Today has been a good day, hubby is fine and I've been to have birthday cake and prosecco with Margaret and her daughter who is 30, it was going to be in the garden but it's pouring down so it ended up in.the conservatory.  Not much of a party when there's three 70 year olds and one thirty year old!  We said make a wish when she blew the candles out and I said it was probably to be anywhere but with us, that raised a laugh especially as she was meant to be in Barcelona.  On the way I saw Keith, pulled over and spoke to him through the car window, as you will remember June is in a care home, he hadn't been able to see her and because she could see him out the window she was waving for him to go in, he had to stop going.  She then got covid19 and stopped eating, Keith was distraught as he was allowed to see her when she was tested clear and she weighs six stone is walking bent over and needing assistance.  He is heartbroken and said he will never get that out of his mind, he then broke down and couldn't talk anymore.  I left with a lump in my throat, June is my age, it's tragic.  It's so cold I've had to put the heating on, hubby feels it more after his treatment so damn the cost.  The zumba girls are hoping we'll meet again next week if the sun shines, I texted back and said I hope it's before we reach a hundred years old.  See you soon, love Carol x 

Hi Carol. 

Your lucky you've had it off, if house gets below 30°brens cold and shivering, didn't have central heating till October last year so we're actually saving over 400pounds a year everything was electric heating before that. And I'm sweating all the time..

Keep well and keep fighting but not with Norman. 

Love Billy xxx 

I know Billy my Mum was the same, even in thee winter we would wear short  sleeves as it was so hot in her bungalow.  No fighting going on, at the moment!! Xx

Another day out, we'll two hours.  Sue was so happy to see me and we managed to sit outside in the sun.  Paddington the puppy is now the same colour as Luna, beige, last time I saw him he was brown, I honestly thought it was a different dog!  The people next door run a dog sitting service and have two alsations of their own, the field adjacent to Sue's land was very busy, what are they doing I whispered?  Building a 40 foot swimming pool for the dogs apparently, talk about spoilt, I wonder if they take humans!  Jean rang, which for me is a nightmare as I have to yell at her so she can hear me, it was an abscess on her tooth, I look very thin she says, so don't be shocked when you see me, seeing as she only weighed 7 stone before I'm in for a shock.  Hubby has been to his club, he is much happier now.  Lisa has just sent a picture of Harry in his new gym kit, such a handsome boy!!  Ella wrote us a beautiful letter listing five points as to why she loves us, how lovely.  Take care all of you, Carol x 

Dear Carol and Billy,

You would think they would make it easier in hospitals for people to go to different areas, so many are actually ill or disabled and it really makes it difficult for them especially as they are limiting who goes in with them.  Unfortunately the bills don't stop so can understand you spending the tax rebate on them.  Kids often don't learn to tell the time till they are older now, so many clocks/watches are digital.  I hate using cable needles, always lose them.  Have the resctrictions eased in the UK, ours were easing but as of last night they have tightened them again.  Our cases have jumped to double digits over the last 4 nights, with 25 new cases overnight.  They say mainly due to larger family groups.  So glad I went to Melbourne and caught up with Bree and the kids.  Rotary has their first meeting the day I visited Bree, so I didn't go, they were due to have another on the 30th, but now resctrictions have prevented that.  Love your interaction with the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.  They always seem to fly in the opposite direct of where you want them to go.  We have the same issue each time a bird falls down the flue.  
Lucky you have birthday cake and prosecco with Margaret anmd her daughter.  Poor June and Keith, so unfair.  She was lucky though, she recovered from covid, hopefully in the coming weeks she will put some weight back on and improve.  My mum was the same, her rooms were always like a sauna when we visited, You'd be sure to wear a warm coat/jacket but light clothes underneath.  
Friday we splurged again and had take away from our lovely restaurant.  This time our banquet included Southern style fried chicken wings with blue cheese and jalapeno dip, Maple glazed bacon and cheese slider, Prawn, crab and corn fritter with avocado and lime dip.  Main was Slow cooked beef brisket in bbq sauce with sweet potato and rosemary salt wedges, coleslaw and a tomato, capsicum and bean salasd, then Mississippi mud cake with Bourbon salted caramel sauce and whipped cream.  Well worth it.
Dean, Nick and Eli have gone to visit NIck's Mum and Dad today.  Nick's Mum (Jan) is a hairdresser, so Eli is getting all his curls chopped off.  Deana has been saying for a while it wouldn't be long and she'd be able to put Eli's hair in pigtails.  A slight exaggeration but his hair does need a trim.  I'm finished on the computer now so going for a walk, then to clear out my car ready for the panel beater tomorrow.

