Friday Five!

Yeah, I've been a little "aura-ish" most of this week, starting on Sunday. Was  a bit unsteady on my feet for a while - developed a lean to the right, a bit. Managed to fall in the garden yesterday because of it. Broke part of the fence I had just put up around the bean bed (thankfully no beans in it yet), and damaged one of my less-sturdy tools. Thankfully I was able to do a tuck-and-roll fall and only have a bit of a bruise on my forearm where I hit some pavers I had stacked up.  Glad it wasn't worse - it could have been hours, possibly overnight, before anyone noticed me laying there. I guess it is good to keep my cell phone on my person these days. 

It gets old.

Can I be your day late friend?

1. Went on a dogwalk with our neighbour and doggie friend Crumpet and her owner.
2. Husband and I watched the finale of TaskMaster, anyone else a fan?
3. My monstera adansonii has three new leaves opening up.
4. I found my iPod classic again, I need to charge it and see if it still works.
5. I feel an itch to do something creative, but I don't know what and nothing is leaping out. But it's been months since I've wanted to do anything.

Can I be your day late friend?

1. Went on a dogwalk with our neighbour and doggie friend Crumpet and her owner.
2. Husband and I watched the finale of TaskMaster, anyone else a fan?
3. My monstera adansonii has three new leaves opening up.
4. I found my iPod classic again, I need to charge it and see if it still works.
5. I feel an itch to do something creative, but I don't know what and nothing is leaping out. But it's been months since I've wanted to do anything.

  Great to see you back again!    Here's what my wife does to show her creative side:   https://www.africart.tv/workshops.shtml

She's been doing these weekend classes once a year for 20 years or so an really loves it. 

  Great to see you back again!    Here's what my wife does to show her creative side:   https://www.africart.tv/workshops.shtml

She's been doing these weekend classes once a year for 20 years or so an really loves it.

Thanks for the warm welcome back. Not sure how much time I'll be spending, but I'll definitely dip back in and out a bit more. I've been sucked into Reddit with knitting, succulents and fountain pens.

That's really cool! I have always loved sculpture, I've mostly done stone wear/clay and some bronze work and I really enjoyed it. I've not tried anything with stone or wood though!

It's a really nice setup, there's a few artists/teachers to help you along.  Here's my favourite, I think it was done more than 20 years ago.   

There's another workshop in Brighton weekend after next, my wife goes and stays over in a Air B N B and then I pick her up Sunday afternoon and we go out for dinner in Brighton. 

It's a really nice setup, there's a few artists/teachers to help you along.  Here's my favourite, I think it was done more than 20 years ago.   

There's another workshop in Brighton weekend after next, my wife goes and stays over in a Air B N B and then I pick her up Sunday afternoon and we go out for dinner in Brighton.

Oh wow. That's really great. I'm between roles at the moment so anything like that isn't in the cards right now, but I will make a note!

It sounds like you two have a wonderful weekend planned. 

Nice to see you back, L!

Ok, so I'm a day late. Half the time I don't know what day it is anyway.

1) Just back from a screening of the extended version of Fellowship of the Ring. It's always nice to see an epic movie in a theatre with a good sound system.  Most of the people in the audience would have not been born yet or would have been in diapers when it was released the first time - not long after the 9/11 attacks. People needed that movie, then. I remember sitting for several hours in an outrageously long line out on the sidewalk to get into the first (midnight) showing on the biggest screen in San Diego, which was a lot bigger than the screen at the theatre today. And people openly crying at Gandalf's line to Frodo “And so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”   It's hard to believe it's been that long ago. Time seems to be speeding up on me.  [Felt really sorry for the 9 year old boy sitting next to me. His idiot father bought him a really large soda before the movie. He was in misery towards the end, but didn't want to leave to go to the loo. It's quite a long movie.]

2) It rained a bit yesterday, so I was able to pull some of the ridiculous number of weeds that have popped up over night in the garden, this morning, and actually get the roots/runners/whole things out. Cut the first garlic scapes today. Going to have some in an omelette in the morning. Put a lot of them in the freezer for the future. Some of the Cosmos have decided to make an appearance, too. Finally. All the seedlings I'd started are now planted out. Fingers are crossed.

