I've been contacted by two ex pupils from my school, St Clares. One lives here in Porthcawl and we've arranged to meet next week..I've had to post a photo of myself, as it is 70 years more or less since we were in school together
Saturday, 29 March 2025
Meeting friends.
Thursday, 27 March 2025
Such an improvement!
I've had such a lovely few days, and basically its due to my antibiotics.. I'm so much better when taking them. All sorts of things are easier, I have normal micturition,, I don't have to visit the toilet so often and although I still get up at night more than just once, I go back to sleep right away. And I can go out, knowing I can go longer than an hour without the need of a toilet and so that's a relief. So I'm rested and have more energy.
And of course we've had sunshine. Yesterday I was too hot in the garden and had to have to umbrella! I've sown a whole lot more seeds, lupins as my original efforts didn't germinate, but they were 2017 seeds, so its not surprising they didn't germinate! I've started potting on some seeds I sowed earlier this month. Today I want to pot up my new dahlias as well as top dressing the flower beds. I tried to find some well rotted manure locally, but couldn't so bought some on line! Its all dry so mixed in with compost, our own compost, none of this rubbish peat free stuff, it will be perfect.
We even ate our lunch outside, first time this year, it was such a lovely day. Dh cut the grass and it nearly looks like a lawn instead of a tumpy field!
The lupin plant we bought, when we went to the garden centre is huge, so a big decision, where shall we plant it; where I can see it from the French doors, or the bed that runs parallel to the bungalow? I'm so excited about the garden.
Our front garden daffodils are sadly going over, but I've decided to sow some Love in the Mist seeds, there. They germinate readily and will be tall enough to peep up over that little wall that borders the lawn. I've ordered 5 pkts of 1500 seeds!!
Watch this space!
Are you ready for our sunshiny days ahead altho' at the moment we could do with rain!
Chrisxx
Wednesday, 26 March 2025
Like minded friends
We have had a lovely afternoon with our U3a gardening group. Sue did a talk on Salvias..
Saturday, 22 March 2025
A prince to be proud of.
But you have to be proud of this young man and he is probably one of hundreds of young people, who are proud to wear a uniform.
But what a prince!
Chrisxx
Friday, 21 March 2025
Such a relief, a Dr who understands.
I've had a worrying week.. since seeing the new Dr at our surgery, I've had several hospital appointments, he said it was very necessary to follow up on all the urinary infections I've had over the last 4 years.
I had the dreaded full bladder scan, Wednesday and it was fine. I wasn't desperate for the loo, as I have been in the past. I worried I hadn't drunk enough water! But all ok, kidneys and bladder no abnormity discovered. And the two young women were lovely. Didn't rush me and helped me on and off the bench.
Yesterday afternoon a cystoscopy was next.. I've had them before, not too awful, but not pleasant and the risk of an infection very probable. So I asked right away for antibiotics, In the past I've had antibiotics. And the Consultant agreed with me because of my history of repeated UTIs, so he prescribed a low dose antibiotics for 3 months and my app. will be re-booked..Such a relief I could have hugged him. He perfectly understood my concerns, and I think he could see from my smiles I was relieved and very thankful.
I feel I can enjoy our visitors this weekend now.
Chrisxx
Wednesday, 19 March 2025
Life!
Life is amazing,
Then it's awful,
Then it's amazing again,
And in-between the amazing and the awful,
It's ordinary and mundane and routine.
Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful and relax and exhale in the ordinary.
That's just living, heart breaking, soul-healing, amazing, awful ordinary life.
And it's breathtakingly beautiful.
L K Knost
Monday, 17 March 2025
Sunday, 16 March 2025
2017 Lupin seeds did not germinate!
I've had a good germination from the seeds I sowed a couple of weeks ago except for the lupins. Very disappointed about that, but on looking at the seed packet they were dated 2017!!
So a visit to the nearest garden centre was needed..We promised ourselves that we would only have a coffee there and not be tempted by their lunch menu. And we were good, we didn't even go to the Olive Tree restaurant.
We did look at the seeds, bought lupin seeds, new dahlia tubers, seed potatoes and some gladiola bulbs Dh 's choice and French bean seeds.
