What is a luxury?

 So true...on days when I've had a really bad night I think these..

Insomnia and a getting up 3 times for the loo means it steals my days.

Just doze my days away and when it rains it doesn't feel a such a waste of time.. and I read!

Chrisxx

Porthcawl Elvis Festival [ Day 2 Sept 28 Afternoon] (6 Locations in 4 mi...

A great weekend for Porthcawl... this is an annual events and always well attended.. we drove to the prom and it was crowded. 

Lots of Elvis's and women in full skirts with net petticoats and the pavement outside seating full.

Chrisxx

Raining!

 What do you do when it rains and rains and rains?  We are always sorry when we see news reports, that people's homes are flooded, it must be awful.  Perhaps I should be more grateful that we have those steps to get into our lounge at the back and there's a step up into our front door. So not easy for water to leak into our home, although a couple of nights ago we were up at 3:00am checking outside, because the rain was torrential and our gutters were over flowing.  We'd had them cleaned a short while ago, so no problems with them, but it was frightening to see the water overflowing out of them like a waterfall, the rain was so heavy.

We were the only people looking out of our front door, just checking we were alright. Perhaps everybody else was sleeping through it, although it was so loud we were woken by it. Dh closed our fanlight window just to make sure no water came in.

Then we had tea and toast and read for a while sitting in our arm chairs.. we didn't go back to bed till 5 when the rain had lessened and I slept till 9.. so didn't feel too bad the next day.

And it did stop late morning for a short while and we had some sunshine. I walked around the garden checking the plants, a chrysanthemum needed a stake, but everything else was fine.  Although our lawn was covered with  leaves and the keys from the Sycamore trees that grow along the drive way of St Clares, the private school about 70 yds from our property. They sprout and grow every where and Mountain Ash trees, even in the middle of our hedges. We had a warming lamb broth for lunch and then the rain came back and so we read our books.. Dh has read more books than he usually does this year and I have just finished my 58th..But mid afternoon we decided to drive to the sea front and have an ice cream and we did and it was lovely.

Booths is one of the pavement kiosks and the ice cream is from Marsh Farms, Welsh and its lush! 

Friday, yesterday, it was a gloriously sunshiny day and in the afternoon, Dh planted some Brussel Sprout plants. They will be grown by Christmas 2025! So nicely covered with an environmesh to protect against the Cabbage White butterfly and surrounded by bio slug pellets. Garlic will go in tomorrow.... All our other veg is now finished, just some carrots and we do have grapes still ripening.  We've had another bumper crop of tomatoes, which have been delicious. 

There's always something to do in a garden and the heavy rain has watered in the new plants!! Well actually practically washed them away!

So what do you do when it rains and rains and rains?

Chrisxx

TIFFIN

 We love the chocolate Tiffin you can get in coffee shops but I used to make this a lot for my children and me and I still love it!

Ingredients

150g Rich Tea biscuits or a similar not Digestives they are too soft.

175 g Butter

200 g Sultanas or a mixture of 150 Sultanas and 50g Glace Cherries, halved.

150 dark chocolate (Greens?)

200g Cooking Chocolate

100 g Golden Syrup

METHOD

In a bag crush the biscuits with a rolling pin, but not to dust, leave some chunks.

Put chocolate, butter and syrup in a bowl and either melt all over a  pan of hot water or in a Microwave.

Then fold in broken biscuits and fruit and mix thoroughly into the melted choc mixture.

Then pour into a butter greased pan.

Leave to cool.. 

Enjoy!

Chrisxx

A whole year.

 Its been a whole year since we said good bye to our lovely Nell. She was such a cutie although she had her own mind!

She was such a nosy one too, always looking out of the window giving a woof at passing people, but only from inside the window!

We still miss her and although I wanted another dog, Dh said he couldn't cope with the loss of a dog again. Then suddenly about a couple of months ago he said, 'yes lets get another one.'

So we talked and talked about it.  Here, this bungalow to get into the back garden you have to use the French doors in the lounge, so not good for a dog coming in from the garden on a pale silver green carpet, but we could cover it?...  So we're still talking and lately we've  noticed dogs in our favourite coffee shop,  has become dog friendly! 

