In holiday mode

 It's glorious here at the caravan, hot and sunny but with a welcome soft breeze so it doesn't feel too hot.  Not many owners here and only a couple of tourists, so it's very peaceful.  A few of our friends are here though, so people to chat to.  Husband still can't get the TV working, to his disgust, but we do have around a dozen DVDS so he'll be fine later this evening.  

We might get up early tomorrow and take Betty to the beach, before it gets too warm.  She keeps looking at our ex-neighbours' caravan and whining, she can't understand why C&J aren't there, bless her.  Apparently someone came to look round the caravan a week or 2 ago, but then decided they preferred another one for sale on the lower part of the site.

I'm in holiday mode already, having a lovely relaxing time reading, whilst husband is off talking cars with a friend.

A better day, idiots, spiky hair and planting

 Husband seemed to be in a better frame of mind yesterday, he went to the gym in the morning, which he enjoyed, and was quite helpful once he came home, doing everything I asked him.  Regarding the caravan TV, he's decided to take our freesat box from home, to see if that works on the van tv....although he doesn't think it will, he thinks it's a problem with the aerial wire.  I've no idea, I know nothing about TVs, I can only change channels by randomly trying both remotes and pressing a few buttons until something happens 😂.  I suggested that after husband came out of the gym, he should go in a couple of charity shops and buy a few DVDs to watch if he can't get the TV working - he came back with a few, so they should keep him occupied in the evenings.  With the current good weather, which is forecast to last all the time we are at the van, there should be several other owners there so he'll have people to chat to during the day.  We'll have a trip or 2 to the beach I expect, so Betty can have a run around.

Did you see on the news about those idiotic people from Just Stop Oil spraying Stonehenge with orange paint?  Do they really imagine that by defacing and damaging famous landmarks or works of art, they are getting people to support them?  Nobody I know has the slightest bit of empathy with them - they're doing criminal damage for goodness sake.  I think they ought to be tied to stakes in public, so people can chuck wet sponges, mud pies or even orange paint at them.  I wouldn't suggest rocks, I'm not that callous.  

Well, I've decided who I'm going to vote for.....although I may change my mind come voting day!  Each of the parties have some policies which sound good....others not so much - like lowering the voting age to 16!!  That's just a very cynical attempt to get more people (kids) voting for them, to ensure they stay in power.  We all know that 16 y.o's know nothing - they think they know everything but they don't - we were all 16 once and with the benefit of hindsight and experience, we know we were clueless at that age.  But I have little confidence that whoever gets in will actually follow through with their policies - they're all good at spouting off what they think the public wants to hear.  So I have to say I'm basing my vote on the personality and likeableness of the party leader, rather than on their policies, I'm just going with my heart really.  And that's enough of that!

Now my hair's grown out a bit after husband and I scalped me with his clippers, I actually really like it.  No longish hair to slap around my face, takes just a couple of minutes to wash (although it's a bit difficult right now when I can only use my right arm, being unable to lift my left).  And I don't have to blow dry it, it dries by itself in no time and I don't need to do anything to it, other than squirting a bit of mousse into it to keep it looking spiky.  So that's what I'll continue to do in future, which will save me money on haircuts.  

Very fluffy! And the colour almost blends into the lounge wall....

It's a lovely sunny warm day again, yesterday I picked several green and yellow courgettes and a selection of herbs - parsley, lemon thyme, chives and sage - to go in the green risotto for dinner last night, which was delicious with some Parmesan stirred through.  We've planted out all the cosmos bedding plants I bought in a tray and potted on, they've grown big, strong and healthy so should survive the slugs.  More of our plants are flowering now and it's all looking very pretty.  I'll take some more photos when we get back from the caravan.

I'm not a slave

 It definitely was one of those days yesterday.  Whilst I was busy with loads of jobs for most of the day, husband played games on his computer, sat outside asleep in the sunshine for over an hour and generally did nothing much.  This despite me telling him in the morning that I was going to be very busy for the next few days prior to us going away, and would need his help with a few things, especially with my shoulder being so painful and hindering me with the restricted movement.  I asked him to do 2 specific jobs - neither of them got done, it was obvious he was actively avoiding them.  When I asked why, and if he wasn't feeling well, he replied no he was ok, he just didn't feel like doing them.  Well, newsflash - I often don't feel like doing things, but they've got to be done so I bloody well get on and do them!  Funny how he thinks things get done as if by magic.  He did eventually do one of the jobs in the evening, after I guilt-tripped him into it.  He needs reminding occasionally that being his carer doesn't make me his slave, I'm not here to do absolutely everything, I do organise everything and do a vast amount of the jobs, but he does need to help me with things he is most certainly capable of doing.  And sitting around on his backside doing sweet FA all day will not help his health, he's supposed to keep as active as possible, physically and mentally - doctors' orders.

Well, I shan't be doing anything at the caravan - all dinners have been cooked and frozen and will only need reheating and serving with some salad, lunches will be a make-your-own sandwich, I rarely eat breakfast so he will do his own.  I've reminded him this morning that the caravan TV stopped working the last time we were there, so unless he does something about it, he'll be bored stiff.  I've got books to read, some drawing to do and no doubt some weeding and tidying up the caravan garden, so having no TV won't bother me.  I'm having 3 days off!

I've got my stronger painkillers and did have a fairly comfortable sleep last night, although I woke up earlier than usual.  I'm packing clothes today for our few days away - I had left a complete change of clothes for each of us in the van the last time we stayed there, but realised this morning they are more or less winter clothes, as it wasn't very warm when we stayed last.  As the weather is forecast to be getting warmer, we won't be wearing the jeans and jumpers I'd left there!  I'm making a green risotto for dinner today, using our homegrown courgettes and herbs.  Tomorrow I'll be baking a loaf to take with us, and cooking some food for Betty.  Once I pack the food Saturday morning, we'll be ready to go.

I had a text from our lovely ex-van neighbours C & J yesterday, saying they're envious of us going to the van, even though they know giving theirs up was the right thing to do.  I wonder if we'll have new neighbours in their van yet, or whether the site owner will have had their van removed and exchanged for a newer one?  I guess we'll find out on Saturday!  Although I doubt either thing will have happened, he's very slow to do anything.

One of those days - and Magic Dough recipe for Joy

 Think it's going to be one of those days.  Husband took the dog out at 07.45, shortly after he'd gone the bin men arrived (early, they don't normally come until mid morning) - I checked and husband had forgotten to put the recycling out (that's one of his few jobs) despite me reminding him, so I quickly took it all out, just catching the bin lorry in time.

I'd put a pan of pasta bows on to boil, for a pasta salad for lunch, just as husband went out.  A couple of minutes later I realised the electric kitchen fan had gone off, along with the clocks, and the smoke alarms were bleeping - the power was off.  Which meant the pasta wasn't boiling either.  I have no idea about electrical stuff, so had to wait for husband to get back - he was only out for 15 mins.  He checked the fuse box, one of the switches was down instead of up.  Once the power was back on, I then noticed the electric hot plate wasn't working.  So I guess when it suddenly stopped working this morning, it blew the electrics.  Fortunately, we have a single burner camping gas stove and several canisters of gas, husband bought it at a car boot sale for emergencies a few years ago.  It took him a few minutes to find it in the chaos of his shed, but he did eventually and it works, so I could cook the pasta.  We've just nipped to Argos and bought a replacement hot plate, fortunately it's half price at the moment so that's a win.

Incidentally, the fuse box is high up on the kitchen wall, a step ladder is needed to reach it - how blimming ridiculous, especially in a sheltered housing bungalow.  I'm sure the housing association would send out an emergency electrician, but seems daft to call them out just for the sake of flicking a switch.

Husband's been bitten by something in the garden - twice on his arm, it's normally me who gets bitten not him.  The two bites have swelled up, so I've told him to take antihistamines and use the bite cream, I'll remind him again later on.  He's having a clumsy day today, he's already knocked over a carton of milk and dropped a couple of things on the floor, making the dog jump each time.  And it's only just gone 10 o' clock!  And my laptop just shut itself down, very abruptly, whilst in the middle of typing this, so I lost part of the post.  Ho hum.  Think I might need to take my anti-anxiety meds today! 😂 (I only take them when necessary, and it's not really been necessary lately).

Joy, here's Lesley's Magic Dough post, the dough recipe is right down the bottom:-

Lots of different things you can make, all using Magic Dough kept in the fridge - Thrifty Lesley

I've made a little loaf from the dough a couple of times now, it's lovely.

