5 OS pleasures in your day today - part 3

mhagster

Hello. It’s been mainly dry just a couple of showers around tea time. 

Up and at ‘em! Did a quick hoover downstairs and then we were on our way to CP by 7.30am. Lovely drive down. Lovely walk. Then a lovely swim. It was just me for first 30 minutes and honestly it’s such a joy to swim ( I’m absolutely not a strong swimmer and didn’t learn till I was an adult) in an open air pool surrounded by trees, a mansion house and birds singing! Just perfect, back and forth, back and forth! 

Was just getting out when one of my swimming ladies arrived so I went back in for another 35 minutes ( had set a timer ) and we had a lovely chatter! 

Back for a hot shower and a read of my library book then headed back home. 

Call to sister.

Birthday Boy called! Son’s birthday tomorrow but already in Australia! So a quick chat with him as I really had to get on with work! But just wanted to wish him a happy birthday! 

And then I sat and wrote and wrote and sent a service off …and then I do the hardest part for me which is waiting for feedback!

Had a baked potato with RTC coleslaw and cheese and salad and it was very nice! 

Thankfully got the washing in just as the rain was starting. 

And I’ve just been sitting reading my book the past hour or so! 

Purple_kitten

For the past two days.

Paid in some shrapnel copper coins to the post office, and sent a little dog loopy, I weighed up the owner and admitted it would be our ferrets he must be able to smell to be told, but I don’t smell, err ta I think. Had a lovely conversation all about dogs and ferrets and good little dog fluffle.

We visited the vet with Fuse were they are very happy with his ongoing progress and signed him off for 2 more months’ worth of meds ordered in. While there the rspca and police turned up and got side tracked with fussing him, where he decided he didn’t like the police officers’ radio and didn’t bite, but did just take her hand in his mouth and let go. She didn’t worry at all and said she deals with a lot worse humans.

As it’s a journey we did a round robin and called in and spent a couple of hours with MIL but we needed to leave as there are a vast amount of roadworks around us just at the moment.

Tonight’s food is leftover rice will be building your own wrap, salsa, rice, chicken and salad.

House cleanish and just about to bring the washing loads in.

PaulieHerts

Evening all 😊

back yesterday from our 2 week holiday to Lesvos, we had a wonderful time.

5 loads of washing done and dried thanks to the warm, mostly sunny weather.
Most of my pots have survived and a couple look glorious with dark pink lillies and another with red geraniums thanks to lots of rain whilst we were away and a couple of waterings by friend.  I picked a few strawberries 🍓 too which were delicious 😋 
Shopping done, so stocked up again, lots of salads and fruit.
We managed to get the hot tub up and running today.  I had a quick dip tonight and look forward to relaxing in it during the warm weather.
Night all, I’m still on Greek time, so it’s well past 11 🤣

Frith

Pleasures for today (Thursday)

1) Not a bad sleep.

2) Cleaned half the bathroom (not the shower) and hoovered then steam mopped all the floors downstairs. 

3) My dad and brother came round for lunch. 

4) I finished reading the Salt Path. 

5) I removed the secondary glazing from the hall window last year but I took off all the bracket things and started filling the damage left.

6) More party preparations. Checked the sleeping bags were clean and put more fairy lights up in the garage. 

7) Made butter chicken and rice for tea.

8) Watched Ambulance. 

9) ETA Managed to spot the beekeepers drive in so said there had been 4 swarms. I have the telephone number of one of them now. 

LaineyT

For yesterday,

A warm, sunny day and a dress was worn.

Into horsey town for a quick food shop and picked up some trainer socks for Capt S.

We have a greenfinch in the garden, first one I’ve seen here for years.

Nap after lunch then over to see my girlie, there was a nice breeze blowing through the barn and she was happy enough munching on her hay net. We did some easy stretching work.

Heading up to bed when it’s still light.

DigForVictory

Where does the time go?! Oh yes, paid employment. Zookeeping might be more tranquil but I love my work.

LaineyT - The Boss is just the gift what keeps on giving. Oooh, digging hard baked land, ouch. No typecasting the lady! Shardlake? That Cromwell was one canny man, with a less shrewd monarch. Glad the yard person is good with your beloved. Line drying is a very special pleasure. Wearing a dress?!

mhagster - good to hear you're managing to fit life in between weather. Came to print, left with birdbath & firepit! A whole day reading (in between things) - excellent! Ah, the sound of a dog snoring... Work indoors, out to a car like a griddle - aye. Happy birthday DS!

ampersand - ooh raspberries off the cane yum! An artistic repair of a snagged Puffa jacket - it sounds beautiful

Highdays - planning the fun before the schools empty - very canny! A day in a dress?! 

