5 OS pleasures in your day today - part 3

Frith

Pleasures for today (Wednesday)

1) Not a bad sleep.

2) The man came to do the survey on my house (i.e the house I am living in, not the house I am buying). That was all very exciting as he had to sidle past a sleeping smaller son and also got out his little drone to inspect the top of the chimney! The buyer is having the top level of survey so goodness knows what things he found wrong.

3) Finally managed to log on to premium bonds. I needed to put them all in my bank so I can show to the solicitor where the money is coming from to buy the new house. I did win 2 x £25 this month, which was heartening. 

4) Went to M and S for the cafe (and Arabic) but also because my special offer on the app was free bakery goods. I chose a bag of doughnuts. 

5) Went to Sainsburys afterwards for more sensible shopping.

6) Gardened for most of the afternoon. Tidying, weeding, pulling up the edges of the path (made from old bricks) as that is the only way to get the dandelion roots out. Then relaid the bricks. I found that what I thought was hundreds of self seeded nasturtium plants is actually hundreds of hollyhocks. I found as many containers and punnets as I could in the recycling and filled them with compost and have dug up and replanted about 40. There are loads still to go. Talked to my neighbour a bit while I was outside.

7) Went to chess at 7.30. Still pleased about the football result yesterday and 2 of the old blokes were talking about it and I could say that I watched it. We are undecided whether to go to the match in Kings Lynn on Saturday as it will mean 10 hours on a coach. Smaller son is now nearly 6 feet 5 and he almost had to break his femurs last night to squeeze in and that was just for 4 hours.

LaineyT

For yesterday,

Out for early walk with small dog and heard what I thought sounded like the baby kestrels coming from one of the beech trees.

Washed down my kitchen cupboards and then had a flurry of surveys so did those too.

Off to BuryStEds to return a dress ordered online, tried so hard to like it but clung around my middle and wasn’t flattering, the assistant in the shop said the same and we decided it must be a design flaw as it couldn’t possibly be us 🤣

Dropped in to see pony on way home, she was dozy in the late afternoon sun.

Utd must win game was lost, just leaves this weekend and hoping that other teams lose, the most annoying thing is that we had a goal disallowed earlier in the season against one of these teams which the FA later ruled should have stood, would have made all the difference now, ggrr, not that I’m bitter!

VJsmum

Mhags - it's ok, the law lets you off if you're poorly. Hope you're better today.  Sorry you missed out on the starfish though 😥

Pleasures for yesterday - had to cancel a walk with friend as the water company was coming to clear DD's blocked drains.  Except they didn't bliddy well turn up and then said no-one needed to be available.  THen a student peed me off 🤬misrepresenting something i'd said.  So i will try to find something...

1. Friend was able to rearrange walk for this afternoon.
2. DD owes me (another) one
3. So does OH (which i shall claim next week when we go to the races - he can drive)
4. made a chicken and bacon risotto - i love making risotto, it's so soothing
5. DS said he felt less anxious than of late.
6. washing hung out in the sunshine

Have a good day all.

mhagster

Frith it’s a different system in Scotland when you sell. Seller has to pay for survey ( home report) to be done prior to house going up for sale. 

Was having a recline on my bed as was feeling a bit unbalanced but just going downstairs to reheat yesterday’s leftovers. 

Today has felt like a proper day off! 

Went to tip for it opening at 8am…it turns out I’d only almost made the appointment, hadn’t pressed submit! Duh! But chap ( who I think may have thought I was either daft or at it) let me in. And the nice chap helped me with the very big bags of carpet wastage. I could only drag rather than lift! 

Home. And a bit of pottering then niece picked me up and off we went to one of our local castles for breakfast. We had the young chap today. And whilst lovely to have him he doesn’t like to sit on his bum for too long! Superb views. 

Had a walk round and stopped at the bluebells for a photographic opportunity.

Then we went to our more local castle. Probably both five minutes drive in either direction. We are lucky. 

It’s recently reopened after being closed for renovations. Had a wander round. Then we walked through the woods. There were tiny ducklings and big heron babies. Just nice to have a wander. 

Dropped me off and off they went. 

Cut the grass this afternoon . As always it looks much better. And I wonder each time who puts the cable in a knot…think there’s some wee gremlin in the garage! 

Very windy today. Though it’s stayed dry. 

Frith

Pleasures for today (Thursday)

1) Not a bad sleep.

2) Went to college at 9.15 and had my hair cut. Haven't been there in ages. It has gone up to £5.

3) Sat outside the potential new house for a minute!

4) Did some Arabic.

5) Bought coach and admission tickets to the semi finals of the play offs, in Kings Lynn. 9 hours on a coach...

6) Went to Tesco and smaller son went in by himself (a first).

7) Just cooking toad in the hole for tea.

