange jumper ringing my bell - I must go on a New Year diet and get rid of that excess weight!

Boxing Day

Boxing Day was a great day too. Ben, Claire, Thomas and Sophie came to Pippin Cottage for the day and, after a treasure hunt round the village, we had a splendid lunch at our village pub/restaurant, The Kings Arms (see photo). Then we walked home and played Quirkle (Sophie's Christmas present), Chickenfoot and Uno. The afternoon passed so quickly that there was no time to play Rummikub or Pit. Next time perhaps?

Christmas Day 2011

This year the Peet Family were altogether on Christmas Day for the first time in 8 years and we had the best Christmas ever. Ben, Claire, Thomas and Sophie stayed with Olly, Sally, Noah, Anna and Libby in their new home in Sherborne and Jenny and I joined them for the day. What a lovely time we had - lots of presents for the kids, a delicious turkey lunch, NO TV but plenty of games (including a Pictionary marathon) fun and laughter. The photos show the serious business of present opening, the children having fun at their end of the table (from L to R, Noah 12, Thomas 10, Anna 10, Libby 7 and Sophie 6)and Jenny, Claire and I observing a tricky game where odd shaped objects had to be placed on odd shaped slopes - very tricky.

Weather!

This time last year our house and garden and the lane outside were covered in snow and the UK was enduring some of its lowest temperatures for decades (see photos taken by our neighbours). This year we have had no real cold weather as yet and our begonias are still in flower - just! No doubt the cold weather will come soon - "daylight lengthens, cold strengthens" as Jenny's grandmother used to say.