We had a look around the lovely bits and pieces there, I was tempted as I love the cows, but as I have been clearing out stuff, I can't buy more.
But then we discovered a new deli, well new to us, The Green and Wild deli.. so we thought just a coffee, but it was lunch time and we looked at the menu!
Friday, 14 March 2025
Best laid plans!
Best laid plans etc and my day had gone! Fridays start early for us, as its our slimming world (SW) class is 10:00am. We aim to leave our house at around about 9..it is only approx. a mile away but takes us about 7 minutes to get there, park on the road and then I trundle along with my wheels, half asleep up the rickety pathway to the entrance to the scout hut. Since Christmas the numbers have grown, but only the old regulars stay for the class with about 2 or 3 new members. A lot of the new ones, come pay, get weighed and leave!
We try to get there before the queue gets too long, for the weighing at 9:30, because we eat our one slice marmalade sandwich, after we have been weighed and Dh makes us a lovely coffee in our mugs, which is usually still hot. Such a palaver you think? But anything to get that number down on the scales. Like most people we wear the same clothes each week. I lost 11/2 pounds so moderately pleased, would have liked 2 pounds, but hey ho one and a half is ok.
There were three dogs there today, Emlyn, a little sandy coloured spaniel of sorts, with the most adorable freckled spotted nose, so cute; Jess a huge brown Bedlington Terrier, she is so good, wanders around while her master gets weighed and will go to anyone... and today a new one named Clint, yes after Clint Eastwood! He is an allsorts, long haired, black and white, very short legs and a long whishy tail! He literally swept the floor as he walked!
No knickers found today, but our consultant keeps us laughing.. someone had put a packet of dried peas in the box for the slimmer of the week.. so she asked what would or could you do with them... my answer plant them to grow for pea shoots. She turned my cheeky answer into a positive, because peas in any form are not a SP food, (a speed food, very low calories) but pea shoots are! She is always very positive!
We came home planning a soup lunch and then finish off the cleaning.. but as we finished lunch, we had someone knocking on our front door.. Dh answered and there was some talking and then shouting! It was my middle son and wife who live in West Wales just dropped in to see us, and Dh didn't recognize him at first. Its been two years since we'd seen them as he's been ill. So no further cleaning just tea and coffee and lots of chat. Lovely to see him as he had a triple bi-pass Sept 2022.. he is looking good and his wife, a successful SW target member.
So maybe some cleaning tomorrow, there is only our bedroom to do.. but of course next week, the cleaning Rota starts all over again, unless of course our plans go array again. But that's life, it can be full of surprises!
Chrisxx
Thursday, 13 March 2025
A nothing Wednesday
I wanted to pick some of our daffodils from the garden, its always nice to have flowers when you've had a good clean. I walk around the bungalow on the path that goes all the way round and call that exercise! Its a lot easier now on the north side, where Dh put some grab bars and patio slabs on the two very steep steps as the back is lower than the front.
So what have I actually done?...
.....I have answered emails, done my Welsh homework, learnt a nice new long word. gwyddoniaeth= science! Isn't that a great word?
I chatted to a friend on the phone.. looked at FB..so more or less have done 'dim' ..nothing.
Sometimes isn't it nice to have a nothing day.. but tomorrow I'll have to pull up my socks and clean, clean, clean! My new Thursday routine starts with a hairdresser.. she is one of those women who says everything is lovely. She reads a lot and started a book group, where members meet once a month for coffee and talk about the book they're presently reading. Last week she was delighted to take 6 books we'd read, saved us a trip to the charity shop.
I've made time to visit your blogs, hope jabblog, is better soon, pain is no fun. Love reading your blogs and comments.. so many of us remembered the start of covid, doubt we'll ever forget. I can see it in history books, but will people in the future really realise how it affected the ordinary every day person, I doubt it.
Happy days, today the sun is shining although the grass was covered in frost our daffodils are blooming lovely.
Chrisxx
Tuesday, 11 March 2025
Do you remember that day 5 years ago?
