See Danny's blog
for more family photos . . . http://www.dannykarenlisajoe.blogspot.com/
Lisa also has her own
blog . . . www.lisafellows.blogspot.co.uk
POST CHRISTMAS GATHERING
- 29 December 2017
Will and
family all arrive at about 12 noon after driving
through hailstorms. Good to see them all, including
Rachel, Freddy, Nell and Reggie. Jean had smashing
lunch laid out on the table with flan, ham, salad,
crisps, potatoes, etc which we all tucked into. Freddy
liked his special vegan pie that Jean found in the
Co-op. Freddy enjoyed having a tinkle on our piano,
while Nell amused herself taking selfies! Later Pete
and family appreciated Will's annual family calendar.
CHRISTMAS DINNER
- 25 December 2017
Jean and I
were invited round to Danny and Karen's for Christmas
day. We arived just in time for present opening, which
was not as hectic as it used to be with Joe having
mainly disks for his games and Lisa books, etc.
Karen's dinner was
very good with turkey and veg, followed by the usual
consternation as I lit the Xmas pudding with
brandy.
PRE
CHRISTMAS IN COWES - 22 December 2017
We went over
to Cowes for the day mainly to take Xmas presents for
Pete and family. They have a fine Xmas tree.
We had a walk through
the cemetery and then back for a hearty fish curry for
lunch.

Lily gave us a short recital
on her guitar

and a silly selfie with
Papa

HOLIDAY BREAK
- 13-16 September 2017
We decided to
have a short break in Eastbourne to celebrate Jean's
birthday, but the trip turned out to be unusually
eventful. Our 20 year old Citroen ZX finally gave up
on us when the brakes failed on the A27. We managed to
make it to Lewes where Mary and George saved the day.
George booked the car into his garage and Mary gave us
a lift to our hotel in Eastbourne. Here is Jean having
a relaxing drink in the hotel lounge. Phew. That was a
close shave!
We had a very nice
couple of days in Eastbourne. We went to the very
impressive Ravilious exhibition, attended a couple of
shows and had some good walks along the prom. Here we
are on the pier - photo taken by a passerby.
We had a cup of tea in
a 'posh' Victorian cafe on the pier with magnificent
chandeliers.

This cafe is where
Mary phoned us with the news that the garage had
declared the Citroen a write off.
So sad after 20 reliable years. Here is a photo of the
old car in better days outside our house in Bridge
Road.

Mary gave us a lift
back to Lewes where we had booked into the Premier Inn
and
took us down to Brighton Marina for glass of vino on
Mary and George's boat.

Lola showing off some
pretty new shoes. George is not impressed.

We all went for a long
walk on the path under the chalk cliffs where Lola did
a 'Banksy'.

Finally, we had an
excellent meal in the Prezzo Restruarant in the
marina.
Thanks to George for
his help with handling the old car and for taking us
to a local sales site to look at new cars and also to
Mary for lifts to and from Eastbourne and finally home
to Emsworth.
ISLE OF WIGHT
- 25-26 July 2017
Jean and I spent a couple of days staying with Pete
and Julia and the girls in their home in Cowes. Julia
and the girls met us at Ryde Pierhead on the Tuesday
(Pete was working). The weather was fine and we
enjoyed a stroll down Ryde prom.
We stopped near the
fairground where we all had delicious Kelly's ice
creams. They were so good!
Iris spent lots of
50ps trying to grab a cuddly toy with a crane in this
machine but with total frustration.

Lily enjoyed her slide
much more for far less!

We stopped at Quarr
Abbey for lunch and did the woodland walk.

I persuaded the girls
to have a selfie with me in it

Back home in Cowes,
Jean and Pete went blackberry picking on the
allotment

Pete and Julia served
up their usual fine dinner

The girls decided to
come back on the ferry with us to Portsmouth

We met up with Mary,
George, Lola and Dinky the dog at Portsmouth Harbour
station.

Lily and Iris spent
the rest of the day with Lola and slept on their boat
which was moored in Gosport Marina. The original plan
was for George to drive the boat over to Cowes, but
the weather was too rough. Pete and Julia went over
the following day to collect them.
SCHOOL PARADE IN LEWES
- 7 July 2017
Jean and I were delighted to watch the Patina Schools
Moving on Parade through the streets of Lewes. It was
for all those children who will be moving on from
primary school to seconday school. This included Lola.
15 schools took part in which each school adopted one
country of the world and created costumes and floats
to illustrate some of the wildlife of that country.
Lola's school, Iford and Kingston Primary School had
Madagascar where Lemurs and Moon Moths were the main
focus.
Here
is a photo of one of the schools passing down the main
street.
Here is Lola (just in
front of George) with her school display