What he said

 The very nice young GP thinks I have a rotator cuff injury - I asked how it can be an injury when I haven't fallen or bashed my shoulder?  He said it can also be caused by general wear and tear as our joints age - once again the joys of getting older!  He's prescribed stronger painkillers and has referred me to physio, if no relief then they may give me a steroid injection.  He said as a very last resort, if the pain isn't controlled and my shoulder/arm mobility doesn't improve, then we'll talk about a shoulder replacement!  I didn't even know that was a thing, and it's not something I'd be keen to have - unless it became absolutely necessary.  Can't get the stronger painkillers until tomorrow, they had none in stock in the pharmacy, but that's ok, I've been seen and the physio referral has been actioned, so all good.  Oh, and he also suggested I take 2 amitriptyline at night, instead of the one I sometimes take for back pain, as that will help me get back to sleep when the pain wakes me up.  As I've said before, I'm reluctant to take lots of meds, hence why I don't take the amitriptyline regularly now, but in the short term I'm willing to, to control the pain.

Out in the garden now, it's a lovely day.

Mixed success in the garden

 We've got a window of opportunity to go to the caravan this coming weekend, for 3 nights between appointments, so we're grabbing it.  I'll do a couple of meals to freeze and take with us, and make some goodies too - a cake and some cheese scones I think.

I'm happy with the garden as it is now, things are growing and filling out the spaces, albeit slowly in view of the weird weather.  Some of our veggies and fruit are inconsistent - the strawberries we bought and planted this year have been terrible so far, only a few tiny green fruits appeared, and then disappeared before they even got a pink tinge.  No sign of any more fruiting, so it looks like no strawberries at all this year.  The first lot of radishes mostly bolted, although the few we did get were lovely, we've sown more.  The spring onion seeds didn't come up at all, a second sowing are coming through.  Some of the courgette babies rotted with all the rain we've had, we picked our first two full size ones yesterday.  Tomatoes and mini cucumbers are finally beginning to fruit, although a couple of the plants look a bit sickly.  Carrots, which are a short, early variety, are being extremely slow to fatten up, although I think it might be due to husband sowing them too thickly, they're a tangled mass at the moment and need thinning out.

All the plants I bought for the new flower bed are doing well now, after a few initial failures and replacements, some are starting to flower, in a couple of weeks or so the bed will look lovely.  The 3 climbers I planted to grow up trellis in a corner of the garden that's a bit overlooked are doing very well now, all 3 (winter jasmine, pink clematis and everlasting sweet pea) have put on loads of growth and I've tied them in 2 or 3 times.  Some of the roses (they were already here, I've not bought any new ones) are starting to bloom too, there's a lovely large flowered white climber and a couple of red ones, a few more have yet to flower.  I think next year I might move some of the roses and put them all together in a dedicated rose bed.

This garden has been a lot of hard work, it was pretty much a blank canvas with hardly any flowers other than some very neglected roses and an absolute mass of bluebells, no veggies at all, and all the hard landscaping of concrete, gravel and pavers, it's taken weeks and weeks to get it to the stage where we're turning it into our space.  It's going to be so lovely in due course.  We both spend loads of time out in the garden now, husband is as brown as a berry - he tans easily, I don't, I burn easily and get heat rash so I tend to cover up.

Off to the GP at 10 am, it can't come soon enough for me, I woke up just before 5 in agony again.  I'm sick of taking painkillers.

Help is not always helpful

 I've got a GP appointment for tomorrow morning, thankfully.  I was offered an appointment with their musculoskeletal therapist, who visits the surgery once a week, but the first available appointment was in 2 weeks' time.  I want some stronger pain relief now, not in a fortnight (and I don't know if she can prescribe meds anyway), so opted for the GP.  

I couldn't find any bedding dahlias this morning, so got a few small perennials instead - at least they'll come up every year.  I just really wanted something to fill a few gaps.  I also bought a hanging basket for the trailing fuchsia to go in.  Husband has been 'helping' me (unasked) in the garden....he broke the biggest (and flowering) stem off the fuchsia when he decided to pot it up for me (he's stuck it in a pot to see if it'll root....it should do).  At the time I was trying to unravel the stems of a clematis which is at the back of the bluebell and hebe bed by the stone wall, I didn't even know it was there initially, it's winding itself around the hebe and a rose bush.  I want to train it up the ivy-covered wall, so was gently untangling it....husband came along to 'help' (I didn't ask for help!) and immediately snapped two of the clematis stems 😡.  I can do without his kind of help - he's so cack-handed and goes at everything like a bull in a china shop.  He never apologises and is now sulking because I asked him to stop helping 😒

I think the reason I'm so tired is partly because of the meds - I've stopped taking the co-codamol and am now taking just paracetamol 3 or 4x daily, but am also taking antihistamines for hayfever.  It's also because the pain in my shoulder is waking me up at night - I can't lie on my left side as the shoulder is too painful, but obviously I turn over onto that side in my sleep and then the pain wakes me.  Oh well, it'll get sorted sooner or later, or will go away eventually.  Chronic pain is very wearing.

One pain eclipses another

 Lovely sunny (and dry, and hardly any wind!) start to the morning, so I could get my washing out on the line.

I've stopped taking the co-codamol and have been back on plain paracetamol the past couple of days, as the codeine was making me terribly constipated, even with over-the-counter laxative tabs.  Consequently, the shoulder pain is back with a vengeance, it was difficult and painful hanging the washing on the line.  I could have asked husband to do it, but he hangs the washing in such an illogical way, and all bunched up together with no air space between, so it dries unevenly (it's a rotary line).  I'm going to have to see if I can get a GP appointment tomorrow - I've not had reason to go to this new doctor's surgery yet in the 6 months since we've been here, the last time I went to the GP was for a blood test last October I think, so I've been lucky really.  I suspect they'll just try to give me anti-inflammatory meds, which I can't take as I have an adverse reaction to them (which is on my records), or refer me for physio, for which there's a long waiting list.  I can't afford to pay for private osteo or chiro, especially not when it takes several sessions of treatment.

At least the shoulder pain has temporarily eclipsed the hip and knee pain!  So there's one good thing I suppose (must look at the positives 😂).  I might get husband to prep the veggies to go with the roast dinner - he's having chicken, I'm having my nut roast out of the freezer.  He had a nice Father's Day card (very humorous and true) from his youngest daughter, he gets nothing from his 2 other kids, they've been estranged for years.

So I'm having a quiet and restful day again.  Tomorrow we've got a few things to do in town, and I want to get a tray of bedding dahlias, as mentioned yesterday.  The weather looks set to be reasonable this coming week so hopefully I can spend time in the garden.  There's always something to do out there, weeding (surprising how the weeds always grow even when the veggies and flowers aren't!), tying in new growth on roses and climbers, deadheading.  I know I said I wouldn't be doing anything much more or spending on the garden from now on, but I'm thinking about getting and planting up a couple of hanging baskets for the front of the house - the brackets are already there so it would be rude not to! 😉  I've got a trailing fuchsia in a pot in the back garden, bought by mistake (I thought it was a shrub one), it's standing on a wall at present, that'll be ideal for a hanging basket.

I've made a little loaf using some of the magic dough from Thrifty Lesley's website, it's proving at the moment, I hope it bakes alright, am sure it will.

Hardly any caravan time

 It's another mixed day of sunshine and showers, but it's so blimmin cold again, 15 deg but feeling a lot less in the cold wind.  I had a (very brief, in view of the cold) look round the garden.....most of our plants, both veggies and flowers, have come to a halt or are being very slow to grow - no doubt because of the cold temperatures.  I hope it warms up soon.  We even had a cuppa soup with our lunchtime sandwich today - I was going to do a salad but soup and sandwich seemed more appropriate - and comforting - in the cold weather.  It's more like March than June.  Weather is forecast to be better - drier and a little bit warmer - for the next 2 or 3 days, which will be very nice.

The neighbour at the bottom of our garden - the one with the trees that overhang our garden and shed their leaves and seeds all over our veg and flower beds and Betty's lawn - has today started cutting back the trees, as he promised he would when he had time.  He has checked for birds nests, there are only a couple and neither of them are inhabited.  It'll make such a difference to our garden, there's already a lot more light even though he's only halfway through, and it'll be a lot less work and nuisance for us with far fewer leaves, twigs and seeds dropping into our garden.

We have a fair few appointments in the next few weeks - several medical appointments for both of us, the kitchen surveyor coming, someone coming to repair or replace the ceiling air vents in the kitchen and bathroom.  So I have no clear idea of when we can get to the caravan for a break - we only have a couple of days between each appointment, which is a bit of a nuisance.  Now we live further away from the van, it's not so practical to just go for a short break of a couple of days.  Never mind, we'll get there eventually.  It does though feel like we're not getting our money's worth so far this year - we own the caravan outright, of course, but we still have to pay the site fees, whether we go or not.  And husband is still going to the gym and his Sheds group, so that's another 2 days we can't go to the van.  I've been asked if I want to join the WI or some of the various activities groups held in the village hall, which is just around the corner from us.  I don't actually - I'm a homebody and feel quite content just staying here in our lovely home, there's always plenty to do (or not, however I'm feeling), and there's the lovely garden to potter about in.....when it's not raining or freezing cold!  I sometimes get husband to drop me off in town when he goes to the gym or Sheds, that gives me an hour or two to have a wander round or do some shopping, it's a pleasure to do that by myself, without him breathing down my neck and exclaiming over the price of everything.

