That was the week that was......

Another week has whizzed by. This is becoming the norm. The whizzing bit. David is back at uni for his final exams, and Missy and I got to play for a few hours too. She has now started taking photos. Her parents gave her their very old digital camera, and that I suspect was fine for a day. However, as soon as she saw MY camera, that was the one she wanted to use, so I have some rather random photos on it at the moment. Feet and rear ends feature prominently. Heads....not so much. But she had a good time. I will have to clean the lens, because all photos seem to have a finger in them. A little cute finger.

And last night it finally rained. One nearly had to consult the history books to see what that wet stuff was, falling from the sky in droplets. I can't remember when last it rained, and today is showery and very humid, and I have just planted out most of the gigantic things which have been growing on my window sills. They have been out in the garden for a couple of days to get used to weather. When one's courgette plants in small pots are developing flowers, it is time for them to head for the garden. If they die, I will plant more seeds. But they need to vacate my house. I need to be able to see out of my windows.

Yesterday was the day for my long awaited podiatry appointment at the hospital. Well. I have been on the waiting list for over 6 months, which has not amused me at all. So Jean and I whizzed off to town, and when we got there, the clinic had been cancelled. Acerbic. I was very acerbic. there may have been mention made of the fact that it was a beautiful Friday afternoon, and how nice for the clinician to be sunning him- or herself in the garden. And they had to have known for a good while, because there was a physiotherapy clinic running in the place which the podiatry clinic should have been.

So that was useless. Next appointment available is in 11 days. At a different hospital. Because my leg hurts, I clench my toes, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to straighten them. This is why I need to see someone who can make something to stop them curling, because will power no longer works. Oh well. I wonder if this one will be cancelled too. Never mind the petrol costs, inconvenience etc etc etc.......

We also had some local govt elections this week. Choice was minimal, and I was tempted to scrawl "none of the above" on the ballot sheet. We also had a referendum on whether to change the voting system. I gather it is staying the same - first past the post.

So I think one can sum up the week as one where the Grumpy Old Woman reigned supreme around here. To crown it all, I went to the local supermarket, and completely forgot the pin number for my card. Totally. I still can't remember it. I am losing the plot. I will have to go into the bank where they will be able to retrieve my card should the machine swallow it, and try again. This is most inconvenient. I don't want a new number. I want to remember the old one. See? I am all sweetness and light.

And the house is full of wedding things. Did I tell you that a lady from our church is getting married next weekend? Well, the church is doing her wedding for her, and I am making the table decorations. Centrepieces. I have things from Andrew's wedding, and I have used them for other events, including weddings, and with some additions to take care of colour choices, they are filling the house. I found some broken small branches and painted them white, and then wired pink beads to them, and then there are all the wired ribbon loops, and more wired beads, which will be wound through the flowers. So we are in wedding mode. Thankfully, it is stuff I can do while flopping on the couch, or chatting to friends. Actually, anyone crossing the threshold gets to wire beads too. A community effort. The painting doesn't get done while flopping of course, but that was done over a couple of days. I must take some photos.

So that was the week that was. I need some coffee. I will be back. Have a great weekend!

Reflection......

One of the most profound things I have heard today : "This is a time for reflection, not celebration."

Lighting candles instead of waving flags and cheering.

Remembering.

There are always consequences, and the hornet's nest may well have been kicked. God alone knows what lies ahead.

Sobering times.

And here are more wise words: "The reaction to the death of someone made in God's image, however corrupted by evil they were, should, I think, be one of humility and grace."  (Rich Johnson, Vicar)

I cannot rejoice. Or celebrate. Remember Saul? He was the biblical equivalent ot a terrorist, until he stumbled on the road to Damascus. He encountered God, and ended up writing half my Bible. Of course I feel a certain amount of relief - don't we all - that Osama Bin Laden is not around any more.

But then there this: "Remember, friends, that even God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked." Ezekiel 18:23. Even God.

Are we safer today? Of course not. Maybe less safe than yesterday. And where he came from, many more are waiting. We live in a fallen world, don't we?

I am just a little very uncomfortable with all the jubilation. Twitter and Facebook exploded at 4am our time. I was awake, so I got to see it all. I just don't understand it.

Time for reflection, and many, many prayers.

Sunny Sunday.....