This was on a FB page and could have been Nell!

We'll always remember you Nell.

Chrisxx

Autumn Garden

 We had our young gardener on Thursday afternoon and she weeded our 'L' shaped flower bed which gave us the push to get the others straight for the winter and the weather was perfect for us, not too hot. We cut down the Buddleia which was huge.. so we're happy with the garden, although I need to sort out the dahlias for their winter sleep! I'm very pleased with my Autumn flowers, Michaelmas Daises, Chrysanthemums, and Rudbeckia.. 

I want to buy a whole lot of more daffs for our back garden.. so another trip out for garden stuff which we love!

So pleased with my plants I bought the other week, all reduced and now in my garden.

So we're looking very Autumn, which is good although the thought of winter on the way is depressing, I need to buy some new jigsaws to keep happily busy!

At the moment rain has stopped play in the garden!

How is yours?

Chrisxx

Victor Meldrew???

 My darling husband (Dh) is a real love, kind, loving and patient but now and then he gets a 'bee in his bonnet' and can be like a real Victor Meldrew.

Here in Wales everything is recycled and so Dh prides himself in us only having a very small amount in our blue sack, rubbish bag.. so the other week he was insensed when someone put a bulging blue sack outside our drive way, when ours was practically empty. He went on and on about it, I said go and put it outside some one else's house. Of course he didn't, but he wasn't happy.

We also have, as well as various bags for different stuff, a lidded bin for food waste.. which we do use. The younger couple down the way from us obviously don't, as the sea gulls attack her blue sack and rubbish gets strewn all over the road. Dh moans about that too, but I just laugh.. and I always say to him, we're too old to get het up about things outside our control, but he does still have a moan!

When we were talking about it, I'd said in jest.. don't go outside in your pyjamas like Victor Meldrew did, if there's a noise....... remembering the episode in 'One Foot in the Grave,' when Victor arrived back in the bedroom with a dead hedgehog on his foot. And we laughed and laughed!

Well what else can you do?

                                             Chrisxx

OLD?

 Although we have our groceries delivered we do pop to Tesco every few weeks for yogurts and sometimes extra fruit. We choose a quiet time, usually Monday afternoon as we've learnt our lesson going at another time, when it turned out to be very busy and it was hell! Just something else that's changed for us as we have got older.. we used to love shopping together and used to go a Friday afternoon when Dh finished work. 

Its so strange how your 'likes' change as you age. I used to love walking on the beach, now I choose to walk on the prom and look down at the beach. I worry how my feet sink into the sand and I fear over balancing.

At our Book Group meeting yesterday afternoon, we talked about books we'd read  over the summer.. One member talked about what are now called 'Beach Read' Easy romance type books and she mentioned several authors, whose books,  I used to read all the time, now I find them not to my taste. Of course I didn't say that then. I had read the most books, and was asked how I had time,? My answer was 'I classed it as a hobby and gave it a priority in my life.' Years ago I would never have spent an afternoon reading, I did useless things like vacuuming a carpet that didn't really need it, because that's what I always did. 

I've definitely changed over the years.. I do a lot less cleaning, every where is cleaned once a week, except for the toilet and the wash basin which is cleaned every day and the shower every other. The kitchen is tidied and cleaned after dinner each evening, although floors, unless dirty are washed with an easy swish mop once a week. Windows?? We hate doing them, we have a window cleaner for outside and we do inside now and then!

Why make work for yourself?  We go out more......... for coffee, to meet people we know, for a walk, to meet up with SW friends, the gardening group and to join with others for the singalong group, to blow away the cobwebs..Just enjoying what we like to do! And we go to bed earlier too, so must be really old!

Just one of the lovely sunset photos off the town FB page.

Chrisxx

Such a good book.

 

 

This is the second book I've read by the latest new author I've discovered this year, Andrea Mara is a crime author living in Dublin, where this book is set.

It starts with every parents worse nightmare, Marissa goes to collect her son, Milo from a friends house where he'd been for a play date, only to find that not only was her son not there, but the woman who lives there isn't the mother she knows, nor is she the nanny, she doesn't have Milo. And so begins her nightmare, Milo is missing.

