Winds

As you may know, we had a short break between Christmas and New Year. We had a lovely time away and came back feeling refreshed and ready to start the New Year.

Whilst we were away and enjoying the sunshine, which was rare, as it is usually grey and chilly., we had winds and rains where we live. We came back to the wooden fence that divides us and our neighbours leaning against one of the trees.

We called around to the neighbour to discuss having this fence repaired. As it is a boundary fence the costs are shared between both houses.

We booked fencers to come and have a look to give us a quote as it was clear that three fence posts had rotted away and needed replacing.

Whilst they were here giving us a quote for the fence, we asked them to look at our side gates. They are heavy and hard to open in the winter and we were looking at replacing them with something a little lighter in weight. Gates that would be easy to open no matter the weather!

We have received three quotes so far and are waiting on our neighbour to arrange for her quote before we decide. Whilst we are still getting winds from time to time, hopefully the fence will be repaired before another strong one arrives.

Smile and have a great day 🙂

Happy 2026

Happy New Year to you all and hope you had or are having a good holiday.

However you all celebrated the end of the year, I hope you all had a great time.

We had a quiet Christmas and went away for a few days afterwards. The weather was very kind to us and for most of the break the sun shone, it was warm and it was very enjoyable. It only rained on our last day along with some strong winds, which all-in-all was very refreshing.

We walked a lot and did around eighty kilometres over the four days we were there. We enjoyed coffee and lunches out which was really very nice and made a change from eating at home most of the time.

The hotel we stayed at was in a great location and the receptionists were very helpful. Our room was clean and overlooked the roads surrounding it, but really could not hear a lot. It was a little dated with worn out carpet and old looking bathroom. The windows had some mould around the edges but at the end of the day, we were really only in the hotel to sleep and to rest on our return for the day.We were going to try the restaurant but we were really enjoying trying other eateries that were on offer.

We had a quiet night in for the end of the year as we had just returned from our short break.

I wish everyone a peaceful, prosperous and most of all a healthy 2026.

Smile and have a great day 🙂

Time has flown by

I cannot believe that in a few days time it will be Christmas.

Days, weeks and months seem to be passing me by. It has been a busy year, what with work, my neck surgery and having things done around the house and garden. I have also been doing things that have been giving me a lot of joy, but, I still don’t know where the time has gone!

We are ready for Christmas and we did our grocery shopping over the weekend. It was crazy in the supermarket and it was only nine in the morning. I pop in Christmas Eve if I need something specific and I can honestly say that it is an insane time. The shop is only closed for a day but most people seem to shop for a month!

I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas. May you have a great day with family and friends, eat and drink some if you want to. Take care and stay safe out there and I look forward to writing some more blogs in the New Year (2026).

Smile and have a great day 🙂

Driving Hearses

Now this might seem like a strange topic to blog about, but, I was surprised by this.

This is not the first time I have seen this and it will probably not be the last. I am sure some or many of you have seen the same sort of thing.

I respect and admire those who are in the funeral business. I know of people who have done the job and I have to say it is a hard one.

Driving hearses is all part of the job and they need patience and understanding when driving through busy streets and traffic jams. It happens to us all. Imagine my surprise then however when I was travelling down a busy road doing the speed limit and a hearse undertook and then overtook going over the speed limit, only for me to catch up with them at the traffic lights. I don’t know why they felt the need to speed, but it never occurred to me that drivers of those particular vehicles would be speeding.

I mentioned that this was not the first time. That was some years ago whilst I was actually driving on a road that was being repaired. It had a low speed limit on it so as to keep workers safe. A hearse overtook me and drove ahead for a while. I drove past a side road and as I did a police car pulled out and put the sirens on. I pulled to the side thinking I had done something wrong, as you do. It passed me and as I rejoined the traffic, I passed it pulling up the hearse that had only just minutes before overtaken me.

I guess nothing should surprise us as we are all capable of doing something unexpected. Others might look as us and think “That is not what I expect from….”

Anyway I thought I would share with you all.

Smile and have a great day 🙂

Phone Walking

I know there will be a lot of people out there that will know what I am talking about.

So, be it in the mall, walking around or in the park meandering around, you will have seen them. The people I am referring to are those that do not seem to notice or even seem bothered that they walk into you as they have not noticed you. By that I mean, they are walking with their heads down looking and scrolling on the mobile phones.

You see it when you are out driving and I had an incident when I had indicated to turn into a road and an individual just stepped out and carried on walking. They did look around as they were halfway across the road. Luckily I had no other vehicles coming up behind me.

I am not really bothered if people want to do that or not, but, they should be aware of their surroundings. I am more concerned with people potentially walking into something or at worst tripping over and face planting the floor or road. I did read somewhere that a few people have lost their lives whilst trying to take a good selfie.

It is just a case of every now and again looking up to take notice. Be aware of your surroundings.

Smile and have a great day 🙂

Jam Making

The weather here has not been that great and so spending time outside has not been a lot.

When we have had good weather we have been in the garden or out and about walking and enjoying the dry days.

Over the past few months I have enjoyed making jam and yesterday made some more green kiwi jam. Today I am hoping to make some mixed berry jam. It does not matter if you use fresh or frozen fruits as the jams still taste the same. It was raining yesterday and is raining again today.

