Happy Mothers' Day and other reasons to celebrate

 Dear Marmite

My garden

It's official!! Spring is here. Now we are passed the 21st March I am determined to get back to my cold shower regime until 21st September. Part of this has been forced upon me as my boiler started leaking really badly and Mr Very Expensive Plumber has said it needs a new part so that I can once again have heating and hot water. The valve that interchanges between hot water and heating has perished and that whole unit needs changing. Roll on next Monday!

My oven had also stopped working. I ummed and ahhed whether to get someone to look at it or to just get a new one. It was part of the original kitchen so it is well over twenty years old. The seal round the door had broken so I did my research and decided a Samsung one offered the most energy efficient option. It has one oven that can be heated as half an oven or a whole oven. For one person the half oven option seemed a good idea. 

I went down to Currys to get professional advice on ovens in general but the assistant was worse than useless. I asked if she could find me someone who could give me good advice. She walked off and was last seen across the floor laughing with two other assistants. I wonder what Currys pay her to do? 

I went to John Lewis but they don't stock the oven I was interested in, so annoyingly, it had to be Currys. I ordered it on line and now it is fitted. It works brilliantly. It heats up almost instantly and times how long it is working for once it hits the right temperature. Things could be looking up culinary-wise. The only down side is that my oven fits the gap but in a different way to the old one. So until I find a carpenter, I have a gap between the oven and the worktop. 

After my trip to Scotland, I found I have a mass of bites across my tummy. They run in lines so I reckon I got bed bug bites from staying with my darling son. This was my only Mothers' Day gift and I have to say it is an enduring one. My voice is still croaky but my cold sores seem to have abated so things can only get better. Roll on my holday!!!

Now it is Spring, I am keenly looking at my garden to see what has survived the drought of last summer and the wickedly low temperatures over winter. Most of what I planted last year seems to have died but I am proud to say my bulbs have come up in abundance. I have bought a little shed to keep stuff in. I manually screwed in about 5 screws before I realised I need an electric screwdriver. My nextdoor neighbour came to the rescue and we put it together in about an hour! 

So now I am off to the pool on my bike for quick dip. This is a pleasant jaunt down the canal on the tow path. Now the weather is warming up there are so many more boats around again. What is more, I can feel that summer is just round the corner! Yay!

Ramadan Kareem, Marms... 

Love You

XXX

In praise of Paper Cow!!!!

Dear Marmite

Another week has passed and my cough, cold, snotty nose and numerous coldsores are only just beginning to fade - I still don't have a voice though. I have to say that Nin Jiom Pei-Pa Kao has been the only thing that has helped me and it took my son, Sammi to take me on a trip to Dundee to find it. This should really be in praise of my son too. 

Having been under the weather for some time now, I feel I have researched enough different cures to categorically recommend "Paper Cow". Every home should keep a bottle just in case!

The funeral seems a long time ago  because so much has happened since then and yet it is still very much in my mind. Danielle and Richard could not have put together a more beautiful send off for Hope. Despite the horrible, miserably wet weather, friends and family came from far and wide to be with them. The little pink coffin will stay in my mind for ever. It is a metaphor for an upside down, unjust world. 

On the brightside, because of the snow Ezra-Mae got yet another "No-man" in her front garden. Sammi and I set off for St Andrews on the Thursday while it was snowing. I packed emergency rations, a polar sleeping bag and lots of water just in case we ended up stranded in the heavy snows that were predicted. We went through a bad patch in the Midlands but north of that the weather got better and better. Sheffield had fourteen inches of snow. I know that because I have walked through the slush left over this morning! 

We were lucky not to get caught, especially as most of the rations were gone well before we got to St Andrews! The weather up there was beautiful. I met up with old friends for lunch at the Balgove - lovely place. Sammi joined us late - now there's a surprise! We also did the V&A in Dundee - another lovely place. All topped off with a Cri-pie in St. Andrews - the best pies ever. So all in all not a bad trip and worth chancing the bad conditions for. We even managed to get to a B&Q and buy supplies for Sammi's renovating project  - already the house is looking better. 

