A year tomorrow

 Dear Marmite

I moved into my house one year ago and once again I can't grasp how time has flown. My nextdoor neighbours have commented about how much nicer the garden is looking. That has jollied me somewhat. Inside I have sorted out the electrics, bought a few essentials like a SOFA, and decorated most of the house - this morning I got up at 6 to paint the utility area. It will be finished on Wednesday - this is my plan -  just in time for my holiday. There are always a few more things to do and my list keeps growing. Hopefully today my roofing man will turn up and tell me how expensive a quick repair to the roof will be - eek! 

So as I sit and write this to you, I am closely resembling an old speckled hen and not the bottled variety. At least now my hair is almost the same colour as the paint few will notice the adornment of white flecks of emulsion. 

Danielle and Richard have gone on holiday so I have been getting pictures of their trip. It is lovely and sunny and they look to be having a wonderful time but I am a little concerned about Danielle's parenting skills. There is one picture where she is force-feeding Ezra-Mae an icecream that is almost the same size as she is. I am sure Ezra- Mae will have nightmares in the future when she thinks back to having her face plunged into a Mr Whippy. As for Shadow, that poor dog has been made to wear a hat on the beach. She too will be traumatised by the experience for sure.

On the home front, I have taken up crocheting. I am making a jumper with wool that is actually acryllic.. it seems that most "wool" is. I find the experience quite relaxing and I realise how important it is to stick the hook into the right hole each time. Unfortunately I am developing "crocheters' elbow" - a twinge that might hamper tennis so I am proxeding cautiously for now. 

Yesterday I played a tennis match - mostly in the rain. At one point it got so heavy we retired to the club house / shed! To pass the time I taught everyone how to play spoons while we had a glass of wine and tucked into team teas. So Marmite - an all round success for the day. We won at tennis and I won at spoons - now there's a surprise! My quiz friends also won the quiz at the pub in the evening.

So, Marms, it is off to the shower for me. I have kept to my plan of having cold showers between March 21st and September 21st. Sometimes I have to be brave but mostly I am enjoying the experience and feeling refreshed for it. 

So my lovely old man.. wishing you all the best. Hugs all round

Love

XXX

Another Milestone - Happy Birthday Bike!

 Dear Marmite

My garden

On this day in 2018 I walked into Treknology in Bukit Merah to select my current bike. Walking wasn't actually what I did. I was on crutches. I lurched into the store knowing I wanted a hybrid bike suitable for going to and from work. Since that memorable day - for both me and those who were serving me, my love affair with my bike has grown. We have been places together, we still set off for the ocassional jaunt and hopefully we will be together for years to come. The men in the shop had never sold a bike to anyone on crutuches before. Even when I popped into the sister store in Cuscaden Road they remembered me!

Those were the days, Marms. We would go for our morning walk up the canal, along Petir Road and back round Dairy Farm Crescent all before dawn, I'd get ready for work, fill up my bike basket and set off in the dark. Your life is so much nicer now!

So four years on and a lot more pedalling but very little dog walking - oh how time flies. Now I am retired time drifts from day to day and my hours get filled. Sometimes it is difficult to remember exactly where time has gone. I could probably mark it by the times my bike gets a puncture but even those hiccups morph into a blurred history. the odd thing is that I still get up really early even though I don't need to.

I went to Les Mis in MK with Danielle the other week. A lovely bit of mother -daughter bonding. Wow it was good. Les Mis is my favourite musical and I could go tomorrow and still get a warm fuzzy feeling seeing it again. I asked Danielle who wrote the musical - as much to trigger my thoughts as anything. I knew it wasn't Lloyd Webber but the actual name escaped me. Danielle had noticed Victor Hugo written on the backdrop and suggested it was him... ah the ignorance of youth! What an amazing talent Hugo must have had! Not only did he write a brilliant novel, he also translated it to English and wrote the lyricals and a musical score. Or perhaps Schonberg helped a little? Nevertheless, it remains current and fantastic entertainment. The packed theatre thought so too.

In my garden, there is quite a show of colour and it looks more ordered this year. The tree I asked Sammi to hack last Christmas is belatedly showing signs of life although not as much as I could have hoped for. Also I seem to have a problem with sticky willies. These are weeds and I can't seem to get rid of them. If you were here Marms, they would stick to you as well as other plants. They are so annoying.

