Catching up Tuesday

 Thank you for popping by, it feels like a long time since I was last writing a blog post. I have naturally been spending time out in my new Mini, it’s so much fun to drive and very different to my last one.

We’ve also been getting organised for our forthcoming trip. The cases are down from the loft and Coco is eyeing them suspiciously every time she goes upstairs! Little does she know that she has a little vacation of her own coming up, spending time with her ‘friend’ Daisy 😆 Paul is practising his Italian and I am making lists of things to pack! 

Our son’s dog had a horrible accident at the weekend in the woodland near their house. He went romping through the undergrowth and speared himself on a sharp branch of a tree. So we had unexpected childcare duties while he had an unexpected emergency surgery to sew him back together again.

As you can see, he is none too impressed with that cone!

The weather here has been gorgeous and the garden is looking good.  Paul has been working hard out there and I've helped now and again but all credit should really go to him!

The peonies are beautiful this year and it was lovely to pick some to bring into the house

I’ve been ‘Knitting and Nattering’ and learning how to make a colourful blanket without having to join any edges, you join as you go.

Right, I think it is time to say ‘arrivederci’ and ‘hasta la vista’!

Ciao!

Me on Monday

 Just like that, we are in June.  Half way through the year!

Something good happened last week.  My new car arrived 😁 The right model and the right colour and the right number of doors!  

So this week starts with a trip to see our financial advisor.  The joys of being of pensionable age eh?  Asking him to oversee our accounts back in 2011 was the best thing we did, his advice has been invaluable over the years.  A morning in his office will be time well spent.

Coco is hoping to have a better week this week.  She had to have a small procedure to remove a lump from the top of her head last week.  It was a bit like having a skin tag removed for a human and she had to have a crucial part of her fringe shaved so she's looking a little different!  Then we had Daisy the dachshund come to stay for a couple of days while our daughter went to visit her in-laws. So it wasn't the best of times for Coco, she doesn't like sharing us with other dogs!  

I've got my pre-holiday hair cut booked in for Tuesday so hopefully I won't be copying Coco with the dodgy fringe.  I think I've also reached the pre-holiday stage where I should probably check that my swimming costumes still fit, I don't want to get overseas and then find I don't have anything to wear around the pool!                 

I had an email last week that got me thinking and I'm wondering if it's something they are sending to people all over the UK.  It was entitled 'Are you ready for anything?' and it was from the Local Resilience Forum of our county constabulary.  It was a survey to see how prepared you are in case of an emergency event.  Being of a suspicious nature, I wondered if they know something we don't know!  It also made me buy a litre of bottled water, a dozen AA batteries and a dozen AAA batteries when I went to the shops. Just in case ... 😳   I'm not sure a litre of water would last us long but it felt like I was a tiny bit more prepared!

I need to find a new project for my 'knit and natter' get together on Friday, I could continue with my ongoing blanket, but it's got to the stage now where it's heavy and hot on your lap when you are working on it.  I need something smaller!  

So I'm off to trawl through online crochet pattern websites, wish me luck!  Hope you have a good week!

                                                                                             

#WBOYC in May

 

The months are galloping along aren't they? I can't believe it's time to join in with the other Deb's World in Australia and do a brief recap on the last four weeks.

Watching and Reading

The Essex Millionaire Murders caught my interest as we live about 45 miles away from where it happened.  I can't believe I hadn't heard about it at the time but oh my goodness, what an evil mind their killer had.

The series Malpractice was really good, as was The Game which changed my opinion of the actor Robson Green! We just started watching The Chelsea Detective which I think is going to be good.  

Code of Silence with Rose Ayling-Ellis is very good and makes you really appreciate how difficult life must be to be deaf, and how useful it is to have good lip reading skills.

Still watching Race Across the World and still in awe of how they find their way around with no internet access and absolutely no knowledge of the language.

Following the election of the new pope we were inspired to watch Conclave!

I started the month reading the third in the series of books by Richard Osman, The Bullet that Missed.  They are very easy reads. I also enjoyed Philly Barker Investigates by Joanne Tracey and will be downloading the second book in the series for my holiday in Italy next month.

Eating

We have a kind of tradition that at the beginning of summer we go to our friends who live around the corner to us and they cook a paella.  So after a week of wall to wall sunshine, it was decided that the time had come!

