An unpleasant week.

 Hasn't it been blazing hot!! And my week was compounded by my covid booster jab and the RSV jab, which is for protection against chest infections. I was dreading going, but although getting into our very hot car, as on the drive it was facing the sun, once we were going the air conditioning kicked in and it was blissfully cool. The drive to Basil-end hospital takes about 15  to 20mins, all of 7 miles because of course here in Wales, the speed limit around towns is only 20 mph. Yes, very slow, but we're used to it now.

Amazingly we didn't have to wait and inside, it was cool. The needle didn't hurt, but as she dabbed the spot on my 'bad' arm I very much felt it and inadvertently gave out arggg sound. Its an automatic response, as it is very tender feeling.  I don't ever have injections in it and wish I'd asked for my thigh instead.

It was awful and Wednesday I felt ill, my arms ached and I had aching joints and a head ache. And my 'broken' arm was hell, I felt ill. I was even off my food. Dh made his version of SW zingy chicken.my favourite and I hardly ate any, although some ice cream slipped down!

So what with the heat and the reaction to the jabs I hardly slept. But by Thursday I was feeling a bit better, but didn't go out and missed the Mahjong group in the afternoon.

I was fine after a good sleep and Friday we went to the SW meeting and lost 1.5 pounds! 

So hopefully that's my jabs for a while. I know they are for my protection, but when I have a reaction, I'm not happy!!

Do you have a reaction to the covid jab?

Chrisxx

A small view of some plants in my garden,

 With this hot weather, flowers that were in bud have flowered, so my lupins are glorious..grown from seed two years ago and they are now multi-blooms.

 My latest rose.. 'Tottering by Gently,' a shrub rose with pale yellow single blooms. I absolutely love it. It's planted on the edge of the patio, I can see it up close when I sit out there.

And a moderately scented rose, 'Scarborough Fair,'  bought for the front garden in a corner, and it failed.. Or rather I flailed it and planted in the wrong place, so dug it up last Autumn and planted here and it really likes it!

Some 'Love in the Mist' seeds scattered here and they are gorgeous. I'll have them for ever now, as they self seed prolifically, well all over the place really whether you want them or not!

This rose name lost, is the Grand daughter of a rose given to me by my daughter for Mother's Day about 20 years ago.. Dh took 4 cuttings, which we grew in Suffolk, then cuttings from one of those for here. It has a lovely Turkish Delight scent. I watch it for green flies and any other bugs, its a very precious rose!

I love my garden.

Chrisxx

Would you have noticed?

 £400,000 embezzled from the SNP funds by Peter Murrell  to bankroll his lavish life style.. he bought.. 

£124,550  Motor Home

High end salt and pepper grinders £2,618.16 by French glass maker Lalique and £506.02 on salt and pepper mills from Peugeot Saveurs,

A variety of Game Consoles and video games despite having no children. Purchases included Grand Auto Theft, an Xbox console and nearly £400 on 3 Nintendo 3DS Consoles.

£3500 on a Silver wine coaster from luxury Scottish brand Hamilton and Inches.

Luxury pens, one costing £4225, a pencil sharpener too, as well as a roller ball for £2370

He bought himself a mans's Slouch Onesie !

Bottles of top Portuguese Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

3 Le Crueset Caseroles, crockpot as well as dozens of mugs.

A £3232 Jira's coffee machine, a £1866 one in 2017 and  a  £2195 one in 2018. He also bought a Smythson china  tea set in 2021 costing £2995 and lots more!

If your partner bought all this would you wonder where he got the money from to 'fund' it all.

Nicola Sturgeon denies all knowledge of it all. How could you not know, where did he put it all. 

All the china and Le Crueset  cooking casseroles, the Waterford glasses.. how would you not wonder where the money came from? 

It beggars belief that she did not know, but the former leader of the SNP leader denied all knowledge and it seems, she has been believed!

What do you think?

Chrisxx

On a very hot Bank Holiday!

 

This odd not very good photograph, is of Dh on the coolest side of our bungalow cooking on the BBQ yesterday!

We don't really notice Bank Holidays being retired, but Dh always like to acknowledge them,  by having special food!!

But it was so hot outside on our patio, over 30C as it is SW facing.

