I’m sorry I couldn’t post yesterday. Something is disturbing the internet because an email I sent to Anne came back as unable to deliver, then a WhatsApp message Linda sent at 8 in the morning suggesting an earlier start didn’t arrive until after 5. Even MFP sent me round in circles as I tried to log in. On top of all that, the day out didn’t go well because our first stop at a plant nursery was cash only and we only had £5 between us so bought fresh strawberries and moved on. We drove on to a large garden centre for our usual coffee and cake and we’re going to look at bedding plants but Linda received a phone call from a company she had booked to mark out a field for football. She has volunteered to help a local group set up a team to play in lower leagues and thought it was an admin job but because most are in full time employment she is finding herself doing all sorts. The man with his robot paint machine wanted to start immediately rather than his evening booking so Linda had to drive through narrow lanes to get to the farmer’s field, all the while saying she didn’t feel well. Within 5 minutes, standing in the hot midday sun in the middle of a field so no shade, got to us both because we weren’t dressed for it. Linda dashed off to be sick and I pushed myself against the perimeter hedge to find shade!! When she returned the paint man said he now knew what was needed so we left and Linda dropped me home with nothing more than a punnet of strawberries. I messaged her later to check how she was and she had gone to bed, still feeling unwell. Hopefully it is nothing contagious! In the evening I took George for a gentle walk on the moors because he had been left at home for 5 hours and it was a bit cooler.

We currently have a couple living in a very old camper that they have parked at the far end of our access track. I checked its registration online and it is not taxed but the road is unadapted so no one has jurisdiction over it although there are properties that use that section to park. I’ve been told drugs are involved so when a couple of days ago I caught them driving a car they recently acquired round our parking area for no reason and didn’t dare look at me even though I stood still and watched them, I decided I need to lock expensive gardening tools away. I’ve padlocked a storage box by the house but need to buy another for my garden shed so will try to buy one when in Plymouth later today for my dentist appointment.

I’m sorry about that awful noise Lin. You must be relieved when they do leave early!

Your life is one big social whirl Sandy! I get the impression David was taken by Charmaine but I haven’t told her yet what he said. I might suggest he was fantasising about their life in France which would make her laugh. 😄 I saw him briefly this morning and he told me he has accidentally blocked incoming calls on his mobile again but I can’t help him with that!

A few jobs to do outside before I head off. It is still hot but the sky is hazy so we might get a shower later.

Happy Thursday.

Jackie 🥰

No Internet service. It has been off since late morning. The 2 to 3 hour repair estimate apparently did not work out.

Be safe everyone.

Lin 🙋🏼‍♀️

❤️❤️

Hello

Time to catch up with everyone. Glad you are all doing well and keeping quite busy. Between taxes, cleaning up your yards and running for annual appointments this time of year can get quite busy.

We recently made a trip to our nursery. I came home with 4 hanging pots of gazanias. Next I had to put them in my macrame hangers, which is always hard to do. As much as I try to not break off any branches it happens. From this point I went out front to cut off all of my dead roses and remove some of the dead flowers from my azaleas . So much yard work to be done, but the rest I leave to our 2 x a month gardener. Lots of rain this spring, so everything needs some major pruning.

A few weeks ago we picked up my sil at the airport. She came out from N. Carolina. Once here we drove her to a town in the foothills 2.5 hrs away so she could spend a bit of time with her cousin who is in hospice right now with cancer. Nine days later we drove there again to pick her up on Easter day. Lots of traffic, but it could have been worse. She stayed with us for 3 days then we took her to the airport. Though she is 11 yrs younger than my husband my husband at 81 is doing really well health wise compared to his sister. We really noticed how much she is aging.. It was good seeing her again.

Next week our son and his wife will be flying out from Tennessee to spend a bit of time here. Our son is a best man for his friends wedding. They have known each other since they were 10 yrs old. Our son is now 50 yrs old. They have lots of people to see, so they have decided to stay in a hotel. We will get to see them for a couple of days anyway. We are considering making a trip to Lake Tahoe just for a nice drive. It should be beautiful out….in the 80s they say. Lots of snow in the mountains this year. Hopefully the roads will finally be clean of it and we can enjoy the day together.

While preparing for this trip to Tahoe I realized that the a/c has gone out on my car. With our hot weather quickly approaching we had to get that taken care of. That was an expensive unexpected trip to the dealership. Thankfully my son in law works there plus he is in management, so that costly trip wasn't as bad as we expected. An 8 yr old car surprises you with issues periodically and that is exactly where we are at now. There are good at telling you what has to get done next. LOL 😒

Must get a few things done. Wish everyone a early Happy Mothers Day…

💕 Diane

Happy Saturday. Our hot weather continues so I continue to work outside, now preparing my raised beds for veggies and also a new strawberry bed. I cleared a patch, spread compost and watered it before planting 18 plants into 3 rows then covered the area with a screen to protect them from the birds. An old school friend phoned in the afternoon for a catch up and she told me of her frustrating time in the week having a new bath fitted, the sort that has a side door to step through before filling with water. Apparently a sub contracted plumber was used by the company who created all sorts of problems and mess so she complained and finally a different plumber took over. The whole experience has left her feeling shaken up but we did manage to talk about more cheerful things and she was laughing by the time we hung up.