We had friends come to us for dinner. I decided to make a tried and tested chilli con carne because I knew I could make that in advance and have a more relaxed evening with me slaving away in the kitchen while everyone else sat outside with a pre dinner glass of wine.

I met up with friends for lunch a few times, it's good to keep in touch with people I used to work with and on one occasion I met up with someone I was at school with and that was a very long time ago!

Fish and chips at the beach, it always tastes so much nicer doesn't it?

Self Care

Still keeping moving with my pilates and zumba, some weeks easier than others to find the motivation first thing on a Monday morning! My bottom also made an appearance on the teacher’s instagram page 😳

I took a break from the blanket I'm crocheting and started a new, quick project for my 'knit and natter' get together. It was nice to relax and work on something smaller using springlike colours.

Days out

We had four days in Norfolk, which was glorious.

Now to condense all that down to 1 Second Everyday

My book list for May

 I'm not sure that I can call this a 'list' when there is only one title to include!  I don't know why I haven't read so much this month but here is the one book I finished

I downloaded this book as I wanted something nice and easy to read when we went away to Norfolk.  In the end I didn't get as much reading done as I expected as that Norfolk sea air made me so tired in the evenings I barely read a chapter a night.

This is the third in the Thursday Murder Club series and you do really need to have read the previous books to know the ins and outs of the characters who live Coopers Chase retirement home.  Although I had read the earlier books, it took me a couple of chapters to remember all the characteristics and personalities!  

The Thursday Murder Club are a group of elderly residents who try to solve cold cases and they are about to investigate the disappearance of a local news reporter who is assumed to have died after her car drove off the edge of a cliff ten years ago.  She was on the cusp of discovering the whereabouts of a large quantity of money involved in a fraud case and there were several suspects who may have wanted to stop her enquiries.  Although there are many clues to suggest she was murdered, her body has never been found and neither has the money.

Then, out of the blue, Elizabeth is contacted by someone from her past with the demand that either she kills someone on their behalf, or she will be killed herself.  

You do, of course, need to suspend belief that such things could happen to someone living in a retirement home but once the story becomes more intricate (and bearing in mind Elizabeth's past life of espionage!) you become caught up in the twists and turns of the story.  

I enjoyed reading this, and will definitely be reading the next in the series to see what crime they get involved in next. 

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My next book was a little different.  There is a series of Philly Barker books and I downloaded the first book in the hope that if I enjoyed it, there were more to come in the future!

Philly Barker is an antique dealer and has bought a 'lot' at a local auction mainly due to her eye being drawn to an old painting of Whitby.  Along with the painting was a box of odds and ends which she does not look at properly until she returns home.  Little does she know that her successful bid has included some items that have caught the attention of someone else who is desperate to obtain them.  Upon closer investigation into the painting and wooden box she finds documents which lead her to believe that these items should never have been taken to auction and that someone will be desperate to have them back.

After her dealership is broken into, Philly decides that there is more to this than meets the eye and that there must be something of value in her possession.  She joins forces with a local policeman to see if she can solve the mystery before anyone else is hurt.

This is a nice, cosy mystery.  Likeable characters and an intriguing storyline. I shall definitely be downloading the next book in the series!

A weekend away

 Our planned weekend away coincided beautifully with the weather turning gorgeous here - it makes such a difference!  It was still a bit breezy on the coast but if you found a sheltered spot is was 'scorchio'

We headed up the Norfolk coastline to a town called Wells Next The Sea.  The photo above shows a sculpture of The Lifeboat Horse which is on a sandbank in the harbour when the tide is out, and submerged up to his head at high tide.  It's made from steel and whisky barrels and is a tribute to the horse that used to pull the town's lifeboat to the sea.  Wells is such a lovely place and so well positioned for going out and about.  Not that we planned to go far!  One of the nicest things about that area is that there are no chains of coffee shops or burger bars.  Every shop is independently owned and oh boy, the bakeries are amazing.

The beach at Wells is such a long, wide bay with literally hundreds of beach huts in between the trees and the sand.  Coco absolutely loved it there and was constantly rolling over and over in the sand.  Just a little further along is Holkham beach which is famed for its sand which seems to go on for miles and miles.

We also went to Walsingham which is a destination for pilgrims and has been called 'England's Nazareth'. It is also home to a tea shop which sells the most amazing lunches!  

