No power panics

It seems there has been panic buying in Spain and Portugal where they have had a major power failure. Supermarket shelves are already emptied of bottled water and tinned food, all the fresh went within two days. A Terrorist attack hasn't been ruled out, but experts are saying it could be due to extremes in temperature fluctuation, knocking out the grid. However the power failure is now back on, but it was off for a day, so no need for panic buying of water and food.

At one time when I was living in Essex, we had a very, very heavy snow fall. Schools were closed and so I was home. My daughter had come home from University for the weekend and was unable to return, because the trains were having difficulties too. We could see 2ft long icicles from the roofs on the houses opposite us, a really awesome sight!

We decided to have a walk down the supermarket, when we got there what a sight. There was two men on the doorway stopping people going in, it was so crowded! We joined the queue, and was let in as people came out. We were shocked to see empty shelves, no bread, no cereals, no water, no flour, no cat litter!! (I had made a path through the snow for mine to the small garden)

We'd come for a bottle of Crofts Original Sherry, as we used to have a small glass in late afternoons. We queued for nearly an hour to pay and chatted to others in the queue too. We didn't need any foodstuffs. I was brought up in a home, that had gone through WW2 so I never had a food shortage, because I always had extras in my food cupboards 'incase!'

How ridiculous that snow can make people panic buy.. a bit like when there was the covid epidemic and there was the panic about a shortage of toilet paper!! Did you run out? We didn't, but I did laugh about the fact that I had an outside toilet when I was little, and paper was news paper on a meat hook behind the door!

I have read a lot of books about situations when the world has suffered a major power outage and people are left with a world stopped, because no technology.. so we always keep a good  back up of dried foods and bottled water. And as we buy in bulk to save money and we have the space, we buy large quantities of toilet paper! So guess we'd be ok!

What about you are you prepared?

Chrisxx

Prayers at the end of that day!

Saturday my husband and I had a horrible and frightening experience. We decided to visit the garden centre about 4 miles from us.. who knows we might see a plant I needed??  No way, I don't need any more plants. Gardeners are like book readers, you buy plants and books because you do, no needs, just loves!

We always drive along in silence, enjoying the green country side, usually the radio turned down low.

All town roads in Wales are 20mph. but as we leave our town the speed changes first to 70mph as we go round the roundabout and under the M4, then it drops to 50mph.

Suddenly we were aware of a car on collision course with us, I screamed and Dh swerved the car to the road side; miraculously the car was able to swerve behind the car he was trying to over take and we drove to the layby and little way ahead, and stopped, as we were both very badly shaken. It was very frightening. 

We got what we needed from the garden centre and drove home, saying thankful prayers all the way. If we were drinkers we'd have had a brandy, it was certainly needed. But I couldn't wait for a cup of hot tea and I had 2 paracetamol, as they are suggested to tamp down jangling nerves and all I could think of was, if the worst had happened at least we were together and what a blessing we didn't have Nell with us! Daft or what?

Chrisxx

What a to do!

Have you experienced a problem with getting your regular prescribed tablets recently here in the UK? Someone I know wasn't able to get her thyroxin, a drug vital to life, this month. I was able to get mine, however another prescribed drug was unavailable and the pharmacist said, he'd ask my Surgery to prescribed another one, which had the same effect, just a different name. They are for an over active bladder.

I left it with him, then I learnt they couldn't get the newly prescribed one either.

So I went into the Medical Centre to talk to the receptionist that deals with the prescriptions.. and she said leave it with me I'll sort it out with the Drs and pharmacist. That was last Tuesday.

But then last Thursday at 5:45 pm  I had a phone call from the Medical Centre to tell me they had been unable to source any suitable  tablets and their inhouse pharmacist suggested, that I phone the Urology dept at the hospital to get them to prescribe a drug!!

What??? I was to phone the hospital to ask a consultant to write a prescription of a drug he'd know?? What rubbish!!

In less than 10 mins I had researched the drug and phoned the  my regular pharmacy to give them names of several others with the same effect.  And they informed me not only did they have several suitable ones I could have, but they had  had a delivery and had my original tabs were here, I just had to get my Dr to write another script.

