The girls were here for a visit......

I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to be woken up at dark o' clock by a little girl saying "Wake up, Moreglanny, please can you make me some bleakfast?" 6am. Give me strength. I muttered something about counting to 30, knowing full well that she couldn't count that far. So I counted. And tried to get 30seconds more sleep. 

It didn't work, so up we got, put on the clothes and came downstairs to make breakfast, (and coffee) and play. And we both did out make-up, of course. Missy always wants to join in, and she also joined in the cooking as well. "Can I help?" "Of course, sweetie. Up you get." 

 The sun shone yesterday for a while, and, after doing some shopping for Ann, we ventured into the garden to blow bubbles. And a great time was had by all. Just seeing her in the garden in summer was a delight. She is more beautiful than anything growing out there, and so observant too. She knew that roses have thorns, she watched the bees buzzing about.

 And the fun continued inside too. At lunch time, I had an aqua class, so Ann, Missy and Uncle David went up to the Rec for some fun on the swings and slides, and by the time I got home, they were ready for another adventure into town for a little more shopping.

And then home to play again. I have no idea where 3 year olds get the energy. But what a delightful age this is. I remember so well how my own children were so totally fascinating at 3. You could literally see their minds stretching and growing in front of your eyes. The imagination is just amazing.

 And so is the daring to do stuff. Yes, you can do it, Missy - jump, little one! Jump! Climb, swing, leap......

Oh, how I love her.

So this morning, I watched her playing with the old F P little people, with the hospital, the wild west town, an aeroplane, a bus, a helicopter and other bits like the swing set and roundabout from the old school. And there was a trip in an aeroplane to "Swizzerland", then the bus to the house, and then playing on the swings. One fell out, needed a helicopter trip to the hospital, x-rays and an operation, up in the lift to the bed and Moregranny was just fascinated. And let me tell you, FP made the biggest mistake of their lives when they made the Little People so huge and the sets so enormous. Gone are all the fine motor co-ordination opportunities, and everything is scaled down in imaginary play too.

I wrote all this above on Wednesday, just after they set off home. It seems ages ago now. I just loved having the girls to visit, and now that Ann has made the journey and survived, hopefully there will be many more visits too.

While they were here, Ann tried on my wedding dress. Doesn't she look stunning in it? I am considerably taller, and it was too long, but it still looks wonderful.

So, where are we now....Friday, and the weekend is hours away. Don't forget there is a blue moon tonight, and the next opportunity to see one will be in 2015, according to National Geographic. I hope the clouds get out of the way. Last night had a definite autumnal air to it. the temps plummeted and we were not warm. I went to aquazumba early and then David and I ventured into town to try to sort out new phones, bank accounts etc etc blah blah. The phone was a doddle. The bank accounts a nightmare of computer generated ridiculous-ness, and forgive the new word I just invented. It was all sorted by this morning, but I arrived home at 3 yesterday and fell asleep in the rocker and woke after 8pm to find my son had gone to badminton and I have no idea what he had for supper. However, he is, and was, quite capable of sorting himself out while his aged mother snoozes. All that was missing from the aged mother thing was the sleeping cat. Which we don't have.

Cats? I think my brain has gone into meltdown..

The Paralympics started with a bang on Wednesday night, and the nation is back in Olympic euphoria. Our papers are full of comments about the abysmal lack of coverage in the USA, and, given that there are 216 amazing US Paralympians, it is a disgrace. We are lucky here and get to see hundreds of hours, and everyone is watching, talking about it and cheering them on. This is the best attended Paralympics in history, and virtually every ticket has been sold. That just shows how wonderful the whole Paralympics ideal is. I wish you could all watch too. The heats are even more exciting, and when you watch people with disabilities rise to levels we could only reach in our dreams, it is the most fantastic example to set for generations to come. If they can do it, so can I....

So I spent half the opening ceremony going through the different sports to see what I could enter next time in Rio. Seriously - some of the people in the shooting are in their 60s..... I would need a wheelchair to take part in the parade though, and, sigh, I refuse to go in a wheelchair right now. Except to catch planes. Flights of fancy. So the past few days have meant TV on at dawn to watch as much as possible and then there are more options on line too. I just LOVE it.

Glynis is there at Olympic Park as I speak - they were in the stadium this morning to watch the athletics. Fantastic.