As the story enfolds we are drawn into the friendship between Marissa and Jenny, the mother of the boy Milo was supposed to be visiting and surprisingly with Esther, the owner of the house where Milo was supposed to be. The 'school gate' mums and the gossip added to the story and such a true occurrence, in real life. Its full of twists and turns and kept me guessing right up to the last few pages. 

Written well, the characters were well drawn and very likable. I really enjoyed this story and am delighted to have found another author whose books I really enjoy. I shall be reading a lot more books by Andrea Mara.

Chrisxx

A nasty arrived... Am I bovvered??

 I've had my first nasty comment, anonymous of course, not bad for 16 years of blogging. I shall leave the settings as they are for the moment, but if any more arrive I shall not allow anonymous comments like Hannah does.. if you want to make a comment Miss/ Mr Anonymous sign your name!

It didn't phase me, I don't write nasty things!

A very pleasant Sunday, sun's shining and we are forecast good warm weather for the next week, which means we can get the garden straight. Very poor dahlias this year, so I want to dig them up now although early, we garden when we are able not necessarily the right time. Next year I'm going to leave them in pots and stand the pots in the flower beds to reduce the slug and snail damage. I'll do like Monty and cover the pot holes with some gauze to stop the little b****rs coming in that way!

We've been to a garden centre in the week, so our front trough is newly planted and looks very nice. I had to open the front door last evening before bed to look at it! Dh has pruned the shrubs we planted in a corner in our front garden, so that looks very tidy too, we have to keep up with the neighbours, although we're the only gardeners, the other houses are all driveways! 

When we were in the garden centre, I did a very Welsh thing and stopped to say Hello to a little old lady with her wheels, as I was trundling along with  mine.. criky I don't think she had spoken to anyone for days, as I had her full medical history and her tussle with Social Services.. so that was interesting but I left her smiling.

We have a nice selection of plants now in the trough (we didn't realise the front door was open)

We didn't cook a Sunday dinner, but went out to a local hotel with the U3a lunch group. I had pork, with roast pots, roast root veg, cauliflower  cheese and gravy followed by Vanilla Cheese Cake, raspberry couli and ice cream and very tasty it was too. And very interesting conversations too, nice to chat! Its true 'Life' is made up of lots of pleasant moments which make it rich, so a very nice weekend. 

And for us now, a very lean week food wise till weigh in on Friday!

Chrisxx

This could be me!

I Worried 

I worry a lot, will the garden grow, will the rivers flow in the right direction, will the earth turn as it was taught, if not how shall I correct it?

Was I right, was I wrong, will I be forgiven, can I do better?

Will I ever be able to sing, even the sparrows can do it and I am, well, hopeless.

Is my eye sight fading or am I imagining it, am I going to get rheumatism, lockjaw, dementia?

Finally I saw that worrying had come to nothing.

And gave it up.

And took my old body out into the morning and sang.

'I Worried.' by Mary Oliver.

Chrisxx

I don't belieeeve it!

 Has the world gone mad, there's a would be US President saying that immigrants in his country are killing and eating family pets, if I hadn't heard him saying it, I wouldn't have believed it.. while here in UK the Government seem hell bent on bringing older people to the edge, if not over it to utter poverty, cancelling the winter fuel allowance;  hints that the Autumn budget will take away the reduced Council tax from single people. This means widows, widowers, as well as young people will be affected. But train drivers will be alright as their salaries of £65,000 is to be increased. 

All these policies it seems is to plug the so called £22billion  hole left by the previous government but £9.2billion of that shortage is what was given as the new pay deals by the Labour Govt.

As well as that, stopping the bus concessions, which is ridiculous as most bus journeys are taken by older people, so I can see bus companies going bankrupt. Why is there so much hate against older people? When a new Aldi store opened here in my own town, younger women were crowing that it was  needed, as the one small Coop supermarket was too costly and only the 'rich' older people could afford to shop there! 