I've decided we're not doing anything else - well, nothing major - in the garden this year, we're just going to sit back and enjoy what we've done so far.  I'd bought a tray of Cosmos plants a couple of weeks back, little ones that I've potted on individually, I'll do the same with a tray of bedding Dahlias that I'll be getting on Monday - by potting them on and waiting for them to get bigger, healthy and strong, there'll be less chance of them being munched by slugs and snails.  They'll be used to fill in gaps in the flower beds.

Still feeling tired, although not quite so much.  My shoulder pain is bearable now, I've been doing a few arm exercises I found on google, I try to do them twice a day.  Rambler, you suggested that perhaps the co-codamol is what's making me tired....never considered that, it's possible I guess.  Another possibility could be that I've been taking antihistamines the past few days - I normally only get hayfever in early Spring but have been suffering with it for a week or so now.  The tablets are supposed to be non-drowsy ones but I find they do still make me a bit sleepy.  In fact I think I might have a little snooze now!  Betty's asleep on my bed and husband is dozing in front of some wartime documentary on TV - I might as well join them!

You what?! (Edited)

 Some of you may remember that we were told by our Housing Association a few months ago that we would be having a new kitchen installed in due course, which pleased us no end - the current kitchen units are old, with some mismatched replacement doors, peeling veneer and a few of the cupboards smell strongly of mould.  Well, first thing this morning I was astonished to receive an email from the HA, saying they'd been told by Howdens, the kitchen suppliers, that Howdens had spoken to us and we'd told them we didn't want a new kitchen!!  WHAT?!?!  Firstly, Howdens have definitely not been in contact with us, and we most certainly DO want a new kitchen!

Clearly some mistake somewhere - I've just emailed back to put them right.  Hopefully it will get sorted out quickly - I did wonder why we hadn't heard from anybody yet regarding the kitchen.**

I'm feeling so utterly weary right now, not felt this tired in a long time - I don't feel unwell or like I'm coming down with something, I'm just shattered, even though I've slept well.  So I'm having a few days of taking things very easy.  Just going to do a freezer inventory and menu plan this morning, then do a bit of garden tidying - nothing strenuous, just tidying up and sweeping - the strong almost gale force winds late yesterday made a bit of a mess in the garden.  Nothing broken, just a few pots blown over and dead leaves off the big yucca tree strewn everywhere.  The wind has dropped a lot today and is coming from the south west instead of the north as it has been for the past few days, so it's a bit warmer.  A few showers forecast during the day though.

The co-codamol is finally bringing my shoulder pain under control, although it's having the usual horrible side effects so I'm having to take other medication to counteract that.  

We had a nice dinner out with our friends yesterday, then went back to their holiday camp - the static caravan they're staying in is really lovely, one of the nicest we've seen as a matter of fact.  It's been really good doing things with them this week, we get on so well with them.

**Edited to add

All sorted, the kitchen surveyor rang to say he's coming on the 5 July.

The steam train day, and Magic Dough

 We had a lovely steam train trip out with our friends from Kent yesterday....whilst we were waiting to get on the train, there was a freezing cold wind and quite a bit of cloud, but the sun came out and it warmed up considerably after an hour or so.  The ride itself was a bit uncomfortable (the trains and carriages are very old), we got shaken about a lot, but the actual journey was lovely - beautiful countryside, sea views, pretty stations.  The stations are all very well kept, with gorgeous flower beds and pots - all staffed by friendly volunteers, here's a couple of the border displays:-

The engine that pulled us:-

No chance of getting a photo without people in the way, at each station there were lots of people waiting for a chance to get on and be shown around the engine compartment, and loads of steam buffs taking photos.  Each station has different things to see, some have 2nd hand bookshops, one has a museum of old train memorabilia (including a sleeping carriage fully kitted out), one of the stations has a lovely little maze garden, another an attractive picnic area with new benches and tables.  

Our friends, who are geocachers and do a lot of walking and sightseeing, have opened our eyes to lovely villages and areas around here that we, as residents, didn't even know existed.  I guess since we moved here - 6 months ago today - we've spent so much time getting the home and especially the garden sorted, we've not really had much time to go exploring.  Now we've done enough in the garden for this year, we'll be able to have more days out from here on.  That's if the weather finally warms up!  It's freezing cold again today, with heavy rain forecast anytime now.  Well, I say freezing....it's actually about 15 deg. but feels a lot colder with the wind, and I do seem to feel the cold a lot more nowadays.  It's definitely not flaming June!!

Now I've bought the little tabletop oven, which works really well, I want to start making bread again.  The blogger and food writer Thrifty Lesley (I'm sure many of you know of her) has a recipe for what she calls Magic Dough on her website, it's basically a cross between ordinary bread dough (it has a little quick yeast in it) and sourdough, she makes a batch of it and keeps it in the fridge, feeding it once or twice a week with a cupful of flour and some water, and taking out some of the dough to use for many kinds of bread.  I'll make up a batch of that at the weekend.  I've bought a few bags of flour recently to stock up, as the price of wheat is forecast to go up due to the bad weather affecting wheat crops.  Some of the flour I keep in the freezer - it doesn't go solid but stays free-flowing, I just have to remember to take it out of the freezer a couple of hours before I want to use it, so it can reach room temperature.

We're having dinner out with our Kent friends later on, before they go home tomorrow.  And that's the last of our friends/family visits for a while, although husband's daughter and son in law are talking about coming down for a visit in a couple of months.  After all of these visits and the extra work, days out, entertaining and full-on chatting that entails, I'll be glad of an easy slow week to come, I feel totally worn out.  Definitely feeling my age lately!

All planted up, trains and pain

 I planted up the anniversary gift tin bath with more herbs yesterday:-

Chives, rosemary, two kinds of sage, curly parsley and lemon thyme.  The parsley and rosemary were growing herb pots from the veg section of the supermarket, I've bought similar and planted them in the garden in previous years, the chives I already had, sages and lemon thyme from a garden centre.  It looks pretty and I'm very pleased with it.  I bought a hibiscus plant, one with deep pink flowers, to go in a pot in a bare space on the garden path in front of the fence.  Other than perhaps a tray of bedding dahlias, that's the last plant I'm buying for the garden this year! (she says, with every intention of sticking to it 😉).

Our friends from Kent arrived yesterday, they're staying in a static caravan at a nearby holiday park, they said it's the best one they've ever stayed in and they're right on the sea front so have lovely views from their decking.  They came round for coffee and cake, I'd made a light cinnamon spiced fruit cake.  Tomorrow we're all going on the West Somerset steam train for the afternoon, it covers 20 miles and has 10 stations, we can hop on and off the train at any of the stations.  Our friends are big steam train lovers, husband really likes them too....even I quite like them, so it should be a good day, especially since the weather is forecast to be good.  

Thursday the 4 of us are going out for lunch somewhere, not sure where yet, we'll enjoy it wherever it is, our friends are really good company and we get on exceptionally well with them. 

I'm feeling really tired the last couple of days, despite sleeping quite well - we've had such a busy few weeks with a constant stream of visitors.  All the planning, prep, extra cleaning and cooking, loads of days out, and just general talking(!!) all the time has simply worn me out I think, enjoyable though it has been.  My left shoulder is really paining me too, so I am having to take regular doses of co-codamol to control the pain.  I've googled some exercises to help with the pain and stiffness - I can't raise my left arm above my head or reach behind my back without a great deal of pain, which makes showering, dressing and brushing my hair a bit difficult.  I'm sure the painkillers and exercises will sort it out though.  So today, other than changing the bed linen and putting a wash on the line, which husband has helped with, I'm taking it easy.  Cheese & crackers for lunch and prawn salad for dinner, so no cooking today....husband will prep the salad.

Scalped by Joe 90

 I woke up this morning thinking 'wow, I've had a really good sleep' then looked at the clock and it was 02.25!  Luckily, I must have gone straight back to sleep and woke up again just after 05.30, and I do feel refreshed.  Sis got home safely around 6 pm yesterday and said she was thinking of more or less going straight to bed, she was shattered.