Here is a link to
short video on YouTube I took of the Kingston school
passing . . . https://youtu.be/berA_iQZlb8
Before the parade
Jean and I walked through the beautiful Southover
Gardens. Here is Jean rejoicing in the garden.
OIL PAINTING
- 24 June 2017
Lisa and Joe came round to our place today to do some
oil painting. Lisa had previously done an oil painting
here, but this was Joe's first go. I set everything up
on the table outside with canvas boards, oils,
brushes, palettes, white spirit, aprons, rags, etc.
The weather was just right, cloudy and warm. I joined
them to make a threesome and we all had a fine time
painting together.
Lisa and Joe were delighted with their efforts. Lisa
did a dramatic sunset over the sea and Joe did a fiery
sunrise over a football field. I did a painting based
on the lyrics of Louis Armstrong's 'What a Wonderful
World' - with trees of green, red roses too, skies of
blue, clouds of white and the colours of the rainbow.
I also tried to include friends shaking hands and baby
in a pram, plus a girl doing gymnastics (Lisa) and a
boy kicking a football (Joe). Real fun!
All
three of us at work on our
masterpieces
Lisa's
sunset over the sea

Joe's
football ground at
sunrise

My
'What a Wonderful World'

ISLE OF WIGHT
- 1-4 June, 2017
Jean and I had
a few days staying with Pete, Julia, Lily and Iris in
their house in Fellows Road. Cowes on the Isle of
Wight. Here are a few photos showing some of things we
got up to.
At home, we were
pleased to have a look around the allotment. Here is
Pete tending to his excellent crop of broad beans.
Iris picked some
lovely sweet strawberries

Jean found herself a
nice spot in the garden

On the Friday we all
went along to a Bio Blitz in Parkhurst Forest. All the
wildlife organisations on the island were represented.
Pete had a stall for his 'Down to the Coast' Project.
Pete
on his stall with Lily and
Iris
Lily
and Iris had Laurel Crowns made for them at one of the
other stalls.
We all
enjoyed a break for drinks and
cakes

Lily
and Iris found a dead Cockchafer which they showed to
one of the experts

We
went on a guided flower identification walk through
the forest with Roger from the National
Trust
We
stopped at a pond to admire the dragonflies and look
for newts

The next day Pete took
us all over the have a look at Sandown Meadows - a
wetland reserve on the East Yar flood plain. The
family had a lie in the sun while I had a mooch around
looking at the flowers, grasses and rushes.
We went down to
Sandown beach where Lily and Iris had fun digging a
large hole in the sand.

On the Sunday
Jean and I went over to Northwood Park with Lily and
Iris where there was a summer fete with lots of stalls
and music. We immediately headed for the refreshments
stall for drinks and cakes. Very good!
The girls both had a
go on various stalls, including this water gun which
was great fun

And finally we could
not come to Cowes without visiting the famous ice
cream parlour in the town. Delicious!

FAMILY GATHERING
- May 27-29, 2017
We had a nice family gathering at 11 Bridge Road for
the Spring Bank Holiday weekend. Pete, Julia, Lily and
Iris arrived from Cowes. Mary, George and Lola came
from Brighton.
Nattering in the
kitchen
Breakfast time

Then a second
breakfast - brunch

Iris and Lola play
with ball in the garden

Iris and Lola share
secrets on the phone

Iris has a tinkle on
Jean's piano - a present from Mary

Lily, Lola and Iris
try their hand at oil painting

Lily was really proud
of hers. Matisse like?

Iris did a very
colourful one of the garden

Time to say
goodbye

POMPEY
DIV 2 CHAMPIONS - 6 May 2017
What a way to
end the season. Everything was perfect. Pompey played
well and scored 6 goals. The other results in the
league all went for us, so we finished up as champions
of Division 2 and promoted to Div 1 after four long
tedious seasons in Div 2.
I can hardly belive it happened like that. There was a
mass pitch invasion at the end of the game which I
captured in video - see below. I went on the pitch at
the end with Danny Joe, three generations!
Link to YouTube video
on the pitch invasion at the end of the game . . .
https://youtu.be/N1wSapw5ITM
Danny and Joe on
the pitch
I joined them and got
a fan to take the photo

The players celebrated
on the balcony

Ardent Pompey fan
Johnny Westwood stayed in the stand with his mates
He's the one in the hat blowing the bugle

Danny, Joe and I
celebrated in the pub at the end

EASTER
AT AMBERLEY - 14-16 April 2017
We had a very
enjoyable gathering of some of the Fellows clan at
Will and Rachel's place at Amberley over the Easter
weekend. Jean and I came up with Pete, Julia and Iris
from Emsworth, while Mary drove up from Brighton with
Lola, Nell and Lily, all of whom had stayed in the
boat overnight. The only ones that were not there were
Danny who was away in Canada and Karen, Lisa and Joe
who were spending Easter with her parents in Lyme
Regis.
Reggie had just
baked some bread when we arrived.
The girls had a play
on the hammock swing

Will was a little
disabled following the operation on his right shoulder
and had to wear a sling. It was good to see Freddy
again, who grows taller every time we see him, though
maybe it is also us (Jean and Brian) getting smaller.
Freddy stirring the
pot for dinner

Dinner is served

Rachel serving
pudding

On the Saturday Will, Rachel, Nell and Reggie went
walking in the hills, while the rest of us headed for
Slimbridge WWT in two cars. The reserve is a massive
site with a huge entrance hall, but once inside we all
enjoyed some fine views of beautiful birds and other
animals.

