Hi jules, yes  the wedding went well its nice to catch up with family im surprised i didnt cry  ,but he was on my mind all day may be  he was  keeping me from crying so i could enjoy the day. it was my birthday 1st sep went out for a pub lunch with my son as he was working from home, my daughter came after work it was a nice day but i wished my hubby had been with me its a long time since i havnt had a card  off him ,its these little things  that we have to get used to . i am going out for a meal on Saturday with my sister and partner as a birthday treat.my kids are going to London on the train there is some sort of food festival on they wont be home till late . take care Syl x

Belated happy birthday Syl. Hope you enjoyed your lunch with your son and caught up with your daughter too.  You, like the rest of us, will miss those special moments that only a life partner can give us. I constantly remind myself that I am so lucky to have good memories plus caring children, grandchildren and friends but there will always be that little something missing.

It would have  been our 39th wedding anniversary tomorrow.  Hubby was not a romantic but always told me to buy myself some flowers so I am continuing  this 'habit of his' by buying white roses and sharing them between home and his resting place when I go tomorrow.  Somehow this second year has been a little more focussed for me but sad nonetheless that he cannot share it.

On a different subject, I now have a family of hedgehogs in my garden and am enjoying their company every evening as they snuffle around the undergrowth.  Am hoping they can make short work of the abundance of slugs/snails. Seems all too soon to be readying the garden for Autumn/Winter but have had a couple things removed that had outgrown the space and now need to decide what I  may replace them with, if anything.  Have mowed the lawn this week even though it is very dry.  Apparently there may be some rain coming our way tomorrow so this should perk it up again. I have a £5 voucher to spend at the local garden centre this weekend and as they have specials on bird feed plan to pop along and fill my trolley. Also need a couple of  birthday presents so will have a look round the gift area too before treating myself to lunch at the lovely little cafe on site.

Have a lovely meal with your sister and partner on Saturday and take care of  yourself.  Jules x

Hi debbie, had a nice meal out  for my birthday went to a chinese resteraunt with my sister and her partner also my sisters grand daughter who i havnt seen for a while., she is 14 now hey grow up so fast these days. The nights are getting darker now which dosnt help hope you had a nice week end take care Syl x

Hi jules, i enjoyed my meal with my sister her grand daughter came as well i havnt seen her for a while she is 14 now they seem to grow up fast these days.have been out with my son this morning only to have a look at a steam train that was coming  into the station near where we live .i to have hedgehogs in my garden i put food out every night ,i havnt seen them for a while im still putting food out im not sure whats eating it.i enjoy feeding the birds as well my son buys bird food off the R S P B web site but i also buy meal worm and  other bits from my local garden centre.hope you had fond memories of your hubby  as you took flowers to his resting place,i think of my hubby all the time some times with a smile but most of the time i cry, its still early days yet maybe in a couple of month i will feel  better about looking back  at my memories of him and our life together .take care Syl x

Hi Jules glad you had a nice day at the garden centre, and you got all the things you went in for the xmas cards are coming in the shops near me as well they seem to come in earlier every year, dont know what i am doing this year the kids dont wont  to spend it at mine as that is where we all had xmas dinner together.maybe we will do something  differant  all together this year.hope you enjoyed the film with your granchildren it looks good  when you see it on the TV ,my daughter is treating me to a meal and the pictures to see Bridget Jones Baby when it comes in the pictures this month its my birthday treat.havnt got much on this week end my son is busy doing his house up my daughter is off to Cyprus  on Sunday for a week ,my friend ship group starts on Monday after a summer break, so that is something to look forward to i am hoping to cut my lawns this weekend if the weather stays dry,i to have a buddleia its purple it has flowered well this year hubby used to cut it back after it had died i am not good at cutting things  i hope i dont kill it as we have had it a long while hope you have a nice week end regards Syl x

Hi Syl

Visit to the cinema went well and we saw Finding Dory as planned; ideal for all the family. Afterwards we did a little wander round the shops and had lunch before heading home via the large Argos close to where  live as  wanted to replace my rotary dryer in the garden.  Plenty of room in my daughter's car so saved me carrying it home! My daughter is also going to see the Bridget Jones film with a friend; this week I think.

