Goodbye shed.....

Yesterday, people, was pure relaxation in comparison to today. Today, I made fresh croissants for breakfast for us and for Jean and her son Duncan. You see, today was "let's destroy the garden shed and take it to the tip day". I supervised. I use the word very loosely, may I add. I was up a ladder at one stage.

Our boys worked like slaves all day and were the real heroes. Oh, did I mention it had to be emptied first??? That meant moving heavy stuff like filing cabinets and freezers and tables and table tennis tables out into the garden too, sorting through 8 filing cabinet drawers of old tools.......

I am unspeakably grubby. Actually, I am filthy. After the last trip to the tip this afternoon, I went to get some food (and cooldrinks especially) at Tesco, and caught sight of myself in a mirror and nearly died. My tshirt and skirt are absolutely disgusting, my gardening shoes have holes in the sides,and I was bent over the shopping trolley like a crone. So I slunk around the aisles praying I would not meet anyone I knew, and came home and unpacked it all. Then I went to check on the vacant space, decided to move all the bricks and rubble and clear the debris. I told my family they could fend for themselves when it came to supper.

And then discovered that walking is not an option. Neither is standing up straight. I am about to sink into a hot bath from which I may never emerge so I thought I better post this first.
As you can see, I have the pacing down to a fine art. I should give lectures on the subject.

(Rosaria, the roses are Sweet Juliette, Golden Celebration, Great Expectations, and Golden Jubilee I think. Those are all in the garden, and all have spectacular scents. Alpine Sunset is also one. And Gertrude Jekyll. I have 27 roses, so it is hard to remember which is which!)

And finally...... I was outside watering at sunset and the clouds were so spectacular, I came in for my camera. Look at this one - what can you see? Everyone here came up with the same answer instantly, and as it is part of me, that was special. Look again a little closer.......

And then there is this one. it looked to me as though God Himself was standing there reaching His arms out to me. It took my breathe away.

Half way through the week.....

Some photos of my garden and the things growing in it - the roses all have the most stunning scent. I should try and make a mosaic of them. Maybe tomorrow.

It rained and I managed to catch the drops on the leaves and roses as the sun came out and just look at those flowers on my beans....

Wednesday already and time flies, but I keep saying that so we will move on swiftly.....

I had a meeting with the work people today so I guess we could call today a "high energy" day on the pacing chart. As in up at dawn, clean the house, wield the really dire borrowed hoover - I do not regard any vacuum as efficient if I have to stand with the nozzle poised over some dirt for 5 minutes while it considers whether or not to suck it up. I could have got down on the floor, picked up all the little pieces and walked to the kitchen, put it in the bin, removed the bag of rubbish, tied a knot in it, and walked through the house to deposit it in the bin, in half the time it takes this thing to work. Vacuum cleaners just moved back to the top of the list.

But I digress again. I am so good at this.

So the work people came (on time) and left. And this is a procedure we all know we have to go through but it is such a pain in the neck. Stress? Oh yes. Glynis was here so that was good. And then I decided to pin the quilt I suddenly decided to make 2 nights ago. So I made it. My happy quilt. Bright and cheerful. And I ran out of pins, so I popped out to the patchwork shop which is always a mistake. Sigh.

And then I came home, got down on the floor (without a crane) and pinned it. So it is now waiting to be quilted. And then, because I am nothing if not over the top - I cut, and am in the process of making, another quilt twice the size. It is summer. So why I am making quilts???

I remembered eventually to pace myself, so after sewing up 9 rows of fabric, I went to start watering the garden. Then I stopped here to say hello and after this I will go and sew more rows.

The week has been busy. On Monday, my friend, Nicky, and I took our Mums out to tea in the morning, and that was great. Our local garden centre is excellent for fruit scones and tea. I know. I have been a few times. Actually, quite a lot, I confess. They also have a great butchery and delicatessen and greengrocers. And Jean has popped in for coffee, and so has Julia, and so you see, just add in the exercises, and the garden, and the new quilt(s) and the idea I have for bags for Christmas presents, taking photos and cooking and walks.......

