Friday's Fave Five - 31/1/25

It's Friday (just) so time to pause and find the good things from this week and then join up with other like minded bloggers over at Susanne's blog here.

1)  A working boiler (water heater) no cold showers for us anymore.  The plumbers arrived bright and early last Sunday and quickly had our old boiler out and the new boiler in.  Grateful that we didn't have to wait too long for them to fit us in.

2)  Time with Grandson Nathan here at the weekend.  We played a game called "Pass the Panda" which is quite a simple game but it's fun and we played enough games that everyone managed to win a few.  Why is it that children don't like losing? lol

3)  Keep fit and a meet up with friends on Tuesday.  Always good to feel active and this week I didn't spoil it by having a chocolate croissant with my cup of tea afterwards!

4)  A mooch around the shops in local Walthamstow on Wednesday.  It's the closest place to us with a decent amount of shops, including an indoor Mall and a street market but I'd never really had a good wander around to see what was there.  I was pleasantly surprised especially when I discovered there is a Waterstones. (Book lovers will understand.)  I had hoped to find a wool shop but there didn't seem to be one but I managed to get what I was looking for online.

5)  On the subject of books I sorted out a lot of books for the challenge I'm doing this year but I needed some from the library.  Of the 6 I reserved 2 were available for pick up today, 2 are in transit and for the remaining 2 I'm first in the queue.  Hopefully I should have them all very soon, then I'll just have to make time to read them.

Have a good weekend all.

Oh and I've managed to do the Just Jot it January challenge - blogging every day in January.  Again - just - there's a day missing on the blog but I'm sure I must have jotted something down that day so I'm calling it a win.

#JusJoJan - 31/1/25 - Fini

Well hello there! It’s time for our final prompt for Just Jot it January 2025. Today’s prompt is more of a SoCS-style prompt in that it’s not an entire word. But don’t feel obligated to write a stream of consciousness/no editing allowed post. Plan away!

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 31st, 2025 is “fini.” Find a word that has “fini” in it and use that as your prompt word. Have fun!

Phew this will be my final post of the Just Jot it January challenge that's organised by the lovely Linda.  You can find her blog here.

I first did the challenge back in 2017 and it certainly gets my blogging year off to a good start.  Unfortunately I never seem to be able to keep up the consistency throughout the year.  My best blogging year for the quantity of posts (245) was 2020 which isn't that surprising given that it was the year we all stayed home due to the pandemic.  But I was already an at home person so it shouldn't have made too much of a difference.

Since then I've averaged about 126 posts a year so about 2 a week.  I definitely want to keep that up this year which shouldn't be too hard though of course taking part in the A-Z challenge in April tends to bump April's figures up and there are some months when blog posts are few and far between so I need to try harder.

And I need to concentrate more - I thought I was being clever putting final in my opening sentence and then realised it didn't actually have "fini" in it. Note to self: "Read the question, and then read it again before putting pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard!"

#JusJoJan - 30/1/25 - Hesitation

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 30th, 2025 is “hesitation.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!

You can find out all there is to know about the challenge at our host Linda's blog here. 

Woo hoo this is my prompt suggestion today.  And it's my second one of the challenge.

I was hesitant about whether I'd commit to the challenge this year as my blogging has been quite erratic but doing a challenge is always a good way to get back on track.

And I've managed so far and only 1 day to go!  There were a couple of posts that technically didn't quite make the midnight deadline but we won't worry about that. I will have done at least 31 posts by tomorrow - good enough for me.

I'm often hesitant about a lot of things and I'm guilty of over-thinking things way too much.  Living with anxiety isn't easy.  But whereas at one point I wouldn't even consider some activities now I try to take the approach of "How can I do that?"  

There are still some things I'd never do particularly more adventurous things like bungee jumping, sky diving etc - though I think most sane people would avoid those.

However there was one suggestion that I didn't hesitate very much over - our daughter and her wife invited us to join them and their young son (8 months old) on a trip to Australia back in 2017.  I just thought why not and said yes.  My Husband was like "Quick, book the flights before she changes her mind!"  We went and we had a great time.

Right my timer is just about to go off - I'm due at the food bank this morning but I wanted to get this posted so it was there for challenge participants to see.  I didn't hesitate when it came to doing this post.

Thanks to Linda for keeping this challenge going again this year.  It's a lot of work and time consuming.

Wednesday Hodgepodge - 29/1/25

Joyce provides the questions, we provide the answers and you can join in here.

