I love all the new growth this time of year, I am itching to get outside, even with our milder temperatures, it's still a bit early, I have done some work to tidy my beds, but I will wait. I have planted some cucumber and tomato seeds, just enough for our own use, I have a couple packs of French marigold seeds to start, they are hubby's favourite flower, so I always make space for them. The rain is back, which is OK, will help the garden, and keep me inside a bit longer.
Poppy Patchwork
My little bit of this big World
Thursday, 23 March 2023
Spring is arriving
I love all the new growth this time of year, I am itching to get outside, even with our milder temperatures, it's still a bit early, I have done some work to tidy my beds, but I will wait. I have planted some cucumber and tomato seeds, just enough for our own use, I have a couple packs of French marigold seeds to start, they are hubby's favourite flower, so I always make space for them. The rain is back, which is OK, will help the garden, and keep me inside a bit longer.
Monday, 20 March 2023
Family time
I have started knitting myself an Aran cardi, I am making it bigger, so I can pop it on over my jumper if I'm cold at home, I already have one, but it's getting scruffy, so this will be great for later in the year when the cold weather returns. I am taking my time and enjoying the design, when I knit faster I do knit loose, this is spot on tension. The yarn was purchased years ago, so only 4 years waiting to be used, it was purchased to make a garment like this.
My last Amaryllis is opening, this flower is much smaller than others I have grown, the colour make it worth growing, it's not as bright as I expected. I requested no flowers for Mothering Sunday, and just the gift of our daughter and her 3 children, daddy is away with the F1 team, covering the race. As Sue from Suffolk said, it's hard enough for our own 'children' to make ends meet, without purchasing us more stuff.
The little ones were brilliant, we did not have a roast lunch, more of an inside picnic, which they all enjoyed. We had new toys for each child, all to be left here, which they had so much fun with, plus a few of our older favourites. The joy is Molly still needs an afternoon nap, so mummy took them home early afternoon, time for us to pack things away and rest ourselves. Daughter sent us a photo of George fast asleep sat on their sofa, he rested for a moment and took a nap.
We have had lovely sunny warm days here, it's still March so you need to layer up to be outside, just seeing blue skies makes me feel better, the hope that warmer weather is getting closer. I have planted two pots of sweet peas in the back corner of my raised garden, I purchased them rather than growing from seed, it's much cheaper, the cost of seeds and compost like everything else has risen. I also planted another pink peony in my small raised bed by our back door, it's still a wait and see time as to what will grow back.
Thank you for all your comments regarding the shutters, I did so want them, but they would reduce so much light, we would have them with split closure, so the top and bottom working separate. We popped to Dunelm and I spoke to a really rude lady, who made a very curt comment, and I walked away, I need helpful people not jobs worth, I did complain before leaving. We found a local company who does all sorts of blinds, made local and very friendly, we can't find blinds similar to our existing, but we did find a design we both loved, and the helpful lady explained, they could make just the vertical blinds, so we could reuse all the plastic top and bottom weights, so we have ordered new blinds, they will take a week to make, and we can fit them onto our existing rail, saving loads of money and not replacing parts which are still working. The good thing, is if we see anything which we would love in the two front windows, we have not spend a huge amount, we are going to get new roller blinds, we saw some in Dunelm, but I was so upset we just left the store, I will probably order them online. I promise this is my last post on window shutter/ blinds, I know I have had enough of it all.
Friday, 17 March 2023
What next
Wednesday, 15 March 2023
March colour
Sunday, 12 March 2023
Into the weekend
Friday, 10 March 2023
Busy week
Daughter and I went on a local hotel spa trial day on Monday, we had one treatment each, I had a foot and leg massage, then 2 hours in the spa and a lunch. Daughter had a head and neck massage, I was careful with treatments as I did not want to irritate my back, sadly the treatment was just rubbing in oils into my feet and legs, the spa was lovely, but lunch was suburb, we both had a beetroot starter and I had a salmon Caesar salad, with a glass of Prosecco and no issues with my nut allergy. Afterwards daughter gave me some make-up advice using some tinted moisturiser, we have the same skin tones, so hers worked well on me.
Tuesday our sign group went to a garden centre for coffee, chat and a mooch around, the centre was not great, it's a Dobbies, which I find overpriced, it's to early in the year to get plants. The rest of the day I spent cross stitching and resting, I am loving being able to sew again.
