Another showery, Autumnal day so my efforts to cut and dig out the Japonica bush close to the repointed wall were dampened! I will have to try again tomorrow. Only a short walk locally but I came home carrying a couple of unusual terracotta plant pots that someone had put out with a “Free” notice. A struggle to carry with both dogs on leads but I was determined because they are perfect for mint plants I bought at the plant show last week! I no longer have to help Sheila move furniture tomorrow so I can relax on our Bank holiday. No point making plans until I know if it’s going to rain yet again.

Happy Sunday everyone, and Bodhi. 🐶
Jackie 🥰

Anne all seems to be going well. Glad there is a safe place to walk Jill

Sandy we are fostering Bodhi in anticipation of adopting him. Fostering for two weeks gives us a chance to be sure it is a good fit. It we are all happy, we'll pay the fee and sign the adoption papers

Bessie is getting more receptive. The only dog she has been interested in since she lived with us was Sasha who has been gone for over a year🐾😢

I have a cute picture of Bessie and Bodhi together but I can't post it

Oops...... Lost that one. Shall get back later.

Diane

Lin. We are always forgetting about the trash. But we must be on the end of the route, as they come in the afternoon. So we have plenty of time to get to the kerb!
Joy

I had a lovely surprise late afternoon yesterday, Mark and Mary Jo turned up bearing the gift of oranges and blueberries. The one thing my new quarters lack is fruit and veggies. I have just eaten a lovely big juicy orange. Veggies don’t seem to be big on Canadians grocery lists I’m finding. My small family virtually exist on very little meat but oodles of veggies. So if anything that’s the one thing me (and the body) are lacking. The funny thing was, for dinner last night we had ham, mashed potatoes and lovely green beans. I ate every last bean on my plate but everyone else at my table left theirs untouched. Oh well, different strokes for different folks. Anyway, before the Ms left at my dinner time we three took the Bean for a walk and just round the corner of this building we discovered a park with playing fields, tennis courts and fields of grass for a small dog to run in. What a surprise! This morning I took Jilly Bean for another walk in this human and doggie pardise. We had it to ourselves.

So all good here apart from a lack of broccoli and sprouts! Yesterday was washday and my bedding and clothes left in a huge string bag in the capable hands of Fatima. I was warned I wouldn’t get them back before today and sure enough up rolled Fatima with everything washed and folded around lunchtime. I think I’m only missing a pair of socks. It’s certainly a learning experience living here.

I made the aquaintance of a delightful elderly gentlemen today. He said he had worked in a wood workshop all his life until the Corvid struck when he was 91 and he had to finally retire. Said he hadn’t been the same since health wise and I think that’s the experience of a lot of folk.

I hope you get to keep Bodhi BARBIE. He will certainly have fallen on his feet if it all works out. I’m sure he will appreciate his good fortune and he does look a very nice dog as does your very pretty Bessie.

Loved reading about your latest cottage improvement JACKIE. You will be as snug as a bug when the north wind howls this winter. It will be interesting to see how this place is in the coming months. At the moment I have air conditioning.

Loved reading LIN and everyone else’s posts.

Anne.

It’s been a busy day starting with a long doggy walk on the moors, then into town for George’s annual booster and health check, back home to make tea for the builders and on to another town for my hair appointment. On the way home I stopped at a supermarket for a few groceries and am still shocked at some price increases. Peter and Richard have finished repointing the upper level so no more hanging hessian sheets and although they won’t work here tomorrow due to another storm, they will hopefully finish on Friday.
George has been barking at my new chair as if it’s a stranger in the home, which makes me laugh but Brady loves it!
I will miss viewing the big blue moon tonight because the rain clouds have arrived already. I hope you get to see it Anne. You’ve joined my noisy building work scenario, or perhaps I’ve joined yours!

A large plastic carrier that held new pillows bought a few weeks ago, is gradually filling with unwanted clothes that I will donate to our Salvation Army charity along with shoes that were only worn a couple of times but I found too uncomfortable. Once the outside work is completed I will load my car with items for the tip because our Autumnal weather has me feeling we won’t have many warm days left.

