Oh, My Days!

And hello Autumn! Almost. First official day of Autumn tomorrow. There is a fresh chill in the air and the evening light is closing in earlier by the day. The apples, pears, plums and blackberries are ripening by the hour, it seems, and the first leaves are starting to loosen their grip on the trees. It has been a busy August. Lots of visitors. Lots of activity. Variable weather. Thinking time for me. Very useful thinking time, as it turns out. I am feeling excited about the arrival of Autumn - it is, I think, my favourite season. And as the season is shifting, so am I. I may not be returning to school on Monday, but life is going to be busier than ever. The Universe is pushing change towards me and I am very happy about it, too. More on that tomorrow. This last week has been taken up with a friend visiting from Kent. She arrived in her motorhome with three Chihuahua dogs she inherited from an old friend who died around 3 or 4 years ago. The Chihua...

Heather and Ollie have been up for a visit. During their stay I decided that Ollie will be a very useful son-in-law. Firstly, he removed a dent from my car using the alchemy of a kettle of boiling water and a sink plunger! How clever is that? Well, probably not that clever for mechanical types like Ollie but for someone like me who has no sense of direction and mends most things via the method of ‘Whack it with a Hammer’ it was like watching magic. And secondly, he heard a drip coming from underneath the bathroom sink and was there with the Plumber’s Mate (which is basically putty) and that white tape stuff like a shot, inflicting war on the leak and holding it at bay long enough for the plumber, Gene, to visit yesterday and replace pipes and reset the taps so they are no longer wibbly, nor wobbly, nor screechy, nor clunky. Ollie also drove us everywhere and made dinner one evening. And played the public piano that is situated in the market place in Shrewsbury. However, what really s...

Tuesday was a magic day. I started making key rings as my contribution to the Stoke PDSA Open Day on Monday and after posting a couple of pictures on FaceBook, I received orders for 12 personalised and bespoke key rings! My wise daughter said, ‘Mum, do you think the Universe is trying to tell you something?’ Maybe, then, I COULD build up a craft business? It seems people are willing to purchase things I make. Of course, it might just be the ‘charity effect’ which has made people so generous, but I can’t deny that the experience has filled me with a tad of excitement. A door opening on a new career? It’s a thrilling thought. Here, then, is progress so far on the key ring project. And a big ‘Thank you!’ from me and Stoke PDSA to those of you who’ve put in special orders and have been so supportive in your comments. You have no idea how appreciated you are! xx

The Shugborough Estate in Staffordshire was taken over by the National Trust in 2016. I remember visiting it around 10 years previously when it was still in private hands (Lord Lichfield, cousin of the Queen was incumbent) and it was full of life and history, with farm animals mooching freely around the working farm yard and people dressed in historic costume giving talks and demonstrating Ye Olde Life On Ye Olde Farme. Slight disappointment, then, when we visited last week to find the working farm yard consisted now of a shy ginger pig in a sty, and a handful of, admittedly handsome chickens, in an enclosed run. However, great movement had been made in restoring the walled garden and there was lots of renovation work in progress so perhaps in a few more years it may be back to its previous glory. Of course, being the National Trust, one had to dodge the inevitable determination of the entrance staff to make people sign up to a membership package. We were asked three times between th...

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - I have no idea how I managed to fit a full-time job previously into my life and stay sane. And there’s the rub, eh? Perhaps I wasn’t sane. Perhaps since leaving full time employment I am experiencing sanity for the first time in years?! And I think now how glad I am that I shall not be returning to the chalkface for a new school year in three weeks’ time because the list of activities I am planning just keeps expanding. The last week, then, has been taken up with The Visit of the Granddaughters. A poor excuse, I know, for neglecting my blogging activities, but by the time we’d run them ragged each day and done the bath, story, bedtime routine I was too knackered to engage a single brain cell in writing, let alone another for it to rub against and produce something vaguely entertaining. After a week of visits to Warwick Castle and the Shugborough Estate, Trentham Gardens, boat rides, cinema x 2, arts and crafts, camping, barbecuing, picnics,...

Last night, my daughter called on a video link. ‘Guess what Ollie’s done,’ said she. ‘Good or bad?’ said I, immediately thinking of broken legs if the response was ‘bad’ because they’ve been on holiday in Cornwall which is rather cliffy. And windy. Not a great combo. ‘Good!’ said Heather. And I knew. I just KNEW! ‘He proposed!’ said I. And then she nodded and waved her ring finger at me (sapphires and diamonds) and I did a lot of undignified ‘Eeeeeeek’ ing, and Andy and I sung our version of the theme tune of ‘The Good Life’ because Heather REALLY loves us doing that, and then I did some more ‘Eeeeeeks!’ and found I couldn’t really get to sleep until quite late because I was so excited!! Congratulations to Heather and Oliver on your engagement. May you have a long, happy, loving, crazy life together. We love you loads! 💕

I dashed out early this morning to run errands because I had received an exciting email (it used exclamation marks and everything!) from Yodel informing me of ‘Good news!’ My parcel would be delivered today! And I could track its progress!!! Using the handy tracking number and map!!!!! Logging into the tracker (!!!!!!!!!!!) I discovered there were 82 parcels ahead of my delivery in the queue (!!) and that my parcel would arrive somewhere between 3 and 5 (ish!!!!) Time then, to whoosh out to the supermarket to buy human food stuff and to the farm supplies shop to buy chicken food stuff. And to post a letter and a birthday card. I was back home by 8.45 a.m. At the supermarket I heard a conversation between a couple of ladies who were perambulating with what I thought was unnecessary slowness around the aisles. One was bemoaning the fact she was being made redundant from her current job because the business was closing down. She’d been there for years and years. ‘I went for a job in I...