I managed to get through to the surgery just before 6:00 pm, when they closed and today I've collected  my tablets! What  a to-do.. why are there shortages? Is it Brexit. or  is it the Ukrainian war or blooming Trump?? 

No, it will be as Karl Marx said..'The root of everything is money!'

I am writing a letter to the Medical Centre Practice Manager, to inform him of my concerns and the worry his staff caused me. 

Chrisxx

Are these the most beautiful?

These are suggested to be the twelve most beautiful sentences ever written.. Do you agree, do you have one you think is more beautiful?

*****************************************

"And in that moment, I swear we were infinite." - Stephen Ch bosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." - Oscar Wilde

"The best way to predict the future is to create it." - Peter Drucker.

It was the best of times  the worst of times. Charles Dickens.

All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others. George Orwell, Animal Farm.

In the end is my beginning. T S  Elliot. East Cocker.

The Woods are Lovely Dark and Deep. Robert Frost.  Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening.

I am no bird and no net ensnares me. Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre.

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Franklin D Roosevelt. Inaugural Address.

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.  Jane Austin, Pride and Prejudice.

To be yourself in a world that is trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Chrisxx

Why??

 A few weeks ago, someone I know with members of their family, all arranged a weekend here in Porthcawl, to celebrate a birthday. They all had booked caravans at Trecco to enjoy the facilities there and hopefully some sunshine.  Horribly their long weekend ended abruptly, when they received a message from home, to say a fifteen year old in the family had ended her life. Why?  Its suggested it was to do with social media. 

A group of parents, whose children had also taken their lives have grouped together and visited America to meet with other parents, who are also grieving the death of their young children. To support each other and lobby for better controls of certain sites.

They all want changes in social media to make an age limit on certain sites. We watch on line films and stream programmes, where they ask are you under or over 18 and we just click 'over,' without even thinking. So the argument for stronger checks on certain sites seem very necessary to me and most other people too. I don't even know of these sites, I've never seen them. In fact where sometimes I have had a pop up of something I don't like, I quickly cancel it it, because I believe once you have seen something you can't 'unsee' it.

Twenty years ago a close friend of mine daughter killed herself, because her boy friend had done the same a few weeks earlier.. (nothing to do with social media) And I remember talking about the awful way it had happened with my own daughter, and she saying 'what did she think her mum would do that weekend without her'  It was such an awful happening, we couldn't understand it wasn't just that weekend, but for ever. My friend moved away, because she couldn't cope with the way people avoided her, crossing the road to avoid her. I tried to explain it was because they didn't know what to say to say.  What do you say? I used to say, 'I don't know what to say, but I can listen.'

There seems to be a generation of the young, who are being influenced by un truths.. you can't convince me that all those entries and posts on social media of them having a 'wonderful' time is all true. And it seems, there are sites telling you how to end your life?? And sites with challenges to do certain things that could end your life. 

What a sad way our so called educated society has evolved, what has happened? Parents, schools, lack of faith, life what is wrong? What is the answer, what do you think?

Chrisxx

65 Plus years ago!

 We had a real back in time yesterday morning.  Somebody on FB was asking if anyone knew where they could get seed potatoes, as all the garden centres had sold out. As it happened we had some left over and we'd asked our gardener friends and no one wanted them. So I got in touch with them and..... it was someone who lived in number 1 in the street where I was brought up in number 6!  It was her sister who I was friends with, as we were the same age. But I knew Gill as well.

So it was such a delight to meet with Gill and her partner, and chatting about people we both knew. In fact I knew more about the people, who used to live there than she did, and she has lived in Porthcawl all her life, while I had moved away!

It was a real lovely time. I used to go to her house to watch the tele as we didn't have one till much later in the fifties. She reminded me that  it was to our house her Dad came to use the phone, when her mum was in work, because he felt really ill. The Dr was phoned and he came and in fact her dad was having a heart attack. He recovered that time and died much later. I had her in awe because I remembered our phone number was 3168! How did I do that?  It was a real pleasant morning, we chatted about gardening and they said they loved our garden. . 

And also at our U3a gardening group meeting on Tuesday afternoon, there was a demo of planting a hanging basket, which was then raffled, no charge tickets and I won!! I might not have it as a hanging basket, because we haven't a suitable wall on which to hang it, we're thinking about it.

