What a positive day

 I had, in the end, just 4 1/2 hrs sleep last night.  I fully expected to crash on the sofa after breakfast.  But I didn't.  I washed my hair, which made me feel brighter.  I did a small load of washing and hung it up.  I took dried washing upstairs and put it away.  I decided to take some of my sewing projects up to the Craft Room.  That set off a trail of events which had me tidying away Christmas material, picking up several small bags of scraps and putting them into one big bag, then I unpinned a Kantha lap quilt I had started to lay out.  I didn't like the colour combos I had put together.  Then I had to go in search of my tins of pins, as they weren't upstairs.  Then I did a bit of ironing, since I was up there. 

I decided no way could I suffer beneath the Really Hot Duvet any more, so began to strip my bed.  Then I saw the amount of dust on all my furniture and decided I would get that sorted and the room got 3/4 of a deep clean, with me vacuuming round, and vacuuming the mattress.  Then the bed was made up again with a bit of help from Pippi (as always).  I stopped now and again to look at the frosty landscape, and the rolag of mist over the river and quarry.

Whilst dusting, I opened my grandmother's (probably g.grandmother's) box of goodies which my cousins had given me.  Nothing very valuable, just bits of Victorian family jewellery and wot-nots which mean the world to me.  Judging by the over the top hat-pins, granny had style!  There is one Edwardian ring I need to research, which has a central stone that is orange, and so it is probably an orange (hessanite) garnet.  What an unusual colour to choose.  I don't think I've ever seen an orange ring before.  I've had the loupe to it, and can't see any chips, so am pretty sure it isn't glass.  

There were a couple of other little keepsakes too, single enamel cufflinks kept for the pretty pattern, single shoe buckles, some silver Art Deco brooches, and a brooch in the form of a sabre which you can take the blade out of.  It has "mother" on it and dates from about 1910.  There were several Victorian hat pins and brooches in a horseshoe.  This is one of them. It made me feel very close to my grandparents and g. grandparents. 

 

I wrote a bit more of my penpal letter, and then did some family history work, filling in names and dates on the family history paper tree, which will make it easier for Tam, who will carry on the research in future.  I put right a couple of mistakes I'd made on the Ancestry tree too.  

Then it was time to make tea, the stir fry, and oh my goodness, it tasted SO good.  Like proper food has always done in the past.  I ate it down to the last grain of rice!  

I will have the other half tomorrow night.

Here are photos of current reading, first of all, upstairs pile: 

Then the downstairs pile:

I have to say, watching Lucy Worsley's Blitz Spirit the other day, I am enjoying both the WWII MO books, two different writing styles, of which Vere Hodgeson's is the more enjoyable, but I am learning a lot from both.

So, a really positive and enjoyable day and I felt happy and I felt better.  OK, I couldn't go to Carmarthen as planned, but hopefully will manage it tomorrow or Friday.

It is good to feel more like my old self again.  Sewing tonight I think!

Second sight? and trowel photo

 It is heading towards 1 a.m.  I have not slept yet and have been tossing and turning all night, too hot and too wound up from the steroids.  I will have to put the cooler duvet back on tomorrow now it's warmed up a bit again.

The beautiful rose gardens in Christchurch, NZ.

Today I was in touch with my "fey" side.  Down the years, I have experienced a sort of premonition, prior knowledge, 2nd sight, call it what you will.  I might suddenly know I am going to receive a letter from a certain person.  Or the phone would ring and I would know who was phoning, and sometimes what they were going to say.  This morning I suddenly thought that I hadn't heard from the Hospital to make an appointment to have my Signoidoscopy (when I was in Hospital last summer, they said I would need to have this check).  Anyway, a few hours later my phone rang and guess what, it was the Hospital, to make the appointment . . .  I go in 10 days time and am NOT looking forward to it.  This especially as it's the day before Tam and I are going on an afternoon's Bunch Dyeing course.  So, I will have a nearly 100 mile round trip to Hereford and back, and the same again in the opposite direction on the next day.  Let's hope I have caught up on my sleep before that.

