5 OS pleasures in your day today - part 3

LaineyT

Good news PK.

For the weekend,

1-5 Had the honour and the privilege to watch our two wonderful young people exchange their vows and, have to say, many a tear was shed at the beautiful handwritten declarations of love and commitment.

The venue itself was set in the Yorkshire hills and simply stunning, we stayed over and enjoyed catching up with family & friends plus meeting many new family members. All in all a perfect weekend and our hearts are full.

mhagster

Up from early o’clock.

our usual schmusual…walk round the garden on a lead. Eat like you’ve never eaten before and at the same time take your medicine that has been hidden in the food! And back in the crate.

Did the first coat of paint in my garden gate.

Washing out and in again all dry.

Friend popped in with baby gift and a lovely bunch of flowers for me. I have received such lovely cards on becoming a grandmother and it’s something I would never have thought if before but I shall going forward!

Then I had to dash out to work. Spent time with a lovely family. And then home to my dog boy…for another walk round the garden!

We were outside about 10am and there was some nice gentle warmth from the sun. And he just sat down and looked at me and said can we just sit here a wee bit longer? So we did. Then back in the crate. Poor boy.

ampersand

So good to read of dh's improvement PK and about your phone!

Oh, Haggis!💓🫶🐾

Have just seen this and love Barack Obama's 'My only question is, how come you didn't dye my hair .....?'😁😄😅🤣3https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1awDid9CeX/

#

1.Very pleased to buy this for young friend, 36 today, and he's a newly elected🌹Councillor.

2. ....and then these! Relevant🌹colour too.😁👏

3. It's been a perfect finds day, with these for a Welsh rugby household. Croeso! Yes, £1.50 for both and very well potted.💞

4. Doblo fuel down another 3p per litre, at last! Not before time.🤐

5. Told A and M(vicar) about the Marianne North House in Kew Gardens, which they're going to as a first-time visit/late birthday weekend soon. & has always remembered it for her extraordinary paintings and the fact that she even got to New Zealand as a lone woman artist then, let alone trekking the Southern Alps and both our main islands. Marianne North Gallery

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marianne_North

DigForVictory

Forgive me shambling back in in my own disorganised way, but RL is a wonderful blend of the straightforward & the "in order to put shoes on I will have to invent the shoelaces first" daftness.

Highdays - a child aged 45? Surely some arithmetic glitch there! Hugs to custom skeleton (will he be allowed to keep a length as a souvenir? "very proud grandma moment" - rightly earned! Could I suggest playing hunt the summer jacket in charity shops? It's somehow less frustrating even if you lose.
DundeeDoll - the Netherlands? Ah steam & stunning food & drink! "choir after work was fab" - my preferred core muscle workout! 5 books starting with X? Wow! A Ceilidh for a 40th, excellent, plus leftover sandwiches better still! Provost's party sound wonderful for guests & loyal hounds - leftover bubbly?! Oooh line dried bedding Brought In Before The Wet - yes, squared! General Synod then alarms set for 1 am.
mhagster - wifi? And swimming (OhYesPlease!) 2 hours free parking? I can wholly see RTC Peonies responding to your TLC! A rarely spotted brother? Good Heavens! washed swimming stuff then line dried? the weather really is changeable. Keys, oh my word yes, Keys. Atta girl, gran! Oh Haggis! Oh heck. Cruciate so crated argh. Yourself leashed somewhat also, but powering through laundry while the sun shines. How very you to enjoy a card on becoming a grandmother & add it to your repertoire!
Frith - stunning photo of Arthur's Stone (chuckling Eng Heritage 'facilities' - 7 miles away, but also intrigued they have drone guidance) "Made toad in the hole for tea" which inspired me to ask Youngest to exhume the cooperative pan & reprise same. Charity shops are somehow boom or bust, no middle ground. Weeding now is weeding you don't have to spend yet longer on in a fortnight. Oooh uncovering slabs, Yes! gardeners delight. Stunning photo of the Knights!
Happycas - ah the garden after a holiday is almost like the inbox, but usually more rewarding. Congratulations on the comping win, staying in a castle!
ampersand - love the car waiting to let bunnies cross, & dishwasher tablet voucher deployed! The Chivers are an interesting tribe & hurrah Mamie O & her work also on pectin. Frankly since an HWB can also contain ice cubes, I see no reason not to keep it handy throughout the year. I read your "Essential Get Rids were finally Got Rid Of" & quietly thank heaven for voting. Gosh, Alan reading Alice. Thank you! And the Obamas - glorious portrait of two genuinely admirable Americans! Wow, Marianne North.
LaineyT - I can't say a word about posting daily! Gosh your garden sounds like a bumble's paradise. Sounds a truly wonderful wedding - may the couple continue on this path of love
Purple Kitten - awed respects at a very hard week & yes, it could have panned out differently. Do please take life as gently as you can. His phone survived subaqua for 4 days? Awed respects! Love Rhubarb's friends trying to get him to play.