So some very pleasant gardening days without the actual gardening!

Chrisxx

Women??

 J K Rowlings was shouted down when she stuck her head above the parapet a few years ago and said ..'A woman is a person with a uterus.'  Several of the cast of her Harry Potter films strongly disagreed with her and the ties of their friendship were severed.

Now a high court has ruled that the definition of a woman is decided by biological sex at birth. Trans people have taken to the streets to protest. They want to be treated as women. To use female toilets, female changing rooms and to be treated as women. Do I think that's ok? I'm not sure. While I was in the London Orthopedic hospital for my last op on my arm, I was in a mixed sex ward, I didn't even notice there were men there.  I was too busy trying to get better!

I can see the problem in sports, trans women seem to have an advantage, being more muscular and so stronger. There were rows in the last Olympics with a trans boxer and the women didn't want to fight him/her/?

But woman are not in favour of trans people being in women's prisons because there have been attacks and rapes.  Its not an easy subject and being of an older generation, I'll admit it is beyond my comprehension. 

When I was doing my nursing training, I did three months in the Maternity unit. I'd only just started as new junior nurse, when I was asked to be with a young mum, who had just given birth. I was to watch her and just be with her because her baby had been born with a deformity. The genital area was out side the body, the skin had not closed over it, so the sex was not able to be truly determined, until blood tests had been done. The midwives were afraid the mother would deliberately drop her baby. So sad and I stayed there with her till her husband had arrived and a Nurse and Dr.. this was 1962.

I feel sad  for these people who insist they are in the wrong bodies, as a Christian and a Bible believer, I believe a woman is a woman and a man is a man.. so does this mean I'm prejudicial, non woke or just old fashioned?

Chrisxx

Is it fair?

 This wasn't my planned blog post, but the breaking news of the Pope's death, made anything I planned seem redundant.

Head of the Catholic Church who people revere as God's voice on Earth.. not something I believe. Looking at him on Easter Sunday being driven around in his popemobile he appeared content, playing the role of the Head of the Catholic church.

Its said that he was very 'for'  the poor people, as all church leaders of any religion say they are. None look like they've ever had to budget for a meal, or clothes or where they live to me.  A friend remarked to me 'I wonder if he had to wait for a Dr's appointment or a hospital bed?' It all seems supercilious to me, smiling and waving to the common people from his custom made Pope-mobile. But if it is true, it's said that he did modernise certain aspects of the catholic church to modern day thinking.

And our UK news is Prince Andrew accompanying the King and Queen Camila to their Easter Church service.. what were some people objecting to? That he'd been involved with a pedophile, and why did he pay millions of pounds to someone,  when there was the suggestion of a court case against him? So a reason for him to not accompany his own family to church? No,  people were objecting to him expecting to be treated as a Royal.

Harry is wanting police protection and thinks he should have it, as he is a Royal. Never mind he informed everyone, he was stepping down from his role as a working royal. Yet more news to fill our newspapers. And does anyone know of an MP living from week to week trying to stretch their money to pay their energy bills and food.

It all seems a bit cockeyed to me; news of the rich to inform the rest of us of their circumstances. We, Dh and I, are the section of society with pensions from our work. I get fed up of people, I've met thinking I have it easy. My teaching job wasn't easy, I taught in some rough areas with not just 'difficult' children, their parents weren't easy either. But I turned up every day and rarely took time off.

So what am I saying, life isn't easy or fair, but you just have to get on with it. Only the rich get preferential treatment,  the rest of us take our turn and wait. If I were younger I'd happily stand on a road side with the crowds protesting to Trump's visit here in UK and I certainly wouldn't agree to him speaking in the Houses of Commons. 

I have paid for private health care in the past, when I was in awful pain with my foot. I used the money I had earned and saved, nobody gave me it and I didn't take the place of a NHS patient, it was all in a private hospital. And blow down me if my name didn't came up 8 months later on the NHS list and I saw the same Consultant and had the same treatment!

Somedays it just gets to me, the whole unfairness of it all.

What do you think?

Chrisxx

Our Easter Day.