I love the satisfaction of the end product and the pleasure of seeing the faces of people who taste it. It may not be as cheap as the shop brought, but at least I know what has been put into it.

I hope to make some marmalade again soon, as I made some a few years ago and it was delicious.

I do need to buy some more jars however as we have given some away to friends etc to taste. If you are able, why not give it a go. It is easy and you will be rewarded with your own homemade jams.

Smile and have a great day 🙂

A muddy walk!

The weekend went too quick, but we had a great one. We had a lovely walk and a good time shopping whilst the weather was kind to us.

Yesterday we decided to go for a walk at a local park of which we had not done yet. The weather was dry but showers were due at some point. We parked the car and started the walk around the outside towards the centre. The pathway was concrete that then became a sort of tarmac pathway.

The walk was lovely and as we were in a different park I was really enjoying it. We started to navigate the various paths to the centre. Some of the paths were grass, tarmac and some were muddy. We started down a dirt pathway the became muddier as we continued. We then saw that the path did not actually go anywhere and so decided to turn around and head back.

It was slippery and then it happened! Yes, I slipped and fell into the mud. Was I happy? No, I had clean jeans and tidy trainers on. One side of my jeans was muddy as was the inside of my other jeans leg. My trainers looked awful.

I did stand back up and my husband mentioned that it was not so bad. I had a muddy left butt cheek too and a dirty jacket, but at least it was only mud and nothing else! We carried on our walk and popped into a small shopping mall to buy some new trousers. We wanted to buy a hot cup of tea/coffee and I could not sit down in a cafe in my muddy clothes.

A cheap pair of trousers and small packet of wet wipes later I had changed and wiped all dirt of my trainers. At least they now looked sort of tidy. I could at least sit down and drink a cup of tea and eat a muffin.

We continued our walk back to the car but remained on the firmer pathways this time.

The walk was great and the weather was very kind to us and so next time we go, we will make sure that if the pathway starts looking a little muddy, we turn back around again.

Another wash was needed when I got back home for my clothes and my trainers. I have to say that those trainers are the cleanest I have seen them for some time.

Smile and have a great day 🙂

Surgery

I have had a small cyst on my neck for a around eight months now. The doctors had checked it and was advised it was okay and that it may go away by itself or just stay there.

About a month ago I noticed it was getting a little bigger, not that much bigger. We decided we would go out for the day and before I left noticed it had become swollen, but not red. We carried on with our day and on the following day noticed it had become red and inflamed.

I tried to book an appointment with the doctor but one was not available for a few days. I rang the surgery and managed to see a nurse. She was unable to do anything with it but did magae to make an appointment at the doctor in a couple of days.

I saw the doctor who advised me that the cyst has become infected and was give a course of antibiotics to take. They were unable to drain it and told me I needed to see a plastic surgeon to have it removed. This would have to be done privately as the hospitals were overwhelmed and trying to deal with patients that had already and were not going to take this on.

I made the appointment to see the plastic surgeon who booked me into the hospital a couple of weeks later.

I was anxious of course but the staff were great and I my surgery had been done on Friday. All seems to be well. I have a waterproof plaster over the stitches which is to stay there until next Friday 13th when the stitches will be removed. The cyst has been sent of for testing and will know results in a week or two.

I am taking things a little easier at the moment as I certainly do not want to pop any of the stitches.

Smile and have a great day 🙂

Planters

Hope you all had a good Easter and didn’t over indulge in those Easter eggs.

I cannot believe that it is nearly the end of April already. Really, where does the time go?

We have had planter boxes in our garden for a few years now and have grown so many different things. The best crops we have ever had have been potatoes and we still pull out the odd random one too. We do well at growing salad onions, lettuce, onions, peppers, courgettes, tomatoes and strawberries.

I would really love to try and grow sweetcorn, but they need a lot of space to grow and are huge plants. We have tried growing eggplant and had one or two but not that many. I think I may try to have a go a growing a pumpkin/squash. We will see what is available when we are ready for planting.

The cost of fruits and vegetables have come down in price a little, but it is always a good feeling when you can pick something from your own garden. it tastes a lot nicer too. You also feel a pride in the fact that you have grown it from seed or a small plant, you have nurtured it too.

I will keep you all informed when I sort out the planter boxes ready for the new additons.

Smile and have a great day 🙂

Best Friends

What makes a best friend?

I have had a best friend since I was about eight years old. We were at Junior school together and when I moved away we wrote to each other regularly. When I returned and saw her again in Secondary school, it was like we were never apart. They have been a huge part of my life and even to this day we keep in touch. I have since emigrated and so do not see them as often as I used to, but that is okay, we just pick up from where we left off when i do see them.

Other friends are made at work or socially and I have a couple of good best friends. What I mean is that we have all been through tough times and happy times and have been there for each other no matter what. Even though my long term bestie is overseas I know that no matter what they would always be there, no questions asked as I would for them.

Isn’t that what a true friend does?

Some friends are fickle in so much as they are there if they need help or assistance but if you need help or assistance they seem to disappear into the ether. I know that we all lead busy lives and so nowadays people don’t really seem to be around so much, but if someone needs help rather than back away and call it ‘ too hard basket’, offer a helping hand. It feels good to help and sometimes I know that you cannot offer the right support that people really need, but as long as they know you are always there for them, that for me is what a true friend/best friend is.

Smile and have a great day 🙂