On top of this got hugged by Sammi's footballing friend just because I was his Mum - the footballer was lovely even though he was in full Scottish brogue and a little worse for wear on that Saturday afternoon. I also met up with the person who had read this blog in Antarctica - This means my blog has been read on all seven continents.  All in all, I had a wonderful trip. Thank you, Sammi.

On Sunday I set off for Sheffield to stay with Anita. I decided on a cultural detour to Morpeth. I visited a National Trust property - Cragside -  for an interlude in the journey south. Fascinating - the property originally in the hands of William Armstrong is the first place in the world to be powered by hydroelectricity - clever man! 

So here I am, in the warm watching parallel rain drive across the garden. I did my 10,000 plus steps through slush in totally the wrong shoes. I walked a little dog called Winnie, who has probably done her 40,000 steps and is now curled up next to me. 

That walk could have been you, Marms. 

Love you!!

XXX

Reasons to be Cheerful

 Dear Marmite

Despite everything, there are reasons to be cheerful. This is something I have to remind myself when I am coughing and spluttering through the night with a heavy cold and my seventh coldsore since the beginning of February. I gave into myself at the weekend and lay on the sofa most of the day... Oh poor me! 

I told Nasser I was feeling a bit under the weather so I wouldn't be going to tennis. He thought this was strange as the sun was shining and it seemed like a good tennis day. It wa just another of those really confusing idioms that roll of the tongue with no effort at all. Being a bit rough, I managed to finish the blanket made from bits of wool that Danielle gave me. It is for Ezra-Mae's dolls. I can't wait to see her face. It is made up of flowers - very dolly-like.

Along the way, I have been doing the odd bit of dog sitting for Shadow and Lucky, and baby sitting for E-M. Yesterday, while still feeling yuck, I cycled to meet her in Stony Stratford where there is a playgroup. I needed to cycle - I hadn't done anything all weekend. The first disaster was a flat tyre... £18 to get it fixed. I didn't have a choice. I had EM to look after and I needed a bike to get back too.  

I never did playgroups with my three as I wasn't in the country so it was a pleasant surprise at how well organised and happy the whole thing is. Richard and Danielle popped off and I was left in charge. At the end I set off for the bike shop with E-M, two bags, and a present that one of the other Mums had given to her. For part of the walk, we carried the dolly bassinet together. However, by the time I had paid for the bike, put both bags in the basket and sat E-M on the saddle I had lost the toy... argh.. 

That wasn't the worst of it. Somehow I also lost E-M's water bottle and a dummy along the way. Then when I was posting a letter, she head butted the postbox and cried. So not only did I feel like rubbish, I was also pretty useless. At least today is another day - Sammi is on his way down so no more disasters, Marms... I couldn't possibly top yesterday.

I have bought a Brown Turkey Fig tree to commemorate Hope's short life. It is at the Community Orchard. Eventually it will have its own sign too. I am currently on a project to make wooden signs for all the trees. You wouldn't believe how long it is taking. The layers of varnish alone take at least a week. I have to say they look good. It is a real team effort. All I do is write the name, burn it into the wood and varnish it. Someone else is making the posts and sticking them next to the correct tree. 

Tomorrow is the funeral - a gathering of clans, and a time to say Goodbye. Danielle and Richard have been so solid sorting this out. It has been an unbelievably tough time for them. People say it is only at weddings and funerals that people get together - This seems to be true. At least Daniele and Richard know they are surrounded by love across the world, especially at this time. 

Now my big reason to be cheerful is that I am going travelling. First of all Spain and Portugal and then Singapore. The only problem is that I need to line my ducks up before I can finalise my dates for my long trek East.. I can't wait to see you, Marms. I never thought it would be possible when COVID hit.

My reasons to be cheerful aren't quite like Ian Drury's but nonetheless I am convinced that metaphorically the sun will come out tomorrow. There is always something positive to look forward to - even if it is anther dodgy-cum-dangerous babysit!

I really do love you. Hugs all round

Love

XXX

PS. One reason not to be cheerful- my quiz team now have a handicap at my local. Tut tut. This is because we won again. We have a dodgy reputation even though we don't cheat.