All in all, we had a wonderfully relaxing weekend, Coco rolled in every bit of beach she could and behaved herself impeccably when we took her to the pub for a meal. It's definitely an area we will return to in the future.

My book list for April

 The first book I read this month was our online book club’s choice

Beth lives on a family farm owned by her husband Frank's family. Their lives are pretty settled until one day a dog runs into their field and savagely attacks their sheep.  The dog is out of control and Beth's brother in law, Jimmy, instinctively shoots it to save their flock.  This act will cause unimaginable devastation to the family as the owner of the dog is Gabriel, Beth's first love who has moved back into the area with his young son.  

The chapters are split between the 1950s and 1960s and we become aware that there has been a death and one of the brothers is accused of murdering the other.  

The characters are well written and one can sense the dilemma that Beth finds herself in, loving her kind and honest husband but still feeling the attraction of first love.  She arranges to help look after Gabriel's son, Leo, and feels a deep affinity to him as he reminds her so much of the son she and Frank lost in a tragic farming accident a few years earlier.  While you cannot condone how this storyline unfolds, you can feel how she is torn between the two loves of her life.  Her brother in law Jimmy is unhappy at how much time Beth spends at Gabriel's home and suspects there is more to the relationship than everyone believes.  Although Jimmy comes across as a man on the verge of alcoholism and the unpredictability that it involves, the author invites you to sympathise with him and you can sense his loyalty to the family is behind much of his behaviour.

So, was it murder or just a terrible accident?  Whose finger was on the trigger before the fatal shot?  Can the family survive however the trial ends? 

My second book was The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

Harold Fry receives a letter from someone he used to work with, telling him that they were in a hospice and did not have long to live.  Harold immediately writes a reply and sets off to send it, leaving his wife upstairs doing her normal housework.

Somewhere between home and the post box Harold makes a decision to personally deliver the letter and sets off on a walk.  The 'slight' problem is that Harold lives on the south coast of England and the hospice is in Berwick on Tweed, not far from the Scottish border.  Over 500 miles away.  Harold is not wearing any appropriate clothing or footwear for such a huge journey. Nor has he taken his mobile phone.   He has set out on a whim with the belief that if he can keep walking, Queenie will stay alive until he reaches her.

Harold meets many different people along the way, obtaining help in unlikely places, meanwhile his wife is left at home waiting for a call from phone boxes along the way to let her know that he is safe.  Both of them have time to reflect on their family life in ways they would never have done before, stuck in the rut of routine.

Whilst the story is a little unbelievable as I don't think someone in their 60s could suddenly walk that distance with no proper walking shoes or equipment, and at times a little drawn out, I did enjoy reading it and I understand it has now been made into a film.

Me on Monday

 We’ve woken up to glorious sunshine again today and it looks like it’ll stay  for the rest of the week 😊

It was a weekend of flowers and flour for me. We visited some beautiful bluebell woods on Saturday. I love this time of year!

The photo doesn’t really do it justice, it really was a carpet of blue and absolutely gorgeous. Perfect dog walking country.

Then on Sunday I went to a cooking academy for a class in how to make pasta

It was in a lovely location, about half an hour from me, in a courtyard filled with sculptures and individual studios for potters, artists and a bakery.  I have no photos as I was either busy making or eating pasta! Everyone left their phones in a different room and it was great to see everyone totally engrossed in the class with no interruptions. We made a basic dough and turned it into ravioli, spaghetti and tagliatelle. We also made three different sauces, carbonara,arrabiata and Alfredo, then it was lunchtime and we sampled everything we had made. Such a fun day. 

Today is normal routine after the Easter break, with pilates to start with.  My arms are aching from all that kneading of the pasta dough so I'm hoping she will go easy on us!  I'm hoping we will go to Cambridge one day this week as I have a few birthday presents to buy and it's nice to look round some of the little individual shops there.

No other firm plans for the days ahead but as the weather forecast is good I'm planning to just take each day as it comes and do a little bit more work in the garden.  Or maybe sitting in the garden watching Paul do the work 😉

#WBOYC in April

 

This month seems to have been quite a gentle progression into spring.  We've had some lovely weather and the gardens are looking colourful and full of new growth.  So, how did I spend my days?

Watching and reading

The new series of Grace still has as many twists and turns and red herrings to keep your brain challenged.  I still enjoy watching Interior Design Masters, and can usually guess which person will be sent home after an untasteful project. 

