Sometimes a title just escapes me.....

Forgetting to take one's medicine is not a good idea. But at least it sort of explains why today is a very, very, very, did I mention VERY slow day. So here I am, waiting for it to work. Now would be excellent. It is nearly 2pm and I take it 3x a day so I am a little lot behind. Just peachy. Moving is a bit of a challenge.

The temperature in the car as I whizzed to the village this morning, was 31C. So, high 20s is a realistic figure. I was in search of BBQ charcoal briquettes. Not exactly seasonal fare, seeing that the Christmas stuff is now occupying the space where the BBQ bits used to be, but after a quest which took an hour, we are now in possession of enough charcoal to see us through the next month or so. Should the weather stay balmy, and should I therefore decline to cook. And I can always BBQ in the snow if needs be, of course.

The washing is drying outside - a perfect time to do all the linen, and I am in the mood for a nap. I finished the quilt I have been making for the past couple of months. I got a little side-tracked along the way, so it took longer than anticipated, but it is done and I love it. No photos yet, but soon. And now I am busy sorting out how to rescue a quilt I made for a friend about 15 years ago. It is well-loved and in need of some TLC. But it can be done.

I was browsing Pinterest a few days ago and discovered a gorgeous crochet pattern for a shawl using Red Heart yarn. Now we don't get that here, so can someone please tell me what weight of wool I need to use instead of red Heart Soft Yarn? Is DK right? Or must it be heavier? Then, because I am nosy, I popped over to Red Heart and looked at the yarn - oh the colours! The excitement! But it will have to wait for my grand Global Trot which is on the bucket list. I will be leaving home with 2 changes of clothing and 2 empty  suitcases. I have plans, people. I want to go shopping. (And of course I want to a) see my friends, and b) see the country too!) One day. Crayola 64 crayons - with the sharpener...... do they still make those? Fisher Price nativity set...... yarn.......fabric. Did I say fabric???? Absolutely NOT. Until the stash is gone. That leaves room for other stuff, of course. Like peanut butter chips - those things you bake with - HAH!! I will have fun. One day. I can wait. Then I saw the beautiful girlie camera bags at Epiphanie Bags and decided that I would HAVE to visit, you see, because my list is growing. Never mind the fact that I have yet to acquire the camera which would actually NEED a bag! This is the WANT list, not the NEED list. So it is just for fun. I like having fun .

Well, my friends, it is nearly time now to sort out what we will be BBQ-ing tonight. Or maybe I will have some afternoon tea coffee. Or bake a cinnamon cake. Or something. I need to move or I will seize up entirely. Happy Friday!

Summer has arrived......

The UK, you will be thrilled to hear, is having a mini heat-wave right now. I tell you, it is positively tropical around here. 24C!!! The sun is back up in the sky, doors are open and the washing is drying outside. I do believe my garden is about to go into shock at the warmth. Unaccustomed as it is to warmth of any sort. AND it is set to continue for a while. Oh the possibilities.....I may even have to fire up the BBQ one evening! I just checked - 26C for the next FIVE WHOLE DAYS! This is a post worthy of many exclamation marks! Sun! Heat! Blue skies!

Hello. I have been to both Pilates and Aquarobics today. I am also half dead. And I ache all over. Even my toes ache. This has to be doing some good. I have downed litres of water, and am about to go and expire quietly on the couch, but I thought I would say hi on the way. I also needed to sit down. The path from the kitchen to the couch is long. Well, about 30 paces, but still................ I creak.

My dahlia plant (singular), is beautiful. I seem to remember that this time last year I made a note to myself to remember to plant more dahlias, because they look wonderful in the autumn when the rest of the garden is following the Head Gardener's example and expiring.  I forgot. Marge has many dahlias in many colours in her garden and they look amazing. Our uncle loved dahlias. He only had roses and dahlias, I think. But a multitude of them. It must be in the genes. I will be writing a LARGE note to myself for next spring. I will plant more.

And now, I am going to move on towards the couch, and, providing I stay awake, I will carry on doing this. Before it gets even warmer!

For all my Jewish friends - Happy New Year to you and your families! May the new year bring an abundance of joy and laughter into your lives.

Pottering and potting......

There is not a great deal of excitement happening round here at the moment. 

