All quiet here.....

      .....just a simple weekend doing little at home.  Hurt my back lifting up a frying pan, so taking it easy. The good weather we were promised for the weekend didn't quite reach the top of our hill, so although it was dry, we didn't really get the heat the rest of the country was boasting about.

         Looked out of the window and caught this sight yesterday.  He was enjoying his crunchy nut cornflakes I had put out on the bird-table.
 Where was the dog?
 Asleep under my chair close to the fire!

    Darsh is back from Holland, and has brought back cheese, sausage, grenadine and chocolate this time.
  Shame really, cos I had only bought 2 packets of mini eggs to decorate my easter cakes the day before, if I had known I could have saved myself a couple of quid (and toothache)

     Whilst been lazy, I had a re-read of my camera instructions.  Although I have had my camera a few years I forget things and a quick read remind me of lesser used features....some are pure gimmicks and of no interest to me, but I have been playing with the zoom setting, hence a lot of useless pics, many straight in the bin, but just some I might just post.....

      I have been messing about sorting out a huge box of vintage fabrics Irene gave me several years ago, making felt flowers, Suffolk puffs(!) and silly little decorations.  Have also put some of CandN's leftovers on Ebay this weekend, got a few bids and questions asked.
Warning girls...if you leave things at my house and then cant find them...look on Ebay, you could well find them there!

     I bought this pretty little book at a jumble sale a while back.  Theresa had given it to Ida for her 21st, or so it says on the front page. It has the prettiest illustrations and I was going to cut it up for some craft idea I had in mind.  I can't bring myself to take it apart and so it has sat there, on my desk, in my way, ever since.

     Same with this music book.  Selina and I bought a pile of them in Bristol ages ago.  She used hers, a covered table top and wedding decorations, but mine are still sat here, where I admire the garden on the front cover frequently.
     When we were in the charity shop picking out the prettiest music sheets, there an old lady who was very excited to tell us about the music, and show us her favourites from days gone by, she looked so disappointed when she realised that we were only wanting to cut up her old favourites.  But she would probably have the last laugh if she could see mine still sitting here today...

    As for these two....well....maybe we all look like that if we get too close to the macro-zoom button.
But in their defence, they are going to be 56 next month, as their first date in public was on top of Mum and Dad's wedding cake in 1957, and they have spent many years in my loft, where even the passing mouse has failed to find them attractive enough for a quick chew.  They, along with everything else, are sitting on my desk.  I'm on the look out for a nice box, to decorate, for them to live in with the wedding photos and mum's wedding rings. Then it will be up to one of you girls to decide what happens to them in the future.

    Now I am going to get myself tidied up, because we are going out for an afternoon tea...why?....because the voucher runs out at midnight....!

B.b.b.beetroot......

     It's bright red, not that you can tell from the photo on this dull and cloudy morning.

Tasty, and very pretty too, which is more than can be said for my hands.  I am heading out to Next to look at their summer stuff.  They seem to have a bit more of a tall range than usual, but it sells out pretty quick.  I need to wear gloves though, otherwise I will be banned from touching!

Guess what...

     ......and I'm not telling you.  Suffice to say Darsh has gone back to Holland and I am happily shifting a bit more rubbish right out of the front door.

     Charlotte's shoes are on ebay and if they don't sell they are heading off to the charity shop too and as for Sara's basket full that she didn't quite get round to sorting over the weekend.....GONE!

     Spring has sprung in my propagatior, and it snowed a little today, so I'm going nowhere near the greenhouse.  Joe refused a walk, same cold weather excuse....but the little rat did climb on the sofa while I went to answer the door bell......AND ATE MY LUNCH!!!!!!!

Dear John.....

......thanks for sorting the laptop out for me this weekend.....

.......Look at this, I can manage  put REALLY big pictures on my blog again.  

And I haven't been messing about with the colours, this is exactly how this plant looked in my greenhouse on those few warm spring days.....blooming freezing again now!

babies move even faster than doggies......

 ......so there was virtually no chance of catching a half decent photo of Sara cuddling Elodie yesterday.......

    .....but I gave it a go, but none of my attempts do any justice to Gemma and Olivers pretty little girl.

Messing about with the camera.....

....trying to catch a decent snap of a clean, tidy dog....bribing him with a breakfast sausage....

....he was having none of it, that sausage was too tempting to keep still for....

......he wasn't even going to sit on Sara's knee....so we plonked him on his own chair....

....cute, but blurry, good focus on the chair though...

 ......can't afford to take an eye off the sausage....

     ......GOT HIM....., only cos Sara ate the sausage.....he was too stunned to move.

The first day of spring....

     .....and so far we have had most types of weather, all rolled into the one day, and it's blooming cold again.  However we have had some pretty impressive sunsets this week....

           (That darned lamp post is always in the way)

     Poor old Joe is going to be a bit shivery tonight as he has had a hair-cut...

      Not a moment too soon either.  I had been brushing him lots and keeping him tangle free, but he got wet yesterday and his long hair turned into cotton wool knots that I couldn't brush out.  

