SWISS ROSTI, THE EASY WAY

Since I mentioned that I had made Swiss rosti recently I have received several requests for the recipe. Originating in Switzerland rosti is traditionally served warm with cold meats, however it is very versatile and very simple to prepare.

First of all ignore all the cheffy types who tell you to grate raw potato in to a tea towel add lots of salt and the ring it out .mangle fashion to remove excess water,this is unnecessary and unles you work like a bat out of hell your finished rosti will be a rather unpleasant shade of grey and practically raw in to the bargain. The method below is fool proof providing that you follow the simple instructions to the letter.

SIMPLE SWISS ROSTI
1lb peeled potatoes
1 oz beef dripping
pinch of salt

Parboil the potatoes for around five minutes another minute if they are whoppers. Remove from the heat and plunge in to cold water, leave for a few moments until the potatoes at cool enough to handle.

Coarsely grate the potatoes using a well seasoned skillet or a non stick pan melt the dripping and heat until it smokes a little them pile in the grated potato and spread it around the pan to form a round cake. Reduce the heat slight l and cook until the bottom is golden brown, this should take about four minutes. Slide the rosti onto a large dinner plate and turn bake in to the pan to brown the other side season to taste at this point .
When the underside is brown the rosti is done and will be cooked through.

Many ingredients can be added to this basic recipe such as a little crushed garlic or some grated onion.

I like to serve plain rosti with char grilled chicken accompanied by a salad and a creamy sauce. My son love it with sausages and hot tomato sauce and Pa Likes his with a grilled lamb chop.
Individual rosti are easy to make but we prefer the large sharing rosti, sizzling away in its skillet it makes a hearty centre piece summer and winter alike.

JAM SEASON BEGINS

Despite the cold wet spring that last few days of warmth have helped the fruit to ripen at last. Gooseberries which I always pick green for the pectin they hold have been ready for a week or two and at last the strawberries are ripening too. Making a disgustingly early start I took Pa a coffee at seven and set about the bread making,two split tins, a bloomer and two baguettes for today.

When my son arrived home from work I gave him breakfast and we chatted while Pa collected himself and as soon as my son went off to bed Pa was up and ready for his breakfast,second sitting.

The first real jam making session of the year has an excitement all its own, I think it has a lot to do with the alchemy of turning raw fruits in to a gorgeous substance sticky sweet which will give us the taste of the fruits we love all through the winter months.
Jars in the oven sterilising,lids scalded and in the maslin pan four pounds of strawberries
one pound of gooseberries, the juice of a lemon and three pounds of sugar......at this point a remembered that I had broken my sugar thermometre at the end of last year and had forgotten to buy another.

Of course there are other ways of testing if setting point has been reached, dropping a little hot jam on to a cold plate usually works but when the weather is very hot this method can be unreliable.,In the end I took my best guess and fortunately it was good enough, the jam set perfectly.....Pheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew!

Once again the garden called and I went willingly and glad of heart in to the warm sunshine there to plant out chives, gourds and salad plants. Amazingly the seeds sown over the weekend have germinated and I now have six short roes of radish, rocket salads and beets, warm humid weather may be sticky and horrid but at this time of year it makes me rejoice, nature is helping again and all is well.

Back in the kitchen I fired up the wok and made a pork Nd vegetable stir fry with noodles and everyone enjoyed it I am happy to say. Now wearing the end of this busy day I feel happy, of all days I like best the days when I make,,or bake or garden, imagine my delight on a day when I have managed to do all three. I can snuggle up in bed remembering the rich red glow of the jars of new jam,the crusty tasty bread and the wonderful shower of rain which came just as I had finished planting and watered in the tender seedlings. Life is sweet.

PARSLY SAGE ROSEMARY AND BADGERS

Three days have elapsed since the sowing of this years parsley, done with due ceremony and the customary seven fold curse, all should have been well. Yesterdays inspection of the garden revealed that our resident badgers had been at it again, digging for chaffer grubs, we are used to this. Undeterred I smoothed over the soil sprinkled on a little more seed and covered the seed bed with a net.
Came the dawn, yet again the bed had been disturbed except that this time the entire bed had been excavated to a depth of six inches and more so that any seeds would either be scattered on the path or buried so deep that even with the devils assistance they would never be able it germinate.

Pondering the problem I decided to maw out the grass pathways in the flower garden it was while I was edging that I made up my mind what to do., in need of a break after mowing I buzzed off to the garden centre where I purchased a large tub of parsley. Basil was on special offer to gardening club members and I purchased a container with several varieties of well grown plants.

Temptation got the better of me and as well as some more parsley seed I also brought two edible gourd plants of a kind I am unfamiliar with,I like to try new things. Apart from a little watering there was time for nothing more as I needed to be back in the kitchen preparing dinner. Sausages wrapped in streaky bacon served with baked tomatoes, potato roster,a tomato sauce and a wholegrain mustard cream sauce for Pa

During the meal we discussed the problems in the herb garden, foxes have destroyed two quite large rosemary bushes by rubbing themselves vigorously against the plants in an attempt to deter fleas ticks and mites. Several thyme plants are now quit bald after being raided by starlings to line their nests for similar reasons.

Years ago I planted a small herb garden at the bottom of the vegetable garden for the foxes especial use but they seem to prefer the convenience of the herbs in the flower garde and who can blame them?

Sadly little can be done as we all love the foxes and the badgers however there is one thing which really annoys me and that is people who come to my garden for fresh herbs(and many are welcome) without bringing a pair of secateurs or scissors. Pulling and tugging at the plants damages them dreadfully ,One of my bay bushes died after receiving this treatment from several frequent callers,needles to say the new bay trees are sited no where near the front door this time.

Tomorrow the builders move in for the duration,wish me luck.

THE HEAT IS ON

Monday morning did not go quite according to the manual as a succession of callers slowed my progress through the usual Monday chores to a total halt. Pa refused to get up so I made the days bread while he was thinking about it then set about preparing breakfast for the two of us.
Still insisting that he is going to work tonight my son remained in bed and it had been my intention to leave him there for as long as possible,it was unfortunate therefore that some benighted imbecile decided to test the sound system for Saturdays Jubilee Party which is to be held at a public house a couple of hundred yards away.

Bell-ringers, a pest at the best of times decided to practice their Jubilee peal which added t the din and by ten my son was wide awake and so joined us for a breakfast of pancakes .
When at last the noise subsided he returned to his room to rest but did not sleep again worse luck!

Three trays of shortbread were gently baking in the oven when a knock at the door producing the man who is to oversee the building work,unfortunately he could not tell us when they would start just that it would be some time soon. It was over an hour before I could return to my work. Washing up took for ever as my telephone kept on ringing and in the end I turned the blessed thing off to get a little peace and quiet.

When at last I gained the sanctuary of the garden there was the question of where to start, the grass on the path ways was long, I gritted my teeth ,put some two stroke in the strimmer and off I went. Keeping the grass paths short has been difficulties year as the rain has made the grass grow while at the same time preventing me form cutting it.

Poles, posts and fences are anathema to a strimmer, the least contact with any of these will cause the cord to wrap around the object in question and pull out leaving a useless head and an over revving engine. While struggling to fit a new length of cord I hear a voice from behind me saying “Is the kettle on?” It wasn't but I was resigned and tottered into the kitchen ,made a pot of tea and broached one of the trays of shortbread all the while feeling about as hospitable as an irate wasp!

Eventually I returned to the garden and had just enough time to finish the strimming and set up the sprinkler before hauling ass back indoors to prepare dinner. Simple omelettes with cheese ham and mushroom fillings with salad from the garden and fresh bread …..lovely.

Returning to the garden for a few moments as the sun was setting I photographed the work in progress and although I am much less oft that last year things are shaping up nicely. Twiggy took a turn with me about the flower garden but of course she refused to have any truck with the kitchen garden where water was still spraying the strawberry beds.

