Friends and Family

Yesterday everything happened at once. First I was eating a cooked breakfast of poached egg on a toasted roll with a cup of tea (at about 10 am, you understand) when the doorbell rang. I opened the door to TBSITW and suggested she make herself a cup of tea while I finished my breakfast. No sooner was it poured but the doorbell rang again to the cleaners. However we did manage a grand blether and I saw some photos of her recent caravan holiday with partner and dog. The caravan door can be opened saloon bar style with just the bottom half closed and there were several photographs of the dog looking out of the door as though to say come back, don’t forget me (and also admiring the scenery).

The cleaners did a great job of working round us and we moved to the other end of the living room to let one of them Hoover the end we had been sitting at.

In the middle of all this a delivery from T**** arrived and TBSITW helped me put it all away.

At last there was a bit of peace and TBSITW wrapped a parcel for me as she can do this so much better than I can.

I told her about an article in Private Eye which was on a subject that I had emailed them about (involving the suspension of a Junior Doctor in the North of Scotland). Several medical blogs covered the apparent injustice of this, and for some amazing reason none of the national papers covered it. It would be nice to think that I was the instigator of the article, but no doubt others had also contacted them!

It was a bright but a chilly day – definitely October weather. I am trying to postpone starting to switch on the central heating due to the rising costs of fuel. It is also unfortunate that we have electric night store heaters. There is no gas to the premises as they are retirement flats, and gas could be rather risky. The principal benefit of gas is that you can just click it on for a while on a cold day, leaving it off when you don’t need it.

As I was sitting looking out of the window at my very small patio, I noticed a beautiful bowl holding a plant which my friend JD brought me some time back when she last visited. Over last winter I thought it would not survive, then over this summer I thought it was not going to flower but now it is in full bloom with small deep blue flowers. I think they are gentians, but I am not sure – I must ask her. It is delightful to see a late flowering plant like that. I think in the spring I shall ask TBSITW to plant it out as I suspect they are several small plants rather than one large one and it would be a pity if they were to become pot bound.

Thank you, JD, even when they were not in flower I always looked at the plant in its deep-blue bowl and thought of you.

I have another, taller plant pot, also blue, which was a gift from a good friend C. The plants she put in were annuals, but this year I replanted the pot and I can see it too as I look out of my French windows.

It is good to have these reminders of friends.

Bits and Pieces

Today, after Church (where the sermon was on the Parable of the mustard seed, not the easiest of texts to understand, particularly as it is only 2 verses long), I collected the communal watering can and filled it at the outside tap, bringing it back to water all my pots.

I paid particular attention to the "Two Sisters", and not just to the flowers but also to the body of Mammouth as well in case it gets too dry and blows over in the wind as it is intrinsically rather light. I was admiring Miss Pig. TBSITW planted some ivy at the front to form a fringe, and it has thrived and grown sufficiently that it could act rather as the hair of Rapunzel, which was long enough to let down from her tower to allow her favoured prince to climb up.

Coming out of Church you immediately appreciate that the weather today is warm and humid. It is not as summery as earlier in the week, but the Church is so cold that it was like coming out into a warm bath.

I am going to make potato salad this afternoon, but otherwise have nothing planned. "The Thunderbolt Kid" by Bill Bryson awaits, following a recommendation on another blog, but at this moment I can't remember whose.

Later: I went to Wikipedia to look up the story of Rapunzel, which was even darker than I remembered and I had quite forgotten that it was the witch who called out "Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair" and the Prince overheard her and thus found out how to reach Rapunzel in her tower. If you want to know more, go to Wikipedia.

Whew!

Up early this morning as I had an appointment with the leech (aka the phlebotomist) as the work up for my appointment next week or so at the vascular clinic. I had to fast for 14 hours for this, so, as you can imagine, my blood sugar was a bit low. Also, as usual when I have to get up early I have a disturbed night.

At any rate off I went clutching 2 slices of shortbread wrapped in kitchen towel to eat in the car after the blood was taken. Interestingly enough someone was shadowing the nurse practitioner this morning - so she learned that not everyone has beautiful easy veins. Brownie points to the nurse practitioner for managing to get it in one go!. On more than one occasion I have been sent home because the phlebotomist could not get any blood after several attempts. I think she came to wave garlic around as I approached.

Then out to the car for the shortbread and off for the physiotherapy exercises. Afterwards I had a tea and scone at the garden centre as usual, then went looking for plant fertiliser and compost (the smallest bag is rather large for me to heave around so it will remain in the boot of the car until some kind person comesto heave it over.)

I also bought (after a lot of searching) a simple selection of 4 plants "for patio pots" and eventually found a golden thyme for the empty pot (empty because I removed the old plant which was in a very sorry state.)

By this time I felt as though I had done more than enough and came in only to be reminded sharply by a guilty conscience that I had to brush the soil/compost off the patio. I have done this.

AND THAT IS DEFINITELY ALL!

Continuing a Sunny Day

This morning I made Pea and Pancetta Soup having been stimulated to do so by the frolicking foodie. I had it hot at lunchtime and chilled in the evening.

I have posted the recipe in my recipe blog, so won’t repeat it here.

After that I ventured into the “garden” and added fertiliser to the bay and the rosemary, then I went and filled up a watering can, added some Baby Bio and watered all my recently planted begonias.

As I was taking the watering can back, I was very glad to have a helping hand as I was starting to find it difficult keeping my balance.

After that I made potato salad to add to some lettuce, Marks and Spencer 4 Mediterranean salads, tomatoes and cucumber.

The sun has shone all day and the temperature has been really warm. I kept the top half of the French window open all day. I can’t remember the last time I was able to do that.

I do hope it lasts…….

Sumer is icumen in,. Lhude sing cuccu..

This morning I wakened and thought I had slept in as the room was so bright.

In fact it was quite early and what was causing the brightness was...

... wait for it...

SUNSHINE.

It is a beautiful day with blue skies and the sun fair splitting the heavens.

I may even be able to get out and feed the bay and the rosemary; the former is looking rather yellow (jaundice anyone???) and the latter is flowering. Both are in pots, and would probably do better in the soil, but I like to keep them handy by the french windows.

TBSITW has promised to come and put my two busy lizzies into the border. They have become top heavy for their pots and even blew over in the wind. I now have the pots jammed in amongst other pots.

As I looked looked up from the monitor and out of the window, I saw a small bird hopping in around the branches of a rose bush. It kept it up for about 5 minutes.

This morning dawned with more low cloud, but at least no rain, so off to Church for Pentecost. Our minister is currently preaching a series of sermons on St Paul's letters, but for today turned to The Acts of the Apostles, and the speed with which the good news of the Christian faith spread far and wide from Jerusalem around the Mediterranean countries and even to the heart of the Roman Empire, Rome.

Our prayers this morning were particularly for the poor people in Burma and in a different vein, for the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland which starts next week.

I was lucky this morning to get a disabled parking bay - I left home at 10.15 to try to make sure of that.

After a quick lunch, my mind was tortured by the thought of two strips of plants unplanted.

So, I took my stick and a trusty polythene bag and ventured forth.

Luckily the plants are small and the soil is very easy to work just now after all the rain we have had, so although bending over is not easy (and is really not desirable) I managed to get all the plants in.

A great feeling of achievement!

And now the sun has come out.