This is my Peony

This is my peony - excuse the bin but the front garden is the only place to keep such a huge monstrosity and the council won't take your rubbish if you leave it out in bags *sigh*

Now where was I? Oh yes, this is my peony. Isn't it just beautiful? Every year it gives us the most beautiful blooms and every year, just as they are all open and reaching perfection it rains. I mean it usually hammers down and the blooms fill with water and droop down and touch the ground. This makes the edges of the petals go brown and - to quote my eloquent daughter - "go manky".

I was fortunate enough to have my camera in my hand when I opened the door and saw the first flower opening. I took its picture in the hope that this will cause the rain to hold off until at least the first petal falls.

Memorandum Monday - Something has to give

We sent the three top cushions, the black and white ones, to north Wales for Eldest Son and family. This is all part of the campaign to empty the Fornow room. Miss Boo got to see her beloved cousins and the new cushions were welcomed FTW!

We went out to buy the "other" printer on Friday. We have a brother A3 all whistles and bells printer that drives us absolutely mad with frustration.
Why? I hear you ask, I know you were thinking it though. It has its paper drawer underneath it and the paper has to be picked up and fed through rollers up and around inside the back and then is printed and spat out the front - usually onto the floor because I have forgotten to pull the plastic stop thing out.
This happens only when it works. For some reason it hates photographic paper. The customer service asked if I had changed the paper quality in settings before I tried. I didn't get cross.
It will pull one sheet through and then fail with the next one. It does this on ordinary, standard printer paper - it even does it with the brother approved paper.
"The rollers might be dirty or greasy" said the customer service. What? from the first time it came out of the box? Does that mean you send out printers with dirty or greasy rollers?

Anyhooooo, Mr M was muttering about getting the axe out of the cellar so I suggested that these days a person can buy a printer cheaper than the replacement ink cartridges cost. He took this and ran - or rather drove with it.
He came home from work on Friday lunchtime and after a quick sandwich we were off. We did the tour around Staples because they always have stuff we desperately need. We found a printer for around £35 and as we came out I spotted the new Wren Kitchen shop. I went in.

I have found my perfect kitchen and now I am torn. Do I want to live in this house with my perfect kitchen for the rest of my life or do I want to move to a bungalow and have my perfect kitchen somewhere else - or would that just be doing what I have done for 50 years ... wait.

Then we went to see some cousins. Between us Mr M and I have a huge number of cousins and first cousins once removed etc and we are pretty close to lots of them. On Friday we sat down and ate a takeaway and looked at Mr Ms family tree and corrected some things and we talked and laughed and laughed and talked and it was one of those precious evenings that you want to put in your pocket and savour. We are going to do it again real soon.

The rest of the weekend passed in a warm and sunny blur. we were out most of it in our new car. We are getting used to it and might even keep it LOL

My thanks to Sian at FromHighInTheSky for inventing this meme and keeping me writing

Memorandum Monday - barbeque?

This! This is why I am not fond of BBQ. Wherever I sit the smoke follows me. I once made a remark to Mr M about BBQ and he uses it frequently.
"The trouble with warm summer weekends," I said, "is that the air is redolent with the smell of BBQ"

I was thinking along the lines of having to ensure the washing was off the line and indoors before the first firelighter was stuffed into the charcoal but the word redolent struck home with him and he will mutter it as we pass the chiller cabinets in the supermarket with their special offer BBQ packs of meat and stuff.

We went out for a bit in the car on Saturday to see if we like it any more than we did on Monday. Everything is still in the wrong place and it is so small compared to the Sedona but that's what we have to stop doing - comparing - it doesn't bring satisfaction. Mr M is getting used to an engine half the size of the Sedona and I am getting used to him elbowing me in the arm every time he changes gear.

We texted Darling Daughter when we stopped to buy essentials like bread and butter and asked if we bought the stuff would she do the barby. S-i-L said he would cook so we bought the food and turned up at their house a little while later, when they came back from shopping.

Miss Boo was watching the Jackdaws on the Telecom building and trying to see where they were sneaking in and out. Blue-cat is waiting. He knows that all this smoke means food will be dropped and he might be 17 years old and as scrawney as a scrawney thing but he can move pretty darned quick when burger is falling to the floor.

