Today I have been mainly...

Priceless ga

Update on the Bilby. rang the art shop this morning and spoke to the artist/owner. He had removed the toy from the window and placed him on a bookshelf awaiting collection. He told me to tell GD that he was having a lovely holiday. The artist has two small children himself and said he understood the anguish.

Have spent a very boring day painting a vast sheet of trellis, which will go on the wall to support a climbing rose. It was 15C though, which made a nice change.

Today I have:
Listened to my daughter have a mini breakdown and tried to console her as her housing plans have now fallen through for the second time. Written an email to an English company on behalf of my Taiwanese son. Caught up with my Chinese son who has just returned to the UK after a three month absence. Made two appointments for lessons. Met with a lady who had some problems she wanted to talk through. Had same lady and her husband round for dinner (along with the usual crew I feed on a Monday) and made appointments to meet with them individually next week. Advised younger foster son on homework and helped older son to prepare for his boxing class. Sent husband on several errands. Cleaned and vacuumed the house.........now I'm a little bit tired.

Not surprised, ga!

I have (smug emoticon) polished the mirrors in the wardrobes in our bedroom! No way would I have chosen them, but they were already fitted so, according to Theseus, they don't need changing. But they do - I hate them (and catching sight of myself when undressed) and they will go.

Bad knee and hip day today, so have had to stop for a while. Any excuse!

ga, you must have been up at about 5am!

Sorry about your daughter's house, ga.

I bought a giant sack of carrots a while ago for my pet rabbit. Bunny died. Have been trying ever since to eat more carrots - was just getting to the bottom of the sack when I came home the other day to discover that my farming neighbour has left me... a sack of carrots.

So this morning has been spent making vast quantities of grated carrot, sweetcorn and shallot pancakes for the freezer. Only about 20lbs to go, then.

Sorting out my new phone. Motorola g. Got a sim card separately from Virgin and had a helluva time getting it in, until I noticed the little frame it was supposed to go into! Needed to close old account and get number transferred. The young man at Virgin (Scottish!) was incredibly helpful and even reduced my monthly tariff by £1. And I wasn't at any time put on hold.

Sorry to hear about your DD's house GA it obviously wasn't to be and the right one will come along. Easy to say but not so easy to see is it?

Well done on sorting your phone Anno

Jane

This afternoon I went to visit Mum who was in bed on oxygen - a little bit of a shock . She actually seemed quite with it but kept telling me that she was too 'b****red' to get out of bed. She is to be called 'the Duchess' because of her Mrs Bucket tendencies so I do hope no one heard her! The GP has been asked to call tomorrow.

Sorry DD has been disappointed again ga.
jane surely carrot soup is the easiest way to use up sackfuls.
Well done anno, I hate having to faff on with phones.

kitty for you and your Mum.

Sorry about your mum, kitty.

Yes, soup is on the agenda for today. Our eyesight is going to be spectacular soon.

I got home last night from choir to find that DBH has bought me a new computer as a surprise. I was pleased yet annoyed, because he had transferred everything for me which was lovely - but I would have liked to know because I have thousands of sites and files saved and they were all filed in the order in which I use them - now they are all alphabetical. I keep looking at all the hours of work ahead of me and wanting a little weep. If I had known what he was doing I would have sorted it myself. But I can't be churlish, Hey ho. It's a much faster machine. Once I have finally found what I want, that is.

Am now starting to wonder what else he gets up to while I am at choir.

Believe me. You dont want to know

Galen! You are a tyke.

Had a call from the hospital today - I saw the orthopaedic surgeon a week ago and now I actually have a date for the knee replacement - 2nd April!! I am so happy to think (hope) that this awful pain will go away.

Now, of course, I shall start worrying about finding out that other things are wrong with me, but that is what I do...

I do continue to be impressed with the NHS down here; Theseus's hip operation last year was a week earlier than expected "Can you come in next week?" Oh yes, he could.

Disclaimer: I reserve the right to have a rant if necessary.

Ariadne A date has been set. Good! I've had two hips replaced. My right knee hurts. It won't be too long before it also need fixing. Big hug for you. You'll be skipping by the summer.

Great news, Ariadne. That's a very good waiting time. And if you don't have long to wait, you don't have long to get worked up.

Good news Ariadne, I hope all goes well, as I`m sure it will.

That is good news Ariadne

Frantically clearing out the fridge. DD is coming to stay on Monday rather than Tuesday. She is fanatacial about dates of products whether they're still ok or not. My cleaner and I were going to do it on Monday afternoon, but she's wrong footed us.
daughters!

I've also been making Virgin Island chicken which uses pineapple and rum for angel next door and myself. It will be veggie for the next week with DD.
The old git. Angel's OH has decamped to Spain for 10 days as he's fed up of the potholes and weather here.

I have had a lovely day! We have just got back from the wedding of two people who had been childhood sweethearts, then gone their separate ways, and then met up again. After a couple of rocky starts, they finally made it to the registry office on this bright sunny day, and thence to a lovely hotel where 30 of us helped celebrate their marriage. Wonderful food, loads of champagne; a thoroughly joyful occasion. Just got home, and may need to snooze awhile before tomorrow's adventures..Hic!

A lovely surprise visit from my SiL (my friend before she met my brother) and when you live on an island surprise visits from mainlanders are rare! She appeared at my kitchen door having come through front door and lounge door Yoo-hooing with no response! Had a lovely walk, lunch and browsed in local shops before she went home.

i am just worrying, janerowena, that you are slowly turning orange? Hope not! Lots of lovely betacarotene though.
Sons do it as well, Galen, which is perhaps just as well as DS used to visit MIL quite often and was always emptying very out-of-date stuff out of her fridge. He tells me that I am getting just like her.
I went to the Post Office to post a card off to Australia - £1.88! shock horror!
Went to Wilko's and bought some very bright files to file my family history more neatly and in a comprehensible order.
Got lunch for DH and me.
Then have been sorting out stuff, putting loads back in the re-decorated study, throwing things out, retrieving them again and generally messing up the pristine minimalist look in there.
Now I'm off to cook dinner.
Oh, and ate two Welsh cakes seeing that it is St David's Day.

Travelled down to Wisley today, to see the exotic butterflies in the glasshouse. It was stunning, but I was very hot and wet after an hour and a half in there while DBH took zillions of photos, so definitely not well-groomed. However, I did have cake twice, before and during the 6 hours we spent there, so it was a good day. DBH stunned that I chose carrot cake. It was a comparison test, I told him. Several plants are now in the car boot, also a nice big mug with butterflies on it for DBH, and stopped off at our favourite pub on the way home for dinner. The winner of the best pub in the UK, no less. I think they are feeling a bit pressured by their new status, they were all remarkably polite to us this evening.

Off to lunch with a group of friends in Totnes, and then to the theatre in Exeter to see the Reduced Shakespeare Company' "Complete word of God". I am looking forward to it, though I have to say I'd have liked a day between gallivantings! (My strange mystery virus seems to have returned today..)