A suprise in the garden.

 We've spent a couple of hours getting the garden straight and planting all the seedlings I sowed back in February. We have the three flower beds, the one we dug first has most of  the plants we brought we us from Suffolk. Just snippets rather than whole big plants to reduce the number of plants to transport. We've dug two further beds all, all beginning to fill up with plants, as all that was here was grass.  So some of the plants that have popped up have been a pleasant surprise as I couldn't remember all I brought.. so this one was a surprise.

It had grown enormous and beside it is a rhubarb plant, an extra one which we didn't know where to put, so it was planted there by Dh for this year, so this large plant alongside was a surprised. 

I've let it grow till I had an idea as to what it was.

Any ideas? 

It's coming out tomorrow, as its Himalayan Balsam! 

Chrisxx

Out the other side.

 My dip into the doldrums has lasted 11 days.. but at last our kitchen is finished and there is sunshine all around!

It is wonderful to have a working kitchen with a dishwasher again, we coped but only just. Since then,  Dh's daughter, her Dh and little four- year old son has visited. They had hired a caravan on the holiday park not far from us, so we had the pleasure of their visit with out the strain of  them actually staying with us, which worked out really well. And I know now, why older people don't have young ones!! 

So today we're planting all my home grown plants, which are looking strong and healthy. The front garden has been tidied and the trough has summer bedding planted and looks very pretty.

While I have being keeping a low profile..On the news front:-.......

It looks like Ukraine is slowly being reduced to rubble, poor people.

Didn't Sam Ryder do well in Eurovision, I loved the song.

A couple won £184 million on the lottery, wow! I don't even buy a ticket so no hope I could win.

And the man who decides our country's finances, which determines our cost of living, is a multimillionaire with his wife and worth £183 million. Doesn't seem fair to me! Do they buy their groceries from the bottom shelves, where the food is Supermarkets own brands and cheaper? I think not, probably have it all delivered from Fortnum and Mason's! Am I bothered? Not really,  altho' I feel for those who unlike myself only have benefits to live on or a very low wage. Perhaps some of our MPs should try living without their high incomes and bonuses? See how they'd like it.

I am very grateful for all I have and that I have a garden to sit in and enjoy this sun shiny day.

Chrisxx

Doldrums

 

I should be swinging from the roof tops, the kitchen looks amazing although we still have the decorator to come tomorrow. 

I had a very productive day yesterday and cleaned the bathroom, our bedroom and sorted out loads to go back in the kitchen, but today I'm a bit flat. I had a bad night and I'm still going to the loo umpteen times in the night and day time. 

I have just sat out in the garden which is looking lovely and it has calmed my mind. I have loads of plants to go in, which have grown huge in the little plastic green house, so we've planned a planting time this afternoon.

Just got to pull on my 'big girl pants' and get on.

The strain of 3 weeks without a kitchen has got to me, even Dh has been fed up too, very unusual for him.

But we're up and running this afternoon!

Chrisxx

A fresh air day and beautiful water girl.

 With the glorious sunshine here today, we decided to catch up in the garden this afternoon.

These are the last of the tulips, such a lovely salmon pink colour. 

 The lime green grass I bought last autumn, but can't remember the name and the other lime green leaf is a heuchera

And this is the first flower bed we dug, filling up with a variety of plants. We now have birds visiting our feeders and bathing in the bird bath and today there were bees, hover flies and some small blue butterflies and a cabbage white in the garden . When we first came here it was just a weedy grass area and no birds or insects. 

And Dh has dug and set up my water feature, which I bought from the Gardeners World Live show, in 2010. We didn't set it up in Suffolk, because I couldn't decide when to site it, but here we think we have it in the perfect place.

I bought it with the money my Aunty Glad (Gladys) left me, and it is actually called 'Gladys.' Designed by Lily Sawtell; it's a  verdigris bronze figure 65 cm high.

The water comes out of a flower on her hat on the left side, circles round the brim and then trickles off the other side. I love it, I've had so many insulting comments about her, but to me she is so beautiful and I love the trickling sound of the water. She still needs to have more pebbles and the bricks around.. isn't she lovely?

Chrisxx

The new beech coloured work surfaces arrived yesterday and they are perfect!

It's going to be ok!