Today I had planned to go to Carmarthen as I have found I can return the new shoes that don't fit directly to the shop, and then replace them with some that do.  I was going to see my other friend Pam and then go on to Patchwork.  I think the lack of sleep is going to impact on that plan, and there is a frosty start to the day, and no rain until the afternoon.  I could have done with rain in the morning as I have a problem with my washer jets on the car and am waiting for replacements to come in so they can be fitted.  So, I may have to put the trip back a day or so.  

Not a great deal achieved yesterday.  I went to help friend Pam who lives near me.  She phoned just as I was going to have a nap!  I was glad to have been able to help her anyway.

Then I tried to reinvent the tasteless lamb and beans meal from the night before as the topping for a pizza, thinking cheese would give it more oomph, but no, it had to be forced down, and was just as tasteless. This virus seems to have affected my taste buds and I have to be careful using my usual go to, a tin of chopped tomatoes, as the tomato flavour has been horribly strong.  I made minestrone soup last week - that didn't taste right either and had to be chucked. The rest of the meat & beans will also be chuckerooli'd.  I hate to waste food but truly it was yuk.

I was too tired to sew yesterday.  I went to Llandod in the morning to get some fresh veg and chicken breasts.  I am trying to eat less meat and that was the only thing I was low on in the freezer.  I got a courgette and a red pepper to go into a pizza topping I have always enjoyed in the past (tinned tomatoes included) so will knock that together later in the week.  One of the chicken breasts will go into a stir fry tomorrow night - I got two nice crisp Pak Choi's, one to use and one to freeze. Some grated courgette and finely chopped red pepper will go in too. I passed on the Tesco beanshoots as they are always fusty and inedible.

Right, I shall sit down with a book for a while, waiting for elusive sleep to come and keep me company. 

                                     *               *                *

I was still wide awake at 3 a.m.  I feel ghastly this morning and Am Going Nowhere Today, I can tell you. Here is the photo of the nifty trowel for Gill.  I think this is the best piece of gardening kit I've got!

 We had a very hard frost last night.  So hard it froze the cat flap shut.  I don't think I will be out with the new trowel today!  What I should do is finish my letter to my Dutch penpal, and it would make sense as I need to be sitting for a while yet, is to carry on copying my family tree onto the long pre-printed paper chart.  That is a good January job, and enjoyable too.  I am pretty certain I have something like half a dozen churches I visited last year which never got written up.  I will investigate.

My poor body needs some tlc, having been dragged so low with this virus, and then battered with medications to sort it out.  I got some reduced Strawberries yesterday.  They are good for gut and soul.  No appetite yet though.

A tidy up day

 

I was nearly out of bread, so the first job of the day (when I finally woke up again, after being awake another 3+ hours in the night) was to put some bread on to rise to finished dough.  I used half and half strong white and 8 seed flour, which makes a tasty loaf.  That got my day off to a positive start.

In the waking hours of the night, I had decided it would be a clear up day.  Books to put back on shelves, sort through old magazines, sort through LOTS of paperwork and put it in the appropriate folders in the drawers instead of as a stack waiting to be dealt with.  So, I did that half the afternoon and was pleased to have put my nose to the grindstone.  Still lots more of that to attend to, but today's another day.  I have two bags of novels which I don't need, so they will go to the Bracken Trust charity shop when I go to Llandod today.

My reward was to sit down with this book, which Tam gave me some money towards for Christmas.  It was a VERY expensive book, but is the third of three (I have had the other two for years) and I had been trying to find a copy for years but could only find it in America, and the postage would have doubled the cost of the purchase!  Originally the kids were going to club together to buy it for me for Christmas, but Gabby likes to surprise me with gifts, so I ended up forking out more for my share.  North Wales (with the exception of Anglesey, which has some good examples of early sculptures) isn't anything like as well endowed with interesting sculptures - more simple crosses - but there are one or two spectacular ones - the Pillar of Eliseg for example, high on my list of places to visit - which is early 9th C and not too far from Llangollen.

