Happy New Year.

I have been cooking for six hours this afternoon in preparation for tomorrow's lunch party - six lasagne requiring a gallon of white/bechamel sauce.
That's the most tedious bit.
Jen arrived at tea-time, we have eaten, but none of us feel up to a late night, so will save our greetings for the morning.
W phoned earlier, to save being woken at midnight (11.00pm here) as the family have health issues.
I wish that I hadn't eaten that piece of Christmas cake after dinner.

I hope that the new year will be successful, joyful & peaceful for you all.

Back to work.

Well, for some, but not many.
We have had a lovely Christmas with all but the Danish part of the family staying for a couple of nights, starting with J&G on Christmas Eve, P&A on Christmas Day & B&E on Boxing Day.
Christmas Day was wonderful, starting with midnight mass at Shustoke home for a nightcap then up early to organise the lunch before taking the 11.00am service at NW whilst G prepared the vegetables.
Lunch was excellent, the grandchildren (& outlaws) behaved well, & we spent the remainder of the afternoon opening presents - thanks to everyone who gave us such fun things.

J&G stayed until tea-time on Sunday, which I would normally call Boxing Day, but I'm not sure this year. I think that Boxing Day was on Tuesday.
B&E arrived later & stayed for a couple of nights.
We went to see Sarah & Matt on Monday in their beautiful new house - fantastic decorations & a lovely meal with the rest of the family.

B&E left yesterday morning, G & I set off to see JR, taking lunch with us.
We stayed overnight, leaving after lunch today so G could have another couple of inoculations at the doctors.

Tonight we are relaxing by the fire, eating mushrooms on toast.
Happy Christmas!

One day to go.

Another cold, lazy day.
We have started to stay in bed until about 8.30am, unless we have to be up & about.
Today, we didn't.
I've finished preparing the house - all clean & tidy with beds made up & piles of towels out. Everything made of fabric has been washed, ironed & put away, the table is partly laid for Christmas lunch & the cards are up.
Tomorrow I have to wrap the chipolatas in bacon - 120 should do, do some baking & prepare a meal for J, G & family, who are arriving in the early evening.
We shall be going to church for 11.30pm - the start of Christmas - then I am taking the family service at NW at 11.00am, which I always enjoy.

Friends from the village popped in for coffee & brought a delicious looking pate & cranberry pie for Christmas.
We went to Coleshill for G to collect pills from the doctors & to get some oddments, then G cooked a curry. Great

Only lacking red candles & milk.
I can "borrow" some of the former from church.

A balmy day.

Not too much snow considering that it snowed all day.
.We had a busy weekend as the church had a festival weekend & was open, with refreshments, finishing with a lovely service of nine lessons & carols on Sunday evening, which I lead.
There was a good turnout.
We spent Monday at P & A's, being entertained by Jessie & Thomas, including sledging in the park.
Tuesday I shopped all day, in Solihull. Not too many people about because of the poor conditions on the roads; I had to park on the roof of the car park & paddle through inches of snow, ice & slush. Having secured a turkey & a mountain of vegetables, I relaxed into completing the shopping, even finding curtains for the back bedroom.We have been trying to find some, on & off, for years. G put the curtain pole up this morning, the curtains have keyholes & slot on. They look really good.
I have wrapped all of the presents, finished the bedrooms, extended the dining table to sit fourteen & put the cloth on.
All's well with the world, apart from the presents for B, E T & KP, which I have been unable to deliver because of the snow.

What snow?

My parcel was delivered this morning, having waited in for most of the last two days, on a promise. Apparently, the driver took out 40 parcels each day & only delivered 20. There was me thinking that it had been delivered to Hollyland Cottages.
Anyway, that's another three ticks on the gift list.
I went to church this morning to clean/decorate ready for this weekend extravaganza. It does look very nice. I've made fairy cakes, so a splash of icing & the odd smartie & we're all set.
I hope that the snow doesn't keep people at home.
I've put cards on local noticeboards, to sell the travel cots - the low-tech version of e-bay!
I went on to Solihull to shop, quite successfully, & on to the gym, then home to cook dinner.

I'm quite well organised for Christmas, as far as planning to extend the dining table with the kitchen table, to seat 14 of us - now the grandchildren sit at the table, rather than high chairs.
One or two presents to get, wrapping to do & the fresh food to buy.
That will be a very early trip to M&S on Wednesday, whilst they have a selection of turkeys.
They open at 7.00am.
We have to source an affordable Christmas tree, perhaps a smaller one on a low table.
It was -3 degrees when I came home at 6.00pm, white over. It feels very cold.
Watch out for ice tomorrow.

What snow?

G was out today - dentist for a cap to be fitted to a large implant, Chiro/James for some orthotics & a retirement lunch in Oxford.
I planned to go to the gym & then finish the Christmas shopping whilst in Solihull. The weather forecast was bad so I decided to play safe & stay at home as the lotus is not good on ice/snow& disappears altogether under more than 2 inches.
We did have some nasty rain & a little snow, but nothing extreme.

My parcel has not arrived, despite an e-mail saying it was on it's way fro B'ham yesterday morning. I don't know what to do. Perhaps it has been delivered to the house down the road that shares our address. Help.
I've done lots of jobs, nearly finished Sunday's sermon & nearly booked a Nile Cruise so not a bad day all in all.

We watched The Apprentice last night - farewell to "The brand", at last.
What a shame he caused Liz's demise last week as I think that she could have won.
Lord S is on again tonight - "Why they were fired"
Could it be because they were egotistical,talentless plonkers?

Wednesday already.

So what happened to the last few days?
I'm watching TV whilst researching holidays & catching up on the family news as G is in London.
I took him to the station at 6.30am, came home, tired, for breakfast & a chat to aj to catch up on the news.
I have to see Kristian later for an hour's A level physics. He can talk it through & I'll fill in the gaps, with the help of his text book!

On Sunday we helped to decorate the church/put up the huge Christmas tree, had a late lunch then went down to Marsh Gibbon. They were out shopping, so we went to see B & E & eventually I joined them at the Christingle service at Launton church whilst G went back to see J & G, where I was dropped of later. The church was full of children & really cosy - Christingles with light sticks. I took 3 spare ones for O & the twins, they particularly liked the sweets on the orange.
We had a lovely meal with B&E & did a sleepover, then B took G to the station for an early train to London for a meeting. I went to spend the morning with Gina & the twins, picked up Oscar from pre-school, then we all went to Funkey Monkey for some rigorous exercise.

Yesterday was a Thomas day. G went in to B'ham for a meeting.
We went to church when we got home, to tidy/clean the area at the back. This took three hours of hard work. We went to the Polash afterwards for a balti, which was delicious.
We were congratulated for cleaning our bowls & rewarded with a brandy & a Baileys.

Spellcheck change balti to Baltic - strange.
I've already eaten my Advent calendar chocolate - a penguin. Shame.

TGIF

Today was party day.
I baked, cleaned & put up some Christmas decorations whilst G went to pick up Thomas from nursery & be Grandad for the day. Timing was superb & I was just coming downstairs, done up to the nines in my new blue Christmas top, black skirt & Lady Di/Kate M sapphire pendant, when the first guests arrived.
We had sherry whilst the sausage rolls & scones cooked & then had afternoon tea.
I think that they all enjoyed themselves, as Dad would have said.
We had a bring & buy, which made nearly £50 to go towards the Christmas fun weekend at church on 19 & 20 December.
It was good to have a house full as we have gone in for small gatherings this year rather than mass events.