We had a wonderful Easter Sunday... we read Mark's Gospel about the Resurrection and had boiled blue eggs for breakfast with home made sour dough bread, toasted. 

 

Sorry no pics of our breakfast I didn't think about taking a photo, only tucking to my eggs and that bread! 

It seems you have certain chickens to have blue eggs, a bit like white chickens laying white eggs. We used to have chickens in our small back garden when I was little, a hang over from the war. I never thought about them, but often had a boiled egg for tea. 

The sunshine was glorious and the temperature got up to 18C 

We had the traditional dinner too, Welsh lamb, bought locally so had been reared on the Mumbles Salt Marshes.. it was delicious with mint sauce, the mint grown in a pot, so very fresh. All followed by Rhubarb from the garden, and made with a crumble topping and I had Evaporated milk, Dh had custard.

And after that we sat and relaxed.

I remembered my 2001 Easter in Israel with my church friends. It was cold and wet there some days, but we didn't mind. We were there to walk where Jesus had walked. On the afternoon when we went to the garden of the Tomb, it was dry and warm and we had a Communion service there, nothing ostentatious, just a simple Bread and Wine, I still have the little individual wooden cup we were given. Some amazing memories but my best one was us when we were staying in a kubutz.. We walked out into the desert which was pitch dark and sang.. 'Be still for the presence of the Lord'

Chrisxx

Blessed Easter.

 

A Blessed Easter to Everyone.

Hope your day is a happy one.

Chrisxx

Rain!

 

Has your day been like ours? The continuous rain has made up for weeks of dry days. It has poured down since early morning. I had the umbrella and wheels battle to SW, which was a disaster, where did that 2 pounds come from?? And I haven't had any ice cream for 6 weeks, 6 whole weeks!!! Ah well draw a line and start again, but not till after this weekend! Our fruit buns were delicious and we have some for the week left.

This bird feeder is just a photo of one like ours, its too wet to go out and get a photograph, but a little Gold Finch has sheltered in ours most of the afternoon, the rain was that heavy. The other feeders have had a pair of Collared Doves, small birds take shelter in rain, sensible birds.

We have sheltered too, after a drive home from SW via the front prom, lots of cars but not many people walking. A young woman with children well waterproofed, just like me and my children on all the West Country holidays we had in the rain!  I used to take them to the beach where they kicked up the sand and puddles with their wellies, and we made rock towers, and went back the next day to see if they've survived the sea. Isn't this a super one (stock pic)

I've read a big chunk of my book and may finish it later, 'Redemption' by Jack Jordon. Well worth a read, its good, with something happening all the time.

What else can you do in the rain?

Chrisxx

We made buns!

The one thing I can honestly say about my Darling Husband (Dh) he always over burdens us! We're up to our eyes trying to get the bungalow straight (clean) for the Easter weekend.  Its not because  we are having visitors, but we (I) do like the place to be tidy and clean. 

So what are we doing?? Making our own buns! And so everything stopped to make them.

We're using this recipe and made them the shape of Chelsea buns.. They look wow and smell delicious. The kitchen is awash with flour and the odd raisin on the floor (We need a dog to keep the floor clean!)

But we have a problem we have SW tomorrow morning, so can't have any till we've been weighed! 

Every thing else has been left to make these buns and now we have to wait till late tomorrow morning.

When I was young living here I was sent off to Comleys, the bakers on Good  Friday for Hot Cross buns. They were always warm in the brown paper bag and I used to run home as fast as I could and we all had one each thickly spread with butter. Me, my Grandmother and my two aunts! A real treat and we always had lamb for Sunday dinner, after Chapel of course.

Don't they look lush!

Chrisxx

After the rain.

 After the struggle in the rain, I slept really well, the fresh bed was wonderful and it is very comfortable although its not the new mattress we bought not so long ago. Its the one off the spare bed, the new £1200 one was too soft! I slept so well,  I went back to sleep so quickly after having to get up for the loo, when I felt the urge to wee again, grrrr! I thought I'd only just got back into bed and 3 hours had gone! 

When there's nothing on TV we like, we watch a couple of episodes of The Gilmore girls and are on series 6, there are 7 series, so when we've watched them all we'll be at a loss as to what to watch. Any one have a suggestion of something similar?

