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.

Happy Easter and Every Blessing.

 

Chrisxx

Late but still funny!

This was  a SW April Fool Joke, naked weighings! The response from our group's FB page was ... yes please!!

We are still laughing about the occasion, when a male person took off his belt, stepped on the scales and his trousers dropped down. He was decent underneath, with a tidy pair of boxer shorts, but it still raised great shouts and laughter.

Removing items of clothing before the scales is a regular thing or even changing into lighter weight clothing. 

I wear the same clothes every week, but not my cream coloured waist slip, as I weighed  it on our kitchen scales and it is 12oz so that's practically a pound!!

I can't wait till it warms up a bit more, so I can wear my light weight cotton dress and no half slip, just a bra and knicks! That first week I could even be slimmer of the week!! 

Who knows??

Chrisxx

With reference on how to cook 'brains,' those of you who know will have realised, I forgot that you add chopped parsley into the mixture, that looks like scrambled eggs,  before serving!

Good Friday

 

Chrisxx

How to Cook Brains.

 'Allow it to soak in salt water for an hour, then peel off the outer coating, cleaning off any bits. Put in milk over heat and cook for 15 minutes, no more. Then pour milk into a roux and mix thoroughly. Babies love this and eat this being unaware what it is.'

This was the instructions given to a young mum, trying to get her baby onto solids by her own mother! And is in the book I'm reading by Patrick Gale! 

I wasn't given brains to eat as a child but tripe and onions arrived once, that I do remember and I hated it. 

I don't think i ever gave my own children offal to eat but I do love pigs liver and we have it as an occasional meal. liver and bacon and onions is a favourite meal.

My little dog Mari loved liver too and I often cooked it for her. On one occasion it was gently cooking, when my Ex arrived home and remarked, 'That smells nice,'

'Its for the dog,' I replied and nothing more was said! 

These days you don't often see it in shops. I wonder with the increasing rise in the cost of living and food costs rising, will we see more offal to buy, what do you think and would you buy and eat it?

Chrisxx

20 mins read?

 

Isn't this so true? At the moment I'm reading the latest Patrick Gale book.It has the same character Harry Cane as his book,' A Town Called Winter,' and I'm loving it.

He is such a talented author. We've heard him talk as a guest of an Essex Literacy Festival, when we lived in Billericay.  and he was amazing. 

He takes two years to write a book, researching it and the first draft is hand written. He showed us one of his A4 note books with lines crossed out and the new writings underneath. 

He read a section of his last book, 'A Perfectly Good Man,' and you could have heard a pin drop in the silence when he finished, before the loud clapping of hands started. 

We thoroughly enjoyed the talk and then as I was the person, who ran the book group, with a couple other members we served the drinks and snacks.

It was a super evening. If he is ever talking near you, do go, its very worth it.

And I am thoroughly enjoying his latest book,' Love Lane,' If you haven't read any of his books, I recommend them.

Chrisxx

Finished at last!!

When I first saw this jigsaw, apart from its very pretty sea scenes, I thought as each picture was enclosed, it wouldn't be too difficult. How wrong I was!! 1000 pieces is what we usually tackle, but as each scene has a white border, it wasn't an easy one at all and there was a lot of blue sky and sea.

When we started it, we had nothing planned and being on a board, it was easy to move to one side at meal times. Then suddenly we were within days of expecting visitors, (July). So it was lifted down and slipped under the sofa!! And there it stayed till after Christmas!! 

Dh has finished it in the last few weeks and we have a piece missing, very annoying. All the furniture has been moved, vac bag emptied too, but we've not found it.. we'll look again when we spring clean the lounge. It might turn up who knows where these odd pieces go? 

Perhaps Sister Veronica (Call the Midwife) sneakily took it??

Chrisxx

 

Dripping Tap?

 A text message that a parcel had been delivered yesterday, caused Dh great anxiety, because it hadn't arrived.  He walked all around our bungalow, but no parcel.  'What did the text say?' I asked..

'Left in back porch by green sacks,' he replied. Oh no! Not good, because we don't have a back porch..He went next door as he has a porch and some green garden sacks were beside it. No answer when he knocked.. So next step was to phone Yodel. He was ages on the phone, getting more and more impatient. (irate!!) Yes he was talking to an ibod! (Is that what they're called)

He hadn't said what it was, he has his secret buys, mine are kindle books, which don't show, his are CDs! It doesn't bother me one bit, but he doesn't like to show how many he buys. 

Anyway he was back on the phone and it stopped ringing as it got through... probably because his number was recognized and may be blocked, well he had phoned twice and was on the phone quite a while. The search for the missing parcel was like a dripping tap, Dh could not let it go.

'What is it?' I asked.

'A wind up torch, in case the war disrupts our energy supply,' He admitted.

What?? Honestly what is he like?? I suggested using a different phone, mine or the house phone. It was answered by a real person.. the result of this was, that they would email a photograph of where the parcel had been left. He felt better and decided he'd have another look around by one of our side entrances.. by our green garden sacks.

And that's where it was in dark grey plastic packaging! I think in all it took over an hour, whew!

And it works, so if there are power cuts and its dark, we have a wind up torch.. incase you wanted to know!

A man toy?

Do you think we'll need it?

