Monday 13 January 2014

Ghostly reappearance from under the dustsheets, or perhaps via the Ghostly Escalator ...


... just in time to celebrate moving into my sixth year of blogging – which seems somewhat amazing to me ... I had no idea of the journey I was embarking on ...

to me!

... and a birthday today ... c’est la vie ...  another anno domini has passed me by!


The landlady has had some work done on my flat (apartment) and I’ve needed to live here while it’s going on – 

- now to remember what’s underneath those spreading splattered, dusty sheets ... the week ahead will be the big reveal – can I remember being a year older?! 

Ghostly tube sign

Ghostly escalators crept into the equation ... as my week was curtailed to expeditions ... ie escaping the noise and dust ...


... a visit to London was on the cards ... to see these disappearing escalators, whose innards were exposed for public viewing ... well I couldn’t find them!

Notice around the tube ... letting us
know that the Northern and
Bakerloo line services will rush by -
ghostly escalators will be replaced!

I collared a station line supervisor ... he looked at me in blank amazement ... he had no idea, and we wandered up and down a little, then he sent me off to the ‘super’s office’ ...


... stunned silence there ... they get strange requests, but not like this ... she walked me around too – but no joy ... so hence the title of the post “Ghostly escalators” ... 

Looking through the window to the ghostly
escalators that I could not find!
c/o Ian Visits Blog

... now they are blanked off, so I will never see them ... however there are workings within the Lloyds Building nearby ... but I didn’t have that much time ... another day I shall return: as I have to see those innards now!


Grey takes over ... the grey cells aren’t working so well, the hairs that are generously (not so in my case!) growing are now definitely pale silver ... ghostly escalators aren’t there ... then there’s a melting tube train – but that’s in its frozen state in Sweden ...

I now know where the Northern line tube went - a blog
hop across to Sweden and the IceHotel
c/o Ian Visits Blog

The IceHotel – the coolest place to stay in Sweden – yelping huskies haul you to the IceHotel ... it is 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle ... the musher’s voice calling low, guttural commands to his scampering dogs ...


... 90 minutes later they arrive at the IceHotel created each winter from ice and snow at a cost of more than £1 million, it simply melts each spring, a million pounds down the plughole ...


The River Torne - where the IceHotel
is to be found near the Norwegian border ..
which flows into the Gulf of Bothnia,
an arm of the Baltic Sea
... guests come to spend a night at sub-zero temperatures (I know you Americans won’t want to join in!) ... but this year there’s a Northern Line tube room ... when they’ve had their fill of a frozen Tube, they can move across, gratefully, into warmer rooms ...


... so the Ghosts of Escalators, Icy Tube Trains, the grey ghostly scenery around the coast line here – no sunshine as I write my ghostly post, sitting in my ghostly dust-sheeted  flat ... thinking about my even greyer birthday tomorrow ... oh the joys of aging!


Julie's cover art
However a few pinks ... the Ghosts of Aquinnah, Julie Flanders’ book, has an eerie salmon pink glow on her cover ... of what I’m sure is a very good read ...


... while my strange brain sent me off to a white goods store to check out a washing machine’s pink innards ... so I did get my innards photo for you ... pink is better than grey ... much more cheerful and in tune with positive letters and writings ...

Ghostly pink lit innards of a washing machine


Happy Birthday to me though– it is going to be a very dull day for me in the aftermath of the builders’ dust ... everything on hold ‘til I’m back to a degree of normality, later this week I hope!  I am going to a talk on a couple of local villages that I’m looking forward to ... a Monday schedule.



God-daughters and I are having a weekend in London at the end of the month when we can and will be belatedly celebrating our birthdays in plural – theirs are on the same day in October ...


I shall be back to normal blogging shortly ... in the meantime ... have wonderful 2014s ...


Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

65 comments:

Murees Dupè said...

Happy Birthday! I hope you enjoy the day and that the rest of your year will be magical.

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

Happy Birthday to you, Hilary! And happy 6th year of blogging, too!