I'm hoping for some hot days now to get my seeds I've sown in the garden germinating. The rain cleaned the patio and did the grass the world of good as the weed and feed had blackened the mossy areas, grow grass grow!

And didn't it rain, we had thunder and lightening. We had planned to go out and drive to the sea front prom and have a coffee from Booths, one of the pavement kiosks, but we both dozed after lunch, so  switched on the TV. I carried on knitting the Emotional Support Chicken.. I wouldn't say it was complicated but there's a you tube with stitch by stitch instructions! I've decided to knit it in multi-colours. It does make my arm ache a bit while doing it, but it aches anyway, so I always think I might as well do something I like and give it something to ache about! 

Isn't 'ache' a funny word, I've just remembered a note a child used to bring back after a day off school..' Tracy was off school because she had a stomache' Oh dear I used to think I hope I didn't teach her mother.

Chrisxx

One of those days!

 We have wanted and longed for rain and it arrived Monday afternoon when we were out, leaving a line of pegged out towels and clothes! And as we drove nearer to home the rain got heavier. Dh's words 'I'm sick as a jugglers bunny!' We wanted the rain but not now! But not too bad, a quick tumble in the drier and all ok. 

Yesterday it was overcast when we got up, it looked like rain. Yes we needed it,  but I had a hair appointment in town and so rain was something I did not want! As it was,  getting showered and dressed to leave the house at 9:15 is not easy for me. We park in the short stay car park and at that time of day it is practically empty. Dh had parked in one of the two disable spaces, when a workman came up to up to me to say, we couldn't park there, because  their lorry was the other side of the little roadway . They were doing a job on the back of one of the shops, and any cars  or vans would not be able to get through.. So Dh pulled right forward,  but still in a disable space, or we could get a ticket if not in the lines.. and we rushed off, Blue Badge displayed and left him staring into space!

When we got to the  hairdressers, I was confronted by the girl to say my app. was Monday at 11:00am!! What?? No way I said.  I would not have made a Monday morning app. because that's when we have our Welsh lessons.. The hairdresser apologized and said her mistake and I had it done, altho' she wanted me to have a cut and I want to grow it a bit longer. Why do hairdressers like the sound of their scissors clip, chopping off your hair?

It was raining when I came out and altho' I have my bright red new umbrella, I don't manage it well with pushing my wheels. So I struggled all the way down the main street to Costa, once inside I heaved a sigh of relief. But it was cold in there, their A/C was blowing a gale, so not pleasant, but the coffee was hot and lovely as usual. 

I needed  my beauty cream from Boots, not far and I managed to anchor my brolly under my chin to keep my £27 hair do dry!  Ahhh! Boots is being refurbished, the shelves were practically empty, they didn't have the larger size I wanted. The girl serving was a new recruit, she knew nothing, spoke in whispers and it was a very unsatisfactory conversion with her. I wanted to scream, if I wasn't running out of my cream I'd have said, 'Stuff it I'll buy it on line!' I was not happy!

Back out into the rain, now quite heavy so I shuffled along with my brolly handle under my chin and we drove home, via the sea front.. Rain and grey skies and a grey sea, but home was wonderful. warm and best of all, a hot cuppa and my own toilet! Such a relief, only women who go to wee a lot know that feeling of your own toilet! I dozed in my chair for 30 mins before I tackled the bathroom, while Dh changed our bedding.. A fresh bed to sink into with a clean nightie, perfect after a struggle of a day!

Chrisxx

Long but worth a read

 FOR THOSE WHO ARE 60 yrs OLD AND ABOVE PLEASE READ THIS.

This is for you. I really like what is said here and am going to try my best to follow it. Thank you to the person who wrote this. May God bless us all as we strive to be a blessing to others at this age, especially to our children.

Between 60 and death. It's time to use the money you saved up. Use it and enjoy it. Don't just keep it for those who may have no notion of the sacrifices you made to get it. Remember there is nothing more dangerous than a son or daughter-in-law with big ideas for your hard-earned capital.

Warning: This is also a bad time for investments, even if it seems wonderful or fool-proof. They only bring problems and worries. This is a time for you to enjoy some peace and quiet.

