Home again.

Tennis was rained off on Monday so I packed a bag to go & see JR, as we had a couple of days free & G was going to work on the lotus.
Before I got to Coleshill, I made the rather selfish decision that I would visit aj instead - no one else knew of my plans anyway - so turned towards the M42 instead.
My mobile phone allowed only emergency calls & obviously did not realise that calling aj rated as an emergency, so I arrived at 12.30pm, unannounced.
Aj was out!
I walked to JS & put money on my phone, which didn't help, then walked into Acomb, seeking aj/to buy rubber gloves & secateurs so that I could tidy the environment if I didn't make contact.
As it was, aj had popped out for vitals, found the car at home, when she returned & set off to find me.
She was successful!
We went back for lunch then caught the bus into York, pottered, then had afternoon tea at M&S, a birthday present, compliments of aj's M&S Premier membership.
Thank you M&S - sandwiches & a clotted cream tea - scrummy.
(We had a very light supper to balance the calories) 

This morning we went to Wetherby to potter - a favourite trip.
We went home for lunch then did York by bus. Fortunately aj took an umbrella as there was a deluge with water pouring down the streets.
The O2 shop sorted my phone - static on the sim card??
We went to buy aj some Fitflop shoes in Jones sale, without success but  I bought some Ecco gortex trainers, reduced from £105 to £29.
Wow!
I came home after supper, a good time to travel as there was little traffic.
The heavens opened for the last half hour, which slowed progress down.
A great couple of days - saved aj from drudgery for a while!

Day out tomorrow - G to the dentist for a repair job.

All present & correct.

We collected our three warren point of lay pullets from John Andrews t OW this morning; this involved going down to the field behind the farm which is full of chickens, hen houses stuff.
As the chickens were out, it was a matter of catching the three that were most accessible & putting them in a box - I kept well away as I was dressed 7 ready to go to NW to take the service.
A wise decision as G managed to get his first "chicken shitting".
they seem to have settled in to their new home and had put themselves to bed when G went to shut them up for the night.
We shall let them out into the field at the end of the week, when they are used to the eglu.

We had a teddy Bears Picnic and parachute Jump, from the tower of NW church, this afternoon.

I was doing the picnics for 45 children, so got stuck in making ham and cheese sandwiches, after church.
I'd bought carrier bags to do the lunches as in John Lewis - bag then chooses a sandwich, cake, drink, fruit & crisps - all went very well.
The parachuting was brilliant, as was the weather & G took some great photos of teddies descending from the tower.
Jan & Chris came for a meal & to meet the fowl - a good evening.
Suggestions for three names - pecking order already sorted, so one is "the boss".
I thought about "Maggie", for her.

Tennis tomorrow, weather permitting.

Another hot day forecast, but what do they know!

Cluck, cluck.

We are expecting three additions to the household, having sourced their accommodation & food & put our names on them G has now to refurbish the eggloo, fashion a feeder & we can collect our three warrens, point of lay, & look forward to collecting nice brown eggs every morning.
We did have a dozen warrens about thirty years ago, when W & B were small & ate eggs in many different guises, from egg mayonnaise to quiche lorraine.
J & Th can help to name them & collect eggs when they're here.
They've been here today -  we all played tennis this morning, despite the wind; both G & J did well with their new racquets. After lunch G made parachutes to fit teddies in anticipation of the"Teddy Bears' Picnic & Parachute Jump" at NW church, on Sunday afternoon.
Unfortunately, it was very wet & windy so they had to settle for travelling around on the fan in the conservatory, to the delight of J & Th, Jan & Kristian, who came to deliver the ham & cheese for the sandwiches at the TB's picnic.
G went to collect the Eggloo whilst we went in the garden to drive the jeep & play football, between showers.
It has poured down this evening, but the promise is for fine weather tomorrow.
Please God, it will stay fine for Sunday, or we will have to cancel as the roof of the church tower will be too slippery.
Shopping, early tomorrow morning, followed by tennis, if dry, then cake making.
I've done Sunday's sermon - teddies & parachutes & the need to "do".
I'll prepare the picnics before I go to church, weather permitting!

Have a good weekend - hotter in CPH than here yesterday. 

Summer?