Time for George and Betty to pop into the garden then we must get to bed.
Jackie 🥰

Oh my Lin, a blast from the past! In a small treasure box I’ve kept a Holly Hobby card my partner back in the 70’s gave me. Reminds me of happy, loving times. 😊

When I let George and Betty out for a last pee before bed, the garden was lit up by the Blue moon shining through a gap in the clouds as if to say here I am, just for you! 🌝
A cold, wet and miserable day as we say goodbye, and good riddance, to August so I’m wearing 3 layers with a small M&S vest, sweatshirt and fleece jacket and think lighting the wood burner this afternoon could be a good plan! The pooches have gone back to bed while I’ve eaten breakfast so we won’t go out until lunchtime when it should ease off for a couple of hours. I’ll keep moving and busy until then.

I do miss my airing cupboard that I gave up for an upstairs loo. Towels are now on a shelf in the broom cupboard and bedding takes up precious space in bedroom chest of drawers. That leaves no room for clothes that don’t get worn these days so out they go!

We are now to be offered another Covid vaccination because apparently a new variant has arrived. I’ll have to think about that. Yesterday the vet administering George’s booster mentioned the kennel cough drops that get squirted up the nose and when I explained he won’t ever be going in kennels, she told me there’s a lot of the virus out and about. George isn’t the most sociable pooch with other dogs and my research suggested it doesn’t stop dogs catching it so we will both take our chances. Betty too!

Happy Thursday everyone. Stay safe.
Jackie 🥰

Reading about everyone’s lack of space as in cupboards is interesting. I had loads of cupboards for clothes in the house and an airing cupboard as well there. Living in a small apartment is a real eye opener. Fatima, the cleaning lady looked in on my one small crammed cupboard and exclaimed “too many clothes”, well yes - and half I don’t wear, those being from my secretary days. So I’ve asked Mary Jo to bring me big black garbage bags and I will be ruthless and donate to the diabetes collection bin. It’s odd, I was always grubbing away in the garden or baking etc in the cottage, but here I’m keeping as clean as the proverbial new pin and certainly don’t need half of what I’ve accumulated in the past.

Another interesting thing is other people’s habits. The jams and marmalades, the butter etc come in small packages with lids to be peeled off. One very nice lady has the peculiar habit of collecting everyone’s discarded packages, banana skins, my hard boiled egg shell etc. These are carefully placed in her used porridge bowl and when that’s brim full, she proceeds to fill my empty porridge bowl as well! I think the idea is to save the serving ladies some time. No big deal, different strokes for different folks. I think she’s got used to me bashing my boiled egg with my spoon and then peeling the bits of shell off the top before consuming. At first I was told to cut the top off with my knife, something I never quite mastered. No doubt she’s at this moment on her iPad telling her daughter about the peculiar English woman who bashes the top of her egg, lol.

Well the suns come out on a still chilly day so I think I will don a jacket and take the Bean for a trot in the park whilst Fatima comes in to change the towels.

Enjoy your day sneakers. I continue to live and learn.

Anne 🩷

Finally the sun showed itself long enough to walk round the block after which I pottered while George and Betty got under my feet! According to the vet, George has been losing weight over the last couple of years. It may well be because I’ve introduced healthy natural treats rather than cheaper, who knows what they’re made of types from China. I told the vet i prefer a slim George to overweight but have agreed to check in regularly to weigh him. Sometimes I forget he is now 11 years old and the thought of losing him terrifies me!

Oh Anne, your stories do make me laugh. I thought you were going to tell us the lady collecting banana skins etc. owned a wormery! Where did she keep it, I wondered!! PLEASE ANNE, maintain that free, independent spirit I love about you. ❤️

Sandy, I agree we must all do what we feel most comfortable with when it comes to vaccinations. I might be proven wrong thinking that my immune system will protect me enough so I don’t die should I catch something nasty but I’m philosophical either way.

I’ve a bag of freshly picked tomatoes to give David if I see him walking but he doesn’t answer his phone so he might miss out in the morning! I’ve now picked the last of the French beans to blanche and freeze and cleared the ground so that now just leaves the greenhouse produce.

Time for a cup of tea and put my feet up. George had something in his fluffy tail that caused knots almost impossible to remove but I persevered to cut it out which hasn’t left much tail so he’s sulking upstairs on the spare bed! Betty the Velcro dog is, as ever, sticking to my leg!
Jackie 🥰