 David took these photos last night, just before I nodded off yet again. See, that couch and footstool are my un-doing. We were watching Downton Abbey while crocheting. This photo is a little blurry, but I love the light and the calmness - even serenity - it shows. All those cushions on the couch? I make a nest, and that is me for the night. Mum gets quite worried about me sleeping there every evening, but David pointed out that I probably sleep better there than in bed, so just to leave me. I wake up. Of course I do. Around 1, 2, 3am sometimes!

I wonder if the blurriness is something wrong with the lens...now I come to think of it, there has been a problem for a while and I did clean it. Tomorrow. I will test it tomorrow.

Today has been one of those days when I start one thing, and then forget and start another. Not hurried or crazy, but I have just been potting the bulbs for spring, and I came in to get the trowel, and the little coffee table from outside (which I move in for winter) was in the way, so I moved it. That meant taking the little steps to another place. Then I remembered I was meant to paint the back door, so got out the paint and brush to remind me. Then I saw the washing piled next to the drier, so I moved it to the steps, noticed a leaflet through the letterbox, so took that to throw away, and saw a dish in the sewing room. See????? Ridiculous. And so it goes. 2 hours later the bulbs are finally all in the pots.

One good thing has been accomplished today. Well, apart from dentists and flu jabs of course. David emptied my store cupboards in the kitchen and we sorted them out, and tossed away a few things. 2005 best by dates. Maybe not. And we also discovered that I do not need either flour or pasta for the foreseeable future. Or decade. Maybe 2. The baking stuff is all in one place and the tins and the coffee and all the rest. 2 cupboards done and 16 to go. I am absolutely determined to design any new kitchen I may ever have myself - I want those pull-out cupboards with rows of shelves for tins or bottles, so I do not have to delve through deep shelves again. A major design flaw. I would also have flour drawers as well. And DRAWERS - not cupboards. Why it has taken me so long to work this out, I have no idea. but then, I have seen all these great ideas on the internet, so I suppose I would never have known they were possible before. Have you seen the kick drawers under cupboards? Why aren't they standard? What a waste of space!I gather they are really difficult to install in an existing kitchen, but simple when it is being constructed. Dreams.....it is all about dream time. But fun to think about these things.

Then I started thinking that what I REALLY need is that store room. Oh, about the size of a double garage, with cupboards and shelves and uniform boxes, and place to store tins of food, tools, woodwork stuff, toys for Missy, and all the seasonal things, and sports equipment. Forget the dream house, people, it is the dream store-room which rules round here!

So that is how I have spent Monday 26 September. An ordinary day. Not long now before I will be back on that couch finishing the quilt I am making. Then I have 2 to fix - ones I made over a decade ago, which need a little loving attention. A little applique to cover bits, new binding, some new stitching and they will be good to go. I can do that. If I stay awake!

And the winner is..................

Well, so much for opening the draw to the entire world. The winner lives in the UK! 

Congratulations, Bookworm !!! 

Email me your address and I will post the quilt to you tomorrow. I hope you enjoy it! 

I  really enjoyed having this giveaway - I wish I had a quilt for each of you. Maybe I need to haul out the collection and do more giveaways. or use up the stash. This is probably going to be a cold winter, so I will quilt, I think. Simple little quilts. When I make things for people, I do a lot of thinking while I sew or crochet, and there are always prayers for the recipient too. It is a lovely feeling. And you know, making things by hand really does slow down the relentless pace we all move at. And that is good. 

I am nearly finished making a gift for a friend - once that is finished, I will start the stash busting. Now that is going to be fun. And heaven knows, the fabric mountain has to be dented.......

Watch this space!

The perils of a lost core.....

Don't forget the giveaway down there !!!

(Image from Google Images)

Or, to put it in a more civilised fashion, go here and leave a comment with your name and how I can contact you, if you don't have a blog. (Anonymous, please email me your name so I can make sure you are entered as a Real Person!!You can go to my profile and my email address is there.)

I am so over the whole Facebook debacle from yesterday. They finally fixed my page so maybe someone was actually listening after all. And didn't Google+ time things perfectly?? I suspect most of you woke up to big blue arrows on your Google pages telling you that Google+ is now open to everyone. This is also the day the big Facebook conference/announcements are happening, so Google got it right.