I used to get my hair cut every 6 weeks or so by my neighbour and friend 2 doors away from our old house, she's a hairdresser and has her own little salon at home.  I did go back to her in February to have a cut but, generally speaking, it's too far to go regularly now, and I haven't yet found a mobile hairdresser nearby, despite asking on the FB local page.  Recommendations given for a couple of salons in town, but I'd rather not pay their prices!  Remembering that Sue in Suffolk used to cut her own hair with clippers - and being quite handy with the clippers myself as I usually do husband's hair, I thought I'd give it a go on my own hair....how hard could it be?  Well, other than the back of my head.  Husband's comb attachments for his clippers go up to a size 8, we use a No. 2 on his hair.  I should add that I do like my hair to be short and spiky, I can't stand my hair blowing all over my face, and it has been quite windy here.  So this morning I tried, using the No. 8.  Well, it wasn't at all easy - for a start I have a painful left shoulder and am currently unable to lift my left arm up over my head.  And I find it very disorientating trying to do it in the mirror - it's almost counter-intuitive watching a reflection of my hand going the opposite way to how my brain thinks it should be, if you know what I mean.  So I had to (reluctantly) ask husband for help.  A few problems with that......for a start, his hands shake, so he kept banging the clippers against my scalp, and he caught my earlobe a few times.  The most annoying thing though is that he doesn't listen to my simple instructions, but instead has a habit of TELLING me what I want(!!) and forging ahead and doing it without waiting for my yay or nay.  But I didn't have any choice really - once it was started, the job had to be finished!

It's a bit uneven, and I feel like I've been scalped by a 10 year old wearing milk bottle bottom glasses.  But I'm sure it looks worse to me because I've been inspecting it critically - it would probably look ok to anyone else.  Really, I'm just glad it's now short and (fairly) neat again....and there's certainly no danger of the wind slapping it around my face!!  (and NO, before anyone asks, I'm not putting on a photo 😂😂).

We're off to the supermarket this morning to stock up on fresh fruit, veggies, fish for me, chicken for husband, eggs and cheeses - buffalo mozzarella, feta, halloumi and cottage.  Lots of salads this week.

A very good week

 We saw sister off on her return coach at 11.00 this morning, she's got another hour or so to go before the coach arrives in her home town.  We've all had a lovely time, it's been really nice to have her here for the week.  She said she'd had a wonderful time, appreciated the fact that I let her get away with doing absolutely nothing (housework/cooking/washing up wise) all week, and is going home with renewed vigour and enthusiasm.  Which was my intention for her.  I know she'd do the same for me.

I have to say though, I shall be glad to get back to our normal routine now....well, for a few days at least, as our friends arrive for another few days' holiday on Monday, although they're not staying with us and we probably won't be seeing them until Tuesday.  I've found this week very tiring - we don't normally go out every single day.  Although initially sister had said we didn't have to go out/do something every day, once here she sort of got swept up in the excitement of being on holiday (she rarely has holidays) and kind of wanted to be a tourist and do all the touristy things!  Which was ok by me.  It was quite fun seeing and doing things through her eyes.....I wouldn't want to do it all the time though!  I'm feeling really knackered now, and uncomfortably bloated - too many coffee and cake stops!  And the fish and chips....and scones....and rum & raisin ice cream (a childhood throwback for us).  I drew the line at candy floss though - I always hated it, although sister (still) loves it.  Or she thinks she does - we never actually found any for her to try!

We went to the boot sale this afternoon - it was sunny but so very windy, I felt like I'd been in a wind tunnel.  Husband got a small electric mower (for Betty's 6ft square lawn, which is growing amazingly thick and fast), a hosepipe and reel and an almost new water butt with all the fittings, he was well pleased.  Sadly, there was only one plant seller there and she didn't have any herbs, I'll have to have a look tomorrow when we go out shopping.  

After all the carby treat-type things we've had this week (luckily I'd cooked healthy meals to offset some of that), I'm now itching to get back to my relatively plain healthy eating of fresh veggies, fish, salads and fruit.  I reckon I'll be asleep by about 8 pm tonight.  It's been a good week, there hasn't been one single moment where I thought "I wish she'd go home"!  Betty's missing sis, she keeps sniffing her chair and has been decidedly subdued since she left.

Last day

 Still having a great time, visiting lots of places, quite a bit of shopping (sis loves a shop or 6), a lot of chat and laughter.... strangely enough no tears - yet!  I'm getting very tired though, so this morning we're just going to potter in the garden - my choice.  Need to do some deadheading, pot on some bedding plants I bought yesterday (I want them a bit bigger and stronger before I plant them out), and plant up the herb tin bath.  It's in very good condition considering how old it is, husband will drill a few drainage holes in it first.

After lunch we're off to a farm park - lots of cute animals, a gift shop, a junk shop recently opened in a barn there, nice cafe with outside seating and sea views, lovely.

We had fish and chips on the seafront yesterday evening (Betty did too, although I take most of the batter off her portion and she only has a few chips).  It was very sunny and warm, but quite windy, so we sat in the car to eat.... didn't fancy a liberal dusting of sand covering our food.

Our daily lives and the odd opinion

 Re my last post and all the comments.....yes it is my blog and I can voice my opinions.  However, some bloggers (and I can think of a few) often throw out a very provocative post on their blogs, in the full knowledge that it's going to cause arguments - yes it could be termed healthy debate, but sometimes things quickly turn into a slanging match.  That's not what my blog is about, nor do I want it to be - it's just chatting about our daily lives, with the occasional opinion thrown in (and quite a few moans 😉😂).  I don't want to upset any of my regular readers, nor do I want a load of argy-bargy, snide comments and fallings out amongst my readers.  We're a happy, friendly, caring bunch and I'd like it to stay that way.  So politics (and religion, conspiracy theories, aliens, refugees, pineapple on pizzas [yes please 😁], strikes, protest marches) etc will be off the table - well, off my blog from now on.  I'm sure we all have enough troubles in our lives to deal with.  

So here's my own private moan for today 😂😂.  I do nearly all of the food prep, cooking and serving up, as you know, I also do quite a bit of the washing up during the day (my choice, at least I know it's done properly and all my crockery/glassware stays intact!)....husband does the washing up every evening after dinner - although he often leaves things in the bowl 'to soak overnight', and some things I have to re-wash the next day as they've still got dried on food 😒.  Whilst sis is here this week, I don't want her doing anything (she does offer) - I want her to have a lovely relaxing week, she really does need it - she would do the same for me.  However, husband sees it as an extra body to do the washing up (so he doesn't have to) and keeps making barbed digs about it, trying to guilt trip sis into doing it.  She doesn't take much notice, or just laughs, I'd already pre-warned her that he sometimes makes inappropriate comments which is part of his cognitive impairment.  And I had already talked to him before sis arrived, saying that I want sis to just relax and enjoy herself.  But obviously he forgets everything he's told.

So anyway.....it's been quite cloudy and drizzly today.  After a leisurely morning, we decided to go to Porlock Weir, we took a packed lunch and had it in the car facing the beach - it was too cold and windy to eat outside.  After lunch when the drizzle had eased off, husband stayed in the car with Betty whilst sis and I had a stroll around - a brief one as there was still a cold wind.  It's quite interesting looking at things through sister's eyes - as a tourist....I guess as we live here we tend to take the sights for granted.  Then we drove up into Porlock (the village, the Weir is the seaside bit) and looked in a few shops.  Sis bought us a galvanised tin baby bath in a junk shop, which the owner said is from the 1940s - the tin bath that is - as an anniversary present for us (you may remember our anniversary was last week).  I'm delighted, I'm going to use it as a herb garden.  Actually, I think one of the other Sues has one.

Tomorrow morning we'll be doing a little bit of shopping, then going to a boot sale in the afternoon.  We're having such a good time.

No more on that subject

 In the spirit of fairness I've allowed all comments on my politics post of 1 June.  However, I regret having said anything about politics/politicians (which really I know nothing about, it was just a personal observation) and won't be publishing any further comments.  Nor making any further observations about politics, either side of the pond.  I've no wish to aggravate anybody, that's not what my blog is about.

My apologies.

Lovely week so far

 Let's take politics off this blog, it's far too divisive and emotive and I've no wish to cause ructions!

Well, we're having a lovely time with sister.  She arrived almost exactly on time on Saturday (which I think is quite amazing really, that the coach company are able to pinpoint an exact arrival time - and stick to it - on a 6 or 7 hour journey), we spent the evening chatting and laughing.  Yesterday we had a leisurely day....sat in the garden for a while, had a little walk around our village, went out for our carvery lunch.  In the evening sis wanted to see the sea, so we went to Minehead for a stroll along the promenade (sis is too wobbly on her feet right now so walking on the very soft sandy beach was out).  It was a lovely warm evening, and still surprisingly busy, lots of holidaymakers about.

Today we went here:-

Dunster village - we didn't go up to the castle, too steep for sis.  Had a lovely lunch in the garden of a nice cafe, and a browse round the shops.  The weather was intermittently cloudy and sunny, very warm and dry.  Lots of photo opportunities in the village, to sister's delight.

Tomorrow we're off to Watchet, sister's choice.

