A MUCH BETTER DAY

I am happy to report that today has been a great improvement upon yesterday,indeed today has been splendid. To begin with it is the start of my sons week off which we all look forward to,and this morning I had two cups of coffee delivered to my bedside before it was time to get up. Pa, to our everlasting amazement was up before I was this morning, it took a while for me to recover from the shock as this has not happened since about 1976!
Soon after waking I discovered that we had won a bid on e bay for a lovely old chair, my sons gift to me for Mothers Day. The chair upon which I am sitting at the moment has been glued together so many times that even the woodworm have moved out in protest. We picked it up for ten pounds many years ago and although I am sentimentally attached to it I and my poor old bum will be relieved when the new chair arrives. It is painted white with a pretty floral seat cover, “shabby chic” I think they call it, well at least it will fit in with the rest of the décor. I love old things, I like to wonder about the other people who have used the item over the years, it is like owning a piece of history.

We ate a lovely breakfast of oven bottom muffins and hot buttered crumpets washed down with a pot of breakfast tea and then while my son, who had been at work all night went off to have a rest I baked the days bread, five loaves today,two of which were for friends and the rest for ourselves.
I delivered one of the loaves, still warm from the oven to an old friend who works at the local garden centre. She gave my a really pretty glass bottle(I collect them) and I was as pleased as could be,she is a lovely lady and a true friend.
While I was at the garden centre I picked up two m0re large lavender plants, a gift from Pa. The harsh winter has killed six of my old plants and I am replacing them as quickly as possible as we need them in full flower for the bees of which our garden boasts a great multitude.

Two of the old plants were dug out and replaced with the new as soon as OI returned home together with a beautiful sage plant. I have about seven of these in the garden but as we use a great deal of sage in the kitchen in cooking and as a tea I can never have too many. Every year I have to cut half of the plants back almost to the ground as they get straggly if they are left to their own devices. It takes most of the summer for these plants to grow back but by leaving half of them alone not only do I always have plenty of sage but the uncut ones produce fantastic blue flowers beloved by bees and butterflies alike.

After all the digging I took buggy ride to the riverbank to see the swans, At this time of year there are always a dozen or more pairs some still with last years young ones and many of which I have know for good many years. When ever I see them they greet me like an old friend and I feel honored to have their trust. Soon they will begin nesting, many on the island where it is relatively safe. I am so locking forward to seeing this years cygnets, they are so fluffy and cute.

I made leek and potato soup for dinner which we ate with new bread and I served the jelly which I made yesterday. Unfortunately I was a little heavy handed with the raspberry vodka and it did not set at all well. It tasted very good although it was difficult to eat, my son said that it should have been served in shot glasses, I think he was right.

I have packed my son off to bed early with a cup of hot chocolate as he is going in to Richmond in the morning .Pa will I hope have an early bath and go off to bed as he too is tired this evening. I have a shopping list to make for our fortnightly grocery delivery then I too shall be glad to have an early night. Tomorrow I have to be at the hospital very early for a scan to see how my kidneys are doing. Wish me luck.