Life is returning to normal at least for a short time before chaos in the form of plumbers,builders electricians ,gas fitters and sundry other artisans descend upon us...........I long for a few quiet days to rest and relax but a blue snow on August bank holiday is more likely I am afraid, oh well nothing daunted we shall soldier on ,but oh won,t I be glad when it's all over?

BLOOMERS

Perhaps it was the long exposure to discord which I experienced last night,perhaps a chemical hangover from the large doses of pain relief I took at midnight, perhaps I am just going potty,who can say. Whatever the cause for some reason I awoke this morning convinced that it was Monday which foolish misconception had a bizarre effect upon the whole day.

I rose early and made coffee for Pa and I, I left my son asleep as he is adamant that he will be going to work on Monday,so thinking that it was Monday I left him to sleep on. Exhorting Pa up “get a move on.” I tackled some of the Monday morning chores. Nothing happened to break the spell until I announced to Pa that was going to make bread before cooking his breakfast.
Baffled Pa remarked that I usually make bread on Mondays, and I concurred stating that as this was Monday his remark was redundant, it was at this juncture I realised my very stupid mistake.

Help! Sunday morning, past nine and y sons friends would be arriving soon for their game, with my son still in bed and fast asleep I made the fastest coffee on record and woke him at one with of course profound apologies!

What followed during the next hour was a speeded up version of our usual Sunday breakfast through out which I pondered as to what the devil had made me so convinced that it was Monday. When you reach my age these sudden mental aberrations could have a sinister cause and the be frank this is not the first time in recent weeks that such a thing has occurred.

A ll too soon people began to arrive signalling an end of peace and quiet for the time being.
Suddenly I remembered the party,BUM!!!!! Acute laryngitis had caused my son to cancel his own birthday party some weeks ago and as today is the birthday of another member of the group it was agreed that today should be a joint affair.
Still unwell my son has refused to cancel again and so a huge chocolate fudge cake awaited the occasion along with copious amounts of vanilla iced cream.....how could I have forgotten.

Murphy being the aggravating fellow he is the boys arrived early (it ever rains) and as soon as the had departed I cleared the kitchen and escaped to the garden hoping that the peace and quiet would effect a repair upon my scattered wits. Alas it was not to be.

Tools at the ready I was just about to begin clearing the old spinach bed when and anguished cry from the house called me back indoors, and it was did I have any idea where the clean shirts were;of course I did they were in the ironing basket...........BUM1

Sunday is an ironing day and having been busy during the past week I have neglected this delightful task,I set yo the ironing board and with a very bad grace. Shirts,T shirts and the usual pesky odds and ends took an age but once done I was heading for the garden again when Pa reminded me that since we were soon it have a house full of revellers were we having our baths during the afternoon.....BUM BUM BUM !!!!!!!!!!

Events over took me as it happened and I did not manage to bathe before the hungry hoards descended having been waylaid by a passing acquaintance, quite literally ,who kept me nattering for far too long and causing me to remember why I had for some time been avoiding working in the front garden on a Sunday. BUM!

Perhaps it was fortunate that I had not time for much work in the garden as I was already in a good deal of pain from my previous exertions.
Down stairs the revellers are playing a card game and eating cake, the party will break up much earlier than usual as my son wants to get an early night to prepare him for work tomorrow night and another of the guests has an early interview.

One of my sons friends is a recruitment officer of some standing, a renown head hunter who has been trying to persuade my son to leave his present outfit for a more promising location where his undoubted talents and many contacts would be appreciated. During a conversation this evening he confessed to me that he was baffled as to why my son kept refusing the ever increasing offers in spite of the fact that his employers treat their staff so badly.

Explaining my son's attitude was difficult as these days the concept of honour is considered in the light of weakness rather than a matter worthy of praise. Killer instinct ,much prized these days has been largely responsible for the bloody awful mess that our country and many others are in. Power hungry testosterone fuelled overly ambitious go getters who got the goods all right and left both companies and countries bankrupt.

My son is ambitious though he would not harm his friends to achieve his goal. My son is honourable, he has integrity and I love him for it.
All the same I wish with all my heart that he could be persuaded to cock a snook at the self satisfied oiks who pretend to run the show while resting upon others laurels.

Enough of this frippery, my views upon these persons are well known and they have been the victims of my strictures on many occasions, THEY KNOW WHO THEY ARE!

GOLDEN OLDIES

Another year has roiled away and here it is again The Euro vision Song Contest, annual farce!
Once again I am watching in the company of my son who is an addict,in every other respect he
is a normal sane individual...well we all have our little foibles!

Englebert Humpadink versus a gaggle of Russian babushkas ,bring back Lordi I say! Spain has told it's contestant to be sure and loose as they cannot afford to host the show next year if they win. Ireland is so afraid of winning again that they are sending the truly appalling Jedwood again ,we are living in strange times indeed.

Strangest of all is the fact that for once the competing countries will be giving the highest scores to their enemies quite a switch when you remember the normal format.

Englebert was reasonable although a trifle flat at times, I have heard worse and judging by the Fascist Republic of Hungary’s entry I shall again. Threatened with the longest show ever I wish that I had planned an escape but too late,I am doomed.


Albania...........................OH My God!!!!!!!!!

CONFUSED,?YOU WILL BE!

Today was Pa's third day in hospital and during those three days we have quite naturally been interested in how he is getting along, what progress ,if any is being made and of course when came we expect him home? Pa himself has no idea, the nurses have no idea ,the clinical technician who is running the tests has no idea and the specialist in charge of the case makes himself so exclusive that none of the nurses actually know who he is.

When yesterday I visited Pa he told me that he would probably be coming home today, last night when I called him he said the same thing, this morning he tells me that the nurses
think he May be discharged today but they cannot be certain until the elusive specialist deigns to put in an appearance. The fact of the matter is that we were no wiser and this has made life rather difficult.

Further complications have manifested themselves in that Pa was told that his medications were to be change while he was under observation and apparently this has not taken place and Pa is now worried that he may have to stay in longer for this to be done. Pa was admitted to hospital for between one to five days and so far every day we are being told that he will be coming home tomorrow, since the hospital is quite a long and logistically difficult journey away this uncertainty has made visiting very difficult.After all since it takes such an age to get to the hospita; Pa could be back home before I arrive to visit him!

During the past few days I have formed the opinion that no one actually knows why Pa is is being kept in bed with about twenty cables attached to his head, and being filmed around the clock. Apart from checking his stats three of four times a day and regaling him periodically with disgusting meals he sees no one and talks to no one. He is going slowly potty, the room is sweltering, the windows will not open and he may not take a bath.


Long,long ago when a patient was unable to bathe a nurse was detailed to wash and shave the patient, not any more, Poor old Pa is stubbly and he is getting rather whiffy to, normally he bathes once a day so he is finding this intolerable.

Today, tomorrow,Sunday, who knows and in the mean time I am trying to prepare the house for the builders another group who are vague as to their comings and goings as we have still not been informed just when to expect them, soon is as good as if gets.

Morning turned to afternoon and the afternoon wore on with no word from Pa and we resigned ourselves to another night without the old boy. Vodka was needed for the Blueberry vodka which to say truth I am rather late in making this year so I decided to trot out and buy some and it was during this trip that Pa called to tell me that he could come home.

Quick as a flash I sent a taxi it pick him up, called my son with the good news and hurried home. Having only about an hour I steamed the kitchen floor, covered the fence with bunting, ran the Union Jack up the flag pole and picked a gorgeous bunch of flowers from the garden for Pa's room.

Pa received quite a welcome as some friends arrived just as he did and came in for tea and cakes and even Twiggy appeared clamouring for his attention,poor little cat, she has missed him sorely.


Finally when everyone had gone we ran a hot bath for the dear old chap while I prepared dinner,since my son is still suffering with a very sore throat pasta In a creamy sauce was decided upon followed by iced cream and chilled sarsaparilla.