Sorry you couldn't see the ghostly escalators--those would have been very cool. I've seen pictures from the IceHotel before...no, wouldn't want to stay there, thanks!

Patsy said...

Wishing you a very happy birthday, Hilary.

Shame you missed seeing the escalators and you've had noise, disruption and greyness lately. Hopefully the work will be finished soon and be worth the hassle.

Dianne K. Salerni said...

Happy Birthday, Hilary! And Happy Anniversary Blogging!

I would love to stay at the Ice Hotel sometime in my life!

Optimistic Existentialist said...

Happy birthday and happy blogging anniversary!! This calls for lots of cake :)

Kittie Howard said...

Happy Birthday, Hillary! *sends colorful bouquet of flowers* And congratulations on your blogoversary! Pop open the Pimms and celebrate. Sorry you've also had a tough winter. Sheet-covered furniture doesn't help gray skies, yipes! But you're doing a great job of coping with all.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

@ Murees - sunny day today and yes a magical year ahead ..

@ Elizabeth - thanks so much .. I'm looking forward to another year of blogging ...

I think I looked in the wrong place .. but I would have loved to have seen the escalators .. and I'd love to see the IceHotel as long as I was warm .. must be getting old!!

@ Patsy - thanks so much .. yes it's a little messy here - the work is finished, I just need to clean and return things to a more normal state! Sad, but true!!

@ Dianne - thanks for both .. yes you and the family would love the IceHotel .. because of your love of skiing ..

@ Keith .. thanks very much - off to get a rich, rich fruit cake!

@ Kittie - lovely flowers they arrived very safely! Gorgeous colours and choice of blooms ...

Thankfully it's sunny, so less grey! Just been a slow winter .. but we're on the way to Spring ... and this cleaning lark will be done soon: I hope!!

Cheers to you all and thanks for your wishes ... Hilary

Lynn said...

Sorry you missed the escalators! The ice hotel - I've read about that. The temp wouldn't stop me as much as the lack of $$$ for such a trip. :)

Happy happy birthday, my friend!

Frankie Miller said...

Happy Birthday, Hilary. Enjoy your weekend in London.
I hope they take all the furniture etc. out of the Ice Hotel before it melts in the Spring. We ought to be glad we don't have to rebuild our dwellings each year!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Happy six years!

Sorry you couldn't find those escalators.

mail4rosey said...

I hope you find your escalator innards. :)

That hotel sounds fabulous (to visit, not sleep in). ;)

AND Happy 6th year bloggoversary, and Happy Birthday!!!

Betsy Brock said...

Happy, happy day to you!!!! ...even with the dust! haha.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Happy blog birthday!
That hotel has got to be cold.

Julie Flanders said...

Happy, happy Birthday to you, Hilary!! And happy blogging anniversary, can't believe you've been going strong with this wonderful blog for 6 years now!

I don't even like regular escalators so ghostly escalators totally creep me out. Yikes!

Thanks for the shout-out about my book!

Manzanita said...

We are leading parallel lives at the moment so I can see through your dusty "drop cloth."
I am still recovering from the frozen, busted pipes althouth the insulation, sheetrocking and such has been finished. It's still drop cloths for the painting and sanding. I was lucky the upstairs was dry so I basically moved up.

I wish you fabulous birthday happenings, even in the midst of dust. I too am having a birthday in a month and I'll still be in dust. What fun for your trip to London with your god-daughters. They are beautiful, as I've seen their pictures.

I like the idea of the Ice Hotel and the husky mushers but I suppose one always keeps an ice pick in their pocket. Ha
The very best birthday wishes to you, Hilary

klahanie said...

Hi Hilary,

Cause for celebrations, dear Hilary. The journey into your sixth year of blogging. What an interesting adventure that will be

Here's wishing you the happiest of birthdays.

The ghostly escalator. A captivating inclusion in your ghost, sorry, post title.

Good of you to tie in the mention of Julie Flanders on here. I like that.

It seems your god-daughters and your fine self will be causing a sensation in London at the end of the month.

Normal blogging. Aha, my human wouldn't know of such a thing.

