Wild Life Park continued

So,

continuing with our trip to the Eifel Wild Life Park...

It looks as though Reuben is playing hide and seek with the deer.

Maybe he was.

It was quite a distance to walk all the way round,

and the path eventually led up a hill.

The quickest and most direct way down was by this:-

I thought I had persuaded Reuben to have a go on it with me.

But he changed his mind.

The playground suited him far better.

There was climbing,

more climbing,

or riding,

some ferrying back and to.

He gave the giant mushroom a miss.

But he sang all the way round on the horse.

There was also trampolines and dodgem cars

that he had multiple goes on,

and more animals,

before we made our way back to the car.

It was an enjoyable day out,

one we would do again,

maybe next year!

The next day we took a bicycle each and had a ride along the river,

first one way to Bernkastel where we had a drink and an ice cream.

Then we crossed over the river and cycled back on the other side,

taking shelter under a bridge half way back when it started to rain.

After a stop off at home for a breather and lunch,

we got on our bicycles again and cycled the other way.

No wonder we were tired after all that walking and cycling.

Two Lazy Days

The title of this post is somewhat misleading, as the photos here show anything but a lazy day, or two! The two lazy days that I am referring to are those that follow the very active day walking round a wild life park followed by a days cycling and I'm forgetting, before that, we had an unplanned walk up a hill to a castle.

It all began on Tuesday evening when my daughter, Siobhan, arrived with her son, Reuben. After picking them up at the airport, Reuben quickly reacquainted himself with the hounds. He became firm friends with Arthur who you can see here with Indie. Ignore the plant on the left, Danny has taken to eating the leaves off it.

The next day we had to stay close to home as Mike was away, and I had to get back for the hounds. What started off as a walk round Bernkastel, (which we've done lots of times before), we carried on up the main street, (which we haven't done before), crossed over the road and followed a very nice woodland path along the stream, up the hill, leading eventually to the castle at the top. We have been to the castle before, but not taking this route. It was very pleasant and picturesque. There was a lovely waterfall part way up that we took a short detour to. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me, so no photos.

 The next day was earmarked to visit a wild life park. We have been to two similar parks before. But this one was new to us. The car park was a little distance from the entrance, and once inside the park, Siobhan said that she thought we wouldn't be able to go out for the picnic that we had brought with us. It was in a cool bag, so not the easiest of things to carry round with us. Though we did notice some lockers! Never mind, we set off to discover what the park had in store for us. There were various attractions for Reuben to have a go on.

I do like the photo above. It may not be in focus, but it exudes happiness.

I even joined in when we got to the boat lake. I notice from this photo that my hair needs cutting. 

Eventually, we got to see some animals.

The wolves,

and the animals that Siobhan and Reuben especially wanted to see,

the bears.

It was quite a distance to walk round, but Reuben had energy for climbing.

The weather was lovely, warm and sunny, but not too hot. These are only half the photos that I've picked out to share. I'll be back tomorrow with the rest, now I have some gardening to do. I think I can manage that after doing very little over the last two days.

Birthday Wishes

Happy Birthday to my lovely Grandson who is nine today!


Still no photos, what a shame. I must try to get that fixed.


A birthday treat for me today as well. 'Love Patchwork and Quilting' arrived direct to my door. A birthday present from my daughter, son, grandson and relative partners. What a lovely thoughtful gift. It's brought a smile to my face, and will do so every month I'm sure.


Now I'm off to try and 'fix' the photo issue. Or shall I read the new issue of 'Love Patchwork & Quilting, hmmmm?

A Cold Snap

I took this photo a while back. After having an incredibly mild winter, Mike passed a comment about how we hadn't had a winter. Shortly afterwards we had some frosty mornings. Then about two weeks ago we had a light dusting of snow which has lingered until now in places. And from then on it has just got very cold. There is even ice on the river.

Yesterday afternoon it snowed again. It was bitterly cold when I took the hounds out for their afternoon walk, and there were light flakes of snow. At teatime when I looked out of the window it had snowed properly, not deep, but a proper fall, covering all the surrounding roads. Fortunately, that has thawed in todays sunshine. Last night when I took the hounds out for their walk before bedtime, the moon was full, and even though it was cloudy, it cast a light which together with the snow, made it almost as light as day. I was able to see the surrounding hillsides, right to the top and the other side of the river too. Magical.

Mike flew to the UK yesterday morning, so it's me and the hounds keeping warm together. Mike is keeping his eye on the weather forecast, and told me it is forecast for -20 at the weekend!

Thank you for all your good wishes regarding Rufus. The vet gave him some painkillers, and he seems comfortable. He has a very healthy appetite, his coat is soft and healthy. He doesn't appear to be ill at all. He's usually on the sofa next to me when I'm on the computer. I have to type one handed as he objects when I stop stroking him.

Thank you also for your birthday wishes for my grandson. When I talked to him on the phone, he was most impressed when I told him that people from all round the world wished him a happy birthday.