Anyway. That is all TOTALLY boring so we will move right on.

Pilates, Aqua x 2 and I am half dead.

My core, it seems does not exist. I went to what I thought was a beginner's Pilates class, and these athletes were whizzing into all sorts of complicated positions and my head did not want to leave the floor. Neither for that matter, did my rear end, when the suggestion was made to roll into that back thing - you know, where you pop your feet over the top of your head to touch the floor so you are rolled up like a pretzel.

Well.

My scientific discovery for the day is that there is too much of ME to do that. "It" gets in the way and will not allow the knees to touch the nose. Not to mention that I do believe that breathing is required to sustain life.

That was just after I also discovered that wearing a loose huge Tshirt instead of a clingy number was an error. When it fell over my head. Clingy numbers have their uses. One does not end up exposing one's flesh to the class. See above. And also, the teacher can see that YES I AM ACTUALLY OFF THE GROUND when doing a bridge because the voluminous Tshirt hides the fact that I am actually in the air, and not grovelling on the mat. Trying to breathe.

It is not pretty. But I am trying. I just wish all beginners looked like me, instead of dressing in lycra and being 40 years younger , skinny and very agile. Oh well. Moregranny in the back row is plodding on. My core and I will rediscover each other if it is the last thing I do. And it very  possibly could be.

I crawled onto the couch last night and was asleep within seconds. I am showing every sign of being old. Too tired to even knit. Or watch TV.

Changing the subject completely - how do you all store apples? Do I wrap them in newspaper and put them somewhere dark? Any ideas would be great, because I don't know what to do with them, and we cannot possibly eat fast enough (see excess flesh above) to make space in the freezer. And my second last tomato mountain is glaring at me as I speak. I need to cook them now. Thank you. You are all so sweet.

Facebook, this is for you......

Change is never simple. Take Facebook for instance. The layout and news feed and everything under the sun has changed in recent weeks, and as I have waded my way through things, I have laboriously sat and edited every single friend and what I want to read from them and sorted lists and heaven knows what else. There has been much frustration, sighing and wailing along the way and it eventually got done. Weeks, I tell you. I finally knew what I was doing.

Then today, helpfully, they had a little box at the top of the home page telling me about the changes, and there was a box saying learn more. So I did. Each section says was this helpful? Did it answer the question? So I clicked "no" once or twice, and when ANOTHER box popped up, I selected, "I don't like it".

Well.

Facebook has one lone helpful person sitting in California twiddling his or her thumbs, it seems. because in an INSTANT, I tell you, my whole page reverted to the old one. And now I am sitting here thinking, (in caps) WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON and am I going to have to put all the subscription details back in again when it goes back to the new one and SCREECH.

Just leave it alone. You hear, Facebook???? Leave it alone. I am quite willing to supply an opinion. I do NOT expect unilateral action to be taken on the basis of an opinion, which, since the start of Facebook has never made one scrap of difference. So why now?????? I already have a Google+ account, and will be heading in that direction at speed. I have 150 invitations to distribute to friends who want to join too, so I can take my friends with me.

So I sincerely hope you have saved all my edits, Facebook, because there is one very angry woman sitting in the middle of England, with steam pouring from her ears right now. ASK ME FIRST when you change my page. I require notice. There was NOTHING I clicked which said take me back to the old ways. Blogger at least has the courtesy to have a "revert" button, as Twitter did when they changed things, and made it clear it was just for a while. I suspect Facebook will suddenly pop my page back in the new format within days and I will be perfecting my imitation of Vesuvius once again.

Oh, and another thing????? Just do something ever so simple, Facebook people - have a means for us to contact you in an accessible place. Easy to find. Shyam? Do something, please. I want it fixed. Now would be good.

That is all. I am off to sit in a cupboard and suck my thumb as I rock back and forth.

Time for a Giveaway.......

I love making things. I love making quilts and last year, I made a couple when I found an excessively large stash of red fabrics, so here we are then........

Not the greatest of photos, I admit.  But I am having a GIVEAWAY!!!!! Leave a comment with a way for me to contact you if you do not have a blog, and you will be entered into the giveaway for this little red quilt. And, because I get so incredibly frustrated when giveaways exclude people outside the USA, I am opening this to anyone, around the globe. Everyone is welcome to enter. It doesn't matter where you live. No strings attached. Just a comment. Well, you can chat a bit too - I don't mind at all. That would be nice.

