2019
29 January 2019
Arthiritis in my toes is twisting my feet and the resulting pain is not nice! I cannot take painkillers so I have been practising various techniques to ensure that if I wake in the night I can at least try to get back off again. It doesn't always work.
Luckily I am still able to do my crafting and have great joy in creating. OH took to the lilac teddy bear so I wasn't able to donate it to any good cause!
Of course the other toys were for the grandchildren.
Arthiritis in my toes is twisting my feet and the resulting pain is not nice! I cannot take painkillers so I have been practising various techniques to ensure that if I wake in the night I can at least try to get back off again. It doesn't always work.
Luckily I am still able to do my crafting and have great joy in creating. OH took to the lilac teddy bear so I wasn't able to donate it to any good cause!
Of course the other toys were for the grandchildren.
31 January 2019
All I wanted to do was change my email address to a new, secure one on a certain building society page.
After three attempts at downloading the "secure" app I finally caved and tried a webchat. Suffice it to say that during a webchat lasting more than half an hour, having chugged through seven security questions and answering some person who addressed me, without permission, by my first name, I discovered that she was unable to change my email address "for security reasons". So why all the palaver? And after loading and unloading the app nothing changed. I wanted to throw the phone out of the window!
Still not resolved as I need something called a grid card which will be sent to me in the post (how old-fashioned) and having received two secure messages which involved logging in to the website on both occasions I find that without this grid card I cannot change my email address.
I await developments.
All I wanted to do was change my email address to a new, secure one on a certain building society page.
After three attempts at downloading the "secure" app I finally caved and tried a webchat. Suffice it to say that during a webchat lasting more than half an hour, having chugged through seven security questions and answering some person who addressed me, without permission, by my first name, I discovered that she was unable to change my email address "for security reasons". So why all the palaver? And after loading and unloading the app nothing changed. I wanted to throw the phone out of the window!
Still not resolved as I need something called a grid card which will be sent to me in the post (how old-fashioned) and having received two secure messages which involved logging in to the website on both occasions I find that without this grid card I cannot change my email address.
I await developments.
6 February 2019
Between HMRC doubling up my state pension on their records; Amazon insisting that they had delivered a parcel when they had not and am IT person who could not resist changing the format of a spreadsheet which meant that when I came to print it there was just nonsense, the first few days of February have been fraught to say the least!
Added to that my unwise decision to feed the birds when the temperature was minus 6 which flared up my asthma and being snowbound it was such a relief to get out today for a haircut!
Still it was stunningly beautiful to look at.
Between HMRC doubling up my state pension on their records; Amazon insisting that they had delivered a parcel when they had not and am IT person who could not resist changing the format of a spreadsheet which meant that when I came to print it there was just nonsense, the first few days of February have been fraught to say the least!
Added to that my unwise decision to feed the birds when the temperature was minus 6 which flared up my asthma and being snowbound it was such a relief to get out today for a haircut!
Still it was stunningly beautiful to look at.
20 April 2019
The last few months have beena whirlwind of activity with concerts, church services and last but not least, Oh taking on the responsibility of bookings for the hall at our local church.
Who would have thought there was so much to be involved and of course, this includes me as I am the one at home whilst I send OH off to earn the money!! To be fair he has really buckled down to it but the prospect of having to be there at 6.15 am so that the Council can open up for elections was a step too far for me! So I have arranged that they can do it all the day before and leave us to our slumber.
After all they are being paid handsomely for the privilege whereas we are not!
The last few months have beena whirlwind of activity with concerts, church services and last but not least, Oh taking on the responsibility of bookings for the hall at our local church.
Who would have thought there was so much to be involved and of course, this includes me as I am the one at home whilst I send OH off to earn the money!! To be fair he has really buckled down to it but the prospect of having to be there at 6.15 am so that the Council can open up for elections was a step too far for me! So I have arranged that they can do it all the day before and leave us to our slumber.
After all they are being paid handsomely for the privilege whereas we are not!