Once again, congrats on your blogging milestone and enjoy your birthday, Hilary.

Pawsitive wishes,

Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet superstar!

Morgan said...

That ice hotel looks amazing!!! And so wonderful for Julie--proud of what she's doing!

And yaaaaay for birthdays, Hilary. I hope your day is wonderful and that you feel loved, because you are!!! :)

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

@ Lynn - I was frustrated at not seeing the escalators ... but c'est la vie. Quite a few people have heard about the ice hotel .. and yes the $$$ or the £££ or the Euro (no sign for that on my keyboard!) is definitely a wee challenge ...

@ Fanny - lovely to see you and I will enjoy London in a couple of weeks ... I'd like my dusting to be done by then!

Re the furniture in the ice-hotel I suspect they'll have it down to a fine art .. but one wonders with climate change ... and yes I am very glad I don't have to build my dwelling each year.

@ Diane - you'd have loved photographing the escalators .. oh well .. six years .. yes I'm off again on another year's worth .. not as long as you though: nine years ..

@ Rosey - yes I'd better pay Lloyds Bank in London a visit to see some escalator innards!

The hotel would be a wonderful place to visit .. but I don't like the cold much ...

@ Betsy - lovely to see you - and yes I'm ignoring the dust til tomorrow!

@ Alex - it looks very cold doesn't it .. and thanks good to see you ..

@ Julie - thanks so much .. I enjoy blogging and have some wonderful friends around the globe ...

Pleasure about the shout out .. it seemed to fit the bill as I was involved with ghostly grey natterings ... good for a story line I thought! Thankfully I don't mind normal escalators .. I'm quite grateful for them at times!!

@ Manzanita - oh dear I'd hate to be in your position with so much 'mess' to clear up .. frozen pipes are no fun to deal with. I am glad it's not going to take a month of work -that would be too much! I feel for you.

I'm sure the huskies are well behaved .. and know their way around ... it could be a good place to stay ...

Thanks I shall enjoy London - growing closer all the time ...

@ Gary - my blogging venture is certainly an interesting and educative one ...

The ghostly escalator suddenly came to me - and seemed a good title .. there's so much about the hidden tunnels of the Underground.

Thanks re Julie - and my god daughters .. we will be 'hitting' the town a little ..

Normal blogging - yes I'm not sure this blog owner really knows what it's like .. she just keeps posting on a wing and a prayer ...

Thanks Penny - so good of you to comment and keep Gary on the right side of us bloggers ...

@ Morgan - really appreciate your thoughts .. we all need to feel loved and we are all loved ... so true for all of us ...

Cheers to you all - lovely to have your birthday wishes, and blogging anniversary support .. here's to many more of both types for all of us - Hilary

Suzanne Furness said...

Happy Birthday, Hilary! Hope those renovations are completed soon and you are back to normal. Have a fun celebration with your god daughters.

Friko said...

Happy Birthday belatedly, Hilary.

Not such a ghostly post, plenty of colour between the lines.

I hope your flat is lovely and you are back in your cosy surroundings. Hope there wasn’t too much dirt to clear away.

Have a lovely time on your travels hither and thither and don’t forget to treat yourself to a big slice of birthday cake.

TALON said...

I'll pass on the ice hotel - our whole world was coated in 2 inches of the stuff recently and I've had my fill of it for this year!

Happy Birthday, Hilary. May the year ahead bring you joy, peace, and happiness.

Don't the blogging years fly by? :)

Anonymous said...

Six years of blogging, woo hoo! CONGRATS, Hilary!

Robin said...

Happy birthday! Sometimes just having a quiet, peace-filled is enough. I think I am getting old. I just don't enjoy frenzy anymore. Sigh.

Ice hotels. As an American, I have heard of these and wondered why ANYONE would want to stay there. Of course, I live in Florida, so I like the warmer weather.

Janie Junebug said...

Happy Birthday and congratulations on your years as a blogger. I wouldn't be able to stand the ice hotel.

Love,
Janie

Julia Hones said...