We have had a number of Christmas epistles, including one from Maureen. She does appear to be in a desperate state & in need of some support.

The weather has improved greatly, the only frost left is on the factory roof. Actually, I've only been out to go to the dustbin all day, but the house is much warmer.
Just sipping a Grand Marnier before going to bed, knackered.

Another crazy day.

I find myself in a cleft stick: I blog about my enjoyable days & am criticised for being boring.
Yesterday we went to Cambridge to see JR, after G went to the dentist to be measured for a cap to attach to the finely engineered posts in place of lower premolar 1 right.
JR is 86, he is always delighted to see us, but sorting his post, writing his Christmas cards & sorting gifts is not very exciting. We did have a good lunch at The Crown in Linton yesterday & a pretty neat fish pie & rice pudding, cooked on the Aga today.
We arrived home at 4.30pm today, since when I have spent nearly three hours in the hairdressers having foils, cut & blow-wave.
I am pleased with results & am now prepared to face the Mothers' Union at tomorrow's tea-party - scones, sausage rolls, banana & coffee cakes to be made in the morning & tables laid.
Should I make sandwiches as well?

G is doing odd jobs & planning his "belated, constricted gap year".

What about these students?
Tonight they have attacked the Prince of Wales & Camilla, on their way to the theatre, following a day of student violence & vandalism.
Surely taxpayers must question whether supporting these young people is a good use of their hard-earned money.

And another one.

York was again the coldest place in the universe yesterday - -2 / -13 degrees. Copenhagen was a balmy 3 /-3 whilst B'ham was 0 / -5.
The countryside looks magical with the build up of frost on everything, which makes up for the cold to some extent. We have had the heating on for a couple of weeks now, with a big log fire from tea-time. The house is still cool apart from when you first come in.
I've been to Coleshill to post the cards to foreign parts & delivered a few cards nearer home.
I did a police-style chase from Coleshill crossroads to The Railway Inn, when Joyce from Lea Marston, turned in front of me. With tyres squealing I pursued her car until she parked up at The Railway, for a late lunch. I delivered the MU party invitation then sped off to catch a few more very senior citizens before they took their afternoon naps.
I have since iced three Christmas cakes, ironed, cooked & had a nap.
G has a dental appointment in Warwick tomorrow, to be sized up for his cap; we shall then go on to see JR, weather permitting - some snow is forecast in the East tonight.

"Young beautician of the year" is on TV. Four beauticians waxing the torsoes of four incredibly hirsute men, more like monkeys . Yuk!

I note that I'm not worthy of any comments.
Ah well.
Bed.

A visit to the gym.

We have joined Bannantynes gym in Solihull.
We went over this morning, had our fat contents calculated, a workout prescribed & got on with it. I found it hard on my poor unexercised leg muscles, but fortunately there wasn't sufficient time to do the full stint. I swam ten lengths, had a nice shower & we left, feeling really good.
We did a little light shopping in Solihull, had a snack in M&S (under protest from G, whose soup took ages to arrive & then was turkey & vegetables rather than the tomato & basil he had ordered. Shuks)
I walked around the corner to see Kristian & do an hours A level physics - I think that he knows as much as I do anyway. We worked through some questions together - I do have the edge there!

It has been amazingly cold all day, -6 degrees this morning, going up to -3 when the sun came out. More of the same tomorrow.
He asked me to do another session next week, so he must get something from it.

Another cold day.

Yes. It was relatively warm today, a chilly 1 degree.
Yesterday was cold, Birmingham o/-7, Copenhagen -3, -6, but aj in York braved the elements to go to work & do a little shopping at -4, -11!
I'm not really obsessed with the weather, just finding it very cold.
Today was something of a red letter day; G & I went to church early so that he could set up the sound system. He stayed for the service, did a few other jobs & is re booked for next week.
We came home for breakfast (scrambled egg), chopped logs, swept the yard, took down the hanging baskets & put up the Christmas lights on the garage.
It was then time to come in, warm up, light the fire & read the papers.
I phoned Bannantynes gym , as they keep making enticing offers on rejoining fees - I hadn't rejoined last November as we were going away for a month, & then avoided the expense.
I have convinced G that joint membership, off-peak for £24 a month each, is a very good deal, especially as they have just had a £100,000 refurbishment. We are going for a work out tomorrow morning & a fleecing!
This should be the beginning of a new era.

Three chocolates gone.

I have an Advent calendar for the first time, I think - a gift from G, so I have a nice little chocolate awaiting me.
It's been a Thomas day today.
He was at home, not very well, but did improve enough for a light lunch at McDonalds & a trip to the airport to take G for a plane to Amsterdam, for a party.
I hope that it all goes well & he can get back tomorrow.

I eventually got to Waitrose & collected my six free "Duchy all butter mince pies" , at a saving of £3.99 for six.
I have just eaten one & it was delicious.
This followed a bowl of homemade chicken soup & smoked mackeral with toast.
Scrummy.
I filled the car with diesel on the way home, at the second attempt.
JS had no diesel so I went on to the dreaded Tesco.
Apparently there may be a shortage because of the weather.

I am sitting in the lounge, alone, without having lit the fire as I don't want to spoil myself. The temperature this morning was -8 degrees, it was -3 when I drove home tonight, but tomorrow is supposed to be warmer.
I think we may have had enough of the cold now - I walked round to Shustoke School this morning & it was bitterly cold - my bowl of bird water froze solid quite quickly.

I may go to bed early, with a hotty. (I always have a hotty)

Money for old rope.

School phoned at 7.50am; I was in bed at the time but managed to be at school by 8.35am, thanks to G defrosting the car & making me a flask of coffee.
I had a good morning in the maths department - two lessons with top year 11 & two with bottom year 9. Then the bombshell - it was snowing, there was snow on the road through Kingsbury which must therefore be dangerous, so we were closing.
I worked through lunchtime & until 2.55pm, supervising pupils & then cleared the snow of the car & drove home - clear roads, apart from Hollylands.
There were still about 60 pupils in school, awaiting collection when I left.
What a frustrating waste of time.
Anyway, another day's pay owed.

We drove around the villages delivering the invitations to the MU party, next Friday - not Man United, they have caterers in, but Mothers' Union, who don't.
Any ideas for the menu for afternoon tea for 20+, of a certain age?
It was -4 degrees, -10 forecast for tonight. Winter draws on.
A Thomas day tomorrow, following a visit to Shustoke School to discuss the Christmas weekend at Church. I have to fit in a visit to Waitrose to collect my free mince pies.
G is off to Amsterdam for a knees up, I think it was knees anyway, so I have the remote for the evening.

White rabbits.

So I wasn't worth a comment yesterday, when I went out & had a really good day & got my ovens cleaned.
Today I have no hope of comments - a relaxing day, I think it could be called.
I don't know where this morning went; I remember coming down to make cups of tea & going back to bed to read. We breakfasted in our dressing gowns & suddenly it was lunchtime.
I have since made three Christmas cakes, one for us, one for the MU party next Friday & a little one for JR. I have done the invitations for the MU party & mopped floors.
It has been pretty cold & snowed, but not heavily, for much of the day.

