HAPPY EASTER

That's really about it this morning.

Happy Easter to one and all.

It snowed a little early doors

but that has been replaced with a quiet

windless greyness

that is not spring-like but neither

is it wintry.

We are on the cusp.

I hope so anyway.

What I did enjoy was a really

marvellous, long sleep!

I happily woke up at 9am this morning

having put the clocks forward last night.

The cats are unimpressed and still

dozing under their blanket.

Gives me more time to do my thing

without one rather fat and furry kitchen-aid

appearing beside me!!!

I watched Ratatouille the other day;

if Will could, he definitely would cook!!!!

His passion for food is undeniable.

Nothing escapes his interest.

Or his stomach if he manages to find a carelessly

abandoned morsel . . . . .

Nothing as fancy and delicious as Ineke's Easter Banquet

here; wow, that all sounded amazing!!!

But there will be the traditional Roast Dinner

with some Eton Mess for afters.

If I go downstairs and make the meringues that is!!!!!

Sue xx

Good Friday

and I am looking out of the window at

SNOW.

It's been trying for a couple of days already but

it looks like this is a more serious effort.

The day started off sunny and a tad warmer

than the previous windy days of this week.

It quickly turned darker around 11a.m and 

now it is grey, white, cold and boy am I glad 

I have a Chicken Balti in the slow cooker!!

The hard work continues.

We managed to clear off wallpaper from two walls

yesterday and start filling the plaster holes and gaps

between the walls etc.

I was lucky enough to have brilliant help.

So much nicer doing it together.

We have decided to do two walls completely

before moving the wardrobe and bed so that

we only have to do that once.

Smart!!

My job this week is to start with the pre-pasting of the walls

so that we can wallpaper. I also need to

undercoat the skirting and door frame apparently.

Just need to keep on believing it will all look

lovely in the end!!!

Horrendous news yesterday about Sooty.

My car.

Needed its MOT.

I decided he ought to have a small service too

being as how its been too long since the last one.

I was pretty confident having spent a fortune on repairs

last November that it would pass.

NO SUCH LUCK.

New front tyres please ma'am.

New front brakes please ma'am.

So it went on.

Back to robbing Peter to pay Paul but getting nowhere fast!!

It couldn't have come at a worse time really but

I need Sooty to get around and for work and I have 

to know he is in sound order so really there was no choice.

Bread and butter Easter Weekend then........

Have a good Easter one and all!!!

May the sun soon shine on us again.

Don't forget the CLOCKS LEAP FORWARD

on Saturday night!!!!

Sue xx

Hard work

trying to combine more than one thing today

as I slept better than I have been doing for ages.

It made for a better night.

Less tossing and turning 

but still not quite the deep sleep my body

requires.

I dream too much.

So today I am turning my attention to

Hard Work.

We have been busy with the bedroom for

simply too long already.

I need to strip off all the old wallpaper

before we can assess the criminal state

of the plaster underneath.

And fill the huge missing chunks in.

There is a disgracefully bad blind in the window

which I have removed this morning.

If I can sleep without it I will dispose of it with pleasure!

In between wetting the walls and scraping diligently

I am attempting some Bath Buns.

So far our attempts with yeast have failed miserably.

Even Tim struggled with his Chelsea Buns! 

My friend tried rolls and buns in her Kitchen Aid

yesterday but they were not great either.

I refuse to accept defeat. 

I must be able to make something really good!!!!

I even turned up the heating to encourage a good rise!

The cats are in heaven cuddling the radiator which is 

currently oozing temperatures they have never known!

Will it work?

No idea.

It's a Mary Berry recipe, Mr. Hollywood

so it ought to.

I HOPE.

Meanwhile I am continuing to take out my frustrations

on the wallpaper.

Sue xx

H is for

High

Sensitivity.

And being a Highly 

Sensitive person

I think I will write about it

today.

As part of my H exploration.

I am ok about having HS.

