What did you do in the war granddad?

Yesterday we commemorated 100^th anniversary of the First World War.  Such a long time ago in one way but only yesterday in another.

Last night we sat by candle light watching the service from Westminster abbey at 10pm on the TV.

It was a moving service as had the coverage been recently of those momentous years of horrible war.

For us to sit and watch TV by candle light it tended to romanticise it.  However it did make us think about how dreadful it must have been to live through those times, never knowing if  your loved ones would live or die.  The light of the candle was just a gesture but with all the trappings of the 21^st century around us it did seem a little insignificant in comparison to what really happened 100 years ago.

Nevertheless the centenary has meant that Les and I have revisited our own family’s involvement in the war, talking about it quite a lot.

My Grandfather with my father and uncle at the beginning of World War II

Personally I know very little apart from the fact that my grandfather (paternal) was in the Cavalry – something I only learnt when our daughter took up horse riding as a young child. My father just mentioned it in passing at the time.  The recent film War Horse certainly made me think a bit more about his time in the war and for the first time the impact it had on the horses and there owners.   My maternal grandfather was a farmer which was a reserved occupation and as he was also deaf he wouldn’t have been allowed to go anyway.

Les's Grandfather Ellis on his wedding day in uniform

However Les’s paternal grandfather had a much more dramatic story.  He was in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers and was deployed to Gallipoli, one of the worst events of the First World War. He lay on the battle field left for dead for three days.  Whilst collecting bodies he was found to be alive and was sent to the field hospital and then on to St Thomas’s in London. He had lost a lung and the other one was seriously damaged.  However he went on to live a full and happy life; married and had three children. He died aged 83.

 Some years ago whilst on a cycling holiday we found the grave of Les’s great Uncle John who died on his 18^th birthday during the battle of the Somme. We had been the first, and as far as we know, the only family to visit his grave.  It was in Abbeville and we went back a few years later with our daughter who was about 2 at the time.  In fact Les’s mother and one of his cousins were both christened with the middle name of Abbeville – shortening it to Abbey in both cases.


On our cycling holiday in France

Uncle Johns Grave in Abbeville

So these are just our tales of heroic family members and if every family with such memories thought about them yesterday then I hope it reinforces our determination never to go to war again.  However we are still living in a world of wars and conflict and it seems that due to greed, selfishness, land, religion and what can only be described as madness wars will never be a thing of the past.   Back then 100 years ago men and women gave their lives selflessly and they still are in many parts of the world today.  I for one don’t want them to have to do it anymore.



Newspaper cutting

Holywell - full of history



St Winefreds Well

Old Cottages at Greenfield Herritage Park

Les and I have spent the day learning more about the history of Holywell - having lived close by in Carmel for nearly 30 years it is true to say that we do know a lot about the town and the area.  But as you would expect there is so much more to learn.  Today not only have we gained more knowledge about the 7th century shine St Winefrides Well – where Holywell gets its name: Holy Well, we have also found out more about the town itself. At one time Holywell was the most important town in North Wales and because of the profusion of lead mines at that time, the ‘World’ price of lead was set in Holywell.  The industrial heritage of the Greenfield Valley and Docks is fascinating and as well as copper goods for the slave trade and a cotton mill there are fascinating stories about the ruins of Basingwerk Abbey. Prior to the dissolution (thanks to Henry V111’s ) Cistercian Monks lived and worshiped there for 400 years.  If you are planning a stay with us in the future there are free guided walks around Holywell, Greenfield and Basingwerk Abbey.  Let us know if you would like any more information or you can contact the Holywell Town Manager via their website which has a lot more local information.



Ruins of Basingwerk Abbey

Getting Ready for Easter

 

 

Is it really time again for Hot Cross Buns and Chocolate eggs?  It’s such a lovely time of year and the garden is looking bright and cheerful with the yellow daffodils bobbing about and the contrasting blue of the grape hyacinths. We are looking forward to a lovely Easter weekend and hopefully the weather will stay fair - as it is today.

