Buy me an island

On the radio the other day I was listening to a program about islands. Did you know there are websites from which you can buy islands? 

Of course I had to have a look. Most cost several millions but some are more affordable. Like Tancook island, Nova Scotia, at $68,000. But the question I had to ask Husband was: who owns islands to begin with? 

He began with the Romans, or rather when the Romans left this country and their place was taken by the Angles and Saxon invaders. These war lords were the ones who began parcelling up bits of land to give to their supporters. 

From there we somehow got on to our house and how the land was first owned by some rich industrialist who gave some of it to his daughter, who sold it to someone else and eventually the land became the property of the council who sold it on to property developers. Or something like that. 
"And the king owns all the beaches." 
"Don't get me started on that." 

Central government recently voted against devolving control of, and revenue from, crown property to the Welsh government. Even though it is already similarly devolved in Scotland.

* * * * *

I am no good at dressing myself.

It's been sunny for the last few days and I've worn a thin vest and thin jumper - and though it's been warm in the sun it's been cold in the wind. Fed up of getting chilled today I wore a thick vest and thick jumper and I've been roasting. 

The garden is beginning to look very pretty with all the forget-me-nots coming out.

Admirable restraint

Because the building is closed for the refurbishment bible study met on the promenade this week. It was cold and, by the time we'd finished, dark, but it was my first time back since before Husband's hospitalisation so I was glad to be there. Until I got too cold and went home.

Stu took a photo of me trying to work out - without my glasses - if there were a nighttime setting for photos on my phone. There was but it didn't seem any better. So it might have been something completely different.

* * * * *

For the second time in just about the same number of weeks I've completed a jigsaw that had 1,000 pieces but one of them was the wrong one.

I don't remember that happening before. I mean, who counts the number of pieces in a jigsaw and adds a random one to make it up?

* * * * *

I am very impressed with Husband's restraint: he hasn't yet checked how I'm loading the dishwasher. Normally his job and he objects if I put things in badly so he is showing admirable restraint. (People always show 'admirable' restraint, don't they?)

Catching up and cold

Sorry, I have been remiss about visiting. Will try to catch up soon.

Sunday

Clocks went forward for Mothering Sunday. I brought us breakfast in bed: croissant for Husband and cinnamon bun for me. Church in the morning where every female was given a bunch of daffs. Nice amble around our neighbourhood - the flat bit anyway - with Husband before visits, cards, and presents from the children.

Monday

Monday, Monday, what did I do? Oh yes, walked with Daughter and dogs in the morning.

And across Mumbles Hill with Husband in the afternoon. He's up to thirty minutes walks now.

Tuesday

Busy day so got up bright and . . . Rewind. So got up when nudged awake by Husband at 8.15. ("I'm desperate for a cup of tea.")

Planned to make cake, cut grass, walk with Husband, go to funeral. Three out of four ain't bad. And I might make some muffins while I'm cooking dinner.

When I was doing the front lawn I noticed violets growing in it. Obviously I wasn't going to cut those down but, given the state of our bumpy lawn and the varying lengths of grass, only a perfectionist or Husband would notice.

I'd just started the final bit at the back when Husband pointed out the time. He'd suggested a walk along the prom in Mumbles followed by a visit to Verdi's. "No, no, n-okay," I said.

I had my usual hazelnut basket while Husband enjoyed his usual custard slice and coffee.

It's a beautiful sunny day but there's a chill wind especially along the prom. In my usual, oh it's lovely out, mode I wore a jumper and shorts; Husband wore a coat and scarf. Husband was the wise one. Especially as we have to walk slowly. He did say I could run ahead but that felt unfeeling. 

Got home in time to change and go to Colin's funeral. He was one of the original founders of Linden Church and our go-to handyman. I had cause to call on him often when I was administrator there. He was a lovely, quiet, unassuming, and gentle man.

Back home and finished back lawn. Noticed I'd missed a bit in the front garden but it will stay missed. 

Now blogging before thinking about muffins and dinner. I'm back to Zac's bible study tonight for the first time since Husband was hospitalised and it will be different as we're meeting on the beach. (On account of the building being out of action - work has actually begun on time!)

That sort of day/mood

I'm in a funny sort of mood today. 

Driving to Mumbles an appeal came on the radio for guide dogs but it began with, " We all remember the dogs we've had," and I had to blink away tears in my eyes.

Then after shopping I drove up to the cemetery and stood before my mother's grave. Nothing. I felt nothing. Admittedly that's not unusual.

Ah well, back to today.

If you do the NYT connections puzzle look away now.

I couldn't do it today, only managing the first - easiest - connections. Usually when I fail and look at the results I can see where they've come from; one of today's I wouldn't have guessed in a million years. (Well, perhaps I would have done but it would have been for the wrong reason.)

The words that were linked were: canal, plan, man, Panama. Do they ring any bells with you? I'll put a couple of photos here so you can have a little think before seeing the answer.

My tulips are starting to flower!

This wallflower has been flowering all through the winter.

