09/09/2009 by Aileen.

Can’t believe it, but I went to the WI last night. (Have to use the abbreviation as I don’t know if it’s Woman or Women, and where the apostrophe goes.)

There was a really interesting talk by one of the Boyes family. They run cheap shops oop North, selling haberdashery and all sorts. I thought they had one or two, but they have 35 with a couple more opening soon. Stephen illustrated his talk with loads of photos and artists’ impressions of the shops. For instance the first photo was of Scarborough with horses and carts on the sand, and you could just see a little white hut where the ‘first’ Boyes had a modest coffee outlet. The grandfather (????) started  150 years ago, selling remnants. At one stage, when a shop was burnt down, the assistants went round the streets selling stuff from wheelbarrows. You wouldn’t get that these days, I’m sure, and not just because of byelaws.

There were so many cakes there! At least 5 big ones. Also, scones and cupcakes of various descriptions.

I found the business section a bit boring, as I don’t know the people, and what’s going on, but I must admit it was brief and to the point.

Today, John has a client at 1pm, then we’re down to Oxford for a meal with M and F, as John has his Stoke Mandeville appointment tomorrow at 9.15. Poor Fiona is still feeling sick. She eighteen weeks pregnant tomorrow. Apparently she doesn’t mind cooking while feeling sick!

This morning I’m going to plant out some ornamental grasses on the narrow strip of bedding that borders the patio.  There are a couple of grasses there already, and they give all year round pleasure.

The garden is awful, but I’m getting keen again. I decided to work from what I can see to further away. Grass is cut, but needs feeding and weeding. I’ve pruned long strands of branches from a couple of rose bushes, leaving the hips for visual effect and the birds. Last year I saw a blackbird doing acrobatics trying to get to the hips. Hope he repeats the performance this year and I get a photo.

Bye all. It’s (over the) Humpday today, all you workers.

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30/07/2009 by Aileen.

I so want to write something here - something lovely - but I think I’ll wait a while. I’ll tell you all soon. Promise.

Anyway, in spite of the showers I’ve been gardening a bit. I’ve cleared (sort of) the long thin bed outside the back door. I’m going to call it the Landing Strip. So now we have, a front lawn, a top lawn, a cherry orchard, a wild flower meadow and a landing strip. Pretentious or what!

Yesterday we had two of John’s former colleagues for lunch. And very tender they were too. No, seriously, they both worked with him years ago in the Civil Service. I first met them when we were on a treasure hunt. This couple started off on the Treasure Hunt, but never ended up at the destination pub. It was the beginning of an office romance. They now have adult children! I don’t know where the time goes.

John is well but these anti-biotics leave a constant metallic taste in his mouth. He hasn’t got his hospital appointment yet.

Oh well, the showers stopped us going for a cycle today, but it is sunny at the moment, so I think I’ll finish off the privet hedge. (Or is it box?)

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23/07/2009 by Aileen.

Well, John still had a bit of a temperature on Monday and Tuesday, and felt really weak. He kept saying to give it another day before calling the doctor. He absolutely dreaded the thought of another few months in hospital.

On Tuesday, I thought this is silly and called the doctor out. I was dismayed to see a young girl on the doorstep instead of the older man I expected but she was fab. She said she wasn’t sure what to do and would ring Stoke Mandeville for advice. She rang back later in the afternoon and had actually spoken to the surgeon who had cut out the abscesses. He said there was no point taking a swab as he knew exactly which bacteria were involved and he recommended two antibiotics. John is on them for three weeks, then he has to go to Stoke to see Mr Wan. He has two options, neither of which seem to involve a lengthy stay in hospital so John is really relieved. Almost pleased. Yes, he IS  pleased that at last something is being done.

His only problem now is that the antiobiotics taste foul. Oh, and he can’t drink alcohol with them!

I had a good day yesterday. Cut the grass, trimmed edges and stepping stones, and tackled a hidden away corner at the bottom left. Yes, I know the front garden is a mess, and that’s what people see, but this is a sweet little bit where a winter flowering jasmine was getting choked with laurels and stuff. I freed up a flat headed hydrangea and trimmed back some cotoneaster and box/privet. But I didn’t trim the latter back too much as it has some lovely fragrant white blossom.

The grandchildren are having a great time with Martin and Fiona apparently. They’re off to the London Eye today, followed by the Natural History museum and the park. They sure will sleep tonight!

Oh, and my new (third!) website, is coming on a treat. I seem to have got the knack of postioning things with CSS now. I’d love to tell you all the name, but it’s my little SECRET.

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26/06/2009 by Aileen.