Recently
Saw the village band AGM due & was still so blasted coldy, sent apologies rather than risk all that wisdom experience generous tolerance & encouragement. (OK some of them are under voting age but most are active pensioners & I wouldn’t want to risk them.)
Picking out rooted herb cuttings for Middleson’s herb pot. It’s up on a pedestal (!) so might be safe from slugs, but easier for birds…
I haven’t left the house for five days & that’s not good. Mind, I woke with a felt raw patch in my throat but tea has eased that. Onwards.
Oh gods Youngest has a box of random miniatures scattered on his bed but doesn’t appreciate my suggestion he consider becoming a miniaturist, as he’s never heard of one! Later, from behind a dictionary, “well, whaddaya know?!”
My brain asks daft questions at times. “What is a kipper tie & how do you knit one?” Dear gods I need sleep.

The Six Thatchers - Sherlock - Mary’s ‘be prepared’ makes the Scout movement look a group of innocent children. (Which, largely, they are.) Serious fun kit though…
Heat. Lots of it. Thankful for thick stone.
There’s a hypothetical link between ADHD, objects & memory. Which would partly explain why hoarding is logical. Up to a point.
Is a full length slip still a slip if it clings in places? (It does retain the modesty under the summer-ier frocks which I was intending to re-donate & hadn’t got around to.)
Doing a Covid test to reassure sister who distrusts “summer colds” despite the fact I’ve had it more than a week & that was the colder wetter season - all this heat is a new and startling experience. Don’t blame her for being careful just a bit wry she’s lecturing me.

Oh gods, siblings. Pleasure is distance which makes needing an alibi less severe.
China’s launched its rocket including three taikonauts, one they plan to leave in space for a year (awed respects that individual - signing up to a frontier as lab rat & political show pony).
Odd how some practice feels like it’s taken the thick end of 20 minutes but isn’t 10 & other times I look & its gone 15 & I thought I had the same again to do!
Bank holiday family article of faith ‘thou shalt garden’ abided by. In the morning coolth, I took the last Easter Aldi veg garlic bulb (selected then for plumpness) peeled it, split it & planted it. [Green shoots!]
In the kitchen is the bottle of ginger cordial, & see Youngest misplaced the screw cap & deftly tucked a bottle cap over the mouth. (That I can see the screw cap within inches just goes to show how much we all need a second pair of eyes sometimes!) He does try, bless him.

Just gurgling on various frequencies with laughter at George Macdonald Fraser & his McAuslan short stories. (He blends documented historical fact with fiction brilliantly in his Flashman books - the McAuslan stories are slightly more fictional but still uproarious!)
Always good to see the Cooper's Hill Cheese Rolling Races and to rejoice in that surely robustly English eccentricity for all its being won by Europeans. Nothing broken seemingly (That’s what the local rugby teams along the bottom are for - catchers.)
Middleson clearly marked by biking in sunlight today (young idiot hydrated correctly but went light on the sun block) but pleased…
Cordially loathe Elon musk tho I do, I won’t stop gawking at the scientists delight. Or blinking at the number of rockets (& how many are or are not working) & thinking the strait of Hormuz situation is making every test more expensive.
A “heat dome” eh? Of course we need to adapt - awnings to provide shade for a start. (Says she who spent some minutes at work swapping cool attire tips - me in baggy clothing, others in barely decent but with a top to slip into place should the video call chime…)

