Hello! Lovely to see you, and thank-you very much indeed for popping in :). Yes, I am still alive, and very pleased to have weathered the summer and ready to share in Julie's wonderful Month In Numbers for August ...
I think I can truthfully say it has been busy: 7 weekends of delightful visitors and guests, and nearly 2 glorious weeks with our lovely son, daughter-in-law and their Littlies back home with us. So here are this summer's ...
Though in reality there are 5, of course: but at the age of 90, Dad couldn't quite manage the swings after our 3 hospital visits, 2 eye clinics and his 1st lot of cataract surgery (outcome, alas, disappointing for him). But a happy weekend for him with my brother for company allowed us to make a 320 mile round trip to an almost deserted Welsh mountainside where, having snaked our way up valley roads so narrow that the trees brushed the car on either side, we found ourselves ...
Not, mind you, that we were alone! For the occasion was Himself's Family Reunion, a 72 hour affair this year, with over 420 individual plates of food made, 23 bottles of wine consumed, a 7 mile walk to the nearest waterfall, all for our ...
And a special mention to our wonderful nephews who selflessly covered 330 miles to bring their dad from his nursing home just for the day so he could be together with all his brothers and sisters for the first time in years. Meandering home from over 1005 feet above sea-level, we tumbled down to a 900 year-old town in Shropshire with over 450 listed buildings, and clutch of triffid-like ...
Hot-foot, there was the desktop crash, 11 days if no Internet access and a whole new world of laptops with which to get to grips. Shifting stuff from one large electronic place to a slim and streamlined one morphed into a determined physical clear-out of over 20 years of materials from a previous career (ending up feeling so wired, I was unable to sleep properly for 4 nights!). Still, the 5 trips to the household amenity site, along with 3 evenings of paper combustion in the woodburner (suddenly unseasonably but usefully cold outside), and 15 bags of books delivered to the local charity shops did the trick - though in the light of an upcoming Bloggers' Weekend, I am holding on to this 13 inch-high stack of ...
Feeling energised and happy to be back, and looking forward to a fruitful autumn! With warmest regards to you all, and I will be popping in to see you very soon - did I mention the unread 462 posts awaiting in my Feedly reader?
the swing photo is fantastic and looks like they were all having fun - what a busy month
Posted by: Helena | Wednesday, 03 September 2014 at 12:29 PM
Blimey you have been busy - must have been a wonderful summer with all those family reunions. I recognise a lot of those gorgeous books in your stack, I think I own most of them myself too lol. Good to see you back blogging :) Pxx
Posted by: Paul B | Wednesday, 03 September 2014 at 01:22 PM
My goodness, you have been busy! Looks like you have had a wonderful summer.
Posted by: Becky | Wednesday, 03 September 2014 at 03:34 PM
Those are some great numbers for what looks like really great times! I love the first photo as well!
Posted by: Nathalie | Wednesday, 03 September 2014 at 04:37 PM
Busy times. Both the fun and the exhausting kind. What a great numerical round up. A joy to see you pop up in my Feedly this afternoon, Alexa x
Posted by: Fiona@staring at the sea | Wednesday, 03 September 2014 at 04:51 PM
ha alexa...I see your four best men!! It looks like you have been enjoying yourself. The family member collage is great, it gives us a real snippet of your time together x x Enjoy your bloggers weekend too x
Posted by: Louise | Wednesday, 03 September 2014 at 07:18 PM
It looks as though your summer was splendid filled with family and fun, excepting perhaps the forced technology change-up. 15 bags of books, oh my goodness, I'm sure the charity shop was thrilled, as will be a few crafty gals. Here's hoping your autumn is lovely too.
Posted by: Susanne | Wednesday, 03 September 2014 at 10:09 PM
Sounds like a lovely August, lots of family time! Great to see you back.
Posted by: linda | Wednesday, 03 September 2014 at 10:29 PM
It's good to see you back xx
Posted by: Andie | Wednesday, 03 September 2014 at 10:31 PM
Always glad to see you pop up in my Feedly! You've had quite the summer. The family reunion looks fabulous, and it appears that it's been quite a wonderful summer. Time with family trumps everything for me!
Posted by: Karen Walker | Wednesday, 03 September 2014 at 11:23 PM
Love reading your month in numbers! Quite a time and fun adventures. So glad to see you back. Missed you. Sorry your Dad's cataract surgery wasn't as successful. Enjoy your new stack of books. Some I have read. Looks like a great selection.
Cheers~
Posted by: Honoré | Thursday, 04 September 2014 at 03:12 AM
So glad to hear form you again. It's certainly been busy for you. The family reunion sounds like a wonderful time.
Posted by: Melissa | Thursday, 04 September 2014 at 04:58 AM
What a lot of lovely family related busyness..it warms the heart to hear the lengths everyone was going to to get together.