We are in the middle of our extended holiday weekend - tomorrow is May Day, so it is another holiday, and the sun continues to shine, and the garden beckons. The Royal couple have flown away for the weekend, and I have the newspapers and magazine full of photos for Mum to keep.

Yesterday was a quiet day round here - I was out in the garden early and pottering about. The greenhouse is full of seedlings, and some are getting rather large now, and I keep wanting to plant more things. I have no more space.Believe me, I use every inch here. I was sitting out there this morning thinking about how I have come to love growing things, and really, it is something which I can do and which brings great joy right now. So many things I can't do. But this I can. But I have spoken of this before.

Some things are taken away, but then, something else always comes in their place. For me, it is my garden. I can be out there, taking my time, and I never stop finding something to be thankful for , something to make me smile. And what is more, because I grow way to many things, it is a way I can give to my friends too. They get plants. Many plants.

My friends told me this daisy was a weed. I disagreed. It did look a little weed-like at first, but I noticed that there were 5 pots with the same "weed" in, all with a little stick saying "margherita" so I watered them, and refrained from yanking them out. Now I have 5 daisy plants, all about 4 ft tall. I planted the seeds last year. That is no weed. Hah!

David goes back to uni this coming week for his final exams. It seems only yesterday that he left school and set off to Canterbury, you know, and now we are coming up to graduation time. In July. And now he has to make some decisions about what he wants to do next, and where. Studying for a further degree, either a Masters or a PhD or any post grad qualification seems to be the sensible thing to do, given that the economy is not bouncing along in a healthy manner. If he does that, hopefully by the time he finishes, there will be more opportunities available. The scientific world does not have many openings right now. Not here. There are opportunities in foreign countries, though, so we shall see.

And me...... well, I think I need a change of scenery for a while. I am weary, you know. Actually, I would love an adventure or 2. Something new. Different. A magic wand would also be good. But maybe I just need a nap instead. That I can arrange. Let's stick to what can be done for today. And I did say the sun was shining, didn't I.......

Royal Wedding....

Today, the nation celebrated. No-one on earth does pageantry quite the way the British do it, and every moment of the wedding was magical. Precision timed. And yet, so personal and rather like a family wedding. Prince Harry always makes me smile, and he was a star today. His brother's best man. He was not going to be a "supporter" - no, he was going to be the best man. Seeing those boys standing there together made me think just how proud their mother would have been.

The two princes are real men. They work very hard at demanding jobs. They try to be as normal as possible, and they have fun as well, and it shows. William and Kate have been together for a long time, and they are at ease with each other, and that shows too - they clearly love each other very much. And she looked superb. Elegant, and absolutely stunning. The dress was a triumph. Her sister was breathtaking as bridesmaid. I don't think I have ever seen a more beautiful bridesmaid's dress, and how lovely that she walked with the two little flower girls.

It was simple and lovely. The music was beautiful. The trees in the Abbey were gorgeous. The whole thing was perfect. Sigh. And all those people! 2 billion watched, apparently. There were a million people on the streets lining the route, and half a million at the Palace. Another 300 000 in Hyde park, and then there was Trafalgar Square too........

The new generation of the royal family is looking good. And the Queen looked wonderful too. Happy and lovely. She is 85 now, and the Duke will be 90 soon. Amazing. A lifetime of service, given willingly.

And now the highlights are on and I am going to watch it all again. At least now I know they are safe and no lunatic attempted anything. I hardly breathe while they ride about in open carriages - even knowing there are marksmen all over the place and thousands of security people, including helicopters in the sky.

A wonderful day. Congratulations to them both!

Weddings and gardens......

It may rain on Friday. This is not good. The sun needs to shine for the Royal Wedding. In the early hours of this morning, there was a rehearsal - the carriages, and the soldiers, and all the rest. I woke up really early and switched on the news and watched a while. Something different for the early commuters to watch!

Jean and I went off to drop more things at the charity village this morning and stayed for coffee and carrot cake. The oil seed rape is in flower everywhere, and I keep forgetting to take my camera with me when I go out - it is beautiful - so bright and yellow, and with the blue skies and sun, and the mayflower in the hedgerows all in flower at the moment, travelling through the countryside is just lovely. This looks like England, if you know what I mean. Green. Sheep and lambs in the fields. Cows grazing. Sigh. It really is lovely.

