A Garden Stroll.

We now have an area of garden  we called the 'fence' garden because its by the new fence.. all the plants there are either, small flowering trees or shrubs, apart from the Bramley, Victoria Plum and Russet apple, fruit trees. They are just beginning to flower, although the cherry and crab apple were early flowering. I can't remember the names of some!

This is to show the height of the fox gloves, now nearly gone.

Some aquilegia, new so hope these will self seed, as they are a lovely yellow

Blue geraniums, always welcome in my garden, so pretty and very blue!

And these were here, the only flowers, Arum lilies, not my favourite but Dh likes them. As soon as we have a frost, these wilt and become a yucky slime. Then they grow up all again, I've never seen this in a plant before.

This is one of three climbing roses I bought to go in front of the fence, Chandos Beauty, it does have an amazing scent.

And this is??...

...... it was supposed  to be this climbing rose, Starlight Symphony, but as you can see its just a mass of spindly growth and in the last week it has developed a single pink rose, like that of the wild Dog rose.

I got in contact with the company 2 months ago and sent photographs saying it was not the rose I had ordered. They suggested it was ok, but since then I've contacting them again and they are sending  me a new rose.. But I have to pay postage! I'm ok with that if it means I'll have the climbing rose I want.

I'm fighting the slugs and snails that are feasting on my dahlias, that are struggling to grow. I rely on the dahlias for my summer colour, so I check each morning and we do use a environmental slug deterrent.

I grow my tomatoes in pots against the west facing wall, they've always done well there, my favourites are Alicante and Big Tom.

Our little veg patch with Dh's potatoes in bags on the path. We have a moderate success with the potatoes, but are happy with that, we're only feeding us not an army!

Carrots, and lettuce are looking good, this patch gets full sun so we water most evenings.

And our Sweet Heart cabbage under an environmesh cover against cabbage butterflies!

We also have Sprouting Broccoli getting bigger each week, it won't be ready till Autumn.

We have eaten some of the garlic and a lettuce from our veg patch and isn't our parsley a wonder to behold!

The beans are all germinated in our little plastic greenhouse and Dh will be putting up his sticks and planting next week. Its all go now in the garden and we try to do a little each day. 

Chrisxx

My Bits and my Pieces!

 I spent most of Tuesday morning taking down all my bits and pieces off my dresser to give it all a very good clean. Some lovely memories as I looked at the different items, it was quite emotional too.

It houses gifts and pieces with special memories. On the very top shelf are 3 blue patterned plates that I bought after my divorce. We had a dinner service that my ex decided he wanted. His mother had bought it for us when we married. I didn't mind, because I didn't like it and I didn't like her, so good riddance I thought. But it meant my four grown up children and I only had odd dishes. 

That first Christmas 1987, my Aunt sent me some money, so I went to an Antique centre and bought an old dinner service, 6 large plates, 6 medium sized and 6 bread and butter plates, you've got to have bread and butter plates, don't you and 2 veg tureens, one with the lid missing; total cost £23, the stall holder took pity on me and dropped the price from £30. It did us well over the years and I kept those 3 plates just to remind me.

The rest of that shelf are all blue items, mostly gifts, except on the very right side is a small gin filled Delft Blue china house, it was from KLM airways that my ex was given. He had tossed it away and I rescued it, thinking it might have some monetary value, but I didn't sell it, but kept it all these years.

I've mentioned all that shelf has blue items, because the very first clearer I had, Fran,  after my divorce was lovely. On her first day she stripped and washed everything on my dresser, not something I asked of her, but she put everything back mixing up the shelf colours. I obviously noticed straight away when I got home from work, and before I did anything else, I put everything back as it was.. I made sure my next week's note to her said, 'no need to do the dresser, thank you!' I'm a bit OCD about it!

The picture on that blue shelf is a painting of Boysie, my dog I had years ago, it was painted because Boysie and Dh had been hit by a car that had mounted the pavement. Boysie was killed and Dh was pushed into a hedge, such a blessing that it was a hedge and not a wall.. the poo bag he was carrying was flung up into the tree. This was a great story for my grand children, who had to go to see the bag which was still in the tree months after. I was so relieved that Dh wasn't hurt, just bruised and shaken up. He was taken into A&E but was ok so allowed home. Elaine who had painted it, a lovely lady has since died. So a very precious painting.