In the village there is a coffee morning that happens once a month. It is quite an ocassion. Not only do I learn the current gossip, I also learn about the past.  There is an amazing history expert - Wendy - who knows so much about the whole area. I have to say this is a vibrant little place and even though the caravan holiday traffic passing through to the camp site makes the roads busier in the summer, it is still a dreamy little backwater. I have been here narly a year now and I think I chose well.

My new jumper

I have set myself a new challenge. I am learning to crochet. My project grows and then I undo it because I am not happy and then it grows again. I am making a jumper so I am aiming for this coming Christmas to have it completed. Mother mother used to knit. She was amazing, she'd make her own patterns and I still have a couple of items she made for me all those years ago. I don't see myself getting into that league but I do find it relaxing. 

Crocheting doesn't make my muscles ache like my other activities. Yesterday I overdid it. I cycled to the Orchard, dug and planted seedlings, played tennis and then swam 2km. By the time evening approached and I needed to water my garden and my vegetable plot I truly struggled. Oh the ravages of getting old. 

An amazing picture sent to me from your Mum, Rita

From one old dear to a darling dog, I love you as always

XXX

Eid Mubarak

 Dear Marmite

Eid Mubarak to my Muslim friends and Happy May Day  to all the world - May workers of the world unite! For me it is just another day. My days morph so days off - or as Singaporeans say, "off days" - don't hold the thrill they once did. 

I have a mini tennis tournament today for May Day and the weather is not up to par for this time of year and the forecast is for showers. Unbelieveable - I put my warm clothes to the back of my wardrobe in early April and then pulled them out again. Ne'er cast a clout rings pretty true.

Last Friday I met a dear Dairy Farm friend - Melanie - in Birmingham. I hadn't seen her since I left Singapore so I was really excited about our reunion. We decided Birmingham was a middle gound sort of place so I booked a train ticket, cycled my bike to the station and set off for a city I can vaguely remember visiting when I was a child. 

All I could remember was The Bull Ring and today it looks sprightly and fresh. Inside the shopping centre you could be in almost any westernised country in the world - a sad indictment to our global economy. We walked along the Grand Union Canal - the far end of the canal I live next to. Around the city the canal looks pretty forlorn, scummy and the surrounding buildings are covered with graffiti. 

We aimed for the jewellery quarter but time stopped us from fully exploring the area. I have since found out that there is a Jubilee pathway being built to gentrify the area. This probably accounts for the construction site we came across when we followed the signs.

Suffice to say, it really didn't matter. I had a wonderful time. Even the sun came out in the afternoon and transformed the icy wind that blighted the morning. At this point I realise how English I really am, Marms. All I talk about is the British weather. My garden needs constant watering  - not enough rain; seeds have withered - not enough sun.

I am still swimming. I have now done more than 700 lengths in two weeks. It feels good. I just imagine you are with me all the way.

Love you,

XXX

A fellow treehugger

 Dear Marmite

Who would credit it? Ezra-Mae is showing her true colours very early. She is a treehugger! So by nature, she is very much in the Woolhead tradition. On that same afternoon while I was looking after her, she also proved herself to be a beer swigger, an escapologist, a burger thief and a charmer! I wonder where those traits come from?  She was all over the place. 

I was multi-tasking while looking after my grand-daughter. I was the MC for the afternoon - if only to annoy the neighbours with my very loud, hockey-pitch voice! I remembered to turn the mic off each time I talked to Ezra-Mae or swore so I consider myself a success in the role for those reasons only.

All this happened on last Saturday, April 23rd - St. George's Day - the Community Orchard in Wolverton held an open event to celebrate the renovation of a railway carriage that is now 150 years old. As there really is a dragon in the Orchard, the day seemed quite auspicious.

That little haven in a dedicated railway town really does know how to put on a party - Teas and cakes were served from the carriage itself while a collection of kippered men did a roaring trade on the burgers. A Scottish country dance troop and a local band entertained. There was even a stall for children to make dragon sock puppets fierce enough to frighten any saint! I tried to imagine a warm, sunny balm but in reality it was a bit on the chilly side for April. It didn't stop the crowds, luckily. That is England for you. 

