Frosty wanderings

How very British of me to talk about this, but yesterday was my absolute favourite weather.  I love it when it is really cold and sunny and as we had this type of weather forecast I got up really early and went for a walk in the frosty and misty surroundings.

New year wanderings

We had quite a busy night welcoming in the new year.  It started off with a trip to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park where we had a look around the stalls, ate some, drank some and then went on some rides.  I absolutely love theme park rollercoasters, the higher and the more upside down they go the better - but for some reason I just can't do fairground rides which spin around ever since I squeezed my brothers arm till it went blue on the waltzers.  My lovely husband and uncle twisted my arm to go on what I can only describe as a big claw that swings from side to side while spinning - it certainly made me feel very alive but I was shaking for about an hour afterwards and spent the whole ride holding onto my glasses I bet everyone on the ride were just laughing at me!

Is there anything Spanish that is not nice?

The claw...it went higher trust me...

Would have been much happier on this...

Or this...

We then trekked over to the Thames to welcome in the new year and watch the famous firework display.  It was truly amazing even though there were people everywhere and we had trees obstructing the display a bit.

Christmas wanderings

Happy new year!!

Our Christmas holiday unfortunately didn't go quite to plan this time around (neither did the last two, I'm thinking no plans this year will do the trick).

We drove to Dartmoor to the most lovely cottage which was so cosy with a log fire and located on the most twinkly street with a friendly pub within a stones throw.  On Christmas Eve we had just made dinner and just as my Mum filled a ladle of soup and was about to poor it into a bowl the whole house went pitch black (it did make for a funny moment where she then had to make sure she got rid of this hot soup carefully).  

An electrician came round to the house and decided that the cooker was making the fuses trip meaning the only option was to go home as cooking Christmas dinner the next day would be too dangerous (let's not go there that he was actually wrong - the owner got someone else to look into it on boxing day and it was actually the electric heaters causing it!).

It wasn't all bad though, we had a great walk in Dartmoor on Christmas Eve and another one on Boxing Day in Swanage near where my parents live.  

Dartmoor

Swanage

We had the most amazing weather on this walk, we could see the sun coming from the horizon at the beginning and the next thing you know the clouds completely disappeared.

 I've been fond of Donkeys ever since playing one in a drama club performance of Animal Farm at school

 

Not one but two sightings of my new surname!

The walk we followed out of my Dad's book of Dorset walks was great because it wasn't just a boring route through fields, we went up cliffs, through a farm, down Swanage seafront, past a castle and through some woodland.

We came across a lighthouse which housed an honesty charity shop.

We just spent the weekend in London welcoming the new year so lots more photos to share very soon!

Have a 'berry' Christmas!

In 2010 I made a new years resolution to enter a running race and suddenly I was hooked! I completely lost my focus in 2011 with wedding planning and only joined the gym in June with the other half so that our wedding attire still fitted!  

On Sunday after two months of forgetting it's existence I walked the lonely walk through the housing estate I live on the edge of to the gym and found myself surprised by all the berries there were!

Today I went again and got my trusty phone out at each opportunity..

And to prove I really did go to the gym....

I think my new year resolution for 2012 will be the same as 2010 - time to find a race!

Walk around the block

Before the sun went down this evening we decided to go for a quick walk.  The afternoon was spent in a busy shopping centre so it was nice to get away from it all briefly.

New hat!