Only one laptop now works, so I have to await my turn!
A busy weekend, with the rare delight of Peter's company & P, A, J & Th on Sunday.
The weather has been really good until this afternoon, when it rained cats & dogs, flooding the yard in minutes.
I played tennis on Saturday morning, with the big boys & girls.
I played "like someone else", as my friend Carole says & won both sets with my partner - the first mixed doubles I've played for thirty years - male partners can think that only they can play winners!
Played with the ladies  on Mon am & again this morning - good fun.
Yesterday morning we went to Bigwoods' Auction house in Tiddington, near Stratford, with Peter & a boot load of goods to value/sell.
Stephen Kay, one of the auctioneers, spent a good hour with us, valuing, listing & discussing  - quite excited at a few items.
Fascinating.
They appear on "Flog it", regularly - S Kay is a very large man.
He doesn't like Flog it or being on TV!
He also thought that my 19th century Masons porcelain bowl may be a fake.
He may be right - it was £10 at a charity shop,
The lesser goods are in the general sale on Friday, the rest in the collectors sale on 28 Sept, which we may get to.
We went on to Stratford, had coffee in the sunshine at the theatre, by the river &  a potter around, before coming home for lunch.  
Peter left us & we spent the afternoon gardening.
Still eating cold chicken, as I over-catered on Sunday!

Whew, what a scorcher!

Obviously the summer weather was all saved up for the Olympics.
Yesterday was a fantastic day, hot & sunny all day; I had to drag myself in from the garden just before eight o'clock, fearing that g would be in a state of collapse due to lack of food if he waited any longer for dinner.
I need not have worried as he had found a glass of wine & a large bag of crisps.
dinner - pan fried salmon, Thai rice & salad took about ten minutes to prepare & back to the TV/Olympics to watch Bolt, bolt the 200m.

I cleaned the house "from top to bottom" before the heat of the day & made up beds - Peter is visiting tomorrow & O & the twins are doing a sleepover on Saturday.
It feels good when all is spic & span, even if it won't last for long.
All of the family are here for Sunday lunch, so some shopping needed.

I was invited to play tennis on Saturday morning, which I'm looking forward to - I may even cycle there if there's not a breath of wind!

J & Th here - cutting & sticking Olympic pictures as respite from tearing round the garden, at the moment.
G wants the laptop to source the Lotus bit repairers that he saved on it last week.
Enjoy the sunshine - even hot in CPH!  

Home again

We went to Bournemouth early on Sunday, to clean & decorate the flat, as the tenant has just left.
We started at 2.00pm on Sunday, after the drive down, a coffee at Cafe Nero in Boscombe, taking on provisions at JS followed by a sandwich.
Four hours on the kitchen whilst G repaired things &blitzed the bathroom, then scouring paintwork.
I cooked dinner at 8.30pm, then a walk down to the beach, before bed.
It was very quiet everywhere.
The Daily express had a picture of a little girl on the beach in B'mouth, so there are visitors somewhere.
Only "Urban Beach" was busy in Boscombe - not our scene - you may have seen it on TV in "Three in a Bed" (I think)
Removing six wardrobe doors to re-glue laminate then more scrubbing & cleaning of all carpets, followed by late dinner at a Nepalise restaurant, on Monday.
Window cleaning followed by painting throughout - Dulux magnolia matt - return of "Rugdoctor" & repair of dishwasher, loading the car & off home by 7.15pm.

Today G went to George Eliot for blood tests & results of mole removals.
The Lotus is in pieces so I cycled to the tennis club, played three sets then cycled home - fantastic weather - warm & windless.
We went to Lichfield this pm, to pay for a holiday, then had a potter round.
G had his eyes tested & ordered specs from "Specsavers"
We visited Talbots on the way home to see Archie - he's lovely.

Time for bed...

Relaxing again.

A busy week, great fun with T & KP staying from Mon to Thursday, J & Th joining them for a couple of days & a sleepover.
The weather has been alright, enabling us to spend an hour playing tennis each day followed by hours of fun & games, spent in the garden on the fleet of vehicles.
The jeep must be run in now & goes faster on each outing - they  are now quite competent driving it, after a hairy start, some weeks ago.
Only one session spent indoors, making a row of shoebox shops - KP "Beads", Th "Car showroom",
J "Olympics", Th "Sainsbury Local"???
I took T & KP home on Thurs, after an hour with T on the jeep, an hour at the tennis club, meeting P, J, & Th for lunch at McD in Solihull, a little shopping (flip flops) & a tootle round Bicester to source dinner.
T declared himself to be "tired".
I called in at J & G's en route home & collected the B'mouth flat keys.
We are going to clean & decorate, all in 3 days, ready for new tenants.

Yesterday we had a day at home.
G took the Lotus to pieces to remove a bit from behind the dashboard that had leaked the radiator contents into the car.
A big job - car in bits, carpets drying in the sun, part to be repaired somewhere.
I spent the entire day tidying the spinney behind the shed. ie removing 5 barrow loads of brambles, nettles,ivy & grass, to give the wild flowers a chance to thrive.
I gave up, knackered at 7.00pm & relaxed in a hot bath, on the phone to aj.
Recuperated, I cooked dinner then fell asleep before the coffee.
Why did I wake up at 4.00am?
I think that the reason I didn't go back to sleep again was something to do with G twitching, kicking & snoring.
Never mind. Good to be up & doing by 5.30am.
A day off today then to Gill & Andrew for dinner.