We have just watched "The Apprentice" & "You're Fired"
Moany Laura has gone. She's a lightweight who never stops talking, so a good decision there.
"The girl with the dragon tattoo" is a good read with lots of twists. I don't think I fancy the film though.

Happy St Andrew's Day.

G did his husbandly duty today, having avoided it since last Christmas.
He won't leave it that long again as it has taken most of the day & he got through six pairs of rubber gloves, added to that, the new wonder oven cleaner was nowhere near as good as the tried & tested one.
I did the only rational thing & went shopping, aiming to use all of my money off vouchers.
I started at Tesco in Knowle, using my £2 off voucher. I did not come out in an "anti- Tesco" rash & rediscovered a "real bakers" shop & bought real bread - we ate rosemary & raisin foccacia for dinner. It was delicious.
I used Telegraph vouchers in Lakeland & East, did M&S & used more vouchers in JS.
I had to return two bars of G&B butterscotch chocolate, which had a peculiar taste, to JS.
They refunded much more than I had paid as I only buy chocolate on special offer, & only eat it, in fact, if there is a "d" in the day.
I also shoplifted a silver polishing cloth, in error, as it had fallen between my shopping bags & I didn't find it until I unloaded tie shopping into the car.
I'm waiting for a knock at the door!

People were wittering on about the snow & getting home early. The shops were quite quiet.
Actually , there was hardly any snow, the roads were fine, apart from the lanes & the temperature was 0 degrees for most of the day.
People need to wear warm clothes, hats & gloves & get on with it, so there.
So many of our public buildings are too hot.
Why don't shops turn down the thermostat & put the staff in fleeces as the shoppers are wrapped up warmly & re too warm when in a shop.
Th kids were taking their blazers off in school on Tuesday when it was -2 degrees outside.
Ridiculous.
We must all give B thermal underwear for Christmas, or does he have some that he has overlooked?
I had coffee & cake in M&S today & made a nice rice pudding for dinner.
It's been a good day.
Spellcheck changes "foccacia" into "acacia". Strange. Is it misspelled?

Followed by a good Monday.

Last night was very cold again.
G came down & made a nice cup of tea, then we snuggled down to read for a while - I do wish that G wouldn't snore whilst reading!
School phoned at 8.10am, having sent a cover supervisor home, sick.
I got up quickly whilst G made some porridge & was there in time for the bell at 8.55am.
I had a good day - maths, english & IT. I really enjoy teaching maths, although the odd lesson with no opportunity to prepare materials is not ideal.
Add to this a very warm building, catching up on the news & a day's pay!
Great!!

Snow is forecast for tonight so visiting JR this week looks unlikely.
Yesterday's temperature readings, max/min were -1, -9 for Brum, 0, -8 for York, 1, -3 for Copenhagen.
I think we won that one.
Coleshill was in the news as one of the coldest places in the Midlands with -10 degrees.

Nordic fashions are very in, apparently - thick patterned tights & cardigans worn with chiffon skirts.
Not one for the well-built!

Take a leaf out of W's book & wear a hat - most of your body heat is lost through your head.

A pretty good Sunday.

Never think that prayers aren't answered.
An acre of leaves & a husband with a leaf clearing fetish.
Only one way out.
Snow.
A spattering on Friday night & ground frozen hard, leaves frozen to the ground.
Thank you, God.
The icing on the cake - heating failed at Shustoke church so the service was cancelled, hence a lie-in as only an 11 o'clock at Over Whitacre with both congregations together.
We went for a nice walk across the fields before lunch & then settled in front of a nice log fire to read the papers.
G cooked a chicken stir-fry for dinner, Strictly, Antiques Roadshow & Any Human Heart.

Last night was -6 degrees, today has been very cold & no doubt tonight will be equally cold - we shall leave the heating on low to save the house getting too cold. No doubt Denmark is - 60 degrees, so we shouldn't moan.

I really shan't mind if either of my readers chooses to comment.

Leave no leaves!

G cleared leaves this morning whilst I visited a friend in a warm house & visited Shustoke School, to sort out arrangements for Christmas.
I had intended to drive to Kenilworth to shop & look in Waitrose, but when the paper arrived it advertised a coupon in tomorrow's paper for a free box of Duchy mince pies, at Waitrose.
I was obviously intended to go tomorrow.
I came home, got some lunch on & cleared leaves for well over an hour, to earn a pass-out for tomorrow.
I have since ironed the two loads of washing that I did this morning, prepared Sunday's sermon, cooked the dinner & watched "Foyles War".
Joan Collins just appeared briefly, being interviewed by that awful Piers Morgan.
She is 76 & looks terrific.

I went to Bicester on Wednesday evening & spent yesterday with KP, which was fun.
We walked to Bicester Village for lunch & a little light shopping, then home for a nice cup of tea.
I went to St Peter's church in Hall Green for 6.30pm, 6.40pm actually, to renew my Reader's Licence. The drive along the Stratford road, when I was already late, was horrendous & the church was totally hidden up a long drive.
Even the SATNAV gave up on it.
The church was empty & in darkness, more panic, until I spotted a very small congregation in a side - chapel.
All legal & above board again!

Some fantastic deals on Travelzoo, for those who need a holiday.
I'm too busy, or is that poor?

Snow on the way -wrap up warm & wear a hat.

Back at the chalk face.

School phoned yesterday to cancel me for tomorrow - a little unprofessional as I had been booked weeks ago, to cover for Souter, on union business.
This was offset by a call at 7.30am today, asking me to go in today, to cover for Souter.
I had a good day, but talking to the kids, it seems that Souter had been off all week, the temp from last year had been booked to cover for him, hence my cancellation for Wednesday.
Today, this guy was off, so they needed me.
Cheek.
One advantage was that I could visit Ventura Park, on the way home, for an M&S fix, including a cup of coffee..

G had a Thomas day.
We went to the Alms Houses trustee meeting tonight, came home & had an M&S Indian meal.
The lazy day yesterday seems to have paid dividends as I haven't fallen asleep yet.
Lots to do tomorrow; part of me hopes that school has to get me in again. I could say "No".

Cold tomorrow.
Winter draws on.

The girl with the waterproof tatoo.

Having a lazy day.
We came down early, had breakfast in our dressing gowns, then I went to have a soak in the bath as I couldn't decide what to do next.
I nodded off whilst reading, so my book is now drying on the bathroom radiator - hang on to that other copy, W, as this one is borrowed!
I did clean the downstairs windows before the bath, so I don't feel too guilty & I now have a great view from the kitchen sink!

We had a busy weekend - to Bicester to see T in "Jack & the Beanstalk", along with parents & grandparents - six supporters in all.
T was great; they all were, very confident & professional.
We had a lovely lunch at B & E's, had a wobble of T's first loose tooth & eventually came home via Coventry, seeing "Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows"
It is rather long (21/2 hours) & a bit slow-moving, but excellent effects.

Yesterday, I went to church, then swept up leaves, using G's new trailer, which worked very well, cooked dinner. That doesn't sound much.
I wish I could say that I'd painted a picture or learnt a musical instrument or climbed Snowdon.
Perhaps I should re-evaluate.

Anticlimax.

