Christmas 2017, New Year 2018 and 80th Birthday!.

First event for us Dog Walkers was a nice Christmas lunch at the Lymfield Garden Centre at Mottram.

He's alive and well in Mottram.

We also had a meeting at Reddish Vale Cafe where they had really gone to town at make the place merry for the children that attend the riding school next door.

Even the horses were dressed up with saddle blankets, hats and spats.

They always make us Dog walkers very welcome.

Another visit was to the Daisy Nook Country Park Cafe,

A couple of pictures from there.

A windswept little Coal Tit, how do these little things survive in this weather!.

 Then to the Garden centre across from there, where Pepe had this photo shoot.

Christmas Eve saw my Grandchildren and their wives/husbands in the Nativity at the local LDS Chapel. Must admit I'd been out all day, came home and got warm and fell asleep and woke up too late to attend! 

From Istagram, posted by Dad!.

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Christmas Day I was at Son's for Christmas dinner, with some of the other Grandparents and also a couple of LDS missionary ladies.

The one on the left is from Australia and the one on the right from Germany, though she said her grandmother was originally from Manchester!, small world isn't it!

These ladies are away from home for 18 months as missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, must be hard for them at Christmas time, that's why the church members try to make it as pleasant as possible for them at this time. 

They had Skype'd home to their folks back home earlier in the day, so were very happy.

New Years Eve we were back at Son John's for dinner and as it was going to be a long day they had done a selection of Casseroles 2 of each!

And even though there were 15 sat down, their largest dinner yet, there was plenty to go round, and it was beautiful!, the large extension to the house is certainly working out well.

One of the visiting young girls had made this to share, very talented hey.

Plenty of fancies to follow, there will have to be some running to run this lot off in the new year hey!.

New Years day saw us Dog walkers at Grandpa Greens at Diggle, as we had booked it the previous week on hearing they would be open, and as it was my birthday on the 2nd it was a good excuse for a meeting.

On arrival found the place packed to bursting, and even though there was an hour's wait on orders it wasn't a problem as we had plenty to talk about, and got a free drink to wet out whistles whilst we waited!. 

Wouldn't think I was 60 would you?, and you'd be right!

One day to Go!.

Another Peter

George from the Boat club. 

Mary and Jean

Jean

So that was another good day, you have to get out there and help yourselves don't you, no one is going to do it for you.

Last but not least it was a dinner out with the family at a Toby Carvery in Chadderton, piling on more pounds hey, but the meal was very nice and you should have seen the size of the Yorkshire puddings!.
When John's turn came at the counter for his meal they brought out another turkey which looked more like an ostrich to me!.

John took this one

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Then the waitress came along and took one with us all on.

Horrendous journey home with it being nighttime and the heavy rain that had been sheeting down all day, still it was worth it to be together with the family on this my momentous day!.

So all in all its been one of the best Christmas holidays for a long time made possible by all my friends and family, thank you all, and may this New Year be kind to you all!.  

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If I knew I was going to last this long I would have taken better care of myself!.
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