11/04/2011 by Aileen.

I think that’s the expression. Anyway, we had a great week with the grandchildren. I know I’m biased, but they are so good. They really entertain each other. Giggles all round. We have two three seater settees in the Swinton (don’t ask) and we put them close together facing each other. Three big blankets and they had a camp. Or an office sometimes. I thought their best memory would be The Deep, as they were fascinated by the sea creatures. But when we met mum and dad on Saturday they said the best bit was seeing Hop (film about the Easter Bunny) and the chinese in Mr Chu’s afterwards.

For the handover we met at the Rheged Centre, Penrith.

http://rheged.com/

Had a surprisingly good meal there, and sat in the sun while the kids played in the adventure playground. The previous week, we met in The Black Swan,

http://www.blackswanculgaith.co.uk/

and I was treated to a slapup meal for Mother’s Day. Life is good.

Monday now, and I have my usual New Week’s Resolutions. But this time I have a serious intention to slim. So has John. I’m just under 11st 7 and it’s too fat. I’m living in stretchy trousers. A while ago I went through all my clothes and put away the ones I can’t get in to. Well, I’m going to get into them soon. I don’t intend to buy a whole lot of new summer clothes when I have some perfectly good ones hanging up in the spare bedroom.

Still haven’t bought my sandals. Think I mentioned that the ones I live in are coming unstitched, so I’m having to wear smarter ones when going out in case they break. I did look for a replacement in Sheffield, but I don’t know the town well enough and couldn’t find a good shoe shop. In the end I bought a quite high pair of open toed heels, but I still need SANDALS. So that’s on my list, but probably not for this week.

John has ten clients this week. Think that’s the highest ever. He has two a day, so we can’t ‘do’ anything together. Well, I mean we can’t go out anywhere. Gardening is high on the agenda. At last I’ve got myself psyched up for it. I’ve cut all four grass sections and wed and fed them. John’s powerwashed the top patio, and weeded this section along the north side of the house that we never use, so are inclined to forget about it. The side along the south is used as garden access, and I have my eye on it. There’s a narrow strip of earth there, and there are some violets growing again, but the hebes seem to be dead. Nettles doing well though!

The gardeners have cleared one of the three slopes out the back, and I’ve gone for a yellow and red theme there. That’s cos there are orangey daylilies there already, also alstoemaria if it comes back, and I think some irises. A lovely creamy rose too. And at the back is a wisteria, so hopefully that will survive. There’s lots of muscari out at the moment. Daffodils on their last legs, but some nice tulips (although I don’t like tulips particularly) Anyway, when I said I’m going for a yellow and red theme I mean to have little bits of blue there too, as a contrast. I’ve bought and put in some baby daylilies in a gold colour, yellow potentilla and doronicum, and orange geums. Still need to put in some pulsillata and a white rock plant whose name escaped me at the moment.

This woman who’s meant to have really unusual plants in her nursery came round, and is meant to be bringing round ten to twelve shrubs to put in (she said perennials were hard work) but she hasn’t been back and that was well over a week ago, so she’s toast. I’ll get my own ordinary shrubs.

Well, yesterday I finally planted up two large tubs for outside the french windows. Centrepiece of butterfly plant (for the butterflies!) surrounded by three pinks (for the smell) and three trailing ivies. Think I might have crammed too much in. We shall see. Today, I need to finish weeding the veg plot (started it with the kids last week) and put in my King Edwards and Charlottes. Hope they behave better than Basil and Rosemary when they shared a bed.

Bye, foks. Will upload some photos soon.

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19/03/2011 by Aileen.

I’ve got lots of faults, but ingratitude isn’t one of them. I woke up to sunshine this morning after a lovely night’s sleep, and am full of the joys os spring. Literally!

This list writing lark is really working. I only have two things left to do. I still can’t share the children’s liturgy leaders’ emails as I’m waiting for permission from one of them, and I haven’t swept the garden paths, but John and I are going to work in the garden today, so that will get done hopefully.

Kath and Mark (gardeners) gave me the name of someone who grows unusual plants, and  I went to see her at her stall at Howden’s Friday Market last week. When I said I wanted plants for wild life her eyes really lit up. (Kath and Mark are into wild life too. Mark’s trying to persuade me to build an otter holt at the end of the garden, but I’m not as optimistic as he is, and as John said, do we really want otters there. They’d take the birds’ eggs. Anywy, this Enid took my phone number and was meant to be coming round to us during the week, but she hasn’t been in contact. I couldn’t go to Howden Market yesterday as we had our end of term lunch for Creative Writing, and when I went there last week, to make the first contact, the market was nearly over even though I rushed. I suppose she lost my phone number, as she wrote it on a scrap of paper. Anyway, I’m going to Mires Beck nursery today, and will buy some perennials there.

