Hello 2019

It's been a while since I posted in my blog. A lot has happened since then, the main and most precious being the birth of my first Grandchild on the 6th November. Nino Aniello Boccaccio arrived in the world at 9.41 pm and he couldn't be more loved by us all. I've taken lots of photos already of him and will be regularly putting some of them on here this year so we can all watch him grow.

The last night of 2018 was spent as usual at my brother and sister in laws'. It was a fabulous end to a momentous year, which saw the amazing recovery of my Mum from being placed on end of life care in February, to being almost back to her old self right now. In a week's time she'll be celebrating her 85th birthday, something we never thought we'd see. I put it down to her will to see her Great Grandson!

Another fantastic event happened this year. We got to meet my brother who'd been adopted in 1950. Never thought we'd get the chance for him and Mum to be re-united but that's what happened. My nephew did a DNA test on Ancestry and one of the options was to leave his results online. He did and soon afterwards he was contacted by a girl claiming to be his first cousin. It turned out she was my niece and she'd done a DNA test too which matched them up. Simple as that we were all re-united. How wonderful it was to meet them; and for them to meet Mum while she's still here. We even got to spend my brother's birthday with him. Such a special day.

Today was a glorious sunny day and we had the family round for dinner. I got to hold my gorgeous Grandson for a while. I could look at him forever he's so beautiful. Daughter Lella had a hangover so she couldn't make it but Lucia, Mario and Kasia came along with Nino and also my Mum. Lovely family time.

Hopefully I'm going to keep my blog updated at least a few times a week now. Here are a few photos from last night and today.

Poem to mum from my Aunt

This is a poem my mum's sister wrote to her recently, about their father Jack Hughes, who was a Gamekeeper to Sir Henry Tate (of Tate and Lyle sugar)

Jack Hughes loved his job, it was his life.
Out in all weathers. Snow, Rain, Wind, Frost.
He never tired of it. Not like Hannah his poor wife.
He knew every path, every ride, he never got lost.
His favourite time was Spring when his leafy Haven changed.
Magic carpets of Bluebells and Primroses pushed through the Earth, together.
Each clearing and dell colourfully rearranged.
Proving to all. Nature will carry on whatever.
Jack always said, of all the wild crops he protected from townies intent to steal.
Were his secret places of hidden Snowdrops. That to no man would he ever reveal.

No not even to us!

By Jacky Flavell nee Hughes

A New Day

I wrote this poem a long time ago as part of an English GCSE I did at college. I didn't actually enter it as I wrote another, so I don't really know whether it's good or not. Here it is in it's original form and translated into Italian...

A New Day

The moon looks on with sleepy eyes,
As the sun begins to rise.

Stars still visible to the naked eye,
The early promise of a cloudless sky.

Wings stretch high in the trees,
A breeze rustles through fallen leaves.

Street lamps flicker as they die,
A mother responds to her baby's cry.

The cat flap opens to receive its prey,
Home to rest after a hard night's play.

A car door slams, an engine starts,
A radio blares as night departs.


Un Nuovo Giorno

La Luna guarda con gli occhi sonnolenti
Quando il sole comincia a salire.

Stelle ancora visibili a occhio nudo,
La promessa iniziale di un cielo senza nuvole.

Le ali si estendono in alto negli alberi,
Una brezza fruscia attraverso foglie cadute.

Le lampade stradali lampeggiano come il dado,
Una madre risponde al grido del suo bambino.

Il flap di gatto si apre per ricevere la sua preda,
Casa per riposare dopo un gioco di sera.

Una porta dell'automobile sbatte, un motore inizia,
Una radio blares come la notte parte.

Annette Boccaccio

Lytham 40's wartime weekend 2017

A few photos from yesterday's trip to Lytham.

The humble dandelion

Dandelions are such an underrated flower. I won't call them weeds because I think they're beautiful. Not only are they a gorgeous sunshiny yellow, they transform into the most delicate fluffy balls (we call them dandelion clocks) and if you really look at them closely you'll see how intricate the pattern of the seeds are. When the seeds blow away in the wind they look like a ballerina's leg complete with ballet shoe.

I'd been trying for a while to get a decent photo of just one seed falling at the side of the dandelion clock, and today I captured the best photo ( in my opinion ) I've taken so far. All of the seeds bar one blew away from the top of the clock, leaving just one seed balancing like a ballerina on point. I'm so pleased with the photos and this is the best one so I'm posting it here. I like the effect of it in black and white but I've posted the original colour one as well.

They truly are the most magnificent flowers. They also are the first source of food for bees in the Spring.

I've posted a video showing the transformation a Dandelion goes through from flower to clock (seeds) It's surprising how many people don't know the clocks are from dandelions. They think they're two different flowers!

Dandelion flower

Dandelion Clock (Seeds)

My original photo

                                                    A time lapse of a dandelion to seed 

I'll be making some of these soon :D

http://sharyncarlson.typepad.com/living_artfully/2010/03/cadbury-creme-cupcakes.html