Mrs. Tingley

Near to our front door, there is a gap before the hedge begins.  To make it a little more private, Hubby recently bought a planter with trellis, but it has been without a plant for a couple of weeks.  So after our clothes had dried out, we went searching... 

I spotted a very pretty pink camellia plant, but it had a tag on it that said 'Mrs. Tingley'.  So I thought, drat, someone has reserved it.  It was the most established of the camellia plants and by far the most attractive.  So Hubby went to the till area and asked whether it was for sale or not.  The man at the till didn't recall reserving it for anyone today, so he agreed that yes it was for sale.  Fabulous.  The next step was getting it in the car.  That was fun! We pushed my seat right back and it went on the floor by my feet.  We had a few petal casualties, but nothing major.  Text received from Barbara saying she had passed us on the way to a restaurant.. she did not catch sight of my new plant, I'm not sure how she missed it!!  

Back home and new plant in situ, Hubby does some research.  'Mrs. Tingley' would appear to be a specific species of camellia plant... who knew?? Not us, and obviously not the man at the till! 

So here are some pics of 'Mrs. Tingley'...

Picnic Memories

Good evening, how are you?  Today we went for a couple of outings.. here are some pics from a short walk we went on.  It was special to me because my parents used to take me there for Sunday picnics.  There was a rocky area that I used to climb up.  It seemed high to me at the time as I was only young.  It was a shame we couldn't have explored a bit more, but although Hubby said the forecast didn't involve any rain.... it rained!  Nevermind, hopefully we can go back another day and take some more pics.  Here's what I took today...

More tea please...

Hello, sorry I was missing yesterday.  The day began fairly lazily, but we did get our act together enough to go out in the afternoon.  Hubby was after an additional gym T-shirt and Dan bought two new tops.  Suzie and I are supposed to be holding on to our money until Thursday, when we are going on our long-awaited girlie-shopping-spree!  However, I spotted a bargain of a jacket that I could not leave in the shop.  I hope Suzie did not mind too much and  it does mean that we will be starting off our shopping day with pretty much the same amount of money. 

Later on into yesterday evening, my head began aching and it went on doing so - well into this morning.  I had thought about joining Barbara for her early morning swim at the pool, but I was right to cancel.  Annoyingly I had to retreat back to bed for a while.  As the day has gone on and with the help of lots of tea (the above cup having been made by Suzie), my head has thankfully improved.

Hubby has been busy.. we have more quotes on the way for the new back door, and someone has already been round to discuss a new central heating boiler.  

Hubby also went to the gym for his 'MOT'... apparently he is quite respectably fit, which is good to hear.  I'm not sure about going for an MOT myself... I don't really need official confirmation that my diet needs to start today, not tomorrow!  We'll see.  I would like a specific and targetted training programme worked out for me.  

Hoping the weather will be ok tomorrow, just to go for a drive somewhere and maybe take some photos.  

Laters...

Flashback..

Was so happy when he hopped up onto my hand!

Found this pic I took a couple of summers ago.  Hubby had not long built a little patio area for a couple of wooden chairs on the grass, at the back of the house.  I had wandered outside for some air.  There on one of the slabs was a very weary butterfly.  I gently placed him in an open container and put him in my little greenhouse.  I didn't think he would last the night.  I went to check him in the morning and there he was, full of life!  He wasn't for rushing away and seemed quite happy to pose for some pics before he flew away, back on his journey.  

How cute is this?!

  Love this bird feeder that Hubby bought for me the other day. Just need the little birds to notice it now!

Easter Sunday

Happy Easter!

Rainy Day

Easter gift for Hubby's Mum

Hello, well it's a rainy day today.  We have done our gadding about.. Suzie has been to her drama group, Hubby has a new swim bag (exciting stuff here!!), Dan's guinea pigs have a fresh supply of pellets and my Humphrey hamster has a new box of treats.  All is good!

Hubby is about to extend the cable on the lamp in the living room.  The main ceiling light is a bit harsh for night-time telly viewing.  We were given a lovely tea-light lamp recently, but I think we are just kidding ourselves that we will light this every night and I worry about it being a bit of a fire hazard.  For a special romantic evening it's great, but I think we need to get the electric one sorted.

Hubby also needs to sort the house alarm out.  We've had a couple of false alarms over the past few months.  The bell box is very near to our bedroom window and Hubby is literally so stunned when it goes off, he can't remember the code!!!  

Ah, I think someone on Facebook wants the fish tank- fantastic!  Hubby is just responding now.  

