5 OS pleasures in your day today - part 3

Happycas

Good morning.

We have had no snow all week.  Occasional light flurries but nothing settled. Today is starting to settle.  There must be, oh, at least half an inch!! Let's hope that's as bad as it gets.

Met friends for lunch on Wednesday after cancelling the previous week for DH scan.  Not seen them for ages so lots to chat about.  Meal not brilliant though.  My jacket potato was cold!  Like straight out of the fridge and onto the plate cold.  Apologies and said their microwave wasn't working properly!!

Floristry again.  A parallel arrangement. I'm enjoying it but it's really not my style at all.  I'm more of a cottage garden flowers, throw it in type. This is very 'upright' and seems a bit old fashioned to me.  It's the same styles my mum learnt to do in the sixties!  But I'm learning a lot and I suppose some of that will transfer to my garden flowers. 😃

Don't think I've cooked properly this week. It's been an eating-up-leftovers week. There's space in the freezer now so can start filling it up again.

Think I've finally resolved the smart ( not very) gas meter problem and have got the quarter-end bill.  Not as bad as we'd feared.  And we got a pay rise in our pensions.  We're quids in! 😀 

Happy ❄ day everyone

DigForVictory

Ah RL & ye gods real weather - we had snow, it settled, & tonight we go Below Freezing Again. My gardening will be hitting things with a broom to get the snow off! 

ampersand - smitten with remaining 75 until. Good to hear you keeping the faithful diligent in their cardio.

VJsmum - always good when those who attend learn something & oh yes, own bed has special magic. Unnecessary German Vehicle has gone? Cor. Most impressive tactics.

DundeeDoll - 2 of your choir cooked for the whole congregation? Awed. Compline on radio 3 - think I've found what I am taking up for Lent.

Purple kitten - a pillar drill is a lovesome thing & how lucky to be introduced to it by its former owner. The antics of Nestle sound like a ripping childrens yarn just waiting to be enjoyed by the whole family. Wondering what you have done to the garden - well it can't seem sensible to a ferret! Curtains are expensive but should last.

Happycas - bluetoothed Sounds straight in? Excellent! Aw DGD cannily using you as homework hideout. Much impressed at the floristry studies & all for an eating-up-leftovers week.

PaulieHerts - is planning a flat April holiday in case or as it will be that long, OH mendling?

LaineyT - 'sloggus domesticus' - owch! A good haberdasher should be happily abuzz with conversation - dash the internet, as the wisdom is in the staff & customers. Plus where else do you see window displays of thirty different tartans draped swagged & labelled [South of the Border?]- I learned my Dress Highland Mary from a haberdasher window. (Can't find it online decades later, memory may have slipped a cog but I was young when I learned) Sausage casserole sounds the right answer to this cold weather! A good read is a special pleasure.

Suffolksue - eep filing cabinets can hold All Sorts of mischief. A vintage P60 is almost charming.

mhagster - to figure out what I was doing in the 1980s I need my cv! Dog food up 20%?! Ulp. Pharmacies can be astonishingly slow sometimes, and yet also quick.

Frith - another Viewer - fingers crossed for you that they may fall with a thud for the church tiling & throw money at you. Meanwhile you help keep the village moving with strategic shovels of grit! Snowball fights are fun but there do need to be limits. 

Highdays - planning the summerhouse as the kitchen struggles, always good to have positive plans!

BoP - you too shackled by a VPN. Still, it beats the socks off trying to commute in this weather.

topsyturphy - thinking of you & your household in this weather & hoping all is as well as can be expected.

OS pleasures still

“oh the Washing up damsels are always there to call me names” - Youngest was delightfully easy to coax off in a short walk at lunchtime! That the damsels are entirely illusory added to the fun.

Family zoom & one sister was using the camera to examine her wrinkles in detail & got chided for resembling something drawn by Quentin Blake for Roald Dahl.

Hearing the daughters’ concern for “is it safe” to let mum totter to the vet with a laden cat basket. “One woman & her cat” are abjured to behave themselves. The cat would be very distressed if the staff were to fall over again, although warm blanket time is always popular.

I have figured how to link the PressReader app with my library Card number & may be missing sopping up journalism for some time. Searching for American & Canadian relatives first I think… [Ah well, plans change!]

Planets! When the sky is clear (and cold) and it isn't a scout night (the astronomy badge is in full swing), I see the Moon, Jupiter & Venus all lined up (apparently you're unlikely to see Neptune with the naked eye - I hadn't realised it might be there!)

Family tree full of Hazsards in NZ. Intriguing bunch.

Yeay - observe Several separate happy dances - one mango has sprouted a leaf! A South African fruit, hatched in Lancashire & me stingy with the heating to boot.