20 April 2019
When we open our side door onto the part of the garden on which the disaster happened my heart lifts at this wonderful pieris which in the fading sunlight, of which we have had so much over the last couple of days, sings it's colours. Just stunning.
It is a shame that the photograph does not do it justice!
When we open our side door onto the part of the garden on which the disaster happened my heart lifts at this wonderful pieris which in the fading sunlight, of which we have had so much over the last couple of days, sings it's colours. Just stunning.
It is a shame that the photograph does not do it justice!
6 June 2019
I cannot believe how quickly time flies! A very busy couple of months including Safeguarding Training, a Choral Society Singing Day - oh and a 'flu-type cold and fibromyalgia flare-up have meant that the days have galloped by without much input from me.
At last things are on the up although the twenty or so jackdaws decimating the feeders are just too much!
On the other hand our lovely little starlings are doing us proud.
I cannot believe how quickly time flies! A very busy couple of months including Safeguarding Training, a Choral Society Singing Day - oh and a 'flu-type cold and fibromyalgia flare-up have meant that the days have galloped by without much input from me.
At last things are on the up although the twenty or so jackdaws decimating the feeders are just too much!
On the other hand our lovely little starlings are doing us proud.
30 July 2019
What curious weather we have had just lately. It is reminder to me of the summer when Si left us and the wall fell down with torrential rain and flooding alternating with unbearable heat.
That perhaps explains why this female sparrowhawk is on the prowl after our young birds - not that she got any I am glad to say!
20 August 2019
Sadly my sanguine post about the sparrow hawk proved to be premature as she scared a young starling out of the bird-cage and caught it with extraordinary speed which I sadly witnessed.
A non sequitor - what is it with tinned soups? I have attempted to purchase soups which are recognisable from years gone by but nowadays that seems impossible! We do have a soup maker which is brilliant but takes over 30 minutes to cook so a tinned version would seem to be a good alternative.
Wrong.
Chicken noodle soup should be a consomme with noodles and bits of chicken. Heinz think it should be thick with red peppers and sweetcorn which I hate.
Carrot and coriander should also not have sweetcorn.
Cream of chicken should have chicken not mushrooms.
Cream of mushroom should not have chicken or carrots.
Cream of tomato should have neither sweetcorn nor red peppers.
Sadly my sanguine post about the sparrow hawk proved to be premature as she scared a young starling out of the bird-cage and caught it with extraordinary speed which I sadly witnessed.
A non sequitor - what is it with tinned soups? I have attempted to purchase soups which are recognisable from years gone by but nowadays that seems impossible! We do have a soup maker which is brilliant but takes over 30 minutes to cook so a tinned version would seem to be a good alternative.
Wrong.
Chicken noodle soup should be a consomme with noodles and bits of chicken. Heinz think it should be thick with red peppers and sweetcorn which I hate.
Carrot and coriander should also not have sweetcorn.
Cream of chicken should have chicken not mushrooms.
Cream of mushroom should not have chicken or carrots.
Cream of tomato should have neither sweetcorn nor red peppers.
6 September 2019
The garden behind us is becoming a wildlife area in many ways and one of them is that we are plagued by one, possibly two rats which seem completely unperturbed by the cats and dogs which surround us. I admit that next doors' cats are getting on a bit and in their youth they were really good mousers but there are a couple of younger ones about which I thought would put off the rodents but that does not seem to be the case.
As the occupants of the house seem to have no intention of doing anything about their wild garden OH and I decided we must try to control matters as restricting the bird-food and putting nothing about to attract has had no effect at all and therefore bought a humane trap.
The score to date is 1 magpie, 1 blackbird, 2 dunnocks, 1 jackdaw, 2 woodmice, 1 fieldmouse and oh yes! 1 rat!! The rat appeared to be progeny of a larger specimen which was trying to work out how to get it out of the trap so OH decided he would put the whole thing in a cardboard box and drive up to the moors which are about 500 yards away and let the little one go.
So cute.