Mike has the camera with him. So I've been looking to see what photos I can use while he's away. I have one or two already lined up for future posts.

Well it's coming up to afternoon walk time. I need to make sure I get out with the hounds while the sun is still shining. At the moment they are all enjoying an afternoon snooze. Hope you are staying warm where you are.



Turrets

Yesterday I did a post about my grandson's birthday and used some photos from last year when he and his mum visited us. I hadn't shown these photos previously, which is a shame as we had some lovely visits out and about and took (as usual), loads of photos. So here are more photos from the visit we made to Eltz Castle.

The only disappointment was that they were doing some work on the outside of the castle which spoiled it's appearance. However, it may have spoiled the initial views of the castle, but it couldn't detract from the rest of the visit.

It's a typical fairy tale castle. It's quite small. I get the impression that German people are very proud of this castle. It is privately owned and I think the family live there. We had a guided visit inside the castle, but of course I wasn't allowed to take any photos. The inside is as impressive as it is from the outside.

The reason for making the visit in the first place, was because my daughter remembered visiting the castle as a child with my parents, her brother and me. She had some fond memories of the visit and the holiday. I remember walking along the river to get to the castle and walking through hoards of butterflies. I've never seen so many altogether before or since.

It was a lovely day out. It was quite a hot day, and a paddle in the river below would have been nice, but the effort of walking down to it and then back up would have defeated the purpose of cooling off, so we gave it a miss.

It's such a lovely place to visit, I would certainly go again.

Seven Up

A very Happy Birthday to my Grandson!

Seven years old today!

I can't be with my grandson today, but I'm sure he's enjoying his special day.

The photos I've used on today's post were all taken last June when my daughter and her son visited us here in Germany. I was very proud of my daughter for making the visit as she isn't a keen air traveller. In fact she's had to overcome a fear of flying to make these visits, all the more remarkable that she makes them with her young son. And of course I was very pleased and happy to see them both, excited even. Yes I do still get excited at my age, especially if it's to do with seeing the family.

 The first two photos were taken on a local visit, but these two were taken on a day trip to Eltz Castle.
A great day out.

Maybe I will celebrate an unbirthday day with my grandson this June, or the next time I see him. It will certainly be worth celebrating whenever it is.

Book Love

My Grandson loves books.

Last week we went to choose some books for his Christmas present.

We did the same last year.

He will be seven in January

and is progressing from the picture books to the smaller books

with less pictures and more writing.

In fact when he visited us a couple of months ago

it was the smaller books he brought with him.

So he's been reading them for a while.

He likes mysteries

and you can see him here reading the first book in

Enid Blyton's the Secret Seven Series.

Today he will be the narator in his school play.

What an honour!

I'm just sorry that I'm not there to see him.

While I was over in the north east staying with a friend

she invited me to her great niece's first birthday party.

I chose a book as a present.

I forgot to take a photo of it before I wrapped it up.

The book is called

'The Pig's Knicker's'

and was illustrated by my blog friend

Vanessa.

It's a colourful book

with lovely illustrations.

You can see it here.

I love books,

don't you?



Blogtoberfest~ Frolicking Horses

Aren't these horses lovely?

Shame about the line across their faces,

but I just couldn't get above the fence

to take a decent photo.

But still, they're sweet don't you think?

These photos were taken Thursday morning

as I walked the hounds myself

while Mike was away.

You can see the mist behind the horses

above the river. 

This is the first frosty morning we've had.

Maybe it was the frost that was making the horses

frisky when I arrived.

I wasn't quite quick enough with the camera

to get a photo of them both

rearing up together

almost in a hug.

As we approached

they settled down

and came over to see the hounds.

When we continued

I looked across

to my left

and saw this chap in the field.

Can you just about see him?

A fox.

He saw us.

He stopped what he was doing

and took a good long look at us

before continuing to sniff around

and moving off into the vineyards.

The leaves on the vines are changing colour quite rapidly now.

They look a beautiful golden colour

in the sunshine,

especially when viewed

from higher up the valley.

I've taken the camera out

on walks

several times now,

only to take a photo

and it not work.

The batteries are not holding a charge.

So I've missed a number of nice shots.

Thank you for all your good wishes regarding my grandson.

He had his tonsils removed,

and after an overnight stay in hospital,

is back home.

I've spoken to him a couple of times on the phone,

and he's doing very well.

He sounds a bit croaky

and his throat is painful of course.

But hopefully it will be better soon.

I've been slipping behind a bit with Blogtoberfest,

but lots of other people are still going strong.

You can see who they are by visiting Tinnie Girl.

Happy 5th Birthday...

... to my Grandson.

I had planned to be with him tonight,

but plans were changed due to the weather.

However it sounded as though he was enjoying himself

when I phoned earlier tonight.

Here's the boy himself a month ago when I visited the UK before Christmas.

I expect there's been lots of happy smiles today.

As for me,

I have spent my creative time today

working on my longstanding hexagon quilt.