Yesterday was a really really good day.So varied. I got up without knowing the time but because I wanted to. It was 7am so that was fine.

After our muesli I marzipanned John’s cake. I discovered it shouldn’t be iced for at least a day, so that was fine too.

Made carrot and coriander soup minus the fresh coriander as I have learnt to my cost it turns the soup green. Put in some coriander seeds and will add fresh herb later. Fine.

Cut all grass except front so it would be short for Saturday. It hardly needed cutting so was easy. Fine.

Strimmed and halfmooned all relevant bits. Not much to do. Fine.

Made John’s card. Wrapped second pressie. Fine.

Watered bits of garden I am taking care of (Veg and herbs) Fine.

One bad bit - I had planted some colourful petunias or something. And I strimmed the heads off. Not so fine.

In the evening Andrew (Viewfinders) had a photo exhibition of his Everest trek in a Hull wine bar. (No, the trek really wasin Nepal) Was really too busy to stay long, but it was good. Great photos, and he had a good crowd there. Fine.

Brought home takeaway chilli burgers and chips from local pizza bar. Had interesting chat with the two men who run it about where we come from. Fine.

Nice meal with a good red wine, watching Trial and Retribution and I actually concenrated. Fine.

Ali rang. Also chatting to FIona in the morning. Fine.

Finally got round to looking at the requirements for Dig Phot final assignment, and it’s not too bad. Have put possible photos into a file and earmarked the questions I like the look of. Fine.

Today is action stations. To Tip. To Charity shop. Last minute fresh food shopping. Turning ‘Swinton’ into a bedroom.Cut John’s hair. Tidy house. Martin and Fiona, Ali and Eric and the kids are coming this evening. Kev and Mags, Don and Chris, coming tomorrow.

Fine. Fine. Fine.

Just hope the weather stays fine and we can eat outside. Twelve sitting down.

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12/06/2009 by Aileen.

Monday. Housework done to my usual standards (!) Enjoyable evening in old part of Hull taking photos. What was sad was that a policeman stopped me and asked if I’d seen a ‘poorly’ woman wrapped in a duvet. She was a heroine addict. Police and ambulance crew were looking down all the cobbled ’staithes’ (long narrow alleyways leading to the river) One ambulance man said she was probably in the river by now. Here is a photo from the evening.

I can’t remember Tuesday. Oh dear. Oh yes, I did some gardening.Pulled up three bags full of weeds!

Wednesday. Lovely morning birdwatching, and Norma came back for lunch. We had extended views of a barn owl at the birding location, and saw a heron being mobbed by crows back here. Here are a couple of photos from the morning.

 John was on a course on Wednesday and Thursday. About Transactional Analysis, which is a model for how people interact with each other. We can be seen as child, parent or adult. He really enjoyed it, and I’m hoping his body clock will get back to normal now. He isn’t up yet, but it’s before 9am, and he has two clients later, so he will have to get up. Three days of being awake during the day should help. He had slept quite well for the last two nights, although his pain does wake him up a lot.

I caught up with my OU Photography course yesterday. Also went to the dump, the library and Morrisons. ALso made jewellery on Second Life.

Today, I must go into Hull (outskirts) for Communion presents for the three girls I prepared. Their communion is on Sunday. I also need printer ink, as my black has run out, and I have NO spare colours in the house at all. I hardly print anything out, trying to be green, but did some photos of the ‘communion’ girls recently. ALso, the camera club meet in a pub after Monday’s excursion, and the idea is to share photos. I could bring my laptop along, but it’s an enormous beast, chosen ’specially for it’s large monitor.

Anyway, shall I go wake John up? Nah. Let him sleep.

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24/05/2009 by Aileen.

Oops. Haven’t posted for a while. Been a bit tired and flat lately, and John on bed rest a lot of the time is getting me down a bit. He has his laptop in bed, and reads a lot, and he is actually up for more than the four hours the doctor originally said, but this is taking ages. I’ll be glad when we can go out cycling again. Or just a day out somewhere.

Mind you, it’s Bank Holiday weekend, and we make a point of staying in then, to avoid the crowds. On the way home from Mass later I betIll be held up at the Howden roundabout with caravans on the way to the coast.

It’s gonna be a weekend of gardening. I cut the four lawns yesterday, strimmed around bits, and half mooned the edges. Today I’m going to tackle the veg plot, which has been sadly neglected. Then tomorrow I hope to plant up the hanging baskets.

I also need to work on my final essay for Creative Writing. It’s a 2,500 word story about a young woman who has a baby secretly and is sitting in a graveyard wondering what to do. My tutor said watch that it doesn’t become too melodramatic!