 

The first real break of the year for many people; longer than Christmas with nicer weather and the promise of lots of chocolate – what could be better. 

On Good Friday along with our normal offerings at breakfast time I shall be serving Hot Cross Buns.

There are many myths around why we serve Hot Cross Buns at Easter.   One of them says that buns baked and served on Good Friday will keep for a year – don’t think so, more like 2 minutes (the time it takes to eat it!). Another encourages keeping the buns for medicinal purposes. A piece of it given to someone who is unwell is said to help them recover.

Sharing a hot cross bun with someone is supposed to keep friendships throughout the coming year, particularly if "Half for you and half for me, between us two shall goodwill be" is said at the time. Because there is a cross on the buns, some say you should be kissed before you eat it. If you hang it in the kitchen, it supposed to protect against fires and ensures that bread turn out perfectly. The hanging bun is replaced each year. (Don’t think I will adopt this one as our bread turns out OK every time!). I always thought it was to do with Jesus and the Cross - but who knows the real reason. It seems unimportant when you are eating one, hot, toasted and dripping in butter.

Happy Easter everyone.

 

February nearly already

Here we are nearly in February already and I haven't Blogged since before Christmas.  Having spent a lovely, if somewhat wet and windy family Christmas we hosted our annual New Year’s Eve Murder Mystery evening, this year based on a 1960’s theme.   

 

So out came the beehive wigs, mini dresses and floral shirts (it seemsed a good idea at the time).  The menu for the evening was Prawn Cocktail, Coq au Vin followed by Trifle, Lemon Meringue Pie and Cheese.  It may have been typical 60’s food but we all enjoyed it and realised that although we have had bad press in the past about British food, if a dish is cooked well it still stands the test of time.   I still wasn't the murderer though - we have been holding these every New Year for about eight years and I still remain innocent!

I always like to start the year with a positive frame of mind and believe that the coming year will always be better than the last. But  sadly we lost a dear neighbour of ours who passed away on January 4th. He had been a constant in our lives since we moved to Celyn Villa 28 years ago and he will be greatly missed. A true gentleman.

Also the weather continues to be challenging in many parts of the country with more and more rain and I have never been more thankful that we live on a hill. We seem to have been lucky in our little part of Wales; it must be dreadful to have your home flooded and face the prospect of having to deal with the aftermath when the water has subsided.  I hope that things get sorted soon for those that have been affected.

January is usually a quiet month business wise and gives us the opportunity to catch up on a few jobs around the house.  For Les it is the DIY stuff and for me it is to replenish the crafts that I have sold during the year and making enough marmalade to last for 12 months. The Seville oranges are now available and so far I have made three batches and hope that will be enough.  I always enjoy making marmalade, although time consuming it is so well worth it as the finished result is delicious.

We have also been developing our new website which is now live, although there are still a few bits we need to ‘tweak’.  If you have any comments on it we would be interested to hear them.

We are now well into 2014 and although it seems a bit late to wish you all a Happy New Year, but I can say 'Xin Nian Kuai Le' as it is Chinese New Year tomorrow.  So I hope you have a healthy and peaceful 2014.

Christmas Jumper

 

Those of you who read my blog must realise that I am a practical person and most of my hobbies are craft related. So earlier in the year when I was watching the film Bridget Jones Diary with my Daughter for probably the 3^rd or 4th time,  she said ‘I want a Christmas Jumper’.  So I filed the information away and then in October I decided to look for a pattern and knit her one.  I have never knitted such a complicated colour way pattern before and to say it was a challenge is an understatement.  At one point I had 12 different balls of wool that I was working into the knitting and I have lost count of the times that I had to undo and redo rows.    After weeks of weeks of frantic knitting I finally finished last week and then had to spend hours working all the wool ends into the wrong side of the front section.    Still all the hard work was worth it and I am really pleased with the end result.

The fact that the Christmas Jumper has had a real revival this year is a bonus because when I presented Megan with her new jumper this week – she was thrilled to say the least. Not sure if I will attempt another one though!

