In the sewing room ...

Just after sun-rise this morning.  Vapour trails from planes on their way to far-off destinations.

The 'sewing room' looks like a tip at the moment; I'm having a concerted effort to tidy and organise this little space but I keep getting waylaid by a forgotten - and half-finished - project I'd forgotten about.  I have two patchwork quilt tops, one double and one single, which have accompanied me on my last three house moves.  They must have been started well over 20 years ago.  They deserve to be finished.  They are on the list.

I have a number of upcycling/repurposing projects lined up, too.  Over the past couple of weeks I have had a (sensible) clear-out of my wardrobe and several items are bagged up ready for a charity shop.  Several more pieces of clothing are destined to be turned into something different and more useful, and have now formed themselves into a 'pile' on the floor.  A pair of jeans that I intended to pass on, on closer investigation have a lot more wear in them than I thought and I will alter them to fit better.  I need some stronger thread and top-stitching thread to complete that project, so now I have the beginnings of a shopping list as well.

I've got a few hand-made cards on the go as well, but have just realised that the glue ran out on the last cards I made, so that can go on the list, too.  We're at work tomorrow so I'm hoping to pop into the haberdashery afterwards with my list.

The painting in the kitchen is coming along, albeit slowly, but it is progress.  We may get the flooring tomorrow if we have time.

We had lunch with friends today, in a part of the island we don't venture to very often.  They have a lovely garden; plenty of plants and points of interest, exactly the sort of garden I like.  A few more ideas to store away until we are in a position to get digging outside here.  The meal was very tasty, and afterwards we sat and played a version of dominoes, new to me but great fun.  Great food, great company, interesting conversation.  It was a really lovely way to spend the afternoon.

Sunshine and blue skies . .

We have enjoyed a really lovely day today - sunshine, warmth and just the lightest of breezes.  This morning we joined what seemed like hundreds of other people for a walk along the beach.

The shingle bank that was thrown up onto the beach during the Christmas/New Year storms a few weeks ago is still there, and we spied some scallop shells in amongst the stones.

Just a few shallow ripples at the water's edge today, instead of the huge crashing rollers we've been experiencing recently.  Here's a container ship destined for Southampton, passing one of the Solent forts.

Our walk took us through Puckpool Park, originally the site of a Battery, built during the 19th century to defend against a perceived threat from the French.  This building was the main magazine, and this morning the roadway in front was several inches under water; the reflection was near perfect.  

This afternoon I met up with an old school friend, and we enjoyed a pot of tea and a good natter at Quarr.  It was a lovely walk there and back, and everyone I met en route seemed happy to see the sun at last!

Finally, a bit of ingenuity from N.  The little plastic cover to the water resevoir in my iron has finally snapped off so N has fashioned a nifty stopper out of a bottle cork and a wooden knob left over from his hand-made boxes.  I think it is just perfect.

Now ironing makes me smile :-)

Machine quilting finally finished

A quick five minutes of blogging before I collapse into bed.  Time seems to be in short supply at present.

I have finished all the machine quilting on the quilt - yay!!  All those pesky ends are darned in, and I'm now hand quilting hearts.  I'm determined to get this project finished by the end of the month, so I'm using every available minute to do whatever I can.  The end is in sight, and I am so excited at the prospect of seeing the finished result, my first full-sized bed quilt.

N has been a little better today (thank goodness) and we were able to meet up with our friends at lunch.  We all had lots of news to share, and we were so pleased to hear that they, like us, have taken some very positive decisions and steps this year.  Also, they have offered to be a 'working party' in the new house!  We have assured them that all offers will be gratefully received ;-)

I baked bread yesterday, and used Rhonda's recipe for the first time.  I was a little wary, as the recipes I have used previously were in grammes (very precise), and this one was by the cup, which seemed a tad more casual!  However, I have to say the bread is absolutely lovely and I shall definitely use that recipe again.

There was a pair of collared doves in the garden this afternoon; I think they are such pretty birds

Tomorrow we are at the donation centre again - I wonder what goodies will be unearthed from the black bags?

Odd bits of news

N has a cold.  He's not a happy bunny at all.  I have warned him of the consequences should he feel the need to pass it on to me.  I'm off to soak more handkerchiefs.

The surveyor has been to see the new property and we await his report.  Fingers crossed nothing horrendous crops up in it.  And the building society have confirmed they are happy to lend us the (very small) balance we need to buy.  We have been a bit surprised at how quickly things are progressing - the end of February might not be so unlikely after all.  

