Out with the old

Those boots I showed you ages ago have finally had to be retired from active service!

I can't remember exactly how long they have been in use, but I think it is around ten years that I have been wearing them, and almost constantly in the last five anyway!  They have been extremely good value for money and I shall be sorry to lose them......

I do have some other walking boots around, but I have found that the ankle support section is too stiff for everyday wear, and will necessitate the wearing of thick walking socks on every occasion.

So, in my best frugal manner, I called in to a Factory Shop whilst I was passing on Saturday, and I had already seen in their flyers that they were having some Karrimor walking shoes in, so I looked for those.  I tried on a pair, and they fit beautifully, and are incredibly comfortable.  They were a little more than I wanted to spend, at £28 on the tag, but comfort is worth a lot!  I was consequently a very happy shopper when they went through the till at £22.

If they last 10 years, that will be just £2.20 a year, and anticipating near daily wear, just fractions of a penny per wear!  Bargain....

Another one

There's another widow on our quiet little street tonight as a neighbour who had had a short but fierce battle with cancer passed away last night.  She is my age and has a daughter in school the year below the YFG.  My heart went out to her tonight when I heard the news, and I have to take some time this weekend to write her a note.  She hadn't had the time to prepare and to consider this huge change as we had, as her husband's illness was relatively short.  I can't begin to imagine how she will cope with the shock and the changes that lie ahead for her.  Sobering thoughts tonight.

Sharing is caring

I've been involved in the bloggers for #ShareNiger project for a couple of years now, and it is a worthwhile thing to do.  We are sponsoring a number of children in Niger through WorldVision.

The request was a commitment to share sponsorship of the children, so that we are committed to £6 a month each. Each child consequently has four of us sponsoring them.

Due to various problems and hiccups, some of the supporters have had to drop out and there are some spaces.  We are hoping that more people [and not necessarily bloggers - the children don't care who sponsors them really!] will come forward to help.  If that could be you, please send me a message through the comments.

Some people set up a direct debit but I just send an annual cheque to the organiser.  She then sends us out copies of the updates on our respective children each time she gets them.  Click on the button in the sidebar to the original post on my friend's blog to learn more about the project.

Moving forward

I think you have heard enough about the garden at the moment - time to head back inside the house. I have been so pleased at my tidied-bedroom and the way that it has REMAINED tidy since I did the big sort out before Christmas - now I just have to apply myself to the rest of the house.

We have decided to carry on with the application to take the European students in September, and someone will be coming to visit us - so we need to be spick and span for that, especially as she will be taking photos - eeek!  This weekend I have been having a sort out in the office, which was the dining room, in an attempt to bring it back into use as a dining room as well as having an office area at one end where I can work..........I'm getting there!  I will have to explain to her that the second student hasn't got a bed yet - I have had the offer of one from my dad but I have to work out the logistics of getting it here!  I will just be borrowing it as when we downsize to a smaller place in the future, I am sure that we will not have room for four single beds.

I have to say that reading the book on the Kindle about the Marie Kondo method of tidying has helped me to consider things in a different light - and the YFG's making of some amazing chocolate brownies this weekend from a recipe off the BBC Good Food website makes me think that we can do without the 1001+ recipe books which are lining our walls.  Well, maybe we'll keep a few favourites.

The trouble with spring is that there is never enough time - I want to be outside, sowing seeds and painting the sheds, etc, not in the house!  Oh well, hoping for better weather for a couple of days so that we can actually get outside and do things - had enough rain now but unfortunately, there is more in the forecast for today, which does save me watering the grass for today so it is not altogether a bad thing.

Today I am working on the phones for four hours as I only did 2 hours yesterday, and I have a meeting with the tutor for my church work this afternoon too.  Hope you all have a blessed day x

Weekend over!

We've had a couple of long lie-ins at the weekend but today we are back to the normal routine!  I just made it to church on Sunday by the skin of my teeth because I didn't get up when the alarm went off....the weather here over the weekend wasn't particularly encouraging, so I kept snuggling back down under the quilt for another snooze!

We had lots of rain on Sunday morning but then the skies cleared and we had some glorious sunshine later on in the day.  More yesterday too - and so we watered the grass in the afternoon.  The YFG was desperate to "have a go" and so she did it, with minimal help negotiating the hose pipe hither and there.  Then it rained last night and she sighed, "Oh, I did all that for nothing!" to which I had to reply that every drop was worth it as the chap who laid it said we couldn't give it enough water, so all that we do is good!  The turves are already blending themselves together in to a lawn and the edges are becoming less noticeable as the grass grows, so all this rain and watering is definitely worth it.

Pottering in the garden, tidying up the office/dining room and having my Dad over for a visit in the afternoon took up most of the bonus day that was the Bank Holiday.

And then there was Charlotte.  The latest addition to the Royal family, Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana of Cambridge, was born on Saturday morning, so we have been reading the reports of her birth on the internet news channels, and eagerly waited to find out what her name would be - I was sort of hoping that Victoria might make it in to the combination, but actually, I love what they have chosen too.  

(image from bbc.co.uk)

And then He said...

When one has had as much turf put down as has been recently installed here, you want to protect your investment, and that means watering the stuff.  Well, at least on the days that it doesn't rain - so I may get a day off watering tomorrow, if the weather forecast is accurate.  So since I have been so busy lately, finding out that it takes me an hour to water this patch has been a revelation in peace and quiet.  You can't Rush watering, you can't do it in a hurry, you just have to do it slowly and methodically, making sure that every square inch is getting a good drink of the pure stuff. And that leaves you a lot of time for Thinking. 

It's is almost as if God had said to me - "Slow down!" and then when I didn't, He had a think about it and said, "Water this grass every day for two weeks and Slow Down!" So I am.

It's actually very good for me, and I am enjoying it, three days in.  

So, I know that some bright sparks are going to wonder why I am not using a sprinkler.  Well, I tried... but water costs money, and I don't like to waste water or money, and it made me cross to see water shooting over the fence and into the neighbour's garden, and all up the brick wall of the house, and very little of it onto the actual grass, so I decided I could be more efficient - the grass needs the water so that is where it goes, all of it, not just a third of it!

Another one of those days!

Early start at school to interview several ladies for a vacant position,

home to work on phones, 

several distractions,

cooking tea,

more work on phones, 

clearing up outside behind the workmen, 

watering the turf and praying for rain, 

chatting to sister on FB, 

clearing up the kitchen and thinking about tomorrow's meals, 

getting a phone call to say I missed a message on the phone yesterday and we have worship lunch tomorrow so I need to provide bread and custard,

bathtime, 

bedtime!  

Rush, rush, from one thing to another.

Hoping for a slower day tomorrow.......well, I can hope!