And what a collection of books. That stack would look good piled up beside my bed! Are you having another bloggers weekend? That's something nice to look forward to
It's good to see a post from you pop up in my Reader this morning :)
Posted by: Sian | Thursday, 04 September 2014 at 08:49 AM
good to see you and all your wonderful photos and read your witty recount of your Summer.... see you next week xxx
Posted by: furrypig | Thursday, 04 September 2014 at 09:35 AM
It really does sound like you had a busy, and happy, summer. I love the index card presentation of this post and all the colorful photos, especially the one where the family reunion was held. That looks amazing!
Posted by: Wanda | Thursday, 04 September 2014 at 11:20 AM
Wow! Alexa, that is a serious list of numbers. It looks like you had a fab time at the reunion. I love the happiness in all your photos. I can't wait to see you next week!
Posted by: Abi | Thursday, 04 September 2014 at 11:46 AM
I immediately wondered 4, shouldn't that be 5! :) This may be the biggest lot of numbers I have ever seen and it is perfectly done. I cherish family reunions and am so glad the brother in law was able to be with his siblings.
Posted by: Beverly Edwards | Thursday, 04 September 2014 at 02:26 PM
Oh, Alexa, it is so lovely to catch up with you! What a wonderful summer you've had with so many family get-togethers! So sorry to hear your dad's cataract surgery didn't go well. My Mama had cataract surgery on one last week & the other one today - so far it's been very successful. Hope you are having a lovely week & gearing up for a fantastic fall!!
Posted by: Melissa Gross | Thursday, 04 September 2014 at 03:04 PM
What a wonderful summer you've had then! Love all the happy family get-togethers! And that stack of books... I own at least four of them.
Posted by: Cheri | Thursday, 04 September 2014 at 04:53 PM
Goodness, what a wonderful August you had! I love the swing photo.
Posted by: Ruth | Friday, 05 September 2014 at 10:40 AM
welcome back! what a lovely post...so many delightful photos and memories from the month! it's funny, many times when you post I forget you live in a different country...but that Shropshire photo and the 10' tall hollyhocks reminded me!
Posted by: Mary | Friday, 05 September 2014 at 11:09 AM
Family reunion you say? It looks like you created your own summertime *festival* there! What a lot of colour and companionship and stories no doubt! And those views ... it looks like it will all have done you the world of good.
I'm pleased you've been surrounded by family - you give so much you deserve to be lifted by all those who love you.
Thanks for finding time to join me and to share your moments and lovely photos Alexa.
Your August is pinned to the Month in Numbers board with those from all the other documenters-of-digits here: http://pinterest.com/notesonpaper/my-month-in-numbers/
Here's to a happy-September ahead!
Julie x
Posted by: Julie Kirk | Friday, 05 September 2014 at 12:35 PM
Great to have you back :)
Thats certainly one hell of a fabulous summer you had there x
Posted by: sheena x | Friday, 05 September 2014 at 05:26 PM
Wow, that looks like a lovely summer with so many family together :-)
Posted by: Jen Hart | Friday, 05 September 2014 at 10:46 PM
Love the numbers this month - so full of love and hope and happiness!
Looking forward to giving you a big HUG soon!
Posted by: Jemma @ Just-Jimjams | Friday, 05 September 2014 at 11:43 PM
What a busy Summer you have had and full of lovely things. A really lovely read this too. Great to have you back in blog land x
Posted by: Julia Heald | Sunday, 07 September 2014 at 06:54 PM
So glad to see you again! sending some Welsh cwtches because I have missed you. Your family reunion looks fantastic. I am just in the process of making the invitations for our next get together. There have been five new babies in the family in the last year and it is essential that they are brought out for all to see and admire. How can these little ones know where they come from if they never meet their cousins?
Oh I am so glad to see you! I have a big grin on my face, isn't that funny?
Posted by: Ladkyis | Sunday, 07 September 2014 at 08:54 PM
Oh, my, what a wonderful - and busy! - month.
Posted by: Prairie Jill | Monday, 08 September 2014 at 04:12 AM
What a clever idea! I see a mini-book in those tabbed pages. It sounds like you had a lovely time!! And, nothing better than free books!
Posted by: SueTR | Monday, 08 September 2014 at 06:09 PM
So glad to see you in my feedly today. How lovely to read your numbers in such a gorgeous post I love a family reunion it lifts my spirits so much. A bloggers weekend sounds lovely... have fun x
Posted by: Miriam | Monday, 08 September 2014 at 06:11 PM
Wow, you have such a way with words (and numbers lol)! Very interesting and entertaining reading, as always. Glad you got the computer situation sorted - don't think I could cope without the internet for 11 days!
Posted by: Michele | Monday, 15 September 2014 at 01:50 PM
Sounds like an eventful and mostly fun summer. Well done on the book sorting too :) I'm afraid my Feedly list went into four figures and I've marked all as read...
Posted by: Missus Wookie | Tuesday, 16 September 2014 at 08:17 PM