And you will see exactly why I failed miserably on the pacing and relaxation front.

Sigh.

Sunday at home..........

Well, here we are at the start of a new week already, and July is almost half gone. Our schools here have not broken up for holidays yet. I think the end of the week is the start. I do know that my daughter-in-law is going back to work for the last few days of term, and then starts again full time in the new school year. Missy is 5 months old already and I have no idea where the time went. This, however, seems to be a common wail around the blogosphere.

I have been staying at a friend's house for the last week while they were away, and have just popped onto the computer now and then briefly when I came home to sort everyone here. And I have used the time away from the computer to start a project I have sort of devised for myself to help me regain a level of concentration and focus which has been sadly lacking in recent months. It is all a part of the CRPS and is not aided by the wretched medication, but hey, I have to do something, and this is my solution. I will let you know a little more when I actually see it working! But it feels good to be focussing a little - for short bursts of time. We will see.

Last week was a trifle disastrous for the Swiss family - my brother-in-law's cousin who owns the restaurant with him, and who is actually the chef at the moment, had a nasty encounter last Sunday with a tractor. While riding his motorbike. Overtaking a slow line of cars up the mountain. The tractor turned in front of him, and he cartwheeled over the top and landed on the road on his back. He was flown to hospital in a helicopter, and is actually, miracle of miracles,. doing really well. 8 broken ribs, and 9 fractures in his spine. He is now all pinned and screwed together.

However, there is only just so much any one man can do running the restaurant, and my brother-in-law is run off his feet. He is chef, and front of house and everything else thrown in for good measure at the moment, with help from my sister who is definitely under the impression that she is superhuman. Thank heavens she is on leave, but then she works unbelievable hours and carries huge responsibilities, and also does all the extra work for the restaurant at night....... This is her holiday. She needs time for herself. Just now and then. And there she is - workign her socks off at the restaurant at the moment. 7 days a week.

So I think we will be heading to the Alps. I have a large, unemployed son who is perfect dishwasher material. Mother can man the washing machine. And me - well I will be pacing myself of course. Hahahahahahahahahahhahaheeheeheeheheehohohohohohoho.

I can sit in a chair and practice my german. I am the Big Sister after all. I fix things.

This family most certainly can do with a period of calm and a cessation of all calamities.

So I am back home and full of randomness :
I tried to go to my acupuncture appointment at the Pain clinic last week, but the lady who does it is sick, so that has been postponed indefinitely. All 6 appointments.
My son has done extremely well in his exams, and has passed his first year with flying colours. I am SO proud of him!
He is poised and waiting to use the computer again. I have asked him to sort my new mobile phone out. I have only had it 3 months and have never switched the thing on.
My garden is producing food in abundance. And what a pity I may well be away when the 28 tomato plants go into full production. My friends will be muttering as they battle to cope! Not to mention the prolific beans. And all the rest.
I think I am going to go and cut out another bright and sparkly quilt. I have no idea where that idea came from.

The focus is gone, people. My brain is back to mush. I will be back! PS. I have internet on my phone thingy but there is no way I will be attempting to write anything on a screen that size. I may go and have another look at laptops though.

Very random whatevers.....

It is quiet around the blogging world, isn't it, and it is quiet here too. I am just listening to "Blowing in the wind" on some tv programme..... you remember it, don't you? My past coming to life again.

The weather is confused today. Rain, sun, thunder, rain, sun all within a 5 minute period. The roads look as though they are on fire, with the steam rising from them in the sun.

Back to the quietness. I rather like it. I know I so enjoy reading all your posts, but, in a way, it delights me when there is nothing new posted, because I have a sneaking suspicion that you are all out there living. Really living. Having fun, travelling about, playing, gardening, enjoying the summer and the warm weather, watching your families grow. (Unless you are dodging the rain here, of course.)

I can't think of anything better. There is probably laughter, loads of smiles, and a bucket full of happiness involved too, in this picture of mine.