Thursday hubby and I went on a pottery course, at a local arts centre, just a few hours of fun, the tutor was very informative and helpful, she explained how to hand build things and set us to work, she then called us one by one to the potters wheel, she centred the clay and showed us how to work it, and then talked each of us through how to throw a dish. Every dish was a different shape, some had straight sides, mine is more like a bowl. I also made an oval plaque for our wall, I did add a flower, which should be still there after firing, I then made a small hand built pot which is lower at the front, which I will have a use for, any unpainted clay will fire pure white, so my plaque is very simple. Hubby made a pant pot saucer, he struggled with what to make, but he did enjoy the course, it will be a few weeks before we get our pieces back.
We did a bit of shopping on Thursday afternoon in town, I will show next time my little haul. It rained all day on Thursday and was much warmer, temperature just in double figures. I am really pleased to have done so much more this week, hubby and I are hoping for a day out twice a month, daughter wants a day out together once a month, so we are all looking for things to do.
Today Friday, I have nothing to do, I ache after last nights Pilates class, so I'm not planning to do much, We did have Molly booked for the morning, but daddy is at home this week, so she is staying in the warm with him, tonight I am babysitting whilst mummy and daddy have some time to themselves, they will eat out and find a film to watch. We have a couple of companies coming to price internal shutters for our two new windows, we are unsure if they will work on our huge window, so hopefully we will see samples and make a decision, if not we will replace our defuser blinds, as our existing ones are slightly too long.
Monday, 6 March 2023
A warm finish
Saturday, 4 March 2023
Getting outside.
Friday, 3 March 2023
Whoops, I done it again, twice
It's been a very quiet week again, sign group was good, but I only stayed an hour, I drove to daughters to chat together and I got Will from school, mummy went to parents evening later and came home with a huge smile on her face, well done Will. I enjoyed my Thursday Pilates class, the rest of the time was at home, the wind outside is bitter, we have blue skies and it's bloody cold. Today we are having the fence panels replaced, I just hope next door is quiet until the men have finished, I am a bit nervous.
An expensive start to March, but this cold snap is lingering, and getting colder next week, as I often say March is a winter month, it's come in like a Lion, hope it goes out like a lamb. I do make my clothes last years, coats even longer, so the quality of these purchases should last years. I don't give myself a budget for clothing, I do try not to purchase too much.
We did watch the film A man called Otto, with Tom Hanks, what a brilliant film, I did not want it to end, hubby enjoyed it as well, I've not read the book yet.
Thank you all for your kind comments about George, he is like all our grandchildren, the love of our lives, But he is a special little boy, his personality is shining through, he is helpful and caring, But don't you dare move anything around, he likes everything in it's place, just like his Nana. Molly has now caught George up in development, she is talking more than him, hopefully she will help him use words, she is starting to overtake him, which does not matter to us. We are supporting daughter much more as I can see she is starting to struggle with the fact George is not on the same development scale as Molly and Will, this was always going to be a pinch point, up to now George was just a little boy, growing up much more slowly, now his disabilities are showing.
Tuesday, 28 February 2023
February round up
On craft and garden it's another low spend month, other than the yarn for hubby's lap blanket, I've been using my own stash, in truth I've spent most of my time on the blanket. Hubby purchased plants for his front garden, I don't add his purchases to my stash list, I got only 1 small house plant and 3 bulbs in bloom.
I did get some exercise leggings, which are much nicer to wear to Pilates and a jumper, no reason for it, other than I loved the design.
It is always expensive in Feb, the car needs Tax, insurance and MOT, and this year a service, can't be helped, but we do save for it throughout the year. Our insurance was only £6 more than last year, the service and MOT was less than we had saved, and tax is only £30, so whilst expensive, not too horrendous.
Again no food waste, with portions sizes worked out, and being able to purchase only what we need for veg and meat, hubby now produces a menu each week, so everything to working well. We are using the butchers more, he is more expensive, but we purchase only the amount we need, he cut us some lamb chunks, and trimmed most of the fat off, so paying for only what we eat, the supermarket lamb has far too much fat, which we pay for and them remove. We do portion all our supermarket meats into 'our' size packs, even trimming chicken breast, giving us another meal from the pack.
Steps were about the same as last month, the weight still clings, I am not really trying very hard at this time, not enough excise, I should be walking twice a day, but instead I sit and craft. Pilates is making me feel better, I am starting to do a home session on a Monday, I spoke to our tutor and she suggested I do our 1st routine. Hubby has expanded his bread and cake recipes, none are bad for us, but they do add to the calories, much better than the manufactured ones, at least I am not putting any weight on.