Nana on call

Just another view of my side bed, so full of blue, the camassia blooms whilst pretty don't last too long, there are two yellow rose bushes just about showing, and loads of other plants starting to regrow. 

 George has new glasses which he is now wears all the time, his first pair was a specific design to help children cope with wearing glasses for the first time and rather expensive. These are a standard design, he is very happy with them.

Daughter called me at 5.30am on Friday to come and sit with boys whilst Molly was checked out at A&E, at first they tested for sepsis, thankfully it was negative, she has not been well for a couple of days, it was confirmed it was a severe reaction, no way of knowing to what. This photo was taken late afternoon when the rash was settling, the earlier photo is too horrible to post.

I've spent days at daughters house, Thursday morning looking after the children whilst daughter and hubby took a trip to IKEA, Will now has his new bedroom, hubby got a few small bits for us, I got the better part of the deal. In the evening I went to WI, it was a relaxing music evening, which was well attended.

Friday I was out early, both boys were still in bed, so first hour was very quiet, George and I had a couple hours together. Once home Molly was very subdued she listened to her favourite music most of the day, she is still unwell. I had planned a sleepover which helped daughter as they were all tired.

Saturday was an early start, George woke at 6.50am, we snuggled on the sofa for an hour, Molly looked better, but is still unwell, she is not eating much which probably helps her, I really hate to see any of them sick. I stayed until mid afternoon, it was a lazy time, loads of cuddles. Back home I did nothing just rested, we both had an early night.

Today we woke up to cloudy blue skies, it blew like mad last night and lots of rain, the wind died back a bit, it was warmer than previous days, but still cool, daughter is due to visit, they had not been out in days, George had been poorly before Molly. We did consider a BBQ, but decided best to wait a bit longer, doing the children's favourite food for lunch

Going Blue

 Another new author to me, this being a very light read, a good plot, just not enough of it, book 28 read this year.

A favourite author, hubby popped this book on my kindle, brilliant story, spoilt only by it being 48 pages long. Book 29 read this year.

Another favourite author, a husband goes missing his famous actress wife has to find her way through this horror, her back story runs along side, her very alternative childhood, just brilliant. Book 30 read this year.

The garden is changing again the yellow and white blooms have faded and it's time for blue to shine, I have bluebells all around the garden and a few clumps camassia's, which are also blue, both had self-seeded, so the bed is full of blues, you can get white blooms as well. This side bed always has a great start to the growing year. 

I have camassia's in the centre of this bed as well, I love the way their height gives an extra level to the bed and then like all the other bulbs they disappear until the next spring. My fleabane daises have loads of tiny flowers forming, my summer bed returning. 

It's been a glorious few days, the breeze has been cool and I have avoided working in the shade, we have had coffee and cake outside, I have pottered doing small tweaks around the garden, I cleaned behind the garage, loads of tiny leaves everywhere, I have put away most of my spring pots in their summer protected spot, out of view in the garden. I sold some of my ceramic pots, the rest have been packed away gor now.

I have also sat more and just enjoyed our view, it's now an easy garden to keep how we like it. Football is being played, my poor plants are under threat, luckily they do not kick the ball very hard, I have also watered everywhere on Tuesday evening, I was only going to do my pots, but our ground is just so dry. 

We did pop to our favourite garden centre just for a few bits, I did not spend much and came away with just what I required, which must be a first for me, I have also purchased 4 strips of bedding plants from our local pet shop, these will be grown on and planted out in a few weeks once much bigger.  

Easter weekend

The children had so much fun hunting for everything, again Molly and George did their hunt together, Molly does love to include George, here finding new soft bunnies rather than too much chocolate. Will had to search in the veg section, the little ones can't have dairy, so separate hunts are necessary. 

Daughter, Molly and myself, 3 generations, its a photo we often take.

A family photos, perfect memories. 

After lunch the boys were given a Fifa 2026 world cup folder each, Will is collecting cards, we thought George would like the same, he does not understand the concept of collecting cards, but he likes to be treated the same as his big brother, Molly had Bluey, which she loves, the cards are a good treat not too expensive for when they are being good.

 

Sunday was a cooler day, very breezy, cloudy, we did have a couple short bouts of rain, not enough to say it was a storm. The children played outside we had a few balloons with confetti in, they loved them once they popped, and were covered in coloured spots. Everyone enjoyed lunch, a turkey roast, followers by chocolate brownies made with coconut oil, so little ones could eat some. Later we had a quiet evening together, a perfect day for everyone 

Monday was a day at home, we had not done much this holiday, George was very poorly on Friday and Saturday, he does get ill quickly, luckily he bounced back quick, mummy kept them home where they played outside. Again no plans to be on the roads, our area is always busy on sunny days, so many nice water front spaces and of course Portchester Castle at the other end of the village.