I understand myself pretty well

and know that I need to give myself

plenty of reassurance and encouragement

if  I want to avoid all the less pretty things

associated with HS.

But it is only when one starts to read the information

about it, and track it back to one's own experiences

or compare reactions to situations, or 

coping strategies one learns to develop 

over the years,

that you come to fully appreciate who you are.

There are annoying traits, I agree.

Anyone sitting with me through a film will

know that!! I can burst into tears just by listening

to the opening bars of the soundtrack!

"Lassie" films were banned in our house when I 

was growing up. My mother couldn't 

stand my sobbing on the settee every Sunday!

I cannot go to a violent film at all.

Watching "Jaws" has scarred me for life

and prevents me from wanting to swim or even

look at dark blue water.

I will never be able to visit an animal refuge, ever.

I don't read violent crime stories.

"Warhorse" is out of the question!!!

A film is real for me, and I get totally

lost in it when watching so my ability to filter

is really poor. 

Books are the same.

Music too.

But I can use music to block or contain thoughts that stress

me or bother me for a while, and I can focus better if I am

heading into a situation I dislike and need to control

my emotions ahead of it, so that's good.

I can enter a room and know instantly what the 

atmosphere is there.

I can sense the emotions of others in an instant.

Sometimes they percolate through my filters and I 

feel them too.

Everything is lived in high definition, if you like.

That is a good analogy.

The things other people miss, I see or feel.

It affects my body clock too.

Sleep is essential and I am known for liking lots of it!!!

I can be on my own and not have a sense of loneliness.

I can work a bit, need a break, and go back to it quite effortlessly.

I think and plan ahead as that is stress-freedom for me.

So, that's me.

Sue xx 

Wednesday

and inspiration has deserted me!

I want to write something here 

but I don't know what?

I don't have anything new to tell.

Except that I have upgraded my mobile

and will soon be in Happy

possession of  a new one.

They tried to persuade me to change 

via telemarketing.

The young man was very insistent

but he was not listening to me.

He tried Hard to force a choice on me

by talking ever faster and faster.

He made the decision for me

..or so he thought.

Imagine his surprise when I told him I was not

going to decide right there and then!!!

He continued with his sales pitch.

I repeated 'no'

several times.

I told him I did not like being pushed 

and that I would go to the store and be 

talked to and listened to instead.

He was down-hearted.

He needs training to deal with older

customers who simply want to Hear

"What can I do for you?

Have you any questions I can answer?

Would you like a new phone"?

ANYTHING to make me feel the 

CHOICE IS MINE TO MAKE.

So I went online, looked at all the options

and decided what I liked and ordered the 

extension to my subscription

all by myself.

Just going to have to work out how to 

set it up with a little HELP....

Sue xx

Alphabet

posts are going a bit awry at the moment - sorry!

I have gone a bit off track with G.

I keep forgetting to mention words beginning with G.

Perhaps I should move on to H?.....

Will I be any better do you suppose?

Well, if not, then it will all have to become 

much more 

Haphazard.

Sue xx

The weekend

rolled gently by.

I inspected the B&B for my aunt.

I went to a friends with DVD tucked under my arm.

We watched The Help on Saturday 

after delicious Chicken Madras Curry.

I even slept quite well!!

Sunday was Gardening day - in the sense 

that I watched my programmes over

breakfast and then went to the 

Garden Centre and spent my 

voucher!

I do love spring in the garden centres here.

So many plants to choose from,

but we went to the sale corner

and rescued some plants from there.

We had lunch - a treat for me, thank you.

I came home and planted the plants.

I need to do more in the garden this week

if the weather turns soft.

But now I need to get up and on

with Monday.

I'm expecting the man from the water company

this afternoon

to change my Important TAP

under the floor by the front door.

Apparently it is leaking....

Sue xx

Back to the bedroom quest

Leaf pole that I want to find here!!

So this is what  I am thinking for the curtains.

I love it!

Perfect for my leafy curtain material!