Sky striped in blue & pink, beautiful.
Son strolled in balmy evening, but mispronounced it, sounding the L. Cheerful debate as to balmy & barmy with side order of local small roll is called a barm… (Or roll, bap, teacake, stottie etc depending on location.)
So blinking hot I step out of the shower, look at the towel & in two minutes have that warm feeling that suggests leaving the primordial sludge may have been hasty.
Alekafik, maahlesh, buddoo, old Empire military slang & can I find a credible translation? (From context the meanings are not rude-squaddie, just not understood by outsiders) Rattling good fun though.
Oh my poor cornet instructor. My ability to read music is erratic & after a fortnight away sloshing with a cold, my brain appears to have lost several patient weeks coaching. I may have to actually sit there with flash cards & remind my brain the hard way. Mind, there’s an intriguing rule of brass that says a bar of music should be symmetrical at midbar, which has my eyes crossing. As I can think of a lot of jazz that doesn’t!

In Costco and blinking at the absolute failure to uphold English queueing rules - but three vehement women & he retreated. Some places need VAR. While my amazing sons are helping tweak the list by phone!
Squinting at the cornet & wondering why it works the way it does as the fingering to go up a scale is bonkers, although fitting 12 notes into a 7 note framework is pretty eyewatering too. Ah well. There’s something very it isn’t like this on a cello that means I get stuck on a high note as I can’t figure how to get down.
Drifting part asleep I pondered ‘how do you tell’ & heard myself lucid & enthusiastic about a cup of tea. Awake unquestionably.
Band had us three novices learning and gradually the Saddleworth survivors trickled in - bless ‘em some competitors & some observers & all in need of fluids. By the end, the survivors had recovered enough to give a traditional (& familiar) March a robust playthough, and we scattered beaming. No one told me playing brass was a hangover remedy!
Blue Moon (second in a month) due but cloud coverage makes it a hoped for sighting.

The lilies propagated by just tucking artichoke type leaves into soul have produced green shoots! On to tucking them into propagation pods to get water, light and nutrients!
Youngest observed Lego bouquet moved to make space “moved the plastic flowers to make way for real ones!”…
The herb cuttings are doing well, I may get them into pots in the nursery soon, while the weather change means if I forget to water then it’s not fatal.
Middleson has yellow ‘flag’ irises growing in his garden & has said I can dig up a few in autumn to propagate on. Seemingly there a the traditional blue ones as well (I just haven’t seen where they are) so my autumn will be busy with hope. A daylily indoors on the windowsill is forming flowerbuds - I hope it’s had enough light to keep going!
Then impulse bought more iris bulbs on eBay. Ooops. Still, I may gift miniature white gardens this Christmas.

Those lovely Guylian chocolates are shoring the corporate takeover in their packaging - lots of hideous plastic…
Brushing & braiding my hair, I grin at the silver threads therein, but squint carefully & espy some copper ones! A very few but I do go gingerish in the sun. I may be wrong & fooled by the light but it would have delighted himself to think me strawberry roan.
Put my vote in for which animals I’d like to see on banknotes.
Switched energy suppliers (now is the time to review that fix, & the a lower standing charge will cover the crash out of contract cost)
Coached a male colleague through the basics of delivery as he didn’t know, hasn’t been to classes (neither has wife!) & their firstborn is due in 6 weeks….
Five little oaklings are now outside learning about rain. While the pots are refilled and will soon be home to bulbules of white lillies, too small to flower this year but maybe next. All they need is sunshine, so apologies if rains every day for the next year…

Uninstalled Mcafee!
“With as much politeness as I can summon? Be Elsewhere!” Youngest is finding the decluttering to be almost as hard as I do.
Odd how books are hard to let go. Happily the light fiction is sufficiently voluminous that it looks like I’m shedding at least one in two books at the minute.
Delighted Serena Williams is back on court playing with firey determination that her daughters learn what makes a professional. Inspirational!
The next Artemis crew is all male, with an Italian for novelty so I want to know how pasta behaves in zero gravity!

