Yawn Yawn Wakey Wakey 2025

Good morning all.

I use WhatsApp a lot too @Ladybird4, mostly for friends and family and also my handyman gardener in France. Last night about 60 photos came in from my children! Three of them went to Greece too for the autumn holidays. Coincidence! Daughter 2 took her daughter to Athens, Son 1 and family went to Crete and Son 2 went to Corfu nearly a week after us. They all sent their photos. Daughter 1 didn't go away but she sent some photos of her garden in autumn.

There was sunshine this morning so I (the machine) washed sheets which are now hanging on the line. I'm going outside to do some gardening but the sun is hiding behind the clouds.

 

Even I use Whatsapp now because our weekly choreography is filled and shared after class for anyone who wants to practise at home. There's also a small group of local garden members for when we want to car share or swap plants and another for the people we used to dance with before our teacher retired. We meet up once a year at a dance in the centre of the Vendée and sometimes for a BBQ.

No sign of my new perennials being delivered yet so I've reorgainsed the Tupperware cupboard instead. Will still get some bulbs in after lunch tho and will take cuttings from my salvias.

I might also plant some purple garlic. Never seen it on sale in GCs but they had it at Grand Frais yesterday so I bought two bulbs, one for eating and one for planting as an experiment. They had British lamb yesterday - 32€ for leg of lamb steaks! Mondays are usually veggie days so I made sweet potato and pumpkin curry with curly kale.

 

Good morning (just!), all.

We have April showers today, interspersed with sunny periods, pretty but unsuitable for gardening. Nothing is really urgent out there, or so I'm trying to persuade myself... lots of weeds could do with removing, but the soil is quite soggy at the moment. Friday is currently the only dry day in the forecast. We shall see!

 

The dogs have been deposited at the kennels for 2 nights, my case is packed and we'll be leaving in about an hour.
I have done something I've been thinking about for a long time; offered Plas Dinas Hotel a letter from Lord Snowdon that he sent to my great aunt. She was Matron of the Liverpool Royal Infirmary and nursed him through a long stay there with polio. Apparently, only his sister visited, infrequently. He and my aunt were very attached to each other; he called her his other mother. When he got engaged to Princess Margaret, she sent her congratulations, prompting his letter. Plas Dinas was his family 'seat' in Wales.
5* Plas Dinas Country House, Caernarfon. Luxury hotel in Wales
Anyway, they're keen to accept and we have been invited for tea and a scone!
One of my other family letters now resides in the SS Great Britain museum. I was invited there, but Covid prevented that.
I have a few more little treasures to find homes for.
Like Swedish death cleaning!

 

Afternoon all, I have just lunched on a banana, which doesn't seem much at the moment but I will try to last out until tonight. I enjoyed a much needed back and shoulder massage this morning, despite a few ahs and ohs and have been told to take it easy for the rest of the day. It's alternating sunshine and showers so that rules out any gardening any way so I'll do what I'm told.

Interesting letter @Penny_Forthem, hope the hotel will appreciate it, enjoy the tea and scones.
Is your trip away for your birthday or an anniversary? Whichever it is, have a great time and enjoy being spoilt.

I keep thinking about planting a nectarine too, but not sure a columnar one will produce enough fruit to make it worthwhile.

All this talk about baking and cakes makes me feel even more hungry!

 

Sympathies @lizzie27. Thin day here too but prawns and a couple of spoonfuls of my red salad for lunch and chicken dopiaza for dinner - 300 cals + some curly kale so not a lot more.

Definitely need to take it easy after a massage so be good.

 

Good afternoon all. I was fascinated by the sounds of your fruit trees @Obelix-Vendée - gorgeous. I have never heard of a cherry/apricot cross before so look forward in future to see how it performs. Glad that your cake went down well. Tea loaves freeze very successfully and prepping in advance leaves my time free to sort out other things. All I need to do is remember to take a cake out of the freezer 48 hours ahead of tea/coffee morning. I have been giving some serious thought to getting a new cooker with induction hob. I do have a portable single ring induction hob wich I love but an oven with a 4 ring hob would be so useful as well as giving me a newer oven for my baking.

 

I hope you have a good time @Penny_Forthem.

It was fairly sunny today. The sheets have dried enough to iron them.

I spent over two hours in the garden today, weeding and leaf sweeping. Loads more to do. I've never seen such huge greater celandines. A couple of Nicandras, shoo fly plants, have grown while we were in France. Maybe a bird dropped the seed. The flowers are pretty but I don't want them seeding all over the place. I've left them for the moment.

 

Absolutely engrossing your post @Penny_Forthem and what a beautiful hotel! The letter is fascinating so I hope that you will get an acknowledgement if the hotel displays it. You certainly deserve it. I have been on the S.S. Great Britain and The Matthew (but sadly not for a sail as I had no time) when I visited Bristol several years ago. The S.S. Great Britain is awesome.
I'm jealous of your good washing weather @Busy-Lizzie as its been raining on and off all day here, still I did manage to get a wash done on Saturday.

 

I have been good - so far! Read the paper and watched TV. OH has shredded all the wisteria prunings so that's one more job out of the way. We'll use it to top up the shed path.

Ironing sheets @Busy-Lizzie - whatever next!

 

Well @Ladybird4 I have a tale to tell about the Matthew, too.
Many moons ago, mum and dad lived in Ruthin and a local vicar was on the Matthew when the BBC filmed its voyage. My dad, being a keen sailor, was an avid follower. I can't remember the vicar's name, but his stories were vivid and fascinating.

 

Evening everyone. I’ve dried washing too! Just about dry so good enough to go in warm airing cupboard. I don’t iron sheets as the fitted ones stretch themselves enough, but crisp bedding is pleasing. I expect the nurse in @Busy-Lizzie requires a neat bed at all times - I understand this!

Enjoy the evening folks.

 

I especially like duvet covers and pillowcases ironed @lizzie27 and I iron my nighties. Am I the only person here who likes ironing?

 

In a word @Busy-Lizzie - probably!

 

I don't mind ironing but OH does it so well and enjoys the peace watching his golf as I leave him to it. I always have my iron on for sewing.

I've had a message to say my plants should arrive on Thursday so have spent my day sorting out all my recipes printed off the internet. Enough to keep us going with new things to try for a few years now. Did a bedding wash too but too late to hang out and it's supposed to be wet tomorrow so it's on airers in the dining room.

I hope you get a bit more than a scone @Penny_Forthem. A whole afternoon tea at least.

I have visited those ships in Bristol too. The Matthew is so tiny.