 We dashed off to Benchmarx, our kitchen suppliers,  yesterday and they can get beech coloured tops, however there are 2 in Cardiff and 2 in Bristol. We need 3 so they are collecting the 4 to check they are not damaged as they have been in storage for a month or two; beech it seems is not the 'in' colour! They will be delivered Monday pm. The young receptionist there, was such a nice young woman, and kept saying not to worry and of course you must have what you like.

The builder phoned again, Dh spoke to him, and he's fine about taking out the present tops and said not to stress, he will do what I want. I expect there will be extra to pay!

So I did sleep better last night. 

We are coping extremely well without a cooker, better than we thought and have been able to keep to the SW food plan and we've both lost weight! We had been to Iceland and bought some of the SW frozen meals, and we found out that some of the Coop tinned soups were suitable too. And Friday lunch time Dh did toasted cheese sandwiches, as we were disappointed that both the Costa in Bridgend and Porthcawl were closed for a refurb, both at the same time!! And that was our treat of the week. We'd forgotten we had our toastie maker!

Last evening Dh barbequed some steaks and we had baked potatoes cooked in foil on the barbeque too, with a lovely huge green salad.. I had saved some syns and had ice cream with strawberries, it was all delicious. Today we've booked a meal at the Toby Carvery for a Sunday dinner, so I am looking forward to a beef dinner!

When this kitchen is done, I shall be so relieved!

Chrisxx

Day 4 ....Huston, we have a problem!

 The kitchen arrived trust up like a turkey, so we hadn't really seen the true colours.. Today the work tops have been unveiled and some have been put in place. The builder has worked hard all day and left ready to start again on Monday 8:00am sharp.. while he is working we keep out of the way and sneak in after he's gone to have a look.

Big problem. I am convinced that those dark work surfaces are not the ones I chose! And well,  if they are I don't like them and want them changed. The builder and I have spoken on the phone and he reckons they look dark, because there are no lights in the kitchen at the moment and if I took the off cut into the hall, it wouldn't look so dark.  He is not just wrong, but very wrong, they are too dark.

I know it will cost me more, but I am not paying for something I don't like. This kitchen is £15,000 plus so I am not paying for something I don't like! 

The builder can huff and puff as much as he likes, I am having what I want, ok I'll have to pay more but it is my kitchen and my money!

This kitchen has and is causing me sleepless nights!

Chrisxx 

Thusday and Day 3 of our kitchen to be...

Grrrr shops.. we went yesterday to pick up the flooring for the kitchen, which we had ordered 7th March and although we were told that it would be there after the Easter weekend, it wasn't! This was the 4th time we had been told it would be there. I was furious and said we wanted our money back and we wanted to cancel the £1,485 carpet we had ordered.. to which he said it had already been cut off the roll and was ready for delivery.. I said 'Tough!' I want my money back! He phoned the other sales man, who was in another store and told him of my intentions and long story short.. the flooring was delivered this morning at 10:00 am with free delivery and 20 % off. I can be very steely faced and not give an inch when necessary!

With all this going on, my day did not start off well, I was up and ready to go--ish at 7:20am,  Dh had already showered and then wow.. I had an enormous nose bleed.. Dh wanted to take me to A&E after it was still pouring out after 2 hours. But I would not go, the last time this happened I was hospitalised for 3 days! It eventually stopped at 10:20 and then I waited a bit to shower. 

I do admit, I still feel a bit shaky, but the stress of it is getting to me.. was it the flooring....or the electrician adding £200 to his £1300 quote.... or trying to keep to our SW food plan without proper cooking facilities, it all seems too much for me, plus I have seedlings that need potting on? I don't want to give up on trying to lose weight after losing nearly a stone, which has not been easy for me. So I am trying to keep calm and breath, without sniffing which is the worst thing for nose bleeds. My nose is horribly blocked.

As well as all this going on, we have had to change our plans about the tiles we wanted. The builder pointed out to us that, how we wanted the 2 colours wouldn't work. So we have been to a local DIY store and bought a greeny/blue tile to have instead and want it like this.

We have the wood coloured work surfaces, so it will suit very nicely with our cream units. I am pleased.. 

Moral of this is...having major work done in your home when you're getting on in life is not easy on your nerves, especially if you don't sleep well at night.

Dh says, it will all be worth it,..... me?  .... I hope so!