You see, the quietness is also a way of having permission to not post all the time. To not feel any guilt. Obligation. To walk past the computer and head for the garden. To pick up a book and the sunshade and sit out in the fresh air. To take 29,769 photos of your garden and wonder at the way things grow. To toss charcoal briquettes onto the grid in the bbq and light a real fire. The smell is of summer, isn't it. None of the gas thingys here, let me add. I like real bbqs!

I know that there are people out there, friends who I blog with and love dearly, who are not having the most glorious of times. There are people struggling, and hurting, and they too stay silent, but for so many very valid reasons. I wish things were different.

I am using the opportunity to be quiet. And the quietness gives me an opportunity to listen instead. Summer gives us the chance to find a space somewhere in the garden, or house, or park or countryside, to be alone with our thoughts.

Sigh.

I have lost my train of thought about 6 times, and you know, I have tried to edit this to make it say what I intended and I just have not got the energy right now, so I will post and let it be. Sorry if I lost you somewhere in the middle!

I am off to look for somewhere quiet, and follow my own advice.

Love

The discombobulated one.

PS: I wanted Federer to win. I like Roddick too, but hey, Roger is special.

Tennis and friends and strawberries and cream and......

I have made 3 attempts over the past 2 days to post things. Blogger has not co-operated, and photos??? Pah!! it does not want to know. And to be quite honest, I am not prepared to sit here for ages trying over and over again when there is sun and garden and flowers and friends and TENNIS to watch!


We decided to have a Wimbledon Tennis Party on Friday afternoon to pretend we were there. Only here, the bathroom was close by, and we did not have to queue for strawberries and cream. So Jean, Glynis, Mum and I settled in for the afternoon. It was great. Hilarious at times too. Jean is a great Murray fan, so she had to sit on the sofa all by herself. Hahahaha. You see, I want Federer to win this year, so I reckoned he had a better chance against Roddick. Well - I know this is not very patriotic, but hey, I have been a Federer fan since long before Murray appeared on the scene, and that won't change. I loved Agassi and Borg and Edberg and Becker in their days too. Tomorrow will tell.

Everyone brought bits and pieces and we had a feast - home-made scones, and home-made jam, strawberries, cream, icecream, meringues and, of course, Pimms. It would not be the same without the Pimms!

There was a great deal of yelling at the screen going on as well. In a gentile fashion. Of course. And I am trying again to upload photos as I speak. If Blogger doesn't comply there may be sparks flying in a totally un-gentile-like fashion. (It heard me and behaved. Hallelujah!)Jean doesn't know whether to eat the strawberries and cream first or drink the Pimms!

Friday is men's semi-final day, and one of the best days to be at Wimbledon, or at home watching. It did not disappoint. The tennis was great.
Glynis has her hands full, and Mum is enjoying her strawberries and cream!
There are no photos of me. I was behind the camera, or eating strawberries and cream. Probably the latter. Have you noticed how many times I have mentioned strawberries and cream??? That would be because I feel like some right now. And I ate them all. Sigh.

I may be posting less frequently for a few weeks. David's laptop expired. It is still new. He only got it in September, so it is under guarantee, and is being fixed. It may take 4-6 weeks. Groan. That means he will be sharing this one. Bigger groan. I tell you, when I get a laptop, I am going to put a password on it so only I can use it. Territorial? Oh yes.

How strange it is, you know - I remember the advent of home computers so well. We got our first one when Andrew was in junior school. That was back in the early 80s. Heaven knows how many we have had since then, but if you had told me that we would all need our own computers one day, it would have seemed unbelievable back then. Laptops had not been invented. Yet. No email. No internet. No blogging. No mobile phones. And now they are so intrinsically woven into our lives that we can't handle their absence. Unbelievable. I just stop and think, now and then, of how things have changed in my life, and I do not consider myself ancient by any stretch of the imagination. It never ceases to amaze me.