1. What was your after school routine like when you were a kid? 

I lived a five minute walk from my primary school so I was home soon after school finished.  I'd often play with my friend who lived 4 doors down either at my house or at hers.

Secondary school was about a twenty minute walk away.  I'd get home and it would usually be homework followed by some TV.  I'd be home alone as both my parents would be working.

2. January 26 is National Green Juice Day ( I guess it's true everything really does have it's day). Do you juice, as in make your own in an attempt to get healthy? Do you do the green juices? What's your favourite kind of juice (home blended or store bought, either one)? 

I do not juice, especially not green.  My favourite juice is an apple and elderflower mix that we get from the store.

3. What's something trivial about which you have a strong opinion? 

As I've got older I'm trying not to get too het up about trivial things.  Especially when there are more important things to worry about.

4. What do you need more of in your life? Less of? 

More - time - I'm retired so in theory I have more of it already but there never seems to be enough of it.

Less - stuff in my house that doesn't belong there.

5. Give us three adjectives to describe your January.

Chaotic - we had decorating done

Expensive - on top of the decorating etc we had to replace our boiler (water heater for our hot water and heating system)

Quiet - we didn't do much with all the works going on

And as a bonus - Wet!  We've had a lot of rain.

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

Just to clarify - the answers to that last question sounded like January was miserable but there were some good things too like an outing with the knitting group I attend including a Sunday Roast dinner, time with some of the Grandkids and of course we're pleased to be getting the last major works we needed to do in the house underway.

I've got all my photos back in place and some ornaments, our TV is on its new stand and Hubby's got his stereo system working.  This is all a temporary set up for now until the units are built in but at least we can watch the TV and listen to music.

Our temporary set up for the TV and HiFi - still a bit of a creche going on with the road mat!

This needs a picture on the wall or probably a mirror -
I think Hubby and I will find it easier to agree on a mirror rather than a picture!

Rogues gallery

And I think I've blogged everyday so far (only 3 to go) which was a challenge I set myself.

#JusJoJan - 28/1/25 - Confusion

Today, our prompt is courtesy of Dan. Thank you, Dan! This is the link to Dan’s blog.

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 28th, 2025 is “confusion.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

You can find out more over at our host Linda's blog here.

Well thankfully I don't think I've suffered any confusion today.  Having watched my Mother succumb to Alzheimer's it's only natural that I find myself watching out for signs of that dreaded disease.  Although if I was showing any signs I probably wouldn't notice them myself.

Anyway if you want confusion you only have to study the English language.  So many words that sound the same but are spelt differently and then mean completely different things.  Even words that look exactly the same but are pronounced differently and mean totally unrelated things.

Of course growing up in the East End of London there was also cockney rhyming slang to contend with too.  And that got further incomprehensible when many people only used one half of the rhyme. 

It's important to say exactly what you mean to avoid any confusion especially when talking to children.  We have so many ways of saying that a person has died, without actually saying that they're dead it's no wonder they find the whole concept confusing!

To avoid any confusion I'm definitely alive and I think I'm in full possession of my marbles.  But of course I could be wrong.

#JusJoJan - 27/1/31 - Glamourous

Welcome! I’m here with our twenty-seventh prompt for Just Jot it January 2025. Our prompt today comes to us from the sensational Sadje. Thank you, Sadje! You can find her blog HERE.  To find out more about the challenge and see who else is taking part go HERE to the lovely Linda's blog.

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 27th, 2025 is “glamorous.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!

Well, having checked out the full definition of glamourous I don't think I've ever truly deserved that description.

I like to dress for comfort.  Currently it's early(ish) morning and I'm still wrapped in my comfy dressing gown.  I like coming down first in the morning and having some quiet time away from Hubby's snoring lol.

But my outfit for the day will, no doubt, consist of either comfy jogging style bottoms or jeans with a comfy top.  So different from when I was working and had, as a School Business Manager, to look smart.  Hmm yes smart, but not glamourous.

My go to shoes will be trainers or, in the winter, boots.  I have 2 pairs of boots that I wear a lot.  A warm comfy pair and a smarter pair if I'm going out but both are flats.  I do own an even smarter pair with a low heel but I'd only wear those if going somewhere that required little walking.

I stick to safe clothing although I have, twice, done one of those personal shopper appointments at a department store and bought a few things that I would never have looked at if on my own.