Happy birthday, Hilary!
I hope you are enjoying the beautiful pink and orange hues of the sunset then... I have nothing against the grey color. It was a medium I used in my poem to emphasize the importance of being a free thinker.
Congratulations on your six years of blogging! Well done. We will continue to look forward to your interesting, inspiring posts...

Christine Rains said...

Happy birthday! And congratulations on six year of blogging! That's awesome. :)

Jo said...

Oh definitely Happy Birthday Hilary. I don't envy you your ghostly dust sheets.

Congrats on 6 years. Interesting hobby isn't it?

Grumpy1 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Vallypee said...

I'm a bit late here, Hilary (as usual). I hope you had at least a nice day on your birthday. Builders can make us feel very shabby, so I know exactly what you are enduring. I love the story of the ghostly escalators! I hope you find them one of these days. As for the ice hotel, I've read about it before and still don't get quite how it works. Do they try and keep their guests warm or do you really have to sleep in sub zero temps? Have a lovely year, Hilary!!!

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

@ Suzanne - well the work is done, the old girl needs to get dusting, cleaning and restoring said flat to some workable state! Thanks for the wishes ..

@ Friko - thanks so much .. the ghostly theme seemed right somehow - but my tongue was in my cheek as I wrote the post, and you guessed that. I don't do grey ...

The flat will be much better .. and there isn't too much dirt - but any dust spread around is too much! Well til it's of my own creation!!

Thanks - I'll enjoy any sojourns out I do .. and I had a Bannoffee Cake from M&S .. which was a hit - but I think I enjoyed your coffee cake even more!

@ Talon - I'm not sure I'd do the ice hotel either .. and I know you've had your share of Arctic conditions recently!

Don't the years fly by - let alone the blogging ones .. time to make the very most of life ..

@ Susanne - I have to say it doesn't seem like it .. it has passed the time educatively while my mother was ill .. and helped me that way ..

@ Robin - yes probably age does send us off to the quiet, peaceful world .. I don't like scrums!

Lucky you being in Florida - but then you even had a touch of the icy blast .. I saw a programme on someone staying in the ice hotel and she said it was COLD! But fun ..

@ Janie - many thanks .. I'd rather have a warm place to sleep too .. but would love to see it!

@ Julia - many thanks .. your poem was beautiful - I think it's just grey doesn't suit me as a colour - some people look great in it .. I tried again this week and definitely do not.

Colour shadings always amaze me .. and grey, white and black can have so many shades too ... and free thinking seems very appropriate - I'm not a good conformer ...

@ Christine - thanks .. the blogging just sort of happened .. but it's been a pleasure along the way ..

@ Jo - many thanks .. the ghostly dust sheets are still in situ, still as that day of my birth has passed I'll try and push on and get rid of one or two!

Six years .. it's certainly helped so much when both my mother for all the time and my uncle were terminally ill - I had something to educate and interest me and something to talk about with them ..

@ Bob - been and made contact with you!

@ Val - no worries .. it was unstressful = which I don't do anymore. Builders dust still abounds .. but today I need to start clearing up some more ..

I'll visit the Lloyds building to see their escalators ...

I saw a Joanna Lumley tv programme on her spending a night in the hotel .. and she said it was cold - she slept in an ice room ... I guess (if you're sensible) you only spend one night in one of them! Then switch to somewhere warm ...

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and wishes ... now I'm off to my dust clearance! Cheers Hilary

Margie said...

Hope you had a wonderful birthday, Hilary.
And happy blogging, time flies, huh?
I have been blogging 7 years this past June, have met some wonderful people I would never have known of.

It's always nice to read your blog posts and thanks for the kind visit back in Dec, it was appreciated.

Anonymous said...

Did I miss it? Happy Birthday Hilary! Your blog is of course, anything but grey. I will also have you know that a birthday just marks the passing of a number of days, one more than yesterday in fact. There endeth my words of wisdom. You have hardly aged at all. :-)

Karen Lange said...