So I came home, and went straight out into the garden to potter. I have now lost the ability to move. I had things to plant out, even though I would normally wait a few more weeks - the plants are now so huge, and have to be planted, so we will see if they survive. Hopefully there will be no frosts. Water restrictions seem inevitable unless the rains come. After Friday.

So, in another frugal move, I am emptying the bath water into the water butts. Having David home to run up and down the stairs with buckets is very useful. We will not consider what happens when he goes back to uni. I can't work out a way to siphon the stuff out of the window yet. Our water is metered, so re-using it should save money too.

In answer to your question, Vee, yes, I take down the eggs from the trees and put away the Easter things, but leave out the spring ones. So the trees now have birds and butterflies and flowers on them. The bunnies are back in their boxes! The colours stay in the house - the spring colours. I change to summer at the end of May.

So....... what are you all doing on Friday? Are you watching the wedding? Having a party? People all over the country are apparently having street parties - Jean is having a garden party in the afternoon, and there will be scones and cake, no doubt, and bunting up as well. It is a public holiday here. It is fun to watch with friends, I must say. My friend in NZ and I may well skype so we can discuss The Dress.

I love weddings. I really hope it is a wonderful day for William and Kate, and that their marriage is long and happy. I also wish his mother could have been here to see her son marry his love.

I will be back.....

A wonderful Easter weekend.....

One of the great delights of blogging is getting to meet blogging friends in real life. Becky and I have known each other since 2006 via our blogs, and we have met in London before, but today was different. Today, she and her husband came to visit me here in the middle of England, and I was able to show them where I live, and the places (and some friends) I talk about. Well, I didn't "show" her my friends, I invited Peter and Glynis to meet us for lunch at our favourite local haunt, and lunch extended to a 3 hour delight. The conversation did not falter. Bloggers never run out of words, do they. There was a lot of laughter as well.

 One of the stops along the way was to explore the ancient church tower, and climbing a few steps up the tower ladder was mandatory.

 When I visit friends or family, one of the things I love to do is to see where they go - the shops, the places they stop for coffee. So we wandered around the village square which is not a square at all - more of a triangle - and they even got to visit the allotment. A must for any international visitor. Of course.

 I did offer to take them slightly further afield after lunch, but we decided to come home, and relax in the garden and continue the talking. I do believe we could chat for weeks without the vague chance of running out of things to discuss.

It was a lovely easy day, and everyone had a great time. This is one of the very best parts of blogging, as I said at the start of this post. It really is. I am still grinning. I just wish they could have stayed here longer. Next time.

 Missy and her Mum and Dad went home yesterday, after the Easter Egg Hunt and church and the Easter lunch. The Egg Hunt - well, it didn't take long for her to realise she was looking for chocolate, and she thoroughly enjoyed eating it too! The house was very quiet after they left..... I kind of got used to "HI" and little hands slapping down on the counter when I was preparing vegetables. Being tugged by the hand to go and watch her do things. She is constantly on the move, and is fascinated by the smallest of things. Like ants in the garden. Eating chives from the plant. Climbing stairs. Dancing round in circles. Wearing all my necklaces. Wanting make-up on in the mornings when she watched me do mine....... anti aging moisturiser looks wonderful on a 2 year old. She was thrilled. And her Moregranny rather wishes she had skin as soft as her granddaughter's.

Please note Dolly in her pushchair. I can't tell you how many times Dolly was wheeled around the place. In this photo, the garden was being watered. Dolly got to watch.

And now the countdown to Friday is on, and another long weekend. It will be slightly cooler this week, so I sincerely hope any rain is gone by the time of the wedding. The weather here has been just glorious, and it is such a delight to be outside as much as possible. Easter has been lovely. Busy. Noisy. Happy. Fun. A wonderful weekend.

Little girls.....

Today, Missy and I went for a walk. She was pushing her Dolly in a pushchair, and Dolly had to wave at every house, every cat, every butterfly, car, bus and everything else you can possibly imagine along the way. So did Missy. Dolly also had to have frequent sips from her magic bottle of juice - you know the ones - they refill themselves. This meant frequent pauses. Dolly also had to have frequent sleeps, which meant the pushchair had to be tilted, so her eyes could close. And Missy's little legs just kept plodding on, and her chatter never stopped, and neither did the smile falter.

Magic.

This Moregranny smiled too.