Nothing to show for it here as not a stitch was sewn,

just templates being removed in order to reuse them in other parts of the quilt.

I have posted about it before.

Maybe this will be the year that it actually starts to take shape

at long last.

After all,

it has been around a lot longer than my Grandson!

A to Z Monday~ Letter D

It has been
a Dull,
Dismal,
Drippy Day.
But that has only been the weather!
It was cold as well when my sister and I took a trip into the Lake District.
I haven't felt so cold in a long while
and that includes being in Sweden when it can regularly Drop below freezing in the winter.
But this was a Damp cold.
This was the sort of cold that gets through your clothes,
and into your bones,
into your soul.
Making me,
feel very cold.
But not to worry,
it's nice to get out and go for a walk
even though everywhere was grey.
I took some photos to show you.
But I haven't managed to download them yet.
But my Daughter came to the rescue
and emailed me some photos to show you.
Because I needed something for the letter D.
How about a Donkey?




Well it's my grandson in
Disguise.
He was a Donkey in his school play that I went to see.
I think he enjoyed himself.

He is only 4 years old.

It was his first experience of being in a school production.

He likes Dressing up.

His Mum,

clever girl that she is,

made him this costume

so he could go and see the film 'where the wild things are'

Dressed as one of the characters, Max.

People were saying how cute he looked.

The photos I have taken while I've been here in the UK

may have to wait till I get back to Germany

to be downloaded so I can show you.

Something to look forward to.

But for more A-Z fun pop over to Jen's.

The Joys of Modern Day Travel

My daughter has just rang to tell me that their Easy Jet flight to Stansted was delayed by 3 hours therefore meaning that they would miss their Ryanair flight to Sweden. Which means they are not coming now.
I am gutted. But I feel it much more for my children and grandson. We had been looking forward to this visit since they booked it in June, and it made my move over here easier knowing that it wouldn't be too long before I saw them again.

Falling

It's been a bit windy here over the weekend, and it's been blowing the leaves off the trees. Unfortunately I didn't manage to get any photos of the leaves being blown off the trees which was a shame as it was like snow when they fell.






This tree reminds me of a ballerina somehow. Perhaps because of it's upright posture and it's outstretched branches, as though it's twirling round. And in twirling round it's shaken all it's leaves loose.

This is taken from the same spot but looking towards the forest.

Brown grasses over by the barn.

I think I like this picture not only for the blue sky but for the difference in the colour of the two trees.

The leaves on the trees were n't the only things that were falling down. On Friday whilst out with the dogs for their first walk of the day I took a tumble. I had all 3 dogs on leads walking through the forest. Jewel had stopped for a moment and when she resumed her walk, she didn't carry on walking but launched herself off into the air and then lurched forward taking me with her. She does this from time to time, I think she just gets excited. Mike nicknames her exocet as she is like a missile when she does this. Only this time, being early in the morning and lost in my thoughts as to how I was going to spend the day, she took me by surprise. I was stood on a small rise and had further to fall. I landed on some soft peaty earth but my left hand was doubled up under me and quite painful. Jewel had broke free from my grasp and was stood a little way off looking a bit unsure, she'd probably got a shock at me falling over and yelling out. I gathered up the leads as best I could and hobbled back to the house. Fortunately we had not got far. Back at the house I nursed my wrist wrapping it in a cold compress and then used a towel as a bandage. Eventually the pain eased, but I was left unable to do very much for the rest of the day. So any plans I had been making were left undone. I spent the day feeling sorry for myself with just the dogs for company and no one else to help out. Just the smallest everyday things proved harder and slower to do. Still I was able to loose myself in Blogland.

However today I'm on the mend and I even managed to make a coffee cake with the help of my Robot Chef.

Well I needed a tasty treat!

I've even managed to use my left hand to help type this post, but not without some discomfort. Time to call a halt though. Tomorrow I will try to drive the car. I'm not sure how I will manage to change gear. But I need to be able to drive on Wednesday so I can go to the airport and collect my daughter, son and grandson who are coming to stay for a week. I'm looking forward to having them here.

Beach Days

Well today has been a better day weatherwise. This picture is good at showing the sky and how lovely the weather has been, if a little windy. My friend was taking a picture of me, supposedly!

This one is better. We had a lovely walk on the beach with Paddy, Jewel and Rufus, our Greyhounds. More of them another time.



What was amazing was , it's a Saturday in the middle of the school holidays, the weather is lovely, and the beach was deserted. I've had several visits to the beach of late and it's not unusual.


Here we are at the end of our walk. Each of the dogs had a run on the beach today. That's not always possible as two of them are likely to go chasing other dogs if there's any to be seen.

Butter wouldn't melt in their mouths.

This is a photo taken last week when I looked after my grandson for a day. We had a lovely time at the beach, digging holes, making sandcastles, singing, and then he set off for a run. It was a job keeping up with him. Perhaps I should call him Forest after Forest Gump.

Run Forest, run!