Stop worrying about the financial situation of your children and grandchildren, and don't feel bad spending your money on yourself. You've taken care of them for many years, and you've taught them what you could. You gave them an education, food, shelter, and support. The responsibility is now theirs to earn their own money.

Keep a healthy life, without great physical effort. Do moderate exercise (like walking every day), eat well, and get your sleep. It's easy to become sick, and it gets harder to remain healthy. That is why you need to keep yourself in good shape and be aware of your medical and physical needs. Keep in touch with your doctor, do tests even when you're feeling well. Stay informed.

Always buy the best, most beautiful items for your significant other. The key goal is to enjoy your money with your partner. One day one of you will miss the other, and the money will not provide any comfort then, enjoy it together.

Don't stress over the little things. You've already overcome so much in your life. You have good memories and bad ones, but the important thing is the present. Don't let the past drag you down and don't let the future frighten you. Feel good in the now. Small issues will soon be forgotten.

Regardless of age, always keep love alive. Love your partner, love life, love your family, love your neighbor and remember: "A man is not old as long as he has intelligence and affection."

Be proud, both inside and out. Don't stop going to your hair salon or barber, do your nails, go to the dermatologist and the dentist, keep your perfumes and creams well stocked. When you are well-maintained on the outside, it seeps in, making you feel proud and strong.

Don’t lose sight of fashion trends for your age, but keep your own sense of style. You’ve developed your own sense of what looks good on you – keep it and be proud of it. It’s part of who you are.

ALWAYS stay up-to-date. Read newspapers, watch the news. Go online and read what people are saying. Make sure you have an active email account and try to use some of those social networks. You'll be surprised at what old friends you'll meet.

Respect the younger generation and their opinions. They may not have the same ideas as you, but they are the future and will take the world in their direction. Give advice, not criticism, and try to remind them that yesterday's wisdom still applies today.

Never use the phrase: “In my time.” Your time is now. As long as you’re alive, you are part of this time.

Some people embrace their golden years, while others become bitter and surly. Life is too short to waste your days on the latter. Spend your time with positive, cheerful people, it'll rub off on you and your days will seem that much better. Spending your time with bitter people will make you feel older and harder to be around.

Do not surrender to the temptation of living with your children or grandchildren (if you have a financial choice, that is). Sure, being surrounded by family sounds great, but we all need our privacy. They need theirs and you need yours. Even then, do so only if you feel you really need the help or do not want to live by yourself

Don't abandon your hobbies. If you don't have any, make new ones. You can travel, hike, cook, read, dance. You can adopt a cat or a dog, grow a kitchen garden, play cards, checkers, chess, dominoes, golf.

Try to go. Get out of the house, meet people you haven't seen in a while, experience something new (or something old). The important thing is to leave the house from time to time. Go to museums, go walk through a park. Get out there.

Speak in courteous tones and try not to complain or criticize too much unless you really need to. Try to accept situations as they are.

Pains and discomfort go hand in hand with getting older. Try not to dwell on them but accept them as a part of life.

If you've been offended by someone – forgive them. If you've offended someone-apologize. Don't drag around resentment with you. It only serves to make you sad and bitter. It doesn't matter who was right. Someone once said: "Holding a grudge is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die." Don't take that poison. Forgive, forget, and move on with your life.

Laugh. Laugh away your worries Remember, you are one of the lucky ones. You managed to have a life, a long one. Many never get to this age, never get to experience a full life.

My valued friends, enjoy peaceful life at this point in your life ...

Don't worry... be happy.

So we should all be happy

Chrisxx

A sad time

I've missed a whole week of blogging and most importantly blog reading. This time of year is not a good time for me, too many memories that bring me down into the depths of sadness. Sometimes I can just shrug it off, other times I weep for the slightest thing.

Its a whole 10 years since I tripped and broke the humerus bone in my right arm, my dominate arm! It has been life changing and if I didn't have my lovely husband, I couldn't have managed.. The last 2 ops which included a bone insertion and shoulder replacement were the most painful experiences of my life. Something I didn't know was, you can have  a wedge of bone inserted in yours from any blood group, it doesn't make any difference, and yes the bone was donated by a deceased person! The shoulder replacement means I can only use my arm at waist level, but not higher, my arm will not lift up! So I learnt to do my hair and wash etc left handed and hence I visit a hair salon or have someone to the house every week. And of course I'm not legal to drive. My writing is pretty  awful too and I take ages to put on my clothes. Dh helps with my bra.

