Breaking news!

Today I have had not one but two emails about the elusive sewing machine! The first saying it was being packed ready for dispatch and the second to say it is on its way! Estimated delivery is Monday, I think it may be in Southampton at the moment so probably has a few different depots to go through!

On the sewing machine theme I got a gift today from Tina’s sister in law as a thank you for sending her three of the quilting books I had ordered. She has a very different expensive machine, hers has many stitches and patterns and can be programmed to do all sorts of fancy stuff. Mine will have just a fixed straight stitch and not even capable of zigzagging! Different horses for different courses! But a really cute little hanging which I love.

I did get out into the front garden for a while today, was going to go around removing dandelions but in the end concentrated on the corner bed after I had pulled out some of the bigger weeds from the drive.

A few people commented on the garden while I was out there, all positive which was good.

I did the exercise session again, really had little inclination as my legs were already aching, but it doesn’t seem to have made them any worse, got a couple of days off from them now. I was exercising in the dining room and Pandora settled on the chair, this photo makes her look much tinier than she is!

We had a heavy hailstorm today, really is very odd weather, there was ice in one of the bird baths again this morning! A lot of unsettled sky pics this week!

I have been thinking about getting a veggie box delivered for a while and have ordered one this evening which will come next Friday. Time will tell if I make good use of it, I have just ordered the one as a trial for now. My weight has been creeping up so I need to try and get it under control in case I go for the surgery on the right knee. Getting my weight low enough for the operation was very stressful!

Very black outside again, maybe more hailstones are on the way!

Quite a full day

This morning Tina set off to collect her new car and visit a friend and then make a delivery at Beverley. After the Ringtons man had been I caught the bus into Hull. I snoozed for a good part of the journey but it stops at the Hull interchange so no problem really. I had a pretty successful shopping trip, I had two vouchers for the Body Shop and they also had a buy two get one free on the small hand creams so that was good. Tina and I both like their hand creams and when I got home I found that I have earned another voucher for next time I shop there! Then I went to Boots who had mailed to invite me back to Boots to buy my Clinique as Debenhams are closing and no longer stock it. They had a really good offer on so bought one item and got the free gift! A good start and then went to Debenhams which is no closing in less that a week. Got some fantastic bargains there so all in all a very good shopping trip. I went to the City centre and to the eatery I went to last week, had a nice lunch and the sun was out so it wasn’t too chilly. The storm clouds were around though so took a few pics.

My legs have been quite painful today and it wasn’t helped when ai decided to catch the next but with only ten minutes to go and a fairly long walk. Of course I arrived just in time and the bus was a bit late leaving, gave me time to catch my breath! The bus both ways was pretty empty.

I had a cup of tea when I got home then walked down the road to vote. Tina arrived home just after I was back so took a photo of her with the fancy new, all electric car.

Tina wanted to go down to the Leisure centre car park and try out the free charging station there. We got the car charging and then walked along the front and ordered cups of tea at the little chippy there. There were two seagulls being very entertaining digging around in the gutters above the shop,we presumed they were maybe nesting.

We had a bit of a walk and more stormy skies in one direction.

Fun and games when we got back to the car, we could not get the charging cable out! Discussion, checking in the manual and eventually a phone call to the garage, we were a giggly pair by the time the car was good to go!

So, we both had pretty busy and successful days and are both pretty tired now!

Cartoonists Day

I never did really get the hang of cartooning, I enjoy seeing them but it is a definite skill.

When going through all the photos, souvenirs and saved cards I found this card drawn for me by a very good friend at the time, that was back in 1986! So this card has travelled with me a fair bit over the years. Sadly Kathy who drew it died a good few years ago, 

I decided it was time I got it framed and it is now on the wall but not where it gets the sun as I don’t want it to fade.

While on the crafty theme I did finish putting photos into the screen, a bit of fiddling with the smaller ones at the top.

I did do some tidying up in the walled garden this morning, didn’t take my pictures but managed to fill the garden cart with weeds!

I got some photos and bits ready to send to a couple of people so I walked down to the post office this afternoon. My non operation leg has been quite painful so I took it steadily. Then I walked up to the sea and it was quite stormy looking today.

When I was putting the fox food out I noticed that the English bluebells that had seemed to have given up had actually starts to open. They are a bit daintier than the Spanish ones.

The flowers that I got for my birthday and still looking absolutely lovely.

Thinking of going into Hull again tomorrow.

Star Wars Day

A day far more suited to Darren and Tina than me, but a very popular day for an awful lot of people I think.