I went to P & A's by 8.00am as P had a busy day at work, & walked J & T to school, then had a relaxing morning until it was time to collect Thomas at lunchtime.
I popped to M&S on the Stratford road to take advantage of their offer of champagne reduced from £30 to £10.
All 26 cases sold out shortly after opening, apparently.
Never mind.
Thomas was very tired after school, so we had a pretty relaxed afternoon as well.
G was off on the razzle overnight, so I was able to go to the M&S Cardholders event in Solihull, on the way home.
To say that the event was low-key, would be something of an understatement.
It was on the top floor, occupying a small area of the cafe.
On showing your invitation, you walked past a plate of broken biscuits, about five tables, with seating, to a buffet table with plates oh half mince pies, various other nibbles & plastic beakers containing about an inch of pink bubbly.
No expense spared there!
There were free make-up & manicures available - all booked up early on as there was only one girl doing each.
I feel a letter to M&S coming on.
G phoned while I was there. His event was cancelled as the airport was closed due to an accident on the runway, so his playmates were stranded somewhere 7 the whole region was clouded in thick fog.
We have enjoyed a quiet evening at home, watched another "Rebus" & are awaiting the adult bit of "Children in Need", particularly "Come dine with the Dragons".

Bicester tomorrow to see T in a starring role!

Sorry.

I didn't mean that comment, it shows me in a very poor light!
Having had to use a plug in mouse for twelve months, I now have to bang the old one pretty hard to get this contraption to work.
Is it me or is it this crap Packard Bell machine?

We have spent two days with JR, cooking, cheering & sorting the under the stairs cupboard.
There was an unusual jigsaw of "April", wearing tartan tights, only tartan tights.
Is this someone I should have recognised?
A good number of spiders will be settling down to their first night in the "Henry" bag.
A Thomas day tomorrow, coinciding with an invitation to M&S for their Christmas event, with drinks, nibbles & a £5 voucher to spend.
We may need to lunch at MacDonalds in order to fit it all in.

Grateful thanks to my commenters - another two non-readers!

Chill.

Well, we had the lie-in; G made porridge for breakfast at about 10.00am.
G put his new trailer together, with a number of innovations, then pottered in the garage.
I have pottered around the house, sorted out the odd cupboard & washed & ironed three loads of washing - not a bad drying day, whilst the sun was shining, despite the cold.
Another cold, wet & windy night is forecast, to be expected in November, I suppose.
We are going to see JR tomorrow, I've prepared a stew for lunch & made cakes for tea - the way to cheer any bachelor.

The news is all William & Kate - what a delight to have some cheerful news.
It's impossible not to compare the scene with Charles & Di, thirty years ago, especially as they have the same ring.
Kate appears much more self-assured than Diana, who was very shy & showed off the ring with clenched fists to hide her bitten nails.
A new fashion icon & a royal wedding in the spring should keep finance off the front page.

Other good news, healthy, low calorie, low fat chocolate - jaffa cakes, toffee crisp, muller yoghurt, aero chocolate mousse..........

Please feel free to comment - I suspect that No-one reads this anymore.
If nothing else, you can see how exciting your day has been compared to mine!

Home again.

Sitting by a nice big fire, having just watched "Rebus" - "Resurrection Men".
We've read the book, which was a better experience; Rebus is well cast, though.
We have just spent two days at Marsh Gibbon, looking after Oscar & the twins whilst J & G went to a wedding. They were great fun, cheerful & well behaved all weekend.
We work on the principle of keeping them interested & active all day to ensure a good night's sleep.
We picked them up on Saturday lunchtime & went to lunch at The Bure Farm - recommended by T for fish fingers /chicken thingies. We went on to Waddesdon, noted for the dragon's cave & wonderful playground. Home for tea, bath, Ben 10 & bed.
They woke at 8.00am.
Yesterday we played, inside & out, in the morning, then to Funkey Monkey after lunch - two hours of frantic activity whilst Granny had a cup of coffee & Grandad pottered around the shop.
Home to tea, bath, Ben 10 & bed.
We woke them at 8.00am, to get O ready for nursery. Unfortunately, he had a bad cough, so we settled for a quiet morning of reading & playing.
Grandad was a star.
Cold & foggy today, so we left when J & G returned at lunchtime, visiting the garden centre to buy G's Christmas present - a trailer for the mower. Hopefully this will enable every last leaf to be collected with the minimum of effort on my part!

We are starting healthy eating tomorrow in the hope of shaping up before Christmas & giving up fattening foods before the government increases the tax on empty calories & fat.
Apparently, Denmark has already raised the tax on chocolate - perhaps this will rob them of their top position in the Happiness League.

The house is very quiet now that W, MK & family, & especially aj have gone home.
A day off tomorrow, perhaps, even, a lie-in.

TGIF

We have just had moussaka followed by apple pie & blackberries for dinner, aj having arrived safely & the boys asleep.
We went to Solihull this morning, did a little shopping, then on to pick up Thomas from nursery. W & MK dropped J & DK off for lunch & the boys played for the afternoon whilst they shopped.
There was a lot of Ben 10, which was obviously great fun.J "wasn't sure" if Ben 10 was found in Denmark.
We're relaxing in front of a nice log fire.
W, MK & the boys go home tomorrow, aj is going to see some sons & we are going to Marsh Gibbon to look after O & the twins for the weekend - some packing to be done on all fronts.

CBBC

W, MK & family are the perfect house guests - they entertain us, help with the catering, go to bed early,get up early & have breakfast without us even hearing them.
Today J is having a day with Granny & Grandad.
We cleared leaves - J had the big green hands & made mountains of leaves & helped to fill the wheelbarrow.
We followed this with a bike ride to the reservoir to feed a multitude of ravenous ducks & geese, then home for lunch - bacon, sausage, egg & fried bread. All well deserved.
We have had a little rest, watching CBBC, G snoozing.
J & I are off to make a chocolate cake.

We had a lovely day in Bicester on Monday. E & KP took J, DK & me to "Funkey Monkeys", which they all loved, then back to B & E's for fish & chips.
Yesterday we had a day out at M&S. Bliss!

Tomorrow is forecast to be vile weatherwise.
We shall plan accordingly.
Today the weather is perfect, I can't really believe that it will change overnight.

Back to the mixing bowl!

Back again.

What a hectic week.
We worked hard catching up on housework & tidying the garden on Monday & Tuesday.
G did some hedge-cutting & we cleared the yard of about a ton of acorns & leaves.
The leaves have been more than replaced since then.
I went to B & E,s on Tuesday evening, KP & I spent Wednesday having a lovely quiet day together, pottering.
On Wednesday we went to see JR. We took him out a couple of times, had a couple of home cooked lunches & suppers & did a bit of tidying up, all of which he enjoyed.
We came home on Friday evening to prepare for W, KP & family's arrival, on Saturday.
We had a low key bonfire party in the evening, joined by B, E, T & KP.
J & DK were wowed by the fireworks - their first bonfire night; T mainly wanted to see them better by use of a torch!
Today I took Morning Prayer at NW. P, A, J & T came for lunch then we went to the playground to work it all off. Everyone, bar me, managed the assault course, even DK did the lower bits.

We have just watched the last episode of "Downton Abbey".
A disappointing ending as none of the ends were tied up - can't wait for the next series.
As it's not a novel, you can't catch up or get one step ahead.

What happened to the weekend?