Lola and Lily feeding
the Nene Geese

Mary had prepared a
good picnic lunch for us all

I managed to enjoy
myself too!

The Otters were
particularly impressive

and we all loved the
Harvest Mouse

Finally, we had a good
view of Kingfishers near their nesting holes

We all met up at a
cafe on the hill over looking Nailsworth

Easter Day was the time for chocolate eggs and Lily
and Iris were the first on the scene
Rachel prepared a fine
dinner for us all and for some of their friends
Mary helped out

Meanwhile the kids
played in the garden. Iris on the trapeze.

and the egg hunt

Meanwhile, the adults
chewed the cud

Pete dreaming of
Tarzan

The kids sat down for
their dinner first

Then the adults

After dinner the kids
had a great water fight

Jean presented her
homemade Easter cake

which Rachel cut and
enjoyed by all

Lola and Lily had fun
with the table tennis machine

Nell, Iris and Lola
enjoying a film

Here is a YouTube link
to Nell singing with her Ukelele accompanied by Lola
and Iris . . .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syvWjPQU9lA
JOE TAKES PHOTOS
- 1 April 2017
I had a very
enjoyable morning out in Emsworth with Joe who was
taking photos for the annual. Maurice Broomfield
Schools Photographic Competition. Lisa has entered
this competition for the past two years and once got a
highly commended award! Joe is hoping for something
better! The prizes will be presented on 28th April, so
fingers crossed!
Anyway, I lent Joe a
small compact camera and told him to take whatever he
fancied. We went through Brook Meadow, through the
village and down to Slipper Millpond. Joe finished up
with about 200 images from which he chose four to
enter for the competition. I should add that Joe took
all the photos himself with no assistance from me,
apart from my pointing out a few possibilities on the
way.
Here are the four
photos Joe chose to submit for the competition. The
chap working in the reeds is David Gattrell, the
warden of Peter Pond. Joe took the piano player while
we were having a drinks break in the Pastoral Centre.
Here is Joe snapping
away on Brook Meadow and Peter Pond

VISIT TO LEWES
- 23-24 March 2017
Jean and I
paid a visit to Lewes mainly to attend what was to be
our last Grandparents' Spring Tea at Kingston Primary
School as Lola will be finishing there this year. It
was an enjoyable occasion with all classes in the
school putting on excellent shows. Lola's class played
flutes and sang. After the show Lola acted as a tour
guide around the school to us and several other
grandparents.
In the evening we went
to the Aqua Restruarant in Lewes where we all had good
meals, but Lola's was particularly yum yum.
Next day Mary took us
over to Brighton Marina to have a look at their new
boat which will be their home for the next year at
least.
George was waiting for
us at the boat to help us over the threshold.
And we all had a cup
of tea and coffee in their sitting room on their posh
blue sofa.
SPINNAKER TOWER
- 7 January 2017
It was a wet
and miserable day, Joe had injured his shoulder
playing football and Lisa was at a loose end, so I
suggested a trip down to Gunwharf to go up the tower.
They jumped at it. Heavy traffic all the way with car
park 'Full' signs, but we got in and parked OK. We had
our photos taken in the tower and had a print each. Up
the tower it was dull and misty, so not great views,
but interesting nevertheless.
Lisa and Joe were
fascinated by the glass floor.

Lisa actually did a
cartwheel! Has anyone else ever done that I
wonder?

Finally, we had drinks
and cakes in the cafe.

NEW
YEAR'S DAY - 1 January 2017
We had a nice
family gathering at Emsworth for New Year's Day. Just
Pete, Julia and the girls were missing, though Jean
and I had a pre Christmas trip over to the Isand with
all the presents for them. Will, Rachel, Nell and
Reggie arrived from Amberley in time for lunch of
soups, bread, cheese, etc. Freddy and Emma were still
in Thailand. Danny, Karen, Lisa and Joe came round the
corner from Church path.

Finally, Mary and Lola
arrived from Kingston leaving George at home looking
after Dinky. After lunch, Karen decided to walk the
kids up to the Hollybank Rec playground, but the
heavens opened and they all got thoroughly soaked.
Hence, Nell in her dressing gown!
For the evening meal we all went round to Danny's for
one of his special chillis.
Lola kept us all highly entertained with jokes and
stories!

For pudding we had
trifle, lemon meringue pie and fruit salad that we had
prepared.

Joe had a table to
himself

The girls watched a
film

For
Christmas and other photos from last year go to .
. Family
photos 2016 Jul to Dec
Photos
for all years . . .
see Family
Index page