An early start this morning - got up at 6am when Jet bounced on me while I was sleeping. Oh the joys of having dogs :-)

Had a productive weekend although I didn't do anything on Saturday except finish my needleroll piece. That is now ready to be posted to my partner for the exchange.

D spent the day at Kemsley Light Railway. I should have used the day productively but well I didn't :-) I caught up on sleep..

Ack just had to move the living room chair. Amycat is playing with her playmouse and somehow batted it under the chair. Ooops now she is annoying Ollie by jumping on the chair where he is sleeping, patting him and jumping off. She'll get battered by him if she isn't careful, then Jet will want to join in. Oh fun and games lol!!

Sunday was spent pottering in the morning and then D and I watched the closing ceremony of the Olympics. I will admit I got quite emotional, especially when they handed the flag over to our Mayor of London - Boris Johnson. I also sniffed when the flame went out. Gods I'm getting sofe in my old age!!

After watching the party in London, on the t.v. I persuaded D to book tickets to go and see We Will Rock You in London for next month. Got a good deal on the tickets too, so that pleased him. He has been wanting to see this since it came to London 7 years ago. I just haven't been able to face London - well I thought I would bite the bullet so to speak. This will be my first trip to a show since 10 years ago - oooh scary!! I haven't been on a train for over 15 years - ooh that should be fun!. Still it will be worth it to see the concert, and D will be happy. That's the main thing :-)

Then in the evening D and I sat and watched "The Simpsons Movie" on one of the movie channels. We laughed all the way through.

Monday was a Bank Holiday here in UK and it was a typical Bank Holiday - iffy weather!!

N spent the day with us as it was her wedding anniversary and I didn't want her to spend it on her own. She would have only sat at home brooding on why her marriage ended with no warning last year. So she came to us instead.

I must admit I spent a manic couple of hours in the morning tidying and cleaning the house before I picked her up at midday. I was shattered before the day had even started :-)

Picked N up at midday, went to Asda for the potatoes I somehow forgot to get with the shopping Friday evening. Dropped D's prescription off and then come home to two bouncy dogs and a nice clean and tidy house. Although it didn't last as D clumped in grass from where he had been cutting grass outside, and the dogs took all their toys out of their box, and bedding, and just proceeded to make a mess everywhere. Why do I bother :-)

After a late lunch of homemade fish pie, we settled down to watch our Olympic athletes arrive home on the t.v. It was emotional watching, especially when they all posed for a photo wearing their medals. Team GB had got 47 medals - it was the most we had got in a fair while. Now we until 2012 to get our athletes to top form to beat this when we host the next Olympics.

Drove N home at about 6.30pm, stayed for a chat and a cuppa and got home just before 9pm.

D and I both had a reasonably early night as we were shattered, plus he had to get up for work at 4.45am in the morning - ugh!!

Have to make some of my cherry cookies today as D will be taking them into work tomorrow. So think I shall make some wholemeal rolls too, as the breadmaker is still out and the oven will be in use.

Must remember to defrost some stewing steak for tomorrow. I fancy making a steak and ale pie for tea tomorrow. Might also make a coconut cake seeing as the oven will be on today. Oooh I have sultanas in stock, might add some of them too :-)

Have a couple of loads of washing to do, plus some ironing that needs doing today.

Just watched Mrs Dove have her morning bath :-) She looked like she was having fun.

Oh all the birds have scattered - I think next doors cats have been let for the day. That'll please Olliecat. He has taken a dislike to all 3 of them for some reason. He'll be sitting indoors behind the babygate making his presence known. Smudge doesn't mind them and Amycat just stays away from the door. She likes to watch them from the back bedroom windowsill.

Blugh day..

Horrible miserable wet day and I think my mood matched it. Amd I glad i did the housework yesterday. Definately not in the mood for it today.

Some more sad news on the news - a horrific plane crash in Madrid with 150 passengers killed. Some were children, others holiday makers. It's apparently on the same scale as the Lokherbie Air disaster many years ago. My heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones in this crash.

The rest of the day passed with nothing eventful happening.

Life is so strange..

Had a late start to the morning, which was nice.

Sat and watched The Matthew Wright Show while eating a late breakfast. Checked emails, wraote a brief begging email to D at work.

