Hi Syl

Bet the carvery was good.  I have always enjoyed them when been in the past. Life is muddling along okay and I have been doing lots of walking with my camera on the days when I dont work.  Do not like being couped up indoors and this is a good and usually cheap activity!!  Having said that, I did walk to the garden centre on Saturday for my morning coffee but, of course, had to have a look round and as frost had been forecast did not want to do any outside planting.  In the end I topped up on bird seed, bought a kalanchoe for my kitchen windowsill and also fleece jacket (for me not the plants ha ha).  This means my old jacket can become garden wear as it is getting rather worn.

Managed to stay dry during my day out to Colchester by coach yesterday as it only began raining just before we headed home.  I had a good look round the beautiful park/gardens surrounding the castle, had afternoon coffe in a wonderful old building and walked a couple of miles along the river Colne where I also sat and ate my sandwich lunch.  So peaceful.

I have whats app too and it's a free way of chatting to friends/relatives using wifi without having to use up date allowance on phone.  Currently keeping in touch with kids this way as both daughter and son in law have had a tummy and/or sickness bug over the last few days and my little granddaughter has conjunctivtus and is teething bless her. 

No plans yet for the coming bank holiday weekend though am supposed to being having electric smart meter fitted on Friday so will  be stuck in during the afternoon 'slot' allocated.  Apparently they should only be here for around an hour.  Anyway will do my shopping and gym visit in the morning and hope they come on time as I can then fit another walk in during the late afternoon weather permitting.

Take care and hope your daughter is enjoying her adventure.  Jules xx

Hi Jules, glad you enjoyed your time in colchester and all the walking you have done, its nice when you can get out in the sunshine, i have took george out every day this week as the weather as been quite nice .hope your grandaughter is feeling better,and the rest of your family its a shame when the little ones dont feel well  it makes them irratable but they  dont know  why.i to dont know what i am doing over the week end my daughter is home Friday, but i wont see her till Sunday, as she is flying into Leeds air port for a  hen week end  in a house with its own chef and spar treatments ,her partner is picking her up sunday morning. It seems as if she has been away for ages i cant wait to see her and hear all about her trip some of the pictures i have seen  are lovely vegas was great, me and hubby went vegas ,we stayed at the mirage so she took a photo of it for me we stayed for a week and we didnt see all of it.its a mind blowing place, some of the hotels have to be seen to be believed. Still not heard off debbie have a nice week end enjoy the bank holiday regards Syl x

Hi Syl

Well another bank holiday weekend has been and goneand hope you have enjoyed catching up with your daughter and her travels though no doubt she was a little jet lagged. Plenty to talk about over coming weeks I am sure.

My familys' bugs have now cleared thankfully and so little Darcey can return to Nursery today and her Mum to work.  She has just turned 11 months and is beginning the learning to walk process; very cute to see her on whatsapp video.

Glad you have been able to treat George to his walks.  I love being out and about and as I do not drive my legs get plenty of exercise ha ha. I do try and get a couple of miles in on most days.  As my son in law took both boys out for the day (along with a couple of dads from his work) my daughter invited me to join her for shopping/lunch on Saturday and it was a lovely change for herbeing able to brouse the shops leisurely.  We had lunch at Prezzos before going our separate ways.  I had an eye test appointment to go to and  she headed home for a couple of hours of peace/relaxation.

On Sunday the weather was dry and pretty warm so I went walking for over 4 hours and really enjoyed strolling through our local woods/lido before heading to the garden centre for a coffee. I also bought a new squirrel proof peanut feeder (I am slowly replacing my old feeders).  On the way back I saw our local pond had a heron visiting (happens quite regularly now) and spent over half and hour taking photos before heading back home.

Yesterday I dodged the showers and did my weekly shop and then had a call from my daughter to say they were going to local May Day fete and would I like to meet them.  So headed back home quickly unpacked and headed to their flat.  The fete was quite small and unfortunately the weather had affected numbers but the boys enjoyed having a go at various stalls and then we went to lunch at local pub before I came back and did my housework.

Will visit Mum this morning and then the gym so before I know it I will be back to work tomorrow. Still only six weeks until my holidays and another challenge/hurdle for me to face.Hoping I can enjoy it and move my own life's journey forward a little though still feel a bit apprehensive.

Hope you are managing okay and your pain is more under control now. 

Hopefully Debbie is okay and coping day to day in the best way she can with support of family and friends.  The forum is one of those support networks that you can drop in and out of as and when you feel the need (Debbie if you reading this hope you are well).