3) A Pileated Woodpecker has made an appearance several times now in the tree outside my balcony. He's pecked quite a large hole in the base of the tree. It's an impressive bird - quite large and flashy. Very pterodactyl-ish. Got photos of him today.  Which solved the mystery of what the heck was chewing up that tree! (Too far from water for it to have been a beaver.)

4) Watched the D-Day commemorations all week. It at once seemed like ancient history and also like it'd just happened. Thought of all the young men (and a lot of those who went ashore at Omaha Beach were particularly young and green)  who died. And that one small town that lost so many boys on the same day (the Bedford Boys). And that it would have been unthinkable for them to have not gone through with it, because the alternative was a world too ghastly to contemplate. So few of them are left now. My dad never really talked about the war, except for a very little bit about rescuing people from Hadamar (a Nazi euthanasia facility) and even less about being in the Battle of the Bulge. I spent several evenings, sitting in my kitchen after switching the TV off, having a cup of tea and thinking about how close it all came to total disaster, and the horrible cost, and wondering if we are turning into the kind of people we once fought? (But that's just how my mind works - it sees patterns in everything. It's an election year.) And that a huge number of people in this country couldn't tell you who was on which side and why there was a World War in the first place. Which is alternately pathetic and horrifying.

5) My pothos has started getting black spots on its leaves. No clue why. Dr. Google is useless, really. I guess I'll send a photo to the Ag Extension to see if they have any ideas. Had the same plant for four years now, no previous problems.  Life is a lot saner in the garden.

4) Watched all the D-Day commemorations all week. It at once seemed like ancient history and also like it'd just happened. Thought of all the young men (and a lot of those who went ashore at Omaha Beach were particularly young and green) and died. And that one small town that lost so many boys on the same day (the Bedford Boys). And that it would have been unthinkable for them to have not gone through with it, because the alternative was a world too ghastly to contemplate. So few of them are left now. My dad never really talked about the war, except for a very little bit about rescuing people from Hadamar (a Nazi euthanasia facility) and even less about being in the Battle of the Bulge. I spent several evenings, sitting in my kitchen after switching the TV off, having a cup of tea and thinking about how close it all came to total disaster, and the horrible cost, and wondering if we are turning into the kind of people we once fought? (But that's just how my mind works - it sees patterns in everything. It's an election year.) And that a huge number of people in this country couldn't tell you who was on which side and why there was a World War in the first place. Which is alternately pathetic and horrifying.

I really struggle with some of the ceremonies here. The local crochet group did some enormous displays and they were stolen the night they were put out. But I also question displaying war in the form of adorable wooly ornaments, it doesn't seem right so I didn't contribute to this one. We've already dehumanised so many (as a society), that just adds another layer of separation and almost glorifying it. My grandfather was in the Navy and stationed in the Pacific while my great-Uncle fought in the battle of the bulge and lost many friends that day. Apparently for a school project I managed to get them to speak about it in a way they never had before, but my mother hadn't asked me to save it and I have zero recollection of what was said - trauma plus being too young to really understand it I guess.

One of our last comedy shows here was Ed Byrne, and if you have the opportunity to see this tour I really recommend it. So many laughs, a few tears, and incredibly funny for being such a dark topic (his brother passed away from covid).

Our house finally completes next month. There was no chain at all and it still took 4 months, so I can only imagine the stress when there is a long chain. Really looking forward to a step free life and an adjustable bed once we are settled, the level of pain I've been in recently has been too much to cope. And for it to be "home", everything has felt temporary since I moved - between the visas and this rental in a horrendous location that I really didn't even want to be in for more than a year or two (our garden backs up to a hotel) - so finally having a home we can make our own is going to be nice.

And nice to see you again L!

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Glad you'll be "home" soon! I'm sure that once you can get settled in and relaxed you'll do better. Stress just makes pain worse, it seems. For me it does, anyway. It'll be soon! Hang in there.