Then onto a couple of travel inspired shows. The Pilgrimage is back, with celebrities taking on a pilgrimage route.  It is interesting to see how people of different faiths and opinions gel over a challenging route. This time they are in Austria and the scenery and architecture is absolutely beautiful. The new series of Race Across the World has just started and already you are seeing signs of a little discontent between some of the couples.  To be left without mobile phones or credit cards at the great wall of China and having to find your way to the finish point in India is not something I would be any good at!  

I've just finished watching Feud and had not realised that making an kitchen extension on the back of your house could cause so much trouble (or deaths). 

I'll be sharing my April reading in a post next week.  I've only read a couple of books but they were both good in very different ways.

Eating

We couldn't find a day over the Easter weekend that everyone was free so I ended up cooking family meals two days in a row.  Traditional roast lamb with lots of veggies on Easter Sunday and a pork and cider casserole with Jersey Royal new potatoes and veggies on Easter Monday.  I love it when it is the season for Jersey Royals, I think they just taste so much nicer than any other new potatoes.

We had an Indian takeaway with friends one evening and it was absolutely delicious.  We tried a restaurant that we hadn't used for a while and we will definitely be using them again from now on.  For once we did not over order.  It's so tempting to go through the menu and choose lots of starters and then can't eat the main!  Do you do that?  I could make a meal out of the samosas, onion bhajis, chicken chat, poppadoms and dips!

One of my 'knit and natter' ladies invited us to a party at the local golf club.  It was to celebrate her 70th birthday and it was such a nice evening.  It was a sit down meal; the food was delicious and it was fun to dance the night away.

Self Care

I'm still doing pilates and zumba, although there have been a couple of weeks off due to the Easter break.  I'd like to say that I did some exercising at home to compensate but we all know that isn't true!  First Zumba class back was yesterday and it was so good to get out and dance.

There's also been self care in the form of a haircut and one which I was apprehensive about - a dental check up.  Fortunately I came out of each salon/clinic with a smile on my face!

Can you consider booking a holiday 'self care'?  I think so - and am happy to know that this month we finally decided on a destination and we have a trip to Italy planned for June 😎

Days out

As the weather has been so lovely, we have been taking Coco to different places for her walks and it's been really nice to change the routine of staying close to home.  Even though we have a country park on our doorstep, it's good to go elsewhere sometimes.

I have a day out planned for this Sunday.  For my birthday, my son and daughter bought me a ticket for a pasta making class at a cookery school near to them.  I have never made my own pasta and I think it could get quite messy but I'm looking forward to learning something new!  

So all that is left now is to share 1 Second Everyday for this month and invite you to pop over to Deb's World  to read about her Awesome April in Australia!

Me on Monday

 You won't believe this but we have started today with glorious sunshine again! We have really been spoilt with beautiful spring weather in the last week, the garden has really woken up and it is a joy to see the colour gradually emerging out there.

So I have a tale to tell about a previous Monday.  Remember the Monday where I was looking forward to collecting my new car?  Well, when I went to pick it up, it wasn't the car I had ordered.  It was a three door, not a five door.  Which was a problem, not just because it wasn't the car I wanted, but I couldn't get Olive's car seat in the back!  So I had to drive off in it as the paperwork had all been done to trade in my old car and the new one was registered in my name.  How frustrating!  So now I have to wait for the correct car to be delivered to the dealership and I am pretty sure that the salesman will be counting the doors before he tells me it has arrived!  He was so shocked when I said it was the wrong car, I think he thought I was joking, but then his face fell as he realised the mistake.  

Imagine this, but with 5 doors not 3!  It is lovely to drive but not practical for me while I'm still involved in picking up and dropping off young grandchildren!

We booked a holiday 😎  After many searches through many brochures and websites we have decided to return to Lake Garda in Italy but to a different resort to those we've been to before.  It looks fabulous and I am now counting the days!

Today I am meeting up with a friend for a coffee and a croissant which is always a good way to start the day isn't it?  Then I have a couple of days of full day childcare as it is the start of the school Easter holidays here.  We had a very busy weekend so I am looking forward to just taking it easy today and preparing for the grandchildren being here tomorrow and Wednesday.  

I hope your week is starting off in the sunshine and that you have good things planned for the week ahead!

My book list for March

 Here we go with my reading list for March, three very different books!