It is in England....anyone know where I can

find it over here please?????....

I miss Dunelm Mill when it comes to interior decorating.

They have simply everything you can think of.

Really.

I used to live near a huge store and did the entire house with

their items. 

Most of all I miss material for curtains etc.

I am probably too quintessentially British in my taste.

I never seem to find what I am looking for and if I do,

it is way over my budget!

NEXT is also a great source for homeware.

They do have international sites on the internet but

they are more expensive.

I yearn to go a-wandering around these huge warehouses

with pots of money in my pocket, a tape measure,

a large van to travel in, and a long list of things I want to buy!

And they call me a dreamer . . . . . . . .

Sue xx

Back to the snow!!!

Ooh, eer,

was not expecting waking up to a white world this morning!

I knew it was chilly.

The wind was cruelly sharp and piercing.

Thank goodness it has gone!

Replaced with snow.

Oh.

It is a light dusting I believe;

but there could be more to come.

The sun is disappearing into the grey clouds....

y'know what they say:

"Bright before 7; dull before 11".

So true.

I will stay indoors this morning and wait for 

things to thaw though it is -3C and not likely.

But I can hope.

We have a new Pope, Francis 1.

He has a sense of humour and is only 76.
He toasted his fellow Cardinals with red wine and
" May God forgive you"!!
He is from South America

With some Italian roots.

I like the look of him!

Let's hope it changes so, so many things.............................

Sue xx

Going slowly...

The week is going slowly.

It is freezing cold.

I am finding things to do.

I am finding excuses not to do the rest.

I need to re-focus.

I have so many ideas.

Typical of a dyslexic, rather...

but also of a dreamer!

Combine the two and it is the 

thinking that is taking up my time.

I keep making a different choice

for the bedroom.

I want Duck-Egg.

Always have.

I have one pot of paint and one doorstop

and a duvet in that colour.

I have got curtains I cherish from years ago

that I desperately want to use again.

I guess there is a hint of duck-egg in them

but certainly teal which is a close colour......

they would not be the choice of others

but!

I need to do what I can with what I have and keep

the expense down to the bare minimum.

Just better go and check they are long enough for what I need!

Lest I have to go back to the drawing board again...

Sue xx

First week at home...

..more or less. 

Just the odd foray into work to learn the ropes.

I have to think positively.

I'm waiting for the man to come and fix my taps.

Between 8 & 10am.

It's 8.10.....time

passes slowly....

did you see Countryfile last night?

I usually watch but it was their 25th anniversary

and it was by Royal Appointment.

From Duchy Home Farm.

I think the PoW came across very well.

I liked him!

And that school in London was amazing!

Fancy being lucky enough to go there!!!!

It does inspire one to think about growing

stuff and 'living off the land'....

but in my heart it is not for me.

I think Monty Don put it nicely

on My Dream Farm on Saturday

when he told the guy " you are an artist,

not a farmer. You can want the good life

but you need a steady income that is on top of your dream."

The guy in question certainly was an artist, a dreamer,

an artisan, a creator, who loved the idea of living off the land.

So bravo for trying to achieve it!

Like the quote says, before success comes a lot of hard work.

I'm definitely at the hard work phase . . . . . 

Sue xx

Where has the sunshine gone?!

I woke this morning with rain hammering on the bedroom window

and a cold air breathing into the room.

It looks like staying awhile.

The skies are grey and the forecast somber.

I don't have to go anywhere;

I can stay here and do what I want to do 

and that feels okay.

I'd rather be outside in the garden as it needs

attention. It was on my list!

But hey ho...

I'm still in my pyjama's

and the heating is up half a notch 

and I am headed for a warm shower.

Enjoy your weekend.

Sue xx

Going, going, gone

I have left my job today.

The year was gone in a flash.

For the most part it was a good experience.

I met lovely people.

I learnt things I needed to learn.

Not sure I feel any tougher but perhaps I never will.