Lavandula angustifolia ‘BeeZee White’ has arrived & been potted where I hope it’ll get the six hours of sunshine it wants long enough to settle deep roots.
The Aldi & home bargains staff recognise mum & I & approve my robust cosseting with flowers & coffee! (Lovely murmurs of concern when mum declined a croissant, mirroring my own bewildered anxiety!)
Oh gods she’s at it again - lady mother & the good housekeeping crossword & (terrifyingly) my guesses are fitting, with absolutely no technology. That girls’ school education coming up useful at last!
The things we do to keep mum happy - find a panel pin (& hammer) to hold the garlic
We are united that we hope a sudden shock is aghast but we can’t think when we were last aghast…
Even with hearing aids in, mum has the TV at 100 volume. Frankly, yikes. Still, we love the colour & pageantry & sheer blinking hard work (love Apollo & Perseus the drumhorses, and gurgling how Do you play trombone from the saddle?!

Saw & loved a Tshirt “your sarcastic ray of Scottish sunshine has arrived”
Happily discussing autism as someone came & lectured & one colleague had asked when did they ‘map’ him & another recognised her father, grandfather & uncle… seems much ND has been missed as “that’s just how X is”. Also in the academic end of programming, “there’s a lot of it” about as it’s helpful!
Attending a brass bash, not my village but recognising the cup mutes & the valve oil, let alone the bonhomie, the clothes pegs (to restrain the music) and the ferocious concentration on the trickier runs. So much pleasure, both sides of the conductor!
Helped pack the drum kit & learned the drummer had got the gig thanks to a brush lesson which had introduced him to several other drummers & thence to play with the brsss band as one bloke was on holiday.
Oh my own bed!

And awakening rested, hopeful, curious. A good start!
My hindbrain (having feasted on trooping the colour) then saw brass & promptly decided the bass trombone looks like it should fire surface to air missiles (don’t encourage them!) whereas the tubas are quiet clearly an illicit still cunningly disguised as a musical instrument section & it’s all down to Victorian precision engineering.
My packsaddlery pal dancing with glee, identified a “a carrier for a heliograph tripod. Never go riding without one!” Well of course, how do you let cook know you will arrive in another 37 minutes & want a pink gin, bath & dinner for six served in that order?

Health Strength Love & Courage to all as have need, layers as the temperature flirts with our hopes (the minx) & may the good times roll Anyway!

ampersand

& is parked under one of her remote Fenny land trees. Rain tried falling a few minutes ago but quickly gave up. Love that Scottish t-shirt spot, dfv.😁

What A Day!

1. Food Warehouse happy discount Tuesday and treat yums taken to Nexus. Cucumbers etc. to do relish ce soir, this recipe: Source: Farmersgirl Kitchen https://share.google/3Myyu4Je7FekliuyU
2. Heard name called across carpark and it was X, long time younger friend, trustworthy and true, ex emporium. One look was enough, personal horror story....tears and tears and tears. Help being organised.
3. Next, had extremely rtc bake-at-home seedy pavé rolls for old uni friend, and immediately saw her black eye, bruised face, wrist, arm.....fell at Parker's Piece town+country event on Sunday. 80. Feeling very, VERY lucky it was on the grass. Discomfort, yes. Major purples but no blood.
4. Skylarks singing as one mummy bunny and just one baby crossed the old fen track again as & waited, dfv
5. Good grief! Did & actually hear 2a.m. bits of Aotearoa vs Iran round ball? 'Fraid so. Ahead twice, but drawn. Still, not a loss.

Stop now &, get back to squat, loads to do.

Take care everybody. All blessings.

mhagster

And bedtime…well sofa time.

What a long day that’s gone by in a flash!

We weren’t awake at 4.15am hurrah!

En Famille came round at 7.30am…to set up base camp here rather than me going to theres. Because I have a broken doggy. What a lot of stuff a tiny little person has! Cuddles whilst her mummy got a couple of snoozes today. Much needed.

My husband’s best friend was walking by as I was heading out to car so he ran in as baby was here as I ran out to supermarket…and then he went home and told his wife so she popped up too! Lovely to see them and DD2 delighted to introduce her baby to them. And another card for me for my mantelpiece!

I had a work zoom call this afternoon .

