Birthday

 This week has been my 2nd birthday in lockdown. Last year on my birthday Boris told the nation that we were officially in lockdown even though we all knew that something was coming. It was the day after Mothers Day when my daughter had spent time with me so I told her not to come as I wanted to go out in the car in case I couldn't after Boris had spoken. My  grandson came during the morning and then I prepared my favourite picnic of egg & cress sandwiches, crisps apple and banana and as it was my birthday a bar of chocolate together with a flask of coffee. I drove down to the layby at Wherstead  on the river Orwell and spent a happy time birdwatching, reading, playing on my Ipad and having the picnic. This year was very different as I started my birthday week meeting up with my sister in law at Suffolk food hall sitting on her portable chairs with a coffee. I do not drink out of paper cups so I produced my bone china mug and transferred the coffee she had bought me into it. We spent a happy hour together and she gave me a bunch of daffodils Mondays present. Tuesday, my birthday Dawn came over during the morning with lots of presents and cards, my grandson came after work with his partner with flowers and present, and later my other daughter Portald me with lots of chat and she had posted me presents which I opened with her. Wednesday more presents arrived by post from her and a friend. Thursday the postman brought me a tree in a box which turned out to be a blueberry . I must try and make sure it has fruit if and when she comes later on in the year, and today the only parcels I had were my Morrisons delivery. this is the first time I have had presents spread out for a week, (I could get used to daily presents but don't think that is going to happen!!!!) Tonight is our family portal chat. I am so blessed that they bought me one soon after lockdown. If you hear lots of chat and laughing it will us 10 chatting between Suffolk and Gosport. Happy weekend, love from Poppy asleep on the sofa and Val xx

Library

 Today I have been to my library to collect a book. I do love spending time in the library and miss being able to browse  but the staff are so nice and very helpful in keeping me up tp date with their select and collect system and giving me new authors to try in the genre I ask for.

When I was a child yonks ago, our library was at the end of our road and I spent many happy hours in there, we were only allowed 3 book and I soon discovered I could not return a book on the day I had borrowed it, as we had paper tickets and they were only changed at the end of a day, so I had my own system to beat this. I would go in early in the morning during the school holidays or on a Saturday, choose 3 books, I did not get them booked out  but chose another and sat all morning in the lovely art deco building which had a large childrens library and read all morning . I had to go home at 1pm as the library closed for1 hour so I carefully hid the book I was reading behind some other books,  checked out my 3 books went home for an hour  and then went back and finished the book I was reading!! I thought the librarian never knew but I bet she did as she was a bit of a tarter and had no loud talking only whispering in there. It was magic to me.

It was pulled down in the early 90s for an all singing all dancing up to date building but it does not have the soul of the old one. My mother lived in our house when the old one was built in the 1920s and was one of the first borrowers. I took her to the closing of it and to the opening of the new one where she borrowed books until she could no longer read them. I still go to that library when I take flowers to my parents grave as now books can be returned at any library.

Poppy has been snoozing on the settee whilst I have been reminiscing but I bet she will want her tea as soon as I get up from this computer🐨  Enjoy your weekend. Val and Poppy

Ups and Downs

 Last week was up and down. Early in the week I went to buy a pot of flowers usually chrysanthemums for my Parents grave No outdoor pots only expensive indoor ones for Mothers day so I went to Morrisons and bought a large pot of tete a tete daffodils with lots of buds and then took them to their grave. I usually tell them what's  going on in the family and as I hadn't been since Christmas I had plenty of time to bring them up to date as the Christmas wreath was still there ! Not much walking this week as it has been wet, cold & windy. and the weather excelled itself on Saturday by raining. and heavy hail that laid in the garden and on the roof!!! luckily I was watching the live streaming of the Ipswich v Plymouth game so I was warm & snug indoors & they won 1-0 (that was the good thing). I'm out of Florentines so it was a fruit gum for me 

& Dreamies for Poppy when they scored.

I had a great time on Mothers day as my Daughter came in the afternoon and we joined my other daughter from Gosport on virtual Mothers day afternoon tea. Dawn brought ours in & Sharon had also had one delivered so we ate, talked,  drank Prosecco , Sharon did not have a drink in her box but Made do with Gooseberry gin which she had as a present . It was lovely being together and I do appreciate the Portal they bought me when lockdown began. 

Went to bed just before 11pm and my smoke alarm in my bedroom began to bleep every few minutes. I can't get up ladders now so had to ring my grandson who had gone to bed and he popped over and reset it for me, He got to mine very quickly and said he met no traffic in Ipswich or in my village, that doesn't surprise me as  there is never much about normally  let alone during lockdown. 

Today I have been to the library and picked up 2 reserved books and then walked along by the river talking to several dog owners and patting their dogs, so I am back on walking track. Legs hurt but must put up with that. Poppy was not pleased with the doggy smells on my hands but is ok now. 

That's my up and down weekend, I think the ups won😺😺

First Week in March

 Well did Poppy eat Whiskas with meat? She didn't have much choice really as I had bought a large box of sachets so after me not giving her biscuits which she loves and a lot of winding round my legs in order to butter me up into giving her fish she has eaten the meat and now we are back to normal, It was a traumatic weekend for her as beside the fish issue I went to let her out on Saturday when she did what she usually does and sat in the doorway checking the garden out with a swishing tail then she turned round and shot up the utility room and in the kitchen, I looked out to see another black cat walking along my neighbours fence, I shouted at it but it jumped down into my garden, walked to the bottom border jumped up onto the fence, along to their summer house. on up over their bungalow roof keeping an eye on me all the while. Poppy is now checking the garden even more and I think this must be the cat that bit her in December costing me £84 in vets fees!!!

Glad to see the stamp duty is extended, it means my grandsons house purchase has more time to get through so soon they will be on the move.

I went to Morrisons to get some compost, £3 each or 5 for£10, a very kind man put 5 into my trolley and as I went to put them into the car 2 men got out of a lorry and did it for me.  People are kind nowadays. Dawn put them on my trolley and took them into the back garden so now I can sort out my tubs. She also opened a jar of picked onions for me and checked out stuff on the computer so now we are up to date again!! 

Ipswich Town have a new manager thank goodness so today I am going to watch the match live on the streaming service so fingers crossed we win and I will have Florentines as a Treat,(I have bought some more) and Poppy will have 4 Dreamies***

It's cold 3% but the sun is shining weakly so happy weekend to you. Stay safe. Poppy and Val