Can you guess....

where Ive been today?
We started out first thing this morning, and drove 15 miles towards our destination and came across more of the white stuff. My old Grandad used to say, that if it doesn't all go at once, there will be more to come to take it away, and he was never wrong - so you have been warned.

Its hubby's 50th birthday celebration week - the grumpy old man has his birthday mid week, so we started his celebrations on Friday night, and are continuing them through the week. I knew he had a hankering to visit this place, so that's what we did today. The architecture of the building was stunning. The architect has been commissioned to work on the ground zero site in New York .

I'm still not telling you where it is, but I'll give you a few clues. I had trouble taking some of the photos because of the sun - and that doesn't happen here often!!

This iconic building was just across the canal.

Just look at those skies - not one cloud all day. This place is not famous for its clear blue skies.

This is quite a historic place, at one time it was a very busy and bustling port - and then it died. It is now being resurrected in a stunning way.

There are lots of canals all joined together - a bit like Venice Michela, but totally modern. I loved capturing the reflections in the water.

It is going to be the new home of part of the BBC. Apparently they are struggling to get the "southerners" convinced that a move "up north" is a good idea. When I went to see Stuart Maconie, he said that they should stay in London if they think that is the best place to be - more jobs for the notherners!!

I even managed to snap a celebrity for you!! How good is that!! She walked past me twice, and I only dared to snap once she got past me. If you enlarge it, you might be able to tell who it is. I'll give you a great big clue - I very spookily only mentioned her in my blog last week!! (no its not Germaine Greer). I wonder if I mention George Clooney this week, he will turn up? I told you I was a bit of a witch.

Anyway, after a totally brilliant day out, we headed back home.

Can you guess where we went and who the celebrity is? I have to say, that I was totally impressed by this place, it wasn't what I thought it would be - blue skies always help though! I'll tell you later where it was, and all about what was in the building we visited.

Je m'appelle Diane

Ive almost come to the end of my beginners french course at the fabulous Northern college. Its always been too dark to take outside photo's to show you, but with daylight hours lengthening (thankfully!!), when we went this week, I was able to take a couple of photographs of the marvellous frontage.

The room lit up here is the Long Gallery that I photographed for you a couple of weeks ago.

This little window is just outside our classroom. Its been fairly easy brushing up on my schoolgirl french - when I arrive on the campsite in Normandy later in the year, I will be able to introduce myself and my family to our neighbours. I will be able to tell them what we do for a living and how old we all are!!!!!

The weather last Sunday was great for a bit of gardening (at last!!) I "dragged" the young man to the Garden Centre and ended up buying this delightful little shrub.

She is a Witch Hazel called "Diane". Now the kids and my hubby often call me a Witch, my dad wanted to call me Hazel when I was born, but my mum got her way and called me Diane, so you see, I feel that she was destined to be mine!!

That's not me gazing into the crystal ball by the way! If it was, the Euro millions lottery would be mine - and I'd be probably hung out to dry in the Betty Ford clinic by now! xxxxx

I can't leave without saying a huge Thank You to everybody that leaves me a comment - you really make my day. And a big "Hi" to "Anonymous Diane" who left me a comment on my last post. xxxxxxxx

Coast to coast - LA to Chicago...

"So what are we having done today?" I'm sat in the hairdressers chair, and she asks me the dreaded question - Ive calculated that since my mum stopped cutting my hair when I was 20, if Ive had my hair cut on average every 8 weeks, I have been asked this question at least 195 times! and the answer is always the same - " I don't know, what do you think? " I sit in the chair - hating every minute - forced to stare at a baggy old saggy face that doesn't reflect the "girl" that I still am. I feel like an idiot - I never know whether the gown goes on like a coat, or the other way round. She snips away, to be fair, she cuts it very well, but then blow dries it so I look like Audrey Roberts!!. It looks a bit different each time she cuts it, but then I get home and wash and dry it, and it looks exactly the same as it did before I went - only shorter.