I know from someone who lives in US that Obama's health care plan was not received happily and many people objected to poorer people being offered free health care. Kamala Harris has similar ideas. Well here in UK we are supposed to have free health care, however the present situation means there are many waiting for treatment,  as the NHS is at the point of break down, too many ill people, not enough Drs in fact not enough of anything. Its all very well the newly elected Government blaming the previous government, but in their time we had something that hadn't been experienced before, a World Wide Pandemic. And when Labour were in government they closed down hospital wards, because there weren't enough nurses, but they could have made their Degrees free to encourage more to become nurses,  so blame them.

They've argued that Drs have been give above inflation rises to bring them into line with other workers, what about Care Workers, shouldn't they be recognised and given more money? Why is it the lowest paid are always failed.

The rise in the OAP will mean some pensioners will be paying more tax and as for the argument for more pensioners to apply for additional benefits, it seems the forms have 295 questions! They don't make it easy. I  can see a hike in council tax next!

I could go rambling on, abortion at 7, 8 or 9 months??? I don't know about being mad but to my way of thinking Mr Trump lacks intelligence......Windmills killing birds, telling the leaders of Ukraine and Russia to sit down and talk to come to a peaceable outcome? That world leaders look to him for leadership? Is he mad or what?

 Or what about our PM and Chancellor of the Exchequer having a stop on any increase in their rents in number 10 and 11 Downing St... as well as the £30,000 allowed them to renovate!! They didn't tell that to people, did they?

So they think that, we the public are too stupid to realise that whatever or who ever is in power, they will dictate how we shall live and they know best! I could go rambling on but I don't want people to think I'm doolaaly!

I'm lost for words!

Chrisxx

What a relief, God bless our Princess Of Wales

The Elephant in the room!

 The elephant in the room... the Winter Fuel allowance!

I watched a TV programme yesterday about this and I suppose I'm one of the pensioners considered too well off for it, because I own my own home! Well I do....... but I worked very hard to pay that mortgage  and when I decided I couldn't work where I was, because the Head Teacher was hardly in school and then blamed the staff for a poor Ofsted report, I left. It meant giving up the house I had bought for myself and children after my divorce and downsizing. 

It was struggle because, I had given up a very good salary and bought what my friends thought was an awful house.. but I got another part time teaching job and as I earned the money, I got that house totally renovated to a high  standard.. bit by bit as I earned the money. 

I had the windows done just at the front of the house first, the walls re plastered and slowly it became a lovely house.. new bathroom, kitchen and fitted wardrobes and a magnificent Raspberry pink carpet throughout the downstairs, hall stairs and landing! I loved  it and of course the bare garden was redesigned and planted up with small trees and flowers. I lived there just over 13 years and the selling price was 3 times what I paid for it.  I worked till I was 64 so no easy money came my way!

So I might own my own home, but I worked jolly hard for it.. sometimes in some rough areas of Essex with some pretty awful children. And in the early years of paying that mortgage, I went without  a whole load of things to make sure I paid it and the bills. I'm not desperate for that Fuel Allowance, but I get annoyed when people say I'm well off! 

Chrisxx

Rain, rain and even more rain!

What a miserable Sunday afternoon, it rained all day,

We didn't get out for a walk.

I felt full after our Sunday dinner, but too wet to go out.

I started 2 books and couldn't get into them.

Nothing on TV I liked, I don't know why we still have Netflix, we've watched all the good films.

We even watched a Norwegian series with sub titles and we thoroughly enjoyed it and we didn't notice the sub titles after a while.

I've done my Welsh homework.

I've surfed the Internet, looked at houses for sale here and in Cambridge as my Dd is wanting to move.

I've emailed friends. 

We talked about getting another dog, its nearly a year since Nell went over 'Rainbow Ridge' a whole year! 

It would be lovely, but could we cope with a puppy, but they are lovely, soft and warm and that 'biscuit smell!' they have, sooo lovely!

And we've discussed the 'George' fall out in the Archers and the situation in Eastenders!!

So hope the rain stops tomorrow, I can start to sort out my daffodil pots for spring!

Rainy Sundays are not my thing!

Chrisxx

What a night, not what we were expecting!

 We were just about to settle down to read in our new bed, when there was some thunder.. Dh went to look if he could see some lightening when my bedside lamp went off as well as the one in the hall.