With a real effort, I can remember the last few days.
On Friday G & I took Jessie & Thomas to the Ironbridge Museum.
We visited it last week with T & B & thought that the grandchildren would enjoy it as well.
They did, Jessie knew lots about the Victorians, G & I felt very much at home, & Thomas enjoyed looking at everyone & eating,

G went to the dive show at the NEC on Sat morning. I dropped him & then had a couple of hours shopping in Solihull before picking him up again.
We had friends for dinner in the evening, which lasted until after midnight, so the "Fall back" clocks change was a Godsend. Even so, we didn't get up until 10.00am - too late for church!
After a slow start we had a brunch (just a late breakfast, to be honest) then we caught up on jobs around the house & garden.
We went to Drayton Manor Park to the bonfire party at tea-time, had a potter around the Park, VIP seats with bar, for the fireworks & a nice supper in the Hamilton Suite.
A really nice evening, all in all.

We hve had a busy day doing "things".
My "things" included cleaning all of the inside glass along with lots of other dirty things.
G's included drains & gutters & cutting bits off defenceless plants. He provided a highlight by finding the scruumy chocolates that T & B had left for us, on their dressing table.
Shows the standard of housework around here.
J, G & family came at tea-time, on their way home from a weekend at DMP - three very tired little children who managed a few fairy cakes.

Married 15 years + 1 day.

And it don't seem a day too long, as the song goes.
15 years is crystal; we have two new wine glasses for everyday use & a mensa star cube to solve after a few glasses.
As I didn't manage to get the engraving right, I doubt that I will solve the mensa star - GC & GB became GC & CG???
Never mind, it's memorable & they gave me a great discount.

How come no-one ever comments on this blog?
Is it that boring?
W assures me that people do read it, but I never remember the number on the counter.

We have been visiting JR since Tuesday. We hired a Chevrolet Spark, which cost £180 for the week (I think that you may be able to buy one for little more)
It struggled on the inclines but did do away with the problem of worrying about speed cameras.
We left early to collect the Lotus & return Sparky to Erdington.
After a light lunch we collected the Volvo from the Ring of Bells, on payment of nearly £1800, & they didn't even clean it.
G was warmly welcomed & offered a chair, I asked if I might sit down as well, or was that reserved for men - I was wearing a black coat, so perhaps I was invisible.

A Thomas & Jessie day tomorrow (half term week) so we are planning an adventure.

A programme tonight about language/pronunciation, which may be good - sack that commentator who says "haitch", for a start! Pronunciation of words such as controversy, garage, mischievous........

The mystery of the grapes.

Back in business, as G explained so succinctly - all I know is that I couldn't sign in.
We had a lovely relaxed week with B & T, seeing places that we hadn't seen before, & having a list of "to visit later or again". G even took us to the restaurant in Kenilworth usually reserved for female business colleagues.
Ironbridge was really worth visiting & Coventry was much better than anticipated.
We did pop into the grounds of Bablake.
Aj came on Thursday evening to see T&B & stayed until this afternoon, so we have had a couple of shopping expeditions - a lot of chatting & not much buying.
Doesn't that sound like a perfect wife - out of the way for a while & cheap to run!
G has been on Primrose duty this weekend - they make a lovely couple!
Tomorrow we are visiting JR - a bit of sorting out to do & some tlc.
I have a stew cooking, ready to take, along with a dumpling kit & pudding.
A large pan of pears with lemon & cinnamon, is simmering next to them, ready for freezing.
A quiet eveninglined up, after I've done the ironing.
I'd better get on with it-drag myself away from a lovely log fire & the BBC news.

Strange article on Radio 4 about Facebook accounts contacting people from "the other side", when they have been left dormant when the person has died & the account left open as no-one else can close it.

All this fuss about children/teenagers picking spring onions.
haven't kids helped parents/earned pocket money like this for generations.
Surely it's mainly a problem if they should be in school at the time.
October half term was called "Potato picking week" when we were at school.
Social workers didn't remove all rural kids from their homes.

Back again!

After the shustoke.com domian had again gone wonky thanks to the crap admin at Breath who manage the forwarding we are now back in business. We had to re- register rather than just renew as it had lapsed which of course cost ££££!

Anyway, belated photos of B&T in Cov. attached

We had a good week despite the Volvo deciding to call time on it's clutch/flywheel which will doubtless be expensive to fix. Our replacement Chevrolet hire car is a bit of a buzzbox but is required due a JRB visit this week as well as the Cov and airport runs with B&T. Hey ho!!!

We had AJ and the Cornfields for dinner on Sat Graham having had a stoma after gut surgery earlier this year but looking well enough. g did 2 services yesterday after which we did some clearing up in the garden whilst AJ snoozed.

Brum.

Today we showed B&T the highlights of Birmingham - yes, it did take a whole day & we could have done more.
We drove in through the more colourful suburbs, via Kits Green & Bordesley.
We visited The Villa, & Aston Hall (closed), Soho House, home of Matthew Boulton then the Jewellery Quarter & the museum there, which was most interesting.
We parked at Brindley Place, lunched at Cafe Rouge then on to the ICC & down to St Philips Cathedral. This visit was brief as the only remarkable feature is the Burnes Jones leaded glass in the windows.
We checked out the better bits of The Bull Ring Centre then walked back to the car along New St & Corporation St.
We have dined on fish & chips with a fruity little Australian chardonnay.
The weather has been great - bright & sunny though cold. The only downside is that the clutch has developed a problem, to be sorted out tomorrow. Hopefully nothing too serious, as we hope to do Coventry & Solihull tomorrow.

Another World Heritage site ticked off.

Yes, today we visited Ironbridge - the Bliss Hill Museum, the bridge, the Gorge Museum & the Coalport Museum, each with shop & car park with charges.
The Blist Hill Museum was brilliant - rows of Victorian shops & workshops, cottages & gardens, a railway line & lots of steam engines.
We arrived home by 6.00pm, for a nice cup of Ceylon tea & coffee cake, the, after a break, we went for an Indian meal in Coleshill at The Indian Lounge.
We have had a great day & will sleep well.
photos follow when they can be uploaded!

Playmates.

T & B arrived yesterday morning, so we had a good day with lots of chatting & news to catch up on.
We went to Kenilworth where we had an early/Danish time lunch at The Cross, which was wonderful. eg I had bread with oil followed by smoked salmon with quails eggs/hot smoked salmon scotch eggs then waffle with banana ice cream, banana & caramel. Everything homemade.
We visited the castle - B knows more of the history than we do. Shame on us!
We were going on to Coventry, but ran out of time, so settled for home & a nice cup of tea then an M&S dinner & an early night.
Ironbridge today.

Home again....

While G was away diving I took the opportunity to visit aj in York for a few days, then on to Cambridge to see JR, finally to Bicester for a night with B & E followed by a day with Thomas & KP. They had great fun, Jessie organised their games, after school, so I was redundant.

We are back to normal now.
G had a lift to Great Barr, where I picked him up this morning - 20 minutes to junction 7 then half an hour finding "The Scott Arms", in the dark.
G has slept, unintentionally, for much of the day; we had lunch at 4.00pm.
I can't think of any real news that he has missed this week, apart from the Chile miners.
Have I missed something?

Forecasters were right....

