Me on Monday

Where does this first Monday in Spring find me?  

Being a bit of a 'knit' ...

I really fancied doing some knitting and have the perfect excuse for getting the needles out - baby Rosie!  I know that hand knitted cardigans may not be the most trendy of clothes nowadays but I managed to convince Rachel that it may be useful to have one in the changing bag in case they are out without coats in the warmer months and it suddenly turned chilly! The best thing about knitting something for a 4 month old?  There are so few stitches to work on so it grows really quickly.  It's a really good way to relax.

I finished my jigsaw - 

I loved having it set out on the table so I could just add a piece here and there every time I walked past.  Who am I kidding?  One piece every now and then?  Half an hour at a time is more truthful.

Starting the week with a very clean and tidy house, one of the bonuses of having people over on a Saturday night is that I feel the need to thoroughly clean every room they may see  and then all the housework is over and done with for a while. 

Also, one of the things about dear Facebook doing those '6 years ago today ...' things at the start of each day is that I have noticed that in many of these 'old' photos I'm wearing clothes that I still wear today.  I have clearly had my money's worth out of some of my dresses!  A couple of weeks ago I went through my clothes and donated quite a bit in a couple of charity bags.  But we are off to Portugal in a few weeks time and I've now realised that my spring cleaning blitz has left quite a few gaps in my wardrobe once the weather gets nicer.  What a dilemma eh?  The perfect excuse for some retail therapy 😉

A little extra something

There's a rumour going around that it's the start of spring today.  The sun did actually shine for a while this morning, but I was indoors doing a Zumba class so I missed it.  Maybe it'll pop back again tomorrow ...

With spring in mind, and a trip to Portugal on the horizon, I went to Chelmsford yesterday - just felt like trying somewhere different for a change.  I'd heard that the new John Lewis lines were worth looking at and whilst their dresses and skirts were way too long for a little tiddler like me, the colours in their spring collection were so pretty.  So pretty, in fact, that I had to buy something - next thing you know I have a new t shirt.

The photo doesn't do it justice, the shades of pink are really pretty and yes that is Coco lying on the end of my bed, I swear that dog thinks this bedroom is hers.

While trying the t shirt on, I felt something scratch against my side, and could feel a plastic bag attached to the washing instruction label.  That's weird, there certainly aren't any buttons on the t-shirt so it can't be a spare set.  When I took the t shirt off, I saw this 

A small patch of spare fabric!

I have never come across spare fabric for emergency repairs before (except on my son's school uniform trousers many years ago, boy was that handy!) - have you come across this before on a t shirt?

Me on Monday

My first Monday being 61 - wish me luck!

I hope to be spending today working a few hours on one of my birthday presents

Another jigsaw puzzle!  Called 'I love Summer' and a picture of everything that makes up a day at an old fashioned holiday resort in the UK in cartoon form.  It's very clever and I'm enjoying putting it together.

The best birthday present I had was the news that Leo has passed the egg allergy challenge!   They can now start to add egg into his diet.  It was a long day though, 7 hours at the hospital.  I was babysitting Rosie for the first time and she was here for 8 hours but was a very well behaved guest.  

Last week I was also anxiously waiting for my blood test results and fortunately they have come back within 'normal' range so no further action needed - happy days!  I'm going to keep being mindful of the amount of sugar I eat though, doesn't hurt to keep on the straight and narrow.  

We had a fun weekend, a group of us were invited round to mutual friends for dinner followed by a games night.  I was a little dubious about what that may entail but it was actually a great laugh.  We came home poorer than we left but not totally out of pocket!  Isn't it often the way that the events you are a little unsure about end up being the most fun?

I guess I should spend a bit more time sorting out some photos for the next decade of my life story, but the trouble is that you open a box of photos and you lose hours browsing through all the memories.  Of course the 70s involves Teenage Deb, The Disco Years.  This could take some time ...

Looking back ...

I don't know if you know this, but there's another Deb's World in town!  Well, not in my town, she's about as far away from here as she possibly could be.  I've been following 'the other Deb' for a little while now and recently she did a link up post via Denyse's blog which I thought was really interesting and involved looking back through the decades.  Check out which one Deb chose for her favourite on her blog here!

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It's my birthday today so this seems a good day to start looking back.  Boy have I got a lot of decades to choose from!  Let's start at the very beginning

1950s

I feel so ancient when I say that I was born in the 50s - it is SUCH a long time ago.  But let's be clear, I only saw 2 years at the end of the decade so I don't think they influenced me too much.  My parents certainly had their work cut out, they already had my sister, who was 8 when I arrived, and Mum's 98 year old Granny lived with them, plus they had a large black poodle who did not enjoy the attentions of a young toddler.  I arrived in March 1958, my mum used to recall that as she was being wheeled back into the maternity ward the news came on the nurse's radio that Grace Kelly had just given birth to a baby boy.  So I share my birthday with Albert II, Prince of Monaco.  I can't find any tiny baby photos at the moment, this is the one that seems the earliest.