There was a loud crack and Dh came back, as the rain started. It was like a waterfall outside our bedroom window..the clock radio was flashing, the house phone was off. The circuits had obviously tripped, so Dh was getting a rain coat to go out to the boiler room, which is between the bungalow and the garage where the main circuit board is.

Me saying,  be careful its electricity, Dh gave me the 'look'!! It was his training while in the Navy.. so he knew what he was doing! The rain was horrendous and there was a river whooshing down our drive way into the garage. The rain, thunder and lightening continued as I peered through the kitchen window, then the lamps flicked on and off several times, scary! But then they came on and Dh came in through the front door. He'd sorted it, a extension cable from one of the freezers had fallen onto the floor and with the water had 'tripped' the circuits, whew!

Dh was wet and went into the second bedroom to towel his hair and then went to comb it looking in the mirror, and then there was a huge flash of lightening and with the curtains open in there, the whole room lit up! He had quite a fright and shouted out,  he came back laughing!

The rain calmed down and it was quiet, but what a night! I think we'll remember our first night in our new bed with the new bedding for quite while.

Chrisxx

A bit of a glitch in my life!

 I've had a nasty urinary infection again, so haven't blogged.. because of lack of sleep. Everything is too much effort when you feel like you can't keep your eyes open.  Everything stopped for me and it was horrid.

As well as that, our new bed was delivered Thursday morning at 8 am! We spent Wednesday afternoon clearing and cleaning our bedroom. Me, very slowly, we were hours. I hadn't realised how much stuff I had packed into those under-bed drawers, They were full of quilting items, fabric, rolls of new wadding as well as large pieces of fabric for backing. That is now all piled in the end bedroom as the new bed does not have drawers.. so that will be a days work to sort that. I do have an address for a 'Linus' group, who make quilts for children who are long stay patients in hospital, so it will all be put to good use..

And as for the umpteen cushions we will take those to the re-cycling dept.. And we hadn't really cleaned behind the bed all year because it was too heavy to move, so a year of dust! (Dh had taken off the wheels to lower it for me to get into)

We slept in the second bedroom for one night and the bed was really comfortable, although a bit high to get into. And the new bed is very comfortable too and lower so easier for me to get in and out of. We've bought a whole lot of new bedding too, so that will be made up new tomorrow and I'll try to take a decent photo. 

So we've had a busy few days though Thursday afternoon I slept for 3 1/2 hours! 

We saw and heard the geese overhead later on yesterday and with the rain it seemed like summer was over! I hope not I'm not a winter person!

Chrisxx

 

Just for a laugh!

Just for a laugh......Hilarious! 🤣

1. When one door closes and another door opens, you are probably in prison.

2. To me, "drink responsibly" means don't spill it.

3. Age 60 might be the new 40, but 9:00 pm is the new midnight.

4. It's the start of a brand new day, and I'm off like a herd of turtles.

5. The older I get, the earlier it gets late.

6. When I say, "The other day," I could be referring to any time between yesterday and 15 years ago.

7. I remember being able to get up without making sound effects.

8. I had my patience tested. I'm negative.

9. Remember, if you lose a sock in the dryer, it comes back as a Tupperware lid that doesn't fit any of your containers.

10. If you're sitting in public and a stranger takes the seat next to you, just stare straight ahead and say, "Did you bring the money?"

11. When you ask me what I am doing today, and I say "nothing," it does not mean I am free. It means I am doing nothing.

12. I finally got eight hours of sleep. It took me three days, but whatever.

13. I run like the winded.

14. I hate when a couple argues in public, and I missed the beginning and don't know whose side I'm on.

15. When someone asks what I did over the weekend, I squint and ask, "Why, what did you hear?"

16. When you do squats, are your knees supposed to sound like a goat chewing on an aluminum can stuffed with celery?

17. I don't mean to interrupt people. I just randomly remember things and get really excited.

18. When I ask for directions, please don't use words like "east."

19. Don't bother walking a mile in my shoes. That would be boring. Spend 30 seconds in my head. That'll freak you right out.

20. Sometimes, someone unexpected comes into your life out of nowhere, makes your heart race, and changes you forever. We call those people cops.

21. My luck is like a bald guy who just won a comb."

-source unknown.

School Rules?