It has been a bright sunny day, as forecast.
I had a reasonable night's sleep, aided by aj's ibuprofen & painkillers, I had a sore knee & ankle this morning, but it is much better now, which is a good thing as I have to drive to Cambridge tomorrow, a three hour drive.
Aj did some pestering/market research in Acomb this morning whilst I limped around the shops & bought the components for a typical Yorkshire lunch - big baps & cooked meat.
After lunch we went to Wetherby for a potter around in the sunshine, then home for a nice cup of tea.
I collected the litter from the garden whilst aj completed her paperwork.
We had intended to see "Made in Dagenham", but couldn't be bothered.
Everything is shipshape; we are watching "Spooks" - I can never follow it, to be honest - too many double, triple & quadruple agents for me.
Bed time.

Bugger!

I am at aj's for a few days, to catch up on the gossip & to potter around York at leisure.
We pottered around York yesterday afternoon & again today, the main difference being that we had coffee in M&S today.
We slept well last night, despite aj's relaxed evening ( a two hour nap)
I went out of the front door earlier & slipped over on the mossy path, landing on my back with a foot twisted under me. It hasn't swollen but is rather sore & my knee is stiff.
My main concern is that I have a three hour drive to see JR on Tuesday so my right foot will be busy.
Any suggestions for a quick cure?
The weather has been good today, I had to remove my fleece & coat eventually. Apparently it reached 22 degrees down South. It may not last.
We hope to do Wetherby tomorrow.

Happy Anniversary B&E.

I cannot believe that it is ten years since B & E were married.
It was a wonderful day, although G made me wear a pair of granny shoes because he doesn't like sling-backs.
Red roses everywhere.

G& I have returned from a two night visit to JR, to cheer him up & help with some sorting out.
All was achieved successfully & we fitted in visits to Saffron Walden & Bury.
I have to take G to the station early tomorrow for the first leg of his diving holiday in the Red Sea, on a diving boat. Must get to bed.
Where do the days go to?

Wet, wet, wet, wet.....

I usually look at the weather forecast on the back page of the Telegraph as it's directly above the crossword, that I can't do.
I note that Birmingham & Copenhagen are similar for most of the summer, but at this time of year, maximum temperatures remain about the same, but minimum temperatures differ considerably: Saturday, B'ham 15, 12. Copenhagen, 13,7.
The cold, dark nights are on the way.
Yesterday was warm & sunny, we came home from The Harvest Supper at 10.00pm, still warm, no coats needed.Today it is p...ing down, & has been all morning.
The yard is flooded as are many of the local roads.
I'm wearing my tog 24 fleece & have put the heating on, despite G being in shirt sleeves.
There must be something wrong with him. Saying that, after his visit to the dentist yesterday, he had a night without painkillers & has slept peacefully in an armchair for an hour since I returned from church - he has missed a lot of sleep this week.
He is off on a liveaboard diving holiday on Friday, so needs a clean bill of health by then.

We were in Bicester yesterday & went to the NCT sale of baby/toddler goods.It is brilliantly organised & well supported. I bought a twin Maclaren buggy for £15. You can lift it without getting a hernia & it fits into the boot of a car without having it's wheels removed, making it significantly different from J & G's cross-country model.
We are reading the papers, with Antiques Roadshow on the TV. Will Reetone trainers really trim by posterior to a shapely size 8?
Even more worrying, the fat & sludge which Finish dishwasher tablets claim will pass through my dishwasher, really looks quite tasty - caramel with chunks.
I'd better do something worthwhile - ironing, a little light housework.......

You can put comments on this blog, in fact, please do, so I know that there's someone out there.

Happy Birthday W

Today is W's 36th birthday.
W is a delightful young man with a great sense of humour (genetic); I am very proud of him & his family.
I am only sorry that his rather small birthday present didn't arrive on time, so that he could open it on the day. Sorry.

I am home alone, having left G in Marsh Gibbon as I had a church meeting tonight.
He has a dental appointment tomorrow to find what is causing the pain he has suffered since his implant last Friday.
This results in me having eaten a poached egg for dinner& having full control of the remote control. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to much worth watching, let alone arguing over, anyway.
I pushed a different button on the phone, in error & found the phone book that I put in years ago, when it was new, which I thought it had forgotten, was still there. I had to phone aj to check that it was correct. It was!

I have just watched Paxman interview Russell Brand, done with great humour, considering that Brand is a vulgar, egotistical, loud-mouthed yob - just a personal view.

The news website that I referred to recently was BT Yahoo - I'm sure that it isn't that rarefied, just the news headlines.

Off to bed - another early morning run to Bicester.

Another late night.

We have just returned from The Wheel at Ticknall, where we have enjoyed an excellent meal with Judith, Peter & friends to celebrate their 43rd wedding anniversary.
J & P are coming here to dinner on Monday, along with the Wheelers, which seems to be an interesting combination.
I did spend the day polishing the silver & the surfaces to put it back again. The results are pleasing, even in poor light, so the time & aching shoulder are worth it.
G is still suffering & popping painkillers every couple of hours.
Does anyone know any other cures?

Question Time is on with some really obnoxious people, Diane Abbot certainly wins top place .
Time for bed.

Back at the chalk-face.

Four science lessons & an RE lesson on The Easter Island statues. Lovely classes &thoroughly enjoyable.
The effort of a day's work took it's toll ; I came home & fell asleep for an hour before getting the dinner - stew & dumplings - just the job on a cold wet day.
G has been suffering with jaw/tooth ache since the abuse of his jaw last Friday & is rattling with pain-killers. I hope it passes soon.
So, big brother David has declined to stand for the shadow cabinet.
I think that he is probably their best man.
What a shame.

WE have a day off tomorrow; I hope to do some housework & clean the silver & brass, which is a disgrace. I think "hope to" may not be the true feeling. "Ought to"

We are watching "Foyle's War", two hour sessions each evening.
It's brilliant, but why are the advertisements so much louder than the programmes?

No takers on the poem?
Come on aj.

There's only one F in OFSTED.....

There's only one F'in Ofsted

There's only one F'in Ofsted,

But that's quite enough for us.

If there's no F'in lesson plan,

There's one hell of an F'in fuss.

There's an F'in form to fill in,

For everything that's said.

There'll be no F'in future,

If that fails to please the Head.

Sounds like one F'in photocopier

Has died from overheat.

There's no F'in chance at all

To keep the worksheets neat.

There's no F'in inspector

When your lesson is first rate,

And there's no F'in good excuse

To explain why you were late.

There should be an F'in handbook

For everything to do.

Tell the R.I. you left it

For light reading in the loo.

There's no F'in parking space,

For half the F'in staff,

"RESERVED" for F'in Ofsted

Who have the last F'in larf.

There's no F'in spiritual,

Or cultural education.

No F'in equality,

But much in differentiation.

There's only one F'in Ofsted,

With its "Education Speak".

Thank God there's an F'in Friday

To end the F'in week.

All of those in education will remember this poem from the early days of OFSTED, when too many people put in two "Fs"

I think that there should now be a follow up, with the first line:

"There's only one L in Miliband"

Go for it, all of you aspiring (even published) poets out there.

We've had a busy day with Thomas & Jessie & taken their trampoline down for the winter.This wil leave the pigeons with nowhere for their sh...ing practice. Good.

I am not a fan of pigeons, but they are nowhere near as unpleasant as magpies.

