Pure class around here...........

At the Casa del la Rocking Chair, we have class, you know. Real class. Even our rodents are classy. See? I nearly jumped clean out of my skin this morning, when I walked into the garden and nearly stepped on this.....

 Rodents here like to sleep on rose petals. RODENTS. Rose petals. Highly scented rose petals. I don't care if they are small cute dormice, fieldmice, baby thingies.... they are still rodents and I loathe them. However, I stood and looked at it sleep. Jean stood and looked at it sleep when she came to collect me to to go out to lunch, and neither of us knew what to do, nor did we have any inclination to drop a brick on it. So we left it snoozing. It was gone when I got home. Rodents on rose petals. Heaven knows what I will find next.

 So we are agreed then - Blogland is verrrrry quiet at the moment. I really hope everyone is out having the time of their lives with their families and friends, making memories and enjoying the northern summer or southern winter. And one lovely consequence is that Mother T has found us here. You are very welcome, Mother T! By the way, my leg is wrecked too, but thankfully,  I have raised beds here in my garden, and just about everything else is in pots, and they get planted on a table.  Kneeling is not an option.

 Once the holidays are over, hopefully things will liven up and we will have loads to read and catch up on. Here in the UK the schools break up this week for the 6 week summer holidays. The weather is failing to co-operate. It is cool and damp and not sunny and tropical. April and that hot spell may well have been summer after all.

 Jean and I went to Olney for lunch today, and they have some wonderful little shops - a wool shop (there was much sighing and stroking of wool), classy charity shops (Crystal, I found a little golf set exactly like Samuel's one for £1!!!!! I was SO excited! And what is more, it was complete with all the balls and thingies, whatevertheyare. My bargain of the day!) and craft shops, shoe shops, furniture shops.....

 So we wandered slowly around, and had a great time. I refrained from wool purchase. Sigh. Walking today has been a nightmare trifle challenging. I went upstairs last night, and completely misjudged the number of steps, and tripped and fell with an almighty crash onto my bad knee. Once I managed to start breathing again, I ran a hot bath and levered myself into it and that sort of helped, but there was not much sleeping accomplished last night. But it would have been a lot worse if I had fallen DOWN the stairs, so I suppose one must be thankful for.... etc etc

 There has been no further sorting of stuff here today though. The country is caught up in a frenzy of outrage over the phone hacking/News of the World/Murdoch/police chief saga. The lengths some people, journalists, papers will go to to get information, and further their career ambitions just staggers me. I remember how fast I had to learn when I started work after G died - everyone I met seemed to have an "agenda". They would twist words to suit them, say one thing to your face and another behind your back, and focus was solely on advancement. Theirs. Trample on anyone on the way. Being nice to each other was seen as weakness, and kindness was not an option. You had to have the "right" friends in the staffroom or were doomed. This was a school, remember. A school.

I remember it all so well. I just wanted to go back to my world, where people smiled, were genuine, kind, nice, helpful, concerned. For each other. And I was told to get used to it - this is what real life is like. Well, I don't like it now, and I didn't like it then.

Politicians, policemen, editors, private investigators - they are all mixed up in this mess. Trusting anyone seems to be out of the question. But hacking into the phone of a missing child and then deleting some messages when she was still missing (later found dead) was beyond horrendous. Unforgivable.

 Fortunately, lunch out today means that I do not have to bother to cook anything for supper. I will be retiring to the couch soon, and will no doubt fall asleep instantly , or as soon as I pick up the knitting needles.

 The garden is watered. It took a while. Even if it rains, the pots and baskets still need water. Actually, it is now more of a jungle, and things are still not at their peak yet. It is a joy, though. An absolute joy. The simple things really are wonderful.

So much colour....how can one not smile? And ever changing too.

Did I mention that I go back to Bath next week for a check up at the hospital? Hopefully this will be the last one. I know what to do. I just have to get on with it now and I can always call them if I need more help. One lovely thing this time is that the new crafting magazine, Mollie Makes is, I think, based there in Bath, and I have every intention of finding some of the places they talk about when we go down. Glynis and Jean are both coming with me, so that should be a lovely extra. Bath is absolutely beautiful. I love it.

I will be back....