I felt like shouting " the philosopher has left the building!' when I 

silently crept down the stairs in all anonymity.

I felt the tears prickling my eyes and decided I

had already said goodbye enough times to do.

I am going to miss practically all of them!!!

But now: March is my month for the home.

An added incentive just popped up with the aunt coming to visit.

I am so, so delighted to be seeing her soon!!!

She is undoubtedly my most precious and favourite lady

in the whole wide world after my special person and the children.

The cats come on closely on their heels.

She wants to see the tulips so timing is everything.

They are just being covered in their silky sheets so 

something is happening under there already.

We think mid April will do it.

Hopefully.

Otherwise there is always De Keukenhof.

Happy days!

Sue xx

"Oh, what a Beautiful morning!

Oh, what a Beautiful day.

I've got a wonderful feeling

everything's going my way"!!!!

Actually I am Bemused this morning.

I am having to Brave the fact that I am officially

a Senior being 'wiser' than 50 years old.

We wanted to see Argo but missed it.

We saw it advertised at the weekend.

We thought it strange that the only showing is

in the afternoon.

Ok..we could do that too.

Then I read a little further and noticed a small "s"

in the corner below the title.

What does that stand for?...

"Senior".

Oh.

BUT! There are Benefits.

It costs less.

We get a free coffee and slice of cake.

We will have softer sound.

We will have brighter lights to see our way to our seats.

We have only got to be quiet during the showing.

Seems reasonable to us.

We can live with this now we have got over our fit of the giggles!!!

Cannot tell the boy this.......

would make me officially ancient then.

We may quite possibly be the youngest people there........

aah, the world is a Brighter place when the sun is shining!!

Sue xx

Time for G

F has has her fair share of attention.

Time for G to shine!

I suppose the first G that springs to mind is Garden.

I enjoy watching Carol Klein in her cottage garden on Sunday mornings.

I flirt with Rob on Saturday afternoons, not always liking what he does

but desperately wishing someone would send for him to come and surprise me!!

What would I wish for, if he did?.....

Well, the front could do with a make-over but a simple one.

Probably more maintenance-free with hedges between us and the 

neighbours as a must-have improvement. 

In the back garden I would love to have a total re-design!

I'd like higher fences with the cat defences in place: I've 

heard that you can electrify your garden so that your own cats can't get out.

Ideal for Will. He'd be able to come outside with me then.

Finka never really dares go anywhere so not a worry.

But it would be super for Will.

Then I would like smaller pavers that are second-hand and old.

I'd like there to be larger borders with trees and English cottage

garden style planting. None of this en-masse stuff that he favours!

I'd like the Clematii to be even more abundant.

I'd like either green fencing or new screens but no bamboo.

It rots and looks incredibly ugly.

I'd like a new sunscreen back and front.

I'd like a fly-door too. Oh, imagine not having bugs in the house!!

Especially the midges that lust after my blood day and night.

A water feature like those ones on walls in Italy with a lion's head....

blues and pinks and reds and purples would be my choice..

well, a girl can dream can't she?!!

Sue xx

Film

time again. This evening we are going to see Silver Linings Playbook which I am looking forward to.

It's my kind of movie!

First though I have been busy this afternoon clearing and cleaning out my study.

The dust was immense.

The black bin bags are bulging.

The paper is packed away neatly once more.

My stamping spot is visible again.

The window sill is serene.

The computer tabletop is tip top!

Things are arranged neatly and in the right order.

I have started putting old books into the boxes.

I have withheld my Kaffe Fassett though . . . .

be great to find a pattern to knit this spring.

It's pretty ancient but the colours and the patterns

are Fab-u-lous darlings!!!!!!

Ageless style I think. 

Just need to sit awhile and peruse the choices

and not go for the most expensive.

The easiest is probably the best choice.

But for now I am reveling in my lovely, clean, tidy,

organised personal space!!!!

Next job....the bedroom!

Oh my.....

Sue xx