      However, I found a new doggy parlour, newly opened and just up the road!  So I booked him, but  forgot to mention that he hates the hairdryer, so I think it took her quite a while to dry him off.  He was pleased to be home and very fussy afterwards and, for once, he smelt lovely.

     While Joe was been beautified, Darsh, me and FOUR of his phones (thanks Charlotte-your Christmas plan didn't work) went for our free morning coffee at a local posh furniture shop....

       Fancy leaving that on our table, I can't leave sugar lumps alone.  The bowl was not that full when we left, but I did have to entertain myself while he made phone calls, that's my excuse anyway.

     18??? he wishes....but, whatever....we were the youngest in the place, (apart from the young girl with the microphone, singing).....we had smoked salmon bagels, Danish pastries, Buck's Fizz, coffee and sugar.  Dad was very taken by the pretty girl singing, he told me several times that she smiled at him. Must be because of Nev's best shirt he was wearing.  Personally I liked her sparkly 'Selina type' shoes.  

   We bought nothing, we were only there for the coffee, and  is it so wrong to say I prefer Ikea anyway?  Maybe we are not so old yet....

     Sara and John are coming for the weekend, we are going to Rupert's birthday tomorrow.  Charlotte has just rung and decided she isn't coming with us-chicken.  Celebrating? Nev got his promotion this week!

John has got a job whilst he is here, but he doesn't know it yet....my laptop seems to have died off and refuses to accept blogs, photos or emails....so what use is that to me?  Hopefully he can sort it out for me.

We are planning on going to Voujon for an Indian tonight if S and J manage to get an early enough train.

And I have just got rid of another 3 bags of "stuff" to the scouts jumble sale. Yippee!

Doing a little victory dance.....

     .....see this spot....

....this spot here.....see the rings in the carpet?

Well the Telly's gone, you know the one, the monster that has stood there unwanted and unloved, for over a year.

     The guys from the British heart foundation have just been to collect it.  They were horrified, they had never had to lift such a brute.  Much struggling was needed to get it through the door.  Now all that is left is the rings on the carpet.  They also took a bag full of electricals and I have taken 3 very large boxes of stuff to the charity shop this week.

     I love it when my hoarding husband goes away for a week.  

     However, there is still plenty of things left in his scruffy little room for him to snarl over.

    ......but at least he can now open his filing cabinet door, should the urge to do any filing seize him.

Breakfast in the garden....

     ......yes, we really did get the good weather we were hoping for.  Darsh went to Holland, on the bus, again, and I really appreciated a weekend outside.  

    I opened the back door at 9am, and it was open the whole day.  My deckchair was out and so was the dog!  I took this snap as I was sat down with my breakfast, it really was just a case of point and shoot.  The sun was on the screen and I couldn't see at all.  I took several shots in the general direction of his nose and hoped for the best.  I had to laugh when I went back in the shade a found this....

     I spent a good few hours clearing out flower beds, mainly attacking holly and brambles, despite two pairs of gloves, one on top of the other, my fingers are still sore and cut today.  I took out lots of ivy too, and that is notorious for irritating sensitive skin.

      Today is cooler, but still great for gardening, I was going to Ikea to look for a smarter bookcase, but when the sun shines, get in the garden, quick, it might well rain tomorrow!

Breakfast a la veg box.....

      .......have decided I am not making full use of my Eric, my vitamix blender, and if you pay out that much for a blender, it has to be fully used.  So I treated myself to a juicing box from abel and cole this week to make green juice everyday.

     Today's was apple, orange, kale, celery, lemon juice and ice.  Darsh had a sudden desire to go out, he wasn't keen on yesterday's offering.  But I like it, especially with a couple of slices of sour dough toast, covered in Irene's wonderful blackberry jelly.....that we have nearly finished....I wonder if I wash and return her special sealing jam pot......maybe, just maybe, there might be another one lurking in her pantry?

     Darsh is off to Holland this afternoon, so we are in for a peaceful week, his Ipad and iPhones have all got invites too.  I am hoping we get the good weather we are supposed to be getting, so I can make a start on the garden.  I plan to dig out, extend and replant some of my scruffy borders this year.

     I am also going to get rid of a load of stuff to the charity shop, always a far easier task when daddy"let's keep it all just in case" isn't around!

Share that sandwich.....

     .....please.....

     Who loves bacon the most?

So much for the diet, the green smoothie is left untouched, but there could be a fight if he drops his sandwich, at least it wouldn't get as far as the carpet before Joe swallows it.

Where do you want this curtain pole?....

     .....this has to be the daftest question he has asked me today....so far anyway.

              

     We have given the dining room a coat of paint and got the table and chairs in there today.

I've been rearranging furniture, much to the dog's disgust.  He gets so anxious if he sees stuff been moved around.  Not only have I shifted his basket, but thinned out the population of his toy box too.   He never plays with toys, a yogurt pot and an empty peanut butter jar are his current favourites, so it wasn't any great loss for him.  However the fore mentioned peanut butter jar has also gone in the bin!

FOUND IT.....

     ......the perfect wallpaper for the dining room wall....

         

 

    .....what do you think girls?.....