5 OS pleasures in your day today - part 3

topsyturphy

Pleasures for today

1. Watching the London Marathon on TV, would normally try and go in and watch but it was so hot.
2. Time spent in the garden just pottering.
3. Cuddles & playtime with little dog.
4. Fresh fruit & ice cream - delicious.
5. Messaging with friend on WhatsApp, arranged to try paddle boarding in a few weeks.

LaineyT

For the weekend,

A lie-in followed by boiled egg and marmite soldiers.

Spent most of Saturday morning in the garden, another grass dug up and divided, more Sedum planted and the never ending battle with weeds.

Finished my book, the Music Shop by R Joyce, and can’t lie I cried a few tears at the ending, life affirming, wonderful and would heartily recommend.

Chat with other owners at the yard, starting to settle a bit now.

Payday takeaway.

My beloved’s birthday and a trip to the Norfolk coast.

Stopped at Sheringham and had a walk down to the sea, cooler by the coast and was glad of my jacket. Lots of dogs making the most of being on the beach before they are banned for the summer. Made me think of small dog and how she used to enjoy a day at the seaside bless her.

Drove along the coast road and found a quiet spot to enjoy our picnic.

Home and watered my pots ahead of a warm week.

Last in this current series of Grace, very good.

Frith

Waves to @PaulieHerts. I'm a big fan of Hereford (the city, not the rival football team!)

I'll not mention the football, as our team lost when we went to Southport to watch them. They fell from first to third in the league, so no automatic promotion for us. 

ETA - my brother did his school work experience at Dudmaston.

If you're NT members, Berrington Hall and Croft Castle aren't far (Leominster way) and are only a few miles apart. Another lovely trip is to Skenfrith (free castle, river, community cafe etc) and a look round Monmouth. (River, Roman bridge and gatehouse, charity shops and a Waitrose!)

ampersand

Frith, you've really sold Skenfrith, with your name tucked in there too.👏😃
1. Where we used to swim, love this.  We'd always be looking for however many dead sheep and fearful new conger eel holes:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/12L9zWmAzjR/
2. Reading the stories of so many Sarcoma survivors running the London Marathon yesterday.
3. Msgs with old NZ schoolfriends in road safety pics from Nelson Park School playground, 1956/7, all of us having turns pedalling toy-town cars by then current Automobile Rules of the Road.😁
4. Managed to make the tyre inflating thingy at MrT work.  Rare!😃
5. Heaps more books for emporium charity shelf.
#
Wishing everyone a good new week.

PaulieHerts

Afternoon everyone.
Frith, we are NT members and have just got in from visiting Berrington Hall and Croft Castle!  Both very impressive and worth a visit. 😊
It’s been very warm and sunny 🌞 here today.

Purple_kitten

Just catching up on posts.

We took Fizzers back for frequent flyer miles to the vets, and we are trying one last thing, unfortunately this is now a rather literal do or die scenario as she’s booked in for “the” appointment on Saturday which will either be we can maintain her, or we say I love you gal through a lot of tears even talking about it, I was in tears there... Our hearts are literally in our mouths, and we don’t want to be away from her this week, just in case, but life ticks on I know. We did talk that we could do some more tests but what does it get us a name and the same treatment we are trying. So we are hoping for being able to maintain her for a lovely little bit until the natural bit.

Today we let her rest as we are hoping/praying to see results tomorrow.

You’ll laugh at this, last year the plant labels didn’t really work so this year I got giant birch ones from b and m, and labelled seeds up as I planted them, today I went to water and move things, and all the sticks had been taken out and had tooth marks on them, thank you to the foxes!!! Honestly no idea until things pop up now...

Tidied out some of the greenhouse, it was too warm to do too much, but pots prepped and moved out, and 2 big bags of rubbish created.

Tonight will be a kind of cut and come again dinner, with things that had been removed from the freezer, turned out to be pork pie, ham, so did some salad, slaw, new pots and gherkins.

weenancyinAmerica

Hang in their @Purple_kitten. Sending lots of hugs and prayers your way for Fizzers.

mhagster

Hello. Having an early night! 

Set alarm which I don’t often have to do and it woke me before I woke naturally so I don’t like that! 

I had a service this morning. Which was lovely. And just received a lovely message from the family. The wee robin hopping just outside the window as it so often does.

Home. And had a bit more work to do for another service this week. 

Chat to sister. Chat to DD1 before I went into work. And chat to DD2 this afternoon.

Was going to go to CP but  thought I’ll just go tomorrow and just as well as my new airfryer was delivered. ( old one recalled) 

Birds in the garden and having a wee splash in the birdbath! ( as well as splashing poop on my nice clean glass grrr!) 