Once again Freida McFadden has had me thinking I know which way a storyline is going and then completely taken me by surprise. Before I go any further I need to say that this book is not for the squeamish!

Sydney is looking for a caring, compassionate partner but is having little luck with the men she is meeting via a dating app.  Then she meets someone who seems to tick all the boxes of the qualities she is seeking, he's charming, successful and is a doctor at a local hospital.  

But let's go back in time to a young boy called Tom and his friend 'Slug', both boys are unpopular with the 'cool' kids and both seem to have slightly odd interests.  Tom is obsessed with the girl across the street, Daisy, whose father is a local police officer.  After the disappearance of a girl who Tom was tutoring, Daisy's father says that she should have nothing to do with Tom anymore as he suspects he may not be all he seems.    

Let's return to the present day, where Sydney discovers that her best friend has been brutally murdered.  In a total state of shock she is supported by a mutual friend, Gretchen, and her boyfriend who happens to be the caretaker of the apartments where the girls live.  But Sydney's boyfriend is starting to act suspiciously and she is now wondering if he could be the mystery doctor that her murdered friend was dating before she died.

I smugly thought I knew where this was going.  I confidently believed that I could match up the characters from the past to those in the present.  Reader, I was wrong!

What a twist at the end and what a feeling that things have not been tied up as neatly as it seemed!

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I decided it was time for a different genre of book for my next read, I needed a break from murders!

Emilie de la Martinieres travels to her family home following the death of her mother.  The two had never been close and Emilie feels that she knew little about her. Being an only child, Emilie inherits all her mother's worldly goods, which includes a chateau and vineyard in the South of France.  Here she meets Sebastian, with whom she falls in love and marries before moving to his family home in England while renovations to the chateau are taking place.

In the midsts of checking out the chateau and trying to make decisions for the future she discovers a book of poems written by a previous occupant.  These lead her to search for more information about the author, her aunt Sophie, whose love affair changed the course of the family history.  

The story moves between 1943 and 1998, as Emilie discovers more and more information about her family's connection to the chateau. This part of the story introduces Constance, a young British agent who finds herself involved in the de la Martinieres family. Realising that their lives are in danger at their home in Paris she travels with the daughter of the family (Emilie's aunt Sophie) to their home in the south.  

There is a lot of family connections in this story but it is one that I enjoyed and would recommend.

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For my last book I decided to try something different.

I really enjoy the TV series Gavin and Stacey and wondered if Ruth Jones would be as good an author as she is a scriptwriter.

Us Three follows three girls who are best friends at school and swear an oath on a Curly Wurly sweet wrapper that they will always be there for each other no matter what life holds for them.

After they leave school and before they go to university they plan a fantastic trip but on their return, things take a huge turn and their friendship possibly lies in tatters.  Their innocent childhood promise looks unlikely to be fulfilled.  Sometimes it is hard to be the one in the middle of two friends who fall out and are either unwilling or unable to forgive and forget.

I enjoyed this book, and I changed my opinion of the characters several times before the ending! If you are looking for a nice easy read, this is one to try.

#WBOYC in March

 

So another month has gone past in fast forward mode and suddenly here we are with British Summer Time beginning in a few days. Here's a brief resume of how my month progressed, noting that I ended the month a whole year older than when it started 🎉

Watching and Reading

I managed to read a variety of books this month and you can see my reviews of those in a couple of days time.  On TV we watched the Netflix drama that everyone is talking about, Adolescence.  What a powerful performance from everyone concerned.  It makes me grateful that the online world was not as compulsive when my children were growing up but concerned for my grandchildren.  I think that it should be viewed by all parents of young children and teenagers to forewarn them of the dangers that they may be vulnerable to experience. We are also watching Protection which we are enjoying and we've also just finished The Bay.  I am watching White Lotus (Paul has given up with that one!)

Eating

We are still enjoying experimenting with the recipe spice box that our son arranged for our Christmas present - tonight it is the turn of lamb rogan josh.  We were sent all the herbs and spices needed, we just have to provide any fresh products.  I love Rogan Josh in Indian restaurants so have high hopes for this one!  

We have been to lunch twice at friends' houses and enjoyed a lovely Sicilian lunch out in Cambridge for my birthday.

Self Care

I'm still continuing with my pilates class and think there may be a tiny improvement in my flexibility.  Plus I am managing to hold all the positions a bit longer and don't find them quite so difficult.  But ... there is still a long way to go!  Still enjoying my Zumba Gold classes, you really do feel lighter and more positive after an hour of dancing.