I think the best lesson I learned from one of those was that if an item has a belt, e.g. a long top, to tie it at the back rather than wrap it around and tie at the front.  Such a simple thing which many of you are probably shouting at your screens saying "of course - didn't you know that?" well no I didn't!  But it does create a much better look.

Left to my own devices my entire wardrobe would probably consist of blue.  Different shades maybe but blue although there is a fair amount of pink in there too.

I'm not sure what possessed me to buy a green dress for the wedding we went to in Spain a couple of years ago.  I did know I'd be photographed with my sister-in-laws some of whom can definitely do glamour better than I ever could.

But even for a wedding I still went comfy and although the sandals are quite sparkly, they're still flat!

Of course for my own wedding I went fairy tale wedding dress style:

For our younger son's wedding I toned it down a bit.

I tried for glamour at our other son's wedding.

I made the mistake of going for a pair of shoes that definitely looked good but were almost impossible to walk in and have only been worn for that occasion.  They're still sitting in the wardrobe though, I really should donate them to a charity shop!

For our daughter's wedding I went the full Mother of the Bride outfit - the most expensive outfit I've ever bought!  Another worn once outfit still sitting in my wardrobe that I should part with.

But today it looks like I might be able to get out for a walk - it's been quite windy and rainy the last few days so I'll be needing these:

Good old reliable wellies.  They might not be glamourous but hey - they are purple! (And muddy.)

Book Review - Not if I see You First - Eric Lindstrom (2025 #5)

Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Rules:

Don't deceive me. Ever. Especially using my blindness. Especially in public.

Don't help me unless I ask. Otherwise you're just getting in my way or bothering me.

Don't be weird. Seriously, other than having my eyes closed all the time, I'm just like you only smarter.

Parker Grant doesn't need 20/20 vision to see right through you. That's why she created the Rules: Don't treat her any differently just because she's blind, and never take advantage. There will be no second chances. Just ask Scott Kilpatrick, the boy who broke her heart.

When Scott suddenly reappears in her life after being gone for years, Parker knows there's only one way to react-shun him so hard it hurts. She has enough on her mind already, like trying out for the track team (that's right, her eyes don't work but her legs still do), doling out tough-love advice to her painfully naive classmates, and giving herself gold stars for every day she hasn't cried since her dad's death three months ago. But avoiding her past quickly proves impossible, and the more Parker learns about what really happened--both with Scott, and her dad--the more she starts to question if things are always as they seem. Maybe, just maybe, some Rules are meant to be broken.

Well I'm not even sure where I got this book from - it may have been one my husband picked up from a local Little Library. Anyway it's not his typical read or mine and also this version was an early unedited version so the final copies may be slightly different.

Having said all that it was an easy read and, I felt, a good YA book dealing with a lot of the sort of angst that young adults go through. The main character is blind and also an orphan living with relatives and not very likeable at times. But a lot for any young person to cope with.

I managed to read it in one day and, mostly, the details about the blindness of the main character rang true but I'm not convinced wearing scarves as a blindfold all day would be that comfortable and something anyone would do. I'll have to check that out with my relatives who are blind.

View all my reviews

Book Review - I who have never known men - Jacqueline Harpman (2025 #4)

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Deep underground, thirty-nine women live imprisoned in a cage. Watched over by guards, the women have no memory of how they got there, no notion of time, and only vague recollection of their lives before.

As the burn of electric light merges day into night and numberless years pass, a young girl - the fortieth prisoner - sits alone and outcast in the corner. Soon she will show herself to be the key to the others' escape and survival in the strange world that awaits them above ground.

Not a book I would ever have chosen for myself but for me that's the whole point of doing a reading challenge - to challenge myself and widen my reading.

This book certainly did that. Set in an undetermined time and an undetermined place it's told in a stream of consciousness style by a woman whose earliest memories are of living with 39 other women, caged underground, guarded by men.

By chance and a freak event the women escape but the landscape they find themselves in unforgiving and freedom is not how they anticipated it.

The book is bleak but I appreciated how the author got inside the head of the narrator and created this situation and experiences. Definitely outside my comfort zone but I didn't struggle to read it.
I'm not sure I found some aspects of it credible (although it's all the author's creation) which is why I wouldn't give it 5 stars plus it would not be to everyone's liking.

View all my reviews

Book Review - At Long Last Love - Milly Adams (2025 #3)

At Long Last Love by Milly Adams
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It’s 1940 and Sarah’s husband has gone missing in Dunkirk. In a desperate attempt to find her man, she joins the FANYs. But with a daughter to raise and her father’s death to deal with, she is forced to turn to her long-lost sister, Kate, for help.