This is not a big quilt. It measures 105x87cms (41x34inches) roughly. But it is sweet and I loved making it, and will be really happy to see it wing its way to a new home.

One comment only, please, and entries will close at midday BST on Sunday 25th September. That is British Summer Time, aka GMT+1. And then that random generator thingy can do its work and choose a winner. If I can find it and get to to work. Or I will get Mother to pick a number from a hat.

And now I am going to try to conjure up supper from the dregs of the fridge.

Four seasons, four looks.....

I found 4 photos of the living room in the different seasons. It is never quite the same each year, because I just do what I feel looks right at the time. As the mood strikes.

Autumn

Winter

Spring

Summer

 And then, of course I change things a bit for Easter and Christmas. Trees and rabbits and stuff, you know - they need places too! I quite like looking at the 4 photos together, I have to admit.

In recent days, Jean, my friend, has had a birthday, so this morning, we took her out to tea at the local garden centre, and had a lovely time eating scrumptious cake, drinking coffee, chatting and looking at all their goodies. Birthdays are wonderful excuses for indulgence, aren't they. (Becky, yes, it is the same place!) More and more retailers are starting to have seasonal things, you know. The owner of this garden centre is German, so she will be used to seasonal changes in decor - it is a very strong European tradition, I gather. I LOVE it, but I have said so repeatedly, haven't I......

Autumn......

I did promise some photos of the change to Autumn in my house, and here we are ......

The lounge. See the footstool? That is MY place to sit (and fall asleep with alarming regularity), and next to it is my craft basket. Full of projects which I dream of finishing. One day. Soon.

 That TV looked so huge when it arrived, and now seems rather piddly. As in, I need glasses to see it properly. A sign of the rapidly advancing years, |I think.

 Mum has made most of the crocheted blankets. And I have just ordered another one which she is making as I speak.

 This is in the entrance hall. Well - the tiny space at the front door. A hall implies something rather grander than reality. I was just thinking that it might be fun to haul out photos of the house and post the four seasons next to each other. Hmmm.

 And into the kitchen/family room we go. The bowl on the table is full of tomatoes, and there are more in the garden ripening too. Not to mention the huge bowl I cooked yesterday which is sitting in the fridge.

 We even have autumn bowls!

 Excuse the mess, and the airers lined up there. I take them outside to dry the washing when the sun shines. A rare event. BUT clothes dry perfectly well in the wind too, and of that we have had a great deal. Behind the airers is a large box. This has been here for nearly a year. It contains the breakfast nook I am going to put where the desk is at the moment. Over there at the top of the photo above, in the distance. In the dark place with the white and orange granny blanket. I am sitting right there at the moment. It is a PENDING project. I need to get rid of the piano in the new study, then dismantle the computer and all electronic whatsits, and then take down my shelves, desk, cupboards and paint and ....... I am exhausted just thinking about it, which is why it is pending and will remain so for the foreseeable future.

And a view of the lounge from the stairs. I like this one best. It looks autumnal, doesn't it? Warm and cosy, with plenty of blankets to wrap around ourselves. Given that fuel (gas and electricity) prices have just gone through the roof here, the blankets will be very useful indeed.

I have explained the seasonal change here in my house before, I know - for me it is very simple - I have a large plastic box which is full of the autumn things including the cushion covers, and wreaths and garlands and candles, so I take off the summer cushion covers and pack away the summer flowers and bits and pieces into the big plastic box and put on the autumn ones. The blankets are in bags stored with the Big Plastic Box.  In December, we change again. But I have to admit that in December there will be considerably more than one box gracing the centre of the floor. Christmas things - I could decorate  the village. I LOVE it! Oh, and the bathrooms change too, to orange bathmats, towels etc. Soap. Nail brushes.

I have been collecting seeds from the garden for next year. It is so easy to do, and saves so much money/ I love it. There are envelopes with seeds piled up on the counter, and drying on roller towel. And I made a blackberry cake today, so the house smells great too. Not to mention that the cake is delicious, and heading straight for the hips. Tough.