He had bought a plancha grill plate, which we'd seen on Jaime Oliver's cooking programme. Dh does like his cooking tools.

Anyway the food was all delicious and altho he'd got our patio table ready under the umbrella, we ate inside, as it was just too hot.

Sorry no photo I ate mine without even thinking about a photo.

Prawns,  BBQ chicken, rice, that we call Jewel rice as its boiled rice with chopped red peppers, peas, chopped salad onions, and sweet corn.. as well as a Green Salad, Coleslaw, and our own pickled cucumber, with Dh's sauce of Chinese Rice wine and Soya sauce.. all so delicious.

Followed by strawberries and ice cream of course!

What did you have, anything special?

Chrisxx

This is me!!

12 Things older people just don't have the patience any more.

Keeping up with new trends

Complicated technology for its own sake

Uncomfortable shoes.

Overly noisy restaurants.

One sided relationships.

Clutter in the home.

Small talk without substance.

Wining every argument.

Digital clutter and constant pings.

Lack of punctuality.

Poor quality products.

Pretending to be someone else.

What about you?

Chrisxx

Walking.

I've done the virtual walk of the Jesus trail 62.744 km in 91 days (Just under 40 miles) It should have been 90 days, but I had a bad couple of days with my cold. Its done me good, got me walking albeit not miles and miles and also made me realise how little I actually walk!

Most days I didn't start till gone 11am, so I'm going to make a better effort next time, and I have signed up for Barcelona. I've never been there and so looking forward to the street views.

In case you go walking in Barcelona and you see walkers, this is my Bib!!

For anyone curious about these walks, its........

theconqueror.events

https://www.theconqueror.events › virtual › challenges

Of course you have to pay, but over all I thought worth it.

Chrisxx

Here I go!!

 I've been looking for a gentle exercise and balance class... criky you'd think there'd be one here in my own town, but no.

My friend in New Zealand goes to one, organised by Age Concern, so I thought, yea!! Why didn't I think of that, their purpose is to care for the elderly, so they must run classes for older people.   Well of course they don't, nor did the person who spoke to me on the phone know of any, but she said she'd make enquiries. 

There are groups, but they are all jig/ dance around groups, tai chi or yoga.. so not for me. So I asked on Basil-end's FB pages, loads of answers and very suitable for me. 

So I phoned one highly recommended, but of course the one she does in Laleston on Tuesday mornings is full, but I was welcome to go to the Friday group.. we could do it if we left SW slightly early, so I'm going to give it a go!

 Next week she suggested, I don't have any jogging bottoms and my trainers squeeze my bad toe, so I shall have to see how I get on! I want to do it, but I'm nervous.. so I've given myself a talking to, so I have to pull up my big girl pants and go for it!

Chrisxx

Hairdesser V Barbers

 It seems that there are now inquiries into all these new Barber shops, popping up around, which have been suspected of money laundering. When Dh heard this on the Jeremy Vine radio show, his answer to them is, they should all be shot at dawn!!

He has an aversion to barbers, as he is very proud of his full head of hair, albeit now white! His last visit to the barbers, he said was a very traumatic experience. He had found a barber in town that he liked, an older man who understood 'short back with long side burns,' but horror of horrors, he has left.. and now it is one of the Turkish barbers, who operate the 'number' versions of cuts. 

Asked what he wanted, Dh had said...number 8! So having persuaded the young man, that he only needed a light trim, he sat down nervously watching the barber in the mirror. All was going ok, when he was asked about his eyebrows and ears. Dh grows enough hair in those to stuff a cushion.. but whoops before he could say anything, the barber produced a smoking spill and proceeded to burn off Dh's ear hair, after which he asked Dh to lean forward to the basin and started to wash his hair. Dh sat up and explained, only he, himself and his Mum washed his hair!! LOL He is such a baby!!

I said it looked very nice, and it did..  I had the same thing, without the 'ear experience' and paid £44, Dh paid £14, so why is he making a fuss!!

I love having my hair washed and styled and have it done weekly.. what about you, do you like someone doing your hair?

Chrisxx

If you know, you know.

 

We've been  to Basil-end this morning, called Basil-end, because when we lived in Essex we used to pop to Basildon and here we pop to Bridgend. We couldn't get used to calling it Bridgend so hence Basil-end.