At the end of last month I was awaiting results of my scan and I cannot put into words how relieved I was to receive a call to say that there was nothing sinister detected and they did not want to send me for more tests. 

Days Out

We went to Cambridge on my birthday, it is such a lovely place.  Full of character and atmosphere and always somewhere new to discover.  

We also went to Walton on the Naze when we went to visit friends who live near there.  It's a place of two halves, on one side the seaside resort and pier that was so popular years ago but now looking a little tired, and on the other side a more wild, natural area which is sadly at risk of coastal erosion.  

There’s a bit of a story behind the new car I got this month.  Let’s just say that I am driving a new car, but it’s not the one I ordered 😬 I'll elaborate more after the garage manage to get the car that I wanted in the first place - hopefully not too long to wait!

Here's the month, 1 Second Everyday

Now please do pop over to Deb's World in Australia who co-hosts this fun monthly round up.  Better still, join in the fun and share your month too!

Me on Monday

 Hello to another new week!

This one is starting off with an exciting event, I'm picking up my new car today 😁. It is another mini, let's just say I've found a car I love to drive and see no reason for trying anything else.  I've just cleaned and emptied my existing one and woe betide the grandchild who makes the first muddy footprint in the new one!

We went to visit friends who live close to Frinton on Sea at the weekend.  After a lovely Sunday lunch we decided to pop to the beach which is only a five minute drive away.  However, as we got closer we could see a traffic hold up.  There is only one road in and out of Frinton, and that road has a railway crossing through it. One of those crossings that has white gates that close the through way to traffic before and after the train has passed. When we realised that traffic hadn't moved after the train had gone through we guessed something was wrong.  Our friend got out the car to investigate and it seemed that the barriers had locked in the down position.  So no one could drive into Frinton and even worse, the people wanting to leave were trapped the other side of the barrier!

So a change of plan was hurriedly made and we diverted to the next town along the coast, Walton on the Naze.  We had a lovely walk along the Naze but were shocked to see how much coastal erosion there has been.  It won't be long until that footpath we were using would fall to the sea.

The week ends with the start of British Summer Time which will mean lighter mornings and later sunsets.  It's also Mother's Day here in England so I will be taking some flowers to my Mum's grave and remember how much she meant to me and how she taught me to be the mother I am today.  How grateful I am to have had her as my mum.  My children are now parents themselves so hopefully they will be organising something special for our grandchildren to treat their mums and I will make sure that my Sunday involves a favourite lunch as a treat to me!

Have a good week, I'm just off to Pilates so will no doubt spend a lot of tomorrow wondering why my legs ache so much - I may have to take myself out on a little drive in my new car to take my mind of it 😀

Me on Monday

 Well here I am, another year older 😊 I had a nice relaxing birthday; we went to Cambridge as that’s one of my favourite places to spend time. We had lunch in the Sicilian restaurant that we love

Yes that toasted focaccia sandwich was almost the size of my arm but I promise we shared it! It was a Saporita Spianata, Provola cheese, pancetta, roasted red pepper, and caramelised onions on sourdough focaccia. Yum 😋 

The two guys sitting behind me were discussing the problems food outlets have with people hogging tables, and spending hours over one cup of coffee.  Their particular pet peeves?  Young mums with toddlers/babies in buggies, not only monopolising a table but cluttering the spaces between tables, and - wait for it - 'ladies of a certain age' chatting for over an hour with a toasted cheese sandwich and a drink.  Had it not been my birthday I may have felt inclined to give him the opinion of one of those ladies of a certain age!

My ‘knit and natter’ group have been making squares to join together to make blankets for the palliative care unit of our local hospital. It’s been quite a challenge and I am almost finished putting the crochet edge on the second one.  I have a new, much smaller project on the go now. I’ve never made myself anything to wear so I have a hexi cardigan on my hook. At the moment it looks like a teeny tiny cardigan for a toy doll, but it will grow with every row!

Last Monday I was telling you how lovely the weather had been. A few days later and we were caught out in a hailstorm while walking Coco! British weather eh? 

This week I have a couple of lunches out, I am making up for hibernating for the last few weeks. I have to make a fast exit from pilates this morning as I need to be at a friend's house within 45 minutes!  Good job both places are very local to me.

