In Memory Of A Friend & The Loss Of A Teenage Heart-throb...

Hello from the Hovel...I apologise now if this post seems a bit sad but then again it is also a celebration of someone's life and the mark they made on my life....

Today marks the anniversary of the loss of a dear friend and neighbour, Rob Gray. Technically it is March 1st but with it being a Leap Year Rob's first anniversary of his passing falls on today....

Rob seen here with his wife Jen...

Rob was only 47 when he died following a long illness. He was an amazing, funny and genuine guy and he and Jen were a fantastic couple. I so admired Jen's strength and grace. Thinking of you both today.....

One of the floral tributes at Rob's funeral...

Another floral tribute...yes he loved his bikes...

I often wondered why funeral has the word fun at the begining!!!!!

R.I.P. dear Rob.....

Davy Jones as I remember him...

And today also brought some news that was a shock....Davy Jones died following a heart attack aged 66....
I was merrily writing about Leap Year on my other blog Away With The Faerys when my husband calmly proclaimed 'Oh yes, I forgot to tell you Davy Jones has died today'....I was shocked, he was my heart-throbe from when I was a wee lass, well a young 12 year old. The Monkees, especially Davy Jones, are part of my memories when growing up. I can remember my friend Linda and I sitting in the park talking about The Monkees. I liked Davy Jones and she liked Peter Tork, and as young girls do, we talked about saving our money to travel to America to meet them...lol..Oh to have that innocence and faith again....

I watched each episode of The Monkees religiously and bought albums of their music, which I still have. One of my all time favourites was, and still is, Daydream Believer....Whenever I hear a track from The Monkees I am that young girl again and smile at the dreams my friend and I had...

He never lost his youthful charm and it is so sad that another talent has left us too soon. R.I.P. Davy Jones, you were part of my youth and always will be...

The Monkees...Mike Nesmith, Davy Jones, Peter Tork and Micky Dolenz...

Now onto a lighter note. Memories may take you back to your youth, and for a moment in time you may be a young girl again, but today I am a proud nana.....I love this photo of my two oldest grandees Dylan and Korenza. Taken when they were staying with recently, adorable...

Until next time, take care...Hugs Chrissy xx

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'You can shed tears that he is gone. Or you can smile because he lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that he will come back,

Or you can open your eyes and see all that he has left'
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Happy 3rd Birthday To My Grandson Dylan....

Hello everyone, thanks for dropping by at The Hovel on this special day.....my grandson Dylan's third birthday. Hard to believe that it's three years since this little one entered the world seven weeks premature. And thanks to the excellent staff at Truro hospital, he survived to be the beautiful boy he is today.....

I would also like to say thank you to all of you who have visited my blog, I cannot believe that over 20,000 of you have done so. I appreciate it....

Dylan on the day he was born, February 26 2009

Dylan on his first birthday 2010

Dylan looking far away on his second birthday with his sister Korenza

And as we see today, my grandson enjoying his birthday tea. He had spent the morning with his mummy & his other nana had made a birthday cake. At home he enjoyed a cheesecake, having blown the candles out first....


I know he had a super day because we went to see him earlier and he loved the prezzies we gave him. Unfortunately my camera battery went dead so I could not download the photos to show you.....but we have another birthday next month for my youngest grandee Blake, who will be one on March 20th...

Dylan, wearing his 'Prince's' jacket, Blake & Korenza...I must remember not to give Korenza chocolate before I take a photo..lol..


The week before last I had Korenza and Dylan staying with me. We had so many things planned to do with them, hubby taking time off work to do so. But alas my two grandees were very poorly and so was hubby. A very tiring week ending with my hubby Andy collasping in the early hours of Sunday morning, so the GP was called for. It was a very scary moment but Andy seems ok now...and yes, you've guessed it, the grandees went home Sunday teatime and by Monday morning there was one very poorly nana. Lost my hearing again and I am on antibiotics....

But I enjoyed having Korenza and Dylan and as they started to recover I managed to take them out for walks to our local Mill Pond and park....

Dylan's not so sure....

Korenza's more chilled...

Dylan being brave on the slide...

Dylan loves watching the ducks and swans...

A final run-around for Dylan and Korenza before we head for home...

You may wonder why I'm showing you this...well Dylan wanted a rest after running around so he sat on the stone and then proceeded to roll backwards and ended up in the plant behind. Fortunately the plant wasn't flattened and yes I did laugh..lol..

Today is also my brother Michael's 65th birthday so a Happy Birthday to my bro. Hope he had a super day because I was not able to visit him as he lives a few hundred miles away.....

Michael seen here with his wife Brigida in 2006

So two very special men in my life share the same birthday...much love to them both.....

Until next time, take care...Hugs Chrissy xx

Happy Valentine's Day...And Happy Wedding Anniverasry & Birthday To Me....

Yes, three celebrations for me today... A wedding anniversary on my birthday and Valentine's Day. Hubby Andy and me have been married sixteen years (yes I've applied for parole..lol..) and my age today...put it this way, it's a lot more than 16..lol..

Hope you all enjoyed a special day. Ours didn't go as planned, that of lunch with the family and out and about......