We saw a young lady we knew and stopped to chat, she remarked that we probably knew her wife, as they live in Porthcawl.. I am someone brought up in a very strict chapel, by a Victorian grandmother, and always have been a church go-er, so same sex marriages are not in my beliefs. Hard for some people to understand I'm sure, but at 83 years of age I'm not able to change now.. but I don't dislike people and how they want to live, nor judge them, even though its not my way of thinking... so as we said goodbye I gave her my warmest, kindest smile, thinking to myself, WWJD.

Chrisxx

I need to believe this...

 Something I recently read....

5 ways  to let go of the past.

1.Stop replaying the painful memories every day. 

What the mind repeatedly revisits emotionally continues to stay alive.

2. Forgive yourself for who you were during those painful seasons.

You were learning, surviving and hurting all at the same time.

3.Accept that some people will never apologise or understand your pain.

Healing can not depend on someone else's awareness.

4 Focus your energy on the life happening now.

The present moment is where peace, growth and healing actually exist.

5 Allow yourself to move forward without guilt.

You are allowed to heal,

You are allowed to smile again.

And you are allowed to become free from what once hurt you deep.

Chrisxx

Feeling better.

 Gone are the days, when a rub on my chest with some Vick and hot drink of lemon juice and honey, with  a new packet of tissues and I was fine. This cold has really taken the stuffing out of me. I'm really tired and ready for bed most nights at 9. Thank you for your good wishes and commiserations, I  am beginning to feel better. 

And yesterday in the sunshine, I felt so much better. I walked round the garden and felt all my hard work growing the seeds has been worth it, everything is growing well. 

Our latest rose , called 'Tottering By Gently, '..  is in full bud and will shortly be looking like this photo. 

We have 6 roses now and 3 climbing roses, I love roses, the colour and the scent.

We (the Royal we) painted my Aunty's stork, altho Dh says its an Egret, but my Aunty thought it was a stork, and so the children and I have always referred to it as, Aunty Glad's stork. She bought it from 'the boutique'  as she called it, the Saturday afternoon Jumble Sale which she went to every week.

Its very white again! He stands under Dh's tree, it has come with us through 3 gardens as small snips, called a Creeping Olive tree, leaves like an olive and in spring, it has very tiny yellow flowers, and the scent is amazing, we trim it every year to keep it small. I have one in a pot and I'm going to try to cut the tap root to see if I can  keep it very small. I shall keep a record and see what happens.

How are your gardens looking?

Chrisxx

Niggles

 Altho' I haven't got a cold, I've been off colour all week..bit of a tum, which was upset enough to warrant a dose of Imodium and then that acted too well.. but I've discovered  a dose of Movicol, 2 Sennacot and 5 prunes is too much!! 

My stomach felt like I'd been kicked by a horse, all ok now,  but to add to my moaning, a new roll of toilet paper wouldn't tear off! There were the impressions of the tear off strip, but it wouldn't tear..   But if I didn't have that little niggle I'd think of something else!

And altho' my cold has gone, I've started coughing, as soon as I lie down in bed, I start coughing, such a pesk. I've a cough medicine, but its just one more thing.

And because of my cold I've had to defer our covid jabs, so now they're not till mid May.. just one more thing to sort.

I feel its all niggles and I'm miserable.. so be glad you don't live with me. 

Dh's cold came and went and he feels fine.. humph!!

Anyway why am I complaining, I could be on a cruise ship with the Hantavirus, isn't that terrible, poor people.

And our little draenog continues to come, its such a pleasure watching her (or is it him)

Chrisxx

Such a busy place!

 

Not our draenog, but you can see the same set up for the feeding station. 

We decided our draenog is female, because last night another one arrived and she started doing the huffing, and pushed him out of the way and he went off at top speed.

She usually arrives around 9:30pm but last night she was later and then ran off. They never just walk but run, their little legs going 'pell-mell' 

Then there were two eyes peeping between the flower pots and it was a little mouse, he scurried across to the food, looked into the food station and ran off, obviously not to his taste!

Between 12mn and 3:00 am 3 cats strolled across the patio! All looked in the feeding station but couldn't get to the food.