Anyway, shower now, then Church. I’m doing Children’s Liturgy today, then First Communion prep. We’re having ham salad for lunch, then roast pork in the evening, washed down with gallons and gallons of wine.

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11/05/2009 by Aileen.

Oh I love Monday mornings. Always have. Even when I was working. There again I loved teaching until the last couple of years.

Anyway, I didn’t wake up until 8 this morning, and I’ve just had my muesli while looking at photos on Flickr. (All T189 related) It’s 8.45 now, and I really must turn off the pooter.

Plans this week -

• Housework today
• 15 minutes gardening every day
• 15 minutes exercise evey day
• Finish TMA (tutor marked assignment) by Friday
• Birding
• Creative Writing
• Might go to Church meeting on Thursday evening

Gardening is getting imperative, and I hope to do much more than 15 minutes a day. The nettles are back with a vengeance, and thistles are attacking now.

I’ve decided there are some things I CAN and WILL do.  They are keeping the grass short, strimming, half-mooning the edges, keeping the paths weedfree and having no stray rubbish (plastic pots etc) floating around.

This is working at the moment, but I really want to plant up containers this week and have another go and sowing some seeds, as the last lot all died on me through lack of watering. All except the green beans, which are long and straggly and something’s been eating the leaves (not slugs - too high up)  so I might redo them too.

Oh and John wants the photo on his website updated, so I’ll do another piccie of him. This week’s assignment for T189 is take two photos of something/someone we love, so this kill two birds with one stone.

Now, Aileen, stop prevaricating. The house awaits your loving attention.

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23/04/2009 by Aileen.

Oh what a glorious day yesterday was. It was Birding, and we walked through dappled sunshine along woodland paths. Saw willow tits, willow warblers, blackcaps and other lovely little songsters. The bluebells are coming along nicely, and there were primroses, violets and wood sorrell in profusion. I missed one grass snake the others saw, but had my own personal viewing of another, rustling through the dry bracken. For more, see Michael’s blog -

http://eybirdwatching.blogspot.com/

In the afternoon I cut the two grass areas at bottom of garden, and trimmed round stepping stones to the washing line. Ialso used spade and half moon cutter to edge a bit of the bottom left grass (cherry orchard!) The earth was surprisingly soft considering we’ve had no rain lately.

I then watered beans, spuds and containers. I think one or two of the fuschias might recover. I had put them out and the frost got to them.

Then, at Slimming World I found I had lost 1 and a half lbs. (In spite of crisps etc. over the weekend) However, this was only taking off what I put on the previous week, so I am back to square one.

Today I have the dreaded church cleaning, then John and I are going out shopping. We were going to go to the coast, but need a few things for the house/garden so will probably just go to B and Q and the shops in St Andrews Quay, and have a panini in Starbucks. Bye all.

Oh, I forgot, we saw tiger beetles mating on our woodland/heathland walk yesterday. Here they are.

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22/03/2009 by Aileen.

A picture’s worth a thousand words, so here is my World/Wordle. It’s not strictly accurate, as I haven’t been meditating much lately, but I really do have good intentions. I start the week really well, then get bogged down in other stuff.

And I’d like to record that we’ve been out cycling every day from last Sunday to Saturday. We gave it a miss today, but did lots of gardening. John power washed the patio and I collected up the prunings I did the other day and repotted a little Japanese Maple that Don and Chris gave us for our Ruby Wedding.

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21/03/2009 by Aileen.

We’ve been cycling since Sunday (No, not non-stop silly) and I’m really pleased. The most we’ve done is 3 miles, so it’s not exactly triathlon status, but it’s been good. Yesterday we only did 2 miles, but it was up on bridge over M62 and WAS IT STEEP! Yes it was! John said it’s the most out of breath he’s been since last being able to walk in 1961.

It’s a lovely spring day, but I was annoyed as I left my two fuschia pots outside last night and there was a frost. Hope they’re okay. So far I’ve sown sweet peas, runner beans, mange tout, courgettes and peppers. Hope they take. (Obviously)

Yesterday  I cut Front Lawn and Top Lawn as I like to call them. Today I might cut the Wild Flower Meadow and the Cherry Orchard. (The two bits of grass down the bottom of the garden. It’s actually one plum tree on the left bit, but cherry sounds more romantic to me.

Titiana has been writing in my SL blog, so she’s becoming quite an upstart. You might want to read it here -

http://titihaystack.wordpress.com/

Anyway, I mustn’t waste this beautiful day. Nearly 9.30 am. Been up since before 6am and done a lot, but so many lovely options ahead of me.Bye.

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