Laters...

Good Friday

Photos would be better the other way around, but this is a garden ornament I revitalised recently

Hi here we are at Good Friday, wasn't it Christmas yesterday?!  Had a really nice day at home.. Hubby has been doing some jobs so I'm happy!! Dan had a driving lesson first thing this morning, but Suzie was able to have a decent lie-in.  Hubby has put the fish tank on e-bay and facebook with some rather nice pics.  We have one watcher at the moment, better than no activity I suppose!  It came with a good solid cupboard to stand it on, but we're not selling that.  I like it too much.  We did cart it into the dining room to see how it looked, but then we carted it back again!  So Humphrey hamster's cage  has a new place to be and all his toys can go inside.  

Once Dan was back from his driving lesson and Suzie had eaten breakfast, I suggested they went for a walk as it was so nice.  They were down on the beach for about 2 hours.  

Hubby has at last been able to do some more work building his quad, so he'll no doubt be updating his blog later.  

Had a message from Barbara saying that the pool was busy today.  I suppose it will be for the next couple of weeks.  She has suggested that we all go out for lunch one day over Easter.  That would be good.  

Laters...

Time to Relax

Spa Night for me!

Quiet Evening

Here is Darcy at one of his entry points if he's lucky.  This time he was not, as he had already eaten plenty of breakfast.  Love him to bits.

Well, I have survived my busy day.  Swimming with Barbara included.  It was just what I needed today.  I let her get on with her lengths whilst I flitted between the pool and the hot tub.  Superb.  Conversation was not my strongest point today and I hope Barbara realised that despite this, I did enjoy our time-out.  

Quiet evening with the family now...

and it is quiet as Suzie has gone for a snooze after her busy week with the drama group and Dan also has his eyes closed here on the sofa. Possibly missing the girlfriend a little as I think she has set off by now on the school trip.  Hubby is typing away on his blog.  We should have taken the offspring to Karate this evening, but as you can tell.. aint no-body got time or energy for that this evening!  

The snooker is on the TV and the volume is low.  Just how my Dad would have had it.  He loved snooker, both playing and watching.  He was good at it too.  Someone at the pool today thought they recognised my face, and the fond penny dropped instantly when I said who's daughter I was.  I am always filled with pride to be able to say who my parents were.  I hope they know that.   

Good Morning!

Random boat pic taken on one of my rare solo walks on the beach

Hello, how is your morning going?  Today will be a busy one, but I am hoping to fit some swimming in with Barbara around lunchtime.  We still have no quote for the back door and an empty fish tank in the living room.  Hubby is off work over Easter so hopefully he can push things along a bit.  Dan's girlfriend is away on a school trip for a few days, so he won't be disappearing for a while - he can get on with some exam revision!  Suzie's new boyfriend did message her to apologise again for the change of plan yesterday... I'm rather hoping he can come over soon, before things fizzle out.. I would have loved a boyfriend when I was at school.  Suzie must be so happy and excited but she's very calm and serene on the outside!!

New neighbours seem to be settling in nicely.  We have been without neighbours on that side for quite a few years.  It is difficult to remember that we are now audible through the kitchen wall... for example the nightly 'singing' along to Fall out Boy by the offspring as they tidy the dishes, and my attempts at learning Taeyang's Korean lyrics ..!

Laters...

My pic of the Moon

Still in love with the camera Hubby bought me for Christmas! 

Sunset through the mist

This is a pic I took last week.  I had gone to collect Suzie from a drama rehearsal and on the way back we noticed that the sun was a beautiful red/pink.  We got home and parked as soon as we could and grabbed our cameras before we ran down to the shore - just as it was literally disappearing into the mist!! 

Change of Plan...

Practising with my zoom lens the other weekend!

That's a shame, he's not able to come over today...  Feel bad for Suzie, but she seems upbeat.. he'll probably message her later as I think there have been quite a few 'direct messages' flying backwards and forwards!  Wasn't like this back in the days of long phone calls ... it was quite obvious to my parents who I was speaking to and they could hear pretty much everything that was said... not that I had loads of boyfriends to chat to, but you get my point! 

Time goes too fast...

Not too clear but this is actually part of a flock of birds flying over as we drove home from the Theatre yesterday!

The performances had been well-prepared and we are always filled with pride to watch either offspring on-stage.  The journey there, however, was fraught as there had been a chemical spill along the main route.  Everyone was trying to find alternative routes around, resulting in all the back road short-cuts being gridlocked.  We managed, although Hubby had to leave his car at work and catch the train.  Dan and I picked him up in my car at the station, where he took over the driving and somehow got us to the Theatre in plenty of time.  

