February came to an end...

...and we were awaiting the snow.

With warnings of the arrival of "The Beast from the East" we waited for the first flakes to fall.

On Monday 26 Feb public transport decided to stop services early and warned folk to plan their journeys accordingly and many British Rail companies serving the London area announced the introduction of 'Severe Weather Timetables' for the Tuesday.

Tuesday came and on my line the emergency time table worked well - but there was no snow!!! So late in the afternoon announcements were made that additional trains would run that evening and Wednesday we would be back on our normal timetable - fools...

This is what we woke to (photo heavy)...

 ...and this was my walk to the station...

 ...the road works relate to the re-commencement of Gas Main replacement (yep some bright spark thought it the perfect time to turn folks gas supply off - work started 26/3/18)...

 ...and guess what - no trains. Well not when they should have been...

 ...an hour & a quarter waiting for a train. No station staff to ask but there was entertainment...

 ...trees are being cleared to make way for an extension to the station buildings...

 ...and these two guys were a very long way up...

...and the snow started to fall more heavily - what fun (not).

I eventually got to work and the journey home that night wasn't too bad.

We didn't get levels of snow that some parts of the UK had but as usual, the South East doesn't cope well with the white stuff.

Parchment class was cancelled as Joanne wasn't able to get to Barleylands safely from where she lives but other than that not much was disrupted. By the following Monday most of the snow was gone. Little did we know that it was only gone for a short while.......................................

My Happy Place...

...in the Sun.

My lawn will never be a velvet green patch that could put a bowling green to shame. To be honest the lawn looks more like straw with a hint of green.

I don't have loads of flower beds abundant with colourful blooms. The yucca is likely to have a mass of white bell-like flowers later in the Summer but for now the only colour is the purple of a wild buddleia.

However, when Mother Nature sees fit to bless us with glorious blue skies...

 ...it seems a shame not to sit outside and make the most of the lovely weather.

Problem was, until last Friday the only seats I had in the garden were a rather uncomfortable bench and some plastic white chairs (fine for sitting at a table but not very comfortable to sit in for any length of time) which are actually a little too high for me as I'm only 5ft 4ins on a good day.

A couple of years ago I saw the perfect chair for me in a branch of The Range but the colours on offer were not to my taste. Then earlier this year I saw the same chairs in just the right shade for me - but by the time payday came around they had all gone. I was sure it was not to be but then last week they had some more in but I didn't have space in the car. It looked like I was going to miss out again.

Just on the off chance, I called into The Range on my way home from Barleylands on Friday and luck was on my side. A chair and table were soon making their way to my car in the car park but oh dear - the chair would not fit. A length of rope, and the tailgate left open  (I was determined to secure my purchase) and I headed home - at a rather gentle pace.
 
As you can see, the grass leaves a lot to be desired but I love my new seat and table....

 ...the seat is just the right height for me...

 ...and for a moulded resin chair it is wonderfully comfortable. The perfect place to sit with a cup of coffee...

 

 ...and enjoy a bit of crafting outside in the sunshine...

...in the ideal spot in the garden. The place where I've set my table & chair is in a part of the garden that gets the sun for most of the day and is quite secluded so no-one is overlooking.

My garden may not be the prettiest place in the world but I now have my own little "Happy place" where I can sit and enjoy the sunshine and while away a few happy hours.

I'm now on the look out for a sun umbrella in a matching or toning colour then everything will really be perfect..........................................................................

I told you...

...I had a busy weekend.

Despite parts of the UK having temps that were better than Jamaica, the weather over the Bank Holiday weekend wasn't that great - spells of heavy rain & thunder storms made it difficult to plan anything.

On Friday & Saturday the weather wasn't too much of an issue as I had craft classes. However, I really wanted to get my fence at the front of the house stained.

Due to the thunder storm Saturday evening, the fence wood was too wet to apply stain on Sunday so I concentrated on getting the washing & other household chores done. I was lucky, the rain held off until around 4pm so the washing dried and luckier still, the rain didn't last that long.

So Monday, bright & early, I was determined to get the fence done.

I had previously managed to get the front door painted as it is under the cover of the front porch area...

...and as you can see, it is now "Village Green". I used a satin exterior wood finish rather than a wet-look glossy finish.

Several hours later.

The front fence was changed from a tired "Red Cedar" colour to "Forest Green"...