Over the 10 years my over all health has deteriorated  and I gained 3 stone! Lockdown didn't help and I know I should do more. But I've had a wake up call through a cheap clothing site! I usually buy my clothes on line from a Norwegian firm.  https://www.gudrunsjoden.com/en-us  They have dresses in bigger sizes  that fit and are bright colours. I love them and although they cost a bit more, they are worth it. I saw a cheap dress on line and I thought it would be perfect for an at home, housework dress.. It was a darker green than the picture, but still nice, but the fit!! It was big all over, so sleeves reaching to my knees, well nearly and skimpy round my middle, so very very unflattering. For the very first time I could see the real me, not the internal view I have of myself. I am huge, really, really fat! It shocked me and I won't be looking in the full length mirror in the middle bedroom again, for at least a few months and I will knuckle down and get this weight off! So tears for the dress and fat me. 

I've had some sleepless nights worrying about it and that doesn't help my weight loss. Because I'm too tired to do much the next day, but that dress is hanging outside my wardrobe to spur me on!

What is this weight thing, I never had a problem when I was young. I hardly gained any weight when pregnant and not any for years.. a few pounds extra when my underactive thyroid was diagnosed in 1988 and just a bit more over the years, and now here I am grossly over weight and struggling! 

Chrisxx

Then and now

When we moved here 3 1/2 years ago.

 

And now 

We have 3 flower beds and now small trees and shrubs in front of the fence we've had put in, after taking out the 30m  of scrappy hedge!

Lots of plants waiting to go in the prepared beds and seeds sown already. I'm expecting  a very colourful summer.

Its been worth the work over the last week getting it straight..     And no rain has meant we've watered most evenings.

How's your garden?

Chrisxx

How did I survive??

My Victorian grandmother's cures for various ailments, when I was growing up.

Always wear a vest and pull it right down your back to keep your kidneys warm. (Wee-ing problems and to keep colds at bay) I also wore a Liberty Bodice. Called Liberty bodices, because they originally were to be worn instead of the stiff corsets of the 19th Century. So you were liberated from a corset! I never minded wearing one, it kept you warm. No central heating only one coal fire in the living room. 

I do remember I had a bed cardigan and even in todays time, I sometimes wear one, when I'm in bed and the heating has switched off early. When I was little in winter, the bed was warmed by a brick  heated in the oven with a bit of old blanket wrapped round it.

Goose grease smothered on your neck, then a Lyle stocking wrapped round it, secured with a safety pin.(Sore throat)

Sheep's wool gathered off barbed wire fence, washed and inserted into your ear for earache. Something we always gathered when we visited my Grandmother's sister in Maesteg, as their road was at the bottom of  a mountain with wandering sheep.

Bread, milk and water made into a mash, heated and spread on a piece of cotton and topped with another piece of cotton and pressed on the area with the boils, still hot, a poultice.. Wound round with strips of cotton to keep in place. (Any boil or ulcer)

Starch powder sprinkled on itchy areas to stop the irritation. (Any itchy rash)

Cold salted water streamed on bruises to reduce swelling. 

Honey, vinegar and butter.. brought to the boil, then sipped slowly for a  sore throat and coughs. (I loved  this)

Cabbage water after the cabbage had been boiled to a pulp!!  A cup of the  cabbage water drunk for your bowels! Ugh Plus Syrup of Figs on Saturday night.

And then the rest of the cabbage water poured down the outside lav. to clean the 'U' bend!

I had the usual childhood illnesses, mumps, measles and Yellow Jaundice, (what ever that was?) But I can't ever remember missing school with a cold, so somethings must have worked! 

She was born in 1887 and had 8 children.. only 5 survived into adulthood

Gladys (1906-1990) Marion (1908-1924) Thelma (1912-1994)  Eunice, my mother (1918-1945) Rachel (1920-2016)

I think my Aunty Glad (Gladys) found the money from somewhere and coerced my father, to help pay for me to go to that private school, so I'd get a good education. She went into Service age 12 in a big house in Penarth! She sometimes spoke about it and how hard it was.

