Patience........

 
R and E had their birthday on Saturday (never know if 'birthday' should be singular or plural when they were born just minutes apart). I didn't see either of them on the day but messages went back and forth between us. Two beautiful adults and I'm very proud of all they continue to achieve. 

Monday was one of those undecided mornings weather wise. It was sunny which had warmth to it although a little windy, so Hubby decided to set up for coffee morning in the garden. Nice to see a couple of extra neighbours as it was a bank holiday. After about half an hour the clouds got darker and the wind got stronger and when the table umbrella started spinning like helicopter rotor blades I decided to move everyone/everything inside. Very soon after it rained so good timing. 

Monday afternoon friendsL&K arrived. Always lovely to see them socially but this time they had techy issues for Hubby to sort. It should have been straightforward but refused to do what was expected, which was reassuring for K as he was feeling it was all his fault but obviously wasn't. I'd booked the pub for dinner and K picked up the bill (minus the voucher I had) as a thank you for Hubby eventually beating the software into submission.

Tuesday lunchtime we were booked to meet friendsL&R in the same pub but unfortunately friendL didn't feel strong enough for the in and out car/ wheelchair transfers so we cancelled, but she still wanted to see us and invited us to have lunch with them at home. Which was lovely. 

Wednesday I noticed one very ripe banana and thought the last three apples could do with using up too, which was totally confirmed when my thumb went straight into one apple and made a very soggy mess everywhere. After cleaning up the mess and checking the other two apples were OK I added the fruit to my bread pudding mix. This also took longer than it should after I went to the fridge and discovered not enough milk for me to use a pint of, so back of the cupboard to find the powder milk there for just such an event. 

Three bread puddings so one to eat and two in the freezer mmmmm.

Our usual Wednesday evening gang plus two more. Fourth Wednesday every month this pub has an open mic night, some acts are regulars, some are new, some quite good and some definitely not! Entertaining but far too loud to talk over. 

Thursday stayed in as the hospital pharmacy delivery had been arranged (having chased again as told they were ready a week ago) but they didn't arrive so Friday first thing Hubby spent nearly an hour on the phone again waiting for someone to answer. Lots of apologies when mine was found in a box overlooked, they then promised to deliver same day! Hubby has more patience than I do. Thankfully they did arrive with more apologies from the driver. 

Lovely visit from Daughter, R, O and the dog in the afternoon so bread puddings out of the freezer again (a couple of hours out on the worktop but still cold so they did need a brief warm through back in the oven to make sure they were fully thawed). R was totally exhausted as just two of them had manned the Red Rose Chain show stand for both full and very long days at The Suffolk Show. It will probably take her all weekend to recover. 

As May with spring rolls into June with summer I wish you a good weekend. 

Hahaha I've now re-read that and really fancy Chinese spring rolls!

.

True WOW Moments........

 
Our early visitor Saturday morning, beautiful but sadly with our fishpond under scrutiny he was unwelcome. He flew off as soon as Hubby opened the patio door. 

We were far more friendly Saturday evening when we joined our friendsN&T for the Great Horkesley W.I. quiz night. FriendN does a lot of the organising and makes all of the ploughman's plates for the interval. Hubby and I have been part of this team for quite a few years now so it's lovely to catch up with those there we know. We didn't win the quiz or the raffle (not even close) but always good fun. 

Long story coming but bear with me cos I think it's a definite series of wow's.

Last week I was thinking about O needing props for his 1976 reenactment weekend and I thought we had some old maps (no GPS or smartphones in the 70's) unfortunately nothing suitable in the very large ring binder of maps I still had. Deciding I really didn't need to keep them anymore this week I offered them to neighbourT who does a lot of collage art and told her to throw away any of it she didn't want. 

A few days later she brought back the ring binder with the empty plastic sleeves and said she'd found plenty of very useful stuff. She had also found an unopened envelope.......

Wow how old is this? 

How did it get mixed up with the maps? 

Neither of us could remember those names as a couple we knew? 

Thanking us for a Sunday, did we entertain them? 

The photo enclosed was Hubby's brother's wedding which was before I even joined the family, unrelated? 

Hubby thought he possibly recognised the handwriting but wasn't sure. 

