How to tell she's my daughter

Daughter went to a charity shop, saw this, and had to buy it.

Then gave it to me to look after . . .

* * * * *

Had my first walk on the beach with Daughter and Louie since before Christmas. Lovely to be out again.

Peeping round doors

The Date Flapjack Surprise went down a storm. Everyone loved them. Personally I thought they needed more filling but at least I know now.

So there we are.

The roofers arrived at 7.30 this morning. Then Husband skedaddled off to the gym before I had showered. I am irrationally cross with him for that.

As a result all that was needed was the Mission Impossible music to accompany me.

Open Door GIFfrom Open GIFs

Signs of age

Nothing makes me feel my age more than sitting under bright lights in front of a mirror in the hairdresser's. Between my eye bags and my fat face I could hardly see my eyes.

Fortunately on my walk back I met a regular from our Zac's breakfasts. A young African man, he fist-bumped me! I felt young again!

* * * * *

Still no roofers and wet weather forecast to be with us for another couple of weeks. That said, it is bright and sunny today. Windy too, even in our garden, so I have hung out my washing.

I am thinking tentatively of pruning the roses. It should have been done in autumn but it wasn't.

Later

It rained so I brought in the washing.

It stopped so I did some pruning. Filled three bags full. I started off carefully, looking for potential side buds before cutting. Then it got personal and I began a vendetta. "You prick me; you're finished." 

* * * * *

Am horrified to discover they eat puffins in Iceland. Whale and horse, not for me but okay, but puffins?!

I dithered over whether to bake for Zac's or not. Decided I would and opted for a ginger cake for a change. Discovered I didn't have any black treacle, so went for chocolate cake instead. Realised I didn't have any eggs so forced to make date flapjacks.

Had started mixing the flapjack when I found out I didn't have any dates. Panicked Kept calm and softened some apple slices instead. It was while I was adding a little sweetener to those that I noticed I was using honey. The same as I'd used in the flapjack - but it should have been golden syrup.

They look alright. I shall report back after tasting one.

A good bit of haggling

In Rough Edges we had a number of new boxed bike racks for cars. They'd been in the shop for months and were taking up space so I advertised on marketplace.

After a few weeks a man responded. "Is that £20 for the two?"
"No, £20 each."
"Would you sell them both to me for £20?"
"Yes."

A good bit of haggling it was not.

But they've gone. 

As have the two wheelchairs, two walking aids, and two crutches, that I brought home from RE. They've just been collected by volunteers from Wheels to Heal. They kept in touch and arrived when they said they would, and already had a  large van nearly full of wheelchairs and other aids to go overseas. So pleased that the wheelchairs didn't have to go to landfill, which would have been their fate otherwise as no UK charity shops will take them.

* * * * *

I've started sorting what I need to take to Iceland. I am restricted to a cabin bag so Daughter tells me I will have to wear most of my clothes to travel in. It's a four-day trip so I think eight pairs of knickers should be okay. No, don't be silly; that's excessive. Okay, six pairs plus the ones I'll wear to travel there . . .

* * * * *

I get irrationally annoyed when doing word puzzles and the clue is 'want' and the answer 'need', or vice versa. Want and need are not the same things!

No pie for tea

"I should warn you that the car is full of wheelchairs but it's only until Saturday."

It's a mark of Husband's tolerance that he simply raises his eyebrows and shrugs when I announce this on my return from Rough Edges yesterday.

Another good clear-out day although Sean turned up with the van to take metal for recycling and he is another with the tendency to say, "Oh this must be useful/could be upcycled/will sell."

I wasn't in Zac's breakfast this time as I've come off the rota, staying on only as emergency back-up for any shift. I am sad to do it because I enjoyed the interaction with the guys who come in but it was necessary for a number of reasons mainly prioritising my time and energy. 

* * * * *

I would love to have been one of those academic type people who spend their lives researching the history of forks - or something equally esoteric. There was a programme on the radio as I drove home from RE yesterday afternoon. Forks came very late into the cutlery department, introduced into Europe by a Byzantine princess who was married to some king, and then they were regarded as slightly infra dig.

* * * * *

No roofers this week having chosen the worst week in January to begin. We do, however, have not one but two skips!

* * * * *

Husband returned form the dentist this morning, tapped me across the shoulder, and said, "I nearly ruptured myself getting into that car!"

Ah, yes, the walker squeezed in behind the driving seat, which is fine for me as I have the seat as far forward as it will go but less fine for Husband.

