Tina was on Not Home Alone sandwiches again today. I usually make up the sandwiches as Tina usually has a lot of meetings on a Tuesday, including an evening one. As it happened both Darren and Tina are not very well today so neither of them have gone anywhere. Debbie, Tina's friend collected the lunch for the group and was going to stay and give the talk. My knee had been really painful in the night and was still bad this morning, but I did some exercises and managed to ease it a bit. So caught the bus and went in to see Sandy at the studio for a bit. I picked a couple of vases to paint up as gifts when I am resting after the surgery. They will sort out some of the under glaze paints for me to have at home. Before I went out I made some phone calls to try and sort out getting home after the surgery. At the moment I have been told that they will teach me how to go up and down the stairs on crutches before I am discharged. If I don't get on with that I presume I will be bed blocking! 
I went into town after leaving Sandy, got a bit of tasty shopping at M & S and then caught the bus home. The road the bus usually goes down was fenced off, this meant I had to get off near the prison again, that was a bit of a pity as the ankle had started to be quite painful by then and it is a reasonable distance from there. I came down Tennyson Avenue the other day and the gulls are very active down there. This one was sitting right by a house and there were a couple more on the roof. It is strange because it is a narrow and quite enclosed feeling little road.

While I was away I watched Country File with Rachel and Skip and there was a lady who did quite funky pictures using feathers. Not the feathery part  but making them like a quill. Lots of splattering, but very effective. I haven't got many coloured inks now and I haven't got any feathers, so had a play with some cocktail sticks!

The cats are funny, it seems now that the most comfortable and companionable place to sleep in outside my shower room!

Nothing like a cat obstacle course when going to the loo!

A frosty morning, Rachel had to wait for the windscreen to clear before she could drop me off at Morrisons to meet Darren. Took a picture of the church near where she lives.

A bright and lovely day for our journey back to Scarborough, we had a couple of stops on the way, had a really pleasant trip. Couldn't go over my favourite bridge without taking a photo.

We saw two Red Arrows on the journey and a red helicopter, sadly too fleeting for photographic proof! Rachel had made a tub of coup for me to freeze ready for when I need some quick meals in the freezer. Putting it in freezer bags was fun, I was amazed I didn't make a terrible mess.

Before I left for Peterborough I gave Darren a little cardboard model. It is small but really quite impressive now it is made.

My knee has been painful today, but seems to be easing a bit now. Not planning to do too much this evening.

It is not going to be a long post today. I has been enjoyable but have just made a couple of visits and talked! Michelle picked me up about 10 am and drove me over to Eye to see Emmie my 96 year old friend there. Although Ruby, the other 96 year old who passed away in December had been my main friend I had promised to keep in touch and still visit Emmie. Also she had a little memento of Ruby for me which she had been given by her grand-daughter. Emmie had the choice of this tapestry piece of a biscuit barrel. She chose the tapestry and I am delighted as Ruby did some lovely tapestry work and this can be hung up to be seen.

After that visit we went to Van Hage for a cup of tea and bought a piece of cake to share for dessert, they do take away boxes! Michelle had meat cooking in the slow cooker so we had plenty of chatting and a nice meal. I was back her for the evening about an hour ago and will start getting the case packed and myself organised as Darren is collecting me in the morning for the drive home.
Really pleased I made the last minute decision to make this trip, as it will probably be a while before I am down this way again.

Another good day.  Rachel took me up to Morrisons where I met Angie and we had a couple of hours together over breakfast and another drink in the cafe. She is still snowed under with work and apparently Axion are about to merge with another company so a lot of change and probably some uncertainty on the horizon. Anya and Isobel came to collect me and we didn't go to the pool as Isobel has a sore throat so not a good idea to go to her lesson. We went to town, very busy, and have a good wander round and a coffee stop, well tea really, but calling it a tea stop sounds odd!! I have always thought the guild hall was a lovely building in the square.

We went back to their house and Isobel went into the garden to go on her trampoline, I helped her clear the twigs and leaves and tried to take some pictures, this one turned out really well.

When Isobel came in we played a couple of her new games, and then we watched a couple of episodes of Spy in the Wild. They hadn't watched any so we all enjoyed the amazing scenes that were recorded. We went out for dinner. Louis joined us, and had a very nice meal and then they dropped me back here at Rachel's. We watched Casualty then Rachel and I, and Niles for a while had a pleasant hour or more colouring and chatting.

It had been a very pleasant day and the weather has been almost spring like. Met up with Mike and we had breakfast and then spent a few hours visiting practically all the shops near Morrisons having a couple of drink breaks. Then we went across to the bus stop so that I could make my way to Orton to see my sister and Mike walked home. Got off a Herlington and walked under the underpass to her house, different murals on there now with graffiti as well of course.

Had a really lovely time with Margherita, we caught up on all the news and had an enjoyable game of Scrabble scoring over 600 points in total. Anya collected me and brought me back to Rachel's, which was nice as I had cake holders and some shopping to carry. 
I brought the elf that I painted at the studio for Rachel and the family, thinking they would have him on display at Christmas, but he is going to have a permanent home on the kitchen window ledge.

Ethan was in and made me a cup of tea when I got back here and Cookie kept me company!

Rachel and I will have a couple of hours on our own now, so a meal and plenty of talking I should think......

Big News Day!! I had a call this morning and now have a date for my surgery! Two weeks time, so I went down to the doctor's and made an appointment for my blood test which has to be 7 days prior to the surgery. I got packed up for my weekend away and Tina suggested that we all have lunch together before they dropped me off at the station. We went to Sainsbury's and had lunch and I bought a sweatshirt. They were serving free drinks and snacks at the station, advertising new trains that will be in Scarborough next year! Hopefully we will still be in Scarborough and I can enjoy using them!
The Second train was The Spirit of Sunderland, somewhere I have never been so perhaps I should make that a 'to go to' destination.

I was in the quiet coach, the sky was lovely but that doesn't come across in the picture.

Rachel met me at the station, and we have chatted and had tea and are just chilling out! Catching up with folk tomorrow.

I carried on with sorting this morning, I have given another bag of knitting wool to Tina who has a home for spare yarn. I have kept the needles and crochet hooks in case I get the inclination again. I also emptied a sewing cabinet which Rachel has had her eye on for some time. I will get Darren to bring it down in the car so that we can deliver it.
I caught the bus into town calling in at the studio for my first stop to have a chat with Donna and Sandy. Then I walked into town. Struggling a bit today with the ankle and with whatever I managed to do to my right knee, I am a walking wreck at the moment, but at least still walking if slowly!! Had a bit of lunch in town and then walked up to the station to get my tickets ahead of travelling tomorrow. It was damp and cold today so made my way to the bus stop without much looking around. There are two buses that take the alternate route. I got on the wrong one but decided to get off near the prison rather that stay on for another twenty minutes. An interesting building and a plaque on the wall. It is part of the council offices now.

Haven't done a great deal since I got home except get stuff together for my weekend away. This evening I decided to colour a picture with the great pencils that Lee got me in America. They are really soft and blend well. I will colour in some more now that I have realised how nice they are to use.