Frith - ah dart pocked skirting board... Now in touch with beekeepers, so swarms can be sensibly rehomed.

DundeeDoll - does the singing help the running (& vice versa) with all that respiratory workout? Summer & winter in a day - very hard to dress for!

Happycas - fishing lakes & a stroll, very civilised.

Purple kitten - oh Fuse! Nibbling the constabulary!

PaulieHerts - after the loveliest holiday comes the inevitable laundry...

OS pleasures recently

“Y’know, some people use passwords” observes Youngest, as I desperately gesture “shush, don’t wake your gran” with both hands, once he’s taken possession of his tin opener.

There are days I worry about our food bills. Today it was under £40 & I’m wondering what have I forgotten… List assembled from the genetic list & not needed deleted off by the cook/Youngest so likely I should just trust him!

The nasturtiums are poking cautious little green bits (& so, the forecast is dire…)

Youngest & I chuckling over the dark, passwords & “bioluminescent gel” (with dark insinuations as to where you might obtain same). He truly is a delight to have around.

Rereading Pratchett’s Night Watch. Is it his best? I’m not certain but I’m laughing a lot. Just no Granny Weatherwax…

Yes! Four days, five sites visited, I can collapse & sleep in.

“Entering the Dark period?” (Youngest checking I plan to go to sleep now.) I mumble an affirmative & get “I keep my eyes open”. Hence “I do wish you’d take snuff via the nose like ordinary people”  & got a chuckle.

Boggling at the detailed artistry here https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2025/05/dr-ella-hawkins/

The startled pleasure on some colleagues & clients faces when I wish them Eid Mubarak. 

Dug out the weeds from a sink & replanted it with nasturtium seedlings. See how we go.

Got some beautiful phonesnaps of bumblebees enjoying the borage flowers.

Looked at the Apple seedlings on the office windowsill kinked by early etiolation & rigged rubber bands & wool strands to the curtain pole to guide them more upright. Mild traction for hopeful growth.

Two mangoes now leafing & so positioned to sunbathe. Naming them is a challenge as the supermarket didn’t have cultivar or location of origin labels. (Current mangoes variant Kent grown in Gambia so maybe names with K…)

Watching a QI where the Xhosa clicks are being aired & remembering a schoolmate who had a  Xhosa nanny & could manage the range on arrival at school but had lost the talent by O level…

Steering sis through how to write a complaint letter to the DVLA as they’ve sent her new licence to the wrong address. Happily the procedure is fairly straightforward but she’s hopping mad & not unreasonably.

Just seen winter fuel benefit news & delighted.

Youngest has a headache & having tried fresh air & paracetamol has now gone back to bed. I note with his old ally & stuffed animal strategically positioned. The Awww is strong. (Snuck back & nabbed a photo.) {Now doing rounds with ethics but he’s up & better.}

On the drive over to see Bruce & the E Street band play live, we heard noises. Just the Red Arrows headed south, loud & in tight formation, for a display. A handy reminder of the thrills to come!

Middleson absolutely stunned (a) Springsteen himself will be on stage at a time between 7.30 & 7.45 (b) that he will then just keep on performing (there’s a 27 song long set list but he went off-piste a couple of days ago & I can’t see him sticking to the website if he’s enjoying himself) & (c) no interval, and longest recorded to date 4 hours 4 minutes. You get a Lot for your money. As I’ve done this prep & he hasn’t, he’s running 2 hours earlier than needful & so we pulled up to get him a book….

Just wow. The encore mentioned “a local lad with a lot of promise” & on walked Paul McCartney! Oh my feet - dancing then hiking to the distant carpark (saw seven Doubledeckers to carry fans away but the queue looked at least 14 thick, but happy)

Middleson pummelled his phone til it showed a McD en route home open after midnight & off the lemming rush from the stadium. Poor coot ravenous, & off up to Scotland for a 3 peak scamper tomorrow! (Ben Nevis, Ben Macdui & Braeeich, I’m told)

Youth is not wholly wasted on the young!

Youngest bought me tee shirts when the stadium signal & web traffic refused to cooperate (we got in before checking where the merchandise was) and was soundly hugged before I staggered to bed.

I’ve watched the Boss live on YouTube. I watched a few minutes of his pain at America’s present difficulties likewise & it is as compelling live. It still had an encore of rousing dancing joy & I count myself hugely lucky. 

Amazing Moon! Strawberry when full, definitely orangey-pink.