Unusual bad night....and politics! (look away now haha)

 Although I do generally sleep very well nowadays, last night was one of those now relatively few nights where I didn't - in fact I was awake for 3 or 4 hours.  Got a few things on my mind right now, and of course the excitement of sister arriving later today.  When I knew I wasn't going to get back to sleep anytime soon, I put the lamp on and read my book.  A couple of times I half dropped off so put the light out, but as soon as I did I was wide awake again, annoyingly.  Think I finally put the light out for the last time and went to sleep around 04.30....and then husband got up and crashed around (he's noisy whatever he does) waking me up just after 06.30.  I think I'll be having a little nap this afternoon before we go off to pick sis up.  For yesterday's dinner husband had chicken and chips, but I didn't have the fish fingers after all - I had just what I fancied, which was a cheesy chip butty with mayo.  It was delicious, but obviously very carb-laden - I didn't have my sourdough bread, which was still in the freezer, I had 2 slices of husband's granary bread - nice, but gave me gut ache (sourdough is about the only bread that doesn't disturb my guts, unless I eat too much of it).  So that's another reason why I didn't sleep well, probably.

I put my washing out on the line at 08.15 this morning, it was already warm and sunny then.  It's got a bit hazy now but is still warm.  The bed linen is changed, the hoovering done, bathroom cleaned, garden tidied and paths swept, nothing else to do.  Sister's coach can be tracked online and so far it's running on time.

I don't take much notice of politics, not even in this country, let alone anywhere else.  However, I just find it so hard to take in that Trump could possibly still be re-elected as President.  At the risk of upsetting some of my USA readers (apologies if it does), I absolutely cannot understand his appeal - he's arrogant, a bully, a liar, takes absolutely no notice of anyone else and thinks he's ALWAYS right.  And he's been so rude to/about the Judge and openly flouted the Judge's gagging orders.  It almost seems to me as if his followers have been brainwashed, like he's some sort of cult leader.  Well, that's my opinion anyway, for what it's worth.  I'm just glad I'm not American.

As for our upcoming election - as yet I have absolutely no idea who I shall be voting for.  I've read a few of each (of the main) party's claims of what they will/won't do if they get in power, to give me some insight.  But I have to say I'm not impressed by any of the parties (or their leaders and right hand men/women) - they're all very good at spouting off about what they'll do, but then their promises tend to disappear once they're in power.  And none of them seemingly will give a direct answer to a question, which is very irritating.  I even did a questionnaire in one of the papers....you had to rate how important (or not) you felt a number of issues were, then your answers are collated and the quiz came up with percentages for which party best suited your answers.  Well, my highest percentage was for a party I've never even heard of! 😂😕  So I'm none the wiser.

Please don't help!!

 I was getting a bit stressed yesterday, trying to get things done and organised for when sister comes tomorrow, husband is no help at all at times like this, in fact he's more of a hindrance.  But last night I came to my senses and told myself I was being stupid - things don't have to be perfect, sis won't care, she'll just be very happy to be here!  She's desperate to get here actually, she's having a bit of a tough time at the mo, stressed with life stuff and that has caused her to have a flare up of her Multiple Sclerosis symptoms.  The flare up in itself isn't too much of a problem, sis copes with these flare ups very well, she just limps more meaning she has to use 2 sticks and is even more clumsy than usual.  My sister is very determined though (gets that from me!) and has never let her condition stop her from doing whatever she wants to do.  She does need to rest more though, and she'll certainly do that here, I'll make sure of it.

We went shopping this morning.....now, when we get back I much prefer to put the shopping away myself - my cupboards and freezer drawers are very organised and everything has its place.  I prefer it that way because it makes it easy for me to find things when I know exactly where they are.  Husband, however, puts the shopping literally anywhere there's a space, with no regard for putting like with like or even in the right cupboard....which means I can't find things and have to search for where he's put them (he never remembers, of course).  I do ask him not to put the stuff away but leave it for me - I've asked him numerous times.  He forgets though.  When we got back this morning I had to go to the loo straight away.....I came out to find he'd already emptied a couple of the bags and shoved the stuff anywhere and everywhere 😠 creating problems for me.  He thinks he's helping - he's not.  I often think if I had a pound for every time I have to repeat something to him, I'd be a millionaire in no time.

I asked him to clear up his bedroom, putting away all the clutter he's got everywhere....frankly, I don't really mind where he puts all that, as long as it's out of sight, not cluttering up the floor or the top of his chest of drawers, and isn't just shoved any old how onto his wardrobe shelves meaning that it'll all fall out when the doors are opened!  He did a bit, then abandoned that and went outside to chat to the painters (they're here painting the external walls today, hooray!).  So I finished it off.

The lounge furniture has all been moved to my satisfaction.  Now I just want to reorganise a couple of shelves in the kitchen, get a wash load sorted for tomorrow morning, and then I can sit down and relax.  We're having chicken and chips tonight - well, husband will have chicken, I'll have fish fingers probably - an easy meal that I can just throw in the air fryer.  Tomorrow morning we just have to change the bed linen and shove the vacuum cleaner around and all will be ready for sis.  We're having homemade potato, cheese and chive pasties with salad when we arrive back here after picking sis up off the coach, I expect she'll want an early night, she'll be tired after a 6-hour journey.  The weather looks good for the coming week, how lovely.

A little moan...

 ...well, it was a great big moan actually this morning.  I was trying to make an observation to husband, concerning cars and parking in our little cul de sac - he kept interrupting and talking over me, 4, yes four times I tried to say the same sentence and each time he butted in.  Finally I erupted and yelled "Am I actually ALLOWED to talk?!".  For 40+ years I have more or less faded into the background and kept pretty quiet, as husband has always taken the floor and pontificated, he constantly interrupts me, butts in, doesn't listen to anything I have to say and talks over me.  Even when we're with my family or friends of mine, he dominates the conversation, sometimes I can hardly get a word in.  To be fair, it's a family trait - most of his family are the same, when the siblings are together they all talk or even shout over each other.  I pointed out that I've let him do this for all this time, but now I've had enough of it - it's like my opinion or thoughts on anything, to anyone, don't matter - all that matters is what he's got to say.  I've got another (male) friend who's the same, never listens to me and thinks I'm always wrong and he's always right.  Husband kept quiet after that and went off to his gym session, so at least I've had an hour to simmer down.  I don't ask for much, all I want is to be listened to, my opinion taken into consideration and be allowed to finish a sentence!

I've just made some cheese scones to be frozen for next week.....if I do say so myself, they're bloody good, I do make really nice scones.  Now I'm going to make some chocolate and apricot little cakes, using Greek yogurt in them to keep them moist - I also put yogurt in the scones, it makes them lovely and light.

Got a bit more pruning and tidying up to do in the side bluebell bed, now the spent bluebells have been cleared out.  One plant that's coming up strongly now I am pretty sure is one that I've often admired but never grown before - I think it's a Japanese Anemone.....obviously it's not in flower yet, they flower in late summer I think.  They come in white or pink, I wonder which this one is?  I'll be happy with either.

Just 2 more sleeps before sister arrives, I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to it and I know she is too.  I've decided to rearrange our lounge this morning now husband has just got back from the gym, the layout has irritated me ever since we moved in actually 😒 And since I'm already feeling irritated today, shoving furniture around will get rid of some of that excess irritation! 😂

Jobs done already

 The painters didn't come yesterday, the forecast was for heavy rain showers and obviously they can't paint exterior walls in the rain.  However, as it turned out we only had a few very light showers.  Sunny spells interspersed with a bit of cloud today and no rain in the forecast, so they've arrived.  They're starting on another bungalow first, there are 11 here all told, I hope they'll get round to ours before the end of the week.

We've already been out in the garden this morning, clearing the side bed of all the spent bluebells - now there's space and we can see just what's coming up in that bed.  The bluebells were so tightly packed, they've obviously not been thinned out for a few years and were smothering everything else in that bed - assorted roses and shrubs.  As I mentioned, there's a huge white flowered hebe (it still had the odd few flowers on it last November when we came to view the property) in the middle of the bed, it's grown really massive so I'll have to trim it back.  The 3 or 4 shrub roses and other, as yet unidentified, things are quite spindly and weak stemmed, clearly not been pruned in years and smothered by the bluebells, so a lot of work to do there.  They're mostly so weak that I doubt they'll flower very well, if at all, this year so I may just cut them right back now and accept the fact that they might not flower this year, but should be blooming next year.

I've emptied out 2 drawers in my bedroom, condensing the things into other drawers, so husband can put his clothes in there for next week, as he'll be sleeping in my room.  Not sure what Betty will think of that!!  Or me, come to that! 😂  Still, Betty's got her own bed on the floor in my room (not that she actually sleeps in it much) and I have a recliner chair I can sleep in, if husband's too fidgety - which he is, one of the reasons why we sleep separately.