I've had a blitz on machine quilting today, and I think I must be getting better,  the fabric seemed to flow under the needle far better, and I've finally got the speed balanced with the stitch size.  It's a relief to have made good progress today as there are a few other things beginning to pile up.  I really need to get this quilt finished.

I had a lovely email from an old school friend yesterday which I replied to today.  We've known each other for 50-odd years which seems amazing.  Hopefully we'll get together soon.  Lots of news to catch up on.

No photos - it just seems so busy at the moment.  However, we both think the evenings are pulling out gradually - it was still reasonably light at 16.45 this afternoon; it wasn't so many weeks ago that it was dark by 4 o'clock.  

Grafting on the shortest day!

It's the shortest day of the year today.  There were Winter Solstice celebrations at Stonehenge, and here it rained and blew hard all day.  Damp, grey and dismal, but in my mind I can look forward to the days ahead getting longer, even if it is only by a few minutes each day.  And when I was in the garden yesterday, I caught sight of a daffodil shoot just breaking the surface of the soil - in December, for goodness sake!  But it is yet another little ray of hope that Spring follows the dark days of Winter.  We also give a thought to our 'second' home of Orkney, where the daylight is even less.  

So, onto the 'grafting'.  Hard work?  Well, yes, for me, as I'd not done this before.  I've finally reached the point of dealing with the shoulder seams of N's jumper, and as the body was done in the round, I felt the shoulder seams should be grafted, not sewn with a seam.  I had to look this method up, and after a couple of false starts (I really do need to pay attention!), I got the hang of it and have ended up with two grafted shoulder seams I am happy with.

I want the sleeves to be knitted up in the round too, but at the moment I'm trying to decide how many stitches to pick up around the armhole.  It's all very trial and error, as the whole jumper has been, and I think in future I ought to stick with a printed pattern; I'm finding the whole uncertainty surrounding the project rather unnerving =:o

We had a lovely time yesterday with friends, enjoying their hospitality and good food.  We seem to be on the same 'wavelength' about many things which is probably why we get on so well.  Without going into details, our get-together yesterday did all of us a lot of good - a bit of a kick-start that we were all looking for but had yet to quite find.  N and I so appreciated the effort that our friends had gone to - the decorations and attention to detail on the dinner table were beautiful, and made us realise that those little touches are important, and really do make a difference.  We both felt that is something we want to make more effort with at home.  It started us thinking about quite a few ideas and we feel that we will start the new year with many positives to take forward.  We have our friends to thank for that.  

We had Grandson No 1 with us this afternoon; he did a sterling job of keeping the two of us entertained!  Several rounds of I-Spy, Ludo (although that seems to go by a different name these days), a bit of footie on the television, and the afternoon whizzed by.  

We're keeping fingers crossed regarding the weather for tomorrow as my daughter is travelling to us for Christmas.  We'll check the ferry websites for any cancellations, but hopefully we'll see her tomorrow afternoon :))

Finished sewing projects, and a Christmas decoration

Well, not only did I have a 'screen-free' Sunday, but Saturday as well!  Not really intentional, but there was just a lot going on and I couldn't justify spending time with the laptop.

We spent some time over the weekend with friends, enjoying a lovely meal together, chatting and relaxing.  It was good to take time out from the inevitable busyness that seems to overtake everyone in the run-up to Christmas.

N has been busy in the kitchen, playing with a new gadget we brought back from Manchester (where it had been gathering dust in the back of a cupboard for many years!).  We now have a burger press, and some festive turkey mince and cranberry burgers:

Waiting to be frozen; greaseproof discs top and bottom

We'll be trying them tomorrow, with home-made rolls.

In amongst visiting, cleaning, washing and shredding, I've been frantically trying to finish some sewing projects.  Why is it when you are in a hurry, things seem to take twice as long?  I had taken some hand sewing with me for the train journey to Manchester and back, so that was the first things to finish off when I returned home.  Having cleaned the vases on the lounge window sill, and sorted all the shells and stones out, I knew they would only get covered in dust again if they remained uncovered, so I have been busy with some little covers.

They are just a square/circle of cotton fabric, with a crocheted edging, and weights, in the form of stones with holes in them, or shells with holes drilled in them.