Later Hubby took the ring binder upstairs......

Wow there on my desk was a small pile of old photos waiting to be put away and on top was this..... 

That's our garden, there's children playing and there's Gordon with a woman we didn't remember so that must be Joan? Hubby emailed the photo to the guys, his three school friends, and they were amazed and between them thought it was about 1990.

Coincidence, magic or was something unseen pushing things in the right direction? 

And today we got up to a very wet day, a pleasant change that is long overdue. 

May all your wow's be ones to smile about.

.

Mysteries and Memories.......

 
Well this was the first time I'd encountered a camera shy butterfly. On the front edge of this terracotta bowl is a really beautiful bright orange and black butterfly but you will have to take my word for it, as every time I took a photo it had closed up, eight times before I gave up. 

Daughter and Son went for one of their long walks. 

With this WhatsApp message came the challenge to "find the dragon".

I saved the pic to my phone and zoomed right in as much as I could. 

Told it wasn't what I thought was possibly a dragon statue. 

Son did the laughing emoji when I suggested it was reflected in his sunnies. 

Eventually they sent a zoomed pic of the field way way in the background! 

I spotted the lyrics to this song posted on Facebook and tagged SisterP. 

This conversation followed.....

We shared this with sisterS and thankfully she remembered it the way I did. 

R is now home from New York. That month seems to have gone quickly. 

Collected my new specs on Tuesday and so far so good. 

When people say they are just going out to blow the cobwebs away, I doubt they've ever meant it literally. Wednesday we popped out for a short trip to Shotley Marina: very picturesque drive along the river Orwell, not too far from home, pretty walk, interesting activities to watch and a good pub. 

That's the Port of Felixstowe you can see the other side of the river. The yellow boat is the Shotley- Harwich foot ferry. 

We watched the loch gates open and close to let a boat through.

It was so windy I had to use hair slides to secure my cap but it still meant our walk was shorter than Hubby would have liked. Still fun though, and lots of pointing and remarking on the changes we spotted as we haven't been down to Shotley for a very long time.   

And a drink in the pub gave us free parking. 

Thursday afternoon had a lovely visit from Daughter, R and O and the dog of course. Caught up on the news about O's recent GCSE exams and R's adventure in the US. Os mentioned his next reenactment trip to Kentwell is for'multi-period' and he is part of the 1976 group. Hubby remembered having his dad's picnic box here, totally authentic and O was thrilled to borrow it. 

Friday we had a quick trip into town to ask Specsavers to make a slight adjustment to the new frames as the arms were a little tight behind my ears. Seem more comfortable now. 

I'll be wearing lots of layers this weekend as it's much chillier than it has been recently, suggest you do the same, well it is still May.
Have a good week.

.

Love Where We Live.........

 
Saturday morning and the dog arrived at 8am, brought my M. About 9am Son arrived as he finds it easier washing his car on our drive than his own. Daughter's dog is Son's biggest fan and she shows it a lot. In fact she was really vocal until he agreed to take her for a walk. 

By the time they got back Hubby had almost finished washing Son's car for him. 

We had the dog again on Sunday but thankfully not such an early start. 

Bank Holiday Monday was the ideal time to celebrate the 80th anniversary of  WWII's victory in Europe. 

As we often do, our Close had a street party. 

The day started with rain arrggghhh, but the forecast was dry for the rest of the day. So set up began at 10am starting with the bunting.

Suddenly there's a neighbour outside my bedroom window. 

It stayed really windy and chilly all day, but that didn't stop everyone enjoying it all. 

Our garage was filled with shared food and drinks. 

Hubby put the speakers out and played lots of music from that era. 

We started at noon and packed it all away after 5pm.

Tuesday morning Hubby and I both looked beautify tanned..... it's definitely wind burn but let's keep that as our little secret. 

Thought I'd end with an orchid update while it's at its best, because we never know how long that will last now a couple of petals have dropped. 

Now it is definitely getting warmer and a lot nicer to be in the garden. Hubby is gardening and I'm usually just checking on his progress and giving lots of encouraging praise hahaha. 

Use your sunscreen and see you next week.

.

I'm Just The Same........