I had better get this posted, my friends, or it will sit here for another 4 days. My friend popped in for coffee, we had a discussion re American politics, candidates and presidents among many other things, which you do not want to know about, and now I must watch cycling. I will be back.

I am otherwise occupied.........

Missy and her Mum have come up for a short visit - I am off to practice my granny skills. I have been playing hide and seek, and building farms and hospitals and I have delighted in seeing my family - or some of them - around the table at supper time in the nook. I LOVE IT!! I will be back....................

Weddings and weekends.......

This has been a wedding weekend. My friend, Julia's son got married to his lovely lady yesterday, and it was a really beautiful wedding. Beautiful. 

 Please note the kilt. The groom looked splendid in his kilt, and his bride looked stunning in her wedding dress, and just look at those smiles. Such a happy day for them - for everyone. The wedding was at a very old church just a short walk away from the reception venue, and the rain, obligingly, stayed away while we were outside, and poured down while we were under cover. Excellent.

When the families toured the venue a year ago, it was a building site. Old barns were being converted, and believe me, the new event centre is stunning.

 One of the things I absolutely loved was that on the floor, surrounding each of those posts holding up what was once an old barn, there were lights set into the floor, providing uplighting for the posts. And big fans hanging from the ceiling. And do you see what is draped from post to post????? Yes, the bunting I made for the wedding back in May. This is the third wedding it has been used for, and nothing could thrill me more.

 One of the walls is glass and the panoramic view of the countryside is fabulous. Note the clouds approaching.....

And once darkness fell, and the wedding breakfast was over, the music began and I departed. See that bunting? Love it. I am still grinning at the thought that it is being used in so many places, and everyone seems to love it.

I am off now to the lunch. This seems to be a new thing. There is a lunch the day after the wedding, and this time, I can't be late. I have 76 place settings of cutlery in my car. One needs knives and forks if one wishes to eat. I will be back.

Later............

Well, what a lovely afternoon that was. As we sat out in the garden, a solitary Red Arrow jet did a fly past, much to our amusement. There was a BBQ, heaps of food - salads, quiches, bread, cheese and desserts too. I am now waddling. The rain stayed away, and we sat on the lawn, recapping our memories of the wedding, and there was much laughter and a great many half asleep younger ones. I gather the party went on till dawn. There was also much thankfulness for the fact that tomorrow is a public holiday. I am also thankful that I am no longer one of the younger ones. I never could party till dawn. I slowed down to a halt around 2am, I seem to remember.

Those days are long past. In fact, my friend, Linds, in NZ just sent me an email saying how she remembers us trying to ice birthday cakes until the early hours, once kiddies were in bed, and she (so kindly) reminded me of the one I threw at the kitchen wall which slid down behind my chest freezer. The memory was etched quite clearly in my mind already, thankyouverymuch. One of my finer moments of parenting.

On a totally different subject, Missy and her Mum could well be arriving tomorrow for the night. Or two. How exciting is that! I need to yank out the Dyson and instruct the resident son to put it to work in the morning. I wonder how they will like my new study and the nook........

Idle chatter is about my limit at the moment.....

Today has turned into a sort of taking-care-of-me day. I am not complaining in the slightest. I could do with a really slow gentle day. Glynis drove round here (Hallelujah! She is back behind the wheel for short journeys!) and gave me a head massage this morning. It was just what I needed to relax the shoulders. They have been residing at the top of my ears. Most unattractive.

And then Jean and her visiting son popped in for coffee with me and my resident son. Ah, having the boys men about is such fun! And when they departed for lunch out, I zapped down to the village to have a manicure with wax treatment, using my gift voucher from Glynis and Peter. It lasts an hour and it is pampering of the highest order. You get to dip your hands in wax and then relax with plastic bags and mittens over them. That was a wonderful birthday present, let me tell you. A real luxury and my nails look good. I opted for a fairly neutral silvery colour, after my previous disastrous colour choice. I may well be wearing the same outfit. I shall have to call it The Wedding Gear. To be worn at all weddings henceforth.

Actually, I think I have been wearing it to weddings for the past 6 years. Maybe more. Oh, what does it matter. I am just a blurry guest in the background! I can wear a different scarf. Or necklace. Or something. No-one will notice. And my nail polish is different. Sorted. I am not bothered.