Draenog ? was back at 4:19, if it was our one, but could have been the rejected 'lover.' 

And so our night time patio was busy.. but the magpies have a go too. One arrived while the morning chorus was in full swing.. he jumped on to the tile lid, then peaked inside, and pecked the tile,  then hopped down and managed to get a stray bit of the kibble and flew off,

But at 8:50am a squirrel arrived, he wasn't a bit interested in the food, a quick look at the food station and he was gone.

This trail cam keeps me busy looking at all the visitors, I love it. We're still looking to see how to down load the videos.. watch this space. 

Chrisxx

50P To Spend a Penny!

 

It seems people are complaining about the cost of using a toilet in the Peak District.. 50p.

The cost is for maintenance and towards the care of the Peak District. They are new and payment is by contactless payment only. They could do with some on Snowdon, because the lack of them, has meant that the pathways are fouled with excrement! 

Here in my town new toilets were build by the park and cost 50p and they are needed... however they have been out of order more than in use, because of vandalism. Some ignorant people have set them on fire and more than once!

As someone who is always grateful for a well maintained and clean toilet, I don't think 50p is too much to ask, especially in an out of the way place. 

What do your think?

Chrisxx

Proper poorly!

I have an awful cold and feel proper poorly.  Sunday night was horrible, I went to bed at 9:30 ish, early because I was feeling so wretched, headache, sore throat, hot clammy and weary.. but I could not get to sleep. I was up and down going to wee, I think it upset my bladder.

I was dosed up with paracetamol, Strepsils  and good old vick on my chest and eventually dozed off about 12:30, only to wake again about two hours later, went to the loo, and altho I was comfortable, sleep evaded me.. so I read my kindle, and as my eyes closed I sank down into my pillows and slept for about about an hour..then I was awake again, sneezing and my throat was irritating me. 

At 4:30 I took some paracetamol and Dh helped me get comfy and I slept till 7.. So what a night.. I am still sniffing and feeling hot one minute and cold the next, a proper fever.

I hate being ill, I think when you're older colds are worst.. altho this is the first cold I've had for years. We think I picked it up on Friday at SW, its the only place we've been where there were people.

I've had to self medicate with ice cream for my sore throat! 

Has anyone here in UK had a cold lately, is it doing the rounds?

Chrisxx

March./ April books

 These are just some of the books I read.

I really enjoyed this book by Ann Bennett and I think I've said in another post, that I'd not read any by her before. The story starts in 2015, when Chloe's grandmother, Lena, dies and her friend gives Chloe the diary of her grandmother. It leads Choe on a journey of discovery, trying to find out what happened to her grandmother in war time Burma in 1944. 

Chloe, herself is swept up by the romance and mystery of the Country with her Nepalese guide. The time lines between present time and the war in 1944 worked well.  And Chloe discovers things about her grandmother, she never would have guessed. 

Ann Bennett's writing of the train journeys, the trekking, were so well written I was there. Some might think it ends predicably, but read on to make sure.

***

Although I enjoyed this book by Patrick Gale, it disappointed me because it wasn't just about Harry Cane, the Canadian. wheat farmer, but his family in England. 

But still a powerful story of Harry taken in by his daughter, although she harbours resentment and anger. His gentle ways is less predictable on the next generation and he is able to help his grand daughter and her husband to resolve differences with an unspeakable trauma. But in the end, Harry has to decide if he can make a new life or will he find himself pushed out again. Worth reading, Patrick Gale is an extremely good author.

***

What happened to Sarah Jane??

Written in the present and 15 years previously. I think the two authors took a 'time' section each. 

I never once guessed what had happened and how, when two girls were snatched, how did one come back and the other never found. A fast and compelling book that I couldn't put down, a lot of twists and turns, a 5* read!

***

T. M. Logan never fails to thrill me!!

She wakes up, her husband is dead and she is the main suspect and found guilty. 10 years later she is released from prison, now on parole, Heather has to do all she can to prove her innocence and get her boys back. At the Hostel she meets Jodi, who is willing to help her prove in innocence.. a reporter who covered her original trial also can help, but is he reliable.. there are so many twists and turns, but a mother will never give up to get her boys back. If this will be the first book by T M Logan you read, you'll want to read all his other books.. such a plot with a  twist at the end, who would have guessed, but a mother will do absolutely anything and everything for her children.. a def. 5* from me.