As the beginning of the week has been a little busy, I was looking forward to this afternoon when things should become a bit calmer.  Then came the request from Suzie.. could she go to the Park with a certain young gentleman after school?  Boyfriend.  She has a boyfriend. What is going on people?? When did they get old enough for this stuff??!  I was just settling in to the fact that Dan has an actual regular girlfriend (first one was classed as 'unofficial' ?!?) when BAM his sister does this to me!!  Oh well, got to go with the flow haven't you?!  Apparently there's a possibility he will get on her school bus and come home with her.. at least my new and invigorated house-cleaning means the home looks fairly decent!!  So much for  Hubby's rule of no dating till she's 30!!!!

Chatter

Had a mad dash into town this evening to find some leggins for Suzie.  She is performing with the school drama group tomorrow, at a local theatre.  Thankfully found some in the last shop!

Have been tired today.  No swimming, but JJ came round for a few cups of tea and a chat.  She has handed her notice in at her work.  Astounding how one can be treated so unfairly at such a well-thought of establishment.  This however is good news for my teapot, as JJ will be able to resume her weekly visits.  

Following the demise of our final fish a couple of months ago, Hubby and I made the decision to get rid of the fish tank.  It has however remained in situ in the living room, still full of water, for too long. The local dentist has expressed an interest, so cross fingers it could be gone very soon.  Then we can think about more seating.  We have an 'L' shaped sofa, which we are very fond of and a bean bag, which I for one have come to loathe!  The noise, the untidiness, the downright uncomfortableness, and the sliding of our guests should they make the mistake to choose 'the beanbag'.   So I'm thinking get two comfy chairs, nothing too huge,.. one to be in place of the sagbag and the other can go in the corner where the fish tank has been.  How exciting! I'll keep you in the loop!

Friday's water leak from the central heating boiler has not restarted thank goodness.  Every visit from the gas man brings the same comment, that our boiler is on the 'reduced parts list'.  Despite this, they always seem to have the required 'parts' in their van.  Anyhoo, we concede that the boiler is rather old now - it was already installed when we moved in 15 years ago.  So Hubby has said that we will get some quotes and sort out a new boiler.

Then there is the back door.  When we had double glazing installed some years ago now,  it was my choice to keep the original wooden back door.  However with the draft issue, and the added security a double glazed one would bring, we have been in touch with a local glazier.  Once he realised we wanted him to install a factory made one, not a beaded concoction of his own, he promised to drop off a quote in the next few days.

So here's to a little bit of excitement as we carry out a few changes around the house!

Laters.. 

What do I do?

Hello and Good Morning!  How are you today?  I am slightly miffed that my Korean penpal has posted a photograph of mine on facebook.  It is of our family Christmas Tree and  our wedding photograph is visible on the wall behind.  Now I know that it is hugely unlikely that anyone in Korea, or anywhere else for that matter, would bother to try and see who was in the wedding photo and of course they wouldn't know us anyway.  But something doesn't sit right with this and I can't make up my mind whether to mention it to her or not.  She has always come across as a really lovely person and I know she appreciates my friendship, as I do hers.  It was only by chance that I found the photograph.. I only have family and a couple of close friends on facebook and I was checking in to see what they were up to this weekend.  My penpal came up as a friend suggestion.. I presume because I have her mobile number in my phone, don't ask me how these things work, but there she was.  Exchanging emails has always worked really well for us, so we have never connected via facebook.  So I had a little peek at her wall, it was all very familiar stuff.. things she had told me about and the lovely photographs of herself.. and then there in all its glory was our Christmas Tree!!!

I need to think some more.  I don't want to upset her, but at the same time I am slightly concerned that other family photos I have sent her will appear on her wall!!

Housework & Hobbies!

I like organising things.  For a long time I have tried to organise the housework.  Tried keeping a list, a book, cleaning a specific room on a specific day, etc etc,  nothing has worked and I once again end up rebelling against routine.  I find pleasure in creating the list or book, but then after the novelty of structure has worn off, the enjoyment comes from throwing the list or book away.. and once again I can feel free, but my housework is disorganised.