And then, David and I went to inspect the allotment. I do believe Margaret and John's courgettes are now marrows of the most gigantic proportions. I never know what to do, you see - do I pick them for them, or use them, or leave them.....Hmmm. They can always be stuffed of course. Or grated and frozen for soups and stews. David was very impressed by the gem and butternut squash plants. I have never seen so many gem squash. They definitely prefer the allotment to home. They are wandering off in every direction and seem extraordinarily happy.

There is a fine drizzle falling as I speak, and I am rather hoping that it will turn into enough of a deluge that I do not need to water tonight. I live in hope.

Having David around is going to be good. He has stuff he needs to do, and I have visions of an organised attic and decimated old hard drives. I have a bag of old disused hard drives and no-one seems to know what to do with them. I am of the opinion that a sledgehammer may be a good idea. I think this idea appeals to David too.  Tell me, people, what do you do with yours? Given that even wiped drives can apparently be seen by people in the know. This is fine if they are the goodies. But if goodies can do it, so can the baddies. So what is the solution? Anyone?

There is a lot more on the list for the son, of course,. The watering the weeding, the washing of the car. And that takes care of the "w" in the alphabet. That means 25 to go.

But it is strange hearing noises and not knowing who is making them for an instant before the brain clicks into gear and remembers. Oh, this will amuse you. He wanted to use my computer - the old cranky one I am using right now - and of course that was fine. A few minutes later he appeared in the kitchen and announced with disbelief - "That computer only has ONE gigabyte of RAM!" Did I know? Well, no, of course not. It is old like me and works at my speed. He could not believe it. His (slightly broken, as in not working right now, NEWISH ) computer has 8. Well, a fat lot of good the 8 whatevers do when it doesn't work. Even his OLD computer has 6. Oh well. I am okay plodding along with one. I will survive.

A friend on holiday just accidentally called me from her mobile phone. I have spent the past 15 minutes trying to let her husband know that we were connected and the money would be mounting up. Successfully. She has indeed stopped sitting on her phone and switched it off. Just a little tidbit to demonstrate how my days lurch from one excitement to the next. I am now celebrating the success by eating a ginger cream biscuit (cookie) or 3.

This is turning into the same as all my recent posts. I am sitting chatting away as if you were here with me, and as my mind flip flops about like a stranded fish, you get to be along for the ride. Where have all the eloquent posts vanished to? Maybe the enforced quiet has destroyed the brain cells.

Right. Time to see if Missy is about for a chat with Moregranny. I will attempt to gather my wits and be more interesting in the morning. Oh, tomorrow is Julia's son's wedding day. Will it rain, I wonder???

Flower girls, tomatoes, gardens and love. An eclectic mix today.........

Have you ever seen anything so cute? Missy was a flower girl at her uncle's wedding on Monday. Her Mum's brother got married, and she was a star. She and other children were playing hide and seek at the reception, and I just love this. Sigh. Too sweet for words.

Kids. I tell you, the mothering never ends, does it. My youngest son is en route home from Europe as I speak, and will be home this evening. I have a LOOOOOOOOOOOONG list of things I need him to do before he vanishes down south to learn all about old bones. His Master's degree is in Forensic Osteology. I am sure it is quite fascinating. Old bones. He loves them. He will be off in mid September, and before then, I intend to have as much done around here as possible. And then, the next time he is home will probably be around Christmas, unless he pops back for a weekend some time.

So I sort of waved a duster around his room this morning, and opened the windows, and then went to aquazumba. Hard work, but great. It makes such a difference when you have friends who make you grin. And we fall about laughing at times in the water. No-one has drowned yet, you will be thrilled to hear.

I told you I think my tomato crop is doomed. The ones I picked while green are, however slowly turning red, so we will see what can be salvaged. In the meantime, I bought some at the supermarket, and today I cooked up my tomato relish and now I am just waiting for it to cool so I can freeze it. If I a) had the equipment and b) knew what to do, I would can them. Maybe next year. But freezing them is good, and I want to have enough to last months. Mother Earth. That is what I am. I would have baked bread too had I remembered the yeast.

I have just ladled the relish into bags and there are now 7 in the freezer and one bowl in the fridge. I am going to have to hunt down cheap tomatoes if I want to have enough. I do not like gardening setbacks at all. The garden has not been perfect this year. Anything but. And, even though I am well aware that perfection can be a really negative goal, because it is impossible, it has changed the way I look at it, and that is a constant battle for me. More like frustration, because I know what it could have been. I keep telling myself that there is plenty of beauty in imperfection.