In the evening I sewed some more of the Pippi picture, and have done the Red Hot Pokers now and some greenery.  It's coming together nicely.  I watched lots of Digging for Britain programmes, which are excellent.  I shall pop in the Library today and put in a request for a couple of Prof. Alice Roberts' books, Crypt and Buried (I already have Ancestors in my collection).  

I have some energy, from the Steroids, and in a not quite so wet moment (where did the predicted sun/clouds go? - it poured all day), and after I had taken the recycyling down the track, I pounced on my new slim trowel. It has a its forked end for removing deep rooted weeds, serrated edge, slicer for cutting stalks etc, and I gave it a quick trial.  It is brilliant and easily removes weeds from the gravel and the cobbles and I weeded a couple of my planters at the front and it made short work of those.  A good investment.

Finally, I had an overdue delivery - shoes on a 48 hour delivery which I had ordered 12 days before from Pavers.  Lovely shoes, BUT too tight, so they have to go back.  They were delivered from Evri who, for returns, give you QR codes to scan - which I hate using.  It looked like I was going to have to deal with the scan and stick it in a metal box down in the town or drive 20 miles to the nearest drop off point in Kington.  Tam did some research and found I can take it to the Asda petrol station store as they are agents now.  Good.  I will have to go into Carmarthen for a replacement pair - trying on in future is the only way to go, although the recommendation on the size fitting said it was good and the other shoes I bought from them (in shop) were well sized and comfy.

Then I had to chase up another delivery - again something ordered at New Year - the long handled fork and trowel, which I couldn't even track yet as it hadn't been put out for delivery.  A bit p'd off tbh.  That will be Evri too.  I went to the Ebay order and said I wanted a refund, but have to wait another 3 days for that.  I bet they pull their finger out and send it now.

3.30 a.m.  I have been awake 2 hours and downstairs for one.  I had my last antibiotic today and take my last steroids in the morning.  I am feeling a bit more my old self but need to get walking again - not that the weather forecast is encouraging for that!  Rain all week.  Right, off to potter.

Progress and free craft mags

 I am really enjoying stitching this.  I did the corner with the flowers behind Pippi last night.  Not happy with the thick grey front leg so am going to restitch this.  Being a bit of a perfectionist . . .The black single threads blended together than the white.

Finished.  I did enjoy doing this.  I shall pass this on to my friend Pam now.

Pippi was very bored and kept leaping onto the puzzle, little ratbag.  Then she decided to help me put it all away too!  I have been throwing a small apple for her to chase up and down the kitchen.  She approved of that.

So much for a dry day today - it's absolutely pelting down with rain, so no chance of a walk.  Forecast says 5% chance of rain at the moment - well, they got that wrong didn't they?  I am waiting for a break in the rain so I can get the recycling down the track for collection.

I have got a pack of lamb mince from the freezer, and will cook that up in a moment with a tin of Mixed Taco beans and some wholewheat pasta.  Broccoli, Hunter beans and Cauliflower for veg.

I have a half and half (8 seeded) loaf rising in the bread maker and will cook that up in the oven as soon as the timer goes off in an hour.

I have decided it's a tidy up day, so am doing just that - though I have got distracted by some magazines I was going to take to the charity shop. A couple of Cloth, Paper, Scissors ones and Sew Somerset.  If anyone is interested, they will just cost the postage.

Don't know why that insists on being sideways, as I turned it up the right way.

Right, tidying up then.  Someone has to do it!

Quiet January days - and nights (& update about online shopping temptation . . .)

 It is definitely warming up next week, but there is a threat of more snow before that happens.  It is 4 a.m. and I've been down an hour (woke at 2.30 tonight).  I've looked out of the door, but no more appears to have fallen yet.  I am happy for rain, tbh.  At least that doesn't normally stop me getting out and about and the house will be warmer.