Knowing that Pa is safe at home I am more relaxed than have been for days and very glad also that shall not have to endure another dreadful trip to visit him as this afternoon my knee joint gave up and I fell and hurt myself , the knee is now the size of a football bit I do not care, Pa is home and as soon as I have finished this blog I shall make hot chocolate for him and pop him in to bed for he is very tired.

My son and I may watch a film but I suspect that after all that has happened these past days we shall both fall asleep in our chairs long before the end.

Weekend is here and I wish for everyone a happy and sunny holiday.

THE GRAVEYARD WATCH

I did not expect to sleep well last night and I was not disappointed,I did not sleep at all, always a poor sleeper these days I am practically nocturnal and a combination of heat and too much on my mind always keeps my mind busy no matter how badly I need to rest.

Two thirty found me sitting by my open bedroom window sipping coffee and wondering how the devil I would get through the next month.

There is a time of night,even in cities when man's hold on the world weakens for a time and for a few short hours nature takes back her own. Refreshed by the night air I gazed out into the stillness, not a leaf moved and the air smelled like the walls of an old well .damp and cool.

Darkness ,unusual in any city cloaked the lane as most of the street lighting is out of order, and long may it remain so, into the small patch of light from a solar gate light trotted a large dog fox. Sniffing the air he quartered up and down the lane, stood for a moment in the middle of the road and then sat down squarely on the white line ! Some how his calm assurance that he was safe on what can be a busy little lane at rat run times of day seemed to me to show that for the moment nature ruled in this place. Foxy tuned round twice and then lay down still in the middle of the road.

Moments later the vixen strolled across to where he lay and they greeted each other with seeming affection. Poor lady weeks of suckling her kits in a dark confined space has left her at the mercy of mites and her tail was almost bald except for its familiar white tip, her mate handsome yet dishevelled seemed to have fared a little better. These two foxes are old friends of ours and living as they do in our orchard we see a good deal of them,there seems to be a third adult,a female living here also.

Watching this little play unfold I was delighted to see three cubs emerge from a large bush of St Johnswort, play fighting the three tumbled down the path a snarling furry ball coming to an abrupt halt beside a large piece of shortbread at which point the fighting continued in good earnest.

Pollen was heavy on the air and a sudden load sneeze from me cleared both lane and garden and in a split second all was quite again. There was no time to be sorry for the same sudden noise had disturbed a small rodent foraging at the paths edge which was gone in a silent stroke as a big tawny owl picked him from the ground so fast that I doubt if the mouse knew anything about it.

During the next hour a hedgehog snuffled among the hostas looking for slugs and beetles and a large boar badger headed through the fence and into the orchard, later the foxes returned to rub themselves against the clipped rosemary bushes in the front garden to discourage mites ticks and fleas.

Beyond the shelter belt a finger of grey crept across the sky followed by a pale peach stripe, and night was over, the first plane of the day shattered the quiet and the faint hum of traffic on The Great West Road increased with each passing moment,nature gave up her presence and the magic was over.

Creatures of the day time share their lives with us and although they are all around us they are seldom noticed as we go about our busy lives but those who inhabit the hours of darkness have the world almost to themselves,except for insomniacs like me who can only wonder at the magical beauty of the graveyard watch.

HERE COMES SUMMER

And about time too. I should like to tell you that I have spent a happy day in my garden but not so. Poor old Pa will it seems be spending the entire week at Charring Cross hospital and so far the food has been exactly as I described it to you a couple of days ago.

Morning was pleasant enough and my old neighbour came for breakfast which was fun and he and my son had a rather croaky conversation as my poor boy has once again lost his voice. It appears the his GP was correct in his diagnosis that another course of anti-biotic would be required the dislodge the wretched germs or rather the complications that they virus has caused.

I fizzed about preparing food for the invalid, a beef and horseradish sandwich, chocolate brownies, fruit and some cheese and crackers which will I hope get him through he day.
Pa is very thin and cannot afford to be without decent meals even for a day or two and the amount of medication he takes requires a full stomach or the side effects are very unpleasant for him.

I have considered reporting the NHS to the European Court of Human Rights, if such diabolical provender was served to prison inmates the do gooders would be up in arms and yet the sick are allowed to be half starved while in hospital, it is a ridiculous situation.

Pa tucked in to his sandwich and cheese , tomorrow I hope to take him a flask of hot soup and some home made bread rolls for a change. The journey is a dreadful one and taxis are so expensive but Pa comes first and what ever it takes I shall do.

We have still not yet heard when the builders will arrive, I expect now that it will be some time after the Jubilee bank Holiday as it would make no sense to begin a job and then bugger off for four days leaving two disabled people in the middle of a rubble mountain!

Twiggy is enjoying the fine weather and this thankfully is taking her mind of Pa's absence, she paid me a visit during the not for reassurance and at five in the morning she returned asking to be let out, how she loves the summer time. Today for the first time a wore one of the new silk kaftan I was given for my birthday,they are so light and cool, I wore the green one with a green silk scarf, I looked rather like Madam Arcarti from the play “Blythe Spirit”, eccentric is the word I believe!

Dinner tonight was a home cooked Chinese, fried noodles bean shoots and vegetables spicy prawns and a sweet and sour sauce, my son will only eat Chinese if this sauce is served.. Actually it was perfect for such a hot day. Tomorrow if the weather holds I may have a barbecue when I return from hospital visiting as I have a meat order arriving in the morning with some rather wonderful sausages and chops, we shall see.

Something must be done to cheer up my son , he has been so unwell and at the moment he is very depressed, he talks of returning to work next week but I am beginning to doubt if his doctor will permit this and since he is itching to return the possibility that he will be unable to do so is adding to his gloomy mood. I confess myself worried at this point as my son is Never gloomy but always upbeat and cheerful in the face if adversity.

I believe there is something occurring at his place of work with which I am not au fiat ,he is worried about his team I know, I should like to have his upper management in front of me for half an hour, Having been a manager myself I should like to ask them what the bloody hell they think they are playing at. It would not be the first time I have given such types a piece of my mind. Blast their eyes for plaguing my son, and a pox lite upon the lot of them!!!!!

A DATE WITH WORDSWORTH

Bright and early, and Lord only knows how we managed it, Pa went off in his taxi complete with case and food parcels, and in spite of the fact that both my son and I certainly need a break I was very close to tears. While I can nit deny that he is difficult at ties he is so vulnerable, so frail, and these days one needs to be fit to survive a stay in hospital.

Breakfast was lovely and so relaxed although both my son and I coughed continuously...yes I now have the plague,damn and blast it! Straight after breakfast my helper arrived and spent the next four hours clearing the tat out of the under stairs cupboard,his orders were don't ask questions just dump the lot, except for my sewing machine which has been missing for months.

Bag after bag was carried out on to the oath and I served cold beer, and coffee and cookies
at regular intervals,still on anti-biotic my son was unable to have a beer with us and I packed him off to his room away from the dust. Although we resurrected a few moths there were no mice nor any insect larger than a wood louse which was a great relief all round. On the other hand we found only two small spiders, the others must have starved to death.

Four O clock arrived the time appointed for Mr Wordsworth, the rubbish man to arrive, the pat5h was jam packed with black bags full of God knows what and all down the path around the side of the house old bookcases,dead chests of drawers and endless mountains of cardboard awaited his attentions,. Four O clock arrived...Wordsworth did not, I was to say the least a little stressed by this and at four thirty I ventured to call him to find out the reason for the delay. I called but “answer came there none”panic began to set in,now what?

Desperate for a bath and some sustenance , I sat in the garden for a while contemplating the blossom drop on the old apple tree,no comfort there. Just as I was considering the awful prospect of having to make other arraignments in a hurry Mr Wordsworth arrived with his son and together they made short work of loading the lot on to their lorry,I should have known that they would not le us down.