I reinforced my knowledge that I really don't care for BBQ. I never used to mind when we were camping but these days I get no real pleasure in sitting in smoke to eat my dinner. I prefer a comfy chair with my feet up

My Thanks to Sian at FromHighInTheSky for inventing this meme to keep me writing

My ears are in Porthcawl

This is Mr M. We have been together for nearly 36 years and waaay, waaay back in 1980 during the course of a day out it seemed like every time I said something he would say "pardon?" or "I'm sorry I didn't hear what you said" or more often "Say that again!" and I would repeat myself until I finally had had enough and said
"Are you going DEAF!"
"No," he replied, "I am on my holidays here with you but my ears have gone on holiday too ... but they have gone to Porthcawl."
He scored a point for making me laugh out loud and this has been his get out of jail phrase for not hearing things ever since.
Today we were at the Venison Centre up in the Brecon Beacons, having a cuppa before we bought some venison sausages. When the tray was brought to our table there were two of those yummy little biscuits. I ate mine and then said "Can I eat your biscuit?"
Mr M gave me that look, the one in the picture, and said "Why do you need to get a skip?"*

* for the left pondian readers a skip is a dumpster

I promised you a - Donkey?

This is Woolly. Once I have the correct labels he will be on his way to the Donkey Sanctuary to be sold to raise funds.
This is the fourth attempt. The previous three all had something 'not quite right' I have shared them out between  three of the youngest grandchildren, the newest one had a teddy bear. I have got the hang of these here donks now. I will be sitting and watching TV and knitting until the weather gets too warm

Memorandum Monday - New Car!

New Car

Mr M showing off the size of his boot (That's trunk for my left pondian readers)

This weekend was emotional and tiring. We did the last of the clearing out of my beloved father-in-law's house prior to it being sold. This meant hiring a van to bring some of the stuff to our house and then take some over to a place in Bristol and then the rest to S-i-L in Gloucestershire.

My Youngest Son did the driving. As he drives huge artic trucks for a living it was easy for him to drive the luton van with a tail lift. By the time we got home I could hardly put one foot in front of the other. We sat down and went to bed early. YS discovered, after he had taken the van back and posted the keys into the security box that his wallet had fallen out of his pocket and was still in the van. He managed to be there when they opened on Monday and was able to get it back - PHEW

Sunday morning we took down shelves and vacuum cleaned and then put the welsh dresser together and filled it with all the stuff that was stacked in the corner. We went up the hill to the Bluefunnels for dinner - always a good time. The Lord Admiral was on tremendous form and we spent the evening laughing lots as we ate the most delicious dinner. Lady B loves a proper, traditional cooked dinner and to make sure that His Lordship doesn't do a glorious fry-up and stuff himself with leftovers the following day she piles it all onto a plate and Mr M brings it home. He then has a free extra dinner or two and I don't have to cook FTW!

Monday dawned suddenly for this writer. I dreamt that the lottery were ringing me to give me money and when I opened my eyes my phone was ringing! It was Mr M to tell me that YS was back in work after collecting his wallet. I got up then as I was wide awake. I promised myself that I would clear all the fabric stash and convert the surplus duvets and pillows into cushions so that by Christmas all that stuff will be used up or given away. I made six cushion covers and cushion pads for inside them and when I have sewn the buttons on I will take pictures and show you. Then it was time to go and collect our new (to us) car. That was great. Mr M spent the whole of the journey home doing the "What's that for?" game. Then we had to show Mummy and Miss Boo and Biker Boy and they all oohed and aahed in the right tone of voice. Now we are sleazing a little before bed

My thanks to Sian at FromHighInTheSky for inventing this meme and keeping me writing

Me on Monday - Late and tired

We spent the weekend looking at cars. We looked and looked in dealership after dealership.

I realised on Saturday night as we rested our weary feet that what we were looking for was either the car we have now - a KIa Sedona or, and this is the most likely a Jeep. We both really miss our Jeep and we look at vehicles and seek out features that are the same. Seats for large bottoms, space between the front and back seats for fat legs. A reasonable space in the back for shopping.

Did I learn anything? Yup. I definitely don't like cars that are low to the ground. I don't like cars that come to a point at the top because that triggers the claustrophobia. I really do want space in my vehicles and I would like to be able to drive it easily if I so choose before I have to renew my driving licence in September

The search continues

My thanks to Sian at FromHighInTheSky for inventing this meme to keep me writing