 ...it looks a bit patchy here as it wasn't completely dry.
I'm very pleased with how it looks...

...and despite the initial doubts...

...I am loving the new colour.

The sky started to cloud over and rain had been forecast so I didn't get to do the front facing side of my back gate but I should get that done next weekend.

Now I just need the rain to hold off long enough so that the grass can get cut................................

Messing about...

...on the river - part 2.

Get those kettles on as here are the rest of the photos.

The Olympic stadium is now the home of West Ham United football club...

 ...but it remains one of the big venues for a variety of events held in London - there are a few BIG name concerts being held there over the Summer months as well as numerous sporting events.

 

Elsewhere in the park there is a lot of building going on...

...some is 'repurposing of buildings used during the Olympics...

 ...and much is new build.
The team were amazed at how much was going on...

 ...right on our working doorstep.
The river is beautifully maintained...

 ...which is a very different story to how it was found when development started...

...as this whole area had been a dumping ground for centuries due to its closeness to the City of London. Thousands of tons of contaminated ground had to be removed & cleansed whilst the river itself had to be cleared of thousands of shopping trolleys, cars and numerous in-exploded bombs from WWII.
Construction around the park is moving at a pretty rapid rate...

 ...and cranes  are everywhere on the skyline.
The Orbit was the end marker of our tour...

...and we headed back to the moorings. The park has a large number of sculptures...

 ...these are called "The Pencils" and mark the side of the waterway.
Back on the jetty we made sure we had details about coming events...

 ...and took a last few photos...

...and bid farewell to our guide...

 ...and skipper.
The Orbit was constructed especially for the Olympics and is a prominent feature in the park...

...it is one of the largest free-standing sculptures.
The edge of the park is still a massive building site...

 ...and this area is known as the International Quarter - many large businesses will be re-locating here from the City of London.
The Aquatic Centre is now a busy part of the community...

 ...standing next to the walkway that takes you into the par.
The view across the park towards London...

 ...is ever changing as new buildings join the skyline.
Everywhere is being maintained beautifully...

...and even the entrance into the Westfield shopping complex is beautifully planted.
The is "The Street"...

...original open to the sky, it has now been covered over so that folk can make use of the outside space despite the British weather.

We had a fabulous afternoon and we're all looking forward to the new tours that will be starting later in the year............................................................

This time a week ago...

...we were anticipating our team building event.

(Lots of photos so you might want to grab a cuppa).

Our office is just across the railway line from the Queen Elizabeth Park (Olympic park) and we had been planning on taking a river boat trip through the park since last year but by the time we had a date that everyone could make, the tours had closed for the Winter.

The tours reopened at Easter so we were able to organise our team outing.

We decided to cut through the residential area by the office rather than battle with the crowds in the Westfield Centre so this was the first view of the park from the road...

 ...the Olympic Stadium is now the home of West Ham United football club.
We go quite 'up close & personal' to the Orbit...

 ...which now has one of the longest slides wrapped around it (quite expensive and not something most of us would want to do).
We needed to be at the boat before the tour time to confirm numbers so some of us dashed ahead...

 ...the rest brought up the rear.
The boat moorings are in what is called "Waterworks River"...

 ...and easily accessible.
Whilst waiting for the others to catch-up, we spotted a mummy duck and her babies...

 ..."Dad" was waiting ahead of them and "Mum" was trying to ensure that all 11 of her brood were present & correct.
The tour boats can accommodate 60 people...

 ...there were 10 of us and we had the boat to ourselves.
Hot & cold drinks were available (including booze)...

...and although it was a lovely bright day, the wind had an edge to it - so tea & coffees all round.
The boat slowly makes its way through the park and there is a commentary about what is seen...

 ...and how the park has tried to be as eco-friendly as possible by providing nesting boxes for bother birds and bats in the underside of all the bridges that cross the river. Lots to see...

 ...and lots of interesting facts as we poodled along.
This is where the Waterworks River joins the River Lee...

...there is a lot of work going on around this lock and an extended tour will be available later this Summer.
Despite the horrid weather forecast we had a lovely time...

 ...and the sun was shining off the water.

 The amount of land cleansing and replanting that took place in the park is astounding...

 ...and at every point of the tour there was something to see...

...even these magnificent reed beds.

These photos take you to roughly the half-way point - I'll share some more photos tomorrow...............................................