Whenever we use his services he does a first rate job for a reasonable price,he came highly recommended and has lived up to his excellent reputation. Liberated from the masses of trash I each took a well earned bath and then with my son ate a well earned dinner., during which we made an executive decision , after I had paid Mr Wordsworth for his services their was enough money left to buy us a breakfast tomorrow at a very good local café.........Pa will never know...unless we tell him!

LOOSE ENDS

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DREAM SUNDAY

Waking on a Sunday morning has a feeling like no other day,to begin with there is no post and no deliveries from such pests as Fed Ex or UPS which means that I shall not have to bounce out of bed to answer the door. Wonder of wonders ,my son was for once not working tonight nor did he have a game today,a truly rare occurrence and one which I felt disposed to celebrate.

Sunday morning lies in are rear so this morning we all made a lazy start to the day ,I made coffee for all and then took mine own cup back to bed to drink in peace while watching an ancient episode of “Lovejoy” before turning to and making breakfast. Eggs on toast for my son and toast and marmalade for Pa and I,we took our time eating this repast and now that my sons voice is beginning to return we chatted at table more that we have for the past two weeks.

Still in a celebratory mood I roasted a guinea fowl for dinner with fondant potatoes,glazed carrots,baked courgettes,apple sauce stuffing and a rich gravy made with the pan juices and a good dollop of blackberry jelly. Proper Sunday roasts are as rare as hens teeth for us and so today we made the most of the chance, to finish the meal I made a treacle sponge pudding with custard,home made of course.

Bumps acquired while erecting the shed yesterday have turned in to psychedelic bruises some of which are rather painful,my son too is similarly decorated and is currently finding it difficult to sit down. I feel rather guilty about asking him to help with the shed yesterday as he is still not at all well but time was pressing and needs must!

Tuesday morning will see Pa off to hospital and so I spent a little of the afternoon preparing some home cooked goodies for him to take with him, hospital food being what it is. I have spent quite a bit of time at both Charring Cross Hospital and West Middlesex and never have I been served with any item of food that was even remotely edible, they specialise in polystyrene omelettes rubbery pasta, and roasted vegetables which have been reheated by boiling all served with such quantities of iceberg lettuce that even a rabbit would baulk at the prospect.

Consolation comes in the fact that the potions are minuscule,except for the iceberg, Once in desperation I ordered a cheese salad,what arrived was a plate two thirds of which was covered in the ubiquitous lettuce amongst which a thin slice of tomato,two thick slices of cucumber and about an ounce of what was alleged to be grated Cheddar were so well hidden that I almost gave up. This repast was accompanied by a tiny sachet containing a teaspoon full of salad cream “wretched stuff” a round of soggy white bread and a pat of butter so small that I rejoiced in having had the foresight to bring my spectacles with me.

Experiences such as these had led us to making our own arrangements when we are incarcerated in either of these establishments. While in hospital Pa will feast upon high energy snacks such as home made roasted nuts, Oatmeal cookies and almond slices on the first day .Subsequently sandwiches made with home baked bread decent cheese such as Stilton of a good strong cheddar, flasks of home made soup and other such delicacies will be take in each day. Five days of hospital food would seriously debilitate some one as thin and as unwell as Pa so we shall take no chances.

Dinner was smashing, just having Sunday roast together was such a treat so it was a happy meal for us all. Next week my son is on holiday still and to be frank were that not the case there is no way that he would be going to work, by this evening he was feeling very tired and his voice was again croaky. Anti-biotic,s have helped but I think that his GP was right when he said that quite possibly a further course would be necessary to complete the treatment.

Twiggy my cat ,now replete with a goodly portion of left over Guinea fowl sits washing her whiskers while admiring herself in my mirror,soon she will settle down for the night and I when having done the equivalent by taking a bath will do the same. Night night.

COME BACK BRUNEL,ALL IS FORGIVEN !

Wonderful things were achieved by such great men as Brunel and Stevenson who between them cut great swathes across the landscape ,tunnelled under mountains and bridged mighty gorges. Despite all of this grandeur I cannot help wondering how successful either of these great men would have appeared if faced with a flat pack self assembly kit.

Most of this afternoon was spent in the company of my son attempting this feat and although we were eventually successful it certainly took far longer that the hour which the (instructions) such as they were assured us it would take.

Alterations of the house soon to take place have occasioned the removal of a good deal of clutter from under the stairs and although much of this will shortly be sent to the corporation tip anything still useful to us will need to be housed for the duration, and beyond as the under stairs area is to become a lavatory. Bird food, cat food, cat litter and so forth will now be housed outside and a free stuff stall will run during the Bank Holidays for any good items we no longer need.

No tools required for assembly was writ large on the huge cardboard package which arrived two days ago and has prevented the use of the garden ate ever since, with all the parts counted as present and correct we began.

Immediately apparent was the fact that the no tools required statement was a wicked lie,there were screws and where there are screws ,small fiddly ones ,a screw driver will be needed.
Pa hunted for the tool kit and my son laid the base of the storage container on the ground as directed by Figure 1 and hunted for the pieces mentioned in Figure 2, these were soon secured in their proper lace with a couple of clicks.

Figure three cause a little trouble but as the piece slotted smoothly in to place my son remarked that the job would soon be done at the rate we were progressing, the fool of a man should have realised that such a comment was bound to tempt fate......and so it proved!

Due to a degree of vagueness in the instructions as to where the next part should be positioned it was clipped directly on to the body of there container instead of on to the side panels thus we had in effect completed Figure 5 before Figure 4, an oversight which was to cause several hours of bad temper and even worse language from all concerned.

Light of heart my son announced that the beauty of these clip together kits was that they unclipped just as easily.......the silly bugger had done it again ...fate had been tempted and of course they refused to budge an inch. During the course of the next couple of hours pliers spanners,hammers screwdrivers and all were used in a vain attempt to de construct the easy to construct storage shed at the end of which time we were both black and blue and the air was blue with purple edges!

Through out the entire proceedure the cat Twiggy sat watching our every move and clearly she thought that we were completely bonkers.

Brute force finally released the three locking clips and now back on track we completed the remainder of the construction in about forty minutes.


There,s a moral to this story and it comes in two parts, Figure 1 never assume that the instructions on a flat pack are correct,Figure 2 never,I repeat never crow about how well things are going until the job is finished, in fact if possible not even then for fear the wretched thing will collapse!

THINGS THAT GO BUMP

Strange things have been happening since our neighbours moved our last weekend, every night, quite late noises have been heard emanating from the upstairs of the house.
Fortunately none of us are of a nervous disposition as far as spooky goings on are concerned,we have all seen far too many ghosts to worry about them ,particularly when they are haunting next door.

My concern was the possibility that a bat , perhaps disturbed as the loft was being emptied had been shut in and I determined that this morning I should make enquiries about the matter.
Mercifully both my son and I managed to get some sleep last night in spite of the strange and I must say very in bat like yodelling sound coming form next doors bath room!

I woke early and decided to check my emails and the answer to the riddle was there in black and white. I had written to the estate manager on Monday asking if we might have the use of next doors bathroom while ours out of action, two weeks without a bath was not although to be relished. Today he replied that their would be no problem if the work on our bathroom was to begin soon, he also mentioned that due to the fact that there was no hot water in our neighbours new abode they have been returning to their old home each night to take a bath.

What kind of numpty moves in to a house with no means to heat water, no heating and apparently other problems with doors that cannot be locked and windows that will not close. When he mentioned the proposed move and the fact that a great deal of work was being done in the house I warned our neighbour that he should on no account move in until all the work was completed. Almost a week after moving to the new house they are sitting in their overcoats and are having to stump up the lane to their old home every night to bathe.

Twenty years ago when we first came to live on the estate we moved in before the fitted kitchen was completed and several large holes in the floor, left after dividing walls had been knocked down had yet to be filled in. Ten years later when we moved out the kitchen was sill incomplete and the floor full of holes. I hope he has better luck than we did but I doubt it.

Quite when the builders will start I do not know but when ever they do at least now we shall not have to go about ponging for two weeks ,P.T.L!