Have a good week and take care.  Jules xx

Hi Jules, glad your family are over there  stomach bugs and every thing is back to normal, had a good catch up with my daughter at the weekend i didnt see her till Sunday ,she had a really good time and took some lovely photos,she also enjoyed her hen weekend as well all is back to normal again now she went back to work on Tuesday after 3 month off.glad you were out and about over the weekend  with your family i didnt do much over the bank holiday monday me and my daughter went to a local garden centre we had a nice walk round  she bought a cookery book, while we were there we had a nice meal of braising steak chips and veg.we had no rain at all over the weekend  all the gardens are bone dry i have a small pond inthe garden which my son did when he was young we have about  8 fish in it they were all born in the pond some are nearly 20 years old, i had to fill it up as  som of the water had evaporated.i to am  a bit apprehensive about my holiday in July  i surpose its normal to feel  like that i just hope i can enjoy my first holiday with out hubby , but it will feel strange going with some one other than hubby. enjoy the rest of your  week am waiting for my hair dresser to arive Regards Syl x

Hi Syl

Hope you have had an enjoyable weekend.  Your daughter's holiday adventure seemed to pass by really quickly and I bet she was full of interesting tales with lots of photos to share with you.  Hope her return to work went smoothly.  I find the longer I am off the harder it is to go back ha ha.

Mixed weekend weatherwise with chilly wind yesterday and then a beautiful afternoon today.  I made the most of Friday and went with a friend to local gardens for a wander and was good catching up over a cuppa.Saturday was pretty mundane with shopping and housework but today I went to the Farmers' Market and then walked on to the garden centre after lunch (bumped into my daugther and grandsons at the market so we lunched together before going our separate ways).  It was so warm had to carry jacket and cardigan an d enjoyed coffee at the outside tables for the first time this year.  Bought one plant and some supports in readiness for putting out my sweet pea seedlings before heading home.  With the front garden in full sun I did some 'pottering' and dead headed the rose plus trimmed my tiny bit of hedge before coming inside about 4pm.  Meeting up with an old friend for lunch tomorrow so being kept busy.

Still no rain so have watered the pots and kept the birds' bath and water container topped up.  Lots of activity in the garden as quite a few baby birds around.  I have moved round a few of my feeders and also created a new feeding area (made out of last year's  Christmas tree trunk.  Have three feeders hanging on it just a few feet from my back patio doors and they are already using it.

It seems both you and I are facing new challenges as far as our holidays are concerned but hopefully we will both get on okay.  Hope you are keeping okay, take care.  Jules x

Hi Jules, have had loads of trouble trying to sign in to the chat room ,just got it sorted with the help of the mediators and my son, hope its fixed now.its good your getting out  with your friends ,i am also keeping my bird feeders toped up with seed and fat balls, they also like meal worm that i buy  as well, the magpies keep comeing to my bird table but i chase them off as they take all the food. Went out with my daughter last Saturday only to  a local garden centre ,Sunday went out with my son and  daughter for a lovely  roast dinner.thursday i went on my first coach trip with out my hubby,went to Skipton market then a canal cruise on the Liverpool Leed canal with my friend, we had a nice day and the weather was good but thought of him all day long wishing he was with me .the weather is fine again my garden is so dry i am puting my washing up water on my plants to water them, it is surposed to rain at the week end i am going out with my son  on Saturday so hope it dosnt rain to much .have a nice week end regards Syl x

Hi Syl

Sorry for late reply but things have been rather difficult these past few days and I have been spending much of my time with daughter and family as their house purchase looks like it is going to fall through and they are so very distressed having come to within 24hrs (twice) of exchanging.  We are all somewhat below par.

Hope you had a nice time with your son and that it stayed dry for  you.  Certainly now we are getting plenty of rain to help the garden here which has helped settle in a few new plants  I managed to get in at the weekend.  I have now completed updating my bee and butterfly flower border so hoping for a nice display this summer.

Hope you are keeping okay, take care. Jules x

Hi jules, sorry that the house isnt going as planned these things happen  sometimes  it seems  as if things  are out of  our hands and there isnt much you can do exept wait and see what happens.my son enjoyed his day out with me ,we went to aplace called tatton park,there was allsorts going on including a dog show ferrat raceing   birds of prey  and a lot more even the weather was good on the Sunday went  out with my daughter and her partner.i start my exersise class tomorrow at  a local centre  its for six week twice a week dont know what happens when the six weeks  have past.we have had a bit of rain this week but have still managed to take george out, wont see him after Monday for a couple of week as his owners are going on holiday he is going to stay  with friends till they get back. have a nice weekend  hope you hear better news about the house regards Syl x

Hi Syl

Hope you enjoying the return of the lovely sunshine.  How did the exercise class go?

I went for a lovely walk today as too nice to just sit in the garden.  Left home at 9.30 to go to the gym first and then did not get back till 3pm so a late lunch!!

Went to the cinema with my daughter and family on Sunday morning followed by lunch and then they all came back to mine so the boys could play in the garden. 

Will visit my Mum tomorrow and then getting my hair cut.  Have a mammogram booked for Wednesday after work so will be glad to get that done and dusted.

Cannot believe it is only three weeks to my holiday and am feeling a bit anxious now it is drawing near but  on the other hand looking forward to going back to revisit old haunts though no doubt will see them through  very different eyes after 42 yrs!!

Take care and have a pleasant week.  Jules

P.S. a couple of recent pictures from the bird feeders