Bacon sandwich for tea. 

mhagster

Looks like it’s me again! Having an early night 😆
My day off: 
Up early. Went to CP via Lidl. Got a pain au chocolat and RTC salad and coleslaw. 

We had a lovely walk. Honestly I just feel the stress just roll off my shoulders. Blue sky. Gentle warmth of morning sun. Everything around so vibrantly green. Then had a very chilled morning doing absolutely nothing! Nice chat with a fellow caravaner. 

Came home about two. 

And sat in the garden for a wee while and did absolutely even more nothing. 

Opened up the new airfryer which is huge and just fits in the cupboard. Baked a potato and had that with salad and coleslaw.
Just had a wee potter in the garden pulling some weeds and watering but the midges were coming out! So I came in. 

And just had a wee work call about the service I’m taking on Thursday. So will do what needs doing tomorrow. 

DigForVictory

Shambles back in - bits of RL are absolute go-lick-a-toad currently, other bits just loving hugs.

mhagster - right with you, one flicker of sunlight & whee, laundry! "birdsong through the open window" gorgeous. Back up the old steep street, wow. ANZAC biscuits, of course. A quiet day? Good luck with the scattered seeds. Aw birds splashing in birdbath but oops just cleaned windows. A calm sunny day doing nothing - so pleased for you

LaineyT - intercepting the postie, you benevolent espionage agent... Aw, "sniffing the air like a Bisto kid"! The forecast and the reality are such that a cardi is only sensible. Happy Birthday Capt!

Frith - in awe at how well Smaller Son is doing with IT course & possible apprenticeship - just so impressed by your parenting. I too am a fan of Hereford, largely for its charity shops.

topsyturphy - watching seedlings unfurl is a special pleasure, isn't it? Very glad should gradually coming along. Oops short drive owch. Fingers crossed for paddleboarding!

Highdays - well done restoring strength & stamina, and hurrah brother. DGS interview postponed, so sit in sun with coffee - brilliant!

Purple kitten - just holding you & Fizzers in my thoughts. Much impressed by hard fitness class too. Blinking foxes! Still, playing 'guess that plant' may be fun?

DundeeDoll - hurrah bonus monitor & wow accordion! Libraries have a special magic & should be funded & staffed thoroughly.

Happycas - hurrah eyeballs, and loving the sofa saga!

ampersand - utterly smitten at your "fave 8' tall bilingual 12 year-old oncology surgeon" & so right to curl up with Montalbano. The tyre thingies are strange critters - I start by taking unscrewing all the tyre caps (before I check I have the right change, ahem)

PaulieHerts - thank you so much for posting photos, I can briefly hear the lambs bleating! And feel the heat!

OS Pleasures recently

I don’t work crazy hours, I work ones that suit me. So I’ll do a couple of hours Sunday afternoon hacking back emails & notifications but have a bath on Wednesday afternoon before going back to work. (Not in the days I’m in the city office of course, they haven’t got bathtubs.) Sometimes I worry I’m setting my lads a bad example but one works shifts & the other’s a student so it can’t be all bad.

Washed my hair. That full length clean feeling, plus scalp massage, isn’t wholly lost even as I clear the drain. [Got my hair scissors out, lopped 4” off the braid & feel wonderful!]

Brisk tour of the local supermarkets reveals they’ve all got religion but not Google communications down. <shrug> There may be some Easter veg left tomorrow. [There was.]

Youngest went off on a hike (in the heat!) & returned as “no wood folk had taken him, clearly not their type”. Welcomed him home with warm kettle, shower powered & assurance the wood nymphs should know better…

Family tree climbing & wondering what were various branches of my family tree doing in 1920s South Africa? 

Back in the city centre office, and a colleague is humming to herself having forgotten I’m here. I don’t recognise the tune, but absolutely the hum-to-think-to.

I did a restart yesterday at home but clearly my machine wants to catch up on the office gossip & is doing Another….

Colleague & her husband bought a Welsh chapel during covid & despite all the hassle it’s giving them with planning etc I’m Kermit Green with envy. She’s bowled over that we had a wreck in Wales for 5 decades & adored it, & so utterly get where she’s coming from!

“Is that the way out?” Unexpected question in car park lobby, but, yes it is.

Colleagues disconcerting me sideways by teams but since you can’t hear inflexions by chat, I have to presume all well.

I heard a thudding (working from home), Youngest reassured me it was just him breaking up frozen broccoli, a relief as I wasn’t certain our white goods should be rattling that hard.

Yikes. Just had a call from someone arranging a call for me with a “Health Activator”. Getting guidance on preventive maintenance for the joints sounded such a good idea but the admin is gruesome.

A colleague has, with impeccable political correctness, referred to me as Ms. & I am giggling rather a lot. 