So I will remove my son from my chair in front of this computer as and when I can. He is 6ft 4" remember, and built like a linebacker. Or a prop in the front row of the scrum. I am his mother. He will comply. Insert smiley face.

OOPS - I nearly forgot! Happy 4th July to all my American friends!

In which I continue to discourse about the weather.......

Aiyaiyai...... the humidity is a killer. Believe me, I can stand heat. Just not the humidity. Watering the garden last night, I swear there was more water leaving my body in rivulets of sweat than there was coming out of the watering can. And just so you know I am not a wimp, there is NO A/C IN ENGLISH HOMES. Nor are there many ceiling fans. No. We just lie about looking pathetic when we are not working or trying to get on with normal lives. I nearly took up residence with my chair in the local supermarket yesterday. It has a/c. The temptation was great, and I was not the only one either.

Mind you, thinking about ceiling fans, the ceilings are so much lower here than they were in South Africa. There, our ceilings were 10ft 6ins high. Here it is more like a little under 8ft or there about. I just tried to measure. So add a ceiling fan and there is a good chance you will be scalped or beheaded. We are a hardy bunch over here, you know.

So ...

The week is whizzing by and I am about to take Mum for her annual medical checkup, and then I will have to get more pots and soil. I know. It is a never-ending pot saga. My garden is just way too small and the allotment is full. Or, just possibly, I have grown way more then I needed to, or had a sudden delusion that I was a farmer.

Yesterday I went to see a lawyer re the hospital saga, and it looks like we will be able to work on this together. Or that I will just hand the lot to him and tell him to call me when it is over. This is what I really should do. I do know I have dates to go and hear 2 inquests which have direct bearing on Geoff's case in November. Sigh. It all takes so very long to get sorted, and I just want it over asap.

And then I came home, flopped on the couch and woke when Margaret barrelled through the front door. Once I was properly awake, we popped up to see Jean who had been strawberry picking, so I sat in her kitchen doing some "quality control". Divine.

This morning, I was woken by the hideous birds at an ungodly hour, when my neighbour left for work, after feeding them. So I opened and closed my window with vigour to make them shut up. I love little birds like sparrows, chaffinches etc etc etc. But rooks, (big black things) and pigeons........... I LOATHE them. They are huge, chase away the little birds, eat all the seeds, and deposit copious quantities of droppings on my roof outside my window. And the noise.......

So that was a gentle awakening. But I have been out in the garden a little while this morning, before the heat becomes unbearable. Older people are being advised to stay indoors. With curtains closed.

Maybe I had better go and scrub the gardening hands a little before we darken the doctor's doorstep. I look like a tramp. I will be back.

HOT!!!

I am melting. I am a puddle. I am dripping in a most unattractive fashion.

It is HOT people. HOT. And there is not the slightest hint of a breeze and humidity is high. Do not mention flies. They seem to be feeling the heat too, so have moved indoors.

And I have bookclub here tonight. I may suggest we all sit on the tiles on the kitchen floor. Or under the garden sprinkler.

I spent the morning taking Glynis to the hospital for a procedure - see - we take turns visiting hospitals with each other.

Now I am off to find something cold to drink. I will be back.

Getting hotter and hotter......

And so the heatwave arrives.

My son called me yesterday afternoon, (as I was sitting in my garden with a friend after a bbq) to tell me that they were having a hail storm to end all hail storms. The garden was a wreck, gutters overflowing and road a river. And he is just an hour and a half away. We had none of that. I did tell him not to mourn the demise of his peppers or tomatoes. I have a zillion extra plants here.

I do believe that this is turning into a weather blog. I live in England. It goes with the territory! And if not a weather one, then a gardening one. Sigh. I really do have other stuff going on, you know. I just tend to forget it all.

So what was I saying then....

Yesterday, I picked peas from my garden, and froze them. And today I creamed spinach and that is waiting to go in the freezer too. We had a salad of lettuce, basil, chives (all from the garden) with tomatoes and peppers yesterday. And soon I will have a mountain of home-grown tomatoes to deal with. And all the rest. I am digging up some potatoes in a day or 2. This year I grew them in pots here at home, and it will be good to see how they have done. Jean did so as well, and she has had a good steady supply.