***

***

I wrote about this book March 6 th.

***

This is Jodi Picoult at her best, fighting a lost cause and I loved it.

When  a baby dies after a routine hospital procedure, the father has no doubt who is to blame..the nurse who had been banned from looking after him, by the father.

An  emotional, prejudicial and heart wrenching story, a roller costal read. thank you Jodi Picoult.

We've actually heard her one year in the Essex Literacy Festival, she was very good and I'm so glad that I was able to go to her talk. An amazing author.

Chrisxx

Free!

 

When we moved to this bungalow, we brought with us a selection of shrubs and a few plants, but not these aquilegia, nor have I sown any. But these pop up every year, so I guess the seeds must have been in the soil around the roots of the plants we brought. 

The colours range from deep purple through mauve, pink, very pale mauve (my favourite) and to white. Their seeds have blown to the other side of the garden too. 

I pull up all the small ones when they have finished flowering, just leaving two or three to seed ready for next year.. free flowers! Excuse the mess on the pavers, Dh doesn't see what's in front when he decides to take a quick snap!

Chrisxx

Draenog!

 This is our hedgehog,  Dh got the pic. off the video which we can't see how to post. This is how our feeding station looks.

2 Bricks with a roof tile as a roof. It's to keep the cats off it and during day light, large birds!

We have the water dish in the opening and the food behind. Cats can't reach it without getting their feet wet and they don't like it so keep out, but the hedgehog wades through the water!

We are continuing to put out food and the trail camera is focused on it. Hopefully the 'draenog'  Welsh for hedgehog will be back. The hedgehog 'high way' under our fence has been used so he is around.

Over the years we've had three at once, so lovely to see them run, their little legs go like the 'clappers.'

Chrisxx

PS. And then right on cue, he arrived 9:29pm !!

Presents for ourselves.

 

When we went to town  on Wednesday, we popped into one of our favourite shops , to buy the oil and vinegar pots to go with the salt and pepper pots, we had previously bought.. 

And Dh saw a Tea Towel and Oven Gloves, with a hedgehog design so we had to buy those too.

Very pretty, but costly but its nice to buy things for ourselves, if it was for a present for someone else, we wouldn't have hesitated to buy the towel and gloves. 

The hedgehog didn't come last night so we hope he's alright. There are streets with hedgehog signs for motorists,  to take care, that there are hedgehogs around. 

Who would have thought in a seaside town, perhaps they like the sea air!!

Chrisxx

We needed something else!

 A  tempting afternoon, but all nice to look at, we only went for compost!

A riot of colours, but I resisted, because I have loads of plants I've grown myself so no need to buy, altho that hasn't stopped me in the past

However I did buy one pink pelargonium, because mine are still small.  

Only gardeners will understand how lovely it is to walk around looking at plants!

I shall be planting up my summer pots this coming weekend.. 

All the spring flowers are over, and we put the bulbs in old pots to store behind the shed in the shade.

I can't wait to see the patio with all the summer pots. 

And like the rest of UK, we're having some beautiful sunny weather, a bit too hot truth be known. We've had some pleasant times sitting with a cup of tea, under our umbrella, admiring the garden, the tuffty winter grass is back looking like a lawn, the Aquilegia is flowering and the hedgehogs are back. His/her antics running across the patio for the food keeps us occupied, watching him on the trail cam. 

Exciting times!

Chrisxx

And just like that he's grown!

 

Prince Louis is now age 8, and hasn't he lost his baby looks.  We've been shown so many little films of him being an inquisitive little boy; his antics during the procession of troops at the Queen's Jubilee.. and how he tried to stop his mother Catherine talking to him by putting his hands over her mouth! Moving from the lap of one adult to another, even his grand father Charles, who is now the King.

But wasn't it lovely to see that even the Royal children can be 'naughty' when bored!

I loved all those insights into his behavior, what a super little boy, so very 'normal!'

Chrisxx

Children and Phones.

 I was interested to learn what teachers thought of the Government's decision to ban phones in school, so phoned some one I know, who is teaching in a Comprehensive school.. Her immediate reaction to my question was to laugh! She reckoned not what was needed, but the law that Australia has brought in to ban Social Media Sites to young people under 15 was a much better law.