Take care and love to all.  Sue xx

 

Happy Father's day to all.  Hubby has giant artisan chocolate buttons and various other styles, we've eaten the buttons, delicious does not sound descriptive enough.  Sue your meal sounds absolutely fabulous Dahling!  I don't think we could eat that much, we've just had brisket, cauliflower cheese and roasties all cooked by me!  We've had a ride out but the rain was torrential again, then sun, then hail what a tipsy Turvey world we are in.  I can't believe that you're being locked down again Sue, don't laugh but we drove through Barnard Castle, a market town (think Dominic Cummings land) and there was a big road sign saying "social distancing Roads in force" we both ooked at each other and said What!!  There were bollards distancing the parking spaces, some jobsworth methinks, surely our cars are longer than six foot, it's barmy land.  My hair is now so long it's getting caught in my bra straps and stopping me turning my head, you couldn't make it up.  Our first golden wedding rose has flourished despite the rain, it smells gorgeous.  We are having custard tarts for pudding, not up to your standards Sue, think I might visit to try the food at your end.  So everyone please take care, hope I'm still keeping you amused!  Love Carol x 

Dear Carol and Billy,

Happy Father's Day to all.  Our meal is too much to just sit and eat it all one course after the other.  We actually take about 3 1/2 hour to eat most of it and actually had the dessert on Sat.  Can't believe that they've implemented "social distancing roads".  You're not wrong someone has gone barmy.  It has probably kept someone in a job.  Even with our restrictions being tightened again there have been no parking restrictions.  Like you my hair is getting very long also, I've actually resorted to tying it in a ponytail, sick of it in my eyes all the time.  Your rose would be gorgeous.  Your custard tarts sound lovely, despite our occassional splurge, we usually just eat ordinary food, last night was a pork chop with sweet potato mash, zucchini, beans and brocolli, no sweets as a rule but if we do have sweets its usuallly a bread and butter custard or sticky date pudding. We have some really good restaurants here, the one we;ve been ordering from has wonderful food, he actually grows a lot of his own veggies, and the meat is often locally produced.  We also has a world class restaurant locally"Brae" (it was ranked in the top 50 in the world last year, but still ranks in the top 10 Australia wide.) I haven't been to Brae but everybody raves about his food.  They do about 10 smallish courses in their banquets.  Well woroth a visit for the food here.
I'll close now so I can shower and get some cat food, think the kitties might appreciate that, then I'll drop my car off and I'm going to try and walk home, It's about 5km from home so I'll see how I go, might relent and ring a cab or a friend for a lift if I can't make it.

Take care and love to all.  Sue xx

Hi sue and Carol. 

Nothing really changed here going out or staying in. Apart from families getting together, which is great. 

Brens getting baffling to me. In the afternoon she keeps asking if carers have been i tell her yes she starts telling me off for not telling her then she starts crying, she can do this 5 or 6 times in every afternoon if i say they haven't been yet she's happy, so you can guess what i say now.

Think she's got water infection again so phone Dr later.

Sue, all these lovely meals, yum yum half our food comes out a tin.

Keep well and keep safe everyone. 

Love Billy xxx 

Dear all, quite traumatic at the dentists, no one answered the phone so I had to hammer on the door, met by a lady dressed from head to toe in PPE, mask on, stand on the line, temperature taken, it was 37.6 so she said it was high (I have no idea) off she pops to see dentist take it again he says, still high, have you walked here she asks, well from the car I say, it's like standing outside the headmasters door!!  Oh just let her in my dentists yells from the top of the stairs.  Anyway I've bruised the tooth grinding my teeth at night, is it any wonder I'm doing that with everything that's going on!  So he has ground down the cusps, I now have a headache and am hoping it's only my bloody tooth and nothing else, I've not touched anyone but hubby for months so here's hoping.  The tea I cooked last night he said was too spicy, three times he told me, having sweated cobs cooking it I wasn't amused and said next year we're going out, someone can cook for me, or he can have a bag of crisps.  Don't laugh but I put a navy layered top on this morning, crikey this is tighter than usual I thought yanking it down.  It was really hot and uncomfortable until I got home and realised I'd also put another top on that was hanging under it but had only put one arm in with the other under my armpit, no wonder I had a temperature, I'm truly losing the plot.  Billy I know where you are coming from, Mum was like that it's easier to go with what they think has happened.  Sue hope the car ends up OK, we have restaurants like that £100 for ten small courses, Mary went she said it wasn't worth it as half the stuff she didn't like!  Take care everyone. Xx