Kate thought she had escaped her troubled past, but when she returns to the country to take care of her niece, she must once again face the prejudice and scrutiny from the townsfolk, including the village vicar.

As the war intensifies and starts to take its toll, both women must find the courage to overcome challenges they never thought they'd face.

An easy enjoyable read that didn't tax my brain. It also gave a good insight into how the British worked with members of the French resistance during WW2.

View all my reviews

#JusJoJan 26/1/25 - Jubilee

Hey! I’m back with our twenty-sixth prompt for Just Jot it January 2025. Our prompt today is courtesy of Liz. Thank you, Liz! Click here for Liz’s blog.

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 26th, 2025 is “jubilee.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!

These prompts are organised by Linda who blogs here.

Having done some googling it seems Jubilee has its roots in the Bible but is now more usually known as an anniversary of a particular event, for example our former Queen celebrated 3 major Jubilees during her reign, Silver, Gold and Platinum being 25 year, 50 year and 75 year anniversaries of her coronation.

Lots of events were organised each time on a grand scale but local areas did their own thing too - there were a lot of street parties etc. For the Silver and Golden Jubilees an extra bank holiday was given and, although only one day was given for the Platinum Jubilee, it was combined with the late May bank holiday giving us a 4 day weekend when the main celebrations were held.

It wasn't just about celebrating though, one of the initiatives set up during the Jubilee year was The Queen's Green Canopy which aimed to encourage people to "plant a tree for the Jubilee".

Sadly, having come to the throne aged 73, it's unlikely (although possible) that the present King will reign long enough to celebrate even a Silver Jubilee.

#SoCS / #JusJoJan 25/1/25

Your prompt for #JusJoJan the 25th and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “in line.” Use it any way you’d like! Enjoy!  These are provided by Linda and you can find out all the details on how to join in here.

I am currently waiting in line for 5 books at the library.  I love my library.  I use it a lot and I love being able to order books in, especially when I'm working on a challenge and need something specific.

I'm working on a 52 book challenge that has prompts ranging from easy ones such as a "Book starting with the letter M" to ones that are more complex such as "Non-human antagonist".  (Although thanks to my DIL I have that one sorted.)

Yesterday I laid out all my TBR books in line on my bed and tried to match them to the lists of prompts where I could and I probably have about 24 that work.  After that I worked out a few more that would work and ordered them from the library.  For all of them I'm first in line but they're coming from various libraries so hopefully they won't all arrive at once!

I'm currently 4 down, 48 to go.  

Friday's Fave Five - 24/1/25

It's Friday!  Time to share our blessings of the week and link up with Susanne and other like minded bloggers here.

Here are my five:

1)  A trip to a Wool Show last Sunday with members of the Knit & Natter group.  We had a lovely time browsing lots of stalls in a hotel venue not too far from here.  Afterwards we all went for a Sunday Roast dinner at a local pub.  I bought myself a sock pattern plus a pattern for a jumper and the wool to make it.  I just have to get my squares blanket finished first!

2)  We managed to get the plumber to look at our boiler and it's going to be replaced on Sunday so hopefully that will be the end of showers going cold on us.

3)  A knit and natter session on Wednesday. Always nice to meet up and get some knitting done.  I managed to sew quite a few more squares together for the blanket.

4)  The house is looking a bit more normal with the Grandkids toys back downstairs and we've found a carpenter to make the fitted units for the living room so progress being made.

5)  Thankful that I'm retired and can spend time going through the books on my TBR pile and allocate some to the prompts for the book challenge I'm doing.  I've managed to fill nearly half of the prompts and I've also ordered some books from the library for a few more.  I'm also thankful for reading time.

The weekend will probably be quiet although the plumbers will be here most of Sunday.  Hopefully we won't get too cold while the work is being done!

Have a good weekend all.

Start here

#JusJoJan - 23/1/25 - Emphasis.

Today, our prompt is courtesy of Dar. Thank you, Dar! Here's the link to Dar’s blog.

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 23rd, 2025 is “emphasis.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

And here we go with another late evening post.  I really should put more emphasis on getting my blog posts done earlier in the day.  

Wednesday Hodgepodge - 22/1/25

The Hodgepodge is hosted by Joyce here. She comes up with the questions, we write the answers and share them. Pop over to see who else is joining in the fun.