I have embroidered the top of each cover with a shell design; very simple but quite effective, and at least it keeps the dust out of the vases!

Next on the list was a 'New Home' card for M and J - it's fun working on a small scale - but it took longer than I anticipated.  Ah well, patience and perseverance needed in equal amounts ;)

I've also begun sewing for this year's Christmas ornament for the family.  This 'tradition' seemed to start last year almost by accident - I went into production with patchwork Santas - and I thought I would try to do something this year, too.  Plenty of time, I told myself!  LOL.  Anyway, the prototype is on it's way to M&J, and tomorrow I shall cut out some more for the rest of the family (that's the four children, and N has asked for a couple for the lounge, too).

I'm sure I saw the pattern or a photo of this reindeer on the internet but I can't remember where, apologies.  If I can find the link, I'll put it up.  No cost involved at all, just a few scraps of felt, wadding, embroidery thread, buttons and ribbon was all that was needed.  I now wondering if it should have had a tail or not . . . 

A bit of a talking-to.

We met up with friends for lunch today, and had a lovely time catching up on news, nattering away and enjoying a very nice meal (I think next time I'll pass on the chips - oops!).  The cafe/restaurant is on a dairy farm, and some of the calves were in a barn right next door - the Guernsey breed is very pretty.

Aren't they sweet?  They are part of the herd at Briddlesford Farm, a local family-run dairy farm.  We didn't have time to visit the farm shop today but I intend going back to have a closer look.  I have a feeling that the milk they produce probably tastes completely different to what we buy at the supermarket - again, I'd like to try it.  Perhaps a cream tea might be in order next time . . . 

We've been a bit 'airy fairy' for the past couple of days, and it's beginning to annoy us.  Usually we are reasonably focused with some kind of plan and purpose, but at the moment we seem to have lost our way a little.  I think we're still feeling disillusioned with our trip across the water on Tuesday, especially as we've now had to admit that we don't actually like the shelves we bought.  They looked great in the store (yep, we fell for that one!) but the reality is, they don't look right where we planned to put them.  We're annoyed with ourselves for making the mistake and for the cost incurred - they weren't particularly expensive but that's not the point.  Suddenly the whole issue of shelving seems to have become a huge headache and the more we try to work out what we could do, the less we seem to resolve the problem.  And that just makes us more miffed!  

Anyway, I think it's important to take stock of what we have sorted out recently; we've decided on the kitchen and confirmed with the builder for January.  We've also now decided on the oven and hob.  We love the new wallpaper in the bedroom - it's made such a difference to the feel of the room, so that's great - and tomorrow we will begin to decorate the lounge.  I do the painting and N does the wallpapering.  We're a pretty good team and both enjoy what we do.  I'm hoping that an injection of fresh colour will lift the lounge and our spirits, and hopefully the question over the shelving will become clearer.  Glass half-full, quiltingwench, not half-empty!

We had our first frost of the season yesterday morning - the shed roof had a light frosting but it went quite quickly.  Yesterday and today have been wonderfully bright and clear (hence the dip in temperature overnight) and I have actually dried the washing outside.  The decking in the garden is pretty treacherous underfoot where it is so damp.  And N has found a leak in the shed - lots of water - so a bit of repair work is needed there.

I'm sure we'll get ourselves sorted out over the next couple of days.  Neither of us likes feeling that we've lost direction, and especially over something so trivial.  I think once we get stuck into some good old-fashioned painting and decorating things will look better, in more ways than one.  

Buck your ideas up, woman, you've got so much to be thankful for. 

Entertaining al fresco

We had some friends round for lunch today, just about the hottest day of the year so far, and N and I were in the garden early to look at rigging up some shading.  N had pondered this yesterday and had already strung some spare washing line between a couple of suitable uprights.  We draped a large sheet we brought back from India over the line and secured it with pegs and clamps and fixed the other side to the fence with more clamps.  It drooped a little in the middle, so we used the clothes-line prop to give it a bit of height.  Rather Heath Robinson, but more than effective.  It has something of a bedouin tent look about it!

It was very pleasant to sit outside and have some respite from the heat.  The four of us sat and chatted away, with ice-cold lemonade and home-made shortbread biscuits.  Our friends have also recently retired, so we are able to compare notes on how we are all adapting to a different way of life.  It was good to hear them say they felt we looked well for leaving work, and seemed content and at ease.  That is how we feel ourselves, so we were pleased that it is noticeable to our friends, too.