 
We really enjoyed watching O, aka Charlie Blackwood, perform an acoustic set in the Ipswich HMV

His parents are the perfect roadies. 

This week's coffee morning was our first outside in the garden, so lovely and warm. Hubby said he would take a photo but he forgot so this is the best I could get from the security camera (it's only pointed to see if someone breaks into the back door).

As our neighbours arrived each one praised the blossom on the apple tree that greeted them. 

I had my Specsavers eye test this week and pleased to report very little change in prescription and was told the Macular Degeneration in my right eye is no worse and unlikely to get any worse, so that was good to hear. Having worn the same frames for three years now I did choose a new pair to collect in two weeks. 

Hospital finally rang with my CT Scan results and there were a few medical explanations but basically no significant change, so specialist nurse and consultant happy I keep going as we are. I'm very pleased about that. Next scan approximately four months time. 

I just had to share something that really made me smile. I opened the lounge curtains about 7:15am on Wednesday and spotted this baby elephant relaxing outside a neighbour's house. 

Of course it was just a shadow and I'm so pleased I took this photo immediately as he didn't stay long at all. Maybe he's looking for a circus. 

I'm posting this now, nice and early, as it's a Doggy Day Care day and she'll be arriving any minute.

Enjoy the Bank Holiday weekend. We are remembering VE Day's 80th on Monday. I'll tell you all about it next week.

.

Family Fame........

 
O's gig was a great success. I wasn't there as we were looking after the dog but Daughter sent a few video clips at the time and I got a full review from her when she collected the dog. 

As it was O's birthday weekend he had some friends go home with him afterwards for a sleepover, although I don't think any of them got to sleep. 

Hubby tracked R's flight to New York. They were delayed nearly an hour but report from R was all went well and apparently only took about 10 mins to get through customs. 

R sent Daughter a brief video tour of the apartment which will be digs for the two girls for the month. Very exciting. 

Big poster, and their NY tour is underway with a big poster! 

Oops only remembered these were in the oven when I could smell them! 

And another week has whizzed by. Lots of colour coming out in the garden, lots of sunshine but still chilly and I even managed quite a bit of ironing! 

See you next week.

.

Still Our Youngest.........

 

So lovely to see the Bluebells and Whitebells in abundance all around the garden. 

Brief late evening cuppa with Son and fiancé on Saturday when they brought my car back. Son always swaps cars when they are being entertained in Ipswich as their preferred car park has tight turns and narrow bays and my car is smaller (and worth a lot less). They had been to a Burlesque evening and thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Monday my poor right arm endured a little more punishment, I had a CT Scan which was no problem at all, but the radiographer did have a problem getting the cannula in that takes the vital dye needed. She knew I'd be a tricky customer when she saw the bruise that's still quite dark from the blood test I'd had a week before. I survived but have two more bruises on the back of my sore hand. 

A little word of warning! 

I had two very soft bananas and instead of making my usual banana loaf I grabbed the ready rolled puff pastry from the fridge and spread the mashed banana with a little nutmeg then rolled, cut, dusted with sugar and baked....... they were horrid and hit the bin so quick I forgot to take a photo! 

This year Jewish Passover and Christian Easter are at the same time and as I've no religious observations and our children and grandchildren have outgrown the bunny and egg hunt stuff we don't. However we do make the most of the Bank Holiday if everyone is off work. So this Good Friday they all came here for dinner. A special celebration as it's O's birthday and he is headlining tonight at a local venue performing his new album. Also R flies to New York tomorrow to spend a month performing off-Broadway in the play Ungodly. 

Daughter cooked a yummy spread and Son brought lots of cake 🎂 and candles were blown out. 

I wish you a happy Passover, Easter or just the Bank Holiday (delete as appropriate).

.

Tea and Cake.......

 
We had a lovely surprise visit from Son and Fiancé on Saturday although Son got a surprise first as they passed Hubby on the road before they got here and had to phone me to make sure I was at home. Hubby was taking R to work, O to the station and bringing the dog back here, so lunch here together worked out fine. 