1. What's a winter memory you treasure (can be from any winter in your lifetime)?

2017 springs to mind as that was the year we travelled to Australia with my daughter, her wife and our then 8 month old Grandson Nathan. Of course it wasn't winter there it was leading into summer but we had a wonderful time.

2. Tell us about the last time or a recent time you were caught up in red tape. Does it send your frustration level off the charts or is it something you've come to expect when dealing with any sort of bureaucracy?

It seems that any time you try and deal with a government department red tape is involved. The worst case I had was when trying to register for a Government Gateway ID - something you have to have in the UK to do anything online with the Government. I had great problems with this and the root of the problem was that they had my date of birth recorded incorrectly. I then had to send them a notarised copy of my birth certificate. Fortunately my best friend's daughter is a solicitor and she did it for me free of charge but the whole process was very annoying.

3. Do you eat/like fish? Do you cook fish at home? What's your favourite fish dish? Ever been ice fishing?

Yes I eat fish. Hubby usually cooks it at home and often it's salmon. Never been ice fishing or any sort of fishing.

4. Did you watch any of the US President's Inauguration coverage on Monday, Jan 20? On a scale of 1-10 (with 1 being not at all and 10 being very very) how interested are you in politics in general? Do you follow/keep up with/ get involved with local politics?

We saw snippets of the coverage on our news programme here in the UK. I guess I'm a 3 on the scale - I try to keep some sort of interest going but I'm definitely not hands on.

5. What's the coziest thing you own and what makes it so?

Hmm I have some cozy pyjamas that are actually too hot to wear in bed but I also have a long dressing gown that's warm but also very soft that's good for snuggling under a blanket and watching TV before I get dressed.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I tend to steer clear of discussing politics - it's such a divisive subject.

#JusJoJan 2025 - 21/1/25 - Content

Our prompt today is courtesy of the lovely J-Dub. Thank you, J-Dub! Her blog can be found here J-Dub’s blog .

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 21st, 2025 is “content.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!

Well it's late evening again so there's not going to be much content here.  Just a jot.

Goodnight!

Book Review - Drive your Plow over the Bones of the Dead - Olga Tokarczuk (2025 #2)

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

One of Poland's most imaginative and lyrical writers, Olga Tokarczuk presents us with a detective story with a twist in DRIVE YOUR PLOW OVER THE BONES OF THE DEAD. 

After her two dogs go missing and members of the local hunting club are found murdered, teacher and animal rights activist Janina Duszejko becomes involved in the ensuing investigation. 

Part magic realism, part detective story, DRIVE YOUR PLOW OVER THE BONES OF THE DEAD is suspenseful and entertaining reimagining of the genre interwoven with poignant and insightful commentaries on our perceptions of madness, marginalised people and animal rights.

I didn't find this book an easy read - it took me quite a few days and it's not actually that long. The blurb on the cover sums up the book quite well and it is about the mystery surrounding several deaths in a community in Poland with an ending I hadn't predicted.

Why 5 stars? Because it is beautifully written. It's clever. It doesn't just tell the story. I wouldn't say I loved it but I can appreciate why the author is a Nobel prize winner.

View all my reviews

#JusJoJan 2025 - 20/1/25 - Antipodean

Hi! It’s time for our twentieth prompt for Just Jot it January 2025. Today, we have a prompt gifted to us by the incomparable Kim. Thank you, Kim! You can visit her here Kim’s blog and say hello.

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 20th, 2025 is “antipodean.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

Well a quick post is called for as it's really bedtime here.  Of course antipodeans from here in London will be up and about and already on day 21 of 2025!  

We British tend to lump Australia and New Zealand together as the Antipodes from here although the actual antipodean point would be in the Pacific Ocean with Waitangi in New Zealand being the closest city.

We made it to Australia in 2017 with my daughter, her wife and our then 8 month old Grandson Nathan.  I blogged about it here. We had a great time.  I'd quite like to visit New Zealand but now that one of our sons     and his family are in the US I don't think we'll be making that trip anytime soon.

#JusJoJan - 19/1/25 - Why?

This is the nineteenth prompt for Just Jot it January 2025. Today, our prompt comes to us from the wonderful Willow. Thank you, Willow! You can visit her here Willow’s blog and say hello. 

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 19th, 2025 is “why.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

Here is my "Why?" child.