The round shaped jug at the back on the bottom shelf was my mother's, one of a pair painted with blue birds, my parent's wedding present in 1936! There are 4 cats on there, I used to collect cats! There are presents from my G/daughter, my son who doesn't talk to me any more, nik nacks from friends, and a hand made little broach from Lilian, who is a Christian working  in Laos, a photograph of my middle son when he was in Play Group, he's 55 now and my grand daughter age 18mths, she's 30 in August.. a heart from Dh bought one Valentine's day. I love them all.

And a lot more; so many precious things, which will be just stuff to some one else one day, but to me they are memories, very, very precious memories.

Chrisxx

New buys.

We've been talking about new furniture for ages, so last we actually went to buy it. I'd looked on line for several weeks, comparing sofas and matching chairs first; we also popped into a Next store to look at their sofas.

We drove to an M&S store just our side of Cardiff..I don't think I've ever been in such a huge store, it went on for miles and miles. I was exhausted by the time we came out. Thank goodness I knew what we were looking for.

We had to search for a sales person to buy it, but we're pleased with our buy. The colour, Sea Foam, matches our carpet and lounge that we had painted last year.  Dh tried the sofa, me the chair and they are very comfortable. 

I am also going to buy a recliner for myself in a light colour that will hopefully match. Curtains are next and then we're done. 

We no longer like walking around large stores, its too confusing, so many different choices and I get too tired.. but the toilets there were super!

We nearly went into the restaurant, but we knew we'd be tempted and weight loss means more to us than lunch in M&S! But it looked very tasty, it was very hard to turn away. 

We will give our present sofa and chairs to Emmanus, they're still looking good as the covers are washable and being Laura Ashley have kept their shape.. Delivery is next month, so we're very happy!

Chrisxx

Why are we different?

 Why do we like different things, have you ever wondered that? What colours our judgements, is it our up bringing, education, life experiences? I often wonder.. 

For example books:- 

So many people raved about this book, so I got it from the library and took it back with a DNF note on my lists. I didn't hate, it but it didn't appeal to me and my mind kept wandering and as I turned the pages I realised I hadn't taken in what was written!

But this one, that a lot of readers did not like I loved. In fact I read it twice, because it was chosen for the Book Group I belong to and on the second reading, I read stuff I'd missed the first time. When some of the group said they didn't like it and thought Eleanor was unlikeable, I wondered if we had read the same book! I loved her quirky ways and understood her need for routine, it was safe!

I've had my views totally changed by some books. I looked up the reviews of Mad Honey, as it was suggested that it was a 'marmite' book. You either loved it or hated it. So I approached it with some trepidations. 

Trans gender issues have never been in my sphere of understanding, and one of the comments had a spoiler alert,  that this book dealt with trans gender issues. I read it and didn't just enjoy it, it opened my mind to how it can just be something that is there, whether you are willing or not. And a very young person, who wanted to be a different gender to that which had been written on their birth certificate, was ok. Jodi Picoult wrote this book with Jennifer Finney Boylan, a trans gender person. It was heart rendering and I was very emotional reading it. It changed how I thought of trans gender people.

And yet this wildly acclaimed book was not for me! When I started to read it, it was fine. I liked the storying, the style of  how it was written, then even before I was a quarter of the way through, it lost me. It was 700 pages long and I thought, do I want to read a story like this. Life's too short to read books you don't like' is a mantra I often say. Whether it is alright to write about anything you like, for me its a no no. So I couldn't bring myself to read it.

But this book by Patrick Gale was amazing and dealt with the same subject as 'The Hearts Invisible Furies.'

The author thought that the character, Harry Cane could have been his great grand father, living back in the 1920s when homosexuals were imprisoned.

A shy middle class man, who abandoned his wife and child and emigrated to Canada, to a place called Winter. A beautiful story full of emotion, hard work and heart ache. I loved reading it. Dh and I had the pleasure of listening to Patrick Gale talking about it. when he was a guest at the Essex Literary Festival. 

So I ask again what is it in our make up that defines what we like, while other people hate what we like?

