A hard frost this morning, ice on the car and the grass and paths looking almost like a light covering of snow. It's bright sunshine now so the frost has gone but it's still very cold.....6 deg but feeling like 0 or 1. Much the same weather forecast for the next week. I've been out in the garden (with my coat on!) checking out the bulb pots.....yellow crocuses and yellow iris in flower, the buds of hyacinths just beginning to show, daffodil flower buds are bending over so they'll be flowering in another week or so. When we've been out and about in the car we've seen quite a few daffs already flowering on roadside verges. There are newly born little lambs in nearby fields and lots of birds in flight and beginning to sing, so Spring is definitely on the way. The daylight hours are really lengthening too, which is lovely.
I've spent this morning in the kitchen.....quiche made for lunch, a 2-portion apple pie made for husband, using a bit of leftover pastry. Split pea and veg soup in the slow cooker for dinner this evening, there'll be lots left for lunches or to be frozen. I'll make a cheesy soda bread this afternoon to go with the soup, it's nicest fresh out of the oven and then toasted on subsequent days.
Both husband and I keep getting text reminders from our GP surgery to book our annual diabetes review. However, when husband went to collect our prescriptions last week and asked about booking our reviews, he was told that they're very busy right now and won't be able to do it until the end of March 😒. I hope this government does something to help our failing NHS.
Next month is the first month of getting 2 of my Carers Allowance payments in the same month, so I'm planning for what to do with the extra money. The next thing on our Needs and Wants list is vertical blinds for the kitchen and lounge windows, so I will be making arrangements for a couple of blind reps (well, reps who work for suppliers of blinds 😂) to come and measure up and give us a quote. I've had one quote already, from a local firm - I thought it was quite expensive, but as we've never had vertical blinds fitted before (although lived in a couple of homes that had them already fitted) I wouldn't really know.
I've done a reverse menu planning list of dinners I can make from what we've got in the freezer, veg box and cupboards. There's enough to take us up to the end of the month, I'll just need to get some milk, cheese and eggs, so February will be a low spend month.
We had a quite misty, frosty cold start today, although it's bright and sunny and the temperature has risen a little now. You must be warmer than us, though. My daffs and tulips are just leaves at the moment. No sign of any buds yet. Still, we're heading in the right direction and it won't be too long before Spring finally springs!
ReplyDeleteThe NHS has been going downhill for years. I don't know what they can do to improve it, short of scrapping it all and starting again! I do know that getting rid of convalescent and geriatric hospitals/wards was a big mistake. There are a lot of people (not just older patients) who have no-one to look after them at home, so end up "blocking" (hate that word, it makes it sound like it's the patients' fault) beds, which has such a huge knock-on effect.
Nice to get a little bonus, even though you're entitled to, and are expecting it! xx
If its any help I've just had a quote for a vertical blind for a sash type window but slightly wider than a Victorian one, and it was £150 fitted. There was a good choice of colours and designs too. Xx
ReplyDeleteWe are still in cold, snow and will be until late March hopefully. I am awaiting the fellow to put up my curtain rods. It’s been a few weeks. Jean
ReplyDeleteOoo, lovely to get that double allowance month! I'll get my double pension month in May - it always feels like getting a really nice present! 😝 I enjoy thinking about how I'll use it, but will probably change my mind a few times before it actually arrives...
ReplyDeleteI really fancy some split pea soup now...
ReplyDeleteThe snow stopped here overnight, but the wind is whipping it around. This means no digging out until the wind dies down. It also means no spending as well, which is always a very good thing. How lovely to get a double payment. Blinds can be very expensive we have found.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.