Today ,wonder of wonders I picked up a large black spider in my bare hand and popped him outside without any trouble. Pa saw the whole thing and was amazed as I have been terrified of spiders since I was five years old. Snakes worms,beetles, snails,nothing else bothers me at all and I had begun to feel very silly to be still screaming at spiders at my age.
Last Autumn, after a prolonged siege with those huge black spiders which always appear at the end of summer I decided that enough was enough and I decided on a cure.

I purchased a beautifully jewelled silver coloured spider on a gossamer fine necklace and I wore it day in and day out for five months. Nightly it remained at my bed side by my glass of water so that I often touched it by accident when reaching for a drink. Phase two was wearing the necklace three times a week and every day I picked it up and held it for a few moments.

Although I have yet to encounter one of those huge beasts that haunt my room in the autumn I can now pick up quite large spiders of all colours without fear, I now associate spiders with beauty instead of fear, and I am proof that the cure really does work.......so far.

THE BIG 30

Waking this morning on my sons thirtieth birthday my first thought was”Where did the time go.” just a little while ago I watched him take his first steps, saw him off to school for his first day,watched his graduation from university filled with pride,the time has hurried by and all those things are past.

When I look at the splendid young man he has become it always amazes me that something so fine,so noble and so brilliant could be anything to do with me, yet here he is, the pride of my life.

I served coffee at seven as I could hear him coughing and we hugged as I wished him a happy birthday, with sleep still in his eyes I could see plainly the dear little boy who always wanted another story or another song at bed time.

Before his birth I had never imagined that a child could bring so much love in to the world nor such joy and laughter,I expect all mothers feel so. After more coffee I got on with the special birthday breakfast of freshly made waffles and hot strawberry sauce,a real treat which he loves. Still unable to speak we had a hilarious breakfast as he passed notes to each of us about this and that,trust my lad to make even a bad situation funny,it is his way.

Parcels were next on the agenda and short work was made of the wrapping paper as he unwrapped one book after another and a rather smart box of chocolates. A reefer jacket, a gift from me he had been given some weeks ago in time for his holiday. Cards from family and friends decorated his room by the time the presents were all opened another shelf was filled with books.

Our day was intentionally a lazy one as we have all been “through the mill” as it were lately, my concern was to provide a famous feast for the birthday boy and I spent a good deal of the day making my special onion sauce and ensuring that the gammon was cooked to juicy perfection. All went well and everyone enjoyed the results of my work as they tucked in to sugar crisp gammon with creamy mashed potato, glazed carrots sweet garden peas and the richest and creamiest onion sauce,if I say so my self.

Almost too full we tackle a slice of the birthday cake each after which no one wanted to move.

Today has been fun in spite of sore throats and sleepless nights. When I look at my dear son I feel that I am the luckiest person in the world, he is everything a mother could wish for in a son and so much more.

Thirty years ago exactly cradling my new born child in my arms I made him a promise that there would never be a day of his life when he was not certain of my love,I have kept my word.

BIRTHDAY PREPARATIONS

Defeated by pain I went to bed last night with little hope of sleeping and very worried as I had to do the preparations for my sons birthday tomorrow. Such was my desperation that I took a double dose of diclomax, a double dose of cocodamol and a sleeping pill!

Not for the first time I wrote a short note and left it at my bed side exonerating the boys from any blame in the event that the overdose should cause my demise. I slept for several hours and awoke feeling very odd indeed but in much less pain, took another dose of pain killers and went back to bed where I slept until morning.

Waking up fully took quite a time as I kept on dozing off but when at last I made it down stairs I knew that I would be able to make the promised chocolate fudge cake ,the oat crisp cookies and prepare the large gammon joint that is to be the centre piece of my sons birthday dinner.

Porridge and toast for breakfast seemed best as my son is still unable to speak,he had the porridge and Pa and I had the toast,the one caller we had did not stay long in the pest house for fear of infection and as soon as he had gone I started on the cake,the recipe for which I published on May 5th.

Happily it came out perfectly first time, and as it cooled I made a cooked chocolate fudge icing to sandwich and cover the cake after which I studded it with white chocolate drops,my sons favourite.
Oat crispie cookies were next, some of these will accompany Pa next week when he goes in to hospital,then with the gammon joint in soak I cleared the kitchen and cleared off the the garden centre.

Feeling virtuous on account of my efforts in the kitchen I treated myself to a beautiful specimen of Sambucus Nigra, black elder which has gorgeous sprays of pink flowers and dark purple leaves,this and a strip of lettuce plants completed my purchases and I headed home to prepare dinner. Macaroni cheese had been chosen as a meal which would not hurt my sons sore throat,incidentally he still cannot speak and oh boy is it quiet!

I made a basic white sauce with butter flour and milk then added 6 ounces of strong cheddar and a whole garlic roulade .When the sauce was made I added half a jar of sun dried tomatoes,salt and pepper. Laced the boiling water in which the macaroni was cooked with tomato oil from the jar of sun dried tomatoes for extra flavour then put the cooked macaroni in to a large dish,spooned on the sauce and topped with a mixture of Cheshire cheese and Gruyère. Rich and comforting this proved to be a hit and the boys both ate second helpings as did I.

With the days work done I am writing as the sun is setting, the air is still and from every tree in the lane at least a dozen birds are calling to each other and in the sky the streak of peach coloured cloud is turning orange as the sun sinks lower. Soon the lane and the fields will be the haunt of bats ,owls and foxes,hedgehogs and badgers and for once I hope that I sleep right through this nightly pageant. Hey Ho, bath time.

TUESDAY BLUESDAY

After yesterdays shenanigans and another night with little sleep I am beginning to feel weird,
I read once that preventing a person from sleep is am effective sort of torture and I can confirm that it could well be true;for a decent nights sleep I would tell all my dark secrets to any one who asked! Throughout my life I have been a poor sleeper surviving on just a couple hours a night, during the past few weeks I have been lucky to get any sleep at all and the little I get,I need.

It was a rusty trio that met for breakfast,hoping to boost our energy levels I made a batch of pikelets sprinkled with raisins and served with maple syrup, they were very nice but the ploy failed. Distracted by the appalling pain in my shoulder I became desperate and finally took the heavy duty pain killers prescribed for the affliction,it seems to me a strange thing tat if I take these at night I still do not sleep much yet if a take them during the day the effect is so debilitating that after fighting off sleep for a couple of hours I was obliged to declare defeat and went back to bed.

Strange dreams filled with frustration and stress plagued my exhausted slumbers and I woke at four in the afternoon glad to escape from the apparent mayhem I had ,managed to create while asleep. Trying to get out of bed felt like trying to climb out of a well and the weakness in my arms and legs alarmed me very much but with the help of a couple of coffees I managed to get to the kitchen to prepare a family dinner.

Thankfully I had decided to cook a variety of special sausages served with jacket potatoes with fillings such as cheese baked beans or fried onions,salad and hot tomato sauce. Quick to make easy to eat and making few dirty dishes we ate less than usual tired as we all were and as soon as the kitchen was cleared I returned to the peace and quiet of my room to write this epistle.

There was one funny occurrence which brightened all our days and it happened this morning. I have for many months been attempting to stop the garbage collectors from throwing the re-cycle bags and boxes over the fence and on to the front garden once they have been emptied.....so far to no avail. Believing them to be incorrigible we were much amused this morning when as usual the wet recycle bags and food bin came sailing over the gate. Missing his mark slightly and assisted by a great gust of wind the messy food bin caught on the railings and fell back on to the man’s shoulder showering him with vintage potato peelings and other noisome items.

It seems that what goes round really does come round after all.

DOCTORS AND PATIENTS

Another night of next to no sleep found me bleary eye and jaded and the discovery that once again rain appeared to have set in for the day only added to the gathering gloom. Coffee I decided was my first priority and as the kettle boiled my son appeared on the landing looking ghastly and now unable to utter even his distress at feeling worse so I put my foot down,put him back to bed and rang the surgery as soon as it opened.