We were able to show them around our little plot, they tried some peas straight from the plants, and they sampled our home-grown potatoes and salad leaves, served with salmon, for lunch.  We enjoy their company, and it was a very pleasant way to spend a few hours.

We have made plans to take lunch out on Friday, so I shall bake soft bread rolls again that morning so they will be fresh out of the oven - I can almost smell them already!  

Hot weather, visitors and barbeques

The days seem to have passed by in a bit of a blur, the weekend came and went and the new week is under way.  Lots of photos taken, but no time to blog.  So, a quick re-cap ...

The hospital stay was thankfully short - in on Wednesday and out on Friday, having been dosed up with i/v antibiotics to deal with the infection.  However, the bed did have a very good view of the helipad, so that was something of a pleasant distraction!

The hot weather has continued.  Phew, has it been warm!  We've taken to saving all shower water, and some water used in the kitchen, for the garden - we've progressed from a bucket in the kitchen to a plastic garden-trug in the bathroom!  Needs must, we think, and it has certainly helped the plants get through this dry spell.

We had a lovely time with my son over the weekend, lots of catching up over some cold beers.  Wedding plans, his new job which starts next week, and his attempts at gardening - he has reluctant green fingers at the moment, but I have assured him he will 'get' gardening in due course!  He was able to try out the new bed we have sorted out for the spare bedroom, and reports that it was very comfortable indeed.  Good news.  

Wooden slatted bed-frame with lots of storage space underneath - always very useful

The wooden bed-frame cost us £20 at the local hospice furniture store - it was just what we were looking for and helped a very good cause in the process.  We did splash out on a new mattress, although it was half-price, possibly slight seconds as some of the threads had come undone on the fabric cover.  However, a few minutes patiently weaving the loose threads back through with the assistance of a crochet hook, and you couldn't tell the difference.   

We've been watching the young birds in the gardens recently.  They are still in their juvenile plumage and it is a bit confusing.

Young starling with brown feathers.  In time it will get the shiny irridescent black/blue plumage as an adult.

Young blackbird.  It's quite speckled, and I mistook it for a thrush when I first saw it.

In the garden, everything is growing well.  We've had more peas but sadly the beans we harvested were very stringy and we had to put them in the compost bin.  We think it must be the lack of rain in the growing season (which is annoying when we remember how wet it was earlier this year) as our neighbour's beans are looking a bit thin and weedy too.

In the greenhouse the tomatoes are filling out and it's looking like a good crop.  Poor N suffers every evening he goes in there to water, as the plants aggravate his hayfever, so he's sniffling and sneezing.  Hopefully it should only last another couple of weeks; he's been quite bad this year, especially with the hot weather.

The courgettes are also doing well, and we've cropped a couple already.  And the potatoes N dug up over the weekend were delicious.

Finally, the antirhinums (snap-dragons) have flowered.

N is very proud of these annuals.  We got a packet of seeds free with a box of cereal in the spring, and N sowed the seeds and potted them on, not really expecting much to happen.  So he was pleasantly surprised when all 36 seedings grew on.  They were duly planted out, spent several weeks looking a bit spindly, then all of a sudden took off and have rewarded N by flowering - it the pinky-red flower in the centre of the picture above.  We both remember snap-dragons in the gardens of our childhood - if you pinch the flowers, they 'snap' open.

We had a lovely barbeque with all our neighbours from the flats yesterday afternoon and evening.  Lots of good food, drink and very pleasant company.  

As I was busy typing this post this evening, I noticed the houses outside my window just catching the light of the setting sun.  The picture is taken from the bathroom; by perching somewhat precariously on the edge of the bath, and opening the window as far as it will go, and leaning out .... what I will do to get a photo ;)

'Retirees' lunch, and a decision on selling

Yesterday we met up with some ex-colleagues for lunch at their house.  Over the past two and a half years we have all, one by one, left work, and we are all adjusting to life after work.  We had a lovely time with them, and did a lot of catching up, comparing notes,  and admiring their garden (on my next visit I may ask for a cutting from their honeysuckle - it had the most wonderful scent) and very snazzy kitchen - there were some clever storage ideas which we may look into ourselves.  Hopefully we will be reciprocating their hospitality in a couple of weeks' time.