Someone remarked yesterday that it is 5 years since Covid! I remember the days just before that. When we were living in Suffolk, Dh and I used to go to different farm shops for a change for our veggies.
It was a Friday and we had done our usual trip to Martlesham for a coffee and then our weekly shop at the big Tesco. We'd met someone from our reading group and stopped to chat, not about anything in particular, just every day stuff.. we noticed her trolley had several bottles of wine, we had yogurts +++ !! We talked about the book we had to read and then she asked, 'Had we heard about China?' She went on to say her brother in law who worked for an airline firm, had said there was trouble there and there might be shortages.. hence her wine, as her husband had told her to get some extras. We hadn't heard anything, so it didn't mean anything to us.. She went off to pay and I suggested to Dh we get some extra bottles of water and some dried foods, like pasta and rice. I'd read lots of Apocalyptic books and they always ran out of water and stored dried food stuffs. But we didn't really think anything of it.
We stopped at the Railway Coach farm shop on the way home, as they had advertised a mixed box of veg and some fruit for £10 instead of the usual £12. There were quite a few people there and we had to queue outside, because it was an actual railway carriage, so not big. We got our box and they had another one there with mis formed potatoes and carrots for half price and so I asked could we have that too.. so we came away with 2 boxes and 2 dozen eggs.
I phoned my son on the way home to ask did he want some, so we could stop on our way past his house to give him some. He just had the potatoes and some eggs.. He only cooked frozen veg he said, usually peas!!
Then of course on the Monday 23rd March, Lockdown started. I don't think we ever thought how it would effect us. We joined the thousands trying to get groceries delivered, wasn't that fun? Not! But we came through it and as experienced gardeners we were soon growing our own veg..and so ate well, but it all went on too long.
Have you thought back to those early days?
Chrisxx
Sunday, 9 March 2025
In the wash!
Our SW consultant is very animated and our meetings are filled with laughter.. Friday she had us all rolling around with what had happened in one of her other classes. When the 'Team' the ladies who help to put out the chairs, take the money or do the weighings were clearing everything away at the end of the meeting, they came to her to tell her that there had been an abandoned knickers found and they had discretely moved it under one of the tables, so it was hidden by the table cloth covering it.. But now at the end of the meeting what should they do with it? Had someone stripped it off to lighten their weight when being weighed and left it behind??
Our consultant said she picked it up wearing rubber gloves and peered at it and then shrieked with laughter, because it was her own!! It must have been in her washing machine and then when she had washed the table cloth, it got caught up in it. Everybody laughed and laughed, it was funny.
I remembered a time when my eldest son had returned from Uni for a Half Term break. He had a downstairs bedroom and as I went to bed at 9:00pm I often didn't see him.
However when washing his duvet. a very tiny nicks revealed it self to me! I dried it with the rest of his washing and put the nicks in an envelope, so when his girl friend came at the weekend, I gave her the envelope and when she looked inside, she went bright red.. I just laughed and said 'they are aired ready for use!'
I don't think she was able to look at me again without blushing, I didn't think anything of it, they were in their twenties!
Saturday, 8 March 2025
Worrying!
I have a tendency to get anxious over anything, but with all this upset with Trump and Ukraine it has set me off worrying! I got very anxious in lockdown. I didn't show any outward signs of how I was feeling, but I had dreadful insomnia. Night after night we were awake drinking tea at 3am.The dog loved it because she used to come upstairs and join us on the bed. There was no reason for my anxiety, as we lived in a very small town in Suffolk.. we had all our food delivered, a group of young men and women delivered our tablets from the pharmacy and would do anything for you.
We had 130ft long garden, which was quite wide, so we grew veg and spent our days happily gardening. We walked where we lived and saw no body on most walks. But I had this awful feeling that we'd get infected. I was the queen of handwashing and kept saying to Dh 'Don't touch your face.'
We didn't just through that period we moved here, 294 miles while there were still restrictions. In fact if you've followed my blog then, you'll know we bought this bungalow without viewing it, although my son came and videoed it for us.. and when we opened the front door we were delighted that the hall was a good size and the garden really big! Too big we think now, but it was all grass so we've just put in 3 flower beds and a veg patch, so keeping it easy.