Its Friday night. My hairdresser and I are the same age, and we reminisce that this time 30 years ago we would have been getting ready for a night on the town. I tell her my routine. I would play Alexander O'Neil or Luther Vandross whilst quaffing a glass of Lambrusco - drying my hair upside down for maximum volume. We laugh at all the nightclubs we frequented - The Hoffbrau house (best night out ever - dancing on the tables to the Ooompah Band and drinking Steins !) Josephines (always the hen night destination), Roof Top Gardens in Wakefield (always on a minibus ), The Wappentake (dead rough - my hairdresser was a biker chick), The Amsterdam Bar in Huddersfield (featured in "Rita, Sue and Bob too!!!) none of them still in existence. We discuss how it never entered your head that someone might be carrying a knife, and that we didn't need "drugs" - a Cherry B or Pony (the little drink with the big kick - tasted like Benolyn!) were strong enough. You never saw people sprawled out on the pavement like you do these days - your mates saw you home if you were ill! We conclude that they were the "best days" and that our kids don't have it as "fun" as we did. I get home and "The Best of Sade" courtesy of Play.com has landed on my door mat. I run a bath, pour a nice glass of red, and dance around the bedroom to "Smooth Operator" singing in front of the mirror - into my hairbrush - as you do! I might not be donning my glad rags for a night painting the town red, but I am still very much in touch with my "inner girl".

Freebie Nights out

You know that I love a freebie night out - and I have managed to blag 2 recently. 1 brilliant and very thought provoking, the other not so.

On Tuesday, I booked hubby, the dancing queen and I on a lecture by our local "Business Link" which was billed as an "Inspirational talk" by Martyn Ware co founder of the Human League and Heaven 17 - 2 very iconic Sheffield bands of the early 1980's. His talk was based around how he found himself in the fortunate position of making a living out of his hobby. These days, as well as still playing with Heaven 17, he owns a company with Vince Clarke (of Yhazoo fame) that creates 3D music and sound installations. He talked about the future of music and sound in our lives and the media (which is why I took the dancing queen as its the industry she wants to get into). It was fascinating and very exciting stuff. The talk was held in a fabulous space at the Millennium Galleries in Sheffield which was huge and one wall was entirely made of glass. It was snowing gently outside and it made Sheffield look as if it had been ensconced in a huge snow globe. Business Link kindly provided a fabulous buffet afterwards so all in all it was 9/10 freebie (would have been a 10 if they had provided a glass of wine!).

The lesser inspiring night out came in the form of 2 tickets I won to the Crucible Theatre to see Germaine Greer. I was looking forward to this as I thought she would be sparkling, witty, clever and thought provoking. She was none of these. She looked tired and weary - every sentence seemed a huge effort. She came across as bitter and twisted and not a great advert for feminism at all. Some of her comments I thought were just plain stupid. For example - She objected strongly to the conservative party talking about giving tax breaks to families because families "don't need any extra money as they have 2 incomes anyway". My own opinion on this is that I don't expect to get a tax break because I chose and am fortunate enough to live as a "family" (and by that I presume she means Mum, Dad, and kid/s). When hubby and I decided to have children, I was mature enough to realise that my social life/bank balance/half decent wardrobe/nice holidays/career prospects etc were never going to be the same again - and it has worked out exactly as I thought. Most double income couples embarking on having children will loose either one income, or half an income or keep a full salary only to pay the majority out in childcare - for a very long time. Its the way it is. You find yourself needing more space to live, so at a time when you have less income, you often have to have a bigger mortgage, and you find that once they start school, your holidays will cost 3 times more than holidays which can be taken outside of school holidays - and when they get to 12 years old, you have to pay adult prices for holidays too. I am horrified at how much it will cost to educate my two to University standard (a low estimate for this is £30, 000 per child!!!) but I am prepared for it - as it was my choice to have them. However, I feel that Ms Greer should feel a little in the debt of anyone who gives birth and raises the children that empty her bins, serve her in the supermarket, pilots the aeroplane that she travels to Australia on 3 times a year, treat her in hospital etc etc because without those prepared to make the sacrifice, the human race would grind to a halt! She also stated that women who tried fertility treatment were stupid and ought to spend their money on other things. Other elements of the evening made my blood boil too - but I'll climb off my soap box now.