Happy Birthday! Hope you enjoy your belated celebration. I always like to stretch out the birthday fun as long as possible - so I am cheering you on! Too bad we don't live closer, it would have been great fun to go out and have lunch for your birthday. My treat of course. :)

Congrats on 6 years of blogging! What a wonderful milestone. You are a blessing to so many!

Enjoy the week,
Karen

Inger said...

Hilary, you went a-trippin on your birthday, didn't you? Glad it took you to my old country and that fabulous ice hotel. I think that would be lots of fun to visit and, hopefully, they make a lot of money before they melt. Ghostly escalators, however, I didn't get. Is that a London tube thing?

Happy Birthday to you and your blog! I am so happy to have found you and become your friend. And silver hair is pretty, must be, I have some.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

@ Margie .. at least we had some sun - even though the dustsheets were abounding! Quiet weekend and day .. but very happily enjoyed.

7 1/2 years is considerably longer than my meagre 5 and on into year six .. but it is fun - and as you say we meet so many interesting fun people ...

Well I'm glad I sort of found my way round your blog! Having been closeted under dust sheets I haven't been blogging out and about this year yet ...

@ Debbie - yes a Monday - not a good day! That is so true I'm only a day older aren't I - now it's three days older ..

Thanks re the not grey blog .. I try and brighten our lives up with some educative pointers!

@ Karen - yes I shall spread the enjoyment out, I usually do ..

Well I'd have loved to have lunch with you any time ... especially if you were paying!

Thanks re the six years .. and I'm just so delighted you enjoy the postings .. thanks so much ..

@ Inger - yes I went a-wandering .. and the ice hotel is a fascinating concept - it's been around a while now, I think: so obviously is a fun place to visit ... and wonderful sights to see. They must make enough for that water to happily run down the plughole!

Sorry - re the ghostly escalators .. it was 'a concept' (idea) for a title that came to me ..

... the disappearing escalators, which they replaced them (Northern and Bakerloo lines ones) at Embankment --- but there was a viewing window where you could see the workings ...

... we've had too much Sherlock Holmes and Dr Who ... the ghosts of the past came to mind ... hence the title ..

So not a tube thing .. a Hilary thing .. perhaps the grey cells really did get mushed up!

Thanks - it's lovely just be in contact and keep that friendship going .. here and via email .. I think! my grey hair is salt and pepper colouring still ...

Thanks everyone .. lovely to see you - dust-sheets still around .. but I'm getting there .. Hilary

Empty Nest Insider said...

Happy belated birthday Hilary, and happy blogging anniversary! Hope that everything looks wonderful when the dust settles. Enjoy your birthday celebrations with your God-daughters!

Julie

Lisa said...

Oh I hope your birthday was smashingly wonderful! Sounds like 2014 is starting off with a bang for you. I'd love to be trotting around with you, seeing the things you are (or aren't, LOL) seeing, hearing the lectures, enjoying life in Britain. Your posts are always so fun to read! Happy new year Hilary, and can't wait to hear how the renovations have gone and if you're happy with them...

MorningAJ said...

Happy Birthday! And congratulations on the bloggerversary.

I've stayed at the Ice Hotel. Amazing experience but I can't afford to repeat it. Once in a lifetime I guess.

Stephen Tremp said...

Yes ... Happy Birthday to you!

Ghostly escalators ... hmmmmm. Maybe there's a wormhole at the end where people disappear, never to return. That could explain the name.

cleemckenzie said...

Have a wonderful birthday celebration, Hilary! Here's to a fabulous year.

As to that Ice Hotel, while it sounds intriguing, I've already got the shivers just looking at the icy image. I'd like the dogs, though. I'll have to give it some thought.

D.G. Hudson said...

Happy Belated Birthday, Hilary! It's not the number that counts, it's the fun you have in between each one.

Inger mentioned your ghostly escalators - are they part of that 'Neverwhere' tube line that Neil Gaimon wrote about?

Chatty Crone said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

Happy Blog anniversary to you - 6 years.

You know I read about that ice motel in a magazine - maybe a travel magazine.

I hope you have a great birthday.

sandie

dolorah said...