The garden behind us is becoming a wildlife area in many ways and one of them is that we are plagued by one, possibly two rats which seem completely unperturbed by the cats and dogs which surround us. I admit that next doors' cats are getting on a bit and in their youth they were really good mousers but there are a couple of younger ones about which I thought would put off the rodents but that does not seem to be the case.
As the occupants of the house seem to have no intention of doing anything about their wild garden OH and I decided we must try to control matters as restricting the bird-food and putting nothing about to attract has had no effect at all and therefore bought a humane trap.
The score to date is 1 magpie, 1 blackbird, 2 dunnocks, 1 jackdaw, 2 woodmice, 1 fieldmouse and oh yes! 1 rat!! The rat appeared to be progeny of a larger specimen which was trying to work out how to get it out of the trap so OH decided he would put the whole thing in a cardboard box and drive up to the moors which are about 500 yards away and let the little one go.
So cute.
3 November 2019
I cannot believe how quickly the time goes by! I remember my lovely Irish Mum telling me that I had to treasure each day and now I know exactly why she told me that!
The 40th birthday of my much-loved son would have been improved without an unwanted gift of flowers but on the up side I had so much support from friends and more importantly, OH, that the day passed off as well as could be.
There has been so much going on in the last few weeks - domestic disasters abound but thankfully all are now sorted. It was such a joy to sing last night in a well-attended concert of lovely music with a sublime soloist who reduced me to tears - probably because she sang Danny Boy which Mum used to sing to me as a child!
I have had so much enjoyment out of making teddies - OH and other family members are devotees!
I cannot believe how quickly the time goes by! I remember my lovely Irish Mum telling me that I had to treasure each day and now I know exactly why she told me that!
The 40th birthday of my much-loved son would have been improved without an unwanted gift of flowers but on the up side I had so much support from friends and more importantly, OH, that the day passed off as well as could be.
There has been so much going on in the last few weeks - domestic disasters abound but thankfully all are now sorted. It was such a joy to sing last night in a well-attended concert of lovely music with a sublime soloist who reduced me to tears - probably because she sang Danny Boy which Mum used to sing to me as a child!
I have had so much enjoyment out of making teddies - OH and other family members are devotees!
30 December 2019
So another year draws to a close with my lovely son no more than a memory but I still have him in my heart which is the most important thing and his robin visits us regularly.
Strangely we have had a really busy run-up to Christmas and it was a joy to celebrate my brother-in-law's 80th birthday with a family celebration which was so brilliant I am still buzzing from it. He is not so well at the moment so every time is precious and being able to see my much-loved nephew and nieces was priceless.
So it was doubly sad that we could not celebrate another milestone with the family which was a special 50th birthday - actually today but the party was yesterday - because OH had a rampant tummy upset and I have sciatica which I would not wish on anyone! At least I had been able to give a gift to E when we last saw them for her special day and I think she is pleased. She and my much-loved nephew have been stalwart in looking after other family members and this was a good opportunity to show my appreciation.
The other wonderful thing about this Christmas was being able to host a lunch for the grand-children - they are growing so fast and I wish that they had known their uncle who was much loved by their Mum.
So another year draws to a close with my lovely son no more than a memory but I still have him in my heart which is the most important thing and his robin visits us regularly.
Strangely we have had a really busy run-up to Christmas and it was a joy to celebrate my brother-in-law's 80th birthday with a family celebration which was so brilliant I am still buzzing from it. He is not so well at the moment so every time is precious and being able to see my much-loved nephew and nieces was priceless.
So it was doubly sad that we could not celebrate another milestone with the family which was a special 50th birthday - actually today but the party was yesterday - because OH had a rampant tummy upset and I have sciatica which I would not wish on anyone! At least I had been able to give a gift to E when we last saw them for her special day and I think she is pleased. She and my much-loved nephew have been stalwart in looking after other family members and this was a good opportunity to show my appreciation.
The other wonderful thing about this Christmas was being able to host a lunch for the grand-children - they are growing so fast and I wish that they had known their uncle who was much loved by their Mum.