* * * * * 

I thought today was going to be a quiet day for me but I've spent all day catching up on doing stuff. Ooh, distracted by picture of a little pie in the search  box below. Seems today is National Pie Day. Wish I'd known; I'd have baked a pie.

Here is one I baked previously!

Is this where babies come from?

I had an emergency dentist appointment yesterday. My gum and tooth had been hurting for a while, and, although the pain has lessened, it felt sensible to check before we go to Iceland.

It's in the area where I'm due to have a filling so I thought they might do that but she just checked to make sure there wasn't any infection and them put some sludge that looked like sticky brown tar on my tooth. It tasted vile - to be fair she did warn me. In fact, tar might have tasted better.

Anyway, we'll see how it goes. I was impressed: I phoned in the morning and got an immediate appointment.

* * * * *

Remember - you probably don't and I don't blame you - that I was given a lone cabbage plant last summer? It was very eaten by snails, but I checked up on it on Sunday and it's still surviving. It's even producing babies.

Is this where sprouts come from? 

That 'head' is about 1" across.

* * * * *

Bad weather means no roofers again. What do roofers do when they can't roof? It must be a very weather-dependent job.

How did you get up there?

This is the view from our bedroom window at the moment.

If you saw my previous post you will know we have some very tall scaffolding around us, so imagine my surprise when I returned from the bathroom and saw a pussycat peering in at me!

LI generated

The roofers arrived soon after - and then went away again. There is heavy rain forecast for later on and currently it's windier than it's been for ages.

* * * * *

Trying to order a little bit of cash for our Iceland trip. On the Sainsburys site I clicked the 'Use my location' button and it placed me in Carlisle - the other end of the country. I put in my postcode and it still wanted me to travel twenty miles to get it. Or pay extra for delivery. I think we'll just get some from a machine when we get to Iceland - although I will panic about my card not working and things.

* * * * *

Daughter said, "You know that's not a real cat, don't you?"

She had had a difficult morning.

Dusty bluebells

We used to play this in the school playground when I was a little girl. I find myself singing it every time I go to hang out washing as I weave my way in and out of the scaffolding. 

The men finally finished on Friday. We've got some serious scaffolding in place.

We're assuming there will be a chute to throw tiles down into a skip below. The roofer said there wouldn't be, but I wonder if he realised how high the structure was going to be when he said that.

* * * * *

Friday was GrandSon3's birthday and he was having four friends over to his house for a sleepover - with very little sleep by the sounds of it. Football at midnight, snooker at three. Glad those days are over for us though I seem to recall it was the girls who made the most noise when ours had sleepovers.

Saturday, oh yes, embarrassing much. I drove to Mumbles and was attempting to reverse park in a slanted space in a narrow road. Completely missed the gap - fortunately nothing in the next space - so went forward to try and reverse again, and the gear stick thing went funny. 

It's an automatic but the little lights had leapt on the opposite side to the Reverse, Forward, Park marks, where it said something like M/S. And I couldn't get it to move anywhere. Not forward, not back, not to the right side. Panic!

I've never seen the other side lit up before and had no idea what it meant, and, anyway, what it meant was less important to me than getting out of it!

There were two men walking up the street so I opened my window and did my helpless woman bit. They looked in through the window and, of course, as I was explaining the problem, the gear stick returned to its normal position.

After that I decided I wouldn't park there after all.

* * * * *

All the local* family came round to us for birthday cake on Saturday afternoon. A choice of two cakes as the boys had eaten so many sweets overnight nobody wanted any cake. Then we played a game of P is for Pizza.

It's a quick speed game where there are triangular cards each with a different topic on. Around the central pile are three more triangles, the other way up and they have letters on them. The game is to name something for the topic beginning with the letter next to it. And be the first to do it.

It's amazing how quickly one's mind goes blank when asked to name something with spots on beginning with r.

Highlights: Husband shouting, "Fenetre!" as something square beginning with F. 

"You can't use French words!"

"Why not?"

And me. Name something beginning with I in Stars Wars. Me: "Indiana Jones!"

I wasn't allowed that!

* * * * *

Sunday in prison for the church service. I was asked to do the reading and the men clapped afterwards! So I did a little bow.

And, because of the chaplain's words, I reflected on an email I was planning to send and decided against it.

* I said to GrandDaughter3 in Italy that all the family had come around for the tea party and she corrected me. "Not all the family."