To all intents and purposes I had a Victorian up bringing, as it was my grand mother, born 1887,  who brought me up, it was very straight-laced and narrow... but I had a wide education in a school that taught me, that I could have my own opinions and a BIG local library! And my Aunt bought me a set of Arthur Mees encyclopedias and I read all 10 volumes cover to cover, so it kind of straightened out my narrow up bringing. I still do have some hang ups, I couldn't wear trousers in church even if you paid me, but other things are in the past!

What about you?

Chrisxx

Will things change?

 Like a lot of people in my town and not just my town, there are patients frustrated trying to get through to the Surgery in the 8:00am scramble. So when someone recently posted on the town FB page saying how pleased they were with the service they'd received from the Dr's surgery, I like to query their post.  I want to know how many times they had to phone, what number they were when they got through and how long they had to wait.  Because I know from experience it's not that simple. 

However as the Government has launched the scheme where pharmacists can give out medicines, we don't need to see a Dr for simple straight forward complaints or do we?  Its not that simple and patients have been turned away, because of confusion over the scope of the service.

Did you know its age related.. young persons over 1 year old, can be treated for ear problems, sore throats, insect bites; over 5 for impetigo, sinusitis, and over 18, shingles. UTIs are for women 16 to 64..Pharmacists have complained that they have been attacked by people who hadn't realised that many of the conditions were age related. I didn't until I looked it up.

Of course there is also 111. But recently even that, has now been over run and there are waiting times for phones to be answered.

And we also recently have had Drs and Ambulances on strike. Although because of the volume of patients needing an ambulance there can be many hours waiting for one. There are some horrific stories of older people, who have fallen and waiting hours on the ground for an ambulance. Our NHS is on its knees and we are the ones suffering, because its not working.

But have no fear, after the General Election, with Labour in power. The waiting times for operations or any hospital treatment will be cut; GPs will be increased to relieve the pressure to get an appointment, they will generally improve the NHS; as well as Reforming the justice service; raising Education standards; make Britain a 'clean energy super power' ; Securing the highest sustained growth in the G7. Such promises are they to be believed?

So all will be 'tickety boo!!' I am sure many politicians do believe they can do all manner of improvements, but perhaps they've forgotten it costs.. where will the money come from? I paid into a Voluntary Pension Scheme, as well as my in service pension and for my trouble it is taxed! Raising taxes might be the answer, but it would be a very unpopular move. 

Its 'pie in the sky,' what do you think?

                          Chrisxx

A sunshiny day and too hot!

 Absolutely scorcher of a day here yesterday, too hot to garden till late afternoon.  We had a super morning in town, which had a band playing songs that have a words you can remember with tunes that are sing-able! Called the 'Ghost-Buskers' their average age was probably 60! Lots of people stopped to watch them and join in with the singing. Mostly 70s, and 80s songs. A real seaside town summer day in the sun!

I stopped to watch while Dh went to the Coop, as we forgot to get a chicken  on our order. Strange. but true little old ladies sitting on the seat of their wheels get spoken to! Lots of people in shorts and happy faces and a lot of happy tail wagging dogs. One woman stopped to chat and I talked to her cockerpoo. It was very difficult and I had to choke back tears, her dog was so pretty and so like Nell; her hair felt like Nell's too as I stroked her back.

At home in the garden, we sat under an umbrella and read. I'm reading one of my comfortable authors. The sort that write a story, with a hint of romance and no shocks! It's sort of cosy and sometimes you need cosy, do you agree?

And I'm enjoying it. 

We planted the last of my foxglove seedlings, now grown quite big and strong. We have had some beauties and these are to flower next year.

But we hope it will rain as the garden is dry. 

Chrisxx

Too tired!

 It was a beautiful day here yesterday, but I saw hardly any of it.. after all my efforts in the front garden the day before you'd have thought I'd have slept well. I did not, I didn't get to sleep till gone 12 mn and woke at 5 and couldn't get back to sleep. I tried, as I was comfortable, not too warm and it was quiet. Dh and I were up at 6, and I struggled to get going, I was so tired.

We were showered and had a cup of tea early, as Friday is our SW meeting and we leave the house at 9.