The weather for next week looks fantastic, mostly warm and sunny, I'm so pleased sis will have a good weather week, it's very restricting when it's chucking it down continually.  I'm going to make some cake and cheese scones this afternoon, to freeze for next week.  I've already made and frozen a few dinners, and the table is booked for our Sunday carvery, so I'm all set really.  Just shopping for fresh stuff on Saturday morning, the bed linen to change in husband's room, hoovering and making sure all his untidy mess is put away - honestly, his bedroom is a bit like a teenage boy's....still, it's his room, if he wants to live in a mess that's up to him.  Mine is quite minimalist, tidy and an oasis of calm!

Support network

 Didn't get round to doing any garden stuff yesterday, the weather was very changeable and a bit on the chilly side, although I did manage to get a load of washing dry, eventually.  I got on with a few things indoors instead, we also popped to the supermarket for a very small top up shop.  Made a tinned salmon and feta cheese crustless quiche for dinner, with new potatoes and courgettes.  Speaking of courgettes, we now have a few tiny ones appearing on our plants.

Had a long chat with sister yesterday, she's got a lot of problematic stuff going on right now and is really in need of a restful break.  I'll make sure she has a lovely time here, although I've got a few excursions planned it'll be entirely up to sis what we do each day, I'll give her the option of going out or staying home, whatever she feels like.  I know just the fact of not having to cook or do any housework each day will be a nice break for her....it would for me.  I want her to enjoy her week and recharge her batteries.  Sis and I are each other's support network, having similar things going on in our lives.  We all need a support network don't we, even if it's just a listening ear.

Raining this morning but forecast to clear up this afternoon, and then the weather is supposed to be getting better and better by the day - lovely.  The painters probably won't arrive until the rain has stopped, I'm guessing.

Lovely meal, garden plans and doggy cancer :(

 The anniversary carvery lunch yesterday was really nice, we both thoroughly enjoyed it.  The vegetarian option didn't appeal - some sort of fake chicken thing that looked unappetising - so I just had the veggies, no problem as there was loads to choose from and when I do a roast at home I frequently have just the veggies anyway.  I had lovely crispy roast potatoes and parsnips, root veg mash, potato dauphinoise, cauli cheese, peas, stuffing balls and a Yorkie pud, plus gravy and cranberry sauce.  It was all delicious (other than the peas which were a bit like bullets) and I was totally full up.  Husband had beef and gammon, both of which he said were very tasty, the beef was nicely pink in the middle.  We didn't have desserts, too full (not that I eat desserts out anyway, far too sweet and sickly for my taste) and didn't linger too long in there after eating, as the place was full of families, it being a holiday weekend.  We enjoyed it though and will probably take sister there next week, it should be quieter then.

It was a funny old day weather wise, a mixture of sunshine and heavy showers - it was raining quite hard when we arrived at the restaurant, but dry and sunny when we came out.  At least we didn't have to water the garden or Betty's lawn.  We should have the first of our homegrown radishes and carrots in a week's time, something to look forward to.  The courgettes, mini cucumbers and tomato plants are all growing strongly but it'll be another month or so before we get a harvest from them.  The potatoes are doing well too, husband has already covered them with more compost twice (they're growing in bags).

This coming week is forecast to be mixed, weatherwise, and cooler than last week but that's ok, I want to do work in the garden and can't when it's too hot and sunny.  The side bed that has a large white-flowered hebe and loads of bluebells in it now needs clearing, as the bluebells have died back.  The big hebe also needs some pruning, it's getting massive.  I can already see some plants that weren't very visible or identifiable during the winter and whilst the masses of bluebells were in flower.  There's another hebe, a smaller purple one, a couple of roses and a clematis starting to climb up the back wall, plus a couple of other plants that are as yet not in flower so I'm not sure what they are.  Weeds are growing like mad, especially in the paving cracks, and there are poppies sprouting up everywhere, back and front.  I love poppies (I wonder what colour they'll be?) but there are rather a lot of them and some are growing in inappropriate areas so will need pulling up.  I'll also need to tie in climbing plants to their supports again.

The painters are coming Tuesday to finish off the external walls.  Husband's got his Sheds group on Wednesday and the gym on Thursday, we've got shopping to do on Friday and husband's room to get ready for sister to sleep in.

Had a message to say our previous neighbours' dog, Betty's best friend from the old house, has got cancer.....that's 2 friends we know who have dogs with cancer right now.  How sad.  Betty's friend Poppy is the same age as Betty and they grew up together.

A cemetery walk

 Husband's siblings had been very complimentary towards me - his sister said I'd lost quite a bit of weight (mind you, I haven't seen her for years and I know I have indeed lost weight since then).  His brother said I looked really well....and asked "Can I say slimmer?" - he is very diplomatic, unusually for husband's family! 😂 I haven't weighed myself for months, probably not since we've moved here, so I stood on the scales yesterday, out of curiosity.  And lo and behold, I have lost weight, I'm the lowest I've been in a couple of years I think.  All without actively trying to lose weight.  I put it down to being so much happier here (so no comfort eating), and eating a much healthier diet nowadays - all those veggies and fish, although I do still eat plenty of cheese.  Whatever, it's good and I feel well, relatively speaking!

We wanted to go out for a walk with Betty yesterday, not on a beach or the popular tourist areas though, they'd be heaving as it's a half term holiday week and good weather again.  So we wanted somewhere quiet, and also fairly level, in view of my aches and pains.  We decided on Minehead cemetery in the end - it looked fairly big on Google Earth, with lots of trees and shrubs and paths, I checked that dogs were allowed (they were, on leads).  Well, it was lovely there, and completely deserted so very peaceful, apart from some distant traffic and someone mowing their lawn (houses adjacent to the cemetery).  It was interesting looking at some of the graves and headstones - one lady died at the age of 104 in 2009, what an incredibly long life, she must have seen no end of changes and survived two world wars.  There were no flowers on the grave, but it looked clean and well tended, so I assume she must have some surviving relatives.

Quite near the entrance was this memorial stone:-

The inscription at the top reads 'Sisters of Charity of St. Louis', then 'Sisters' and a list of names....meant nothing to me so I looked it up when we got home.  Apparently it was a convent founded in Minehead in 1898, it closed in 1994.  There was also this huge plot:-

It was twice as long as my photo shows.  The middle stone reads 'Westerley Eventide Homes' - again I knew nothing about them so also googled that.  It's a Christian residential care home providing mostly dementia care.  I'm assuming that some elderly residents die with no family and are buried in this large communal space.

This struck me, one of the older parts of the cemetery:-

Most of the memorials from years ago were crosses - now hardly any are crosses or have crosses on them.  Times change, I guess.  There are also many more very small memorials marking cremations rather than burials.  I liked the way the grounds around the older graves are left to grow as wildflower meadows.

Finally, an old tree cut down and carved into a couple of seats:-

Good idea, but not terribly comfortable by the look of them!

It was really interesting - well I found it so, husband not so much, Betty was happy sniffing around everywhere.  We'll go back again, possibly even when sister is here, she likes looking around cemeteries.

Off out for our anniversary carvery lunch today, although our anniversary is tomorrow.

Sitting is no good for you (well, me)

 Whilst it was lovely seeing husband's siblings after several years, all that sitting around talking for hours 2 days running seemed to wear me out, and certainly did my back in - sitting for a long period of time is one of the worst things to affect my back.  Consequently, yesterday I was in agony for much of the day, and surprisingly tired.  I did just the necessary housework and food prep in the morning, then sat in the recliner armchair in my bedroom to get on with menu planning and writing the shopping list for the end of next week, for when sister comes - it's a week today!  Though the chair is comfy, I did have to keep getting up and walking around a bit, to ease my back.  It's a bit better today, thankfully.... although I've got shoulder and side of my neck pains today, there's always something! 

A few weeks after we'd moved in, I sorted out pictures (we had quite a lot) for the rooms, including some for husband's room.....he'd not got round to putting them up, saying he wasn't bothered.  Well, it was about time he put them up, especially since sister will be using his room for the week, so I chivvied him into doing it, finally.  I got him to swap a couple of light shades around too, I'd realised they'd look better swapped around in different rooms.

I'm looking forward to going out for the carvery tomorrow - not sure what the vegetarian option is, instead of the roast meat, but if it's something I don't fancy then it doesn't matter, there'll be lots of lovely veggies to choose from, carveries generally have a good selection.  A plate of roast potatoes, root veg mash, honey roasted carrots and parsnips, buttered Savoy cabbage and/or Brussels sprouts, and definitely cauliflower cheese, stuffing and gravy and I'm happy.  And having it cooked for me and cleared up afterwards so I don't have to do a thing, is a real pleasure too.

Betty's lawn has rooted really well and is looking great, strong and healthy.  We took the canes down and let her on it for the first time yesterday, she carefully and slowly walked all around it, sniffing it all - and then peed on it.  We sprinkled it with the watering can straight away....obviously we know she'll be peeing on it and we won't necessarily see her do it every time, but we'll continue to water it regularly anyway, don't want burnt brown patches from her urine.  Especially not on such a small area of lawn.  It's ready for the first cut too, it's really grown strongly as we've been watering it every day, husband will give it a light cut with the strimmer.

