Another new coat....

     .....not the clearest picture ever, but you get the idea of "cute".

      ......Walnut Whips!  My favourites....£1.99 for 18!!!!.  I must be very strict and not scoff the lot in a week.

       I love lighting a candle to sit to enjoy with my cup of tea and a magazine (or Blogs) as it is getting dark every evening.
     So when I found a box of 10 for 50p....I bought two boxes.....and plan to enjoy one every evening..... that should help to get through to the lighter nights.

Can I get my video of Joey prancing around showing off in his new coat to download?

No, of course not, can I ever? 

 ......made the most of a sale in Wilko today, and there was the best doggy coat ever...for £1 how could I resist that?

Bought a bag full of bits and pieces, honestly I could have done next years Christmas shopping!

Our Wednesday treat....

     .....for the last couple of weeks has been a trip to the cinema, to the SNRS showing.
      It costs us £3 for our ticket, car parking is free and we get free tea and biscuits thrown in.  The film starts at 11am, there is no adverts, no mobile phones ringing,  nor folks texting, or getting up and down buying piles of popcorn, nachos or stinking hot-dogs all the way through the film.
      Last week we saw "The Hundred Foot Walk" a film I had wanted to see, but missed when it did the rounds last year.  It was brilliant, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, though Darsh was confused when it launched straight into the film and after the first 5 minutes he hadn't realised he was seeing the film and not adverts for future releases "Is this the film?" he whispered to me "When did it start?"

     This week we went to see "Boyhood" or "Boredomhood" to give it a more appropriate title.  3 hours....3hours....I thought it would never end...on...and on...and on.  12 years it took to make apparently.  I was ready to leave after half an hour.  "When does it finish I asked him?" several times.

     The SNRS is supposedly for the older local people, and I expected the cinema to be empty.  WRONG, it was packed and we had to queue to buy tickets both weeks, loads of the people are not seniors, and there are plenty there younger than me.
   "Don't bother with any make-up" said my not so adorable husband, "Then you won't have any problems getting in"

     After our cinema treat we go for lunch together.  Last week we went for a carvery, somewhere we have been before and enjoyed........ YUK, we won't be eating there again in a hurry.
    This week we went to the Quinto Lounge, a few doors up from the cinema.  It was the first day open for this new business in place has been stood empty for quite a few months.  Our light lunch was great and the place is very nice, all vintage furniture and painted finishes, warm and welcoming too.  We sat there for quite a while watching folk passing and generally enjoying the atmosphere as the new staff fussed around us, still trying to find their feet.  Everyone was very upbeat, excited and happy.  Even the local Mayor was there having his photo taken, all dressed up in his official chains.  I so hope this new venture does really well for itself.
   My wretched camera was at home, with the dog, keeping warm.  No problem, I'm up for eating there again next week.
        Next weeks showing is "Pride" another film I never got to see.

       ......It snowed here last night.....and has stayed cold and icy all day....just a picture to remind us of a January day a few years ago....when it didn't snow.....far better than looking at a slushy Sutton Coldfield street.

Hey up Sara.......

     .......been looking at my blog stats and I can see a lot of hits in Argentina.
I know you have been reading mummy's blog.

        Enjoy the last few days, looking forward to seeing you soon.

       Xxxxx

Shivering Sunday.....

       Definitely not a today's picture, absolutely no sign of any sunshine whatsoever here, just icy cold wind that gave us one of the quickest walks ever, all the way to the bottom of the road and back.  However it rained just as soon as we got back in the house, so lucky in a way.
     Had Sunday lunch in a little roadside caf in Brownhills.  Thats the second time we have been there and the food was just so good again.  Todays roast BEEF was fall off the fork tender and although we were there at 1.30 they had already sold out of the pork.  Seems like lots of the locals know where to go for a cheap and delicious Sunday lunch.  I quite like Brownhills, but today it was just a cold wind-tunnel of a High Street.
      Now snugly home again, Darsh is in bed watching events in Paris and coughing (loudly).  Joe is curled up as close to the heater as he can get without burning himself and I am sat here reading blogs, and lazily sorting out papers.  It is getting dark early tonight and icy blasts of rain rattle on the back windows.
I think its time for a cup of Earl Grey tea and a biscuit.....

A whole new wardrobe....

     .....been on a shopping spree today.
      Treated to a new haircut, and a whole new winter wardrobe.
Sounds expensive?
Well yes, but when your wardrobe only consists of TWO items, its not as expensive as you might think.....
So a new collar it was then....

   .....and a new winter coat....

      .....modelled with the tags still intact.

     ........being bribed to stand still with a treat of liver doggy sweets.

     I took him for his haircut and then onto "Pets at Home" for a much need new collar, his old one is so tatty and he managed to slip out of it in a street in London a couple of weeks ago.  Darsh managed to catch him with a piece of chicken, but if he escapes from me I just can't chase after him and seeing as he is pretty deaf he doesn't bother hearing us calling him back.
      In a poor light I really don't think his sight is up to much either.  Today he smells wonderful (for once) and his white coat is so clean he is almost luminous, even he should be able to spot himself in a poor light
    It was the first time he has ever been into a shop, he couldn't stand up on the slippery floor, hated trying on all the coats and collars and kept pulling to go back outside.  Then he found the spilt biscuits under the counter.  He pushed his paws under the gap and scratched wildly, all the dropped biscuits shot out and he scoffed the lot.                
After that shopping was not quite such an ordeal for him, in fact he wanted to stay in the shop and scrabble around a bit longer.
     We have suddenly had some rather cold walks lately and he shivers and wants to go home, so I thought he might wear a coat now.  After all he is a very old boy and his hair isn't as thick as it once was.  But it rained all afternoon, so neither of us were keen to go out and test-walk a new coat.  However there is always a tomorrow...

     Took all the decorations down earlier in the week, nicely in time for twelfth night.
Had the usual sort out of what to keep, or not.
Some made it back into the loft easily......

        ......some didn't get there at all, but they did get their noses pulled off first!

            .....and poor old Fido was stripped of his coat til next year, so poor old Joe isn't the only one round here who is shivering.

 

Sara has just rung, she is on the last leg of her adventure in Argentina and getting ready to come home again.  She sounds to have had a good time and hopefully lots of pictures too.
     

Its Saturday.....

     .....we think.
All week long we have struggled to keep track of the days, thats what Christmas does to us.
     However, things have got to get back to normal.  Darsh's birthday was yesterday, we met up with Charlotte had a walk round the jewellery quarter, a hot winter Pimms in the pub and an Ethiopian supper with her and Nev.  No photographs, it was freezing.
     Today I had a wander round Erdington, and a poke round all the charity shops.  it was wet but warmer.  Had my coffee in the church sat by one of the biggest, snuggest radiator I have ever seen.

   A good cup of coffee, a slice of chocolate cake, a new to me book and half an hour sat watching raindrops fall.

A very novel drain-pipe, carrying water down from the roof and into the stones.
    Saw my first snowdrops of the year growing under the big tree, nicely surrounded by a sea of slippery mud....admired from a distance only.

     My furry friend stayed at home and was in the same place when we got back that he was when we left him, I don't think he had even noticed we had gone.

Happy New Year....

   

......John is here for the day, and he has sorted our internet out.....(AGAIN)

and so I can use daft photos of everyone today.

HAPPY NEW YEAR GIRLS.