Storm Dave skirted to the north of us, it was very breezy, no rain, we were lucky to miss it, we have had enough rain to sort my dry pots and everywhere given a good soak, hubbies brother in Newcastle lost his garden wall, the wind was relentless.

School holidays

 The schools are off for a couple of weeks, so visits from little people are most welcome, the garden once again is full of squeals, laughter and football. Note Molly's outfit, she was a shimmer in pink all day, her frilly dress suited her happy mood.

Molly checked her peanuts, three had white roots, they had been on wet kitchen towel on my sunny window-sill, so we decided to pot them up, she did most of the work, she is very good at following instructions, the pot is in my greenhouse for now. 

Both George and Molly checked the wildlife pond, I am loving they are interested in nature and what lives in the water, which is still very clear, so we can see things including 3 huge water snails and newts swimming. Will came and checked it as well, sadly we could not see if the frog was still in residence. 

We collected our painted mugs, these will be used for our breakfast drinks, mine is all bit busy, which is OK, I'm no artist as you can see. I do need to realise less is better, my flowers are huge, I do like my colourwash for the sky.

Tuesday was a very unexpected warm sunny day, we spent ages outside, children playing, us chatting to daughter, I am so pleased how well our garden works on family days, plenty of room for toys, football and scooters. Both George and Molly helped sort my second early potatoes, they popped three in each bag and then sprinkled compost on top. They checked my first early bags and was happy to see the green leaves. They saw seedlings in two flower bags and a single shallot top in another bag, both wanted to do more, but accepted not yet, with a promise they can help next visit.

Wednesday was a day at home, dull and cold again, Thursday we took the bus to town collected our mugs, had a look in the few shops left in town, Will is collecting Fifa world cup football cards, so we got him the album, and another for George, Molly got a Bluey album, nothing else required, hubby got a new pair of trousers. We had lunch in town, later I mouched around the garden and did a bit of knitting.

Friday morning arrived with overnight rain, a good soak for a change and breezy, nothing like storm Dave in the north, I hope everyone is secure, warm and dry, terrible start to the Easter weekend, another quiet day planned here.

April arrives

 Season almost over

New bulbs this year 

Still holding on

New season

And blueberries 

The garden is looking good, shame about the weather, no rain just cold and dull, my pots need watering. 

March round up

 Still no craft spending, I am enjoying knitting my scrappy blanket, garden spend was good. I did purchase two new pairs of shorts.

8 Books read in March.

Lilly had her visit to the vets, almost £100, its not cheap having pets, we had budgeted for it, no issues, she is a good weight.

I dug out 2 bags of compost from one composter this month, there were a few woody bits in there, I'm really pleased with the quality, I always need compost.

We did purchase a new steam floor cleaner and a separate handheld, I had steam mops before, this time we chose a floor cleaner, slightly sturdier, I struggle cleaning our wooden floors, my knees and back are complaining. Nothing else required, we managed to save a bit extra this month.

We are the same with food waste, we have popped the council small bin close by, for all the bits we don't compost, I had to remind hubby to still use my compost tub, he was putting bits in the council bin, I am again saving coffee grounds, I only save them in warmer months to use in our garden. 

I'm still struggling with my weight, I have put on 8 pounds over the winter months, gone up a size in trousers, I have not changed much, maybe not as active as before. 

As March fades

Easter has arrived here, I don't have too much, just enough to keep George and Molly happy, we have everything for their egg hunt, all hidden away for now, just hoping for good weather.

I had a long overdue sort out of my ceramic pots, these are for houseplants, I have no idea how I have so many pots, these have been cleaned and I have listed them on local Facebook marketplace, I don't think they will sell, so I will probably pop them to a charity shop. I still have a few left, which I like and will keep.

George has settled into calling me each evening at bedtime, they are allowed to stay up later in school holidays, we chat for 5 minutes as he settles, we chat about his day, he tells me his type of jokes, then he says goodnight and ends the video call, I look forward to a call everyday. Often all I can see is the top of his head.

Since Christmas Molly has been making me bracelets and now a necklace, she adores beads and making things, I visited a new shop in our area All over the world, which I loved, so many nice bits, we were very happy we could get her a few more tubs of beads.

Another new shop to our location is Hotel Chocolat, we both love their choice of flavours, it would be rude to visit the store and not bring anything home, these will last us ages, plus the store has a small bistro, making it a nice place to stop for refreshments.