Usually it is almost impossible to obtain an appointment with even the most unpopular GP in the practice in under two week, today however I explained the situation and mentioned that Pa was to go in to hospital next week for some long awaited treatment and that if he became infected he would most certainly have to cancel the result of which would be another long wait for smother appointment.

Condescendingly the receptionist declared that she would see us at ten thirty, I called a taxi and got ready to go with my son as he was still speechless. Amazingly the doctor was not running late and at exactly ten thirty we were called to the consulting room, and after a description of the symptoms and the duration of the condition the Doctor pronounce that my son had “a viral infection”. After congratulating him upon his perspicacity I asked what could be done to alleviate the symptoms which now included a hacking cough which further aggravated the sore throatand the asthma fromwhich my son suffers.

Further investigation was now deemed necessary and he shone a light down my sons throat and asked him to say AHHHHH! Not a sound emerged,he felt the glands in the throat and checked his chest with a stethoscope then wrote out a prescription for anti -biotic and told us that the "Infection” needed a little help to clear it. We left the august presence and ordered a taxi to take us home.

Breakfast was an urgent need as we had left home without eating as I had been unable to resurrect Pa,fearing that he MIGHT try to make himself something I promised him scotch crumpets with hot strawberry jam on our return and as good as my word these delightful little delicacies were sizzling on the griddle within ten minutes.

During breakfast the post man delivered my repeat prescriptions in the stamped envelope we had provided,I glanced over then and all seemed well. Several times in recent months the surgery has managed to send only half the prescribed items , and on one occaision nothing at all resulting in a good deal of trouble all round. After breakfast Pa took my son's prescriptions and my own to the pharmacy to have them filled, on his return I learned that the pharmacist had been unable to fill my prescriptions as they had not been signed!

Furious, I rang the surgery and was told by the insufferably stuck up baggage on reception that there was nothing they could do about it, I pointed out that had the Doctor done his job in the first place I would not need to ask the very great favour of having the clueless clot sign it...today! Grudgingly she answered that if I can down immediately she would “see what she could do”

Half an hour later and soaked to the skin I arrived at the surgery and the receptionist said that I would have to wait possibly until the end of surgery, suffering myself from a cold I told her that if I did not soon get warm and dry she would have a pneumonia case on her hands. She took the prescription with a very bad grace and five minutes later returned it with an equally graceless attitude “We are very sorry I'm sure,” she said with heavy sarcasm, that was enough, I went off like a firework at a feast day, publicly taking to task all concerned with the inefficient bungling method and the take it or leave it attitude of the receptionists and when I finished I received a standing ovation from the patients in the waiting room, I acknowledged their appreciation and left with my head high.

Needless to say all this junketing about has made inroads in to my day and I have accomplished little of any consequence, managing only to give the kitchen a clean and to rearrange a few items to make better use of space.

My Chinese dinner was well received and as my sons throat is still very sore iced cream seemed the best thing for afters. Sleep seems to be out of the question at the moment and so I have decided to watch a couple of Charlie Brown movies during the night, I have always felt s great deal if sympathy with Charlie Brown for instance I often find myself saying “Why can't I have a normal family like every one else.” “Good grief.”.......Or words to that effect!

SPRING SUNDAY

Sunshine and warmth brought out bees and butterflies in quantities along with tourists and me! Moving heaven and earth I ploughed through the days chores in order to have some time in the garden where a multitude of seasonal tasks awaited my attention and so great was my joy that I even enjoyed mowing and edging the paths again.

Progress was a little slow as so many people stopped to admire the garden or ask about some of the more unusual plants therein so I shifted operations to the orchard so as to make the most of the little time I had left before dinner. Rather late I planted some horseradish,and Jerusalem artichokes along with a couple of cardoons,I shall need to be very lucky if they are to thrive having such a late start.

Having lost the green house I have decided to use the frame for a number of climbing plants to make an arbour,last week I was given a beautiful Japanese honeysuckle and this along with the climbing roses I plated there last week will start the ball rolling. Torn between a clematis or a for the back of the arbour I shall have to toss a coin as time is short.

Trellis and some woven planters were deployed and radish sown in the planter along with beetroot’s and rocket, the trellis will encourage the honeysuckle to gain hight quickly and if all goes well by this time next year it should look very attractive.

How sweet the air did smell as all around us the hawthorn bushes are a mass of creamy white flowers,each with their pinky brown stamens resembling a child’s freckles and giving of a delicious perfume,how I wish it could be bottled. Busy on the feeders are the newly fledged blue tits from the white bird house which is empty now but not for long and blue tits raise two broods a year an din the winter time as many as thirty sleep in the deep box huddled together for warmth.

Amid all the up rush of life and activity my poor son, now with no voice at all is struggling to make us believe that e is on the mend,I an not deceived and shall make him an appointment with his GP tomorrow. Whether he takes the advice he has been given I cannot say as he is every bot as stubborn as his mama and does not take kindly to sitting about. Unable to speak and feeling rotten he has missed both of his weekend games and his friends showed their concern by braving the prevailing plague and visiting him before heading to the pub.

Twiggy our cat gloried in the fine weather and charged about the orchard like a mad thing until eexhausted by tree climbing and chasing bumble bees she draped herself prettily on a bench and went to sleep,with one eye open of course for fear of missing something!

Through out the afternoon our old neighbours continued to carry their belongings to their new house with the help of friends and as they locked up for the last time we gave them a house-warming gift for their new home. Last Christmas I was given a pair of beautiful Port Merrion mugs and both the boys had admired them very much so I picked up a pair as a gift for them and another p[air for myself. Not only do they make great breakfast mugs as they hold such a lot they are perfect for hot chocolate and marshmallows which we drink during the winter and having become used to a little luxury I should hate to go back to ordinary mugs for such things and now my son can have one of his own which has pleased him very much.

Dinner tonight was made with my sons sore throat in mind and lasagne with salad and garlic bread was chosen as most suitable. Tomorrow I shall cook a stir-fry of pork with soft noodle stir-fried vegetables and lots of sweet and sour sauce. Thursday is my sons thirtieth birthday and I hope that he is well enough to eat some of his cake. There was to have been a party here this evening but he cancelled it and now we shall have a double event in two weeks time when he will share a party with a close friend in our kitchen as is the custom .

Now I am off to have a bath and to try and remove a large splinter from my derrière,I foolishly had a disagreement with a large wild rose bush....the rose bush won!!!!!

DARK CORNERS

Having spent a the early hours of the morning either making sure Pa did not drown in the bath tub through falling asleep and the later hours feeding hot drinks to my poor afflicted son morning found me feeling rotten.
When at ten thirty Pa had still not upraised himself I boiled over like an over full kettle and let rip! Half an hour later Pa was seated at the breakfast table and pancakes were on the griddle,my son had helped me to set the table and at last we sat down to eat.

Feeling like a heartless bitch I cleared the table and set about the long list of things on the to do list,and here you will find the reason for my loss of temper.
For some time we have known that there was to be building work in the bathroom, and under the stairs not forgetting the installation of a stair lift. Since this will involve the moving and indeed the throwing out of a great deal of accumulated odds and ends(note that I do not say junk) and since we were told recently that the builders could start as soon as they wished I thought that it would be as well to have a clear field when they arrived.

To that end been attempting to engage the men of the family in helping me to empty the under stairs cupboard, the bathroom and a walk in wardrobe at the top of the stairs used by my son. Singularly unsuccessful in my efforts I became extremely worried,knowing that I would be unable to do the work my self in the time remaining,especially as Pa will shortly be going in to hospital which will mean that with visiting him at Charring Cross Hospital I shall have even less time to deal with matters at home.

Time has gone by and each time I have mentioned the need to tackle these essential tasks there has always been a good reason why no one was available to assist and we now have a situation whereby the work must be done,pretty much all at once instead of a little at a time as I had hoped and above all soon!