I know.

Of course I know that.

It is just different. Mainly because of the weather, but also because of where I planted things and what I planted when. A steep learning curve. Perfection. Hmmm. Why did some hanging baskets flourish and some die? Same soil, same plants, same wall, same water. Strange. Maybe I will, in tune with the rest of my life, choose to have a simplified garden when I plant one again.

Simplifying. Oh, how we need to simplify our lives. Strip them back to the essentials. There is a wonderful programme on Channel 4 at the moment, called 24 hours in A & E. Accident and emergency, or casualty. Set in a huge London hospital, and filmed over 24 hours. One of the senior nurses says, as the credits roll, that everything can change in a second, and that, in the end, all that really matters is loving and being loved. Nothing else. And every week, those words echo through the corridors of my mind. Nothing else matters in the end. And how simple is that?

Loving brings a whole host of other complications, of course. Vulnerability. Hope. Fear. Pain. Joy. Responsibility. Family. We grow. We change. Times change. Life speeds up and gathers us with it like a tsunami as it swells and grows, and finally tosses us onto the distant shores, and all that is left is the feeling. The emotions. The love. No-one lies dying on a stretcher and asks for his iPad. His car. His fancy suit. Her shoes. Her food mixer. Her make-up bag. They want to be held by those they love. Who love them.

It is that simple. Possessions mean little. Now how did I end up talking about this...

Enough for now.

Just look again at that wee girlie up there at the top of the page, and you will see love. This Moregranny loves her so much. And in case you hadn't worked it out, she is the one in the white dress, with the beautiful long hair. My little Missy. She is growing up fast.

A slow start...........

 Good morning! It was a battle getting up today so we are going slow. In fact we may be at snail's pace for the rest of the day. But that is fine, because there is nothing pressing on the agenda for today. Except that I need some bread. I threw out all the yeast which for some reason had all expired and failed to buy new replacements. And I still have my clothes to sort through and discard in great quantities. Not because they are necessarily unwearable. 

Actually, I have not been clothes shopping (or any other real shopping) for a long while, now that I come to think of it. As I get older, the appeal fades. And anyway, I have things to wear, so why buy anything new. It is just when I start to work out that my favourite skirt has been around since the dawn of time (about 1993) that I get a vague idea that something new may be necessary. 

And add to that my garden. It has wrecked everything vaguely wearable this year. I water each day, you see, and completely forget to avoid things like my multitude of lilies as I lean over them to reach plants. Most of them are taller than me, anyway.  And lily pollen is not something you want a close encounter with, because it stains, and the stains stay right there, no matter what you try. Believe me, I have tried. So every reasonable top I own is wrecked. When I told a friend, she said - put it in the gardening clothes pile. 

 The gardening clothes.....how many of you ever change into gardening clothes before you go and water your garden?? I thought not. And, quite frankly, my gardening clothes now need a complete wardrobe of their own. So do my painting clothes. That leaves precious little else. Happily, I think I can survive until next year, because it is nearly autumn anyway, and the winter clothes are still there. A little worn out but wearable. 

 How did this turn into a discussion about my wardrobe? 

My lovely friend Kelli, bless her cotton socks, has sent me a pack of super duper ear plugs. They arrived today, and I am going to try them out at the wedding I am off to on Saturday. We will find out for sure whether it is the music or the vibration which hurts the most. It is quite hilarious, you know - I spent my mothering years removing any playdoh or assorted small things from my childrens' ears, and here I am squishing the "doh" into shape before stuffing it into my own ears. Ah, the memories......

AND NOW

(many exclamation marks to come, so brace yourselves...)

 BREAKING NEWS here at RCR!!!!!!

My daughter will be home for Christmas this year!! How wonderful is that! This Mum is bouncing up and down in her seat right this minute. I cant tell you how excited I am. I will have to start work on the "Welcome Home" posters immediately. Hopefully ALL my children will be home for Christmas. Sigh. I can't wait. Can you see this Mum's grin???

So the mammoth sorting out/clearing/organising frenzy which has been taking place here, is just beautifully timed. At least my cupboards are sorted, and she will be able to find things to bake with, should the mood strike. That reminds me. I have no oven. Right. I will get an oven. It has just shot to the top of the list because I need to be able to bake and cook Christmas dinner. For the multitudes. My tiny microwave/combination oven will not cope. Ovens....Hmmm. 