So what if my oven (which does not work) no longer has any buttons. Or that juice gets spilt. Or that a watering can was beheaded. So what if things happen. They are just things, and when a little girl comes to me with big eyes and a big grin and says sorry, it is very hard to keep a straight face. I want to laugh and sweep her up in my arms, but when her Mummy is telling her sternly that she needs to say sorry and that Moregranny is very sad, I deliver an Oscar merited performance. And one minute later, I am paddling my feet in the paddling pool with a little one who has a plastic chair positioned IN the pool, so she can sit and splash.

Sigh. My house is full at the moment. There are toys all over the place. My garden has been covered with play mats, little houses, tunnels and a huge paddling pool. A bargain last year at a sale. 47pence. AND it has a repair patch too. It is not the smallest paddling pool I have ever seen. One's tightrope walking skills (hitherto undiscovered) are required to get past it without falling in.  My flowers have been watered by someone who is a lot smaller than anyone else in this house, and she has also learned exactly how the tap on the water butt works. That took her 2 seconds. Shoes have been wet as a result.

And now, everyone else is asleep in this house - apart from me, and I am sitting here just marvelling at the power of love. And the complete insignificance of anything else. My heart is full too.

And tomorrow will come with more adventures. Heaven knows what Dolly may want to do.......

I have no idea where the week went.....

April in the UK is a strange month this year. School holidays end on Tuesday, when the children go back to school after Easter, and then they are just there for 3 days and Friday is a public holiday for the Royal Wedding, and the following Monday is a Bank Holiday as well. So technically, children will have been at school for I think 7 days in April. Many people are taking their holidays now too, as for just 3 days requested holiday time, you get 11 days with all the Bank Holidays.

What all that means is that the UK is sleepy, on holiday and the sun has been shining every day and the skies have been blue, and everyone is outside as much as they can be, because this could be summer. Talk is of potential water restrictions, because I can't remember when last we had rain. Gardens are growing by the hour, and I have rosebuds on some bushes already.

I have been asked if the nation is excited about the wedding. Well, I think most people will watch it, and some will have street parties, but I wouldn't say we were at fever pitch. Who knows - that may change by next week! William is a popular prince. So is Harry. They appear to be normal people, doing their jobs and going about their lives in a normal way, and this is great. Right now, I don't think the nation could cope with any airs of entitlement. It is too busy trying to survive. But I will be watching on Friday.

Holy Week is flying by. Jean and I spent 2 hours at our church's 24/7 vigil for the week. It was amazing. The chancel was turned into a prayer room, with areas for painting, writing, reading, drawing, music, clay, seed planting - so many things to do prayerfully, with lists of facts and suggested readings. Time just flew by. I am so glad I went. It was a wonderful experience in that lovely peaceful place. 

And today I have been trying to organise the house. Missy and her parents arrive in the morning, and furniture needed moving, toys needed to be found, paddling pools needed to be blown up..... and the house needed to be cleaned. I won't mention the gardening things which needed to be done too. Well, apart from saying that I bought another water butt for the garden, and it came as a complete kit. Hah. Without the tap. Totally useless when there was no way to stop any water pouring out of it. So back I went to the shop and they eventually found one for me. So that is now in place. I am trying to use grey water, so bath water etc is being emptied into the water butts. Recycling.

It won't be long before David is back at uni for the last time - his exams are in a few weeks. he is working hard, but appears when I need help with things, and when he needs food! It will be good to have both my boys here for a few days. I just wish Diana could be here too. There will be a big gap in the family this Easter.

So days have been very busy, and I am prpeared to confess that I have totally overdone things, so I fall asleep in the early evening, and then am awake from midnight till dawn. Or doze now and then. Not ideal. But the shopping for the weekend is done (I think) and I can relax and enjoy everyone being around.

After I have vacuumed the house and checked everything at dawn tomorrow. Sme things just don't change!

Pottering about........

All it takes is a couple of days away from the computer and I have a borderline panic attack when I see all the unread posts lined up. I will get round to visiting, I promise, but for now, the list stays there. I am  pretending it does not exist in an effort to stave off any pending panic whatsit. The Good Lord knows I can do without that.

What a beautiful weekend it has been here. Have you all had great weather? We have. Warm, sunny, blue skies and plants that are multiplying and growing before my eyes. Time to sit out in the gardens and chat to neighbours, and watch dogs play. Time to marvel at the wonders of Spring. Time to take the coffee and find the garden chair and sit under my apple tree - the blossoms have now opened completely. I need to go and check the lilac too. Maybe I can pick a couple of branches, and bring that glorious scent inside.

