Steptoe!

 Yesterday was a lovely day - for looking out at it from the inside!  Bright blue sky and lots of sunshine, but very cold.....8 deg apparently but felt much, much colder with an icy wind blowing.  Still, I'd rather it was cold and sunny than cold with rain or snow!

We discussed the garden again.....we're definitely not growing any veg this year, there's no point when we won't be here at home for a lot of the time, so veg won't get watered and looked after.  We have asked a neighbour in the past to water for us, but he's a bit (well, a lot actually) unreliable - he often forgets and is very haphazard in his approach when he does water.  And, to be honest, we'd rather not be beholden to him, he does tend to ask a lot of favours.  I've said to husband that all I want is for the garden to be kept tidy and to keep on top of the weeds....oh and also for him to not fill it up with junk!  He's always had a tendency to 'rescue' stuff that all our neighbours are about to chuck out - he always says 'oh I'll have that, it could come in useful'.  Only it never does because he rarely does anything with it, it all just gets added to the rest of his junk.  His nickname should be Harold Steptoe.....but I've said I don't want the garden looking like a junkyard - I'm sure he was a rag and bone man in a previous life!  Given the fact that we'll be moving from here sooner or later (later, probably), I don't think there's any point in us adding anything extra to the garden, so it'll just be maintained as is.  I might get some bedding plants for pots, but that's about it.

While I folded and put all the dry washing away, having been on the airers all night, got another washload ready and put it in the machine, and prepped all the veggies for dinner yesterday morning, husband hoovered the house.  For once he did all of it, upstairs and down - he normally only does one room (the lounge usually) and even then not the whole room - just the rugs in the middle, he doesn't move any furniture.  When he'd finished he was worn out (not surprised, it wears me out too) and breathless.  I said he didn't have to do it all in one go (I hadn't asked him to do it, unusually he'd done the hoovering without me asking this time) and it would perhaps be better for him if he did it over 2 days....downstairs one day, upstairs the next.  But he said that meant he'd have to work 2 days instead of one!  😂😒

I think when we finally move to our retirement bungalow, with hopefully a nice size garden (not too big but not postage stamp sized either), I'd like a cottage style garden - lots of oldfashioned flowering plants like lupins, foxgloves, sweet peas, honeysuckle and roses, and a couple of raised beds for husband to grow a few veg in.  Must have a lawn in the middle, a small one, for Betty to lie on in the sun, and a patio for a table, chairs and a parasol or gazebo.  A small water feature with a fountain would be nice too, I love the sound of trickling water.  It's nice having a dream, isn't it?

Two more sleeps until C/Day!