Lovely birthday

 Thank you for all the birthday wishes, and special thanks to Joy and Marlene for your lovely cards, really nice of you both, thank you so much.

I had lots of nice cards (and a very rude one from my eldest brother - he really can't help himself 😂).  Husband bought me a huge bouquet of mixed colour roses, they really are gorgeous, he's surpassed himself:-

The photo doesn't do them justice, they're so lovely, he's certainly earned some husband points today.  He asked this morning (after making me a lovely bacon roll - my choice, I'm not normally much of a breakfast eater) if I wanted to go out anywhere, a beach walk eg or shopping somewhere.  I said no, as my hip is hurting badly and I don't feel very steady on my feet today.  However, come midday I said I wouldn't mind going to the garden centre for a look at the Christmas displays, and perhaps we could go in the cafe.  This garden centre used to be a Wyevale but changed hands last year, we'd only been in once since then (Marlene, you'll know it, it's Sanders near Highbridge).  Well, it's changed considerably, not so much a garden centre now, more of a massive gift shop inside, although there's still a large garden plant area outside.  They've also got a new coffee shop in there, called Kiplings, which is really lovely - nice chunky furniture, deep leather sofas, bookcases filled with a mixture of new and old books, great to browse through whilst having your drinks.  We had a savoury scone and tea - a ginormous Parmesan, Cheddar and Stilton scone and butter with a large china pot of tea and proper china cups and saucers.  Oh it was gorgeous, the scone (I really should have taken a photo of it, it was massive) was better than I could have made (and I'm pretty good at making scones, if I do say so myself).  Afterwards, we looked round the many, varied and colourful Christmas displays - I was very restrained and only bought a pretty solar powered hanging lamp to go in our front porch.  And husband hardly complained at all about having to follow me around the Christmas stuff (in case I fell over, as I'd forgotten my walking stick!) - bless him, he's such a Grinch about Christmas.

Having had too many carbs over the past couple of days - the fish and (one!) big fat chips yesterday, along with a bowl of ice cream after our teatime scrambled egg, the bacon roll for breakfast, a piece of choc chip shortbread (delicious) with coffee mid morning, then the huuuge scone this afternoon, I'm now feeling decidedly bloated and sluggish, so much so that I really can't face the thought of any dinner.  I'll just have a glass of watered down juice and an apple, husband has said he'll be happy to do himself something on toast.

I've got my new electric heat pad on over my hip, will watch Strictly tonight then probably have an early night.