Yawn Yawn Wakey Wakey 2025

Good morning all.

It's cold but the sun is shining.

We are going to the ballet this evening, an early birthday treat for OH, Romeo and Juliet. We'll have an early dinner in Norwich first.

 

Thank you, @Ladybird4, I had a very enjoyable dream involving Sean Connery! I was quite sorry to wake up!
@Obelix-Vendée, any chance of a picture of your latest dress when it’s made? I haven’t done any dressmaking for years, although to be honest, I don’t wear dresses very often at all now.
Dull and grey again today. Very pleased that I got out yesterday and cleared another bit of the bank. OH came out to help with the shredding, both green bins full, and a small pile of leftovers to start the next fill on Wednesday. Result!
Today, as a treat, we are going to the big local garden centre/ nursery. I want to look at what Daphne they have in stock. I have a spot near the patio which I think would be suitable. Might get tempted by something else while I’m there! They also have a massive cafe, it’s a shame their coffee is so awful, I’m sure we’d visit more often.
Enjoy the ballet, @Busy-Lizzie.

 

Half term round here is next week, so it's business as usual. Dog has been deposited at his doggy day care and I'm waiting for Tesco.
It's the first time since the end of October that we are picking the kids up, as it's now light enough for me to drive until well gone 5. I want to call at our local GC on the way, to find a gift for my cousin's birthday.
Yes, @Butterfly6 you're right about the hogget. I like it, but OH finds it a bit strong.
Enjoy the ballet @Busy-Lizzie

 

Morning all, taking it easy today I think and staying indoors. in the warm. I was still really chilled last night so took a water bottle to bed.
I've just demolished the slice of Xmas cake we were given yesterday which was delicious.

I've got a roller blind to refurbish, going to cut off the manky looking bottom bit, sew a new hem and slide the plastic thingy back in. Might also retouch the pillar corners again with the cream paint I found. I'm sure there's lots of other jobs I could do if I can summon the enthusiasm.

One thing I'm going to organise is to get my front teeth fixed at last with four new crowns which OH has very kindly offered to pay for. Not sure if that's very vain of me at my age and I'm very apprehensive about the procedure but my dentist is very nice and understanding. My old crowns are nearly forty years old and they were only insured for five!

Ouch, just heard my 16 yr old grandson spent last night at A&E, he got a knee in his ribs during football practice but fortunately they don't think the ribs were broken just badly bruised. That's jolly painful as I found out when I did one of mine in several years ago.

We've got a deliciously perfumed Daphne near our front door @Ergates, a Daphne odora
Aureomarginata if I remember correctly, about 4ft tall x 2-3 ft wide. Hope you find one you like.

Enjoy the ballet @Busy-Lizzie.

I'm still having trouble with the site as well @Allotment Boy, slow loading the pages and getting the 'Post' to work.

 

Afternoon (just!) all. Grey but not too cold here.

I'm trying to get organised for my trip to Scotland, starting on Thursday; I'm also trying to organise OH, who's going to England the following week. We'll meet up in York where our son, DIL and grandsons live, and come home together. (Organising OH is difficult... he's quite capable of leaving a whole category of clothing out of his suitcase, and arriving at his destination with no spare socks, for instance. His head is too full of music, I think.) The one important thing I haven't managed to organise yet is the plumber, who I need to persuade to come to the cottage and tell us what we need to know about new water tanks. Sigh...

The weather has done strange things to the timing of spring, here. We'd usually have a few leaves appearing on the hawthorn hedge by the end of Feb, but that now looks unlikely. We have Tete a Tete daffs and snowdrops in flower simultaneously, crocuses just beginning, and, like @Ladybird4 , no sign of the snake's head fritillaries yet.

 

When we visited Dunham Massey a couple of weeks ago the Daphnes fragrance was fabulous and we are also thinking we must have one for the garden. I just need to work out where I can fit one in.

Ouch for your Grandson with the bruised ribs @lizzie27, they always seem to be disproportionally painful

Have enjoyed GD visit, just recovering with an early lunch (she’s 5 and very energetic) before we venture into the garden. The sun is still shining!