Purple_kitten

1 Dropped my DB a message and had an online chat.

2 Mowed the front garden, tidied, and popped some grass seed down as it’s supposed to shower tomorrow.

3 Made a batch of low sugar scones, using some cranberries for sweetness, and always jam first, I cooked an extra batch to store in the freezer.

4 Fish for dinner, trying sole, with mixed veg, and a very small portion of oven chips.

5 A lot of gardening, we picked gravel boards, popped them in the bottom of the garden and got the fence panels in, I also painted the last panel, then proceeded to garden the wall, plant a lot of seeds and plants in it, and planted up more salad and peas, found the mouse had eaten all of the purple bean seeds so just re ordered some as I have planted up others and they are supposed to go in with it.

Happycas

Good morning. Bit wet though!

Paulie - beautiful pics as always.  Thank you.

VJ's mum - I feel your pain re marking. The worst thing is it's so intense.  If I could just do a few a week, all year round, I'd probably be still doing it!

Had some lovely bright days this week so lots of garden catch up jobs.  DH has cleaned half the drive and put the cleaner stuff down.  It's looking better already.  He's also set the watering system on again so I have started planting up the wall pots, manger etc.

The sun also pointed out things inside that could do with a bit of tlc, so I've been doing a bit extra now and then.  Not too much though!  Don't want to overdo things!

I've even got out my summer clothes and started on some alterations.

Enjoyed the programme with Patrick Grant about making the ceremonial uniforms.  Now there's some serious sewing!  Very impressive.

Think we may have a trip to the charity shop today.  All this cleaning and sorting has produced two big bags that can go.

Happy Friday everyone

LaineyT

For yesterday,

Out to horsey town first thing for a shop, no coffee so in and out quickly which is always a pleasure, did pick up a bottle of rhubarb gin as had it with ginger ale a while back and really enjoyed.

Over to the stables, worked my girlie in the school but groundwork only as giving her small rest from ridden work, I got warm walking round but that could be because I had three layers on! Put her back out in paddock only for her to go bucking and bronking down the field, so much for having a sore muscle 🙈

Home, changed into light summer clothes for first time this year, even my toes had an airing in sandals!

Down into the village with Capt S to cast our vote in local elections, the man in front of us took his Jack Russell into the hall with him on an extendable lead which then promptly got tangled around the desk.

Managed to pick up a copy of the Cranks veggie cookbook in a CS and tried the Lentil & Cheese wedge for tea, very tasty and will be added to the list of approved recipes.

PaulieHerts

Morning all. We head home today after a lovely week in Norfolk. We have been so lucky with the weather, ☀️ most days.
Yesterday we took our third boat trip of the week at Wroxham Broad.  Gorgeous houses, goslings, swans and a baby grebe riding on mums back!  I love being on or next to the water 😊
Just going to do quick beans on toast breakfast, tidy up, pack and off we go.
Have a great Friday and long weekend 😊

DigForVictory

mhagster - I will adopt the phrase "feeling like schnooking with a duck" for those special moments - thank you! Ah, bed where it is "supposed to be".

LaineyT - hurrah little dog better & oh my Beltane & muddy Missy...

ampersand - amidst all the rest of your busy life, I love "& had many wildflowers and feathers in her hair all day" - splendid!

VJsmum - I adore 'Good Morning Vietnam', sons far more politically correct & awkward. 

Highdays - yes, when anxious, it is far more reassuring to get A Lot Done than to site & worry.

Frith - awed at the proliferation of hollyhocks - and a drone for a survey! Fingers crossed for you.

Purple kitten  - low sugar scones make sense when you're going to add jam & cream!

Happycas - me too about Patrick Grant, even if he was flippant about the Foresters.

PaulieHerts - thankyou for holidaying & sharing the beauty with your photos!

topsyturphy - you  & yours are still much in my thoughts. 

OS pleasures recently

Bread & meaux mustard. Mum & I snacked on this illicitly decades ago (Dad having Views on mustard, on vinegar etc thanks to his foodie mother & public school & army misuses of mustard etc) and it is every bit as tasty as I recall!

Cherry blossom almost in bubble & the little orchard has hopeful green dashes of will-grow-into-leaves while the infant oaks leaf generously. [At last! Bubbles!]

Family tree climbing bouncing along - I found someone’s tree online & am happily splicing it into mine… (Shameful to purists possibly.)

Love the Cross of Wales‘ words “Be joyful. Keep the faith. Do the little things.”

Email to Himself from imgur explaining absolute ban on nudity but “Excludes educational, artistic, and informational content.” Still laughing, hours later - Just how?!

Joined an online yoga class & realised I absolutely need to get my work office sorted a bit & hoover it. There is the floor space for floor work (just) but ye gods it needs clearing. Still restful, soothing, centering!