So this anxiety now is all the Ukraine war and how it might now affect us.
I saw this photo on FB and it gave me a feeling of calm.
Friday, 7 March 2025
I like phone messages.
Thursday, 6 March 2025
Is this it... aging?
I never gave much thought to being old but lately its hit me I am old. I used to laugh with my friend when she used to say .. ' This getting old is bloody awful' And she was so right.
Tuesday, 4 March 2025
A present.
Knitted with a lot of love and I'm thrilled that the toe grafting now seems easy!! Packed and sent to my grandson and in another little box, 4 Welsh cakes as its his birthday on the seventh.
Monday, 3 March 2025
Ruth Mancini
Ruth Mancini is a new to me author, who I first read last year. I've now read three of her books and all have been well written with a strong story that is compelling with a good ending.
This last one 'One Dark, Two Light,' was an excellent read and I couldn't put it down. The main protagonist, Sarah Kellerman is a criminal defense lawyer and mother of an autistic son, Ben, whose father Andy left when Ben was first born, because he couldn't cope with Ben's disability.
Sunday, 2 March 2025
A Treat!
St David's Day.
When I spoke to my daughter after his birthday last year, he complained to her, that he hadn't had a present from her and his Dad, but that I had sent him hand knitted socks! They had sent him money, but it is still nice to receive something through the post it seems, even when you're in your twenties!
The Welsh cakes are delicious..
Recipe.
8 oz SR Flour
4 oz Butter or marg
3 oz Castor Sugar
3 1/2 oz of Sultanas
1 mean Tsp nutmeg
Pinch of Salt
1 med Egg
METHOD
Rub flour and fat together till it looks like bread crumbs
Add salt, sugar, nutmeg and sultanas and mix together.
Make a well in mixture and drop in the egg
Folk together till it looks like a dough, if a little dry add a drop of milk.
Roll out to 1/4 inch thickness
Using a cake cutter, cut into rounds (makes about 15)
Bake on a lightly greased bakestone on low heat, if no bakestone, dry clean pan.
Cook on each side 3 mins or until pale brown, check frequently/
Place on cake wire to cool
Sprinkle with sugar
Ready to eat immediately!
I hope you enjoy them, we did!
Chrisxx
Dydd Gwyl Dewi Hapus!
Saturday, 1 March 2025
WW3???
What did you think when you watched the TV news with Trump berating Zelenskii? I was flabbergasted that the President of America could be so rude to another President.. it was awful and if I was given a vote onto whose side I'd be, I'd chose Zelenskii every time.
CNN's Dana Bash was speechless while watching the shots of Trump's outburst, 'Never ever have I ever seen anything like this' she said. While chief Anchor Christiane Amanpour, declared that, 'Never in the history of modern diplomacy, war, peace, or whatever have I ever seen anything like it.; we just have to hope for the safety of the free world and the American people, for the European people and the Ukrainian people that these two Presidents iron out their differences.'
Of course we ( the UK) are not siding with Trump who openly accused Ukraine of starting the war! Or are we? I personally don't think Starmer can stand up to that bully Trump. He took a personal invitation from the King inviting Trump to visit... I'm saying .. no way I, one of the everyday people would not want him here and I don't think I'd be alone in saying that.
What country would sign a peace agreement and give a big chunk of its land to the invading country. It would be like the UK giving up Kent or American giving up a large piece of its West coast.
Zelenskii is frighting for his country and needs help to defend his country from Russia, while Trump is saying that Putin is talking peace and Zelenskii still wants war! Trump said that Zelenskii would start WW3 if he won't do a deal..
Its terrifying to think our world could be at war, because there's a mad man lacking intelligence, and the head of one of the most powerful countries in the world thinks he holds the reins!
I just hope and pray that Trump is just full of hot air, and like some will burst. I can imaging his followers watching his outburst, shouting him on encouraging him like boys fighting in the playground, egging their 'man' on.
Wake up the rest of our world and don't let that bully boy win!
Just had to get this off my chest!
Chrisxx