Then another biological joy, my acorns have been rooting like champs but yesterday - I spy a little upward pointing stem - all of a centimetre of baby oak tree! Examined more closely it even has tiny tiny green leaves!

So, if course, it snows. Ah well, I got the car clear, got to the office bright & early, & got the message the visit is off. Colleague with further to travel has both to go & get back & the accountant also has a long drive so they've agreed to postpone. Hurrah technology, I can grab colleague #3 and put the brakes on.

As it snows - not settling in town, but I know it's cold already back on my hill, I task Youngest with a headline of what we might be short on if I were to do a quick shop en route home with a view to not moving the car for a few days. Result, a bit of applied intelligence in Iceland & now the car can blinking well freeze for a few days.

Meanwhile the civic trust has until tonight to go for a grant for the coronation & rather than try to hold a party, it wants to get copies of artworks. Shrewd as once we have them, we can haul them out for shows & get the repeat use, plus our chair is picking artists known to be approved by Charles directly or through his trust. (Our roaring monarchist on the committee has attained new popularity as a possible author of a plea for funds - I'm just looking at ways to take up gift aid more efficiently!)

Train trip over for team meeting gave me time to finish a Cadfael & to rediscover an old friend in Peter Hamilton (not all hard Science Fiction). Also litter picked two McDonalds receipts so BigMac back on the menu in budget !

Blimey oh riley, the light bouncing off a thick blanket of snow is amazing. The noise the little diesel snowplough the farm behind us is using to clear its track? Like a big clattering mechanical bumblebee. Its the only engine sound - every other machine has been left parked.

Inspected the acorns - now All Three are trying to shoot, and have been moved to catch the sunlight! 

Clicked on YouTube & got drawn straight into an amazing tango. Loved the comment "Sometimes, on those days when my whole body doesn't feel like it's been starched, I dream of being able to dance just like this." & concepts like "shapes" that even I can justabout perceive. Then happily down the rabbithole... The music, the lines, the style (oh my, the style)...

Health, strength, love, & courage to all as have need & may all this weather ease back to its normal chilly but not unspeakable. Hurrah for the hot water bottle!

Frith

Pleasures for today (Friday)

1) Not a bad sleep.

2) The snow melted enough for me to get my car out. Still about 8cm left on the ground.

3) Went to chess club at 12.

4) M and S cafe afterwards for a pot of tea and an hour of Arabic.

5) Smaller son in a chirpy mood today.

6) Spent a few hours cleaning and tidying the house ready for the viewing tomorrow. A pity the garden is under churned up snow.

7) Just been told Park Run is cancelled in the morning. I was going to give a few people a lift but I'm secretly a little bit pleased as it would mean driving through snow and ice and having to be there by 8.30!

mhagster

Morning! We are just about to head to the beach for our early morning walk. Beautiful sun rising at the moment. 

For last couple of days: ( aaargh it’s so much easier doing it on the day! ) 

Thursday. Plans changed at lunch. Was supposed to be going house hunting with niece but the estate agent turned up an hour early ( they were just round the corner I was 20 minutes away) so I suppose I saved money by not trawling round the charity shops in her town as I’d planned! 

Had friend over for tea so that was lovely. We had slow cooked gammon, left over from work potatoes and RTC parsnips and carrots. With cabbage and broccoli. I also made a peach crumble for those who are eating sugary things! I refrained! 

She brought me the most lovely posy of flowers. So pretty.

Friday .
Nice chat with DD1 on phone. 
Went flat hunting with DD2 and the chap. 

Lovely doggy walk. Think he’s back to himself. I don’t like when he’s out of sorts. It was cold but bright and sunny. 

Caught up on watching stuff. 

Friend called in the afternoon. She’s having a tough time so it was nice to be a listening ear for her. 

Bedlinen dried on the line and back on the bed. It’s surprised me how dry the washing has actually been considering it’s so cold but it’s a dry cold and a windy cold. 

Went to bed quiet early last night. 

Have a good weekend 😊

LaineyT

For yesterday,

Heavy snow fell for the first couple of hours, enjoyable whilst eating breakfast but glad to see it disappear by mid morning.

Drove over to cow country and dropped small dog off with a pal who is looking after her for the weekend.

Train into the smoke and on to hotel, dumped off bags and walked out two minutes round the corner to see the below beauty.
 

Wander along the Thames then stopped at a pizzeria as had missed lunch and was getting a tad hangry! Lovely and had espresso martini just because.

Hotel room is nice & comfortable so relaxed there for the evening.

