Me on Monday

 Can you hear that?  The sound of not very much at all? That's what you call 'the calm before the storm' - I predict this week is going to be noisy and chaotic and I will grow a few extra grey hairs by the end of it.

Let me talk you though it.  Rachel and family are going to visit James' family for a few days starting today.  Their plans include a visit to Paulton's Park theme park and a trip on a steam train.  Neither of which will be enhanced by the presence of a small black dachshund.  So we have Daisy coming to stay for four days.

Then on Monday we had a call from Jon to say they had a leak in the tank in their loft and when the plumber came to investigate he suggested that when he came to fix it properly, it may be an idea to also replace the 25 year old boiler which has been limping along for a couple of years now.  Their house is very old and the plumber said that he did not know how much extra work may need to be done to the old pipework until he lifted the floor boards.  Which may mean that they will be without water and intermittent electricity for up to a week in a worst case scenario.  'Do you think we could come and stay with you while it's being done?'  Of course they could and he went back to the plumber to agree a date for the work to be started.  'I can start on Monday if you like'. So now we also have two adults and two children while we have Daisy here.

I spent much of the weekend getting Jon's old bedroom ready for them to stay in.  Years ago we pushed the bed up against the wall on one side so that when grandchildren came to stay they couldn't roll out of bed that way.  But that's not too convenient when two adults are sleeping there so I decided it was time to bite the bullet and pull out everything from under the bed, move the bed then only put back things that needed to be out of sight and out of mind, like my growing supplies of wool and craft equipment.  Oh the things we found under there.  I knew there were a few folders of paperwork he had put under there but a lot of it was old school work, student finance confirmations, work towards his dissertation and the acceptance letter from Sheffield University offering him a place to study politics ... in 2008!  I also found a large ziplock bag absolutely full to the brim with t shirts from bands that he had seen before he got married.  He must have bought a t shirt at every venue and he went to a LOT!  'Do you want to keep these?'  I asked. 'Oh yes, definitely, there's so many memories there.'  'Do you want to take them to your house?’ ‘I haven't really got room.'  So they are back under the bed!  Tiring work but the room looks so much better now there's space either side and everything had a good (overdue) dust and vacuum.

On Friday we had a call from the decorator that we booked to repaint the external paintwork to our house.  We had contacted him months ago with the agreement that he would book us in when he had a gap in his workload once the weather looked settled.  'I've got a free week next week if that suits you'.  Now let's add a workman to the mix!  I will have to keep a close eye on Daisy because what she lacks in stature she makes up for in attitude.  Did I ever tell you about the time that Rachel found their plumber taking refuge in the cupboard under the sink with Daisy trying to drag him out by his sock?  

We had also agreed to look after my niece's hamster when she went on holiday 'sometime in August' and she contacted me on Friday to say their flights were booked for this Thursday so could she pop in to drop off Pumpkin on Thursday evening?

So just to add a little stress to the mix, it's also my turn to host Knit and Natter this Friday!  So there's cake to be baked and lunch to be made.  Wish me luck, it's going to be a long week.  What do we have planned for the weekend?  Absolutely nothing - bliss!

#WBOYC in July

 

Now I was very early with my last post regarding the Summertime Photo Hunt so I have been more diligent in getting my WBOYC post.  So even though it seems like we still have almost a week of July to go, here is my round up of the month so far.

J

Joining a 'knit and natter' group has spurred me on to get back to my current project which had gone off the boil!

However, there seems to be more 'natter' than 'knit' so I don't actually get too much done in between drinking cups of tea and eating lunch.  It's good to meet new, likeminded people in a very social environment.

U

Using our voucher for Thai meal which was so delicious, I’d eaten most of it before I remembered to take a photo 😆

Unexpected house guest. Our son has a plumbing emergency that is going to take a few days to rectify so they will be moving here for the last few days of July.  As this coincides with us having Daisy the Dachshund  here while Rachel and family visit relatives who are not dog lovers the house is going to be full!

L

Lovely to celebrate Max’s 5th birthday.  He had a brilliant party with all his class from school enjoying a bouncy castle and treasure hunt based on Minecraft characters - not to mention a lovely cake.

Last day at work for my friend who is retiring.  We worked together for about 10 years before I left and we've remained friends since then.  It was very strange to go back to the school for her retirement party. I'm pleased to have gained another retired friend who will be available for lunches midweek.

Y

Years  - 56, since my school friends and I first met at Secondary school and we still meet up once a year.  It's so good to keep those friendships going and the evenings always go past so quickly.

So over here in the UK we are still awaiting summer to properly arrive. Mother Nature keeps taunting us with one or two sunny days only to play tricks and give us a day of rain and low temperatures afterwards.

Would you like to see a 1 Second Everyday clip of the month so far?

Now please pop over to Deb's World in Australia to see what's been happening over there.

Photo Scavenger Hunt 2024 1st check in

 Just when I was wondering what to write about today I remembered that it is time to check in with the first instalment of the photo scavenger hunt!  

I then re-read the date list and realised that I am a week too soon!  Ooops!

The list of prompts for this year's Summer Photography Scavenger Hunt can be found here on Ruth's blog.

I always enjoy this summertime challenge and happily ticked off a few photos on our holiday in June.