Friday we popped to our local out of town shopping at Whitley, J9, M27, hubby needed a visit to M&S, and a stroll, it's an outside space which we do like, hubby got his new socks, I did pop into Flying Tiger but preferred the new store All over the world. Later 17 of us went for a Chinese meal, it's an all you can eat place, if you chose well you can get a decent meal, they are very popular and now have added more tables and chairs, we were at the back of the huge dining room, and it was a maze to get to the serving area. Having said that the conversation was fun, but on the whole it was very loud. 

Saturday we had a day at home, I pottered outside and in the greenhouse, I have planted 5 foxgloves and 4 aquilegia in their final places, and taken more plants out of the greenhouse to harden off. I had a coffee with our neighbour, I took a couple bolted cabbages to her chickens, later I did some knitting, we tested our brains with the 1% club on TV and remembered (well hubby did) to change the few clocks not linked to the internet. 

Sunday was dull and cloudy, shame we can't get two sunny days in a row, I still did my very quick (it's a small area) walk around the garden, with Lilly she is often beside me when outside. We did go for a small walk, the wind again was really cold.

Today I have very little planned, it's again dull with a few storms due, so a day inside, I have been a bit lazy and have loads of ends to sew in on my blanket.

It's been a boring restful weekend, daughter stayed at home with the children, she sorted Will's bedroom (it was a mess) and did some gardening, mowed the lawn, George and Molly happily played outside, they were both very tired last week at school and needed a gentler pace, we hope to see them this week.

Just looking

 Whilst I love our garden, 

I do love to see pockets of colourful joy. 

Just spots where you stop and enjoy the moment

Soon the tulips will burst into flower, 

I only grow them in pots, they rot in our heavy clay soil. 

It has been a very windy few days, our garden has not had any damage, we keep everything low and the leaves are not formed on our trees yet. The huge elderflower 'plants' next door always takes a bashing from the wind, one has gone over and now at an angle away from the fence, which gives our magnolia tree some space, makes our space feel lighter. 

I do love huge pots, where I can mix plants to allow flowers throughout the year, and use different compost to grow plants which would not grow in the ground, the pots hide bare corners, end flower beds, and soften seating areas, hubby laughs at me as I do love to dress our garden, not too much. This year I have very little to add to this space, it's just a case of waiting for the plants to return enjoying the space we have created.

Inside

 My knitting is growing, I love the look, I have no use for another blanket, I have a few crochet ones, I will check them and maybe discard one. I have completed 17 pattern rows and used half of one ball of black, so I can do up to about 70 pattern rows, I still have plenty of coloured yarn left.

I have read books from this author before, another great book, I do love a good thriller, 3 couples all on holiday, all very different, thrown together when a woman is murdered, past lives catching up with them, lies, back home and things are still strange. Book 26 read this year.

I chose this book as it was free on my Kindle, same police officer as in previous book, a fall from a balcony, was it an accident, and why are all the new mums acting so strange, with a good insight into how the police follows through a case. Book 27 read this year.

My last magazine arrived this week, I won't renew the subscription, I have 24 copies saved for reference, I do like this practical magazine. Most of the free seeds were gifted to local schools.

17 years ago, we decided to have wooden floors in our hall and main living area, slate in downstairs bathroom, vinyl in the kitchen and laminate in our office (3rd bedroom), there was already tiles on our en-suite, these days my knees and back complain after washing them. So after a search through countless steam floor mops, we got this Shark, the two round pads spin and work together to scrub the floors, with three levels, super easy to use, every part of me is happy. This is not an ad, just my views on an item which works well for me.

It's been cooler and dull this week, so housework was done, I also got a new handheld steam cleaner, I used it on my clean shower, it got to places where my cloth could never reach, spring cleaning is going well here. For once nothing aches, I was able to do more in one session.

I did pick George and Molly up from school on Tuesday, daughter attended Will's school, his class had a project they wanted to share with parents, both little ones were good in my car, after tea mummy went back to their school for parents evening, Molly's teacher gave her a glowing report, Molly loves school and is doing well, she is still only 4 and has done so well. Georges teacher was happy with him, he is on his own path, different from his peers, he does try, but he does like to play as well. Again daughter was very happy, we chatted for ages, having 3 happy children makes her life much nicer, for now Will has stopped playing up in the mornings. 

I have picked up bugs again, George has a cold, he is a cuddly boy and loves his nana, I'm hoping I can shift the bugs quickly, I'm cold and tired all the time, yesterday was a lazy day and should be the same today.

Glasshouse

 I've cleared the plastic greenhouse cover away and moved the frame back to use as shelves, this space is busy at this time of year. I need to try and clear all the fallen leaves from the back of the greenhouse, it's along our neighbours fence and a struggle to get to.

My peanuts are growing, I have ten plants so far, which should be enough, they will be grown in two bags and kept here inside the greenhouse, they need a hot sunny space. Molly wanted to start some more, they are shooting, when she next comes here we can start them in compost.