My friend was saying that young people are on their phones out of school for 8 hours and more, missing sleep to keep messaging and looking at social media! They have a constant dialogue about some items on social media, and my friend said I'd be shocked to hear some of the things they talk about!

Evidently the young people openly talk about some quite 'risque' sites.. There are always some with their heads on their desks, because they are so tired..Parents admit they are unable to stop their children from using their phones in their bedrooms.

I wasn't shocked to hear that, years ago, I listened to parents stating their frustration with their children watching TV in their rooms,  late into the night. I didn't say, but I always thought who bought the TVs!!

My own children didn't do that, because the second TV was not upstairs in their rooms, but in the dining room, so I knew what they were watching and be control of the Off Switch!

Thank goodness mine are all grown up and I don't have the worry of what mine are up to, altho', they do cause me concerns, but we can talk as adults.

Parenting these days is not easy, what do you think?

                       Chrisxx

Walking

 Thank you for all the ideas, I'm working on several.. Standing on one leg while cleaning my teeth is a big no no for me, falling in the bathroom is my biggest fear, so I'm extra careful in there.. our walk in shower has non slip flooring and non slip mats and a grab bar!

Walking I can do,  all I have to do is increase the distance so we're off now to walk along side the beach at Trecco..

Flat and no pavers, my sort of walking area, although the sea breeze is blowing I might need my fleece!

Have a happy sunny day all.

Chrisxx

You don't need to tell me.

 I'm very unfit.. don't know what happened.  I've not run anywhere for years neither can I jump, but I used to be able to balance on one leg and now I wobble!

I think in the winter we hardly went out, cold and wet is not me, altho; I used to go out walking, if it wasn't raining, but this year we didn't. 

When I was in the garden yesterday I went to bend over to grab a dandelion flower to stop it seeding, as digging it up is a big spade job, they have such a deep tap root, and I suddenly felt nervous. I was afraid I'd over balance, so got my walking stick and I was fine. But I didn't like that feeling and I remembered over balancing the year before last, and going down like a tree being felled.. so I need to exercise and do some balancing exercises. 

I did try to find a class, but none here suitable for me. Lots of people gave me names but really not for me! I can't see me in leggings moving to music. I did a few years ago, but that's not me anymore. We have a treadmill so I must give it a go, its just so boring!!

However I am doing a virtual walk,  Kirsten ( letterfromhome) mentioned the Conqueror virtual walks, and so I'm doing that logging my daily steps.. its encouraged me and keeps me focused!

I'm not going to be able to run a marathon, but I am aiming to walk further than a mile, I can't at the moment. 

Any ideas?

Chrisxx

The garden liked it!

 Wednesday afternoon we had our book group meeting at the library. The building that is away from the main town street and up steps.. So I walk, up the ramp, what we call the 'long' walk.; the one good thing is that it ups my daily steps!

A recently new joined member wasn't there and I was very glad because, last month, all she could say about the book was that it  was rubbish! She said that several times. I found that very offensive.. how rude! The person who runs the group said nothing about that comment, so I was going to this time. But she wasn't there!

The meeting was 12md to1:00, so ends at our lunch time. We usually trot off to Costa for a cheese toasty and coffee, no cake, we eat our own SW Hi-fi bar! When we came out, it was tipping down with rain, I wear one of those plastic hats! I'm not getting my hair wet! My mac only covers 3/4 of me , so couldn't wait to get home to get changed. I hate rain... At home we watched the rain coming down in sheets on our perfectly tidy garden, hurrah!! Just what it needed.

A month ago it was looking awful and we were grumbling that  we had given ourselves too much work, by digging the three flower beds, and now tidy, the plants have filled out, there are buds and new growth and the grass is back short.. so we're pleased with our efforts and we have loads of plants growing in our little plastic green houses to add to the flower beds.

We're ready for summer, so bring it on! What about you?

Chrisxx

We past the 'very' road!!

 We drove past the place and didn't even realise, but it was on the Wales news later.. 

Evidently a body was found in a chest freezer of a house after her Dr asked the police to do a welfare check on her. It wasn't known how or when Sylvia Philips' 89, had died.