1 Family pet or animal - there was no competition for this one

2 Look up to the sky - and what a gloriously blue sky it was

3 A colourful front door - I'm hoping I can be excused this interpretation, I'm not sure what colour the actual door was behind this curtain, but look how beautiful the doorway surround looks

4 Favourite Summer food - Paella!

9 Moving water - the Mediterranean Sea

12 A place of worship - the church in Soller

Inside and outside views, it really was a lovely church.

14 Your nation's flag

Now, with the football going on and England reaching the final, there was no lack of England flags around locally but I managed to find one in a small backstreet when we were on holiday in Mallorca.

So, seven down and eight to go - are you joining in this year?  

Me on Monday

 This Monday finds us in a bit of a flat mood.  Despite reaching the finals of the football Euro 2024, England lost to Spain.  I think there are a lot of disappointed fans making their way back from the host nation (Germany) today. Let's not dwell on it!

We did enjoy the mens final at Wimbledon though, what a good game it was and I was happy that Alcaraz won.  How lovely to see Princess Catherine enjoying the game with her daughter too.

I enjoyed my Knit and Natter on Friday and I've been added to the WhatsApp group so I think I am accepted as a regular now!  I need to crack on with my blanket so they don't think I'm always on the same project.  I was sitting next to someone who was knitting a lovely cardigan and I am inspired to swap crochet hooks for knitting needles and start a new project for a bit of variety.  Hopefully summer will arrive soon and the thoughts of needing clothes to keep us warm will fade into the distance!

We’ve decided that quite a bit of decorating needs to be done this year and I have started the process by looking at paint charts. As it is hall, landing and stairs plus lounge and dining room, we need to be sure we are happy with our choices.

Neither of these match pots have made the cut. At least we’ve narrowed down the decision, but I suspect there will be several more match pots before a final choice is made!

So where does today find me?  Well, we have a new cafe that has opened in the town park which is dog friendly.  Rumour has it that they bake delicious almond croissants so I think we will be taking a little trip down there later this morning 😊

Have a good week!

Me on Monday

 What a week!  A new government and England won a quarter final football game on penalties!

Our son came over to watch the game with Max and Olive as our daughter in law was at Wimbledon on a work event - how lucky was that?  Centre Court as well!  I was supervising a lot of colouring and drawing in the dining room and I could hear Jon talking to Paul and listing every England game they had watched together and it made me smile so much to realise how precious those memories have become for him.  How do some people remember dates and results from so many years ago?  I guess those memories are very strong!

When I left here last week I was going to a trial pilates class.  It was 'ok' but not something I will be signing up to.  I didn't enjoy it as much as I do my Zumba Gold, which is run by the same instructor.  I liked the first half which was standing up and using weights to strengthen your upper body but once we moved to the mat work I got cramp in my toes and couldn't relax to do the exercises properly!  I am prone to cramp so I think this could be an issue if I decided to sign up for classes.  Oh well, at least I tried!

The other big event of the week was Coco celebrating her thirteenth birthday

We have entered the teenage years! 

 I am supposed to be meeting up with a crowd of old school friends on Wednesday but guess when the England Semi-Final game is?  Yes.  We have a clash!  I'm wondering if the guys are going to want to postpone!  We shall see.  I don't mind missing the game but I know there are some that might.

I have another 'knit and natter' lunch time at the end of the week so I need to gather my wool and crochet hooks ready for that.  I am still working on the same blanket that I was last time, I'm determined to take this project slower than I normally do so they aren't going to see much progress!

I’m going into town this morning to find a present for Max as he’ll be 5 at the end of the month. At the moment he is very keen on Minecraft but I’m tempted not to go down that route as their interests can change so quickly at that age and by the end of the month he could be into something totally different!  Wish me luck!

Me on Monday

Last week contained  ‘Splosions’ and ‘Vegetables days’

On Wednesday Olive couldn’t wait to tell me ‘Nanny, we had a splosion outside our house yesday’ and indeed they did! A bus caught fire and exploded just two doors along the road from them. 

You can just see the skeleton of the bus in amongst all the smoke. How scary, but thankfully the driver quickly evacuated the passengers when he noticed smoke coming from the engine and no one was hurt. Jon said their house literally shook when it exploded into flames.

Then when I picked Leo and Rosie up from school the following day Rosie excitedly told me (or so I thought) they were having a vegetable day on Friday. Vegetables Day? I said.  'Yes, we can wear what we like'  I couldn't see how on earth they would dress up as a vegetable and felt sure that if a broccoli costume was likely to be needed, I would have heard about it much sooner!  I should point out that at the time she was skipping away in front of me and chewing on a sweet (It has become a tradition that I take a small treat with me when it's my days to pick up and chewy 'randoms' are a favourite!) It turns out she wasn't saying 'vegetables day' but 'break the rules day' "Nanny, you are silly' I was told in no uncertain terms!  She had already planned a sparkly dress, glitter in her hair, sequinned shoes and some lipstick.

We've had a full on weekend.  Rachel and husband were invited to an adults only wedding on the south coast so were staying overnight.  We had Leo, Rosie and Daisy here from 9am Saturday to after lunch on Sunday.  They are little bundles of whirlwind energy and I was exhausted by the time we waved them goodbye in the afternoon.  They do not stop.

So today finds me trying something new.  I have booked myself onto a trial pilates class.  My husband regularly does a pilates class and really enjoys it so I thought I would give it a go.  I figure that the relaxation part at the end is well deserved after our busy weekend - not to mention the stress of the England football game last night!

Have a good week x