IRL fun, bovine antics, bathrooms and....what was it..... Oh yes, the potential dissolution of the United Kingdom. Imminent.

Good grief. Time flies.

The suit saga was solved, and David duly attended the wedding clad in the beautiful new garb and a great time was had by all.  Diana returned home from her travels and then trundled off immediately to Falmouth to deliver a young friend back to uni. She and David both got home at about the same time last Sunday. The plumber has departed for Turkey to attend a wedding, and Jean departs soon for the very same reason. Her son is getting married!

I tell you, life is fast paced around here.

And I started hacking back the jungle garden. 

I have a sneaking suspicion that the collection of the garden waste is soon going to stop. I get caught out every year. Believe me, the garden is most certainly a jungle.

The bathroom is 99% finished - we are awaiting the new side bath panel and the windowsill, but I just love it. It is AMAZING. And, ironically, it seems twice the size, even though the bath is wider, longer, deeper etc, etc.

I have not done the finishing touches or the "putting out of the stuff", or the "using the cupboard" thing yet. I will wait until the plumber has finished. But I love it. That bath is worth the wait. Definitely. 

Diana is proud of the giant Mongolian sun flower she has grown. And the others. The plant IS STILL GROWING. 

You really need to see how pretty the English countryside is around here. Cows grazing..... Mind you, we have had some evil cows around these parts recently. Not the ones in the photo. Forget the gently grazing in the field thing. They have charged and trampled some people in the next village. Hospitalisation was required. And the cows needed moving. We have public rights of way here, so the public has a right to walk across fields demarcated as Public Rights of Way. Dogs need to be on leads, but one does not expect close encounters of the bovine kind. 

Years ago, Diana and the little son of a friend were walking across a field when the cows started massing their numbers and approaching at speed. She managed to hurl herself and her charge over the hedge to safety, but was totally traumatised. 

Swiss cows are well behaved. I don't recall being wary of Swiss cows. Mind you, at least they wear bells, so if they gathered speed, they could well deafen themselves. 

But at least we would be warned. 

Hmmmm

I digress.

I have really pretty dahlias this year. 

And giant ones. 

It rained a while back so this one keeled over and face-planted itself into the adjacent jungle, so I had to pick it. 

And then, in the midst of this crazy upside down house time, my blogging friend from way back when, Mary, arrived in the UK with her friend, Alison, and Alison's son and partner, for a Northern Hemisphere Adventure, which included visiting ME. 

Of course. 

So, yesterday, I waved a duster around the place for roughly 10 seconds, vacuumed up the very present dust, unrolled a rug from the standing selection of rugs leaning against a bench in my porch, patted a cushion or two and zapped off to meet the train. 

It really seemed as if I had known them both for decades, you know. Within seconds. 

The beautify of the blogging world is the way you actually get to interact with special people, and forge unique friendships across oceans, deserts, jungles and mountains. And the sense of humour, the valiant spirit, the attitude to life which linked all those dots years ago, proved spot on. As it has with all my really special IRL encounters. Barry and Becky from the top left of the USA will attest to that very special bond. They enrich my life, as have others too over the years. 

And now we have an Australian link as well. 

The day flew by as we did the In Depth Tour of Linds's Life. This tour included Tesco, took us past old schools, friends' homes, into the village sweet shop, the beauty salon, hairdresser, chemist........

You have no idea. It also included lunch at my favourite place, the local church, driving into the village all three ways and a visit to the allotment, all accompanied by Peppa Pig (Granny has to do the Peppa Tours the World thing for the small granddaughter, after all. It is only natural.)

Please note Peppa on Mary's lap. 

This was taken moments after Diana checked the time of the train and when we had to depart for the station etc. We needed photos. 

I just wish they could have stayed longer. We may well have managed to include the local beauty spots, like the Grand Union Canal, a stately home or two and assorted other worthy places. At least they saw the tower which is over 1000 years old.

So yesterday was a wonderful day. And I dozed off very quickly in my chair in the evening. 

On a totally different note, I am at home today, awaiting the delivery of the new tall radiator. The Heating Plumber called to tell me it was being delivered today. And that he would be here this week to install it. On that basis, I have called the carpet company and they will be here on Monday morning at dawn, to lay the carpets. Eureka. Hallelujah. 

It would, of course, have been perfect had the carpets been on the floor and not in a distant warehouse when my guests arrived, but I think they got the minimalist look. As in nothing in the room bar the couches, a stool or two and the tv and kist. 

The pictures were on the wall, though. There was that. 

The country is now gripped by the potential dissolution of the Union. This is a MAJOR issue, people. Did you realise that next week, the people of Scotland are voting a yes/no vote for or against independence? That would mean the United Kingdom would cease to exist. The Union Jack would have to be stripped of the Saltire. And we would no longer be one nation. The ramifications are huge on every front. And right now, the Yes vote is winning. Oy. We will know next week. 

It is unthinkable.