It was a 'taster session' when members bring a SW food item. Dh had made a crustless quiche and it was very tasty. The session was to honour the Man of the Year, in our group; it was 'willy man' who won!

I'd lost a pound, so I am half a pound away from the next stone down, yippee! I'll make a real effort this week to get down, its slow but sure.

When we got home I collapsed into my arm chair; Dh had some of the quiche left and we had that for lunch with salad.. and then he went outside to cut the grass. I had an audible book which I downloaded and promptly went to sleep! 

So I hadn't seen any of the day and couldn't wait to get to bed.

Chrisxx

Yes Sooze its me in the chair at the top of the garden.

Hedges are hard work!

 My cough is more or less gone, the cough medicine was very good and I've had a couple of good night's sleep.(With the usual loo breaks!) But I'm feeling a lot better.. so I decided to help Dh to tidy up the front approach and drive way to our bungalow yesterday afternoon. We're plagued by Mountain Ash and Sycamore seeds from another property and they grow everywhere.

We have the hedges cut twice a year regularly and over the three years since we've been here, the cost has increased enormously, so last year we paid £1,500; hence we had the back 30m of 6ft privet hedge, which was very scrappy looking removed and a fence instead. It looks very nice and very tidy, especially, as I bought a whole lot of small garden trees and flowering shrubs to plant in front of the fence.

Photo is the new fence before we planted the small trees and shrubs.

This year I had booked a hedge firm that we used last Autumn, as he was fairly reasonable and he made a good job of the remaining side hedge, which is a 6ft Copper Beech at the top of our back garden and the one bordering our front garden just 4ft, a small leaf privet hedge. He was to come in February/March I did text him to 'touch base' just to remind him.. and he replied with 'he was waiting for a dry spell.'

Have you guessed what happened next? Yep, he didn't get back to me. Then in April I had a text to say that he had injured his shoulder and was giving up his hedge trimming business and would give our name to some one else! I just sorted some one myself, who was recommended on FB.. He came 2 weeks ago, and the work looked ok, so we were fairly happy. We said we'd see him in September. In case you haven't realised getting a hedge cutting firm has its problems!

But he didn't dig out the Mountain Ash small trees nor a couple of Sycamores which had sprung up in the hedging. So that's what Dh and I tackled, I also trimmed back some shoots on the Japonica, as it borders the drive and is quite prickly. We more or less tidied up all the bits he had missed.

 We also pulled out the ivy, as it grows faster than anything I've ever known.  We had some daisies in the paving spaces on the pathway to clear too, on the approach to the front door.

So all dug up, swept clean and we're looking good, and it does look very good too, as we had the bungalow front wall painted white last month, so we're very trim and tidy. We were very pleased with our work, especially as our neighbour, who has a building firm, cleared all the weeds from the road gutters last Monday evening, he and another man swept the road clean!!! You might wonder why? But he is one of the three houses by us, who have been having building work of one sort or another done since we moved here, 3 years in June. There's been a lot of muddy skip lorries, builders merchants delivering stuff and work men here the whole time and the road showed it too.

Being OAPs, we always finish what ever work we're doing at 3:00pm but we worked on to get it all finished. We were a good 3 hours in all. So when we came in for a cuppa, which was well deserved, Dh said..'what if we had the 4ft hedge on the side of the front garden removed and a picket fence put up instead???'

'Its an idea,' I replied!

Chrisxx

Coughing!

 

This squawking gull woke me this morning and for once I didn't mind, because I wasn't going to rush to get up anyway. I'm not well, I've a horrible cough.

Cough, cough, cough through the night, just a tickly cough and now a raw throat frim coughing, Dh got up with me in the night and made me a lovely hot cup of tea. Then he poked around in the depths of our shelves in our little pantry and low and behold he found a bottle of medicine! It soothed my throat and it stopped the cough. 

I'm so glad I have my Aunty's trend to buy stuff in case I might need it, hence we have our own little chemist's shop in the pantry!

We climbed back into bed and I slept for 2 unbroken hours. Where did it come from? We haven't socialized this week with anyone. 

But at least being retired I can sit around all day and if I feel up to it read. Although I think I might listen to the audible version of a favourite book, 'Remember Me' by Charity Norman, who is my favourite author.