Touching base

 We had a nice time catching up with husband's sister and niece yesterday.  However, having not seen her for a few years, we were surprised at just how much she'd aged, especially since she's nearly 2 years younger than husband - she now looks much older than him.  She does have a few health problems (don't we all!) and is quite a heavy smoker, so I dare say that's got something to do with it.  She filled us in with news about some of the rest of husband's family - most of them live fairly near to each other up in the Midlands but, as I've said before, they are quite fragmented and some generally have fallen out with others at any one time, for one reason or other.  I think his sister is feeling her age and wanting to touch base with her siblings, whilst there's still time, basically.  The youngest of the siblings is approaching 60, the eldest 2 (of 10) have already died and a few of them have had recent health scares, so the realities of advancing age are penetrating their consciences, I guess.  Happens to us all!

The problem relative in my family is causing a few worries again at the moment - he has some quite serious health problems which came to light when he was taken to hospital by ambulance following a fall downstairs in his house a year or so ago.  However, after having a couple of tests he discharged himself against the hospital's advice and refused to have any more tests.  The doctor did write on his discharge notes that he may have a potentially life threatening condition and strongly advised further tests - to date relative has refused to have them, which is his prerogative - if he wants to bury his head in the sand there's not much we can do about it.  But some problems have arisen again, once again it's been recommended he has some tests, and again he's refusing.  Ho hum.

I need a quiet day today, it's been a busy week and I'm feeling a bit worn out.  I'll do the necessary this morning and just read in the afternoon.  It was cloudy all day yesterday and considerably cooler than of late, cloudy again this morning but a bit warmer with some sun forecast this afternoon, so I'll probably sit in the garden if it stays dry.

Surprise visitors

 Had a very unexpected but lovely surprise yesterday morning, about an hour after husband had gone off to his Sheds group.  One of his younger brothers and wife turned up out of the blue - popped in on their way home to the Midlands from their holiday in Devon.  I rang husband (luckily, he'd remembered to take his phone with him, and he even remembered how to answer it! 😂) and he came back home straight away, it's been quite a long time since we last saw his brother and wife....it was at my Mum's funeral I think.  Lovely catch up, they've promised to come down for a holiday near us later in the year.  And husband's sister and niece are coming today, just for the day.....then my sister the end of next week for a week, then the following week our friends from Kent for a Mon-Fri holiday.  We'll be going to the caravan after that, for a week of rest!

Husband made the new house sign at Sheds yesterday, a plain circle, it's thicker and much better quality and he's sanded it lovely and smooth, which will be much better for drawing on, once it's spray painted white and the numeral taken off the old sign and put on this one.

The relatives arrived whilst I was in the middle of some cooking - veggie pasties to be frozen for when sis comes, and a nut roast for me, also cut into portions and frozen.  The pasties have a potato, cheese and chive filling - a tin of potatoes I'd had in the cupboard for ages.  I drained and roughly mashed them, mixing in grated Cheddar, lots of snipped chives from the garden, some dried sage and a teaspoon of Dijon mustard to bring out the flavour of the cheese.  I used a sheet of bought puff pastry, cut into 4 squares, once filled I part baked the pasties in the air fryer.  The nut roast I usually use....well, chopped nuts in!  However, I'd forgotten I'd used them all up a couple of weeks ago and didn't get round to buying any more.  So I used a few spoonfuls of crunchy peanut butter instead.  Each time I make a nut roast it's different - I don't follow a recipe, it's a case of throwing in the bowl whatever I've got and need to use up at the time.  So this time it was half a packet of sage & onion stuffing mix, made up, 2 medium carrots grated, some tomato puree, the last spoonful of red pesto sauce in the jar, a little bit of feta cheese left over, some grated Cheddar and the peanut butter.  Mixed well, put in a well greased loaf pan and baked in the air fryer.  Yum, I do love nut roasts.

The pasties will be a quick dinner for the day sister arrives (her coach arrives at 6 pm), we'll have them with new potatoes and salad.

In the 5 months since we've moved here, we've had so many visitors, seems like hardly a week goes by without some family members or friends ringing and asking if they can come see us.  I know some of them are curious about what a sheltered housing scheme looks like (we're all getting older!), and they've all been pleasantly surprised at how nice it is here.  Of course, here we are much closer to civilisation rather than being completely out in the sticks as we were before.  It is good to have all these visitors, particularly from husband's big family who are very fragmented and have largely lost touch. 

It's our wedding anniversary on Monday, 41 years, where has the time gone?  Rather than doing something on Monday, which is a bank holiday of course, we're going out for lunch on Sunday for a carvery - they do vegetarian options as well as the roast meats.  We do like a roast lunch, and not having to cook it myself is such a treat.

Wow that's quick

 It was all go yesterday.  Around 08.30 am I emailed the decorating contractors who were going to be doing the external painting, asking for a definite date if possible, as 'shortly' was very imprecise!  Half an hour later, they turned up, to my complete surprise - I thought Wow!  That's the quickest response ever!  😂😂  Actually, I knew it wasn't in response to my email, I'd had an instant automated reply saying they'd get back to me in 2 working days, it just struck me as being very funny.  They'd come to do preparation work - 2 very charming and helpful guys, father and son as it happened, they helped to move things where necessary and explained what would be happening.  They cleaned out the gutters, being careful not to disturb the sparrows nesting which I pointed out to them, then wiped down all the walls, fascias and windowsills.  They painted the wooden fascias and soffits and cleaned up after themselves.  They said they'll be back on Friday, or possibly Monday, to paint the walls.

Whilst this was happening, we had another knock on the door - a surveyor from the Housing Association to come and inspect some damp and mould that's appeared on our front lounge wall and in the bathroom.  He did initially come across as patronising (she's just an elderly woman who knows nothing type of attitude) and tried to put the blame on us (not opening windows or having the heating on), but I wasn't having that - I informed him that I worked for a chartered building surveyor for many years so knew the different types of dampness and what caused them, which soon changed his attitude and he became quite friendly.  I showed him the non-working kitchen and bathroom extractor fans - he didn't actually believe they didn't work until he tried them for himself, and then admitted they didn't.  He took photos of everything, made notes on his iPad and said he would arrange for the extractor fans to be serviced or replaced and the bathroom ceiling to be repainted with specialist mould guard paint (he reckoned it's ordinary emulsion on there - I should add that the whole bungalow was redecorated by the Housing Association contractors before we moved in, so they obviously cut corners!).

Betty wore herself out with excitement over all these potential new friends, she didn't know who to attempt to play with first.  I did ask husband to take her out for a walk whilst it was all going on, but he either didn't hear me or was too busy chatting to the decorators outside.  In the end, I shut her in my bedroom.  

I'd started doing some banking and budgeting, I also wanted to do a shopping list for next week, before sister arrives.  With everything that was going on though, I kept being interrupted and distracted, so will do it today instead.  Husband's going to his Sheds group this morning, so that'll give me a clear couple of hours to get things done.

He's decided he's not going to the indoor bowls on a Tuesday evening anymore, he's found it a bit boring to be honest, there are only 5 or 6 others who go, and he says they're all older than him!  But he wants to keep up with Men in Sheds, and is going regularly to the gym on a Thursday.

What noise? And not very helpful...

 It was a lovely day yesterday, warm and sunny all day, although it started off a bit hazy or misty first thing but the sun soon burnt that away.  Husband went off to take the car to the garage for a minor problem - it's one of the things he's a bit obsessive about at the mo.  Well, he's always had a tendency to be somewhat obsessive about the car - frequently asks things like "Can you hear that noise?".  To which I reply "What noise?".  All cars make noises when they're being driven as far as I'm concerned, well I guess with the possible exception of electric vehicles....I wouldn't know, I've never been in one.  So I can't distinguish what is a different or worrying noise from any of the other general noises 😂.  Anyway, it turned out to be something and nothing, the garage man did some little adjustment to appease husband and didn't charge, so he was happy.

I spent a couple of hours in the garden, weeding, pruning, tying in new growth on climbing plants and generally tidying up.  Every day (well, when it's not raining) I spend some time sweeping the paths, as during the night creatures (I don't know what) seem to disturb the gravel and throw bits of it over the paths.....Betty does too, simply by walking over the gravelled areas, although occasionally she does snuffle around or scrape up the gravel, she must smell something interesting.  The back fence is covered with ivy and bindweed.....whilst I don't mind it, the greenery looks much better than the old worn fence, the bindweed in particular does need to be kept in check by regular pruning or it'll take over the flower bed.  I know bindweed is a vigorous pest, but I do like the flowers!  The fence, upright planks not fence panels, is very old and disintegrating in places, our Housing Association won't replace it though until or unless it actually falls down.  The greenery is doing a pretty good job of holding it all up though, so I'm not concerned about it, there are no gaps and it's secure enough to keep Betty in.