G is still on painkillers, but improving.

I am working at KS tomorrow. Whoopdede

A day in Brum.

We are reconnoitering places that T & B may enjoy when they visit. Last night we searched the internet to find places of interest in Birmingham.
There aren't that many.
We listed them & visited as many as possible today, fitting in taking G's new suitcase back to Debenhams for an exchange, as the stitching is faulty.
We started at Aston, past the Villa ground to Aston Hall, which looked good, but closed on Mondays.
We went on to B'ham University to the Winterbourne house (art & crafts), the Barber Institute, a amazing little gallery with works by every artist you've ever heard of. On to Cadburys, where we bought a large bag of misshapes. I had forgotten that these bags always have 80% the same - caramels in this case. Not good after serious dental interference, so they'll last a while.
We went on to the Museum & Art Gallery in New Street, through the ICC & along Gas Street Basin.
I feel ashamed that I've not visited some of these places ever before, accepting that some are quite recent.
It was a good day, despite G suffering with jaw ache. I hope that this settles down soon.

Does Ed Miliband look like Bernie Winters?
How could he take the leadership from David, who looks almost normal & has a good track record.
Read the Yahoo article on bacteria. Fascinating. You will change your habits
- put the toilet seat down before flushing - droplets carry for 6ft onto taps & toothbrushes, etc.
-wash at highest possible temp as bacteria transfer in wash. Use bleach if possible. Lots more.

I'm watching "Spooks" - it needs my full attention, even then I have problems following it.

Thanks for the harvest.

J, G & the family didn't materialise on Friday evening, due to a back problem & colds - I'm sure that J will know someone who can help!
The result was that G & I have had a great deal of choice for our meals this weekend & have a full freezer. We have enjoyed the company of P, J & T for lunch, & sent A a plated - up chicken dinner, minus sausage, as T ate them all!

Yesterday we had a relaxing day; a lie-in, trip to Coleshill,a few hours in the garden then a walk down Castle Lane, where we picked 3kg blackberries. Yesterday's Telegraph had a recipe for the perfect pudding - blackberry & pear crumble with an oat topping - ideal as we had some wonderful pears from JR's. It was very good, or I thought so.
JR's tree is dripping with really big luscious pears, we will pick more next week, then G will be into stewing & freezing.
We had a packed church for a united Harvest Festival this morning,a rare sight these days.
The average age is pretty well advanced, 70+, I would guess - I could have worked that out during the sermon if I'd thought about it.

We are watching "Downton Abbey" on ITV, written by Julian Fellowes, who wrote Gosforth Park. It 's brilliant. An "Upstairs Downstairs", in technicolour. Filmed at Highclere Castle in Berkshire.
The new Macdonalds bad isn't bad either - perhaps it's not new - we watch BBC usually.

Out to lunch.

T joined me at 5.00am!Snugglimg down for more sleep is not an option, so T opted for reading a map of Oxford, then reading his Junior Bible, in rhyme, to me.
This was entertaining, especially the commandment "don't make any false goods" - one for the consumer police!
We had the curtains open & local radio on before 6.00am.
KP & I are waiting for the air to warm & dry a little before attacking the day - we've put the ingredients together for making gingerbread ladies, when T's home & are now "surfing" to CBeebies.
KP's title was "Everyone's orange"?????
We're going to Flunky monkies for some monkeying about.

Home from Rome.

The view from the cupolla of St Peter's.

Obelisk (one of quite a few) outside the National Monument - our least favorite monument - an enormous pile of stark white marble.

A beggar by the Coloseum.

Peter, Paul & Mary......

We have just had a great a great six days in Rome, with visits to JR at either end, including a visit to Peter H & a celebratory lunch in Harwich.

We arrived back at Shardelows at 1.35 am yesterday, entered quietly & had a good night's sleep. We spent the day with JR, including a trip to Bury, arriving home about 7.00pm.

Today we shall be embedding ourselves into home, including food shopping - we don't even have milk for a cup of tea. I'm off to Bicester at tea time, for a sleepover & a fun day with KP & T on Friday whilst G has fun with Thomas.

J, G & family are coming tomorrow evening, for the weekend.

Rome was fascinating. It was my first visit. We stayed in the centre, two blocks from the station, well placed to walk everywhere, which we did. We walked about six miles each day, stopping for the occasional drink or light lunch in beautiful Piazzas & street cafes.

The churches were all amazing, the architecture beautiful & the weather good - only one wet afternoon.

G took 600 photos - visitors beware!

Another Grand Prix.

Lap 52, round & round - no wonder that the drivers are all male - all that driving with no stops for coffee, shopping or even a passenger to chat to, not to mention the same scenery over & over again.
Stuff that for a game of soldiers, McClaren, Williams or whoever, need not contact me.
Fantastica!
Apparently Alonso has won, so we can go out in the sunshine & pick some blackberries.

I spent Saturday morning preparing a sermon (Luke 15, the lost sheep/the lost coin), which I have preached twice this morning - Shustoke & Over Whitacre, to a total of 18 people.
No comment was made, so I have no way of telling whether I was effective or not.
The usuals nodded off, but I put this down to age & partial deafness rather than boredom.
We have eaten jacket potatoes for lunch & I have a little sewing to do, while it is still daylight (a new zip in some very classy trousers I bought very cheaply in a sale, thinking that the zip was repairable. )
Mum used to make such comments (re daylight, not zips - she never wore trousers)
Is this a sign of the times?
I used to replace zips in trousers for Dad. They were long & curved, a real work of art.
I must stress that I am not touting for zip replacement work - it's a horrible fiddly job to do.

I slept really well on Friday, having avoided the stress of the Telegraph crossword & had a cup of ovaltine.
Last night was not so good.
I skipped the ovaltine & the crossword then spent 3 hours of high stress listening to G snore & grunt, avoiding the flailing left arm & twitching legs.
This probably continued for the remainder of the night, but G woke up as I eventually tried to turn him (I'll never make a nurse!), gave me the expected reprimand & went to the spare room.
It still took an hour to nod off due to jaw ache & indignation.

I've just booked "Westwood", or e-mailed an offer.
Start the diet now, aj!!

Is there anything worth watching on TV this evening?
We were reduced to watching fairy-footed John Sergent, travelling around India by train, on the computer last night.

Stress.

We went to see JR on Tuesday, lunching in St Ives en route, before visiting Denny Abbey, an English Heritage property that I took JR to see a couple of years ago, on a high ridge of land, standing above the fen land between Ely & Newmarket.
It was built as a Benedictine monastery in 1189 then went to the Knight Templars, then became a Convent of the Poor Clares, until dissolved by Henry v111 in the mid 16 century. It then became a farm for the next 400 years.
EH have revealed the details of the original building - arches & windows, jut bricked up/plastered over. It is fascinating, honestly.
On Wednesday we sorted out affairs for JR, mainly in Bury St Edmunds, where we had lunch at The Angel. Fantastic light lunches. Highly recommended. I had an hour off to potter.
On Thursday I took JR to the doctors , then to JS before we left at 11.30am to go to Banbury for G to go to his old bosses funeral at Brailles.
The journey across country is dire - heavily used two lane A roads, with many overtaking!
G dropped me in Banbury, where I pottered then caught the train to Bicester & went to see B, who was working from home. Tea & biscuits then we walked to collect T & KP, in the sunshine.
They had a lot to say!
G picked me up to go to J & G's, where we played with O, S & H & then had a meal before coming home.
I went to the dentist this morning, as an emergency, having had a dull ache in my jaw for a couple of days & fearful of something gnawing away at my innards under a cap somewhere.
After tapping, probing & an x-ray I was declared fully fit but suffering from stress & so grinding my teeth at night & putting pressure on the back molar.
I felt better immediately, but have the concern of chilling out before bedtime.
Any ideas?
I'm aiming for Ovaltine & an early night.

