Friday 24 April 2015

A few bits/what's up

A few weeks ago I was lucky to see the partial eclipse of the sun.  Here are some photos - there was cloud cover but there were enough breaks in the cloud to get a view from Chester.  It was really quite special.
 


















I was just back in Amsterdam the weekend before last to see Dutch National Ballet in La Dame aux Camelias - it was fabulous.  Sadly we had wanted to see the Keukenhof Gardens long story but basically the bus got caught up in roadworks and it all ended with us not getting to the gardens :-( we did see some of the bulb fields from our plane home:-

I think mainly hyacinths in bloom here
pink and purple.

































Life is changing for me very soon as after 25 years service I am being made redundant from my job.   I have no idea what to do, whether to stay in the same line of work or whether to try something different.  It will be a huge change because after so long in one place you become somewhat "institutionalised"!  I just said goodbye to the majority of my colleagues today, as most left today.  Just a tiny number will remain, myself included, until mid June.  

Next week I will be visiting one of my most favourite places - Highgrove Gardens in Gloucestershire.  I go every year now as I love it there so I am looking forward to seeing the garden's delights this year!  Sadly the weather forecast is not brilliant despite the fact we have had a wonderful spring week - some of the our sunsets have been amazing!   Then I will be going to see the Hermes Wanderland Exhibition and the Alexander McQueen show at the V&A and finally I will be jetting off to New York (while I still have a wage coming in!) to see mainly ballet but also Dame Helen Mirren in The Audience - can't wait, and the new show An American In Paris which has had rave reviews!  So it's a busy time ahead.  

I will leave you with some photos of our lovely sunsets here over the Dee Estuary and Hilbre Island last week.  Have a great weekend everyone!





6 comments:

  1. So sorry to hear of your redundancey; all the best to you for the future. What great things you have planned, and I would love to see your pictures of Highgrove, which always interests me. Prince Charles is so interesting as a gardener! Have a wonderful time in the Big Apple, too. x

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  2. Hi Patricia - thank you! Ahh it's so annoying you are not allowed to take photos at Highgrove you have to leave phones and cameras in your car!!!! However I recently got the latest big picture book about Highgrove and the photos in there are pretty much as you see the garden in real life, not quite the same as having your own photos though! Hopefully I can find a job that will let me keep enjoying all that life has to offer! It will be interesting to see what happens - scary at times though! SAxx

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  3. :-) I'm very sorry to hear you have been made redundant! Keeping my fingers crossed you'll quickly find something that will make you happy work wise.
    Keukenhof ist beautiful and special at the same time. It's been years since I went and I clearly remember the Heineken tulips that were yellow on the bottom and had a white rim on top…they looked like a beer in a glass.
    All the very best to you and greetings from Vienna :-)

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    1. Hi HappyFace313 thank you for your good wishes, I hope so too! The Heineken tulips sound fun!! Viele gruesse aus England! SAx

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  4. Oh, Scarf Addict! I'm sorry to learn of your employment situation. It's times such as this that one must step back and listen to our inner voice to discover which is the best course to take. I've been through the same thing, unfortunately, and know that it isn't an easy decision for you to make. Warm hugs to get you through this difficult time.
    Cynthia

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    1. Hi Cynthia - thank you for your kind wishes too! I am thinking of taking a break so I can fit in a few more little trips! But it would be nice to have a job to go to! Hopefully something will turn up.
      SAxx

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