Christmas Pudding

Well I am a bit late this year making my Christmas puddings but they should be alright.  I  remember when I was a child my mother making them in October or even September, and she always made enough for the following Easter too.



Traditions are what makes families special and yesterday our daughter was home so she helped me prepare the mixture. It was lovely working together in the kitchen and laughing and sharing and remembering things that happened when she was young.  How lucky we are.  We all had a wish which is all part of the tradition, and today they are steaming on the top of the stove for their required 8 hours. 



I have always loved Christmas.  The preparations are really what make it fun.  Cooking, thinking of what to give, and making some of the gifts too also makes it very special.  I always think there is lots of time when its still November and then December arrives and panic!  Anyway it will be an enjoyable lead up to the festive season I hope, and I will try not to stress at all. Some hope of that!

Bed and Breakfast

     I don’t normally write about the bed and breakfast business in this blog which seems a bit daft really. As my blog is linked to the website for the B&B I just wonder how many of you who read this really want more information about us and what we offer. Our website is great, it tells you what you need to know about the rooms and where we are etc but it doesn’t really explain much about us.

 So I thought I would pen a few words for those who are interested. We thought running a B&B would give us a great work life balance as well as earn a living. On the whole it does and we feel very lucky to be able to do that. However running a B&B is hard work, but then what job isn’t, it’s far better to work hard and enjoy it, than have to do a 9 to 5 in misery!   We love welcoming guests into our home and hope they enjoy staying with us, many come back and are now friends but if you only want to stay for one night we don’t mind,  it will be a pleasure to meet you.  We live in such a beautiful part of Wales that is often neglected as people rush through Flintshire to get to the coast, Snowdon or beyond. But it’s well worth the visit if you take the time, and so well placed for visiting Chester, Liverpool as well as North Wales.

Les and I have many hobbies and Les likes gardening, woodwork, DIY and ‘pottering in his shed’ as well as enjoying a good book. He doesn’t watch football!!

 I love painting, sewing, knitting and any sort of handicraft as well as reading and watching a good film.  I also love cooking! This is why our guests enjoy eating our food I expect, and why neither of us are as slim as we would like!   I am always trying out new recipes and love to wade through cook books looking for something delicious.  So don’t think the evening meals listed on our website are the limit to what we offer –we like to change it every day that we cook and normally discuss at breakfast what ‘tonight’s’ meal will be.  Of course many people don’t want an evening meal as they are visiting friends or family, working or simply want to try one of the local pubs.    We do however offer a three day dinner bed and breakfast break which is a good deal, so email us if you are interested and we will send you the price.

When you arrive we will offer you tea or coffee and probably a Welsh cake or a piece of homemade cake (chocolate with Nutella icing is my current favourite).  Welsh cakes are like flat scones flavoured with mixed spice and are lovely. You can have this in the lounge or on a nice day in the garden or the gazebo. (The lounge is where you eat breakfast and dinner around our large table with other guests, it also has two sofas and a chaise lounge and a big flat screen TV with Sky and BT for those who want to use it – all the bedrooms have TV’s too).


All our rooms are offered at a 10% discount if you book for more than one night, so if it is not clear please do email or phone and we will tell you if we have availability.  Sometimes we can move things about a bit to accommodate you so it’s always worth contacting us.

 We don’t grow any vegetables at the moment but Les keeps promising! But we do grow soft fruit:  raspberries, gooseberries and blackcurrants which mostly go into jams for the B&B. We also have plum and apple trees which also get turned into jams, chutneys or just frozen for a nice crumble.
 
Apart from that we like our caravan when we can get away, our dog Willis (who we take cycling along the Wales Coastal Path in his own buggy) and socialising with our family and friends.   If you want more information about our home then click onto the ‘Short history of Celyn Villa ‘on the right.  If you would like more information on the area check out the Discover Flintshire website.

We hope to welcome you to our home sometime in the future.   Just remember to telephone, email or if you prefer book on line.  We look forward to meeting you.