Chrisxx

N.S.V.

 If you attend a slimming group or have done, you'll know that NSV, stands for Non Scale Victory.. so this was the talk on Friday. Things that have changed even when the scales don't show a big loss.

Most of the group said they could wear clothes that they hadn't been able to for a few years.. and these are some of the others;

Being able to cut their own toenails ; able to paint their toenails;

 doing up a belt on another hole; tum doesn't rub on the car steering wheel; bend over a pick up stuff off the floor; 

tights come up further; slacks are lose round legs; not afraid to wear a sleeveless top; 

long sleeves on jumpers come down further on arms; when jacket is zipped up, no fear it will burst open when you sit down; 

can see toes as tum flatter; can do up all the buttons on a top and it doesn't gap; 

Summer clothes fit; being able to go in a clothes shop and choose clothes from the smaller size racks;

 And the last comment was from a male, who said, he could see his willy when he looked down in the shower! Yes, the room of people erupted into laughter. There were other reasons too, but I think you can get the gist from these.

I admit to having a wardrobe full of clothes that are too small, but I tell Dh that I feel slimmer, because when I look down in the shower my boobs look flatter! So now you know my NSV!

Chrisxx

Lost and Found.

We had never realised what a presence our dog Nell was in our garden until recently. We've had cat poop in our flower beds; our veg patch is now protected with environ mesh against cabbage butterflies and that keeps the cats off too. Such a pesk!

On Friday we arrived home after our SW meeting midmorning, to find 2 cats sunning themselves on our patio! Dh rushed out and they skedaddled.. but 2! So we have ready to use, our home made water pistol,  a half filled washing up bottle, which when squeezed shoots water quite a distance. Then later the one popped his head into our open French doors, what a cheek! We were so shocked we failed to respond quickly enough and just shouted and it ran off.

We need a dog, I said and Dh did actually agree, but we won't be getting one.

Then yesterday afternoon, after our Sunday dinner, we were relaxing in the cool of our lounge and there was a dreadful kerfuffle outside, squawking and meowing.. one of the cats had caught a pigeon.. there were feathers everywhere and altho the pigeon escaped, he had  lost a whole lot of feathers and had a bare bum!

It was a pretty tortoiseshell cat like this one, new in our 'road'

Dh picked up a lot of the feathers, but missed a few and later on we saw a sparrow picking up some, so they went to a good cause. We were pleased the pigeon got away, but even more that the feathers were found and going to a sparrow's nest.

Grrrr those cats!

Chrisxx

How I got here!

 If you've  ever read my blog even without  my last post, you will  have guessed my weight plays a big part of my life. I wasn't always over weight fat. As a child growing up in post war Britain I was skinny, in photographs my arms were stick thin. So what happened? 

In my twenties, with each of my pregnancies I hardly gained any weight, only the then allowed 21 lbs. Although I did gain more with my last and forth. My Ex didn't want another child, so he punished me by not talking to me from when my pregnancy was first  diagnosed, for about 7 months. Can you believe that? But even worse I put up with it. So when I wasn't crying, I ate. So my weight went to 30 lbs, not a lot, but the extra weight  took ages to lose. Then he was adamant I wasn't to breast feed! Why? And why did I agree? 

I look back and wonder why I did those things? I got my weight right down, I think I used to starve myself. My neighbour. who had become a very good friend remarked that I looked too thin.  

So when I heard that, the London University was opening a satellite college in the next town. I applied for the three year course and was accepted. I got a degree in Education and started teaching. The perfect job for someone with 4 children. My life settled down and my Ex was away a lot with his work. But then something happened and I went to a Solicitor.

Teaching had given me independence, now I had my own income, so I left.

Then.......

While I was going through that very unpleasant divorce, changing teaching jobs and buying a house, all at the same time, the added strain was too much and I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid. I had gained weight, lost hair, asleep all the time, in fact went to sleep holding a cup of tea twice, but didn't think I needed to see a Dr. But when suddenly my periods got really heavy, I thought I'm not putting up with that! I went to see my Dr and he diagnosed hypothyroidism, there and then without even a blood test. 