Hardly changed a bit eh?

I think I was about 2 in the next one

1960s

I remember more about the 60s to be fair!  I had such a lovely childhood, holidays were always spent in Cornwall, in a resort called Looe. In my memory the days were long and sunny! 

1961

"She wore an itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow pink polka dot bikini ..."

I even found a scrapbook page I once made of us all by the beach.  Of course those early black and white photos do not indicate just how red my hair was!

Even though this photo is in black and white, I can still visualise exactly the colours I was wearing.  White cardigan with a turquoise blue dress underneath.  Turquoise blue silk ribbon on those pin tucks.  Always had my hair in bunches, oh how I used to moan when mum was trying to get the rubber bands in.  The ribbon was a kind of seersucker texture and matched my dress exactly.  There were a lot of ribbons in a lot of colours, my mum loved coordination!

I went to the same primary school that my mum and my great grandmother did, it was part of our church buildings.  I thoroughly enjoyed my school days, such happy memories.  Health and Safety officials would not be impressed nowadays, I remember that when I was about 6, we would end the day sitting on the floor by the open fire - yes, you read that correctly an OPEN fire.  In a classroom of 20 six year olds!  My teacher was Miss Moon, who would read to us from the Paddington Bear books (I think that Paddington was also born in 1958!) and it was such a lovely way to end the school day.

I remember the excitement of the moon landing right at the end of the 60s, it certainly was a decade of change.  It was also the start of a whole new era for me, moving onto secondary school, which was the start of a great period in my life.

To be continued ...

Me on Monday

The week which starts with me being 'only' 60 and ends with me being 61.  That sounds much older than what I actually feel!

So where does this Monday find me?

Procrastinating.  Putting off so many things and looking at blogs instead.  I should really be vacuuming the bedroom - but the vacuum needs charging.  I should really be doing some ironing - but the pile in the basket seems to be multiplying every time I look at it.  I should really be blitzing the bathrooms - but I got as far as cleaning the toilets and it's too much of an effort to go downstairs and bring up the steamer to clean the floors.  I should really be ... no, enough, I'm making no excuses for putting 'catching up on blog posts' at the top of my to do list this morning!

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It's going to be a funny kind of week.  I have mentioned before that my grandson has an allergy to egg.  The last blood test he had came back negative, and the skin prick test did show a reaction, but less than before.  So on Thursday he will be going into hospital for the morning to have the allergy 'challenged'.  I believe that they start by rubbing egg on his hand, waiting for a reaction, if no reaction then rub some on the outside of his lip, then the inside of his lip etc.  So he could be home in half an hour if he has a reaction to the first challenge, or he could be there for hours.  Meanwhile, back at home, Nanny will be spending her birthday babysitting his sister for the first time. 

I'm also waiting for results of a further blood test I had done on Thursday; a more accurate one specifically to measure glucose levels as the diabetic nurse wasn't convinced that the general one I had done was giving a true reading.  Meanwhile I'm still being careful with my sugar intake and have lost 3lb in weight.  Makes me wonder if my biscuit consumption was higher than I thought!  

Enough of the medical stuff!

I finally finished my quilt, and am twiddling my thumbs trying to decide what to make next.  I fancy doing some more knitting, I wonder if I can convince my daughter that Rosie may need a little cardigan for the spring?    

Right, I've just had a call asking me to pop into my old place of work to talk my replacement through the procedures for Awards Evening, looks like that housework may have to wait even longer 😉

One photo - Twenty words

Nanny, I've got all Coco's toys out of the box for her; why isn't she playing with any of them?

Sentence a Day - February

Now, February, you really were a mixed month.  You arrived in the middle of snow showers, and ended up with some of the warmest February days on record. I'm not complaining!

So let's get going on this month's Sentence a Day - a fun way to keep note of what happens during the month on a daily basis.  One day condensed into one sentence (sometimes with the help of a LOT of punctuation!)

Day 1 Went to the cinema at our local theatre to see The Favourite; it wasn't one of the best films I've ever seen but I am pleased we went to see it, Olivia Colman's performance is really good.

Day 2 Took part in a Quiz night which was organised to raise funds for a local scout group, how on earth did we get involved in that?  Our son stopped going to scouts about 18 years ago!

Day 3 A bit of a lazy Sunday, but isn't that what Sundays are all about?

Day 4 Met up with a friend - put the world to rights, caught up on all the family news, discussed her new book (she's an author!) and her recent 10 second appearance on the tv programme 'The Cruise'.

