Firstly my friend came to convalesce at my home for a month. She had donated one of her kidneys to her daughter and needed to recuperate slowly without the housework and cooking that the rest of her family needed. Her daughter has taken on a new lease of life following the kidney donation – she is 27 with two small children so needs all the strength she can muster. My friend has done very well despite a couple of setbacks and has gone back home now but, while she was with me we devised a couple of projects to stave off the boredom as she went through the recovery process.

We both knit and there seems to be a lot of new babies around so Trish knitted tiny garments and we went to visit the new parents bearing gifts….. we also had a couple of visits to her home on my days off – just to check her husband and son weren’t wrecking the place, and while we were there we harvested the fruit and veg.

Some went in her freezer and some came over to my freezer but what to de with the rest????

Yes, we bottled them – following the recipe from my Mum’s cookery book

This is just a small amount of the jars we have filled – beautifully preserved fruit and vegetables – very decorative and delicious too!!

On the work front things are still great – I meet some amazing people and they are all on holiday so happy and pleasant…… here are just a couple of them…

They had just come back from a week on a canalboat hired from the marina, and were heading back to America the very next day.

They were an absolute pleasure to get to know!!!

My job involves helping people to keep safe on the water so I fit adults and children with life jackets and buoyancy aids….. but its not just the people…

Here is Hippie, my daughter’s greyhound showing off her new buoyancy aid – she loves the water but greyhounds do not swim well so her new jacket will keep her upright when she chases the ducks!!!!

Also I have had a visit from my son and daughter-in-law – not to mention the gorgeous Harry!!!!!

He is adorable and such a happy little boy..

just doesn’t stay still for the photos!!

While they were visiting they designed and manufactured a gate for my kitchen doorway – very necessary to keep the ‘would be destructive’ Alfie in the kitchen while I am at work……

And so much better than the dog crate to block his way

He quite likes it too!!!!

My lovely friend Elizabeth and I visited the Pipps Hill Retail Park in Basildon where we both saw a book on Slow Cooking. I was immediately determined to buy as I like to experiment with my Slow Cooker – my friend bought one too and then the search for a slow cooker began.

We had to go to Comet anyway as she need a new lead for her television but having found that we decided to look at the slow cookers.

While we were looking at them and trying to find the best value model (and there was quite a selection!) we became aware of a little lady at the side of us stacking the shelves. She was more than helpful but when my friend had decided which one she wanted we discovered that model was not available in the store and would have to be ordered.

We discussed this and decided to look in Argos which was only next door to see if they had this model – so we paid for the TV lead and left.

While we were in Argos, the lady from Comet suddenly appeared at our side and told us she had found the very slow cooker in the storeroom. I think we were so surprised that someone cared enough about what we wanted to follow us into another shop that we immediately left the store and went back to Comet with our new friend.

There it was, the very slow cooker and at the right price:

It was beautiful and matched my friend’s kitchen perfectly!

So this post is dedicated to Mavis who has worked for Comet for over 20 years and should be praised for the way she, not only took an interest, but also had the determination to go and look for what we wanted – that is the sort of customer service that in this day and age is usually sadly lacking.

Well done Mavis – you are wonderful! And well done Comet for employing somebody so very special!

Thankfully, my son checked himself and caught it before it got too far.

Keiron, well done to you!- for so many reasons…love you babe x…

I travelled by coach to my son and daughter-in-law’s house yesterday – still not up to driving very far and am having a lovely time.

I was collected from the coach station last night and taken out for a meal then we went back to their house….

The last time I was here plans were afoot to blitz their back garden and it has now been thoroughly blitzed.

It used to have a lot (and I do mean a lot) of gravel with the occasional hole where a plant had been inserted and a large but very unstable eucalyptus tree near to the perimeter fence. I say unstable because high winds earlier in the year had caused it to bend over to one side – my son had had to use a block and tackle type mechanism to hold it upright.

But, after all Keiron and Emma’s hard work over the past few weeks the garden has been transformed:

The gravel has all gone and beautifully springy grass is in its place. The tree has been re-rooted and weighted down and has a wooden planter surround with seating areas – it really looks nice…..

Apparently a tree surgeon is booked who will come and remove the top of the tree and make it more stable from now on.

Behind the tree is a tiny but very useful raised bed with vegetables growing in it. Emma is very proud of her broccoli plants and the new potatoes and herbs that are growing there.

Nice potatoes Emma!

Opposite the vegetable patch is their new shed (Keiron always wanted his own shed didn’t you babe?)

There are stepping stones in the lawn that go back to the house..

Where the is a border and patio area and many colourful tubs of plants ..

See the little mole here – smiling for the photo…

It really looks lovely ..

Well I think I should get back to my weekend now so I just need to say…

Well done you two – it looks amazing and thank you for my weekend!!!!

And how things change or do they? I went to a birthday party a couple of weeks ago, the birthday boy was surrounded by his friends and they were all drinking fizz….

The boys had all been friends for years and they had brought the photos to prove it! They raised a lot of laughs as they were passed around, the 70′s wallpaper in the background of each picture and the happy smiling faces in the foreground – then all the stories came out as each photo was discussed – they were all time travelling as they toasted another year for not just one, but three of them on the same day!!!!

Happy Birthday Tony, Neil and Bruce!!!!

The girls looked on as the boys reminisced and it was a happy couple of hours spent with really nice people!

Too soon, it ended and we went our separate ways. Tony (birthday boy 1) had been talking about the curry he was going to have that night, he was really looking forward to it.

I wouldn’t have mentioned the curry bit had I not seen him last night – his wife told me that although he had enjoyed every mouthful he could not remember eating it – too much fizz maybe?

Many Happy Returns Tony!!!!

I have wanted to meet Jay from the Depp Effect from the moment we started chatting…… there was just something about her, not just the love of  greyhounds that we share but her view that there is something more to it than settling down to middle age without a fight.

Jay has discovered a whole new person in herself and after bringing up her family has become part of  happy group of Johnny Depp followers …. this has opened up her life and made her such a vibrant person – not that I knew her before but yesterday I saw a photograph of the person that she was five years ago. That lady is no longer there…. instead there is a lady whose eyes sparkle despite the pain she was in yesterday, she is lovely and so is her other half, who I have to say makes a mean sandwich!!!!!

There were also the Princess and Pirate in attendance and they have beautiful personalities too. Both of them greeted me and allowed me to fuss them, actually the Princess really doesn’t like the fussing to stop….

and as for the Pirate well he just likes to watch from a distance and collect his fusses just because he’s gorgeous and not because he turns upside down!!!

Isn’t he amazing?

In fact aren’t they both amazing – and all this from someone who didn’t like dogs, and was very much a cat person until last year!

We only had a couple of hours together and the lady was in a great deal of pain – I do hope to meet up again in the not too distant future – there are some people you should keep in your life, particularly if they make you smile and I smiled a lot yesterday.

A  long while ago I heard a phrase that really hit home:-

‘I’d rather be selling bumper stickers than be somewhere wishing I was somewhere else!

I have lived my life that way for the last 15 years – I only go where I truly want to be …. I did that yesterday and I loved meeting the whole family! It was special – Thank you Jay and OH and your beautiful greys – I really enjoyed meeting you!

By the way – when I got home Hippie went ‘sniff crazy’ the accusing ‘where have you been’ looks were incredible. then came the sulks – look at that!!

Ah well, maybe she can meet you next time!!!! x