On the way home, we called into the estate agent and asked for the flat to be taken off the market.  This morning, before 9 o'clock, the 'for sale' sign had gone.  For some strange reason it has left us both feeling a little 'down' but we have no idea why.  We both agreed it was the sensible thing to do at this particular time, but I think perhaps we were both looking forward to the challenge of a new property.  However, we have made the decision together that now is just not the right time.  At the weekend I drew up a list of pros and cons for staying here, and the reasons to stay far outweighed the reasons against.  Why I seem to be focusing on the reasons against today, I don't know.  Human nature, perhaps. Anyway, things seem to be getting back into perspective this evening, and by tomorrow I shall be making all sorts of plans for ways we can optimise what we have here.  We did a little bit of measuring up in the spare bedroom earlier, and then got side-tracked with something else.

N felt the need to build today, so a quick trip to the timber-yard provided him with some battening to make some trellis.  We have uneven fencing on one side of the garden, and having cut back the hedging over the weekend, it seemed like a good time to tidy things up a little.  Half an hour measuring, sawing, painting and wielding hammer and nails, and the job was done.

It has certainly smartened that corner of the garden a little.  N has two more trellises to make, probably tomorrow.

The garden is starting to bloom.  The top bed has purple-leaved heucheras, red salvias and golden marigolds, and the clumps of coreopsis have just started producing yellow flowers.  They flower profusely all through the summer, and last year were quite glorious.

The bottom photo shows the grey-leaved stachys (bunnies' ears) which are just starting to produce tiny mauve flowers, with the violet flower spikes of veronica behind.  At the back of this little bed are two lavenders, which are also just starting to flower.  We had rain last night and it seemed to have brought all the plants on really well.

I made a quiche for dinner last night, and we finished it off for lunch today.  I have to say that I have finally 'cracked' pastry-making.  It always used to be tough, or a bit soggy, or too short, but a bit of determination has paid off.  I now know exactly how much cold water to add, to handle it as little as possible, and I leave it to rest for a good hour in the fridge before rolling out.  I blind-bake it for a little longer than I used to, and it seems that all these little tweaks have made the difference.  I am happy to say I can successfully make shortcrust pastry!  One small step in the right direction.  

   

Catching up with old friends, and keeping the finances on track

Well, we've had a busy and productive weekend.  Good weather Saturday had everyone out in the gardens.  Along the back fence and one of the side fences to our little garden are areas of neighbouring gardens that have been 'left' untended.  Both those gardens are very big (in excess of 100' in length), and the bottom 20-30' are  now more wild than cultivated.  The problem for us is that there are now very tall overgrown 'hedges' and trees, supporting rampant growth of ivy, bindweed and bramble which is tumbling over into our patch.  N had a chat with one of our neighbours on Saturday, and he was quite happy for us to give that hedge a good trim, which we have done.  At this time of year, of course, everything is in full growth, especially the plants we don't want so much of!

We had a great time Saturday visiting our friends who have returned from the US.  Even though we haven't seen them for nearly 5 years, it was just like picking up where we left off.  Lots of chatting, reminiscing, drinking and an excellent barbeque.  Perhaps a bit too much drinking on my part ;)  Slightly fragile Sunday morning!  But gosh, it is good to see them all again.

It was beautiful yesterday, and we spent the afternoon in the garden, reading and dozing.  It was very pleasant.

Today I have tried to start the new month (and the second half of the year) as I mean to go on.  To-do lists are really keeping me focused on what needs to get done, and a few things that I want to have a go at.  I find it's better to have a manageable list rather than setting myself too much and then being disappointed if I don't cross much off.  N and I  sat down with a coffee after breakfast to do the meals for this week - that's something which does seem to be helping, and it eases the pressure on N if there's a few ideas planned ahead.  Sometimes we do something different but generally we stick more or less to the plan for the week.  It also means that a couple of times I do the cooking/meal preparation to give N a break and me a chance to get my hand back in the kitchen.

The last few loaves I've baked have all had air pockets on the crust, but the one today looks like a little volcano!

To day I made bread, and tried a recipe for a banana and walnut cake which has baked up very well - really light instead of the very stodgy one I cooked a couple of weeks' ago.  I'll have to try this new recipe again to make sure this time wasn't a fluke, and then I shall add it to my recipe cards.

We went along to the grandchildren's sports day this afternoon, and joined other mums, dads and grandparents cheering the youngsters in a variety of running, relay and 'other' races - glad to see the 'egg-and-spoon' race is still going strong!