I have just finished reading Radical by David Platt. I know a great many of you have read it already, but I would love to know what you thought. It blew my mind. I cannot stop thinking about it. And, even though I am not American, the pursuit of the "American Dream" is international. I just wish I could discuss it with some of you. Outstanding book. Life changing.

The rain is here, just as I was about to water the remains of my garden. It is dying rapidly. But it has been such a delight and brought me so much joy this year. And I have seeds. And next year, who knows what I will be doing................

And the rest of the photos........

I fell asleep. 

David and I always go for walks as often as we can. They usually end up being adventures of the unplanned variety, but this time, they were almost uneventful. Lovely. We walked to the grotto through this forest - another of my favourite places. No, the world is not tilted at an odd angle - David likes taking "different" photos. And yes, that is me in the distance plodding on. Rear views are never attractive, are they.....

 There was much activity in the garden - David did the lawn mowing, and we all managed to fix the roof of the little garden seat, and then we varnished it, and as there was residual varnish in the tin, we did the garden bench and then a table and 2 benches for good measure. They will be able to survive the feet of snow which will cover the garden in the next few months. And there was always vegetable harvesting to do, and watering and dead-heading, of course. Home from home!

 Missy loves going to the mountains. Well, if you had a little house, swings, slides and plenty of room to run around, you would too, if you were just 2 and a half! Not to mention the veritable toy shop her Grauntie has amassed for her. She is one very loved little girl.

 Remember a while back, I mentioned making something with the scroll saw? I made a family tree for Marge for her birthday. We were there to celebrate it with her this year, which was so good. It looks lovely on the wall above the fireplace, and the autumn colours go well in her house. (We have both changed our homes to autumnal colours now.)

 The names of the family are randomly positioned. And there is plenty of room to add more as years go by. She liked it, so that was good. I assembled it there, because it would not have survived intact otherwise. And so it was varnished there too. Marge has a great workshop. If we have time, we have such fun making things together. So I know where things are!

 And then there was more time spent with Missy. She does love her slide, I have to say, and the entire family has now clambered onto it, and managed to get down the slide bit too. The photos are diabolical. When Greatgranny managed it, I was doomed. One cannot let one's 85 year old mother out-perform one. Oh no. It was a trifle hilarious when we looked at the weight warning on the slide and it mentioned 27kgs. HahahahHAHAHAHA. The good news is that it is still standing.

 She LOVES baking. Helping. Cooking. Ann is so patient with her, and they have great fun making lovely cakes. Which usually have pink icing, because Missy adores pink. And why not.

And home. The house is now in autumn mode. The colours are warm and cheerful, and it gets dark so much earlier all of a sudden, and there is a distinct chill to the air. Time to pile up the blankets and quilts in preparation for the cold weather. Judging by the number of berries on the holly tree, it could be a cold winter.

So I will try to remember to take photos of the house to show you too. Later. If the sun is shining.

So, here we go then.......

There has been time spent like this......

Watching, playing, laughing, delighting in this little one, who never stops talking, and who has the most gorgeous giggle too, and who just has to say "Come, Moreganny, come" and we lever ourselves off the couch and follow. 

 Please note the garage I built for the little bus.

 And then there was an early morning view of the white cliffs at Dover.......

 And 9 long hours after arriving on the European mainland, there was this place.........

 My favourite place up in the Alps. Marge's garden has been spectacular this summer.

 And there were walks through the forest, over the river, to the waterfall with my son.

 Via the "Seilpark" - you could, if you were certifiable, swing or climb through the top of the trees in the forest. I gave that one a miss.

 And the rafting pool was deserted, so David got to raft around it, and its islands. My kids have always loved this place. It would not exist in the UK. Health and Safety and all that. The Swiss prefer to think that parents can watch their children perfectly well without restrictions imposed on them.

 The setting sun from the balcony at Marge's house. I think her house appears in every tourist's photo album. They all stop to take photos. They sometimes ask to come in too. And at times, they just wander in by themselves. They do not seem to grasp the concept of private property.

And then, I got on the train and went to Luzern. It was a beautiful day. I also failed to notice the filthy mark on my camera lens until I got home, so WAIL all my photos have a blob in the middle of them. 