Youngest hearing muffled grunts, patted the door to check I wasn’t in the throes of grief - “yoga” I gasped, & was left to it. He’s a sweetie.

Just lost 20 minutes wandering through Miri Yuzan’s pen work up in the internet archive free. There are waves, there are designs that call out for a silversmith or serious woodworker to come & make into something your fingertips can delight in as your eyes are struck all over again. Google Hamonshuyv1mori and be led astray into beauty for a few minutes…

We’ve most of the doings for the coronation quiche. Chuckling at tarragon substitutes being a trending Google search, and thinking the fennel is too small to crop yet so basil ho…

Yeay scout St George’s day parade & whomever Akela sacrificed worked - there was a line squall of droplets just as the parade set off & a serious downpour only after the dismiss! I got called up for a new wood bead certificate, which was a surprise but (bless ‘em) my lot yelled & applauded & stomped like excited scouts. Our first Kings Scout got serious cheering, rightly.

Caught out by road works & touring Stoke & then Birmingham by night - pleasure in getting to journey’s end Anyway.

Blimey, with the Oxford rail bridge being worked on, the road into town is effectively closed & my lady mother is “on the wrong side of the tracks”! Taxis around the ring road are formidably expensive so daughters are scheming…

The happy scrunching as mum neatly but thoroughly works her way through her share of Doritos.

Preparing a tea tray as my granny taught me & seeing a visitor’s blink that it is exactly as she’d been taught to bring to guests. (Hot water jug & flowers, as well as plate of nibbles.)

Monstrous proud of youngest, steadily cooking & coping.

Trying to get mum to consider U3A as there’s a talk on ”Beer, Sausages and Marmalade: Food Drink Politics and Tourism in 19th century Oxford” that has me distinctly curious! 

There is a local village in bloom competition & one category is “Best use of Vegetables in the Front Garden” 

Sis left me winded by thinking mum’s “getting over” dad’s death - mum is learning to cope, like a stroke survivor, without half her self - I think I managed to suggest that that, rather than “getting better”. While tact has never been a daughterly talent, at least they’re both still breathing which I count as a modest triumph if not quite a pleasure.

Middleson has set aside a bank holiday to spend with us! Blimey. [Ah. Collectively we overslept & failed to wake each other up so 6 hours of bank holiday has been ‘lost’ to sleep! It must have been needed, even if it isn’t quite what we had in mind.]

Dickering over Haggis (the foodstuff) & how tinned haggis was “born in a tin”…. I must make him listen to that Noel Edmonds sketch. I don’t think he appreciates the diversity of origin myth.

Eyeing herbs, several appear to have survived the start of being taken as cuttings! Given how I garden (much hope, less technique) this is heartwarming.

I’m loving this restore, reuse, recycle Coronation & wondering if William & George see this as an extension of the womenfolk borrowing gaudy treats from Granny. With a side order of “in some years time it’ll be me wrestling with that”… The dressing up box is impressive but the 'is it relevant' palaver is tricky.

The stone of destiny has arrived & yes, for part of its journey was lugged by Landy! I do admire how the brand has become embedded in Royal pageantry albeit as a usually behind the scenes workhorse.

Much amused that son has managed to limit the floor area in use by drying canoes by having one up on trestles & the other swinging from a beam above. He’ll line dry a canoe but not the laundry…

Ah, “vociferous”, “dictatorial” & other nuggets of the English language apparently unknown to the lads and yet they achieve both despite ignorance of the terminology. One refuses to believe there is such a thing as a gerund.

The very cheap & rather naff cross stitch kit I bought in home bargains is beginning to become mildly interesting!

Cousins had a 4 generation family kneesup over the weekend & the photo of a round dozen relatives (incl the under 5s) is great fun. I have living breathing cousins I didn’t know I had! The poor souls will be offered an emailed Annual Epistle that they may grasp there’s even more family than they’d thought, & one’s mapping it with sticky questions about maiden names…

Got some money back off energy company, went straight to mortgage. Best possible return…

Voted. Can feel ghosts of female relatives approval.

I adore Princess Anne on the coronation & her riding as Gold Stick (closest protection officer, mounted) a role she likes “not least as it solves my dress problem.” Love her to bits!

Brief delusions of Olympic Gold level Mothering as son’s car won’t jump or bump start & so I put him on my insurance for a week in case he can’t get his car fixed (gone 10pm Thursday night) before spending the weekend with mates in the Lakes. He’s confident it’s just a battery, I’ve not a clue but am making sure he has wheels, as he has a platelet donor session on Sunday.

Eyeing the weather - all those beautiful uniforms are forecast to get damp. It’s traditional, somehow it’s exquisitely British, amidst the scent of flowers and perfumes and the anointing oil, a steady undernote of damp wool. God save the King.

Health Strength Love & Courage to all as have need Along with umbrellas etc!