ITS BEEN A WHILE........

 No excuses really, I just haven't seemed to find the time to sit down in front of the keyboard....

Before I start I just must tell you what i am listening to on the headphones which transport me back about 35 years... Janis Ian, At Seventeen. we were out at friends on Friday and somehow got into singing  and listening to old songs from our youth and this was one of the ones that i listened to all the time feelinh all the emotion in the words. It just takes me back but then I was listening to it on a vinyl record and writing my diary with a pen and paper!!  Hahahaaa, just remember how my very funny and rather drunk friend described her ,as we were saying how depressing the songs were... "self harm on a stool"it did make me laugh. It must have been my general frame of mind at 17 as I am not feeling that at all now at 51!!!
 The next morning I bought the album on ITunes and still loving it!!!

So what has been happening.... a bank holiday her for us in the UK and you won't believe but the sun has been OUT.... 1st time for 2 wks that we have seen blue sky and not had to wear a scarf and gloves... global warming ?? where are you when we need you???

Have had a great weekend, starting on friday evening with supper with very old friends, lots of prosecco, great food and singing... hangover the following morning was not so much fun though.... However the day got better as Ian and I seemed to be on our own and we went to the Kings road for a wander and to see how the other half live. The Chelsea flower show was on so the whole place was buzzing.

 Feeling rather jaded we wandered into the Saatchi gallery there and stumbled on a dreadful exhibition... this was one of the pieces.....

Call me old fashioned but is a blank blackboard art??? I suppose the fact that I took a photo and have commented on it makes it have some value......


saturday evening we watched "hope Springs"with Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones about a long time marriage on its knees , it was a comedy but was quite thought provoking about how easy it can be to let it all go.... and get way too comfortable with each other.

Sunday and the sun was still shining so Ian did his usual 45 mile cycle and then we went off here ..

 As it was such a lovely afternoon it was heaving here too, but none the less was great and a lively buzzy atmosphere.

Also a more peaceful view!!

This morning an AMAZING thing happened... we both woke early but then fell back to sleep until this time

Couldn't believe it, The 1st time in years that we have laid in like that, I am usually awake at 6.30 on a weekend!!

We went to the seaside today, along with most of south east london. We went to Whitstable and it was a delight, managed a spot of sunbathing

 Also lots of lovely seafood..

 So overall a great day and lovely weekend, back to work for Ian , i have half term but the weather has gone and its back to heavy rain for 3 days....

Oh and Huxley has a bad back....

 I went to the vet and promptly handed over £84 for a couple of injections and a tube of cream, I am not in any hurry to go back there!!!

Here is a rather good picture I took of the Shard, you can see what glorious springtime weather we were having that day!!

A NEW EXPERIENCE

A different day today ...
this is what I was doing...

My choir recorded 5 songs... I was not really looking forward to it as I thought I would get found out as a really awful singer... but I managed to escape yet again and we all sounded great. The first song, Feeling Good, took ages but we got better and better and we managed to do a couple with almost one take with a few little "drop ins", (see I have even picked up the jargon). Can't wait till we hear the whole thing! Karen , our leader is a professional singer and sounded sooo great.

Otherwise a pretty quiet weekend, Becca is home for a few days, she is here for an interview for a 3 month trip in the Autumn to work with a charity. Everyone will be back soon, Sam finishes early June, Becca leaves uni for good and then just waiting for Charlie to come home in late July.

This is Charlies uni blanket, it look great and i am especially pleased with my scalloped edging!!

ITS OVER.......

Just finished a weeks worth of study days, we have to do mandatory training every year. That means sitting in a classroom from 9-5 for 4 days, its a bit of an ordeal. We have rather boring lectures on fire procedures, manual handling, mentorship up dates and then some more interesting things like adult and neonatal resus and skills and drills of obstetric emergencies. The latter involves scenarios of very scary events which you maybe see just  a few times in your career but you NEVER forget them when you do. For example catastrophic haemorrhage , shoulders getting stuck, umbilical cord falling out before the baby, I could go on, all very scary. There are some real characters who have been in that hospital for years and have seen and dealt with everything, thats the person you want looking after your daughter when they have a baby!!  Although its a long week, it is quite a laugh being with a bunch of midwives, there is a real sisterhood between us!!

Managed to get to the movies last night to see "Mud", we gave it 7.5 /10, enjoyed the packet of Revels very much too...!!!


Becca has now officially finished her degree as she handed in her last essay on tuesday and is now home for a few days, mainly for an interview for a 3 month charity experience in India starting in Oct!! Exciting!!!

Charlie seems to be having a really great time in NZ, seems to have been skydiving with a massive hangover...... Also had another tattoo. Off to Thailand later in the week for the FULL MOON  party... just want to know when that is all over!!

IF THIS IS THE CASE.........

....... then how comes this happens...???

SOURDOUGH      

this is my latest attempt and it seems to be getting better, it tastes soooo good but I can't get a great shape, I need one of those rising baskets.

have a good weekend, summer has gone here and back to grey and wind. Ian up to Scotland ofr the weekend, probably 900mile round trip..... madness..... for a cycle ride, the caledonian tape, a mere 81mls, !! the wives aren't happy but we have organised a spray tan , food and a DVD on Saturday night!!!!


Have a good weekend

SUN'S OUT

A busy few days and best of all, SPRING IS HERE. the suns out and its warm... after such a long winter its hard to believe its here.

Highlight of the week was a surprise visit to see Becca on her 23rd birthday. Her flatmates had a cunning plan to keep her home and I snuck in!! it was lovely to see her and she looked happy too!!

Also managed to do quite well with present choices.... Jo Malone perfume, what's not to like there?? a wall hanging thingy,,,(!!??) and then these

This is the beginning of a patchwork granny square blanket, its looking rather colourful. Much quicker to make than the knitted one I did for Sam


It has been wonderful to wake up to the sun coming in and even the dog walks have been wonderful

I even heard a cuckoo which was a real treat, I don't think I have heard one since I lived at home so I was quite surprised to hear one in London.