Trimmed back Diego (my lemon seedling from a pip now ?2 years old!) a little further and crooned to the tiny shoots & leaves emerging from the remaining. Mixed citrus feed & fed him & Sid & the little ones. Diluted it & fed the mangoes & apple seedlings then looked at the miniature fruit trees in the back garden leafy green & well watered by last nights rain. (I should go wrestle young bindweed off.)

I have white foxgloves! And am looking up where when & how to save seeds.

Colleague teaching us about Batten disease - brilliant teacher for the harshest reason. Two of his three children are dying from it. We’re awed at his strength, courage, dignity & trying to send hugs over teams.

I’m in one of those WhatsApp chats where you hear about countermeasures to deal with medication side effects. Haribo tangfastics or sour fuzzy blue cola bottles eaten straight after the tablet stops the metallic aftertaste apparently…

The little office satisfactions - wrangling a stapler with a colleague (we still have to hold the slide & apply pressure but it staples!)

Discussing with various colleagues with health issues how best to revenge themselves on rowdy students & a ruthless midday doorbell is popular but there is a strong feeling that every other house should play Black Sabbath's Iron Man at 9 am at full blast… Listening to the low effort maximum yikes scheming is heartwarming. And educational.

Aww. Youngest made me stew & took the leftover carrots & parsnips to feed the horses in a field down the road. I like plenty of veggies in my stew but he has a recipe he likes to follow & also likes being whuffled at hopefully…

Weaving museum pawn chess piece now painted & looking stunning (& making my grass & sheep design look like a toddler on a sugar rush, not unreasonably/

Sunshine! Meaning crisp line dried bedlinen, bliss!

Scouts & knots & having consolidated the reef knot, we had a go at bowlines. Given this was my lifeline knot back as a caver, it should have stuck deeper, but it’ll hold for a few weeks!

Bedding washed & line dried and rolled back into storage before the heavens are forecast to open.

Middleson appeared & both trimmed the hedge & weeded the herbgarden & laid down more bark chippngs. He missed a few weeds, but the garden looks cared for.

Health Strength Love & Courage to all as have need, and a deft wardrobe & footwear for all who have sudden changes of weather!

mhagster

Fabulous post as always DFV 


Hello. Having an early night! Have a sore plantar fasciitis foot and don’t want to be upright anymore today!!

Anyway…a beautiful sunrise seen this morning! 

Left for CP at 7.30am after the dog had said hello to the bin man! ( this is the dog who barks at the bin lorry but quite liked the bin man) 
Nice drive down…mainly green lights all the way through town . 

And we drove through rain but it was dry when we got there. 

Nice walk… then a deer was in the field at the other side of the hedge…so I don’t know who got the biggest fright! 

And a beautiful rainbow spreading across the sky as we walked back.
Swim! On my own for half an hour then some company. And it started to rain but we were wet anyway! Was just a wee shower! 

And back for a hot shower and then I sat and read and read till I finished my library book! 

Home about 2pm ish. 

Had a couple of work calls to make to book in for next week. 

Chat to sister.
A mince pie and vegetables for tea. 

Frith

Pleasures for today (Friday)

1) Not a bad sleep.

2).Split some chives and thyme for a friend. 

3) Went to Tesco for cat food.

4) Went to the coffee morning.

5) Survived another shift at work. 

6) Smaller son bought a new darts board. My brother came round to test it. I was at work but I can make my phone link to the Alexa in the kitchen so they heard a disembodied voice saying hello! 

7) Cut some more grass. 

8) Did more filling around the hallway window. 

DundeeDoll

hadn't thought of that dfv but I guess the breathing and stamina needed for both probably does help. so the first pleasure does again go to
1) singing - Dundee Chorus on Wednesday and Cathedral on Thursday
2) but had to leave 2nd early to go val mcdermid's Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers with a colleague
3) 11 friends round for afternoon chats and nibbles - and we got sunshine 
4) dd2 arrived home - i'd forgotten she was up for the weekend! (though sadly has a stinky cold)
5) also forgot the 'new' dr who series. just watched the robot revolution (thought i saw the master but will have to wait and see) and lux (knew harbinger would be back!) really really enjoyed both. but now it's zzz time. 

LaineyT

Ooh, lucky you getting to see Bruce live DFV, we have been a few times in the past and boy can that man entertain!

For yesterday,

A warm, sticky kind of day so all chores done first thing.

Got over to see the beautiful grey one, topped up her treat ball and made sure she had plenty of water plus hay in her field as there is very little grass. Her second paddock is faring better so will be ready for her to move over soon. 

A lazy afternoon, reading my book and watching the cricket.

Picky tea as didn’t fancy cooking so salads, quiche etc. 

Late night wander around the garden trying to find some cooler air, it felt heavy and ready for a storm. Mr Bat was flying around the cottage.