They all left about 12 hours later. SIL having been at work in that time. Dog and I said sigh, I ate a sandwich and then hoovered, hung up a washing ( we had a poonami situation )

Face time with DD1 this morning…on her commute home.
And brief chat with sister this afternoon as I had my work call to do.
2 hourly walks round the garden for a few minutes. Thankfully mostly dry as we’ve had a few showers.

And bedtime!

LaineyT

For yesterday,

My bf sent through a video of her old mare who had just had a foal, gorgeous. I know how hard it was for her to give up her girl and chose the best life for her on a stud in Wales so very happy to see E settled and well.

C dog snoozing in the grass as Mum worked in the garden, then she decided that her fluffy moose toy needed some Vit D too so fetched and lay it next to her, such things make my heart sing.

Eating homegrown salad for lunch followed by our strawberries.

Sorted more pots out for my dried herbs and my witchy shelf in the kitchen is now nicely full.

My bigger girl neighed across the fields as she saw me approach and did some fine trot work up & down the fence whilst waiting for me to arrive. Got her in and settled, warm afternoon but cool in the barn.

mhagster

And it’s bedtime on the sofa again! But I overlook the garden and can watch the sunset.

Up early. Raining on our first walk of the garden.

Oh hello everybody and all the stuff you bring!

We had to go out. I had to try and get car seat out…and was in a puddle right up to my middle…well over my trousers and the leaky boots! Squelch.

Managed to pop into charity shop at that end of town…I was afforded 10 minutes before a baby would start crying! Got a nice pair of red cropped jeans and a gorgeous shade of pink top…washed and just ironed.

Glad to get home…not least as I don’t want to leave doggy too long.

Then he was unwell and very sick this afternoon. Shall see what tomorrow brings, But I’ve cooked rice already and actually had chicken so we are all set for breakfast if he’s okay through the night.

Hung out washing whilst chatting to sister…multi tasking whilst a baby and a daughter were sleeping and The Pup was out with dog walker.

Pics from friend who’s in sunnier climes.

Although sun did decide to peek through late afternoon.

Birdies in the garden. Two big wood pigeons on the front grass and young magpies and sparrows out back.

Lots flowering in the garden…also weeds! Grr!

Being able to support my daughter as she supports hers.

Reading baby books…I always read to mine from when they were born…today we read a very special book I had made for her and The Australian Very Hungry 🐛 Caterpillar who eats fairy bread and a sausage sizzle and avocados amongst other things.

And twelve hours later they all went home and I let out a big sigh and tidied up and got the house back to tidy again ( as everything went back home …until tomorrow afternoon and we’ll do it all again! )

ampersand

• 1.Totally agree with you re: reading from first instants, Mhags. Lovely for both of you and she will remember.
• 2.Stunning cresent moon and evening star increasingly defined as sky darkens.
• 3.Left more good bric-à-brac in church for summer fête and more to take tomorrow.
• 4.So glad I went and checked on younger friend after shock mtg yesterday. Wrong phone no. had been given during upset explanation, so & hadn't had reassurance of safe return home. & now helping and introduced friend to Nexus - a happy start.
• 5.Cucumber relish underway. Long overnight salting, to finish early tmrw.

DundeeDoll

What a week

1. the Scotland match was extremely stressful but excellent watching it in my local with MrG - well done Scotland - and i was in choir rehearsal for 9:30am Sunday and didn't yawn once during the 10:30 service (though did sneak back to bed in the afternoon!) before watching Netherlands with MrG and DrM
2. Tuesday am letter to say my job has been identified as one of the jobs at risk (the uni has to lose another 200 jobs!) - found out my whole team got this letter - whole team in shock (though France game with MrG and DrM brilliant)
3. Wednesday day of singing with RSNO choral academy in Montrose today with a lovely P5 (junior school) choir and a dementia choir - went with gbf and another friend who has recently retired and we stopped for a cuppa after then back to work to find team found my email in the morning very helpful
4. then found out friend with cancer who has already exceeded diagnosis life expectancy has been admitted and doesn't sound good
5. then a night of England v. Croatia.

Like i say, what a week - and it's only Wednesday (well early Thursday)