I haven’t been sleeping that well and getting up ridiculously early so today I really didn’t feel at all bright and haven’t over done things today! I did go to the shop and started clearing up the mess from yesterday, then, as much as it was the last thing I was inclined to do I did go through the exercise routine, I have to allow about an hour, that isn’t all exercise but there are eighteen different ones and you are moving from bed to stairs to chair etc and ending up on the exercise bike. I used a different chair today and had more success with the three exercises using resistance bands,

It has been a pretty miserable day so Lesley and I agreed it wasn’t a weeding day, but she did come round and we sat in the summer house having a cuppa with the doors open.

This evening I have been trying to get the remaining photos organised, getting some into photo books etc and discarding a few more as well.

When I went to put some fox food out I took some photos in the garden. Yesterday Tina unearthed a horse chestnut seedling that had obviously been cut back once before as the ‘trunk’ is quite thick. I potted it up immediately and hoping that it will survive.

Last year I bought three tiny London Pride plants that have taken well and this year they are flowering.

The plants in the recycled garden cart are looking lovely.

We have several heucheras of different colours that were really struggling with the exceptionally dry weather, they have livened up a bit now we have had some rain.

Best get back to the photos now!

Welcome rain and a productive day!

Today is National Wordsmith Day, I never did get around to the book I planned on my mind. Probably would have been called ‘Who’s Normal Anyway’.

Not likely to get around to it now but most people are supposed to have a book in them!

Today Tina came out into the garden with me and we spent a couple of hours with hoes in hand! Tina has been tidying up the area behind the big flower bed in the back garden and my plan today was to hack back the jungle that has grown alongside the summer house!

A good couple of hours later we were ready to go indoors and collapse, we finished just before the rain came!

This afternoon and into this evening I have decided it is time to bite the bullet and sort through the photos. This pile of boxes probably isn’t all the photos and cards etc that I have filling shelves!! Then. I could start decided what to put in the photo screen.

I have put the cat play mat in my living room for now and Blue decided to curl up on it this afternoon.

I have created chaos in my room but had got half a sack of photos etc for the bin! Have picked and sorted the larger photos, just have the smaller groups of mounts to fill now.

Not sure it I will finish it off this evening, although clearing up and seeing how many boxes aren’t needed now will be interesting, but I have given myself a headache.

We have had a good fall of rain today which is really good.

National Truffle Day

Never really had truffles, except the chocolate variety!

This morning Darren and I headed off to the boot sale just after 7.30 am. It was really busy already even though the weather wasn’t so good, sunny but quite cool. We had our breakfast sandwich and cuppa and then toured the site. We were very frugal today, I just bought a ceramic mug with a top for carrying it about. I have a metal travel mug, but I like this one as it is China and has a handle. It is quite heavy without a drink in it though!

Even has a cat on it!

Tina came out into the garden with me this afternoon, I decided I needed to get some of the weed, well, it is actually ground elder and very invasive, from under the roots of the apple tree. I really want to keep that area as clear as possible but realise it will be a major ongoing battle.

I tried to hoe under the roots and loosen them with a hand tool, they are really well established! Meanwhile Tina was doing a grand job digging out grass and dandelions and of course some more bluebells. I don’t think the roots have ever been this cleared, if only that was an end to it!

Weather permitting we intend to go out for a while in the garden in the morning.

The last episode of Line of Duty tonight.

Quite a Day!

We set out early, Tina had to drop some papers off in Skipsea and then had to go and sign some papers at the garage in readiness for her collecting her new car next week. Then we set off to find the house where we ere to collect my Davenport. A really lovely couple who had a flat in this very impressive building.

We had borrowed Darren’s car as it is bigger, the couple got it into the back of it for us. They apologised for not dusting it as we had arrived a bit early and they had only arrived just before us. From there we went into the town and parked in a car park rather than try to get a space at the auction house. We fancied a cup of tea so went towards the town too. There weren’t any benches nearby so we walked up to a little green area. We were joined by a single gull and a crow eyeing us up! There was a small church facing the area too.

We went ad had a look around the auction, saw the very useful storage unit that she wanted to bid on. We headed into the town after that and it was heaving! So we went and used the loos and decided not to eat in the town so maybe head to the mere. Then Tina remembered a little chippy by the car park so we got small fish and chips and a cold drink and sat on a bench to eat them. There were new, very large planters with trees in the town, this picture gives an idea of how busy it was as well.

Then we went to the mere as we had taken duck and swan food. The swans were hungry and we did see one pair of geese who had babies.

When we got home Darren helped Tina get the Davenport in. I gave it a quick dust and took pics. The third one is the view I will have of the garden when writing at the desk.

When I was in Peterborough my niece Rose had bought a play mat for their cats and I had ordered one which arrived today. It is big but so far has caused some interest and a few spats!

Tina came up when I was starting to write a letter, had to try it out!

We had a lovely Chinese meal this evening to round off a very interesting day.