Happy Birthday to you Hilary. This was a super fun post. So many interesting ghosts, lol.

.......dhole

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

@ Julie - the dust is taking its time to settle, or rather the unwrapping of things underneath!

The weekend with the god-daughters will be great fun ..

@ Lisa - Monday is never a great day for birthdays .. but I can always string mine out!

I must write about some of my visits .. so many to put up .. but it's great you're happy sharing this life vicariously with me ..

Just tidying up, rather than renovating .. but it's better I'm glad to say ..

@ Morning AJ - good to see you .. it'd be so interesting to read a post about your stay at the Ice hotel .. I bet it was a once in a lifetime visit .. but you've done it.

@ Stephen - many thanks .. I did think about the wormhole at the end of the ghostly escalators too .. plenty of worms under London!

@ Lee - yes here's to a fabulous year for us all .. but I really don't want to freeze my butt off either .. so I'll stay here and be warm. Would be an amazing experience though ...

@ Pam - many thanks .. lovely to see you .. and so pleased you enjoy the postings ..

@ DG - thanks for coming over from Inger .. and yes - the journey along the way is magical and interesting!

I bought Neverwhere .. probably on your recommendation .. and to see what he'd said about the tube - better get it out and read all about it .. I'm sure he'd have mentioned the many tunnels, old routes etc around the tube lines ...

.. my 'ghostly' escalators were just a tag line for the blog post .. which amused me! I could imagine Scrooge's ghosts wandering the tube lines ... lots of authors and film producers have used these closed tunnels in various forms in their creative works ..

@ Sandie - thanks for your wishes et al - I think the ice hotel has been featured on various media sites ... I've certainly seen a programme on it, and noted an article in a travel insert ...

@ Donna - many thanks .. and glad you enjoyed my take on the escalating ghosts ..

Thanks everyone - cheers from a gloomy grey South Coast .. Hilary

Gattina said...

A very happy birthday to you Hilary !!
I have never heard about the "Ghostly escalators" ! I hope you had a nice birthday I am also an "old" blogger I started in 2006 !

Romance Reader said...

Wishing you a very happy birthday, Hilary!

Nas

Sara said...

Well, I'm late for the date, but I hope it was a very special birth day!! Also, congratulations on the blogaversary:~)

Oh, construction can easily drive you crazy. It's good you'll be getting out back to normal soon.

By the way, this was a fun post to read. I liked the part about going to the white goods store (that's a new term for me) and checking out the pink innards. You had me giggling imagining you taking the pictures.

I do hope you enjoy your time in London!

Stina said...

Happy birthday, Hilary.

It's ironic that you post about the ice hotel. I'm currently writing a scene that takes place in Rovaniemi (check out your map). :D

Juliet said...

Happy birthday Hilary, and congratulations on 6 years of blogging. That's quite something! I'm just catching up after being away on summer holidays, so nice to return to this post. Were you always interested in innards? I was always fascinated by the insides of clocks - loved seeing the cogs connecting with each other.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

@ Gattina - thank you .. the ghostly escalators were just a nom de plume for the escalators being replaced. Congratulations on your longevity of blogging ..

@ Nas - lovely to see you and thank you ..

@ Sara - it was very quiet as was the blogaversary .. and I'm still moving stuff around .. boxing and coxing .. still the dust-sheets are off.

Just glad you enjoyed it - we use white goods here for stoves, washing machines etc .. on the ground floor they do smaller electricals and some technical bits ... I had some guy watching me get up and I hardly made it off the floor!

London will be fun ... I'm looking forward to it ..

@ Stina - thank you .. and how extraordinary you're writing about Rovaniemi (and it does show on the map - doesn't it) ... but it is funny how we come across one subject and it keeps popping up in some form or other ..

@ Juliet - thank you .. it doesn't seem that long, but 5 years is a while isn't it.

Glad you had a chance to get away and have a break in the sun ... sounds wonderful!!

Innards - I've always enjoyed looking, but then I can't put them together again!! So when I see something that's slightly different I'll look .. which is why those escalators enticed me ... only to find, sadly, they weren't for viewing any more. I do love pretty watches and clocks where we can see the workings work ..