I have loads growing, I snipped the growing tops off my sweet-peas, they are now filling out.

More guara cutting in hope to have loads of the wonderful plants, on lower shelf is fleabane daisies for daughters garden. I have sown some saved french marigold seeds as well.

My daffodils are going over, I have cut the heads off them and have tied some of the smaller bunches, it's important to allow the leaves to die back on the bulb, this process gives the bulb their energy for next year. I have bluebell and camassia buds showing, the colour keeps coming. I shall move some of the pots with bulbs in as they go over, they live behind the garage the rest of the year. 

We have picked the first of our rhubarb, made a crumble with apples, we both enjoyed it, it's always the first harvest of the year, it is an early variety, I have a wire ring around the crown, which I fill with fallen leaves, they protect it through the winter and once broken down nourishes the soil.  

I got some stone (pebble) edging to cover my pond sides, the stones are small and I was worried about the 'glue' used, so I have used them elsewhere, I really do not want to damage the ecology of the pond. 

Days are now dull, the wind is much colder, so the garden seating stays covered, I still check the garden every morning, watching the separated plants growing in their new spots. Hopefully the better weather will return soon. 

Lazy days

 We had an us day on Thursday, firstly in our local town we did some pottery painting, both deciding to decorate a mug, hubby had no idea what to do and looked in their corner of aids to decorate. I do like his, he is very pleased.

I knew how I was going to decorate mine, I took loads of Q-tips to make dots, mine does look busy, will have to wait and see how it turns out, I forgot they had the fineline colours, which would have made it better. 

We also popped into Waterstones, I still had a gift card from Christmas, the gardening year is a book to add notes throughout the year, it has space for 5 years of notes, each month has 5 pages allowing a weekly entry, I will start it on 1st of April, the wildflower book was very pretty and a complete indulgence for me, I only had to pay £3 for both books.

Another new author, I enjoyed this clever book, another story where the outcome is hiding in plain sight, after a horrendous marriage and the death of the husband, she starts to engage with village life, making new friends, but at home in her cottage strange things happen. Book 25 read this year.

We had planned lunch out on Thursday, but we were not that hungry after having a mid morning coffee and cake, so we came home and had an early evening meal. I spent time outside in garden, not doing much, just enjoying the sunshine. Friday we did some other end of town shopping and popped to daughters house, Molly had her swimming lesson after school, George had ran around the last couple of times creating havoc, so we sat with the boys whilst mummy watched Molly swim. 

Saturday more time outside, I planted a new grass in Kurt's head, the last plant died, hubby has drilled a couple more drainage holes, the wind is still cool. Sunday was another day of rest, more laundry was done, I sat at watched wildlife, there are loads of butterflies and huge bee's this spring, The small birds are nesting, Magpies hover hoping to get to their nest, I always make a noise when I see them to move them on. Having very little to do in the garden is very new to me, I'm not good at sitting still. It's gotten much cooler this afternoon and cloudy, shame, it was nice whilst it lasted. 

We both needed a few of rest days, each suffering with back ache due to the tasks completed on Wednesday, we have had a couple of early nights, we are now both awake at 6am, a bit too early for me to get up. I'm feeling rested as is hubby, sometimes you have to avoid everything and look after yourself. Luckily George is behaving a bit better, daughter took them to the park for 3 hours to play with their friends, so a great weekend all round. 

This life

 This is Lola, she is my mum and lives with the small people, my human visits often and comes back smelling of her, they are still missing Frankie, my brother. I have the same lighter patch around my mouth, I am the closest in the litter to looking like her.

I can just about fit into my spot here, I'm tucked behind the sofa, I can still see all of our garden.

The nicer weather she promised me has arrived, not everyday, so I am outside more often, I love the garden.

I have been climbing on the fence beside the messy garden, there are lots to watch, a fox lays on the summerhouse roof at the bottom, he is big and watches me, she has shouted at the fox twice as it started to move towards me. She tells me to stay away, I do like to watch everything, I an very nosey, she watches me when I'm on this fence. I don't climb on the other fence, the nice ladies big dogs bark at me.

I now leave the garden, always over our back fence, there is nothing scary there, I'm never gone for long, she was threatening to pop a camera on my collar.

I was very unhappy when they put me in my carrier earlier in the month, I thought I was going to the cattery, I like Jackie, but I don't like staying in a cage for so long. They took me to the vets, after a wait sat close to too many dogs, I was let out my carrier, the vet said my weight was good, she listened to my heart and lungs and gave me a jab, last time I was here I got a treat, maybe this time she forgot, they gave me treats once I got home as apparently I passed with flying colours. Ask Janice at Jabblog, if you want to know what that means, she has done some great post about such sayings.