Matthew is my middle child.  When he was young he went through a stage of really pushing my buttons by constantly asking "Why?"  I always tried to give an answer as best I could but then he would question that answer with another "Why?" and so on and on and on..... I'm sure you get the picture.

Matthew, pictured just after becoming a Dad.

He would really try my patience.  I always tried to answer his questions without resorting to "Because I said so!" although I did often end up saying "because it just is" for example.  I think we're alike in a lot of ways, both stubborn but we can also persevere with things.

His saving grace was that, although during the day he would push me to the limits of my patience he was the best sleeper of my 3.  He went to bed, he went to sleep, he stayed asleep.

He might have driven me to distraction but he's grown into a man and now father that I'm proud of and, before I get protests from my other two children I'm actually proud of how they've all turned out.  I can take some credit for that but my Hubby and I worked as a team and we had a great family network that all contributed and thankfully my kids also made good life choices, particularly with their partners and friends.

And actually, it's good to ask "Why?"

#SoCS & #JusJoJan 18/1/25

Your prompt for #JusJoJan the 18th and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “pack/peck/pick/pock/puck.” Use one or use ’em all for bonus points—it’s up to you! Enjoy!

For more info on how these work pop over to host Linda's blog here.

It seems longer than 2 weeks since we were packing up all the things stored in the units that were in our living room, plus all the stuff on shelves, walls etc in there and in the hall in preparation for them to be decorated.

One of our spare bedrooms was packed to the rafters with everything we emptied out.

The decorators finished on Thursday this week and now we have to pick a carpenter to build new storage cupboard/display units for the living room.  The old units were from IKEA and we gained them with the house.  They had served their time.  Hopefully they will serve someone else in the future as they were donated to the British Heart Foundation which has charity shops that are specifically for furniture items.

We could probably manage without moving any of the stuff back down until the units have been made and fitted, except the children's toys.  Especially when you have an unplanned visit from two of your grandchildren who need to be entertained.  

They were here for a short time on Friday and couldn't believe there were no toys in the living room.  None at all.  They were also not impressed with the small bedroom TV that we have in there temporarily while we wait for a new stand for our living room TV.

We had them again today so we started the day by unpacking the toys/games etc from the bedroom with a 4 and 7 year old "helping"!  That was fun.

So we've unpacked and today we picked games to play and watched the birds peck at the food in the feeders.  Thankfully nothing seems to be pocked and Puck belongs in Shakespeare although ice hockey players would disagree.

Friday's Fave Five - 18/1/25

A day late posting here - yesterday did not go to plan.  But thanks as always to Susanne our host who reminds us each week to look back on things to be grateful for during the week.  Her blog is here. Pop over to find out more and see who else is joining in.

1)  Well I'm thankful that Hubby and I are both retired and can usually step into babysit the Grandkids as and when required.  Yesterday was one of those days when something came up that required us to have Nathan and Ella after school, feed them dinner and then take them home and put them to bed.  We also had them with us for most of the day today.  I was lucky enough to have my Mum around when our kids were young and I like to think I'm paying that forward to my kids now.

2)  The decorating is finished.  Still a lot to be done in terms of reorganising everything but at least phase 1 is done.

3)  We were able to get a quick visit from a plumber on Thursday.  Our boiler has been playing up a bit recently in that the hot water will suddenly go cold.  I contacted the plumbers we usually use on Wednesday but it sounded like we might have to wait a bit for a visit but then they messaged to say they would send someone Thursday.  So that was good news.  Bad news is to repair would be expensive and we might be better to replace the boiler.  We're pondering that decision.

4)  The car passed its MOT (annual inspection).  One less thing to worry about although we will need to replace the rear brake pads soon.

5)  2 walks this week - one around the golf course with Hubby on Monday and then on Thursday I did the loop around the lake and was pleased to come across 2 volunteers from the local Swan and Waterbird Rescue team.  It's that time of year again when the parent swans are chasing off the cygnets.  Only 3 of the original 8 cygnets were still on the lake and they had managed to rescue 2 of them and were trying to rescue the final cygnet who was proving to be a bit elusive.  I don't know if they were sucessful or not as it was starting to get a bit dark and I needed to get myself home.  I wouldn't worry about being in the forest alone after dark but I'd want to be prepared with a decent torch - there are lots of roots and uneven ground that would be trip hazards at night and a twisted ankle is not to be recommended.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend all - I'm out with the knitting group tomorrow to a Yarn fair and then for a Sunday roast dinner.