Have a good week and here's hoping we have more sunshine and less hailstones this time x

Me on Monday

 I feel like I should rename this 'Me on every other Monday' as it certainly hasn't been a weekly theme recently!

This Monday finds me feeling much less stressed and more happy than the last ones have - all due to a telephone call I received on Friday from the consultant gastroenterologist to say that my CT scan was clear and I don't need to have follow up tests.  Oh the relief.  As I finished the call I was in tears of joy and quite literally felt as if a weight had been lifted.  I do hope that all the other patients on the appointment list were as fortunate as I was because I know that things could have been very different and my heart goes out to those who find themselves on a different journey.

We had a family packed weekend which was just what I needed after such an anxious time. The weather has been absolutely glorious and we’ve made the most of it because it’s early days to assume the run of good weather will last. We watched Leo play football on Saturday morning and that had the added bonus of his team winning the match. 

We try and get the family together for lunch on the Sunday between our son’s birthday and mine and this Sunday was the day. We had a lovely time and the children all enjoyed playing together in the garden. Naturally there was cake, even though my birthday isn’t officially here until Friday

So today will be starting with a pilates class (yes I signed up for another block of lessons!) and then I do need to catch up on the dreaded pile of ironing which seems to have built up while I wasn't looking.  Hopefully I can find something on the tv to watch while doing my least favourite chore.

The week will be ending with my birthday and we are planning a trip to Cambridge and then Paul is cooking me a meal in the evening.  Sixty seven!  The years are flying by.

How are your weekly plans looking?  I hope you have something good planned x

#WBOYC in February

 What's been on my calendar?  Truthfully, not very much!

The weather has been miserable, but that's no excuse really for not doing things but boy does it take more of an effort!

So here we go

Watching and reading

We have started watching Zero Day on Netflix which seems like it may be something we will both enjoy.  Also enjoying Amanda and Alan's Spanish Job, where Amanda Holden and Alan Carr are renovating a large house in a small Spanish village.  The chemistry between them is hilarious.  The new series of Unforgotten has begun and I'm already wondering how all these different strands of story are going to link together.  I am ashamed to say that I have only read one book this month.  You can see that review here.

Eating 

I've met up with a few old friends for coffee this month.  Paul and I haven't been out for a meal at all, but we did cook a special meal at home for Valentine's Day and we did have friends over for a takeaway Indian a couple of weeks ago which was really tasty.  You see what I mean when I say February = hibernation!

Self care

I am still going to the Pilates class, I'm not sure there's been a huge improvement in my balance and flexibility but it's still early days!  Zumba is still a lot of fun and always puts you in a feel good frame of mind for the rest of the day.

There was a Pneumococcal vaccination for me, another 'benefit' of being over 65!  You only have to have it once in your lifetime and I had no side effects so that was good to do.

I had the CT scan on my liver at the beginning of the month but am still waiting anxiously for the follow up consultation which isn't until the beginning of March and even then it will be a telephone appointment rather than face to face.  

Naturally there has been a hair cut and I had my BIAB manicure removed to let my nails breath.  The minute that polish comes off my nails go from looking perfect to different sizes and shapes.  I really should look after them better when they are more vulnerable to breaking!

Days out

We haven't had any days out this month - what a boring post this is!  At the risk of sounding incredibly British, the weather has not been conducive to going out for the day.  Plus our local councils have road works going on with closed roads and traffic lights on every approach road into and out of town.  On the day of my scan, it took us 55 minutes to do a trip that should take 20 - thank goodness Paul had come with me and was able to drop me at the door and then fight for a parking space.  I would have been even more stressed if I'd been late and not able to park!

At the risk of blaming the grandchildren, obviously as it was half term we had them here for longer on the days that I normally just do school pick up and dinner duties.  So that was lovely, except Olive was not impressed by having her big brother gatecrashing her Nanny and Grandpa day.  

Although we haven’t ventured far, I tend to forget that most weekends we go to the country park which is close to where we live. It’s a favourite walking route for Coco. As it’s on our doorstep I don’t include it as going out, but for many people who live further away it is considered a lovely place to travel to for a day out.

Here’s my 1 second everyday video!