  Have done a reasonable amount outside in the garden (has always been my job as hubby travelled away so much did not have the time!!) and managed to mow it yesterday which was just as well with the rain we are getting today.  As far as cutting the buddleia back  it grows like a weed in my garden so always take it down to about 1 ft at the end of flowering (it is still going strong at the moment so just keeping it dead-headed. Prune my old roses much the same way.

I went out for a curry with a couple of friends on Thursday evening and then yesterday was up the hospital for my yearly blood tests (cholesterol check) and then popped into the local fireplace centre to arrange a service before the weather gets cold enough to put them on.  They are coming next Friday so hopefully no problems. Going to the gym 3/4 times a week helps with the social life and to think I never stepped inside one until after I lost hubby but decided I needed to focus on something completely different and it helps with the exercise too.

I got the formal invitation to my son's wedding yesterday so need to book a room at the hotel (next door to the venue) and also decide my menu choices for the meal and then will send the Acceptance off.  Of course they know  am going anyway.  As it is a winter wedding quite a few of us are booking into the hotel the day before and staying until the day after so will be like a mini break.  My son's fiancee will come down on the actual day and has a 'dressing area' above the venue and has decided it would be lovely to have tea/coffee and cake during the morning with her female guests before being left with her bridesmaids to get ready.  We are all feeling excited to be having a happy event in the family to look forward to; hubby would have been so happy and proud too.

Well my two grandsons are due to be dropped off for their sleepover in around 90mins so think I will go and make a cuppa and relax before the 'playing' begins.

Take care and have a peaceful weekend.  Jules x

Hi Jules, sounds as if you  had a busy week end  hope the grandkids were good for you they must keep you on your toes, i had tea out with my son on Saturday then took my daughter to Manchester airport on Sunday ,but apart from that didnt do much else. felt a bit down over the week end,had a cry the weather was nice if my hubby had been here we would have gone out over the weekend.  went to my friendship group monday we just discused what we were doing  in the future , in a couple of weeks we are going on a bardge along   the Bridge water canal  stopping for a pub lunch  takes about  2 hours it sounds nice. Regards Syl x

Hi Syl

My grandsons were fine and kept amused with old fashioned 'window tumblers' which had us all laughing especially when the youngest lad's efforts meant I had to climb on the 'handy step' to peal them off the ceiling!  In bed by 7.30 and up with me when I got up at around 6.15.  No sooner was breakfast out of the way and clearing up done and after a bit of kiddies tv and some lego making, it was time for them to go.Always a pleasure though does leave me with a bit of a throbbing head for a while. Say my future daughter in law and three month old Darcey yesterday and then visited Mum today and have just had a friend pop in for a cuppa. No peace for the wicked!!

I expect when your children are out and about it leaves you feeling a little low; so understandable as the home seems so quiet at these times.  I always have either music on or the tv and am enjoying the paralympics very much though it is leading to very late nights!!

Your forthcoming trip on the canal with a pub lunch sounds lovely and lets hope the weather will  be good for you all.  I have nothing booked day trip wise yet but will probably have a day at the coast during October as there are plenty of coach trips to  be had.  If my friend is free will go together otherwise will just be me and my book/camera.  With the evening beginning to draw in there will be less time out in the garden but I am doing a bit most evenings to get it tidy (mainly dead heading now).

Hedgehogs still paying visits and the bird feeders are busy; so lovely to watch and reduces the time I am either on the computer (play various word games) or trying some exercise time. Cannot seem to sit still for too long but then that is supposed to be a good thing.

Having the gas fires serviced Friday (at work tomorrow and Thursday) ready for when I need heating on and then seeing daughter and Zack in the afternoon before he spends the night. Ido not babysit often but this month is busy socially for them so offered to help out.  They are taking their eldest son to the Marvel Extravaganza at the O2 Arena as a pre birthday treat so I get to enjoy the little one's antics (he is great at playing on his own so does not need constant entertaining).  Loves his books so will probably be doing a fair bit of reading.  Will then have the rest of the weekend to myself I think.

Take care.  Jules x