It is great, you know - you decide that you will need potatoes in a couple of days, so you stop watering one pot, and they are not all muddy when you upend it. Voila!

I was pottering in the garden yesterday, and I moved aside a branch, and something rather substantial and wet landed on my foot. I thought it was a trifle heavy for a rain drop or 2, and it was. A frog. My frog! It is back! There is usually one in the garden each summer, and I have no idea why as I have no pool or obvious water source.

Things are starting to bloom around here. I am now going to go and have a snooze and contemplate some erudite stuff to post about next.

I saved the best photo for last. My favourite rose - Alpine Sunset.....

Friday........

First the weather report......

The sun shone.
The sun disappeared.
Gentle rain fell on the village.
The rain stopped.
Thunder.
Lightning.
Torrential rain.
The rain stopped.

And that was in the space of a couple of hours. I do believe the sun is due to shine again today. Sometime. This is the time I always wish I had some water-butts attached to my drain pipes to save water for the garden. Memo to self: Get water-butts asap.

The photos of the vast expanse of growing things yesterday were of the allotment, down at the bottom of the village. I think I have mentioned before that our gardens are very small, so some of us rent allotments to grow things. My garden is absolutely packed with things, and as I said, I will show you photos when all the buds open. I love it. The allotment is different. My friends use it because I simply cannot do it myself. Not now. We share the produce.

I have lost one of my favourite earrings. I lost it somewhere between the pool and home yesterday, and despite trips to try to find it, I can't. Sigh. What on earth is the use of one earring, I ask you??? I am sure most of us have plenty of single ones lying about. Useless.

More thunder.
More lightning.
More torrential rain.

Yes, I know, I should switch this off in thunderstorms, but I think it is a few miles away. At least I will not have to water the garden this evening! OOps. Maybe it is a little closer than I thought. I am off....

Strawberries, cream, tennis.....

This is summer. This is England. And the sun is still shining, so things are good.

David and I went to water the allotment this morning, and Mum came along to see the progress. I can't claim to be responsible for much, apart for some of the plants I grew from seed. David has done some of the digging, and I did try some hoeing and weeding back a few months ago, which was not clever. At all. And clearly is not part of the general idea of what I should be doing.

But it is still The Allotment. My allotment. Geoff's Allotment. And my friends, Margaret and Derek, and John, have done most of the work. Geoff would have been thrilled at the way it looks now. On Saturday, it will be 3 years since he was admitted to the hospital with a heart which was falling apart. 10 days later, he died. It seems just like yesterday, you know.

And every year, as we get close to the start of July, I am reminded of how beautiful the garden looked on the day of his funeral, when all our friends came back here after it was over. It looked just as beautiful exactly 6 years before that too, when Dad died.

Anyway. Now it has masses of vegetables too. I have picked the first zucchini, and will pick peas this weekend. And the spinach and lettuce just keep coming! Not to mention the 47000 tomato plants I seem to have grown. They are multiplying at night, I am convinced, but have yet to grow tomatoes. Masses of flowers though. And did I tell you about the gem squash plant which is wandering all over my driveway?? Please ignore me if I repeat myself. Memory is also part of CRPS. The lack of memory, that is.

Have a look at this hanging basket. It is not a stunning photo, but I wanted you to see the lettuce (ever-lasting lettuce - you keep picking the leaves you want for each meal, and it keeps growing) and there in the centre, is a small rosemary plant. Together with the flowers. I have about 7 lettuces in the hanging baskets and then more in pots. It is SO easy! Parsley also looks great in hanging baskets. I have gone for total colour this year, and when they are all in bloom, I will show you more photos.

The strawberries and cream are ready and waiting. Maybe tomorrow, I think. Meringues too. I went to aqua today and worked incredibly hard, so tomorrow will be a floppy day. I may even relax in my garden.....