The correct answer, the thing that links those four words, is that they are all nouns in a famous palindrome. Even after I'd read the answer I didn't understand it. I even questioned my understanding of the word palindrome. So I had to google it. You have to include the indefinite article. A man, a plan, a canal, Panama. 

For goodness sake.

End of an era

I dropped Husband off at the hospital entrance for his ear check-up. I was going to park the car and join him.
"You know where I'll be, don't you?" he said.
"Yes, yes. I've been there with you before."

I parked the car and headed in. I went upstairs to the first floor and walked the length of it, ending up in the canteen. "I'm sure it's here somewhere," I muttered, disbelieving the sign that didn't mention the department.

In the end I had to walk right back to the hospital entrance and to the information desk. I was right: it was on the first floor, but at the other end. Husband had mentioned that he'd be in waiting area 3 but that hadn't registered with me so I was looking for a sign for 'the department that does ears.'

* * * * *

Not so much the end of an era as the end of a period that began in an extraordinary time. Zac's food service started in August 2020 as part of a city initiative to keep the vulnerable fed during lockdown. Initially the council provided funding and several locked-down kitchens made us food, but as things got back to normal that all stopped.

Over the last four years and seven months Zac's has provided about 38,000 meal packs at a cost to us of roughly £100,000. (It cost more but council funding helped.) Today was our last lunchtime service. Next week the builders will be in and when we re-open it will be a new regime: cooked breakfast on Thursday and Friday, and coffee bar on Thursday evening.

As a thank you all our volunteers - including me! - received a special mug - and a brownie made by me. Incidentally all the work of the food service over the last four years or so has been done by a mere twenty-two volunteers, and a couple of paid staff.

To give you an idea of the work that needs to be done here is the corridor.

And the ladies' toilet.

The corridor is also being widened to make it accessible and the two cubicles in the ladies' are being replaced by one wheelchair-friendly toilet, and shower area.

Celebrations

It's my baby's 40th birthday today!

Yes, making me feel old.

To celebrate, I went for lunch with Daughter and Daughter-in-law. (Actually it was a belated celebration for Daughter as everything had been in chaos around the time of her birthday in February.) We'd planned to go to Boo's but they were full! So we had to try a new place, Fika. 

I had katsu chicken. Everything, we discovered, was served on bagels. If I'd realised that I wouldn't have ordered a side of chips as well. And what a side it was. A whole plate full of chips!

Daughter's beetroot humous and veg bagel.

My katsu chicken bagel. Daughter-in-law had avocado and poached egg on bagel and I'll let you imagine what that looked like.

And my passionfruit cooler, which tasted tastier than it looked.

I'm not sure when restaurants began using vases for drinks but it's not as bad as using paint tins, which Daughter-in-law experienced back in London in the day.

In an ideal world

In my ideal world there would be professional jigsaw doers. I would do that part-time; the rest of the time I would be a driftwood collector.

* * * * *

At 3 o'clock we started to get ready to go to the hospital for Husband's appointment. "Will you check if it's at 3.40 or 3.50?" Husband asked.
I looked. "It was at 2.45."

Fortunately, then Husband realised today wasn't the 28th so we hadn't missed his appointment at all. On the positive side, at least we hadn't driven to the hospital on the other side of town before realising. And I've prepared dinner already so can chill and invite you for a walk.

Take a walk

Toby and I would like to invite you to join us on our walk this morning.

We start in Clyne Gardens.

Then we leave the gardens and cross the road to get to the beach.

The tide goes out a very long way in the bay.

After that it's back across the road and we begin to head up the hill through the woods.

We ignore the fences and signs and walked up the cycle track. We're rebels, Toby and me.

You'll need your volume turned up for this!

Elder Son and Daughter-in-law live at the top of a big hill. The worst part of the walk is getting back up the road at the end. Keep going. We're only halfway up.

I hope you enjoyed our walk in the sunshine today!

It was a sad day

Husband wanted some compost so he could do some potting. "Okay, I'll get you some."

Later
"How much did you get?"
"Three bags, 150 litres all together."
"Oh. I usually get several hundred litres," he said as I struggled up the steps with a 50 litre bag.

Some people like to push their luck.

* * * * *

It was a sad day when they stopped having magazines in surgery waiting rooms. Husband had to see the GP this morning and he was running late so we sat and waited for about thirty minutes. I daren't read the notice-board or I'll discover I have asthma, COPD, dementia, whooping cough, and all manner of other diseases.

Anyway, the GP he saw was the very image of a mad professor. Thinning hair all over the place, his glasses on the bridge of his nose while he held paper up to his face and squinted at it, a broken blood pressure machine - incidentally, the one he found to replace it was the blow up by hand type - and a lack of blood test forms. 

But apart from that he was fine. Tomorrow Husband has two hospital appointments neither of which is heart related! Podiatrist in the morning and a check-up on his ear in the afternoon. Of course he can't drive at the moment so I have to take him everywhere, a fact he should remember when he thinks about making another 'helpful' suggestion.

* * * * *

Back to my Ocean Life jigsaw and I discover there's a fish called Lookdown, for obvious reasons, and a zebra-striped fish called Sheepshead, for less obvious reasons.