Chrisxx

My Walking Mantras

 Heel toe, heel toe....lift your feet higher than you think you need to, take your time on steps, always use the hand rail, stand up straight and look ahead.

These were words said to me by physiotherapists, after I tripped and broke my arm. They are still in my head coming up to 16 years later! I take care all the time and they were brought home to me last week, when we saw someone trip over in our main road in town. It is paved in blocks to be a pedestrian way, there are broken ones and out of alinement ones. I walk very carefully, as there deep dips too, where possibly heavy delivery lorries have been.

It all looks very nice, but it's a like an obstacle course trying to avoid the trip hazards.

 When I saw that lady fall, I started to cry, I get very emotional. Fortunately she wasn't hurt and with help was able to get up. Unlike a gentleman who fell just before Christmas, and was on the ground for over 3 hours waiting for an ambulance! People got blankets for him, poor man.

So you can understand why I keep in mind those physio instructions.. and of course I have Rhett Butler, my wheels.

Councils don't seem to care about pedestrian safety and repairs are very slow to be done... money? What are your walk ways like where you live?

Chrisxx

Longevity?

 I'm dreadful in supermarkets often drooling on the contents of other peoples trolleys. I whispered to Dh when seeing the contents of a  trolley load totally different to our own..'I'll go home with them.' Yes, they had cakes and desserts, sausage rolls,  white crusty loaves of bread, while we had fruit and yogurts.

But yesterday the man behind us in the queue, loaded up his items ready at the check out,  and it included a huge packet of what looked like wood chippings. Of course I had to ask about it.  'Its like a muesli he said, but with larger chunks of oats, so they take a bit of chewing!'

So a healthy load of groceries and what did I read about today.. a longevity tip is to eat healthily.. and what is healthy?

An expert has said, foods that people ate 100 years ago, 

Beans

Whole grains

Vegetables

So the foods that us oldies ate when we were young.

There's hope for me then?? 

But sometimes often I want that greasy Chinese meal or that sweet cake and ice cream, rather than the healthy foods.

What about you?

Chrisxx

RIP.

 

I feel very sad to learn that Jenni Murray has died, of the dreaded breast cancer. She hosted Woman's Hour on the radio for over 30 years.

I was a faithful listener as a young housewife altho it wasn't Jenni but Sue MacGregor, Martha Kearney and others then. I loved it and  missed it when I started work, but fell right back into it when I retired! It was on that programme I heard about the wonders of Stinging Nettles and it works... sting yourself where you have arthritis and the heat of the sting acts like one of the arthritis creams, but lasts 2 or 3 days and no arthritis pain! Who would have believed that!

So RIP Dame Jenni, you were loved by many and will be sadly missed.  

Chrisxx

A Good Thing?

 The meningitis outbreak in Kent Universities and schools is really frightening, young people don't think they can get ill. I feel very sad for the families who have lost someone. My cousin's daughter died age 31 from meningitis.

When I was a student nurse in the sixties, there was an outbreak of small pox and we were all given the vaccine right away. Clinics were set up to offer vaccines and us junior nurses were 'lent' to help with the crowds, who arrived for the vaccine. 

We had talks on what to do and what not to do. They frightened us to death and  those of us, who usually went out partying,  stayed in and I avoided travelling on buses, so missed going home for a few weeks.

There were notices pinned up around to remind us......

1.Wash your hands always, especially when you've been out.

2.Keep your hands from your face.

3. Don't touch handles of doors. (I still don't!)

4. Avoid handling money, ie coins.

And these have stuck with me all my life. I still don't touch door handles when out and use a tissue. Dh and I had a meningitis vaccine at age 71, along with pneumonia and shingles later, and today, I have an appointment for the RSV. vaccine, Respiratory Syncytial Virus. vaccine.

The NHS offers these to protect us.. I'm always incredulous that people don't have them. They obviously have never seen real illness, nor been really ill.

I have had all the covid jabs and flu jabs.

I think they are all a good thing to have, what do you think?

Chrisxx

Driving Home.

We can take several ways to drive home from town,  but our favourite way is driving along the front prom, yesterday the sea was gently coming in.

There were a lot of people walking enjoying the sunshine. 

We drive up to Rest Bay, 

Here this grassy area often has mole hills and cowslips. When its cut, they mow pathways in the long grass. 

And wild flowers grow all round in the rocks at the top of the bay.

Then down through Nottage estate, where they are nearly all bungalows. I keep a commentary as we drive along; 'Neat hedges at my cousins, her gardener has been,' I say.

Down all the way to the roundabout, to pass the field where there are four Shetland ponies, they are sometimes separated, I think its because they bite each other! But they are so small and pretty!

We pass an allotment and then further on we pass the Meadow, now with a large Lake, presently there are large geese there, Canada Geese? 

Opposite is the Buttercup field where the Beach ponies live. 

All the way is different, from beaches to fields, and hills in the distance. Often sheep grazing, and the wind turbines slowing turning. We can see them from the end of our road, slowly turning against the blue sky.

When we turn into our road we can see our golden daffodils,  'fluttering and dancing in the breeze,' Wordsworth's poem.

It was beautiful yesterday, a sunshiny day and our town looked beautiful and we love it, and when it rains, we say thank goodness we're not on holiday!

Chrisxx