It was Red Nose Day yesterday. I don’t usually watch it,  but saw quite a bit last night. That’s one of the reasons why I feel so grateful that I live when and where I do. I suppose that sounds smug. Tony Ford used to say that the natural outcome of gratitude was generosity, and I do give to various charities (not to Red Nose!) but maybe I should step it up. Trouble is - where do you stop. In fact, that’s one of the things I was saying to my spiritual guide at St Beuno’s. ‘I’m very happy with my life, thank you very much, Lord, and please don’t ask me to do anything more than I am.’ Oops. I wrote about this. My guide said that God loves me so much and is never going to ask anything of me that I couldn’t cope with. (Well, look at what he asked his son, I thought.) Actually, I have thoughts about this. I think God asked his son to become one of us and show the extent of his love. It is people who killed him. Because there is so much wickedness in the world it ganged up against the goodness it saw in Jesus and tried to overcome him, but Jesus’ love is greater, and it could have no power over him in the end. Even that great evil Death. Vanquished.

Oh I am waxing lyrical. Stops my having to think about should I step up my charity donations

Anway, have a good weekend, everyone. Take care.

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02/11/2010 by Aileen.

Feel very relaxed. Well, it’a 11.10pm and I’m tired. Had a good few days.

Well, Sunday morning wasn’t so good. Woke up to the back window of the car shattered. Autoglass Repair (hate that ad) said it could easily happen by a passing car. Twice in the past drunks have gone along the lane after the pub has shut, and damaged several properties (garden posts etc) but there was no other damage in the road, so I presume it was an accident.

Still waiting for the final  repair. It’s being done tomorrow afternoon, which is a bit of a nuisance, as we’re going to Potteric Carr for birding tomorrow, and I quite like staying on there for a bit.

I did my Speed Awareness course. Can’t speed anyway at the moment, as the back window is all polythened up and I’m not allowed to go over 50mph. Good course. Still learnt new stuff, although I did the course four years ago lol. It was more interactive this time, with notebooks we had to fill in after discussing the questions in groups. I found one in the ladies’ loo afterwards. Shame.

Gave two of our grass  moss plots the last cutting of the year this afternoon. At last! Two more to go.

Got Redemptorist worksheets in on time.

Better go to bed, but first - I forgot to report that I went to North Cave Wetlands on Saturday and took several photos. Here are (in  particular order) pochard, coot, tufted duck, cormorants, shoveller and snipe.

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18/10/2010 by Aileen.

Yes, much better today.

Still 11st  9, so haven’t put on any weight.Showered, answered mail and forums, ready to go for the day.

Plans. John has three clients so that will keep him busy. I was a bit out of sorts with him over the weekend, as he got up so late each day, and just sat by his computer, then watched telly. I thought he had wasted his weekend. Bit of projection on my part methinks!

I’m about to run through the house (not literally) then might power wash the patio as the ducks have been doing their business (literally)

Sandy and Joy are  popping in this afternoon (on way down from Scotland) to collect clothes they forgot last weekend. Gardeners will be here too, hopefully.

This evening, I have Viewfinders, and we are to discuss our new Clikpic website. More important, Jane is going to show us her pictures from Canada. We were going to have a Photoshop tutorial, but I doubt there will be time.

Bye all. Computer going off now until after lunch.

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03/09/2010 by Aileen.

Several nice things ahead, and we have also been busy the last few days. We have been cycling - longest one for one hour ten minutes. We stained the wooden garden furniture which badly needed doing. The following photos show a red admiral butterfly on the table before it was painted, and then the finished furniture.

Today I’m cutting the grass. we are having such mild and sunny weather it’s a pleasure to be outside.

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01/09/2010 by Aileen.

First of the month. I always think that September is the beginning of the year, too. I suppose it’s  years and years of teaching. A new start and all that.

