Border

Today was a rather ‘messy’ day. Nicola and I were due to have our nails done, but we had to wait in for someone to look at her boiler and give her a quote for a new one. This meant that we could not get the shopping we wanted until after our nails were done, messing up the whole day.

Today’s picture shows part of one of our larger borders, which at this time is looking quite good. Once the growing season starts, about now, it will take a lot of time tending it to keep it in order.

March One Tree

Today’s picture is of my One Tree, taken on Thursday 5 March 2015. I am not sure it looks very different to the last two entries, but the sky is definitely different; click the tag Susanonetree2015 to see the other two. This picture also forms part of my One Street. The lamppost does not lean at that angle; this is caused by the use of a wide angled lens.

The building work has progressed rapidly since I took the previous two pictures; I can see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel! However, the bathroom and shower room are still a long way from being completed. The tiles for the bath and shower rooms that we have chosen are out of stock and will be for a while, so we are in the process of choose some more, which are similar, just a slightly different colour. The kitchen is not yet started although that is a separate job, but using the same builder. 

Research

I have spent a lot of today researching, from old newspaper articles, information for an article I have been asked to write for our local twice-yearly Newport News. First of all I am retyping the article so that it is easier to read, much of it appears to be in size six font and uses some strange words. Once I have typed the article, as it originally appeared I hope I will be able to write a sensible article from it; today’s blip shows today’s part of one of the articles.

A sunny day today so work on the house has been progressing very well. Plastering has taken place and new glass has been fitted to some of the windows. The plastering will continue tomorrow and Friday; next week all the window glass should be fitted. The kitchen plan has been submitted, but is not correct, some adjustments still need to be made.

Lower Orchard and Marsh

The weather today has been variable with some sunshine and blue skies, but also heavy rain and a five-minute snow-storm with large fluffy flakes.

I took my car to the garage this morning to get her birthday present; she will be twenty on 13 March and needed some new boots. She had five new Michelin tyres, four fitted and one as a spare.

Today I have been catching up on indoor jobs and doing the month end financial accounts. A walk around the garden yielded several pictures of flowers, but in the end I chose this picture taken from the lower part of our orchard across the marsh.

Saying our Goodbyes

Today my daughter and I went to say goodbye to an old friend who died in February. On the way, we drove through snow, hail, wind and rain before the sun came out. We went early so that we could have lunch before the service. We knew there was a Little Chef nearby, but then we passed the Elme Hall Hotel, which obviously looked and was, much better than a motorway services café. We had not been there before, but it was an excellent lunch, with clean white tablecloths in lovely surroundings.

After the service, we did not stay for the wake; the family had gone to the Crematorium and would be away for quite a while. We watched, from the church gates as Doreen was driven away and a few more flakes of snow fell. Then we had a quick cup of coffee where the wake was to be held, opposite the church, before going to the nearby cemetery to visit my parents and my maternal granddad’s grave. Then we drove through the village and past the houses where I had lived for forty years before marrying Bill. I took a couple of pictures, through the car windscreen, of the Water Tower and the Clock Tower and as I could not choose between them for my blip, I decided instead to blip Nicola with her coffee.

Despite going to a funeral, Nicola looks happy, funerals are usually sad occasions and this one was no exception. Doreen was an old lady who had spent her entire life caring for other people. She left school early to take care of her father and eight siblings; in later life, as well as caring for her husband and two children, she cared for her mother and mother-in-law. All this while working on a smallholding with her husband. Later still she cared for her husband, for many years prior to his death; he died in 2010. Two years later this wonderful old lady had a stroke and needed to be cared for. She will be greatly missed, not just by her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, but by everyone who knew her.

Berenice Doreen Stannard – 28 January 1927 – 8 February 2015

The Clock Tower
FridayBridge

The Water Tower
FridayBridge

Stripy

A bright and sunny day, but it has also been very windy.  The cats are not fond of the wind and have spent much of the day asleep inside. I have been working on things I would normally do tomorrow as I am out all day. My husband will have to babysit the builders who we are not happy to leave to their own devices all day as they will need access to the house.

Today’s blip is of a stripy crocus, which I thought had failed to come up this year; I think it is just a little late.