I worked hard to lose that weight and I did, but I noticed for the first time in my life I had a tendency to gain weight. I cut out all high calorie foods, lost weight  and maintained my weight at 8st 6lbs! Seems like a thousand years ago now. But between then and 2002  I steadily gained, and I was plump, not fat but no longer my slim self.

I swam, joined an exercise group which I loved, but the  tendency to gain weight continued. Every now and then I'd join a sliming group, several in fact, but still my weight increased. When I met Dh in 2004 I was a size 16.. and then when we married in 2006, my weight dropped. And I stayed there, not slim but not overly fat. 

When I tripped and broke my arm, 2015  all exercise groups stopped, I wasn't able go walking, I didn't garden and yes I gained weight. Each operation on my arm (4 operations over the three years) didn't help, I was doing very little. 

The final straw for me was lockdown, over the whole time I gained another 2 stone! Moving house in the middle of it didn't help, I was anxious and stressed and its only now I seem to have felt calm. So am seriously trying to lose this extra weight, whether I will or not, who knows, but I am determined and will continue to try.  So this is how I got over weight, I never ate a lot of take-aways, nor chocolate, or alcohol, but I did make and eat cake, and didn't do a lot of exercise.

At this moment writing this, its Saturday afternoon, rain has stopped our gardening and we're reading 'cosy' inside. Am I hungry ? No, but do I want something to eat? YES! An ice-cream cornet would be nice, but I want that 2 pounds loss again next week and now I've told you, I won't  can't have an  ice-cream!

But its not easy!

Chrisxx

Success breeds Success!

 It's a beautiful sunshiny day and my heart is yippity yip, because? The scales in SW showed a 2lb loss, 2!! When I saw where the dial  was, I afraid to breath incase it nudged the needle up! And we won the raffle, so the cherry on the cake. All the ingredients to make a bacon and vegetable and  potato hash.. so that's tomorrows meal sorted. 

We drove home the long way up to Rest Bay and along the front promenade to see the sea. Very calm today and some people walking the two mile coast road, we drove all around before turning for home. 

It was very tempting to stop by Mama Frans kiosk because as well as serving very good coffee, her ice creams are to die for.. but we drove on past.

Although we live by the sea, we have country side around us and I love when we drive past this field, called the Donkey Field because its where the beach donkeys graze.

Full of buttercups, it always looks golden at this time of year. 

So my sunny mood was reflected in the golden buttercups.

I've tried growing buttercups in a wild area in my garden in Suffolk, but they would not grow. I even tried transplanting them from a flower bed, but to no avail.  When I see them my heart sings; we have a weedy patch here, where the fence meets the copper beech hedge and there are some buttercups there, so I have left them.

Success breeds success, 'An Open University' mantra, so a very good week planned because I'm on the cusp of dropping down into the next stone area, yippy! Roll on another 2lb, or should I say 'roll off!!'

  Chrisxx

What would you chose?

 

All of these and I'd want a decaff tea with toast, butter and marmalade and a good book while sitting in a comfy chair! 

What would you want?

Chrisxx

Books, some ok some not!

 The book group  yesterday afternoon was an interesting discussion,  although there were only 4 of us..  I've already written about the book, 'The Museum of Ordinary People.' by Mike Gayle here, and like me the  other members thought it was an ok read, but not wonderful.. so I'm working my way through the rest of my library books.

Disappointingly I'd read the Kristin Hannah book before, but because I couldn't remember the end, I read it again.

A story of three sisters, Winona, Aurora and Vivi-Ann.. sadly I wasn't impressed, yes a good story, well written, but it suddenly became one on those books that went on too long for me. You might find it more to your choice but it didn't seem to me to be written by the same author as, 'The Great Alone, The Four Winds, The Women, and Home Front.' Perhaps it was because I'd already read it, but I couldn't wait to finish it.

I moved on to this book, a new author for me.

This is book 1 of 23 that features FBI Agent Winter Black.

13 Years prior, a young Winter Black arrived home from a sleep over to find her parents murdered and her little brother missing.

Now a rookie FBI Agent she returns to her Virginia home town as part of a team to solve the murders. Early in the story it's revealed that Winter has a sixth sense and is able to see things that others can't.  This is her first case as a lead investigator with another rookie agent. 