 My uncle would have loved my dahlias. He grew masses of them, in all colours, and he adored them. He would be so proud of my fledgling attempts to grow them. They just look so wonderful. Some of mine are like this one, and then there are the pincushion type at the top of this post, and then the beautiful pink ones like in yesterday's post. Next year, I can plant more. They just keep flowering, and they last cut in vases too. Do you grow dahlias? Tell me which colours you love! 

 On Sunday, the nearby airport had an air show. The planes flew overhead all afternoon, bi-planes, lots of old planes, some in formation like these, and some alone. It was great to sit out in the garden and watch them fly overhead, and then, with a resounding roar, the Red Arrows arrived. The RAF's magnificent display team. 

 They soared into the sky, and dived down again................

Absolutely stunning. I had, thank goodness, changed the setting on my little camera to "sport" mode, because at least I could take quick photos. I learned this with my granddaughter. She too moves at the speed of light, and the only way to get any good photos of her is to use the sport mode. 

This quiet village has been anything but quiet in recent days! Planes flying overhead, children still on summer holiday ( there are still 2 weeks to go till school starts in England, although the Scottish children are already back) and people out in their gardens. I love hearing the sounds of life, you know. It makes me feel a part of a whole. Much like the view from a hot air balloon - you get to see the patchwork of life under the balloon in its entirety. Not perfect, but, oh, so fascinating. 

And now I must zap off to catch up with the world. I will be around to visit, I promise - I will start at the top of the exceedingly long list and work my way down. I want to know what you have all been up to - I don't want to miss a thing! Thoughts of Autumn can wait.

So here is a little of what has been going on in August around here.....

Hello there. I have not forgotten you. I have, in fact started a great many posts in the past 3 days, but they all seem to be a jumble of things, so, in order to make things simple and get back to normal, I thought that some photos would be good. This post will be the first of the photo ones and then tomorrow we will have the rest. I think. Maybe for the next few days. We will see. 

And the computer gizmos have arrived!!! The Internet has re=entered my study!!  I am back on the old faithful ancient computer! The one which does not make my words jump all over the place when I hover over the trackpad and find that I am typing garbage all over the screen and never where it should be. 

So, remember the "nook" ? I still can't think of a suitable name..... Well, here is it in the evening. The mirror is up and I have yet to decide what to do on the other wall. I have some ink drawings which would look good. Maybe. 

 And in daylight. It is a really good place to sit, and we can get far more people around it than I ever thought possible, which is a mega bonus, of course. I am so thrilled that it worked out, just as I planned. And even more so because everyone loves sitting there.

Moving on.....

At least twice a week, I have been freezing veg from the garden, especially the French beans and yellow beans. And the courgettes (zucchini) as well. I dice or grate that for soups, stirfry or the crockpot. The bean harvest has been excellent and it still continues. AND I get to eat fresh beans each day too!

 Courgettes, french and yellow beans, broad beans and gem squash..............

  

The gem squash and butternut squash are thriving down at the allotment. All i need to do is keep an eye on where they are heading next as they ramble all over the place. I have had so many gems squash already and am absolutely thrilled! On a more tragic (to gardeners) note, 3 of my tomato plants have developed tomato blight, so the rest are very probably doomed. I have thrown away the 3 plants, and have cut the tomatoes off the other ones to see if I can ripen them indoors and also to see if they too will develop blight. I hate it when things go wrong in the garden and it is nothing I could have prevented. 

Sigh.

Now.........

Remember I told you I emptied the fabric into the lounge? Well, this is one of the photos of the piles I had sorted. By no means all of them, but you will note that space is at a premium. Yes. And you will also note that I was watching the Olympics as I worked. I can still multi-task a little.....

 And when the sorting was done, I started packing the fabric onto the shelves in the sewing room. I initially had plans for 2 of the 4 book cases to be used. Hmmm. I was sadly mistaken. All 4 of them have been used and this is a photo of the small bookcases. The other two are monsters. Huge. And full of fabric. But it is sorted in colour and also in size. That means that the fat quarters are separate to the bulk fabrics. These would be the small fat quarters. And see that shelf there on the bottom left? The one with the blue thing rolled up on top of the plastic drawers? Everything on that shelf is a UFO. Unfinished Object. Groan. I didn't remember most of them. 

Oh, the delight of being organised. We will overlook the creaking bones today. It still makes me smile, and right now, I remember where everything is. Maybe I should draw a map or something, because as sure as anything around here, I will have forgotten in the next few weeks. 