In the afternoon, when I go through to the living room to do some stitching and watch tv. I look out across the garden and watch half a dozen brawny Blackbirds, the usual Sparrows and a couple of feisty Robins under the shrubs on the bank.  They especially like the Pieris which is back left.  They spend a goodly while turning over the leaves and finding edibles.  I had some stale bread yesterday, so shredded it into small pieces and put some under there and some on the compost heap.  A couple of gone-over cooking apples got lobbed under there too, for them to devour.

Not a lot happening.  I did pop down to town to get some cheesy biccies and a newspaper yesterday.  The lanes were fine (I did check first in case there was black ice).  They were just wet though.  

I still haven't made the chocolate apple cake for my neighbours, so MUST do that first thing today.  In fact, I may stew the apples up in a moment, so they are cool and ready to use after breakfast.

I found the energy to do some housework yesterday - it has to be done!

In the evening I stitched more of the Pippi picture and have finished the cat part.  Onto leaves and more flowers now. 

I am debating going to my patchwork class on Wednesday.  A wet rainy day.  I need to put some work in on the quilt that has been abandoned since going to NZ.  Forgotten where I am with it tbh.  Pam will be pleased to see me again, as I always pop round to see her before my class.  I should have finished the first jigsaw by then, so will take that along for her.

Right, back to bed.

Didn't wake until 9 a.m. so I am all behind like the donkey's tail now.  I did force my nose to the grindstone though, and have got the Chocolate Apple Cake for my neighbours baking in the oven.  

I came online this morning, and Julia Rowarth's Crosspatch "temptation" video came up on my Facebook feed.  Well, on a grey dull January day I decided I would watch it and cheer me up . . .  £36 later!!!  I have ordered some patterns for a knitting bag (to make up for Jon's mum), a Lynette Anderson charm pack, a pretty half n half table mat pattern, Blackberry Heart stitchery pattern, and a vintage Paisley flower stitchery.  That will be something to look forward to in dull January, and will really cheer me up.  I'm into my embroidery at the moment, as it's something I can sit on the sofa and do each afternoon/evening.  I know - I still have the ones I bought at the Malvern Quilt festival . . . but in my defence, I did need cheering up!

I have written half a letter to my Dutch penpal too.  Looking on line they have had plenty of snow too, so we will both be sat inside, looking at it.  Bless her, after a lifetime without any pets (or children), she and her husband got an elderly Dachshund to look after.  Now they seem to have about 5 of them and her life seems very happy.

It is much milder now, and the snow melting.  I am glad about that.  Someone posted on the Love Wales (official) Facebook page I follow, sharing lots of photos about their 18.5 MILE walk in snow and drifts in the Elan Valley yesterday (starting from Rhayader).  It looked really beautiful, but an 18.5 mile walk is a challenge without snow - he must be incredibly fit to trudge through snow too.  It looked SO beautiful but I wouldn't be up for even a couple of miles right now (sofa legs!!)

 

Our Anniversary

 

I wasn't very with it yesterday.  I didn't even look at what the date was.  I guess I was distracted by the non-storm-here and the bit more snow, and my brain not being totally in residence.  Then I got a message from Gabs, has a parcel arrived yet.  I hadn't heard anything come through the door, but went out to check and saw tyre marks in the snow, opened the door and a big pink cardboard box was outside, containing this lovely gift.  Keith and I would have been married 38 years yesterday - and I had not been awake enough to remember.  I felt gutted to have forgotten.  Living alone, especially in winter, few things happen to make you aware of the day or date.  Anyway, 4 of the super-duper chocolates really hit the spot, and the Prosecco is in the fridge for when I am not on steroids or Anti-biotics.

The flowers got the Pippi seal of approval . . .

 A snowy view from Tam's side bedroom window.

One from the other window.  A heavier fall of snow on the hills.  It's slowly melting in my yard and garden and is meant to be much warmer next week.

My friend Pam popped round at lunchtime with chips for us to share, which hit the spot.  It was good to have company as I do get lonely here on my own in the winter, and have scarcely been out since getting back from NZ.