However, I think my daughter has provided me with a rebel-proof solution.  Quite simply it is an online roulette type wheel at wheeldecide.com and so far so good!  To keep it realistic, together with the compulsory basic ground floor hoovering, dishwasher filling and clothes freshening,  I only expect myself to complete one task from the wheel per day, and I don't spin it at the weekends!  If the resulting task has been completed within the last 10 days (apart from cleaning Humphrey which is in the last 7 days), then a respin is done and voila!  It adds a bit of fun, suspense and focus to the same old housework tasks!  If I don't really feel up to doing much, then I just don't spin the wheel.. and the feeling of 'I should be doing something' doesn't happen.  I actually look forward to being able to get back to it the next day.   I had initially included 'day off' on my wheel, but I am enjoying this method so much that I deleted it.

To accompany this, I have made a Hobbies wheel.   I am interested in many things, but I never know what to concentrate on.. so end up not exploring many of my interests at all.  So, after finding out what my household task is for the day, I then spin my Hobbies wheel and it suggests what to spend time on when I have finished.  Sometimes, it is something just for that day.. like meditation or cooking cupcakes and sometimes it can be something that I will focus on for a few days.. for example like this little sewing project I did last week...

  

Thank you to Suzie for the denim from her old jeans.. and a huge thank you for showing me the wheeldecide website!! Such a simple idea, but so effective!

Laters..

Mother's Day

It's been a couple of weeks since Mother's Day, but here's a couple of pics of my lovely cards and presies..

Friends Forever

Well Hubby is cooking my Saturday Night meal, offspring are content watching television, Humphrey Hamster isn't awake yet, so maybe I shall sit down with you guys for a while with my glass of Cava.  Cheers, hope your evening is going well.  

We have new neighbours, and we have kind of breathed a sigh of relief as they seem ok!  It's always a worry isn't it??!  

Doesn't seem like Dan's girlfriend is coming round tonight, not that he seems too bothered!  Girlfriend. Where has the time gone?  Yes, this last couple of weeks has been a new experience for me and my palpatations (that should be my palpatations and I)  ... allowing him to wander aimlessly around the village!!  I'm sure the people who know me here in the village are in total shock, as Suzie has probably also been spotted enjoying some freedom with her group of friends!!  Both of them out and about.. there is probably a rumour that I am quite unwell!!  I am actually really pleased for Suzie.  It has been a long time coming.. but she has found herself amongst a very nice group of friends.  There was a suggestion last week that they would go for a picnic on a mountain in the next village.  I tried so hard to let her go, but I couldn't allow it.  She was understandably upset.  I was blown away when she said that the group had decided to change plans and have the picnic somewhere closer to here, so that she could go. I am extremely happy that they value her friendship so much.  

Speaking of valuing friendship, I admit there is a need to push myself out of my comfort zone.  Did I mention that Hubby had sadly lost his father last June?  Well Christmas time was rather difficult for him as the realisation kind of hit home.  He was not himself and I had no-one but the children to turn to.  I was so worried, it hurt so much, I couldn't eat or sleep.  They were fantastic and I will always be thankful, but what I need to do is give a little more of myself to the good friends that I have.. spend a little more time, text a few more messages, suggest a few more outings and sort the parking the hell out so that I am confident when we go somewhere!! (I always have to make sure that where-ever I drive, there will be somewhere I can park ok!)  Seriously, I don't have many friends but those that I have are genuine and I intend to  make more of an effort to let them know they are valued.  

Cheers ...

Finally!!

Hello.  It's been a while.  Hope you are well.  The year so far has been fairly decent.  I had mentioned that I wanted to be on a more spiritually uplifting path and I can report that I am pleased with my progress so far.  Hubby and I have begun frequenting a gym - nothing too strenuous for me at the moment, but it is so good to be exercising a little.  Also, I have started going swimming with my friend Barbara.  She works part time, so I pick her up around lunchtime and off we go.  After a quick catchup chat, we do our own thing - she enjoys counting the amount of lengths she does, whereas I might do quite a few lengths but at a slower pace and without counting.  Very relaxing and I enjoy it so much.  Have even started family swim sessions whereby on a Sunday morning Suzie, Dan, Hubby and I all troop along.  There is also a hot tub which Dan is particularly keen on!  

During one visit to the gym this week I was slightly mortified when hubby pointed out that I was wearing my 'suitably branded sports top' inside out!! Hahaaaa how embarrassing!! However, he also pointed out that perhaps less than a year ago had that happened, I would have got changed into my normal clothes and hidden myself away in the changing room until he had finished, just too embarrassed to walk back in.  Maybe FINALLY I am seriously beginning not to care what other people think.  omg!!  How fantastic is that?!

Laters..