 I went to Luzern to meet Helen, my blogging friend, who lives in Zurich. She blogs here and is an absolute delight in real life as well as on her lovely blog. I can't remember how I found her in the first place, but I am so glad I did. We met at the station, and headed straight for Marge's favourite coffee shop next to the river. Which was thunderous, I have to say.

 You can see it behind us. And the blob is neatly in the middle of the photo. And we chatted and drank coffee/tea/coffee and then we walked a little in search of a wool shop, but failed, chatting all the way, and then we found another restaurant, where we stopped for lunch and the talking didn't stop, and it was just lovely.

 Luzern is a beautiful little city. You have to come and see it for yourselves, you know. It is so old, and yet so easy to get around. Loads to see. Well, I have seen it, and we wanted to talk, so that is what we did for a good 4 + hours. There will be a next time to continue the talking too.

And this is what I meant when I told you how wonderful it is to meet up in real life. We already know the background. Or parts of it. There is a history, and it is not in any way like meeting a stranger. No. It is like catching up with an old friend, who knows you well. And each and every time I have met one of you, it has been exactly like that. I love it. And Helen is just lovely. I was grinning for ages after we said goodbye and headed for our respective trains, which always run on time, because it is SWITZERLAND.

I have just burned the supper. I will be back with a few more photos later.......

I am back........

I am back home. I have been away for a while. I will show you the photos I took, or some of them, at least. If you looked at them, and drew a conclusion as to what kind of time I have had simply from what I choose to show you, you would think it idyllic. Ahhh. How the absence of words can create a false impression.

So, tomorrow I will put up some photos.

I am weary, my friends. I am still trying to get sorted here at home, and I have not even begun to do the laundry, change the house, finish projects, or try to get the garden under control. It is time to hack back everything. Colour or not, it is going. Autumn - it is here. I have decided so.

In the past 3 weeks, there have been highs and lows. Laughter and sadness. Tears and worry. Waiting, and doing. Celebrations, though muted, fun, research, doctors, gardens, long chats, and aches and pains. Life, really. Good and bad.

And now I am home.

Tomorrow.

I remember...........

I remember.

I remember the call from my sister who had seen the first plane hit on TV at work.

I remember calling the people closest to me to tell them to turn on the TV sets.

I remember the disbelief. The horror.

My aunt and uncle were visiting from SA and my Mum and I sat there with them, watching. Watching. Watching. No-one talked much. Maybe we asked is this really happening? Is it real? We never moved.

How can it be 10 years ago already? And did you hear that young boy, reading out names today, who read his father's name, and then added, "I never knew you. I was in my mother's belly when you died, but thank you for giving me life"?????????

The world changed that day 10 years ago. For everyone.

My prayer today is for peace. For an end to hatred and bigotry.

Popping in to say hi.............

I am still here - and autumn is in the air for sure. The season is changing. So much has been going on around my world - good and bad and indifferent, and I have also met another blogging friend, which was definitely part of the good stuff. You will hear all. I have photos to download. Of course I have.

If any of you ever hesitate to meet a blogging friend in real life, let me just say that in MY experience, it has been a delight each time. 5 times so far? I think. Maybe 6. In a sense, it is just like it would be catching up with a friend from years ago, because you meet, and you KNOW stuff. You have a shared history. You can immediately be chatting about things without going through the "meet a new person " thing.

It is so easy. And to be frank, even though it happened to be a beautiful day and we met in a beautiful place, we scarcely had time to take notice, because we were chatting all the time. Turning the words written into reality. delighting in shared interests. We wandered around a little to stretch our legs and to try to find a wool shop (we failed) and then headed to another restaurant, and there we stayed till we went our separate ways.

Sigh. It was great. Better than great. Yes, I will tell you more. Who. And show you photos. But not today. And don't forget that giveaway................. not long now!

I have also discovered why I keep getting pebbles in my shoes. They have holes in them. I know. It is humiliating. Also ridiculous. I have plenty of shoes. Why didn't I notice? I have no idea how many members of the general public have caught sight of the holes, but I am sure they have been visible. Oh well. At least I wear things till they fall apart! I go through phases, you see - wearing the same shoes and same colours, mixing and matching them for a few weeks and then it is all change. What a pity my BROWN shoes have expired just as Autumn begins! Hah. It could be a sign. Maybe I will have to go and get some brown boots. I really think brown boots are essential.