We picked our two eldest grandchildren up yesterday to spend a few days with us. We had lots planned for them but sadly they came poorly with shocking coughs. My granddaughter is coughing as I write this. Both started colds this morning along with my hubby, aka as 'man-flu'....I didn't get much sleep last night due to the little ones having disturbed sleep with their coughing. Hubby, bless him, took the children for a ride around this afternoon so I could have a nap.....

So a night of romance and dinning was out of the question for this middle-aged couple due to colds and tiredness.....

So Birthday Girl has been nurse and housekeeper today....ha well, always next year God willing....

Until next time, take care...Hugs Chrissy xx

Happy Birthday Hubby Andy

Just a quick hello to wish my husband Andy a Happy 54th Birthday....We had a busy day driving to Barnstaple, Devon, and back to look at the car. Before heading back home however we did have a lovely meal to celebrate his birthday but more importantly because we were hungry...lol...Off to bed now because we have to be up early to travel nearly five hours on a train to go and collect the car...yawn...Lots of love to my hubby...



Until next time, take care...Hugs Chrissy xx

More Car Trouble............

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What is it with cars and The Hovel?....Oh, hello there, thanks for dropping by. Yes, car trouble visits us again...It's my hubby's birthday tomorrow and having recieved the money from his insurance company he chose to spend his day driving to Kettering, Northamptonshire....Why so far? Well, he was successful with bidding for a Chrysler Voyager on ebay, which happened to be there. He had just paid for the hire of a car when he recieved a text message from the seller to say the car had broken down so was no longer available!!!!!!!!! Needless to say hubby wasn't a happy chap. Having just paid £124.00 pounds for the hire car you can imagine....but the upside is at least he wasn't driving it home when it broke down...So a quick look around on the web was called for and we are off to Barnstaple, Devon, tomorrow to look at another one. Why waste the half tank of fuel and the use of a car that we have paid for....Lets hope the weather is ok so we can at least enjoy the day out. Although it's warmer here it is raining....

At least we are alive to tell the tale....February 4 is also the anniversary of the passing of some celebrities (my, it feels like a Obitury Blog sometimes..lol..)...

Karen Anne Carpenter ~ March 2, 1950 – February 4, 1983 ~ was an American singer and drummer. She and her brother, Richard, formed the 1970s duo The Carpenters

Wladziu Valentino Liberace ~ May 16, 1919 – February 4, 1987 ~
best known simply as Liberace, was a famous American pianist and vocalist

Ossie Davis (Raiford Chatman Davis) ~ December 18, 1917 – February 4, 2005 ~

was an American film actor, director, poet, playwright, writer, and social activist.
Ossie Davis at the 1963 Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C.

February 4 and December 1 is also known as Rosa Parks Day.....

Rosa Parks with Dr. Martin Luther King jr. 1955

Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was born in Tuskegee, Alabama on February 4, 1913 and died on October 24, 2005...

It was on December 1, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, that she refused to obey bus driver James F. Blake's order that she give up her seat to make room for a white passenger. It was not the first time that others had done similar but it was Rosa's actions that sparked Montgomery Bus Boycott...

This act of defiance became an important symbol of the modern Civil Rights Movement and Rosa became an international icon....

Rosa Parks Day was created by the California State Legislature and first celebrated February 4, 2000....

What an amazing, brave woman with a gentle presence who made a difference....

Until next time, take care...Hugs Chrissy xx

Happy Groundhog Day and Welcome Spring.....

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Happy Groundhog Day to the people of Canada and USA, hope the day is not too cold!!!!!! It's freezing here in Cornwall, saw an icicle this morning, first one for a while......

Well did the Groundhog predict a early spring or will this winter weather continue?

Groundhog Day is celebrated each year on February 2 in USA and Canada. It was in 1887 that a group of groundhog hunters from Punxsutawney (PA) created the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. And as a result a groundhog was named 'Punxsutawney Phil' and declared an "official" weather-predicting groundhog. Each year since that time February 2nd has been a celebrated holiday and when a groundhog emerges from his burrow a weather predition is 'made'. If the weather is cloudy then spring will come early. However, if it is sunny then the groundhog will see his shadow and retreat back into his burrow, which is an indication that the winter weather will continue for another six weeks......

Statue of groundhog Wiarton Willie in Wiarton, Ontario

As we all know this day was seen in the 1993 film Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray and Andee MacDowell


And what did 'Punxsutawney Phil' predict this year? Well according to The Washington Post there is six more weeks of winter weather......and judging by today's weather and the forecast for the next week here in the UK, I can well believe that...brrrrrrrrr....

Queen Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria ~ 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901 ~)

February 2nd also sees another anniversary and that is of the funeral of Queen Victoria, who was buried this day in 1901. After being queen for 63 years, seven months and two days, Victoria was laid to rest wearing a white dress and her wedding veil. There were many mementos laid with her...one of Albert's dressing gowns with a plaster cast of his hand laid by her side. While in her left hand, and concealed by a bunch of flowers, was a lock of John Brown's hair and a picture of him. Among the jewellery items placed on her body was a wedding ring belonging to John Brown's mother, which he gave to Queen Victoria in 1883....

After two days lying-in-state she was interred with Prince Albert in Frogmore Mausoleum at Windsor Great Park. As Queen Victoria was laid to rest it began to snow....

I think it was fitting that items belonging to both Albert and John were placed in her coffin. Both Albert and John were important to her, one through marriage and one through friendship.....

Until next time, take care...Hugs Chrissy xx