VJsmum

Have a lovely weekend Lainey

Pleasures for thursday
1. As said here - lots of snow.  SO pretty to wake up to
2. Still managed a swim, my number of lengths has slowly increased and now i'm up to 40
3. Lunch with my friend, she's hurt her back which is not a pleasure but i enabled her to have a good, justified moan about it.
4. Into town to meet DD - she was semi naked in the snow (because..  see 5 below).  A bra top and a see through mesh jacket and no coat.  the pleasure here is that at least in wagamamas she was warmer.  Had the most delicious mackerel.
5. We then went to see Lizzo - so fabulous.

And yesterday
1. Slept in a bit as had got home late
2. OH and I drove to ICT through the most beautiful snow-covered hills
3. we arrived quite late for lunch but fortunately had taken smoked salmon and we quickly scrambled some eggs - virtually inhaled it.
4. went for a circuit - always good to see the sea and it was bright and clear (though not warm)
5. rode our bikes up to the pub.  was chilly but so clear riding back.  The pub was cold but was good to catch up with friends.

Have a good day all.

mhagster

Hello

Beach first thing this morning. Lovely quiet drive down and tide way, way out. And no nearby doggies. Just how we like it. Was rather freezing though!! 

Home and dropped the chap off for rugby then we went a lovely walk round the woods. Was rather busy. Met a very friendly lab pup. 

Popped in to supermarket for rolls and left with 2 willow trees! As you do! They were already reduced but I asked the shop chap  if they’d come down again so got them for £4.99

A kind of pottering around afternoon. Found a new series of something I’d previously watched so caught up with that. 

Had a mince round with potatoes, carrots, cabbage and peas and very nice it was too! 

Bag packed for work! Sigh! Though it’s been 5 nice days off work. 

Just going to hoover upstairs as DD2 was snoozing earlier. 

DundeeDoll

PM2BOP we is 4th! (ssshhhh about Leicester, is that the real reason Lineker isn't doing motd tonight?!
Been a very busy week. Thursday evening gbf picked me up from work and we spent an hour putting ds's loose stuff into cardboard boxes. Friday he collected the rental van at 9, we loaded the van and the cat, setting off at 10:38, 2 stops en route and arrived at ds's new flat just after 6. thank goodness no snow, fingers crossed for journey back tomorrow. So pleasures for Friday...
1) topped up all the bird feeders and rewarded by lots of birds visiting
2) apart from gbf needing to phone rental company to ask them how to put van in reverse (lol) all went very smoothly and van very comfy - cat was so well behaved, after initial mews he slept in his box (lined with ds's jumper)
3) had packed a yummy lunch - very mse - but did have nice cuppa at services
4) ds's flat is lovely (and on the ground floor with parking so very easy to unload)
5) hotel also lovely - we had super dinner then a drink in the bar before retiring to our twin room (get a much better deal than 2 single rooms so glad that worked out)
and today
1) full english 
2) ds and gf caught the bus out here (all buses flat £2 excellent) and we walked to the steam train station (though sadly trains not running this weekend we were able to have a good look round)
3) bus into Loughborough, visit to the (free) museum and off to lunch
4) then long walk back along the canal path - very muddy in places but we were all suitably shod
5) a drink in the pub (saw the england score ouch) then waved ds and gf off on bus and back to hotel for another yummy meal 

Frith

Pleasures for today (Saturday)

1) A pleasure for very late last night. A very final farewell and an online blocking (everywhere) for the emperor. It had to be done. Strangely not upset, probably because the build up to it made me sad several times.

2) Not a bad sleep.

3) Back to house cleaning! Tidying, everything put away, bins out, floors hoovered and steamed.

4) House viewing at 1.30 so we wait to hear...

5) Football at 3. We drew today (first goal by our team in 5 games) but it was a good match.

6) Did some Arabic.

7) Phoned my school friend.

8) Missed MOTD but my brother has just text to say it was surreal. Am in bed so might watch Casualty just now. 

LaineyT

For yesterday,

Slept well, hotel bed comfy and room not too hot.

Out for breakfast then set off to explore the city on foot, our main aim was to find fragments of the old London wall which we did and fascinating to see it in amongst the various steel & glass edifices of the modern age.

We also visited a few of the ancient churches including St Bartholomew the Great just off Smithfield, wonderful building and used for many a film location.

Walked for over 4 hours and goodness knows how many steps so back to the hotel for well-earned sit down.

Out again and this time to the West end to finally see The Mousetrap which has been on my to do list for years, wonderful old theatre and greatly enjoyed the play - obviously no spoilers! Decided to treat ourselves to a taxi back to hotel and the driver’s banter alone was worth the fare. A lovely day.