I had quite an alternative childhood to many children of my age.. and I survived. My grandmother had no patience and often flew into a rage, today I wonder was it hormones??.. It was fine while my grandfather was still alive, because he used to take me out.. He used to say...'Dere 'm cariad'.. (come here darling) and we'd sneak out the back door.  I learnt to keep out of her way.. and I often wonder, if that was why my aunt paid for me to be a boarder. 

I loved that school and they were the happiest days of my teen years.. And this nun, Sister Mary Bernadine, Headteacher was amazing. She treated me as though I was special and I loved her.

I survived!!

Chrisxx

Flowering Sunday & Mothering Sunday.. Edited to correct the date, thank you Angela

 Me with my mother and father, age 6 months.

I don't have any real memories of her, but I put flowers on her grave each year on Flowering Sunday, this year its on April 13th. I have travelled every year back here to put flowers on her grave, and those of my grandparents and two Aunts..From Billericay it was 234 miles, I stayed at the house when I still owned it, but after selling it I stayed in a B&B. And after Dh and I were married he came too, and with Nell of course.

People I've met who don't have family buried never understood why I did it.. but its a big thing in S Wales even in today's  times. I am going to have a Green Burial in Herongate, which is near Billericay. So there'd be no need for grave visits, I wouldn't put that on my children.  I decided on the Green Burial near Billericay as I lived longest there than any where else.

But,  my children did treat me on Mothering Sunday.. cards, flowers, champagne  truffes, a super new camera  and best of all long phone calls.. I have tried to say to my children, I take as much delight in their phone calls,  as I did with their first tooth or first step! 

Hope you did too, get treated! 

Chrisxx

The Slow Lane.

(Last years honey -suckle)

 

I seem to be in the doldrums, but its ok I've not killed an albatross, altho I did squirt some water at the cat that dares to stroll across our patio, then toilets in our veg patch! He's always quicker than us and runs along the fence, eyeing one of our bird feeding stations.

 And also, I seem to be a bit fed up with the SW food plan too, even though I had a good weight loss last week. So we looked up some different recipes to gear me on! For lunch yesterday we made egg muffins. I started off in the kitchen with Dh and then suddenly there were too many cooks in the kitchen!! So I went into the lounge and left him to it..

For 2 persons: 4 eggs beaten, chopped chives, copped bacon, chopped spinach and grated cheese., salt n pepper. Beat eggs, add the rest of the ingredients and spoon into a well greased muffin tins.  Sprinkle Feta  cheese on top, Makes 4 cook 180C for 10mins Serve with parsley to decorate|!.. Very tasty warm and even  better cold, with ham and a big green fresh salad.

All my seeds have germinated, but some aren't big enough to pot on, but I'm raring to go. I am all ready, but no point potting on with no true leaves, because they'll get seedling droop and  possibly die. I have taken the cosmos and sweet peas and put them in our little outside plastic green house to stop them getting leggy.

And the book I've  just finished, 'Someone in the Attic,' went on for page after page. It seems to me as though Araminta Hall was trying to write a certain number of words and filled the pages, but nothing was happening! 

And last night I couldn't get to sleep, I heard the early gulls at 4:00 am, and went to wee a hundred times, well maybe not hundred but a lotta, lotta wees. This always happens if  I am awake. So had to have a nanny nap in the afternoon! 

But I have some good things to look forward to.. Coffee in town with someone I was in school with in the 1950s!  

And later on I've my craft group. I have some new knitting, an Emotional Support Chicken.. I'm knitting it for a friend, who's been through a divorce and has bought her own house for the first time..And she loves Chickens!

Chrisxx

Opinions

 The only thing you should stop wearing as you get older is the weight of  other people's opinions!!

Because I believe this,  I've published Jane from Dorset's comment.

Happy travelling Jane, as you go on your way. You're allowed your opinion but not to criticize others nor impose your views on others.

As a matter of fact, I personally think everyone should garden as best they can and within their means, so I wouldn't suggest any product to anyone.. 

Chrisxx