Taking liberties......

     
            ......and getting closer and closer to dads dish, while he is totally absorbed in his telly programme.  Joe could sneak a quiet lick and I'm sure dad would be none the wiser once he is glued to the tv or his phone.  This dog gets away with murder sometimes.   

     The Conservative Conference was held in Birmingham last weekend, so we went into town for a wander in the sunshine to see what was going on...

        .....security was very tight, as there was just about every protest group you can think of waving posters, handing out leaflets and shouting into their mega-phones.

          Access to the Symphony hall was totally off limits to us normal people.  We walked along the canal banks watching the barges and the police diving team coming and going on the waterways.

        Darsh isn't quite in the same league as Cameron or Boris, but he was still chuffed to see his name plastered on a city bill-board.  So of course he felt the need for a photograph to remind him of his moment of fame...

               Monday saw us heading to London to see Sara and John's new flat. 

    The views from outside, and the weather, was stunning, but the flat itself.... not so.  We are heading back over there tomorrow, armed with paint pots, brushes, steam cleaner and tool boxes....

A sunny morning....

     .....quick into the park before it changes it's mind.  Every morning this week has started off lovely, but by mid-morning rain moves in.  This morning we were in there, quick.....
 

           ....one to stroll.....

            ......one to sniff.....

           ......and one to admire the shadows.

                Of course all that rain has left it very muddy under the trees, but dad had to have a go at jumping over it, and he made it...nearly...and spent the rest of the walk trying to get mud off his boots, socks, trousers, legs!   "Oh it gets everywhere" we could hear him wailing as we walked back to the car.
       Joe walked round the muddy patches, but with his low slung undercarriage.....

                  ......he was filthy, and very reluctant to be caught, as he knew a trip to the wash bowl was in store for him at home....correct.... but a good chase with a doggy towel and a favourite sweetie soon restored his happy face.

Sara's back.....

     ....in the country and she spent part of the week looking for a flat in London.  Then she came over  on the train and joined us for the weekend, whilst dad drove to Newcastle for a couple of days with Charlotte and brought her back here too.
      It was my birthday on Saturday, so after a late breakfast and a try on of clothes to take on the cruise, which is in only  4 weeks time, we went into town to a vintage fair.  We took a bag of unloved clothes with us to put in the swap-shop they were doing.  I'd never done one before, but Charlotte was a dab hand, apparently such things are commonplace up in Newcastle.  You take in things you don't want and swap them for things there that you might wear! 
     So, Sara got a new jacket, a pair of jeans and a dress that needs a little altering, Charlotte acquired 2 lovely new dresses and I got a new top, some pretty buttons to put onto something else.....and a large pile of washing and ironing.  It was good fun, and if the stuff doesn't get worn we can simply throw it back into the next charity donation bag.
      There was also a couple of girls doing 1940's hair and make-up, so I had a go, after all it was my birthday....

         ......then we went to play posing by an old factory wall, while we waited for dad to park the car...

      .....had a walk through town, an amble round Selfridges....it was so busy (how many weeks to Christmas?)
        And into "Bodega" for an early supper.....

         ....it's a South American themed restaurant, my current favourite as it is always so noisy and busy, the food is great and rather unusual, the staff are pleasant and it has a really good atmosphere.

 

Sunday was an at home day.

I got my wedding dress out of the loft.......

      ....and the dress I bought for my 21st.  They still fitted...sort of....on one or the other of us...