Needless to say, the steroids have prevented me sleeping beyond 12.30 a.m. when I went to the bathroom.  I'm on them for another four days . . . I have the heated blanket round me and will take up a hot water bottle when I go back to bed.  I was too hot earlier, so the hotty botty will warm my feet without making me too hot generally.  The winter duvet with bed heater is a bit too efficient!

I have been watching a rather dark "Nordic Noir" Swedish drama on tv.  It's called Land of Sin, and is very good, but I can only watch one episode at a time and then have to watch Crusoe or Lucy Worsley to cheer myself up! Last night I found Lucy Worsley's Blitz Spirit, which I hadn't seen, so began to watch that.  Just one episode, and it dealt with the background to the War and how people reacted, and included bits from MO diaries (Mass Observation - set up to try and gauge how people really felt about the war).  Oh, and that iconic poster "Keep Calm and Carry On" which was never actually used (patriotic ones used instead - Your Freedom is in Peril, Defend it with all Your Might etc) and it was only when the last? copy of KC&CO turned up in 2000 that it became so famous, used on everything from mugs to cushions to t-shirts to wall prints.  There was a paper shortage in 1940, and 2.45 million KC&CO posters were pulped.  I can recommend it, though some of the stories were quite upsetting.

I wonder how we would cope if/when there is WWIII.  A whole different ball game now that atomic warfare (according to Putin) is the first line of defence, not the ending . . .  They are already talking of conscription.  

I could have had an evening out last night - it was the History Society's Christmas meal, and I'd paid a deposit.  However, I still have no appetite (managed to force down a boughten Pukka steak and kidney pie for tea, with veg) and the lane would probably have been icy on the return from town, and I felt yuk and NOT in the mood for socializing.  I shall go out today for a paper and some fresh air.  Builth High Street is shut off for road repairs for 5 weeks I think. The workmen managed to cut through the main electricity cable in the week, causing huge sparks and noise.  That won't have helped the shops, who are already well down on takings from the other roadworks before Christmas, and now no on-street parking.  We can at least use the car park on the Groe for free for an hour to visit the shops.

Well, it's 20 to 3 now and I am still wide awake.  I am going to be shattered for the next few days, but my sinuses are clearing up and my chest improving too.  Needs must.

Update - I was still awake approaching 6 a.m., but warm in bed . . .  I shall be fit for nothing today.

Storm Goretti

 Well, I made all sorts of preparations for Storm Goretti - candles out, matches, torches, Thermos flasks of boiling water for hotty botties and cups of tea, electric blanket on early, mobile fully charged etc.  I watched all three episodes of Lucy Worsley's Victorian Murder Club, and greatly enjoyed this series, despite falling asleep sitting up in Episode 2, so had to watch it again.  The earlier heavy rain turned to lighter snow, and even when I went to bed, there wasn't much in the way of wind, let alone storm, so I will assume we were on the edge of it here.  Phew.  It's dark yet, but looks like we only had an inch or so of snow.  I'll put the news on shortly and see how the rest of the country fared.  So much for all the nay-sayers on Facebook who said we would just get rain.  Many of the roads in the Welsh valleys were struggling with the heavier snowfall and even Swansea, on the coast, got a goodly amount.

I made good progress with my jigsaw yesterday, and really enjoyed it.  Not too challenging.  I think Tenby will be more demanding as there's lots of sea in that one.

I will probably bake a cake for my neighbours who did the shopping the other day.  I have bananas and cooking apples to use up.  I will walk round to their house with it, to get some fresh air and stretch my legs.  I will make a pan of Minestrone soup too.  This weather calls for soup.

January is one of those months which can easily be frittered away doing nothing and watching tv, so I will try to get more into craft mode.  I am enjoying sewing the Pippi-cat embroidery.  Really need to do some quilt making too.

I hope all the other UK followers are OK, and that the ghastly bush fire in Australia hadn't affected folk.  Someone had put up a photo of what appeared to be storm clouds in Oz, but was the smoke from the bush fire, and I pray they are ok.