I have started my swim Marms! Yes, I have done 372 lengths already and that took one week. Today I am off again for another splosh. The final total is just under 4000 lengths so a little way to go yet. You will be pleased to know that your picture is on the wall to show where we have got to. I imagine you by my side all the way.

I have also been brave enough to inject green slime into my bike tyre. The thought of doing it was far worse that actually pumping the stuff in. I can thoroughly recommend the stuff. After you fill the tyre with green slime you have to cycle for 30 minute to distribute it in the tyre and so fill the hole. I live in a very small village I didn't want to go far from base in case it didn't work so I cycled up and down the same place far too many times. I kept seeing the same people and felt the need to explain myself. I am not sure why I should feel embarrassed going to and fro but to me it didn't seem normal. Perhaps I am not!

And so another week begins and there are lots of things to look forward to - a tennis match, a couple of jaunts, meeting friends. What is there not to like about retirement!

As always, I love you Marms

XXX

Happy Easter number 3!!

 Dear Marmite

Time flies and this is my third Easter here in the UK. The days are getting longer and the weather at last is heating up. We have been promised temperatures as high as 22c. This, I know, you will think as cool. For me - I am already excited about playing tennis in clement conditions.

With Spring in my heart, I set off on Monday for a bike ride to the Three Locks along the canal. This was a team trip with Yvonne and her hunsband, Steve. The round trip was about 30 miles except we didn't finish. I got a blow out near Campbell Park and despite being with a maestro tyre fixer, I ended up walking back the way I came. Yvonne and Steve headed for a pub much closer to home, while I trudged on pushing my bike dreaming of the beer I had promised myself. This weekend my plan is to get the tyre sorted so I can go off again and do another jaunt if only to sit in a pub garden and have a beer!

Meanwhile, I have promised myself that I will do a long swim equivalent to a section of the Thames. I am planning to do a lot to start with so that any missed swims because of a potential social life won't stop me reaching the target. I used to Swim with you, Marms, so I plan to have your face as my picture on the wall chart. I'll imagine you alongside me all the way.

I have also caught up with Singapore friends too. David, who used to give you the ocassional walk, came for lunch last weekend. We did a quick circuit of the Ouse Valley Flood Plain - weather was glorious (UK style). I know, Marms, walking doesn't float your boat. That was always a No No and if you could, you would have let me take the lead without you attached. 

I then popped down to Chippenham to visit Rachel. Another lovely catch up. You'll be pleased to know that Claude - the white fluffball of a dog - who you used to walk with is doing well. We did a walk round Chippenham and then an amazing trip to Alcock - This is a National Trust Village that features in period dramas. I felt  mightily underdressed for the ocassion. I needed a lovely bonnet, Empire line, long dress and a muff  - and lots of lace - to blend in with the architecture.

So, all in all I have had a wonderful busy time. If only you could come and see my life over here. I have a comfortable car that you could come along for a ride in. I promise I wouldn't make you walk too much. There is nothing quite as nice as England when the weather is good and the evenings stretch out. 

Missing you loads and love you so much

Love

XXX

Ramadan Kareem!

 Dear Marmite

Ramadam Kareen to all my Muslim friends! While many in our world are denying themselves throughout daylight hours, I continue to potter around doing the same old things as the seasons change. I have evidence of this as today in my inbox was a Google Timeline of my last month's outings. Big Brother is truly watching me, Isn't that scary? So many of my journeys are repeated over the month - swimming and back, tennis and back, New Bradwell and back. My world is so small - I really do just potter! 

Enthusiastically, as March came, I planted loads of seeds in my garden and then in April it snowed! Argh! I was out in my little garden early one morning, inspecting the pots when I thought I saw ash floating around. It wasn't ash, it was snow. The ocassional flake rapidly turned into a flurry.  I had far too many pots to protect them all. Now the weather is marginally warmer, I reckon my seeds have suffered. I need a cloche, or a mini cold frame. This is on my wish list for next year. I am thinking of getting a cover for my bins and turn that top of that into a roof-top planting area.