I've been trying to spend a little time each day getting paperwork up straight, notes written up and scraps of information put somewhere sensible so that I know exactly where to go if I need to find something specific.  I'm getting there gradually.  Being organised makes such sense, and I get annoyed with myself if I allow things to slip.  We are seeing the benefits of proper organisation - meal plans I have already mentioned; to-do lists hopefully ensure things don't get missed or forgotten; paperwork filed correctly can be located immediately it's needed.  

Having cash for the month in the housekeeping purse has been another really valuable tool for us.  Recording our expenditure has become second-nature for us, and it has been very useful exercise to see where the money goes on a monthly basis.  We have been under our allotted budget every month so far simply by being sensible with our spending.

We often wonder why it is that some people max themselves out with money, spending almost every penny that they earn.  What does it take to change that particular mindset?  I have never liked being in debt.  I baulked against credit cards that were offered to me, never used an overdraft and when I have needed to take out a loan I made sure it was repaid as a priority - as a single-parent at the time I was very conscious that it was all down to me if things went wrong so I did everything I could to ensure that didn't happen.  I was extremely fortunate that I bought and sold property at just the right time (bought when the prices were low and then sold several years later at the height of the market, and then bought a cheaper house than the one I'd just sold) so I was able to be mortgage-free, and that was a wonderful feeling.   A few years later and N and I nearly took on another mortgage to buy a bigger house, but realised just in time that that would have shackled us with debt and the obligation to repay it for many years to come.  It made more sense to us to stay where we were, in a small property that was bought and paid for, and that is a decision we have not regretted.  It has allowed us both to leave work earlier than many people are able to do.  We have both always lived within our means, have been careful with our spending and saving and continue to do so.  It is because we have been prudent with our money that we are in the position we are in.  We do not have a luxury lifestyle by any means, we shop wisely and appreciate the value of money.  We have worked hard for our pennies and now expect them to work hard for us!

Oh, and I found a pound coin on the ground today!  

Back in the driving seat

If you look ever so closely, you can just see the first tomato forming.  Green, and a bit on the small side, but I have every hope that it will be the first of a bumper  crop this year.  I am nothing if not optimistic! 

I seem to have got a little behind in recording our daily happenings here, so I'm trying to have a quick re-cap on what we've done. 

The gloss painting in the hallway is finished - phew!  It might have taken a lot longer than I expected (I just did the upstairs doorframes and the stairs/bannisters - one of our neighbours has done the downstairs bits) but it really has made the entrance area so much brighter.  It was worth it.

We had a wonderful surprise on Friday when N quite literally bumped into an old friend we had lost contact with - we thought they were still in America but they actually moved back to England some time ago.  Phone numbers had got lost when mobiles had been changed and they had not known we had also moved.  Anyway, to cut a long story short, N met up with his mate the following afternoon, and they were both over the moon to have made contact again.  We have arranged to visit their family this coming weekend, and are so looking forward to being able to catch up properly.  It's strange, because we have so often thought of them and wondered what they were doing (as we thought, in US), and all the time they have been just a few miles from us.  I think there will be some plans made for the summer.  It is great news.

This morning, whilst I was having breakfast, I recorded no fewer than 12 different bird species in the garden.  It was just one of those days where they all seemed to be out and about at the same time.  For the record, I saw: pigeon, magpie, robin, greenfinch, goldfinch, house sparrow, blue tit, great tit, startling, blackbird, dunnock and jackdaw.  I haven't seen goldfinch for some time, so I was really pleased to see the flash of white, gold and red catch my attention as several flew across the garden, then a couple came back onto some shrubs.  

I mentioned a couple of posts ago that I had been wrestling with a problem and was looking at a way of moving forward with it.  So this weekend I have been trying to do just that.  I have made some decisions, and taken some practical steps.  Sometimes it is better to try to do something rather than do nothing.  

And I have decided to make some changes to this blog, too.  Some things have been deleted - they have no place here - and I think a new name is in order, too.  So from tomorrow, this will be Simply Pottering Along, which is what N and I do here.  We potter through our days, taking life slowly and simply, and we are happy with the lifestyle we have chosen.  I am enjoying recording our ups and downs through the seasons, watching the garden grow, and the little changes we make to our lives.  Personal and private stuff is just that, and won't be found here.

Onward and upward.