Well, we cycled for one hour ten minutes this morning, in beautiful sunshine. Sarnie for lunch, and now John is pressure washing the patio, which is covered in duck poo. I can’t help yet - I need a snoozle after my lunch. Snoozle isn’t exactly a snooze, but it means I sit down and read, write or do something similarly effortless. Trying to eat a really hard pear at the moment, so there’s some effort in that.

My niece Charley has been in hospital with bad stomache symptoms. She’s out now, and will get the test results on the 7th, but she mentioned on the phone that she had ulcerative colitis. (I think that’s what she said) She and her brother might be taking my white car off my hands, as someone went in to the back of the one they share. My car is really shabby, but so reliable, and we don’t really need two cars as we are rarely out to different places at the same time.Any time we are I can get a taxi.

Anyway, back later. Bye.

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26/10/2009 by Aileen.

I’m not a week  ahead with the OU, I’m dead on target. I must have lost a week somehow. Anyway, this week, Emil should finish our sitting room, going down to Stoke Mandeville to hear if John needs another op, (staying with M and F overnight) hoping to take pics of autumn colour.

On Saturday I’m going to Leeds Sculpture Park with some OU people I’ve never met, to take photos.

We’re having a portrait session at Viewfinders tonight, in ‘the style of an old master’. Think it’s going to be Hollywood type portraits. Should be fun.

Hope to do the last lawn mowing of the year, and prune the plum tree.

I also hope to finish my OU assignment and carry on developing church and photography websites. I’ve definitely learnt loads in the last year.

Thank God I seem to be pretty healthy, although I’m still getting short of breath and I burst a blood vessel in my eye again. I’m fed up of blood shot eyes.

Anyway, this morning is housework. Bye.

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17/09/2009 by Aileen.

We had a good four mile walk this morning, with lots of interesting chat. I had to listen mostly, as I’m not so ‘up’ on things literary. Anyway, when I talked I got breathless.  I checked with the others at the pub, and they hadn’t felt out of breath, which I was pleased with in case what I was experiencing was normal and I was making a fuss over nothing.

Did some gardening this afternoon, and took a photo of the ‘landing strip.’ Hopefully the grasses will look good all winter. I thought - too late - that grasses aren’t particularly good for wild life, so I will have to compensate elsewhere.

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17/09/2009 by Aileen.

Monday, can’t remember. Gardening I think.

Tuesday, Doctor, Dentist, Funeral.

Wedneday. Gardening and Safeguarding Officer interview.

This morning, I’m off for a walk with OU friends.

Doctor said I will have an ultrasound as I still have heart murmur and am breathless after little exertion. (Spirometry showed I have a lung age of 74 (eek) but inhaler made no difference to my breathing.)

I parted with £25 for one minute in the dental chair, to be told my teeth are fine.

Funeral was Frank’s. Getting on for 95 years old. Lovely ‘perfect gentleman’ from Viewfinders. He always greeted me with a kiss. He was very talented artistically. Even made his own guitar.

Some one (ex-Viewfinder) brought along a photo of Frank with his guitar for display during the cremation. I asked him afterwards if I could have a digital copy for for the Viewfinder website, and he held his hand out for money. Wanker.

Off to shower now. Bye.

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14/09/2009 by Aileen.

Can’t wait until 11am. We’ve done so much in the garden this weekend. Since John’s got his new painkillers there’s no stopping him. There’s a corner of the garden I haven’t named yet. It’s terraced, and a cul-de-sac. At the moment there’s a plastic plant pot at the end, but it’s crying out for a little statue or single seat. Anyway, it was covered in my friends, the nettles, so John cut them down, then I loosened the soil and he’s got the roots out. Unfortunately he can’t reach all of them, so he will either have to get out of the wheelchair or I will have to do it. And I’m not really strong enough as the soil is quite compacted.

However, I managed all four bits of grass. I hadn’t done the bottom bits since the accident, and the longer I left it, the worse it looked. In the end, it wasn’t too bad at all, but it all looks in really bad condition.

Anyway, while I was meditating this morning I had a great idea for a story. (Yes, I know this is a distraction, and I did try to dismiss it, but it kept coming back). It’s about a photographer woman who gets stranded by the tide and is rescued by a weirdo birder who rows her to the island he is living on for the summer. So she’s captive. Lots of logistics to work out, but I like it. Great chance for descriptions of island, plus character development. And suspense. Can’t wait.

Oh well, back to housework now. I need to go to the dump to get rid of yesterday’s weeds (too many for our two compost bins). John has two clients today, but we’re hoping to do some more gardening.

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