Wet, wet......

Actually, it was a very good drying day until early afternoon, since when it has been wet & windy. G is pleased because it will be "good for the garden".
I am pleased because there is no compulsion to dig the garden & my back needs a rest.
I had some citizenship work to complete for Jamie/school, which I eventually did this morning & took in to school to photocopy & put in order.
Exam results were better than last year - 62% with 5 A* - C grades, 42%, including maths & English. I was very disappointed that none of my maths group achieved a C grade.
Either I'm a crap maths teacher or they lacked motivation.
Oh well.

We had an Alms Houses trustee meeting this evening, at the Rectory, so ate late - cold roast leg of pork, jacket potatoes & coleslaw, followed by bread, butter & jam pudding.

I apparently need to make highly controversial statements, as I did yesterday, in order to warrant comments.
Having commented on the presence of either paedophiles or chiropodists in the Catholic Church on W's blog, I think that I may have exhausted this subject.
On a more hilarious front, T Blair has had to cancel book signings to avoid vast bills for policing the events, as so many people want to throw things at him. People are encouraged to move his book to the "Crime" section in bookshops.
Yes.

Phew!

We have done a great deal of gardening since I last blogged - I have the aching right shoulder to prove it!
The garden is actually looking quite good, but the more you do the larger the area to be watered & looked after.
J & G came for the weekend, we babysat the children on Saturday night - they slept through until 8.30am on Sunday, with one minor blip at 4.30am when S lost his dummy.
I did crack the shopping - in Solihull by 8.30am on Saturday - easy parking & no queues, even in M&S!
I intended to write something interesting & controversial.
I can't think of anything.

Waddesdon.

We spent yesterday slaving in the garden, to good effect, there is still more to do, though.
I gave up , showered & left for Bicester, in the lotus, at 5.00pm, so that I would be there this morning to spend a day with T & KP, J & Th before school tomorrow.
G brought J & Th over this morning.
I made a picnic, then we set off for Waddesdon, with T in the lotus, the rest in the volvo.
We spent a great day in the sunshine, back by 4.00pm for a nice cup of tea.
T & J had a disco, KP & Th sat on the garden seat & put the world to rights.
They were all delightful all day & really sweet with each other.
We were both home by 7.30pm, G arrived first & prepared a meal.
We are ready for bed - my alarm went off at midnight, T got in bed with me at 6.20am, for a chat.
A lie-in is on the cards for the morning - I hope that J & T have fantastic days at school, both in class 2.

Well, the bankers are on holiday.

We had a quiet lie-in this morning, then went to P & A's to tidy the garden. It took a lot longer & a lot more energy than we anticipated, but we were pleased with the outcome.
Still more to be done.
We went to Nottcutts on the way home to plan the planting of the border once occupied by the cypressus. I favour a couple of trees with interesting foliage with gooseberry, red & blackcurrant bushes inbetween.
Any other suggestions?
We bought a selection of five shrubs for less than half price & have put them in the border at the top of the garden, which is now complete, with evergreen shrubs of different shades of green, all doing well.
The earth is amazingly dry, despite the rain of late. A thorough hosing was needed.
We plan another day in the garden tomorrow, weather permitting.
G is collecting P, A, J & T from the airport later, I shall go to bed!
On reflection, this doesn't seem to have been an exciting day, but we avoided the traffic jams & improved our surroundings.

Phew!

A hectic few days.
On Thursday afternoon we took T & KP home. Car journeys with them involve non-stop talking, with KP piping up periodically that T must stop talking because it's her turn.
T's best question must have been "what will the next King be called?", following discussion about Eliz 1 & Robert Dudley when visiting Kenilworth.
Both T & KP fell asleep on the way but woke up when we visited J, G & family en route.
We changed at B & E's then went to dinner at Barston Golf Club to celebrate Mary & Maurice's emerald wedding anniversary (45 years)!
On Friday I shopped (for too long!), baked, cooked & we went to the Wheelers for dinner, always interesting & a gastronomic delight, sourced from their garden.
Whilst we were out J, G & family arrived, settled & ate.
We have had a hectic weekend with lots of games & eating.
They went to DMP for a tea-party today & have now gone home. We went blackberrying for an hour or so whilst they were out.
We are sitting quietly, watching gorillas on the TV & contemplating a light supper, if one of us can be bothered.....
I hope that you are all enjoying you long weekend & that the weather improves a little tomorrow.

Well, I don't feel it.

Yesterday we went to the Think Tank.
It was raining .
It has the spectacular bits of the old Science Museum on the ground floor & Present, Future & Kids 'City on the other floors, or something like that.
T & KP loved the latter, which had play shops, a cafe, a garage& a health centre, all connected by telephones.
T was boss/receptionist & manned the phones, KP favoured weighing/measuring babies & sitting in the dentist chair.
T loved the phones.
We ate paninis in the rather limited cafe then had a second hour in Kids' City whilst G looked at the planes & steam engines on the ground floor.
They have two-way escalators!!
You stand behind the line & wait for the direction to change to be in your favour.
This may work well in a building with no more than two inhabitants!

We came home , made a malteser birthday cake & had tea.
Fortunately, it was a large bag of maltesers as the assistant chefs absorbed them, apparently.
We had a take-away (guess) when T & KP were asleep - about 20 seconds after going to bed.

Coast was the Danish coast & fascinating. Perhaps someone could record it for W & MK's visit.
T is helping me do this!
We are going for a walk soon, the monsoon having ceased, for the moment.

Happy Birthday!

I'm trying to recall where I have been since 20 August & can only assume that I've been asleep - asleep during the possible hours of blogging that is, that is, after dinner.
I did go to the hairdressers on Saturday, thanks to P, who gave me a voucher for a new beauty salon in Solihull, a raffle prize. I spent the afternoon ironing, to make up!
After church on Sunday we cut the hedge - 6 hours of hard labour & still half of the top to do, & that's only the hedge in front of the house. G does all of the really heavy, skilled work.
Yesterday I did housework, the first since going to Denmark, & I missed bits!
I went to Bicester for a sleepover & to have a few days with T & KP.
We went to Kenilworth Castle,which is half-way home, to join in a "Villains & Rogues" day.
Gentleman Ben (really),a mounted highwayman, enacted stories, with a nobleman & a law enforcement officer & the help of the children. We had lunch in the stables & did bits of the castle, shopped in the "best supermarket in the world...possibly", bought smelly wellies & came home for tea.
T, KP & G are still asleep!
I have to phone aj to commiserate!
We plan a day in B'ham at The Think Tank (science museum) & possibly a MacDonalds.
It's chilly here - the heating came on last night, with only a minor adjustment.
Many thanks for the cards & pressies, yet to be opened.
I shall enjoy the day

Rain