 And then there was the Olympics. A Games for Everyone. What a triumph for London, and how incredibly it lifted the spirits of a weary nation. Didn't you love watching the joy on the faces of the athletes? The venues were amazing, and the entire thing was a million times better than anyone expected it to be - especially the travel and the friendliness of everyone. And if you haven't seen this yet, you HAVE to watch. Hysterical, and only in Britain. In fact I will add it later. It is just fabulous.................... OK, so I have posted it separately just after this post. You MUST watch the whole thing!

So where was I.........

Balloons! The Balloon Festival nearby took place on Saturday, and here are a couple of them floating over my garden. Beautiful, aren't they? 

My garden - some things died, some lived. Some are disasters and some triumphs. My dahlias are lovely.

 And as I sat there on Sunday afternoon, feet on the coffee table, relaxing amidst all the colour, I noticed that my nail varnish was a disaster, so I sat down, started painting the toes, and the doorbell rang. I wish you could have seen me hobbling across the carpet with toes sticking up in the air. My visitor was instructed to make the coffee while I finished the painting. I am such a welcoming hostess......

But this is the best bit, getting to enjoy any slight warmth in the air, outside in the garden. Ignoring the dying tomato plants. Blinkers are good. 

There is a lot more, but gather the tissues before you watch the next post, because you will cry with laughter.......

Happiest Olympic Worker 2012

EUREKA!!!!

Oh, thank heavens! I have found the old laptop cable and here I am. Thank you all for your emails, messages, for trying to contact friends to see if I was okay, and as you see I am indeed alive and well and fuming like Mt Krakatoa.

The day after the Olympics started, we had a storm, and the gizmo thingamewhatsits which send the Internet through the electrical wiring in the house sort of blew up. Had a lightning strike. Ceased to work. That meant no Internet on the computer. That meant silence here at RCR. So, after chatting to Son#1, who installed the gizmos here, I headed out to buy new ones. He said about £30. Hah. In his dreams. They were way too expensive, and then he saw some on offer from a big chain of stores here, and I squinted at my tiny phone screen and managed to order them.

I had a cheery email saying that the order was on its way to dispatch. And I would get an email to say they were on their way.

Hmmm.

Tap. Tap.

No dispatch email.

They have yet to arrive.

I kid you not. Call after call I have made, and while it would have been a great idea to cancel the order and just go and get them from somewhere else, these ones were affordable. The coffers here are not overflowing. So yesterday I finally spoke to a manager, who was apologetic but said he would call me as soon as they were sent to dispatch. He did. They are on their way. Maybe. Perhaps. Possibly.

We will see.

And in the meantime, the London 2012 Olympics have been and gone, and oh, what a triumph they were. Team GB outdid themselves, and the entire nation was smiling, happy, chatting to people in the street, the tubes and it was magical. Just wonderful. Thank heavens we still have the Paralympics to look forward to as well. Soon now.

And the weather has been iffy -lots of rain, some sun and a great deal of greyness. The garden is good in places and decidedly not good in others. I have no idea why. The bean harvest is in full swing, and because there has been no Internet to distract me, I Have Been On A Mission.

There is not a cupboard in this place which has not been emptied, swapped around, changed, or rearranged. The nook is done and is a triumph too, and every kitchen cupboard has been cleaned.

And I am exhausted.

The sewing room nearly finished me off, which would explain the increased number of calls to the gizmo company. (Powerline adaptors.) I took all the monumental stash of fabric out and dumped it in the lounge. Then I mountaineered over and through it all ruthlessly. It was put in colours then I chose what to keep, tossed the rejects into a heap and called my friends to come and forage. The remainder went to charity. And THEN I moved all the organised and labelled boxes of things off my shelves and into the cupboard neatly and stacked the fabric onto the shelves.

I need a holiday.

And if I ever mention thinking of acquiring any fabric STOP ME. It will take several lifetimes to use up what I have.

So there we are. In a nutshell. I have missed you all so very much, and the need for a laptop of my own or an iPad is becoming pressing.Urgent.  It has shot to the top of the list. Just under bread.

And now I will go and check the post to see if they have come today. I have my doubts. I have so much to tell you all, and so many posts to go and read and my brain is about to explode with all the words trying to leak out, and .....

You get the idea. I will be back later.
And I love you all.