Being in her own home town there are difficulties with some of the people she knew, when younger who still see her as a young person. As she deals with the feelings of her family's murder, meeting old school friends who hold a grudge against her, she battles with her emotions, as well as trying to solve the murders of uncovered bones found in a secret burial patch. It did have the basis of a good story with some good characters, I liked Winter, but as a murder mystery, it failed for me. There was something missing, there was the hint of perhaps love interest in her Agent partner, Noah, but it didn't happen, perhaps in the next book?

Will I read the next one? I don't think so.

Chrisxx

Hair?

We popped into our town yesterday afternoon and while we were walking along a young man with a similar hair style to this walked

past us.

.

Once we were well past him I turned to Dh to say.. 'if you want your hair cut like that, I'll still love you, but I won't walk with you.' The big joke is Dh has a lot of hair, albeit white, but still a lot. He hates going to get it cut and waits till its too long, before he goes to a barbers. 

The first time he went to a barbers when we moved here, he went to a Turkish barbers. He asked for his usual, short sides but long side burns and a square neck, what ever that means. The young man asked did he want a #2 or #6?? On asking Dh was told the #6 was the longest, so that's what he asked for.

Well he looked like Chris Packham, I thought it looked really nice, swept back off his forehead, but Dh was not happy!

Here's my lovely Dh looking a bit like Chris Packham.

Of my three sons only my middle son hasn't lost his hair. When he was 15, he'd gone to the barber where we lived and came home with what was the then, the style called 'tramlines.' I wasn't pleased but even worse his school wasn't happy either and was sent home till they grew out. But then the school relented, when I phoned and spoke to an Assistant Head complaining, that they were denying him his education, which was his right.

But I didn't make life easy for him, he was grounded till his hair grew! What is it with young men who want to look so very different?

Here's Dh with his usual style.

I have my hair washed and blow dried into a style these days, as my duff arm won't let me and all I ever ask for is that it looks tidy!

What do you ask your hairdresser for?

Chrisxx

Something with salad.

 Its coming right up to the salad season, unless like us you eat it all year round, but what to have with it can be a problem..

So one of SW's many ideas is the crustless veggie quiche.

Ingredients.

4 eggs.

220g spinach, shredded

Small courgette sliced thinly

 6 Tomatoes Sliced

Bunch of salad onions (Spring onions) Chopped

Cottage cheese 200g

Grated cheddar 50g

Level tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Parsley chopped.

Method

Switch on oven 160 C

Whisk eggs and add cottage cheese and seasoning 

Stir in chopped salad onions, spinach, and some of the courgette.

Pour into a dish sprayed with olive oil

Place tomatoes on top and courgette and the grated cheddar

Bake at 160C for about 30 to 40mins

Sprinkle on parsley to serve.

This serves us for 2 meals

Of course you can vary the ingredients, we sometimes add bacon, or asparagus or anything you like, I prefer this cold.

Chrisxx

(Not my photo)

17 years ago.

 

Kate and Gerry McCann have published this heartbreaking message on their daughter's 21st Birthday.

Earlier this month they used social media to share a poignant message on the 17th anniversary of her disappearance.

How have they been able to keep living a relatively normal life with their twins beats all understanding?

Such heart ache for them, I can't even imagine how they must feel, the memory of that night of May 3rd 2007 must always be in their minds. 

Will we ever know what happened to Madelaine?

Chrisxx

Some people like to moan!

Somebody was complaining on FB that the grass verges on the approach to our town were uncut and over grown and looked very untidy.

Obviously he hadn't looked hard enough, because the grass itself had thrown up huge spikes of seeded heads that waved with the cross draft as the cars sped along, like a rolling tide coming into the shore.

And dotted in it were the bursts of yellow of Buttercups,

Cowslips,

 

And these bright flowers are called 'Cats Ears'

There are Daisies

And Pink Campion,

Rose bay Willow Herb, 

Dandelions and their seeded puff ball heads

And the stately Hedge Parsley

What's not to like about our country's wayside flowers?

Some people like to sound off about anything.. I'm very happy with the approach to our little town, flat swarths of green are no way as interesting as the longer grass dotted with the jewel colours of our native wild flowers.

What would you prefer?

Chrisxx