Like a hero my son rallied to the cause and ill as he was helped me to tackle the dreadful glory hole known euphemistically as his wardrobe,which contains a broken chest of drawers, a few hangers with clothes on them,a huge pile of togs on the floor and his “bug out kit”and oh yes I almost forgot,piles and piles of ancient magazines!

Guilt afflicted me as he ploughed manfully through the piles of stuff and trawled his way through endless odd socks and shirts creased beyond hope, I told myself that if he had agreed to help me six weeks ago when I first asked he would not now be having to do the job in a hurry while he was ill. Still I felt very bad about asking him to do it.

When at last the rubbish was removed in bin bags to the yard I was left wondering how the hell he had managed to get the door closed on such a mountain of clutter. While he had been attacking this horror I had emptied a good deal of the bathroom bits and pieces and give the room a good clean. Bedrooms were hoovered and steamed to lay the dust which was contributing greatly to both my sons discomfort and my own.

Taking an executive decision I decided that the under stairs hell hole will be tackled who;e Pa is ion hospital, this will mean that it will be done in much less time with him insisting upon examining every item and arguing over where or not to dump it. The brutal truth being that once the new down stair lavatory has been installed under the stairs there will no longer be any space for Pa;s tat pile, so out it goes. Out ,out ,out!!!!!

Feeling grubby and exhausted I washed my hair and took a bath before dinner which after a family vote was fish and chips. Inclined to cosset my poor boy after giving him such a hard time I made sure that he had hot drinks, cold drinks and lots of hugs for the remainder of the day.
Perhaps I am partly to blame for their attitude, I make allowances for Pa's health problems, I make allowances for my son's work pattern, his writing and his social life,every now and then I ask myself just who is ,making allowances for me?

My men folks are not bad nor even lazy ,they just do not seem to understand that there are certain times when I need a little help and that I need it now and not sometime in the dim and distant future,perhaps today’s débâcle will teach them that ,but I doubt it.

GAINS AND LOSSES

Today all manner of unexpected events occurred which made the day both interesting and troublesome all at once. Our plan for the day had been to had a lazy breakfast and the as I had no cooking other than the bread to bake I was to spend some precious time in my garden planting the roses recently given to me by the garden centre. Now I shall tell you what actually happened.
Breakfast was late rather than lazy bout pleasant none the less,I made the bread,washed the dishes and due to circumstances beyond my control I had mu left thumb trapped in a door. This slowed me down a little , I put a cold compress on the afflicted member and went out to by iced cream before attempting to plant my roses.

Returning from my little jaunt I was waylayed by my neighbour who is moving out today in to a larger property on the other side of our cottage so we shall still be neighbours. Knowing that I had once been a bespoke curtain designer had asked my to measure up his windows and advise him on what the buy,there goes my garden time I thought.

Arriving at his new abode we discovered that my bees had swarmed and had landed in a tall conifer in his new garden. Panic among those still putting the finishing touches to the decore had caused the bees to become a little humpty. Swarming bees can be unpredictable at the best of times but being poked with a yard brush and having sheets flapped at then is calculated to cause trouble. Thankfully someone had the presence of mind to call our local bee man and he came with skep and smoker moved the queen bee in to the skep and soon the workers followed,the swirling mass of angry bees subsided and all was quiet once more.

Five years of experience with this colony tells me that for some reason they always swarm in May, not June as is more usual,They are generally quiet happy bees and unless someone molests them the do not sting. What kind of moron walks in to a swarm of bees and swishes at them with a yard brush? Let us draw the cloak of charity over their foolishness, it is sufficient to say that they got everything they deserved!

Measuring curtains for ones self is easy ,measuring for curtains when one is being paid is relatively easy, measuring for curtains for a friend is almost impossible as even though they know you are and expert they never want to hear the awful truth about pattern repeats ,double widths and even worse the correct way to put up track and poles and where each is most appropriate.
They seem to feel that as you area friend you will somehow be able to whisk away all the difficulties, wave a magic wand and hey...instant curtains. Ask me for my expert advice and that is exactly what you get,if you did not wish to know the correct way why ask at all?

Fortunately we are very good friends so we had a good laugh afterwards and all was well.

Measuring the windows in a five bedroomed house take s time especially when you at arguing the toss over each window and when some of the rooms have as ,any as four windows, this meant that my gardening time was cut to less than a hour. Resigned I decided to plant my precious climbing roses and transplant a few lettuces before dinner.
Lovely does not do justice to the orchard at this time ans so sweet is the scent there that I could have stayed there all days just sniffing the air.

Long lush grass at the edges of the orchard and under the big old apples tree is over topped with bluebells and from these come the sweetness,I sat for a moment or two in the swing and closed ,my eyes the better to enjoy my surroundings,a whirr of wings told me that my robin had arrived and was perched close to my head on the swings wooden frame.
Later while digging up worms for my little friend I noticed that young blue tits peeping out of their nest box impatient to be out in the world,on a slightly higher branch in the fig tree the parent birds were scolding them. Tomorrow They will leave the nest and we shall see them at the feeders where meal worms and suet await their needs.

Dinner consisted of cold meats and cheeses, fresh salad from the garden and of course fresh baked bread. My poor son is now totally speechless, now and then he feebly croaks a request for a drink,this wretched infection has indeed laid him low and if he is no better by Monday I shall pack him of the see his GP. Asthma has plagued him for most of his life and although he has pretended that he no longer has it since he left school he coughs and wheezes alarmingly in the mornings and a chest cold can make him very ill indeed.

Today we have lost a good neighbour for although he will only be on the other side O the fence it is not the same as sharing a wall as it were. Soon we shall have new people next door and if they are half as nice as those now leaving we shall consider ourselves fortunate.
While I was measuring windows the stair lift man arrived and took the final measurements so it will be a matter of a few weeks now before the stair lift is in place.

Snuggling down in their hive a new colony of bees has joined the merry throng and once again I was their to witness this amazing spectacle . One thing is certain however I must find time to get in to the garden soon and for much more that an hour, I intent to hang a sign on my door “Peanuts” fashion saying “THE DOCTOR IS OUT!”

TIME OUT

My health not good at the best of times is once again causing concern and as I result I have today been obliged to resign,temporarily I hope from the conservation group, I am to avoid stress at all hazard and take up relaxation exercises at once. Naturally I am not at all happy about this and in any case with a house full of builders due to begin work on the house at any moment I feel that relaxing will be, under the circumstances almost impossible.
Never the less I must try as my blood pressure is once again causing concern so I must at least try to toe the line this time.

Pottering about the garden if the weather improves is allowed and even some light gardening but nothing heavy. Hopefully if I behave I shall be back battling the forces of darkness and saving out local wild life from the clutches of our local council.

While I am disappointed that I shall not be actively involved for some time I am also half relieved, Pa is going in to hospital in Hammersmith soon which will involve me in a considerable amount of travelling ,and my past experiences of that centre of medical negligence make me very uneasy about Pa's sojourn there. I have in the past had experience of Patients not being fed, not being washed, soiled bed linen left in a patients room for several days, a patient left without bed covers for hours beneath a wide open window, dirty utensils being used by nursing staff(one actually blew a dead fly out of a jug before using it to flush out a tummy peg). Every one of these incidents happened to a friend of ours and as I was almost his only visitor I had the task of complaining to PALS about this shocking state of affairs.

Calm,I must remain calm,the very act of attempting this happy state makes me fell very stressed indeed.

My son awoke this morning afflicted with a very sore throat which as worsened during the course of the day,I ave him thin porridge for his breakfast and cannot help feeling that I could have picked a better day to make Mexican food for dinner. Most of the sauces were started yesterday along with the marinated chicken and so I shall have to go ahead with it and make some soup for my poor boy.

Rain has once again stopped any attempt to enjoy the garden but oh how wonderfully green everything is,and now the meadow flowers are beginning to open splashes of red and pink rival the splashes of rain which blurs all the greenery giving the light a sub-aqueous look.