Time to re-pot tiny seedlings and plant some summer bulbs given to me by the lovely neighbour I was chatting to in the paragraph above. You will be delighted to hear that I have 49 EXTRA lettuce plants. That is after the 10 I am keeping for myself. FORTY NINE. This is the "cut and come again" variety, which lasts for ages, and you just pick the leaves you need and it keeps growing. I may have been a little heavy handed when scattering the seeds. The lobelia will be worse. Did I mention that, after planting half a packet, I read the info at the back of the packet (yes, I am intelligent, and yes, I KNOW I should have read it first) telling me that there were 2500 seeds in each packet? And I planted half? My potential lettuce glut pales into insignificance. If you live locally, let me know if you have yet to plant lettuce. Or lobelia, come to that. You will not need to do so.

Ah, Spring....... I do love Spring.

What I absolutely do NOT like is the reappearance of a MOUSE in my garden this afternoon. A rodent. It looked larger than tiny. I will not have rodents on the premises. There will be some industrial action taken in the morning, which will involve the equivalent of at*mic b*mb strength rodent dispatcher. Or twenty. Whatever it takes. Let the battle commence. This time, I intend winning.

So, tomorrow, the painting resumes, I think, and the quest to eradicate rodents begins. Saturday was beautiful too, and Jean, David and I were down at the allotment early and the potatoes, carrots, celeriac and turnips are planted. The seedlings I have growing on my window sill will go in later. Having a large extremely strong son around made the planting go in a flash. I tell you, an hour in the sun and we were wilting, even with many stops for lemonade and Jean's cheese scones. I must remember to take a large sun umbrella down next time.

I love weekends like this. No great news, just pottering about, but loving having my hands in the potting soil, and growing things. Simple things. They make me smile.

What to do with the piles......

Right then. It is Friday and here I am, using the new write a post thingy which I didn't even realise was there as an option in the first place. What the heck is a jumpbreak?? No doubt I will discover that in the near future. I am talking to myself. Ignore me, please.
 
The painting is over for the week, you will be relieved to hear. I have been out to get some acceptable paint brushes, as my cheapy ones were met with scorn and derision, and much muttering. The new ones clearly say "no bristle loss" and I will be holding them to that claim, believe me. And peace and calm will descend on the house once again, when the painting resumes next week. B & B, you may well be seeing a chaotic house. Be warned.

The trouble with reorganising a house is that everything gets piled into the rest of the house while one room is done, and then I absolutely do NOT want to put any of the stuff back in the decorated room. So the dilemma is what to do with it all. I need another house. A storage unit. A shed. A useable attic. A skip. Something. Sigh.

It will be getting warmer over the weekend, which will be great, so I can get out into the garden without looking like an eskimo. I suspect there will be some allotment work too, as David is around to be the muscleman. One must utilise all available help, of course! And things need to be planted. And I can pretend that the house does not have unattractive leaning towers of stuff everywhere, waiting to be sorted.

So tell me, people, where do you store your vases? Candles? Or am I the only person with plenty of both? Vases take up so much space, but I love them.

This morning, I was thinking about how nice it would be to start everything over again. Toss out the old and get new things which actually fit in the space available.  And then I started adding back in the things I couldn't bear to part with. Mainly because of the memories attached, not so much the actual things, and before I knew it, I was back where I started. I am not 20 any longer. I come with a history and a great deal of baggage of the literal sort. We will not venture into the other kind of baggage at this point. I have boxes of things my children made for me. They are the first to say get rid of them, but I can't. They don't remember what I remember. Just because they were there does not mean their memories mirror mine - mine are of the adult variety, and I remember not only my children as babies, toddlers and little ones, but also how I felt about them, and life too, and who I was back then.

Sometimes, it is just those little things which trigger the memories which are back in a dusty corner of my mind. As you get older, the triggers are very useful indeed, seeing that I can't remember where I put my glasses at least 4 times a day, or what I am doing from one minute to the next.

So I can't get rid of them. Not yet. And then, there are things I may let go with no qualms at all, but they mean a great deal to my children who have yet to establish their own homes, and who would love to take some of them with them when they do. One day.

So the piles stay for now. My efforts to minimalise my life are failing dismally.Ostrich mode. That is what I need. Or blinkers.