Her son was charged with preventing the lawful and decent burial also with fraud having claimed her benefits.

His case is in the being heard today 16th April in the Cardiff Courts. 

We actually drove past the road, where the police were finding the body without our realising! 

How can someone do that their own mother? Money of course, how awful. You just don't know what's happening in the town where you live sometimes, do you.

Chrisxx

A lovely read (There may be spoilers! )

 Every now and then I chose a book for comfort and this was an utter pleasure to read. I loved it!

It started with Veronica whose marriage to Spence comes to an abrupt and shocking end, when her husband tells her of his new love. She is more than surprised and suddenly finds herself in an apartment and needing a means to support herself.

She sees an advert, that asks for a companion by Mariah Ellsworth an Olympian, injured in a shooting, in which her mother was killed. Her mother, Rachel was a food writer, so Mariah wants to follow up on her mother's notes about cafes in London, Paris, Marrakesh and India, and needs help, both physically and to help write the book, that her mother had planned. It perfectly suits Veronica, as its over the Christmas period and her three grown up children are spending it with their father. 

And so the story of the complexity of their relationship through the countries they visit, starts.

Letters written by her mother lead them to the different cafes.

Henry a photographer who worked with Rachel joins them. I loved Veronica and although Mariah had her difficulties, they do bond and so do Veronica and Henry!

Like me you may be enchanted by the sights, sounds and colours of the places they visit and the food sounds delicious. 

Although I haven't visited India, I have Turkey, so I knew the sweaty feeling, the dust, the smells and markets described in the book. The trip should have been one of inspiration, relaxation and contentment, but it is not a journey of a gentle adventure, but plagued by personal trauma; Veronica is dealing with her divorce and a manipulative ex and Mariah is trying to put her mother's death behind her and deal with her constant physical pain.

As the story progresses you find yourself teetering between rocky moments and graceful landings, and wanting Veronica and Mariah to come to a place of resolve. 

I just loved it and it will stay with me for a while.. I've read Barbara O'Neal's books before, but this, her latest is in my view her best..it gave me that warm fuzzy feeling that I need now and then.

I read it in three days, well I do need some sleep! 

Chrisxx

Is it Trump?

 A photograph of the pet shop window.. squeezy toys for dogs with Trump as the figure!

I wonder if they'll sell..

Very inventive of a dog's toy developer.

So funny, I shall look next time to see if they have sold.

A good replica of Trump, what do you think? And he's going to be bitten, roughed up and tossed around, just what some  people would like for the real one?

Chrisxx

When you don't know what to say.

 

When I was 15 a girl in my class was involved in a car accident. She wasn't killed, but she did have a serious head injury, that meant she had to have major brain surgery.  When she was allowed home, two of us went to visit her.. she was very pale and she had lost the vision in one eye.

We didn't know what to say to her, so we read Keats' poems with her and this from the Bible, because we thought it was beautiful language. We did have such a romantic view of life.. Something happened yesterday and these words came to me and I remembered Judy. She didn't come back to school that summer and her grave is in Newton Church grave yard. 

I  go there sometimes with a flower,  to remember that girl who read Keats' poems with Susan and I..

Chrisxx

WOW!!

With all the news of Artemis 2,  it reminded me of our excitement to see the International Space Station when it came over our bungalow three years ago. It literarily crossed over us going West to East at the  exact time that was forecast,  6:37pm!

These are the Artemis 2 Astronauts

So I looked the International Space Station up, and wow it was live. You could see it moving across the Atlantic ocean 1:49 pm yesterday 09/04/2026

https://issinfo.net 

How amazing is that! I find this sort of technology fascinating, especially as we didn't even have a television, when I was growing up in the 40s and 50s.

The next time is will be over UK is May 2026!

Watch out for it, its thrilling to think there are people up there all the time.

It obits the earth approx 16 times a day!! WOW! An obit takes 90 minutes at the speed of 17,500 mph. There are 6 or 7 people in it at a time staying approx 3 to 6 months, altho one astronaut stayed for 12 months!!

What a wonderful world we live in and how amazing too.

Are you as amazed as I am?

Chrisxx

Am I a Failure?

