Happy New Year 2020

Wishing everyone a very Happy and healthy New Year :)

End of The Year Blog 2019 - Part 1

Our gorgeous Loki :)

 It's that time of year again, I can't believe it is a year since I did the 'Last Blogs of the Year 2018' but it is! Many of you will have seen that virtually all my blogs from 2019 were about my holiday to China, I was still taking photos all year, and was actually quite surprised at just how many photos I did take! I finally retired earlier this month, so I am hoping that I will get much more time to take and share lots more photos in 2020, we shall see :)

JANUARY

Alice enjoying a nice glass of wine in the Mermaid Hotel, Rye. Sitting next to the fire in the bar is just lovely when it is cold outside :)

On of those spectacular sunrises that I used to see on my way to work.

Deal Pier, looking at the sunshine it the photo could have been taken much later in the year :)

FEBRUARY

Snowdrops growing in our garden.

A beautiful Robin in Walmer Castle Garden.

The Quay Sandwich.

MARCH

Both photos shown here are of Sandwich Library Garden, it always looks lovely any time of the year :)

APRIL

I have posted enough photos of China in earlier blogs, but the photo above was taken from the plane window on the flight home, I think we were still somewhere over China!

A Tulip in St. Peter's Garden, Sandwich.

A lovely gate along the Rope Walk, Sandwich.

Glorious Sandwich Bay.

MAY

Tulips in the Kitchen Garden, Walmer Castle.

In the woods, Walmer Castle.

My pride and joy, after years of trying I actually have a Wisteria that is blooming!!!

JUNE

Middle Street, Deal. I was on my way to work, the sun shining down this alley was so lovely :)

Above and below, poppies in my garden. Poppies are one of my favourite flowers :)

The End of the Year Blog Part 2 is to follow..

Last Blog of the Year 2019 - Part 2

Here goes for the second half of the year, again I was surprised looking through the photos at how many photos I did take :)

JULY

Hollyhocks in Sandwich Library Garden.

My daughter Alice and myself with our good friend Jeff, the current Mayor of Sandwich :)

AUGUST

Not so many photos taken in August, but both the photos here were taken in our garden.

SEPTEMBER

A beautiful coronet worn by Queen Victoria, one of the many fantastic exhibits my daughter and I saw on a great visit to the V & A museum :)

The same day as above, my first visit to China Town in London :)

OCTOBER

The beautiful calm sea off Deal, on a lovely October day.

  

The pots outside my kitchen still with lots of colour for the time of year.

NOVEMBER

A poppy skeleton.

A fuschia in almost full bloom, so unusual for November.

This tree is growing outside Deal Railway Station, it had been raining which had made the colours more pronounced, I am not sure what the tree is. It looked beautiful whatever variety it is :)

DECEMBER

One of the photos from our visit to 'Enchanted Walmer Castle', showing part of the Fairy area.

Finally a photo of Sandwich Library on my last day working there before I retired. The staff and Library Guild held a MacMillan Coffee morning and a 'Farewell to Val' which was amazing :) Above is the craft stall, the teas and cakes were in the room at the back. All sorts of people popped in to say Goodbye to me, and to support the Coffee Morning. I had such a lovely time :) :)

So on to another year, this one has been pretty good, I am hoping to take lots more photos with all the added spare time I have now.....!!

Enchanted Walmer Castle

Early in December Jemma, Ruby and I managed to get tickets for 'Enchanted Walmer Castle' where the grounds of Walmer Castle were decorated with lights, it was a magical experience which we all enjoyed very much :)

It was a lovely night to walk round, above is the Broad Walk beautifully lit up :)

The Broad Walk again, with the children's funfair lit up in the background.

The Queen Mothers Garden, fountains playing which changed colour :)

Just gorgeous!

So pretty :)

The trail then went through the woods, above is one of the two talking trees we found :)

Fairy Dell, complete with toadstool houses, 

...a Fairy Castle,

and numerous doors showing where the Fairy houses are.

Musical trees that changed colour.

The children's play area lit up, near here was a stall which sold drinks and giant marshmallows, which you could toast over a brazier, delicious!

The second talking tree :)

The cafe area well lit up 

The light tunnel leading into the Castle.

We all thoroughly enjoyed the event, and we all agreed that if they do it all again next Christmas time we would all love to go again :)