Day 5 Feeling disappointed with myself, I really don't have much to show for today except for having been to the Post Office and getting up to date with my ironing and housework, all things that needed to be done but hardly exciting.

Day 6 Why am I taking so long to make this quilt? Honestly, just because the sewing machine is not set up downstairs all the time is no excuse!

Day 7 Tested out my poorly hip (the one that I 'tweaked' at Barre fitness last week) at Zumba today, luckily all seems good!

Day 8 Son in law is away on a stag weekend so I am going to be sleeping at R's for the next couple of nights in case she needs help with the baby or Leo during the night - luckily she has a comfortable sofa.

Day 9 Dinner with another couple at our mutual friend's house; a late night followed by a sleep on R's sofa again.

Day 10 Feeling tired, last thing I feel like doing is cooking a full on Sunday lunch but it's Grandma's week to come here and she would be very disappointed with anything less than a 'proper' English roast 😴 

Day 11 A bit of a boring housework day, but it's nice when the house is looking clean and tidy again.

Day 12 Spent a lovely lazy afternoon hand sewing the binding on my quilt and watching the last couple of episodes of my Grey Anatomy season 14 dvd.

Day 13 I had contemplated not going back to Barre Fitness but then a friend asked me if she could come with me, how could I refuse?  My thighs will thank me when they are toned and slimmer!

Day 14 Valentine's Day - my husband knows the way to my heart, not with red roses but with this

Day 15 Went to a surprise 30th Anniversary party for our friends, their daughters organised for 20 of their friends to meet up at their favourite Indian restaurant, yes there were photo props and silly selfies

Day 16 Our son in law's birthday and our daughter took him for a birthday lunch at my favourite Thai restaurant while we babysat Leo.

Day 17 Invited to my cousin's for Sunday lunch, a perfect excuse for me to be very nosey and check out all the work they have done to their house (The only original bits left are the four external walls, they totally gutted it and rebuilt!)

Day 18 My daughter left home 6 years ago, and up until today there was still a chest of drawers in her bedroom here that was full of her clothes - today we went through those clothes that hadn't been worn for 6 years and do you know how many are not going for recycling?  3 bikinis.

Day 19 On a roll with going through the things R left behind, her bedside table had a drawer which was just full of old receipts - the shredder in our study has been seeing a lot of action today.

Day 20 Discussed my blood test results with the doctor; blood glucose very slightly above normal and cholesterol a little too high - went into the surgery feeling hunky dory, came out feeling ill.

Day 21 Zumba day followed by some extra exercise mowing the lawn in the beautiful sunshine.

Day 22 Met Ruth from thiswestlondonlife.com in Cambridge - it was fantastic to meet her in real life after following her blog for about 10 years.

Day 23 Went to the garage to choose my next car as my contract on my present one ends soon 

Day 24 How much longer can this glorious warm sunny weather last?  

Day 25 Popped over to wish my nephew a happy birthday, lovely to sit outside in the sunshine having a chat.

Day 26 Grooming day for Coco!

Day 27 Am finally able to share the brilliant news from our son and daughter in law that we have another grandchild arriving in July 😍 

Day 28 Went to the pub to meet up with the people I used to work with for a drink, tried (and failed) not to say how much I enjoyed being retired!

Inlinkz Link Party

Me on Monday

And just like that, we are in March!  

Which started in an exciting way, when I picked up my new car

This will be my third Mini, I sometimes wonder if I should look at other cars when the time comes to hand my car back at the end of the contract but, once a Mini driver - always a Mini Driver!

This is my happy face, sitting in the driver's seat on the day I brought her home

I've changed the model this time and gone for a 5 door which will be much more convenient when on grandchildren duties - usually I have to use Paul's car when I have to take Leo somewhere.  

So what does this week hold?  

I'm heading back to my old place of work later this morning to talk my replacement through all the admin that needs to be done for the school's annual Awards Evening.  It used to be the main part of my job and the bit I enjoyed the most - imagine 80 or so silver cups and glass trophies to be awarded and 120 books to be handed out.  A lot of careful coordination to make sure the right person got the right thing!  It will be strange to be back in the office, but nice to know I only have to stay a couple of hours 😀

My son's 29th birthday is on Tuesday, how can my youngest possibly be almost 30?  It's also Shrove Tuesday so it will definitely be pancakes for tea that night!  I like mine with lemon and a tiny bit of caster sugar, how do you take yours?

Talking of sweet sugary treats, Wednesday is my meeting with the nurse about my new eating regime.  I've already cut out all snacks and only have half a spoon of sugar in my coffee now and have lost 2lbs in weight.  I wonder what other changes I have to make?  Watch this space ... Thankfully I can get a couple of pancakes in on Tuesday without feeling too guilty!

Pop back tomorrow when I'll be joining in the Sentence a Day link up with a blow by blow account of February.