 Recently I read an article on what older people are advised to do.. you don't have to, but it seems you'd be healthier and happier if you did these things.

Walk every day. ... I try to.

Go out at least three times and a week and socialize. ... not three times every week, but we do like to get out and about.

Tidy up your living area before bed.  Ha ha, we always have books around, but the cushions are tidy.

Always leave the kitchen clean after cooking.. we do this together, but there are occasions when we're tired  and things are left till the morning. 

Clean basin and toilet every day. This is done every other morning by me.. Dh cleans the shower twice a week.

Keep up to date with paper work. We have lidded boxes into which we pop letters and sort them all out regularly.

Make your bed every day.. Ours is done after we've showered and had breakfast, leaving it open to air. Although sometimes. when we're in a hurry to get out for an early appointment, we rush off and forget.

All seem feasible and things that most people do without thinking, however as you age some activities are difficult and they take longer than they did, when you were younger and able. Also you don't always want to walk, rain puts me right off going out, and sometimes I don't feel like being sociable. I've met people with whom, I don't want to socialize! 

I personally don't mind a bit of clutter, this is our home, not a show house! And when someone once remarked to me about not doing your dishes at night, 'what if something happened to you and the kitchen was a mess,' she said.  I replied that people would think.. 'poor love, she can't have felt well, she hasn't done last nights dishes!' And when we've got home and found the bed with the duvet opened back for the bed to air, I've had a lie on it and rested for a minute or two!

So what do you think, everything spic and span or a 'living home,'  comfortable for you?

Oh dear, what is the best way to live, I wonder?

Chrisxx

When the sun shines!

We are excited to see that at last our garden is bursting into life. This is our flowering cherry, the upright type. 

And altho' we're very happy to see this, we're ecstatic to see our peach and plum trees are full of blossom and we can see that they have set fruit. This year we might have a peach each, instead of sharing one and more than one plum each too!

The last few sun shiny days have been glorious and we have been out in our garden getting it straight, and enjoying ourselves.

Pelargoniums, tomatoes, cosmos and dahlias have been potted on and more cosmos seeds sown. You can never have enough cosmos! Dh has sown lettuce seeds and thinned out the carrots. 

Everything in our little plastic green houses, has grown, so we're looking forward to a garden full of colour. Dh also planted the bare rooted geraniums I'd bought, altho he did plant one where we had some germinated California Poppy seeds, which are no more! Ah well, just as well I had scattered some seeds in another bed!

Elegans

I've planted these bulbs, never done these before, so hope they come up, as the photograph looks so pretty.

While I was potting on the seedlings, I listened to the audio version of 'The Women' by Kristin Hannah and it was wonderful. I heard bits of the story that I'd forgotten, when I read the book!

And I'm really enjoying my book I'm reading at the moment, by Ann Bennet.

'The Fortune Teller of Kathmandu,' not my usual choice of book, but I like a gentle read on my kindle for when I'm awake at night, (note I've said.... for when I'm awake, not If I'm awake!)

Don't you love the world when the sun shines and in the garden with Dh fills my heart with joy.

Chrisxx

What would you have done?

 I wonder what you would have done if this had happened to you?

I had a phone call from a friend on Saturday and we had the usual preamble of .......'how are you, how's the family, have you any holiday plans, etc' And then she started to talk about her daughter's teaching job. I nearly stopped her because I know someone, who is teaching at the same school. They've just had the dreaded OFSTED.. and it didn't go well.

I listened quietly while she told me how well her daughter had done. I knew she wasn't speaking the truth because no one in the school had an excellent report.

I should have made some excuse, like someone at the door or something, to end the phone call, but I didn't.

She back tracked a few times, and I felt very awkward, as the lies grew, to cover what she had said originally.

I did manage to say Goodbye, but I felt so  bad and now I don't think our friendship will weather this and I'm sad.

What is it that we can't accept that sometimes, we just don't make the grade. I worked through three OFSTEDS, two had good reports and one not so good, in fact the school report was pretty awful.. all three were stressful to the extent that I bought new clothes so I wouldn't have to worry what to wear. But I survived and carried on teaching for years after that. 

What would you have done?

Chrisxx

For people who don't live in UK, Ofsteds are whole school inspections, usually over three days.