My grand daughter is walking at last! Now is the time to tell her to sit down and shut up. Walking is one of those big milestones that Mum's never forget. It is a real sign of independence and a new need to put even more things out of the way. It won't be long before she will be walking alongside Shadow. Love you Ezra-Mae! 

I know walking is getting tougher by the week for you, dear Marms. You were always a great swimmer  though and I have set myself a goal for ploughing through the miles. While I do it I'll be thinking of you swimming along with me as you used to do. My local pool has a challenge to swim part of the length of the Thames - 58 miles. I don't have to do this all at once. I reckon 5 miles a week is do-able and I have til October to do this. I am using your face to represent me on the swim chart.

One of the downsides of doing this swim is that my Samsung fitness watch number 2 is on the blink. I use it to count my lengths and when it lets me down I find it hard to remember how many I have done. The first Samsung watch died two weeks after it passed the warranty. This one has lasted 18 months so far. It needs to go another 58 miles at least. I just hate the way they don''t last. errgh...

This one is for certain friends who will find this joke funnier than it really is. The horse in the picture isn't Eric, by the way!

I am sure you are in on the joke, Marms - 

Love you

XXX

A trip to the past

 Dear Marmite

I know you are in a bit of pain and now you need injections for your hips. I can imagine how stoically you will be taking this. You are in the very best hands and rest assured, you need not have any nightmares of me taking you on long walks. I am sending you loads of hugs long distance and you are in my heart. I love you, Marms.

In a brief interlude we had Spring over here and now we are back to rain and chilly winds. I wake up to grey skies. My daffs are dying back now so I have been dead-heading them. As you can see, life is much better where you are. On the upside, I check on my seedlings every day and they are beginning to pop through.

I have been out and about. I went to Milton Keynes Museum which shows what life was like in the old days. The rooms in the house look like any one of the family homes I used to visit with my parents when I was young. They even had things on display that I feel sure were in everyday homes back then. In a couple of the rooms were docents who were keen to empty all their knowledge on my friend, Yvonne and me. This was more than either of us could possibly want to take away. We were probably victim to the fact that weather had kept all but the hardiest away from this indoor / outdoor exhibit of everyday life.

I particularly liked an advert for women's "stuff" that would cure all unspecified women's ailments, most of which I can only imagine as they are alluded to. I think advertising has moved on a little these days - thank God. There was a mini-street reconstructed with shops selling stuff I also recognised. Maybe, just maybe, it is my age that makes all this so familiar!

A bit further back in time, I went to the British Museum with another old colleague / great friend from work. We did the Stonehenge exhibition. I have no first-hand knowledge of how these people lived. I am NOT that old, for sure. My reaction to the displays - Wow! My big takeaway was that the people back then travelled far and wide. They shared culture and were incredibly sophisticated. I do imagine however, that the travellers were the equilvalent of modern day jet-setters. I reckon the majority of the population didn't go far beyond the banks of their local waterway though.

At the moment I associate myself with the latter group. It was the first time I had been to London since arriving in 2020. I got up really early and caught a cheaper train. I cycled to Nasser's and left my bike there as his place is close to the station. This was all very exciting. After a lovely day in one of the best cities in the world, I got home well after 9pm, picked up my bike and set off for the tow path to home.

Just as I reached the path, my front light gave out so I put the rear light on the front to illuminate the way back. This was not a particularly successful remedy. Apart from the moon lighting bits of the path, most of the journey was under tree cover. I might as well have been blindfolded. As you can imagine, I wobbled a bit. I actually laughed - this is an odd reaction of mine to impending danger. At my age, I should have got this under control but alas, I haven't. Suffice to say, I got home, dry and in one piece so I lived to tell the tale. 

Since then, I have manged to do my first BBQ of the season - Danielle has COVID so they didn't come. Danielle is trying to compete with me for the number of times catching the virus... competitive as always - I'll show her! With the rising numbers that won't be a problem and I shouldn't make light of it. After all,

My hair is not lime green! I am braving the British Springtime

I am in the vulnerable category!

So. Marms, as you can see I keep myself busy. Not too busy to think of you my darling dog. Do take care, you are loved by so many people.

Love you

XXXX