Yeah, fuzzy ornaments.... Not terribly surprised they were stolen. Either someone with offended sensibilities was involved, or it was kids who it doesn't mean anything to in the first place. It would be hard to sort out which it was, really. I'd have been uncomfortable passing by them if out walking, myself - though I'm sure they were created with the very best of intentions.  Some of the stuff I watched on TV had an almost carnival-like atmosphere. Not what I would have thought to do, after seeing the massive number of crosses planted at Colleville-sur-Mer (and the other Allied cemeteries). But to each his/her own, and it was well-intentioned. That's one of the principles involved in the entire effort, really, when it comes down to it.  The freedom to be and do.

I had an uncle who could have been a clone of Captain America, it seems. With a service record in the Pacific that is eye-opening on paper, but who was also classified as a "secretary".  Having been in all those places at those specific times during the war. Riiigggghhhht. Let's just say that from the dates it appears that he got to the various parties very, very early.  When I'm in town we always go out and put a bottle of beer on his grave. The thought of being pressured to wear special badges on a given day or doing any one set of rituals because "that's how it's done"... yeah, no. I tend to think of them (the people I knew who died) throughout the year, whenever it's a holiday or something triggers a memory, rather than to keep them in a box to officially trot out once a year. What happens when the dead pass out of living memory? I guess that's when you end up with the "because that's the way it's done". I do have to say that the Brits have mastered the art of the public spectacle better than most. Better to remember the fallen as an amorphous group, instead of each one individually, than to forget they ever existed and why they died. I just disliked that it seemed to be so performative - a "must" rather than an "I need/want to" when we were over there. A little too much ceremony and rigid societal pressure to grieve/remember a specific way - on the edges it seemed to have had a tinge of the glorification of war, rather than of remembrance of the horrific sacrifice in lives. But again, to each his/her own.

Sorry. I can't quite get the image of all those crosses out of my mind. Let's hope Santayana was wrong.

Happy Friday!

1. We completed on our house and moved to N Wales. I can barely move now, but we are settling in and the cat is so content and loving all the windowsills she can lay in.

2. New house has so many "wtf's", but I know that's just the joy of home ownership especially when you can't afford the nicest houses. My husband bought it without me ever seeing it, I had to trust him because I physically wouldn't be able to make the drive more than once in many months (and would have needed to get here and back home). He did a very good job - the neighbourhood is perfect, it's the right size, has a nice garden, but it was overwhelming at first. Just a small sample:
    - I'd never heard of lining paper, but all the exterior walls were decorated poorly with that painted over, and it's all peeling away, so that's a fun project.
    - Somehow the last owner never used either oven (there are 2 side by side ovens) or the dishwasher. We didn't even know there was a dishwasher! And it's good we checked the ovens before turning them on because the trays still had plastic ties on them.
     - The bathroom door doesn't close, need to plane the bottom just a bit.

3. The garden is magnificent. It looked small in photos, but it's big enough I can get a therapy pool when funds allow and it's just so peaceful to sit in.

4. A previous owner loved roses. We have so many! I know nothing about caring for them, but I will have to learn quickly. And so many other beauties, and a few years of weeds. I attached a few photos.

5. Grateful his parents are helping us get a new fridge. The current one is meant to be built in - but you have to open both cupboard doors for it to open *and* it's teeny tiny and broken. Now I understand why he didn't include the fridge on the fixtures list, but also glad he left it so we could have food until a new one arrives.

6. I'll be using PIP to make the bathroom accessible ... It was supposed to be, but partner didn't realise the shower chair was broken and toilet way too low, and no grab bars at all. Grateful to have that even if it means delaying applying for a motability vehicle for a few months. I don't think we qualify for any grants, and also I want it done fairly quickly so I don't injure myself.

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Congrats AnotherUKYankee.  I know it's been beyond a slog for you to get to this stage and I am so so so happy for you!!!!

Fri-yay!

1.) Been such a busy summer with music stuff. Fantastic!   

2.) Playing a music festival tomorrow night and then going out with the band afterwards.  Gonna be fun!

3.) Have a couple of beers to go off to competition here in a few weeks.  Lets see.

4.) Garden has been so rubbish.  The so called summer has been cold, wet and shite.   

5.) I need a holiday. Work has been, well...work....... 

Busy with music is good! I hope the beers do well in competition PB.