Chrisxx

New clothes?

 Several friends have got the spring bug and been buying new items of clothing..

Me?? No. not at the moment. I want to lose at least another stone or two or more before I buy anything else.

I have new dresses, which I'm ashamed to say, I had to buy in a bigger size, and these will last me till summer really does arrive. My wardrobes are bulging with clothes but only about 20% fit me!

My weight constantly bugs me and I have very good weeks and then very bad days! In the last lockdown, I gained a lot of weight, some that I had lost.. the anxiety got to me and then the stress of moving house and before I realised,  my weight had ballooned and I needed a bigger size of clothing.. ugh!

This morning we were up showered and dressed before the builder arrived at 8, then as soon as he was happy with what he was doing we left and drove to the next town to visit Iceland..where we bought their Slimming World meals, so that over the next 2 weeks without a cooker we won't veer too far off the food plan. We have booked a Carvery meal for Sunday, we can't go without our Sunday dinner!

So two weeks planned without a cooker!

Thank you for all the kind comments on my previous post. I'm not that brave and I only cope because I have a very loving super husband, who can never do enough for me. He's the best husband I could ever have found, this July we will have been married 16 years. Best years of my life have been with him.

Chrisxx

To wee or not to wee, that is my problem!

Do you recognise these? They're dandelions, and used as symbols for incontinence clinics. I don't suffer from that, but I do have a bladder problem. I have to get up 5, 6 or more times at night to use the loo.

 It's really getting me down, and I'm tired, the lack of sleep is stealing my days and today I'm crotchety and miserable! 

To add to my moans, we're having a new kitchen fitted. We have had this builder booked since last November and he starts tomorrow, so we have had to empty all the cupboards and everything out of our little pantry. Just as well we have a good size lounge and we left off getting the new carpet as the room is full. 

I have various tests booked for my problem and for the first time ever in my life I feel anxious about them, anyway will tests make me better?? Dh has suggested that we do a dummy run next week to suss out the hospital, where to go and where to park etc. And that will help some of my worries.

I've already had two cystoscopies and they were clear 2 years ago.

I am taking Magnesium and Pumpkin seed extract, both advertised for bladders.. Only just started so can't say if they will do any good, but I'll give them a good try.

And I'm fed up of repeating myself to different Drs, who class pain as uncomfortable, let them have it and then they can say.. just uncomfortable!!

I wish I could blow it all away like this seed head..... 

                                                 Chrisxx

A delightful morning.

 We've had a lovely coffee in town and a mooch around. There's a market there today and I sampled the fudge, but it was so small a piece I could hardly taste it! But at £6 a very small slab, it was easy to resist buying; I love fudge but at that price I can leave it!

We'd seen a shop selling all manner of stuff, but never been in, such a small frontage, but inside it went right back and appeared huge. It had beach toys, crab lines, screws, tools, and hardware stuff and all manner of things, an Aladdin's cave! My boys when they were younger would have loved it and I could remember times,  when on holiday down in the West Country, they would have been in a similar shop every day buying bits and pieces with their holiday pocket money.

We went in there for some glue to stick the frame on my prescription sunglasses and spent a lot more than we intended.

BUT.. When we got home I went to check on my tomato plants and sad to see some had blight. In the little plastic green house with the sun on it, too humid and insufficient air, so I'll sow some more seeds right away in my little propagator. 

We drove home and detoured through the village and down past the  12th Century church.

My school friend, Judith is buried here killed in a car accident when we were 16 years old, a sad memory.

We drove on down to the beach, just to look at it and reminisce of times we used to stay in the dog friendly B&B there. Shame they gave up,  as it was perfect for us; there was a kitchen for your use and a café where we used to have tea and a cake in the afternoons. 

Home now and someone's mowing their grass,  so too noisy to sit outside for lunch, but we can't complain, as it was their first time and we've cut ours three times already! But we did sit and have a decaff coffee outside,  admiring our garden and watching the birds, all the feeders being used now and the bird bath, none here when we first arrived; the sounds of their song is magical.  Loads of hover flies and small bees around as well,  I think our gardening has been a success.

We've even planted our vine, which we've had in a pot ever since we bought it 5 years ago. We have had grapes in the past so hoping for a lot more now its in the ground

YEH, come on summer. we're ready for you!

 Chrisxx