Deb in Australia has been far busier than me, check out her monthly round up Here

Me on Monday

 This week it finally feels like Spring is trying hard to come through

I met a friend for coffee at a farm shop in a village which is half way between us both and look at the view from the window, blue skies … BLUE! I also wore a jacket, not a full coat 😎

Then on Saturday is was warm enough to be out in the garden tidying up the flower borders rather than sitting inside looking out the window at the jobs that need doing. It was a good surprise to see that an anemone that Max had given me on my birthday last year is coming back into flower.

We have even bought a new garden bench, but may wait until we’ve had more than one warm day before we put it in the garden! Don’t want to tempt fate eh?

I was reminded of this photo which was taken ten years ago

I had taken part in a quilting square swap with a group of other bloggers and this was the lap quilt I made with the squares I was sent. Such a lovely group of bloggers. I miss those days! 

So this week, what does it hold? A Pilates class, a hair cut, a day of looking after Olive, a Zumba class and a knit and natter get together. A good selection of things!

How is your week looking?

My book list for February

I'm not sure that one book constitutes a 'list' but I've been slow on the reading front this month and only have one book review to share.  I'm half way through another book but will save that for March!

I've read a few books by K L Slater now so when I saw this one reviewed on Gail's blog I decided to down load it onto my kindle.

Imagine how you would feel if you received some messages from a friend 'Can't speak ... don't text or call ... please just come'  You would be worried wouldn't you?  You would drop what you were doing and rush to her home.  Especially when, as soon as she has seen them, the messages are deleted.  This is what happens to Saffy, but when she arrives at her friend Leona's house she denies all knowledge of sending a message and assures her that all is well.  Saffy goes into the house to check for herself that nothing untoward is happening, but can't help feeling concerned as she feels that Leona's husband has a controlling nature and Leona may be scared to say anything in front of him.

Hours later that evening the police come to Saffy's house to tell her that her friend and young daughter is missing, there is blood in the upstairs of the house and it would appear that Saffy was the last person to see them before they disappeared.

There is a big back story to Saffy and Leona's friendship and the ties that bind them and these strands are cleverly interwoven into the story.  The frustration felt by Saffy is not helped by the unsympathetic police inspector who clearly thinks that Saffy is the number one suspect.

If you are a fan of K L Slater's work and enjoy psychological thrillers, this is a good book to read.

I'll be back next month and will hopefully have more to share then!

Me on Monday

What a week we had last week! Jammed to the rafters with medical matters. I had my CT scan, my son had an ultrasound scan and daughter had an operation on her nose. By Friday I was a nervous wreck.  My son had immediate good news from his scan, my daughter’s op was a success and my experience wasn’t as traumatic as I thought it was going to be. My elbows are a rainbow of colours where they inserted the cannula for the contrast dye, unsuccessfully in my left arm then awkwardly in my right! Not sure when I’ll hear the outcome.

I bought two items this week, a pair of hand weights for Pilates and a car 😊 My new Mini is ordered and should be here end of March. It’s good to have gone through all the options and chosen colours and specifications, even though it’s only 3 years since I got my current model the design and interior have change dramatically so I will need a long time at handover to go through all the new services! 

My knit and natter group met up on Friday and yes I am STILL making my blanket

The end is in sight but it’s quite a size and weight to work on now, which is actually quite nice on a chilly winter evening!

Do you have plans for Valentine’s Day? I think we will just cook a nice meal in the evening, we are still in our February hibernation mode. I am so looking forward to warmer, drier weather and for the nights to stay lighter for longer.  I hope that whatever your plans are, you have a good week ahead 😊

Me on a February Monday

 Happy February!

It’s so lovely to see small glimpses of plants emerging from the soil

On our morning dog walk over the park on Sunday the ground had a heavy frost upon it but the sun was shining and you could see steam rising from the wood as we walked across the bridge

So this first Monday in February finds me ready for my Pilates class. We are using weights today apparently but as I don’t have hand weights I will be using tinned tomatoes 😆 I shall wait to see how I get on before investing in the proper equipment!

Anxiety levels are high as I have my CT scan tomorrow; I have to keep telling myself that by this time tomorrow it will be nearly over and worrying about it isn’t going to help in any way at all. Quite the opposite in fact.

I am returning to the Mini garage later today to sign the papers for my new car so that is something to look forward to. Minis are such lovely cars to drive, I think this will be my fifth! The one I have at the moment is in desperate need of a wash but I am a fair weather car washer and it’s easy to find a reason not to get the buckets and sponges out!

Have a good week x