Tonight I feel overwhelmingly tired and my aim is to get off my feet as soon as I can,to that end I shall go now and chivvy Pa in to the bath,make him a hot chocolate and then once he is safe in bed I shall be free to relax. I hope.

A NEW WORLD ON A RAINY DAY

On a miserable morning of steady rain that dripped from the new leaves and pattered to the ground the young robin family left their nest for the first time to take possession of their birthright.
Shortly after first light the first of the spotty breasted youngsters appeared at the suet feeder,small vulnerable very wet and still with the fledglings gape which made his mouth seem large like a cartoon bird.

Both parents followed and with them three more spotty youngsters,unsure of themselves at first but soon discovering that food was plentiful and various. Nervously the parent birds watched their well grow chicks become acquainted with their surroundings now and then calling out alarm when a magpie appeared.

Such happiness so early in the day seemed a good omen,once again my tame pair had reared a respectable sized brood and I rejoiced in their success. Heavy rain fall meant of course that there was no gardening today and truth to tell I was not sorry that it should be so,I had been in too much pain to sleep and all that a night in bed had done for me was to increase the stiffness in my joints and the dreadful pain in my shoulder.

Glad to get up I made coffee for my son and I and we watched Judge Judy for half and hour before waking Pa. Breakfast cooked by my son was a lovely mix of hot buttered crumpets and honey covered English muffins,fresh orange juice and a pot of good tea. Moist air and a sudden rise in temperature has caused a mass hatching of mozzies an having not wish to become smorgasbord for these little horrors my son put up the mosquito nets bought last year,and I dusted my bedroom and did a little tidying ..

Another wet afternoon cause us no grief,my son returned to his writing, Pa to his railway magazines and I decided that at last it was time to write my memoirs,something I have been threatening to do for ages. Whether they will ever be released to the public gaze is uncertain as quite a few of those featured are still alive and so care is needed.
Often I feel that I have lives several lives and my life has been unusual to say the least, I should like it all to be written down so that in the future those who come after me will know about me,from the horses mouth as it were, not some watered down version full of half truths and evasions.

More wonders were to be seen in the garden later in the day,I had opened the kitchen door for some fresh air while preparing chicken and bacon pies for dinner when my attention was attracted by a bird call,one I have not heard for some time. Looking out I saw a small bird sitting at the top of a young ash tree too far away to be seem properly but I was sure that I was listening to a wood warbler. High in the tree he sang his song for over an hour and then,suddenly, he was joined by another bird of his kind and since they did not fight I hopped that he had found the mate for whom he had sung so sweetly for so long. Moments later they left together and as I went to close the door a thrush broke in to song in the damson tree and the magic was complete.

Tomorrow will I hope be dry and with luck and half a bottle of horse liniment I shall be back in my beloved garden,there are seeds to so, potatoes to earth up lettuces to transplant and a garden full of small robins waiting for me to disturb the ground to help them in their search for grubs,not exciting some might say and yet I promise you that there are few things more full of lasting pleasure than the creation of a garden for oneself of even more so as a gift to another. There is a poem which begins”If I could give you anything in the world, I would give you a garden.” In words and pictures shall hope to share mine with you.

IN TO THE GARDEN AT LAST

Today's fine weather produced a flurry of activity which was both rewarding and exhausting,with breakfast over my garden became the focus of my attention. Standing in the midst of knee high grass and surveying the storm damage it was,for a moment a daunting prospect but with my tame robin already sitting beside me on the bench begging worms for his growing family I gritted my teeth,and began.

Grass seemed to be the most pressing problem as the weeks of rain have encouraged a lush long growth which if left much longer would defeat my tiny hover mower and unsteady on my feet as I am long grass on the pathways can be dangerous. Tackling the front garden was my starting point and I mowed out and edged up the grass pathways which separate the various beds and at once the garden looked so much better.

Strimming the orchard paths had to wait as was feeling shaky after my exertions. I took the scooter out and headed for the river and my luck was in with bells on, posing like a professional a huge heron strutted his stuff within just a few feet of the scooter,delighted I took shot after shot.

Back at home and with strimmer at the ready I wobbled down the overgrown pathways and began to cut,damn me it was hard work and I had to keep on stopping so it took ages. Beneath the trees are bluebells and foxgloves, primroses and bugle and in these areas no strimming is done at this time of year,once the paths were cut these little areas of wilderness looked even more enticing and a few minutes resting on the swing seat allowed me the time to enjoy the sights and smells of a warm spring afternoon for the first time this year.

Underneath their covering of fleece the strawberry plants are flowering and in spite of the covering bees are making there way under the edges of the fleece to collect nectar and thereby pollinate the plants.

My last job in the garden for today was a sad one I finished what the wind had begun and demolished what was left of the green house,at least afterwards the kitchen garden looked much better. Divided into three beds the kitchen garden supplies many of our needs,one of the beds however is full of wild flowers and at the moment is covered with the blue mist of forget-me—nots,adored by bees and butterflies alike. Today cabbage whites,holly blues and a few peacock butterflies joined the army of bees and hover flies in the spring feast.

Twiggy spent the afternoon asleep on her favourite bench while I worked, from the nest boxes on the orchard wall the strident calls of hungry fledglings was constant as the parent birds flashed in and out with bugs,grubs and small flies. All too soon it was time to go indoors to prepare dinner, the pot roast was already in the oven but there were roasted potatoes, Yorkshire puddings and mushy peas to do,duty called. I packed away my tools and returned to my kitchen

Dinner was much appreciated by the boys and we had something to celebrate, the Estate Manager has agreed to the planned improvements to the cottage and so the work in our stair lift ,walk in shower and down stairs lavatory is to begin soon, three rousing cheers went up from three very relived people and we added to the celebrations with a chocolate icedcream each to end the meal.

Tired now and rather sore I feel that things are coming together nicely and the garden looks so lovely in the soft evening light that I cannot be sorry for the days pleasure in the garden in spite of the pain in my shoulder,I love my garden far too much to ever give it up and I mean to carry on until I drop, then the boys can compost me! Night night all,sleep safe and sound.x

OFF TO A STANDING START

Shortly before eight this morning my blissfully slumbers were disturbed by my my son who having got up early to wash his hair had discovered that there was no hot water. No hit water meant no gas....and on a Bank Holiday too, how tiresome and how typical. According to the automated voice at the other end of the line only emergencies were being dealt with on account of it being a Bank Holiday.

Now in my opinion no heat and no hat water are an emergency,especially in cold weather and when there are disabled persons in the house. I rang the number spoke to an engineer and behold, were were all at once a priority and someone would be out within four hours. Good as their word the engineer arrived and soon solved our problem.

British Gas gave us excellent service although their phone number is difficult to find, but they are only as good as the information they are given. Disabled people or the elderly or those with young children are priority cases and 365 days of the year round the clock service is given to such cases. From the moment they heard about our situation they could not have been more helpful....Many thanks British Gas.

Promptly at twelve thirty my son and I arrived at our local for the monthly meeting of ISCAG. After the weekends fund raising event there was much to discuss,.My son who is now the Events Manager had lots of great ideas for our future efforts, he has considerable expertise in these matters and ha in the past organised events at which major political figures were present and his success rate is 100% .

Future fêtes will now almost certainly be held indoors and in such a way that guests such as MPs and the odd celebrity can be invited as well as the press and quite possibly other media interests. Watch this blog for more information .

Having returned from work just a few hours before the meeting my son was exhausted by the time we had wound up the meeting so back at home I gave him a medicinal coffee and packed him off for a rest while I prepared a very early evening meal.

Tonight’s menu was twice baked cheese soufflés with char grilled haloomi, crisp fried panchetta with apricot sauce salad and of course fresh bread baked this morning. Lemon drizzle cake followed and very soon after wards my son was bathed and ready for bed.

Now all I have to do is get Pa ready for bed and then I too can take a hot bath and collapse in a heap in my own snug bed.....................bliss!