Her poor views of family life seemed to stem from being brought up in a bad family environment which sounds as if it has scarred her for life. Hubby, who didn't enjoy the evening either said that she just needed the love of a good man - only he didn't use those words!!! I give this freebie night out just 1/10 as I got to see the new look Crucible Theatre which has just been refurbished.

A Charming Man

Hubby and I recently went to see Ian Mcmillan, The "Bard of Barnsley" at the newly refurbished Barnsley Civic Theatre. It was a brilliant evening. Ian is a truly charming gentleman, a great peoples poet, and the most wonderful story teller. He still lives in the pit village where he was born, and his observations of the people of Barnsley are spot on but relayed with the greatest of respect.



He told intricately woven stories of where he was when JF Kennedy was shot - this was hilarious as it involved 2 shopkeepers who were ex marines, cross dressers and lived together as man and wife - not so shocking these days, but can you imagine that in a pit village in Barnsley in the 60's!! I loved his story about when his mum dragged him into town to buy his Grammar School uniform on World Cup final day 1966 - as town would be quiet! And I would have loved to have seen him being driven off to University in 1973 in his dads "Cortina". The audience loved him and were literally crying with laughter. He is doing a few tours, so if you can catch him I highly recommend it. If you need a translator for his dulcet "Barnsley" tones, you know where I am!!!



I was also out on Tuesday evening (look at me, I'm never in!!). A friend and I went to the Lyceum to see Pasion de Beuno Vista .

The colours of the dancers costumes, the rhythms of the songs, and the heat of Cuba was just the thing to warm our cockles on a cold Yorkshire evening. Exceptionally enjoyable.

Hodsock Snowdrops

Hodsock Priory lies about 15miles away from us and is situated on the South Yorkshire/North Nottinghamshire border. It opens its gardens to the public in February as it is famous for its displays of Snowdrops. It's wonderful to be able to visit a garden at this time of year as not many are open, but Hodsock has the most amazing late winter/early spring plants and it is an utter delight to wander around.

I make no apologies for the profusion of photographs featuring colourful spring plants - I for one am glad to see them poking their pretty little heads out.

Edited - to explain that these seemed to be a miniature daffodil and in a very sheltered spot. My daffs are still no where to be seen in my garden!!

All the lakes and culverts were frozen over. They have a great selection of unusual plants and shrubs.

Its great to see colour coming back into the garden.

I love the Aconites, and these fabulous miniature lily type plants. Anybody any idea what they are? They were a gorgeous shade of blue, and had tiger markings on the inside.

I think that this is a Clematis - it was really pretty and caught my eye.

As you enter the woodland walk, the carpet of Snowdrops actually look like real snow.

One of the highlights of the walk, is the fire that they always have in the woods. This year, you could get a cuppa and a bacon sandwich here too!!

The young man - who claimed that he was "dragged" along got maximum "Wildlife" points for spotting a pine tree that had clusters of Ladybirds at the end of each branch. I wonder why they do this? Where is Bill Oddie when you need him!!

Its a fabulous place, and they have extended their opening until 5th March this year as the season was a bit late getting started. Pop along if you get chance.

Bill Oddies Love Child

Whilst wandering around outside at YSP on Saturday (I forgot to say, if you ever go, go in walking boots or wellies as you often need then, and the indoor spaces are geared up for "muddy" booted customers) we happened upon this gnarled and weathered old tree that I thought was as beautiful as any sculpture.





I pointed out to the young man that there was lots of evidence of "owl" in this tree. If you enlarge the picture below, you can clearly see the "whitewash" which is the owls poo, and to the right of this are the pellets that they regurgitate all the fur and bones of the tiny creatures that make up their diet.

We have owls sit on our TV ariel at work, and I love to bring home the pellets to see what's in them - I find them fascinating!! The kids are not so enthusiastic - I put it down to the lack of decent nature tables in infant and junior schools these days. (I was a very avid provider for my class nature table back in the 60's!!).

Hope you weren't eating!!!