Sandy, thank you for searching for information that might help to clear David’s phone. He’s very lucky to have you added to the list of women helping him and I will pass it on the next time I see him!

Lovely to read lots of news from Diane. I love Gazanias but unfortunately the slugs love them even more. 🤨

Time for my bed. 🥱😮 I remembered to set the timer on my washing machine for bed sheets changed earlier. Hopefully more planting and weeding tomorrow.

Jackie

Hello Sandy and Barbie. Waving to you Jackie and Diane.

Many thanks for the nice updates.

Sandy, I am glad the first communion went well and the get together afterwards also sounds lovely.

Barbie, your lovely update took my mind nd from ruminating over problems and enjoying your news.

I did a bit of cleaning and straightening up today. The air conditioning people will be here first thing in the morning. Watched the video of the choir performance as well as the church services .

A couple of the church committees have been mulling over bids for a bit of work. We have 3 bids now. I looked up one company I’d not heard from before and looked over all the completed projects they were showcasing. Then I sent my vote.

Zoom classes, a bit of cooking, and then ate much too much once again.

Do take care everyone.

Lin 🙋🏼‍♀️

❤️❤️

Now I have not seen a teapot like this before.

😀 Sandy, my yard is my recreation, I don't do the things you do (mani/pedi, haircut, family, church, lunch with friends, cruise, casino, etc.) and spend that time in my yard a little at a time. One of the great secrets of adulthood is "what's fun for some people isn't fun for me and vice versa"

😀 When we bought our heat pump and furnace in 2011 when we bought this house, we signed up for a maintenance plan. It includes a yearly visit for inspection and maintenance and being put at the top of list if we need an emergency maintenance call.

😍 Barbie

Hello friends. It has been a Monday. 👀

No need to enumerate all of the less than perfect occurrences. More stress on the way.

One good thing, the air conditioner was given an okay and is now merrily chugging along. Feels better in here. It was getting quite stuffy.

Some friends put up some photos and videos of a big announcement. After searching for years, they bought some bare land. I am not sure of the number of acres but it looks beautiful. They have some pasture and a pond. They may get some cattle. A new chapter in their lives. They are so happy.

Anybody have a taco for Cinco de Mayo? I didn’t. But I did think about it.

Be safe everyone.

Lin 🙋🏼‍♀️

❤️❤️

😀 Sandy, I was just trying to say that we all find time for the things that are important to us and you and have different important things. There's not time or energy for everything so we do what we think is best or most fun.

🌻 This is the lawn I cut with my battery powered mower. Yesterday it took 20 minutes from walking out the door to putting the battery on the charger when the mowing was finished. We bought this house in 2011 when Jake announced "I'm done with yard work." There's just enough to do to make it a hobby rather than a chore.

😢 I just noticed that the forces that made eggs scare and expensive is now doing the same thing to turkey. I may have to seek an alternative to the turkey burgers I have for supper.

😍 Barbie

Our dry and sunny weather continues but the cold easterly wind has returned unfortunately. I can’t repeat yesterday’s lost post so I’ll just add it was a Bank holiday and I walked on the moors early to avoid the busy time that comes with so many walkers. My friend Christine joined me in the car park and we walked for over an hour then I went with George to visit Sheila. She told me about her fall when the wind blew her over and her stay in hospital. She had developed a blood clot in her leg which then became swollen. She is feeling a lot better and I offered to take her to get some shopping today. I am continuing to keep George with me in the car when I go anywhere so found a shady parking spot under a tree and left a window open so he was fine, especially since the cold wind is still blowing. Sheila stocked up with a few treats and I just needed fresh salad. After I dropped Sheila home I put an extra layer on and spent the afternoon weeding and watering the pots and newly planted perennials.

A quiet week from now on so as the dry weather will continue I’ll do some work to repair the chicken run’s wired roof ready for some horticultural plastic ordered from Amazon that should be delivered by Friday.
Take care everyone.

Bedtime for me. 🥱
Jackie

❤️ Lin

Another sunny day and that awful cold wind has calmed down some what. I took George to the moors early and halfway round let him off lead for 10 minutes. Most lambs have been born now but there’s always one or two stragglers so I continue to be careful. As I drove past the post office on my way home I saw Sheila so stopped for a quick chat. It was the first time she had driven her car since her accident so was cheerful to be getting out and regaining her independence. The rest of my day has been spent in my garden, although I also washed the rugs in the garden room; the smaller in the washing machine but the long runner I lay along the path and used a broom and bowl of soapy water to scrub. It was rinsed off with the garden hose so is still hanging outside to dry as we creep towards midnight. Do any of you own “Hug Rugs” that remove any dirt on the bottom of shoes as you walk on them? Ours are made with recycled materials and are a wonderful invention where pets are involved!

Lin, I’m sorry to read you are feeling unwell. Do take care. ❤️ That teapot is bordering on being a step too far when it comes to design! I don’t think I could live with it. 👀

Sandy, enjoy being pampered and the birthday celebration.

Barbie, I’m contemplating investing in a battery powered mower because my electric Qualcast is beginning to feel too heavy. My terraced lawns also slope so it is hard work and I already use a battery powered strimmer, chainsaw and edge trimmers that use the same batteries and are relatively light.

Off to bed. 🥱😴
Jackie