 

Good afternoon,
It’s bitterly cold once more, with a slight breeze that cuts through. It is brighter though, with the sun trying to break through.
I’m still trying to thaw out after being at the coffee morning group - it was so cold there today as the outside door had to be ajar for the gutter cleaners who must have used something requiring electricity to power it that it made the whole building freezing.

 

Another grey and chilly day here.

Off to do MIL’s pedicure in exchange for tea and cake. I’ve bought a battery-powered file thingy to try. Let you know if any good.

Have a decent afternoon all.

 

A battery powered file thingy sounds frightening

The sun is still shining

 

Good afternoon all. @Tui34 you will soon be straight and once surrounded by your familiar things your new home will be all the more welcoming. Have a wonderful time at the ballet @Busy-Lizzie. Hope your OH enjoys his birthday treat. @Ergates, now you are talking! SC - best Bond ever. Oh your poor grandson @lizzie27! He will be aching for a while now. How do you get a knee in the ribs in football?? Red card! Could you use the 'battery powered file thingy' to sharpen your secateurs @AuntyRach??

 

I got my washing done and went to peg it on the whirligig but had to retire immediately to put a coat on - it was Baltic. Hands were starting to take on the dead spider look. The breeze did its job though and I got everything dried.
I had a visitor this p.m. - from my energy company. My Economy 7 meter will cease to function when the BBC turn off their RTS (radio teleswitch) at the end of this June and unless I have my meter replaced I might find that my heating and hot water functions won't work properly resulting in incorrect bills. I have resisted a smart meter for as long as possible but now I have had to bite the bullet. To cut a long story short I have an appointment booked for March 26th. It isn't going to cost me anything but will open up opportunities to access better tariffs.
p.s. Forgot to put that I am not quizzing again tonight - we have another bye. I cannot tell you how pleased I am not having to go out in the freezing wind and I can watch the TV quizzes in the warmth instead!

 

Back from our trip to the garden centre. I did get a Daphne, the one you mentioned, @lizzie27, plus some socks and OH got a miniature plant to add to his terrarium. It’s a wonderful place, a bit like a mini mall! I looked through the clothes section, plenty of Seasalt, Joules and White Stuff on the sale rails, but nothing in the right colours for me. I’d probably have been tempted by some more plants - they grow many of them themselves - but it was so very cold outside that I couldn’t linger for long.
We also popped into the whole foods store next door. Despite being half term, there was plenty of room in their cafe, so we indulged in some decent coffee, OH had a very tasty bacon roll and I had a huge slice of iced Bakewell tart. All made on the premises, and really good. We have brought home an individual Homity pie for my tea, and a turkey and cranberry pie, OH will have some this evening, and I’ll freeze the rest for a future meal. Really pleased about that, it’s nice to have somewhere to go for coffee out and a little retail therapy when the weather is too cold or rainy for our usual trips to the Donkey Sanctuary.
Good luck with the crowns, @lizzie27, not vain at all! You have had good use out of them, and it’s often better to get something fixed before they fail, as you may not be in such good health to undertake the treatment in the future. The good thing is that the older one gets, the more the nerves in the teeth will have shrunk back! Meant I was able to have my last filling without any local anaesthetic!
OH is making noises about sampling the pies we bought, I’d better go and fire up the airfryer! We have leftover home made coleslaw, with cabbage, onion, carrot and dried cherries, with optional mayo. OH likes his dry, so I dish it up as raw vegetables, and we can add any dressing if we want to.
Hope everyone is managing to keep warm. I thought we had been promised a bit of a heatwave this week? No sign of it here.

 

Iris reticulata, in pots at the front of the house, for the first year.


Came as a surprise to me, as Mrs F hadn't told me what she'd planted. Lots more to come.

 

The file thingy was good! Think electric toothbrush with a tiny pumice or emery paper on the end. Good for thickened nails etc - supposed to be for removing glue and gel residue. It might sharpen tools!

Awaiting sausage casserole here - need something warm and hearty.

Enjoy your evening folks.

 

@lizzie27 I agree with @ergate re your crowns

SC is one of my favourites but I do like Daniel Craig