Then found oud the sad news that Adrian from Baldy's Blog had passed away. This was sad as I didn't realise he was so close, although readers of his blog knew it was going to happen, just not so soon. Although I have never had the priveledge of meeting Adrian I felt like I knew him from reading his blog. He had campaigned relentlessly for a bone marrow campaign. Sadly he wasn't able to benefit from this. This is so much more hard hitting for me as I have a very close friend who suffers from a rare blood cancer and everything Adrian writes/wrote about in his blog, my friend has been through all this. Obviously I hope my friend doesn't go the way Adrian did as I have already lost one friend to cancer - can I cope with another friend dieing?

After a few quiet momements I decided to make some home made bread. I dragged the bread machine out of storage, cleaned it and put the mix into cook. Mmmmm had a lovely smell of baking bread around the house.

While the bread was cooking I did the housework and popped out for a bit of shopping at Asda.

Checked email, had lunch then did some stitching.

Early evening A popped round for a coffee and a chat. She caught me with my head in the Dyson. One of the cats toy mice had got sucked up the dyson while hoovering, so I had to get that out from underneath. Thankfully it didn't take too much effort. Said toy is now back in the middle of the living room.

If it's not the dogs trying to kill/maim me with their toys in odd places it's the cats - lol I had forgotten what it was like having youngish cats - mayhem when they aren't asleep.

Did a nice toad in the hole for dinner, had a lovely chat about getting older with N. Then settled down to watch t.v. with D. No late night cooking tonight.

A pottering we will go..

Woke up at 5.30am coughing, and try as hard as I could I just couldn't get to sleep. Then the dogs figured out that I was awake so I had to get up in the end. I think D is beginning to wonder if he is ever going to eat his breakfast in peace again.. Probably doesn't help that I didn't really stop pottering about when I was up. Cat tray needed emptying, washing put on, D's breakfast things to wash up, two cats wanted feeding - Amycat didn't bother to get up though!!

Waved goodbye to D as he headed off to work and I then sorted out my repeat prescription to take to the Doctors. I then decided to drive to the surgery to pop it into the post box outside the surgery. Not many people around at that time of the morning!!

It was a pleasant drive, even though it is only 5 mins away.

Stopped and watched the old sow in the farm along the route. I don't normally see her when I am going there for eggs, she's normally fast asleep in her shelter. The geese, goats and chickens were all feeding, so I guess the farmer hadn't long fed them.

I then sat and watched the rabbits playing in one of the fields. Then as I was driving back noticed the grouse were out in the hay fields. Wow never realised there was so much wildlife activity, in all the fields, at this time of the morning.

Then as the crematorioum was open I poppedto say hi to Mum and dead head her rose bush. Saw a few other people in there too - perhaps they pop in on the way to work.

Then it was time to drive home to get a cup of tea, and breakfast of cereal of warm milk.

After breakfast I tackled the mound of ironing that I had sorted out yesterday.

Think I will do a bit of baking later - I am going to have a go at Jenny's boiled fruit cake, plus some cherry oat cookies.

Didn't do the cooking unfortunately, I ended up doing some more on my needleroll exchange piece while watching a weepy film on t.v. Still it was a nice enjoyable way to spend an afternoon.

In the evening after dinner and while D was walking the dogs I decided to make those cherry oat cookies. So there I was at 9.30pm baking, and I took the last batch out of the oven at 10.30pm. Still they come out lovely and we had a couple with our bedtime drink.

A Day in my Life posted a day late..

We are celebrating again this month with dear Jenny. If you would like to participate, here is where the details are posted on her blog. Here is my post for yesterday :-)

Another early start - Bear woke up at 5am just as D was getting in the shower, so I had to get up and let him out. Then Jet woke up so of course he had to go out as well. I've decided I might as well get up with D in the week, that way the dogs are happy and don't come and wake me up. If I start getting tired I can always catnap on the sofa during the afternoon.



So anyway as I was up I put a load of washing on, watered my veggies. I didn't go out and water the veggies at the front as I only had a short nightie on.

Ollie managed to sneak past me as I went to water out back. The little horror - but thankfully he came back in after 15minutes. It was too early for him, not much wildlife for him to stalk!!



I did pick my first two courgettes (zucchinis) from my courgette plant. They are only small but kind of cute. I think I'll use them in a courgette cake.

