Saturday, September 16, 2023

The Sibs go South (well, three of them do)

I've been living it up with my sibs, which is why I have not posted.

Usually we meet up and stay together in Wensleydale, which is where our parents used to live, and where my brother Jonty still lives. This time we all went to stay with my sister Jen who lives with her husband in a village near Winchester. Jonty, Kath and I drove down south together, and Pete was over from Belgium.

We call my younger sister 'generous Jen.' She is a wonderful hostess, a terrific cook, and the home she has created is so attractive, tasteful and comfortable it could be a star feature in Country Living. Not for her an indoor workshop calling itself “a study,” or power tools kept in the bedroom because “they would go rusty in the shed.” Not for her rooms with old bits of carpet put down to catch the splashes of paint. Not for her, a jar of house paint brushes on the kitchen window sill because “it's a handy place to keep them.”

We had a wonderful time catching up. 


Pete, Jonty, me and Kath
Jen is on the left - she doesn't like having her photo taken.
Photo by Tony


I am so so lucky to have such a loving family who are also a lot of fun. During the day we were out and about in Winchester and Hampshire - where the trees are stately and lovely and the waterways are crystal clear. 


Feeding the trout

Looking for trout

Admiring yet another beautifully clear chalkstream


And we played Rummikub and hilarious games of no-holds-barred Cheat after tea. (Oops - I should say supper: it was down south.) 

One day we went to to the beach:      

photo by Jen


photo by Jen





And I was delighted when Jonty agreed with me that the water was far too warm to be resisted.



The other sibs call this shot "The Bodyguard"
photo by Jen


photo by Jen

Proof!
photo by Jen

They are all keen ornithologists, whereas I am not. But I did enjoy seeing some beautifully marked starlings who came to visit at lunchtime. One or two even fed from Jonty's hand.






I'm now back home and dying to get back to painting, but there are a lot of jobs in the garden that need attending to. I've made a list and will try to work through it this week, in between everything else in my diary. 

My siblings are stoical types, like Ma, and it's made me question my blogging habits again.  I may be nearing the end.


P.S.  Almost forgot…Jen even found time to give my hair a trim:







                                              



4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I was wondering where you were! Glad you've been busy having fun! Hope you decide to keep blogging, I enjoy your honest account of a life well lived. Sally 😊

marmee said...

Lovely sue!! Although I was a teeny bit disappointed ...the title made me think of an Enid Blyton book and so I was expecting that you would be shipwrecked somewhere??!

Sue Hepworth said...

Thank you for your kind comment, Sally.

Marmee, I can’t imagine what was in your mind!

Anonymous said...

I looked up stoical and have been mulling it over. Why change now is my conclusion? Just as well we are all different or it would be a boring old world.
Always glad to catch up with your news, lovely photos as ever

Jenetta