Tuesday was a kill or cure day. I got out of bed with painful back ache, guess I'd slept in an odd position. Non stop drinking (tea and water) which normally helps with a blood test. Unfortunately it didn't this time and the vampire did quite a bit of poking and prodding to eventually fill two phials. Then as we were out anyway we drove to our local pharmacy that does drop in covid jabs. I had been invited for the spring booster as I'm on the vulnerable list. They were also happy to jab Hubby as he lives with someone vulnerable. We both suffered a little with achy arms and chills.

And some cheerful photos for this sunny and warm April. 

This quince bush in full bloom is a beautiful colour and there are two others in the garden just as heavily red. Should be a sign of a good crop later but it rarely is. 

Mmmmm rhubarb cake. 

Enjoy your weekend, see you here next Saturday.

.

Don't Scratch........

 
A quick trip to the garden centre last week and a short wander round our garden just to decide with Hubby where to plant each new shrub and I've an arm full of insect bites! They itch soooooo much!

A lovely family evening for Mother's Day on Sunday.

Frustrating bit was Daughter ordering Chinese takeaway online and it took almost three hours to get here! So the grandchildren resorted to playing Trivial Pursuit. 

R, E and O also collaborated in making us mums personalised cards. 

Son brought flowers and chocolates and cake and he paid halves with Daughter for the Chinese, although as it arrived so late (9pm ish) he boxed up for him and fiancé (who had felt a little unwell and hadn't come) and took it home. 

SisterS caught me out with her April Fool joke, together with bilK they are on a two month grand tour of New Zealand and Australia packed with tours, events and a couple of visits to relatives slotted in. Her message read "We had a boring day today, nothing much to see" I reassured her that a rest day will do them both good! Then she sent the photos of all they had really done. Hahaha

Hope I'm not speaking too soon but now in my second week of taking these evil pills at the 20mg dose and some side effects but so far much more tolerable than before. Fingers crossed eh? 

Hubby actually came with me to see one of the final preview performances of the play R and cast are taking to New York. 

It was the same powerful performance I remember seeing the first time in 2023. Afterwards, when we gave R a lift home, she told us so much of it went wrong but honestly in the audience we didn't notice one hiccup. 

Supermarket daffs are so worth the £1 per bunch for the smile they bring. 

So a good week all round really (apart from the itch).

.

We've Marched On........

 
Started the week with a Doggy Day Care day. 

Sunday I went with Daughter and O and met friendKK there to see this play. It was written and directed by R. 

The Chainers youth group did her proud. This was Daughter's review on X and as I couldn't have said it better I stole her's. 

Another proud Grandma event to brag about.

 Hubby has been in full on garden weeding and clearing mode, which has left large empty areas. 

So off to the garden centre and we concentrated on buying hardy shrubs that will hopefully fill up those spaces in just a few years. 

Unfortunately just two days after planting a few of them seemed to have been picked at and eaten! 

We will have to keep these ones netted for a while. 

Hubby and I had a lunch out with friendLA and her husbandR this week. I have been friends with her for 30 years, we met at our evening college course and been friends ever since. We didn't catch up with each other at all last year as sadly we both have health issues, her's more serious than mine, so that did dominate this conversation quite a bit. 

Hubby was needed to trouble shoot scams twice in the same day. NeighbourA asked for help when he got an email saying there was activity on his ebay account that wasn't his doing. That took a lot longer than expected. Then the lunchtime post brought me three letters from O² confirming three new SIM only contracts on three separate monthly charges! I don't use O² and never have, so Hubby had to sort that too. 

Also had a lovely afternoon with Daughter, R and E on Friday. Tea and sharing my recently made bread pudding over all the chat.

Hope you've had a good week too, see you next week.

.

Life is a Gift.........

 
When we met our friends last Thursday, friendVS gave me a gift of her home made lemon curd mmmmmm. I've made a batch of cup cakes, half with the lemon curd and half with rhubarb from the freezer. 

Shared a lovely lunch here with Daughter, E and O.

O brought me a gift of his first album on CD. I'd asked for a signed copy but he didn't want to break the wrapping so he signed a note which I've slipped inside. 

He's planning on writing and releasing two more albums this year. 

I've also had to choose a special gift to send through the post, which took me ages to decide on. 

And my gift to you is keeping this short- hahaha!

.