The firepit arrived yesterday, I like it, although it's a bit smaller than I anticipated.....it's fine though, we haven't got a huge space and there won't be a big crowd in the garden!  Must remember to take a photo...

We had a letter put through the door yesterday, from a local firm of decorators - our Housing Association are employing them to paint the exterior of all our bungalows.  The letter states that they will be coming to do the work 'soon', and asks that we all move everything away from our house walls.  Just 'soon', no actual date given - which would be helpful to know if they want us to move things!  Think I might have to ring up and ask...

Imposter syndrome

 Have you ever heard of Imposter Syndrome?

"Impostor syndrome, also known as impostor phenomenon or impostorism, is a psychological occurrence. Those who have it may doubt their skills, talents, or accomplishments. They may have a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as frauds."

(according to Wikipedia).

I frequently feel like this.  I often wake up, particularly on a sunny morning, look out into the garden and can't quite believe just how lucky we are to be living here.  It's almost like we're not worthy of it and will soon be outed as frauds.....or, as Happy Hooker commented yesterday, that I'll pinch myself and discover it's all a dream.

I do know I'm being ridiculous - when you go on the Council housing list, you can't just say you want a sheltered housing home, or even a bungalow - you have to have a defined 'need', a physical or mental health problem.  And they won't just take your word for it, you have to provide documentary evidence in the form of GP or consultant letters and reports.  Which we both had in abundance, husband twice as many as me.  We already had these, we didn't have to go to our GP or consultants with a sob story and beg them to write something suitable.  So when the Housing Association rang to offer us this bungalow, saying we were top of the list, I queried it as being a computer error or something - they said no, we met all their criteria, more so than others on the list.  But I still find it hard to believe that we're actually living here, that we legitimately live here.  I won't say deserve, I struggle a bit with that word.

Anyhow, here we are.  

Change of plan yesterday morning - we had a really nice rattan table and chair set at the caravan, the table with a glass top, we bought them brand new and love them.  The 2nd hand cafe table and director's chairs (we already had the chairs) we had here were fine, nothing wrong with them, they're more functional than aesthetically pleasing though.  So we decided to swap them over - take the cafe table/director's chairs to the caravan and bring the lovely ones back to use here - they look much nicer and we'll get more use out of them here.  That meant we couldn't take Betty with us, as we needed all the space in the back of the car, and with the back seats down.  We also wanted to bring back our spare parasol (we have a gazebo at the caravan) and husband's strimmer, as he'll need that to cut Betty's lawn.  All no problem, except it meant we couldn't spend all day at the caravan, we don't like to leave Betty on her own for more than 4 or 5 hours max.  Not that she's a problem, she isn't, not at all - she's fine on her own, doesn't bark (we've asked neighbours) or chew furniture.  As far as we can tell, she just sleeps - she certainly looks very bleary-eyed when we get home, but she is always extremely pleased to see us.  We did what we needed to do, had a nice 30 min chat with van neighbours we haven't seen since last year, then drove home, getting back by lunchtime.  So now the nice chairs and table and parasol are in place, I'm even happier with the garden.

One thing I'm not so happy about is that husband decided to touch up the white paint on the sides of the house sign, which was a bit patchy in places (he'd done the white background and sides).  Somehow or other, he managed to drip 3 lines of paint on the front, partly obliterating some of the flowers, meaning I'd have to redo them 😒.  Sometimes his 'help' (when I've not asked for it either) is less than helpful 😂🤐.  However, he was apologetic and has offered to make a new sign in his Sheds group - which is ok by me.

His short term memory continues to be a problem - yesterday morning I told him we'd have a cooked breakfast (we sometimes do on a Sunday) before we went out, then I went and got in the shower.  When I came out, he was halfway through a big bowl of cereal - he'd forgotten entirely about the cooked breakfast, within that short space of time.  I wasn't bothered though, I'm not really much of a breakfast eater anyway 😂😉

Enough for this year

 Re the table covering.....to be fair, the pattern on the Fablon does mostly hide the creases, which now are only small ones anyway, I managed to get out the bigger ones.  But I suppose it's like crochet or knitting - if you make a mistake, even a small one that isn't visible to others (unless you point it out) - whether others notice it or not, we ourselves know it's there.  Which is an irritant!  Hey ho, it is what it is....it's fine really, I'm not going to stress about it.

Thank you for the positive comments about my sign - it's nothing fancy but I like it.

The plant sale in the church hall was a dead loss - it was absolutely heaving with people, no room to move or any way of getting to the tables to see the plants because of the crowds.  And there were a couple of people with pushchairs, a few with those pushalong walking aids, 2 or 3 with big shopping trolleys, which made it even more difficult, people were getting frustrated.  The church has quite a wide outdoor space in front, there were a couple of stalls out there but they could and should have had several more, leaving more space in the (quite small) church hall.  But even the stalls outside were badly placed - both right up against the path, which then created a bottleneck of people trying to get past the crowds in front of the stalls, to go inside the hall.  There was 6 or 8 feet of grass behind the stalls, so they could have been further back, to lessen the bottleneck.  Very badly organised all round.  I didn't buy any plants, because I couldn't get near enough to actually see them!

We didn't go to the boot sale, after the crowds at the plant sale I didn't fancy any more scrums.  We stayed home and did a few small jobs in the garden, then sat out there reading - well, I read my book, husband dozed.  It was so nice and peaceful, other than a couple of lawn mowings in the distance.  What makes it even nicer living here is that from our garden we can hear the steam trains whistling.  We came indoors because the sky was coming over cloudy by late afternoon, and we did have a short but heavy shower....so no watering of plants or lawn needed.

Off to the caravan today, I've made a pasta and feta salad to take with us for lunch.  We'll call into The Range on the way, to get some charcoal for the firepit - I've ordered a really nice one, it's being delivered on Thursday.  Marlene of Poppy Patchwork blog has bought a metal bowl firepit which she's made into a water feature - it looks fantastic Marlene and I might well steal that idea for next year, thank you!  We're not going to do too much more to the garden this year, we've done what we wanted to in the way of vegetable beds, a couple of flower beds, some privacy screening with climbing plants, and a few feature plants in the largest gravel bed, to break up the sea of concrete and gravel.  Oh, and Betty's lawn of course.  I have plans to extend the flower bed right along the back fence next year, get rid of some more of the gravel, get a water feature sorted, and possibly get some better garden furniture.  For this summer, though, we'll just enjoy what we've done so far.  I'm happy with the garden work thus far, the plants and veggies are all beginning to grow well....some of the flowering plants are already blooming and looking pretty, and we'll soon be having our first radishes, followed by young carrots.

The sign, and falling out over a table

 Ok, here's the sign (don't expect a masterpiece! 😂):-

It's on the carpet, the walls of our house aren't bright red 😉 I've just got to give it a spray of clear varnish before it goes on the wall.  (Oh, and speaking of red....I'm not keen on the King's new portrait - with the red background and his red uniform, it makes it look like a disembodied head staring out at you, very unnerving).

You may remember the round table we bought for £10 from the garden centre, they were getting rid of their old cafe tables and getting new ones:-

There's nothing wrong with it at all, but the top was very faded, due to being cleaned vigorously every day and being outside in the sunny courtyard cafe.  So I bought some Fablon to cover it.  If any of you have used sticky back plastic, especially on an item larger than a few inches, then you'll know it's a bugger to apply.  I'd worked out it needed two of us, it needed to be positioned carefully (the piece I bought online was a square, 2" wider than the diameter of the round table, which is 1" in depth, so an inch extra to fold underneath), the backing peeled off slowly and applied to the surface a bit at a time, smoothing as we did so.  I knew I'd need to cut the edges to achieve a smooth finish.  I explained all this to husband beforehand, but we nearly came to blows when doing it.  He will not listen to instructions, has no patience whatsoever and goes at everything like a bull in a china shop.  Suffice it to say I told him to stop and just leave me to it!  I then had to spend half an hour struggling to peel back the parts which he'd slapped down in a rush with no care and attention, resulting in creases and air bubbles everywhere 😡 Luckily, I like it and it looks ok, so long as you don't examine it too closely!

This morning there's a plant sale in the Methodist church hall in the town, so of course we're going to have a look.....and possibly buy a plant or two.  The boot sale is on this afternoon, I'm not sure yet whether we'll be going, husband did mention going but I think I'd rather stay home and do a few bits in the garden.  He could go on his own, of course.  Got a busy week coming up, few things we need to do and husband's sister and niece are coming for a day visit, so I need to plan food for lunch.  Something simple, I've got a pizza base in the freezer, so will just put toppings on that, make a few sandwiches and have salad and crisps on the side.