Round at Gary and Jo's house

Rounded off our Christmas with a visit to Gary and Jo, brilliant meal of crispy duck, noodles, vegetables and scallops for statrters. Took a few photos but these are my favourites, Jo carried out most of the preparations

with Gary volunteering to make the pancakes watched here by an appreciative audience. Don't you just love a kitchen that is large enough for an audience?

Rob at Sully's frameshop

For some reason taking photos of frames has a surreal quality, your head says they should have pictures in them and with photoshop there would be nothing easier than adding a perfect frame afterwards - but the shadows and the way that you can peep through or the person you are photographing can arrange how they appear in the frame makes it more human. I liked this one eye shot of Rob.

Framed at Sully's

Pete Framed at Sully's, originally uploaded by Ajay Jayne.

Well, the band were playing in Falmouth so we took the opportunity to go down a couple of days early and catch up with friends and old haunts in Falmouth. Pete's frame shop was as busy as ever so I had a good time taking the opportunity to take some photos in the workshop.

Dinner with Mum, Ady and Fred and a visit to Grandad's house.

The day before rememberence Sunday we went out for a great lunch at the Swan in Lamport Northampton.   Great views over the rolling North Northamptonshire countryside and a lovely opportunity to catch up with my mum, Ady and Fred.  The sun shone brilliantly and it was a real crisp and bright November day.  In the morning I caught up with our Grandfather George Brown and also Aunt Rita, it was great to see him and he was kind enough to let me get some pictures of him.

The slides are of the whole day.

Grandfather's medals

My Grandfather's medals, originally uploaded by Ajay Jayne.

Sergeant George Brown

Sgnt George Brown, originally uploaded by Ajay Jayne.

Went over to see my Grandad George on Saturday morning, it was a lovely sunny day and brilliant to see him looking so well. He is getting ready for the memorial service that is held at the chapel where he lives but was happy to let me take a photo of him with his medals before I went.

Steve Hackett in Lydney

Took the day off on Friday and went with Rob to one of the first UK dates for Steve's tour.  For those who don't get out much, Lydney is just north of Chepstow and almost in Wales on the banks of the river Severn.   Summer's end festival was a most appropriate title since as we approached the toll bridge it started bucketing down.  

Great sold out gig with a light show that transformed the old Victorian Town Hall.  Lovely to see everyone after such a long time and managed to get a few decent shots although had to push the ISO so they are grainy and the smoke to make the lights even more spectacular make it a devil to focus.  So, most of the time I concentrated on enjoying the gig.  Now looking forward to the event in London.

Great news, a shop actually opening!

We went along to the opening launch of Emma (mainly!) and Arnie's new sweet shop Cocoa Berry in Leighton Buzzard.  The shop looked brilliant and there were plenty of samples although I feel a bit weary today after so much Edinburgh rock.

Cutting the ribbon was Rusty Gough, an actor from the area who appeared in the original Charlie and the Chocolate factory film and also there was the mayor of Leighton Buzzard.  

The evening ended with some jazz of course.

Ady and Simeon's window

Getting on nicely with the window panels for Ady and Simeon now.   It seemed to take ages to get the lower section started and the pink mottled glass was a devil to cut.  Seem to have got my eye in again now and the pieces are cutting well and going together nicely now.  

You can even see the garden here, still find the shed a great place to work.

Finally, the tomatoes are red ....

It seems to have taken ages but finally the tomatoes have ripened and taste fantastic.

The beans are almost over but we have eaten loads of them for the last two months.  Here is Rob with his seriously sharp knife.

Gladys Bailey 1911 -2009

My Grandfather's sister Gladys died on Monday 13th July, she was in Moulton, the village where she was born.  My usual memory of her from when we were children was at Cogenhoe Mill where she had a chalet with her husband Reg.  I think they used to bowl on the beautifully cut lawn at the front of the chalet.  She had worked at Bletchley Park managing the club there when she was younger and was always well groomed and incredibly tall and smart with never a hair out of place.  This photograph is of the May day celebrations in about 1922/1923 in Moulton Northants. Gladys has her name marked on the photograph.  

Off to John Clare Country

Took my Mum over to the John Clare festival in Helpstone, near Peterborough / Stamford.  It is a lovely village and we spent plenty of time poking through the books and looking at Carry Ackroyd's work in a local print/art sellers shop.  The house where John Clare was born is now open to the public although there are other interesting houses all through the village.

We walked across to St Botolph's church where John Clare is buried. As part of the festival, local children had brought decorated turfs and placed them around the grave. Apart from the lavender, they were the brightest things in the churchyard.

The church has several windows but my favourite details were of the lilies and clothing on the older window.

To celebrate John Clare, we walked through the village in an occasional drizzle and followed the footpath across the bean fields looking at the butterflies in the lanes and listening to the skylarks above the cornfield.

Designs for Ady's window

Have been working on some new designs for a window for my brother Ady and his girlfriend Simeon.  They love their garden and Ady is particularly fond of foxgloves so these are all based around the colours and shapes of foxgloves with a sort of early 1900s twist to match their home.

A lovely wedding in Bedford.

Well, spent a lovely day in Bedford at Helen (Rob's sister) and Mark's wedding.  Very much a family day out, relaxed and great fun with a pig roast and a barn dance in the spectacular countryside.

The bride played a mean game of rounders....

May in Falmouth, fantastic

Well, had our Cornwall fix and a great chance to catch up with good friends who were over from Australia:

And good friends busy setting up their business in Penryn.

We rediscovered the lovely pebbly Castle beach looking for smooth stones, seaglass and rock pool creatures.

We hadn't been down to the Lizard for years and ventured to Cadgwith Cove (we think). A fantastic day where I got stuck in a kind of seaweed quicksand down on the beach that stank and provoked much jollity from Rob and several passers by.