Reading the appalled headlines at new retirement ages, I checked mine & apparently I am less than a decade off my old age pension. Which feels very surprising, somehow. And an idea I greet with distinct dubiousness.

“The freezer is under the table” - what has it been up to? Apparently this is where sis has it set up & operational….

O Scouts… we made sock puppet dragons & St George felties & told stories (well why shouldn’t a dragon have a handbag, laptop, mobile & lip balm?!) that varied slightly on the myth. (One Saint was Old, met up with the dragon his decades ago childhood crush who uttered “You!” & fell dead of a heart attack.)

There was also the whole googly eye entertainment (really, what do you expect?) & I was introduced to the “emotional support Elder God” stuffed toy my fellow leader wants to take on camp. We cackled over some young leader who is unaware of the perils of the copper market. [He bought it! It arrived in time for, & was a great comfort at, camp!]

Saw an advert “make home great again” with the cap & the recognisable suited figure & my colleague & I wondered if that advert was actually getting people into the furniture shop, or just getting free advertising that it existed…

It is a truth vehemently denied by some that on occasion there is absolutely nothing as good as a hamburger & pickle. After a long day first out visiting then invigilating, (both situations where even a mug of tea can cause avoidable misunderstandings), I tottered past a house of temptation & fell like a brick. It was delicious.

Every now & then you realise you need to step back from the family tree form a few minutes - leaving through the coroners inquests involving psychiatric drugs  and boggling at the range of folk both on them, off them & very dead.

I see someone’s found a Margery Allingham novel on the charity shop thread - they are in for a treat. (No idea if the Mike Ripley continuations hold up but several titles got printed, so clearly there’s a market.) So many of her characters are fantasy dinner party/stuck on a train with/would love to stand a pint & listen to guests…

Youngest’s lanyard has barnacled with badges, including two I recall his father delighting in. Splendid! Off to sniff briefly, happily. He’d be so amused. Youngest clearly in agreement, even if perhaps not quite the same context.

Back to the gym & wrestling with the dress code. Do I need new trainers, leggings, sports bra? (Ye gods getting into the old bra was a workout of its own…) Contemplating a tee reading “Old Hag In Training” (Checking, yes rather specific clothes shopping required for the treadmill & weights. Drat.)

Saw a headline M&S cyber attack & promptly misread it as “this not just any cyber attack this is an M&S cyber attack”…. It will doubtless enliven various IT corporate security professional CVs.

Bought a table designed to work with a gas barbecue & realised its for the family I don’t have. Which is a bit hard. He hated barbecue (thinking it food poisoning for beginners) & I thought emergency cook station but it arrived & it just feels wrong let alone lacking the gas hob, gas cylinder, regulator etc.

Watching the Pope’s funeral - not my faith but still awed & touched at the farewell from so many. Bewildered by the pageantry, enchanted by the languages, boggling at the headgear, wilting at the volume of laundry & detail of preparation.

Middleson visited, saw we were asleep, did a little light weeding & greeted me as I started the first brew of the day. I do admire his get up & go, I just wish it wasn’t pointed so sharply at me.

Youngest heroically pinning trousers at the correct length so I can parade with Scouts in smart trousers. Poor lad, he doesn’t grasp “buy better trousers” is null - when you’re non-standard size and short, re-hemming (or monster turn-ups) are the choices.

At some stage, a son is going to ask me “Mum, what the hell were you thinking?” and I will have to confess that I’ve been winging various concepts for decades. Hopefully, I’ll be a grandparent by then & they’ll just shrug & carry on, understanding that parenting includes upholding a daft answer for decades in the hope of an explanation sometime. <Eyes those who raffle on about dark matter, particularly. I quite happily file dragons alongside dinosaurs but some physicists turn all pedantic, with utterly inadequate proof in lay terms.>

I am beseeched to come pour tea for charitable causes - as treasurer, it’s quite hard to say no & it conveniently clashes with a Scout thing I had rather avoid this year as I’ve not yet hemmed those trousers.

Youngest tells me “little old ladies have small white dogs”. This comes as something of a facer. How do you explain Tintin? I was contemplating taking up snake keeping as a retirement pet. (Nothing too long & heavy.) [Having read the RSPCA pages, maybe not. However, never say never.]

Ye gods brewing tea for the weaving museum visitors. Pot one so steeped it’s near chewy. Meanwhile the origin of ‘spinster’ being explained to tourists for whom English not their first language - still, they remain politely attentive. Very keen on chocolate biscuits & generous with donations in sterling and euro!

Some conversational snippets you wish you heard more of: “Does she wear silver or gold?” “She doesn’t”…. Well. My imagination gnawing on that like a dog with a bone.

Health Strength Love & Courage to all as have need, plus fans & shawls etc as indicated by reality...