Thanks so much to you all .. cheers for now - back to some cleaning up! Normality is slowly returning .. cheers Hilary

Elise Fallson said...

Happy Blogging Birthday to you! Going on six years is fantastic. I'm almost into my third year of blogging and the time sure does fly by. £1 million just to recreate the icehotel each year? That sounds crazy to me. In any event, too cold for my taste, I'd be happier closer to the equator. (:

Jannie Funster said...

Happy Happy Birthday, a bit late, my dust-sheeted friend.

All a bit topsy-turvey, but in the name of improvements for your domicile.

I saw that Ice Hotel on a documentary. And it's a fair price to stay there! I think my $$$ for vacation would go to some other locale before an icy realm. :)To each his own!

Thinking of you a lot!! Big hugs from BB, Me and the Funsterment Gang.

oxoxoxoxooxoxo

Jannie Funster said...

Oh, yes and happy blogging anniversary indeed. You and I started right about the same time. Still so so grateful to have met with you via Barbara Swafford. My life is all the more beautiful with you in it.

xoxooxoxoxoxo again

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

@ Elise - thanks it seems like yesterday but covered most of my mother's illness .. made that easier to bear.

I agree - I'd rather be closer to some warming sun .. but it must be an amazing place to visit ..

@ Jannie - no worries .. I've always stretched my birthday a little .. and I seem to be stretching the return of the dust-sheets ... getting cupboards re-sorted is proving a slow fairly unmethodical process .. still it is happening ..

The cost of these beautiful places is, I'm sure, well worth the $$ spent - just that most of us don't them to splash or slide around on!

We certainly met via Barbara Swafford and isn't it a wonderful journey of discovery .. our blogging world.

Thanks Jannie for your wonderful comment and lots of hugs back from Hardwick and I to BB, you and the Funsterment Gang ..

Lovely to see you Elise and Jannie .. cheers Hilary

Robin said...

I dedicates something on Friday's HERE'S TO YOU post. I hope you like it.

Rosalind Adam said...

Happy birthday, Hilary. You share the same birth date as my dear father. Hope you have a lovely meet up with your goddaughters. I hate having work done in the home, all that dust! Don't work too had clearing it up.

Shelley Sly said...

Happy Belated Birthday! Hope this year brings you wonderful things! :)

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

@ Robin - thank you I'll be over

@ Ros - many thanks .. that's a really nice thought to share my day with your father.

I'm looking forward to next weekend .. when I hope my dust will have mostly settled and I'll be nearly normal again ...

@ Shelley - many thanks .. and I hope this year will be a successful one for us all ..

Cheers to you all - it's lovely and sunny here .. Hilary

Anonymous said...

6 years? Well done. I've always wanted to check out that ice hotel. Maybe you can go on your next birthday.

Robyn Campbell said...

Happy late birthday, Hil. And congrads on 6 years. I'm so thankful that I met you. You have been a shining light in my life. I so want to see that ice hotel. That would be the coolest! See? Some Americans aren't chicken. Hahahaha.

<3 you, pal.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

@ Milo - into my sixth year .. I saw a tv programme on it .. and it would be fascinating to visit .. but the $$ would be a little trying! I could start saving couldn't I?!

@ Robyn - many thanks to both. You're so kind .. I appreciate your thoughts .. and if I've helped you along the way - then I'm glad I'm around.

OK .. not chicken - it will be very cold, but we could buy lots of lovely new clothes to keep ourselves warm!

Cheers to you both .. Hilary

Unknown said...

Thank you, Hilary, operation worse than we expected, now a 10 day wait until a further biopsy result.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Carole .. thanks for letting me know .. thinking of you - Hilary

Diane said...

I left a message here before but as with many just recently it seems to have gone AWOL. Belated now - Happy Birthday. Have a good day Diane.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Diane .. no worries, and I did just check within Blogger but your earlier comment doesn't appear.

Thanks for the birthday wishes .. and appreciate you returning! Cheers Hilary