Managed to dry the load of washing inbetween the showers but unfortunately the bedding washing I had to drape indoors. Ironed the rest of the washing in basked and added another 5 shirts to D's work clothes. He must have enough shirts for every day for a month when they are all ironed!!

Oh we had a mini emergency here today - Amycat got out over the baby gate at the back door again!! She must have sneaked out while I was putting the washing out. I didn't notice until I went to feed some kibble the cats and only Smudge and Ollie turned up. Didn't really think anymore of it, checked upstairs but couldn't find see Amy but that's nothing new as she likes to sleep in strange places.

Anyway about 2ish as I was just locking up the back door I heard Amycat out in the garden. She was just scrambling the fence between me and neighbours. What a shock I got as I wasn't expecting to see her out there. She wouldn't come in though just went and hid under the currant bush and mewing for me to get her. Just that everytime I went near her she mewed and buried deeper underneath the bush. In the end I left her, come indoors and sat at the table. I think she realised I wasn't playing so she came running in mewing. She then went upstairs where she got plenty of fussing from me and a bashing from her brother Olliecat!!

The rest of the afternoon was spent pottering around the house picking up and generally tidying up.

Decided to take advantage of the library being open late on Thursdays and popped in to change my books. Had a lovely chat with one of the assistants in there, think they are getting to know me now as I am a regular, plus I am forever reserving stuff on the net and then going into collect piles of books at once.

As I was driving home caught up with D walking along the road, after he had got off the coach. I really didn't realise it was that late..oops!! We both arrived home at the same time!

I then cooked a lovely meal of lamb steaks in balsamic vinegar with a herb crust, courtesy of Aldi. With new potatoes and
green beans. Mmmm it was scrummy if I say so myself :-)

I think it's Thursday.

Had a disturbed night in the early hours of this morning. About midnightish the heavens opened and then we had the most horrific storm. I've not heard one like that for a good while. The lightening was so bright it was dazzling, and the actual thunderstorm was rather loud. It was actually two thunderstorms merging into each other. Why can't I have a camera handy at times like this, oh yeah I forgot I don't make it a habit to take the camera to bed with me..

I had a very frightened Amycat, who everytime it thundered would shoot off the bed and hide in the hallway. When it had stopped she came back until another clap of thunder. Jet barked at the thunder and Bear just grumbled at it. Only Smudge and Olliecat didn't seem bothered!! Eventually after two hours it was just raining and I could finally settle down to sleep. Only to be woken up again at 5am with a pounding headacheA. So I decided to get up and potter around the house, see D off to work and do some washing up - exciting eh?

Looking out at the garden a few things needed tidying up. The tomatoes are growing nicely and the peppers are a lovely size. I've even got a couple of cucumbers starting to grow.

The rhubarb is taking over again even though I picked a good 10oz to freeze the other day. I think it likes the pot I planted it in.

Need to weed the front garden and cut back my Salix and Angels Trumpet plant as it is getting harder to walk past them, down the front path, again.

A semi lazy day today after spending a good 2 hours decluttering the main bedroom yesterday. What with a major decluttering of the living room on Monday, and I mean a major decluttering, I'm shattered. The only trouble is I can't find my slippers!!


When A gets back of her holidays next and pops over for a cuppa she won't recognise the place.

Tomorrow is decluttering the kitchen - shouldn't be too bad as the main cupboards were done recently. Panning around I couldn't believe how many people had trampolines in their gardens. I even found someone who had a swimming pool. D wanted to check out our holiday destination - oooh looks nice and villagy. Even looks like there is a farm opposite our cottage.

Life and all that!!

Nice leisurely lie in followed by a leisurely day. Wanted to put the washing out but after listening to a weather forecast I had decided not to. But boy do I wish I had in the end as it actually turned out a gorgeous day in the end. The washing ended up being hung up around the house. That's the last time I listen to a weather forecast, I think I shall just stick my head out the window in the end!!

D did a bit more of the living room wall and I packaged up some of my nic-nacs in a box ready to move the dresser in the morning.

The living room is looking a bit minimalistic - still less dusting for me!!

The dogs were fast asleep most of the day but boy did we know it when they woke up. They were litle horrors, plus it had cooled down which makes it worse for us. Two dogs running around chasing each other is definately something you want to stay out of the way of!!

Spent the evening watching an "Evening of Dad's Army 40 Years Old" on BBC2.