See? I am beginning to think about colder weather. That could be because it has been COLD today. And everyone around me has colds of the nasty variety. But I have knitting and quilting to do, and that will keep me warm, and the coffee is right here next to me. So I will stop babbling for today and put the feet up instead.

Varnishing........

I am covered in little spots of brown varnish. Dark brown. I cannot begin to tell you what a stunning look it is. David and I have been varnishing a little garden seat with trellis sides and a roof. I always start these things so carefully and neatly, and by the time I am ready to down tools for the day, the hair is standing on end, the varnish is being slapped on at speed, and neatness is out the window.

The first coat is 70% done. That is the good news. The bad news is that it needs 3-5 (FIVE!!!!!) coats. And David has announced that he is not feeling great. Hahaha,,,,,,,,,,, whimper....... I must remember to post before and after photos of my artistic endeavours.          

Apparently this summer has been the coldest in the UK in 18 years. I was not imagining it. It just feels as if it has  never happened. Oh well - maybe next year will be warmer. If we have another heatwave in April, I will be declaring summer instead of thinking it is on its way later in the year.

Ah - I just remembered that it will be the Olympics in the UK next year. If you are coming, I suggest you bring rain gear and winter garb, just in case. My attempt to get a ticket for anything failed, so I will be watching it all at home instead. This may be a stroke of good luck if I stop to consider the weather!

Has anyone noticed how complicated giveaways have become on many blogs now? I read them, you see, and then I think (if people outside the States can actually enter them) oooh - I will enter this time. That is, until I read the conditions. Subscribe. Post on Facebook. Follow. Link. Post on blog. Go here, go there. Ummm. No. Maybe not.

I have been around a lot longer than most of these bloggers, and I am very happy to welcome anyone here who happens to visit. This is my place, and I just enjoy chatting. I am vaguely amused by the mad scramble for followers, but it is not for me.

So, watch this space. I am having an uncomplicated giveaway, open to everyone in the entire world. The rules will be simple. Just enter once and that is it. Not long now.....................!

Now off you go - and have a wonderful weekend. Me? I will be varnishing.

Time flies and all that......

Today is my sister's birthday. Another year gone by and it scarecly seems possible that time moves so fast. You young ones who may be reading this today - listen well - time flies at the speed of light as the years pass by. Your mother was right. So was your grandmother. Make the most of every single moment of every single day while you are young and not creaking. The creaking bit hampers your ability to keep moving at speed too, so time flying crashes into you slowing down and IT IS NOT GREAT.

In fact, I can say with complete authority, that it is dire.

If it is not one body part giving up the ghost, it is another.

So, we will totally ignore all failing body parts and concentrate on the fact that the computer is working and the sun shone a bit, and even when life suddenly changes, there is still much to be thankful for. And why is Blogger changing interfaces and who called them interfaces? Dashboard worked for me. Facbook changes daily too. I am SO over change. I just want some things to stay the same for a little while.

 In fact, let's be real here.....I want life to be uncomplicated and smooth for a while. If life could be represented on a graph, mine would resemble the Dow Jones. Peaks and troughs and sudden downward plunges in abundance. On a good day, I would describe it as interesting. Exciting. Multi-dimensional. On a bad day, I would just go and climb into the too hard basket. The peaks are amazing The troughs dire.

Then there are the lives represented by graphs which just poddle along on a constant line. I used to wonder how people lived lives without peaks and troughs. Just even, simple, uncomplicated lives. I used to wonder if they were bored. Hmmmm.

Now? Hah. I would take that even predictability in a heartbeat. I am tired of scaling peaks. They get harder as I creak more. And those troughs? Well, I seem to hurtle down them faster than ever. Something about gravity and middle-age spread therefore mass, and increase of speed seem to conspire here.

Sigh.

This is a really chirpy cheery post, isn't it??

Autumn is coming. Leaves are starting to change colour. Darkness comes earlier, Nights have a definite chill. Soups and crockpots are taking on greater significance on the menu planning list. Butternut squash. Harvest.

I like Autumn. I really do like Autumn. It is time to change the house again to warm autumnal colours. Time to haul out the craft and wool baskets.

I am talking myself into this. Did you notice???

Happy Birthday, Marge! I love you loads. I couldn't imagine a better sister. You make the darker days bright.