Be kind, be safe, be honest.

Hands are for writing and drawing only.

Inside voices in class.

Keep our class room tidy.

Listen when some one else is talking.

These are the simple rules suggested for a new Infant class  of 4 year olds.

...................................................................................................

With the the start of a new school year, lots of teachers will be stating class room rules with their new pupils.  I always found the best way was for the children to make up their own rules.

They were a lot more restrictive than I would have made.. and with talking them through with the children, they'd be whittled down to the 5 suggested for very young children. And on the whole the children kept to them, with one or two exceptions.

In fact I'd say that first basic rule  suggested for very young children encompassed them all..

Be kind, be safe, be honest.

So what happens to these children as they grow older to make them want to carry knives? And then unfortunately can be involved in a knife crime, perhaps stabbing someone or being stabbed?

12,786 recorded knife crimes were recorded in London since 2019/2020. There were 21 violent deaths, of which 18 were stabbings!

What causes a child to grow up wanting to carry a knife or sharp instrument? 

Often as a senior teacher or Deputy I was confronted by children usually boys who were fighting in the playground. Why or what caused them to resort to fighting? Well in my time of teaching it wasn't racial.. some reasons given were, he looked at me, emotional and verbal abuse, isolating, name calling, bullying, rumour mongering, and punishing another child. I taught mainly 11 year olds, I retired in 2006.

No knives were involved, but these days young people carry knives as young as 12.

What happened to these young persons?  There weren't many in my class that weren't lovely. A lot of the children were from the poorer areas of Essex, but lovely families and proud parents who wanted the very best for their children. And I'm sure a lot of todays crimes are committed by persons, who had good school days.. some of course not..Reasons today are racial or hatred of immigrants  as well as gang warfare and drugs.

I hate to think any child that was in a school where I taught, has been involved with knife crime, its a horrible thought.

But I think there will be  teachers, who have taught persons involved with knife crime, how do you cope with that? I don't know.

Chrisxx

What's that creak?

One of the emails I received yesterday was from someone stating she had has dreadful night awake in the wee small hours, she lives alone.  Convinced she could hear someone in her house, she was made more nervous as her landing small light had gone off.. so she bravely walked around checking lights and making sure she had locked her outside doors.. Although she did go back to bed, she slept fitfully as every creak set her off worrying again. 

I knew how she felt, as I lived by myself for nearly 20 years and never felt nervous, until a work colleague asked, was I nervous by myself. That night I heard every creak and left the landing light on for the first time. At 3 o'clock I went downstairs and made a cuppa and didn't say no when my little dog, Mari bounded up the stairs and jumped on the bed! 

From that night on I had her on the bed, although she used to walk up and down when she got too hot, trying to find a cooler spot, which disturbed me.. she was a miniature poodle, so no guard dog, but I felt ok with her with me! 

The cat joined us a few weeks later and we all slept soundly most nights. My daughter thought it 'yuk' having the animals with me, when she saw them there. But my grand children loved joining us on my bed, when they stayed! 

We never let Nell sleep on the bed, but she used to join us when we had our early morning cuppa in bed when we lived in Suffolk. She used to take a flying leap from the doorway on to the bed, ears flying! 

She used to get on our bed here in our bungalow, when we went out. The window cleaner left us a note once to say he'd been and.....' your dog was on our bed!!'

Hope you all sleep well..tonight!

Chrisxx

Something for lunch

 

Potato and Cheese Frittata

Ingredients

300 g potatoes peeled and grated

150g Cheddar cheese grated.

3 eggs

2 Tbl sp. Flour

1 Tbl salt (Level)

Bunch parsley chopped

Black pepper to taste

Tsp Smoked paprika 

Oil to grease dish.

Method

Place potatoes in bowl of water to remove excess starch.

Take out and squeeze in clean cloth to dry

Combine all in ingredients in a bowl and mix except eggs

Beat eggs well

Then combine all well.

Grease a deep flan dish (8 inch)

Pour in mixture

Cook in preheated oven 160 C

for 40 to 45 mins or until golden brown and firm to touch

Allow to cool

    Goes well with a green salad and coleslaw.

Enjoy

Chrisxx