1. Just over a month in the new house and it feels like we are finally making some progress. Today the garden was tidied and the bathroom door fixed so the cat can't push it open anymore.

2. Ordered my adjustable manual active wheelchair so that I can do as much as possible and then still be able to get out of bed/get around the house when my feet are screaming too much to function. I might qualify for NHS wheelchair services, but decided I really don't want to wait years when the company I used offers reasonable financing and my doctors have recommended it even though my old house prevented me from meeting their strict regs (it had steps and I walk as much as I'm able, which is still less than 20m).

3. Next month we replace a door and add a ramp so I can get out independently without hurting myself.

4. Our kitchen was designed by people who don't cook. So a new gas hob is on the list when we can afford it, we almost sent a pan of hot oil flying because the cast iron supports aren't level, and it's a non-standard tiny size no longer made. I found the replacement I want so hopefully it won't be too long.

5. I moved to Wales and ended up with more sun than I've had most of the time I've lived here. South facing gardens are glorious.

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Don't you just love those kitchens that are designed by people whose cooking is no more involved than chunking a prepackaged meal in the microwave? 

Sounds like you are settling in and all is going well. Glad to hear it.

My 5:

1) Am more or less recuperated from the 3,900 mile trip to bring the Daughter home. I don't believe I can do that trip ever again. That was too much driving.

2) House still looks like a bomb went off in it, with all her stuff piled in the living room until we can sort out where things are to be kept, and we've been home since the 11th of last month.

3) The garden suffered badly during the 3 weeks I was away. Still, I got some produce out of it and the carrots are now really starting to grow well, so it wasn't a total loss. We made tomato soup yesterday from fresh tomatoes, garlic, and a little half-and-half. It was surprisingly good. It's on the roster to be supper tonight, too.

4) It's in the mid 70Fs here today, and beautiful out. Tomorrow is to get to 78F before a cold front ploughs through and drops the temps by 20 degrees in a short time-span. I guess it's now "Fall".  (Note to self, take a sweatshirt in the car when going out shopping....)

5) The leaves are thinking about changing color. It seems a bit early, but I've also heard wings of geese flying over very early in the morning, too. They're ahead of normal.  Hmmmm....

Happy Friday!

1. We completed on our house and moved to N Wales. I can barely move now, but we are settling in and the cat is so content and loving all the windowsills she can lay in.

2. New house has so many "wtf's", but I know that's just the joy of home ownership especially when you can't afford the nicest houses. My husband bought it without me ever seeing it, I had to trust him because I physically wouldn't be able to make the drive more than once in many months (and would have needed to get here and back home). He did a very good job - the neighbourhood is perfect, it's the right size, has a nice garden, but it was overwhelming at first. Just a small sample:
    - I'd never heard of lining paper, but all the exterior walls were decorated poorly with that painted over, and it's all peeling away, so that's a fun project.
    - Somehow the last owner never used either oven (there are 2 side by side ovens) or the dishwasher. We didn't even know there was a dishwasher! And it's good we checked the ovens before turning them on because the trays still had plastic ties on them.
     - The bathroom door doesn't close, need to plane the bottom just a bit.

3. The garden is magnificent. It looked small in photos, but it's big enough I can get a therapy pool when funds allow and it's just so peaceful to sit in.

4. A previous owner loved roses. We have so many! I know nothing about caring for them, but I will have to learn quickly. And so many other beauties, and a few years of weeds. I attached a few photos.

5. Grateful his parents are helping us get a new fridge. The current one is meant to be built in - but you have to open both cupboard doors for it to open *and* it's teeny tiny and broken. Now I understand why he didn't include the fridge on the fixtures list, but also glad he left it so we could have food until a new one arrives.

6. I'll be using PIP to make the bathroom accessible ... It was supposed to be, but partner didn't realise the shower chair was broken and toilet way too low, and no grab bars at all. Grateful to have that even if it means delaying applying for a motability vehicle for a few months. I don't think we qualify for any grants, and also I want it done fairly quickly so I don't injure myself.

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   I'm happy for you and hope you get a chance to enjoy that garden. I googled lining paper and nothing I saw looked like a good idea!