Good Morning Monday 20th April 2026

Like so many I am anxious to know how Madeleine is. Her recent posts suggested she was not well so I am hoping that there is news of her soon.

Busy day with gardener (I supervise and then get very involved, and will pay for it tomorrow) and have now retreated indoors to do some admin and putting away. That’s my excuse for being so late.

Happy birthday BlueSapphire, it must be exactly one year since we met up in Malta when you and Glamma were on your cruise! Hope you’re having a lovely day.🥳🤗

grandMattie

What is “coffee* going on about???

I’m afraid I ignored it!

Gingster

Coffee 🤯

I think our coffee and catch up was more fun ☕️☕️🍪🍪

Coffee 🤯

I thought the children were back to school ?

What is “coffee* going on about???

Happy birthday 🥳 Blue.
Love the furry bananas llfl, can’t bear the rest ones…
I’m making *urms’s” SOAP dish for dinner and freezer

Perhaps we should have expected it. After all mum had a couple of friends. There was Janey and Bella for a start. They could practically read minds! Bella was the first to ask. "Can I stay " she asked plaintively , just before it was completed.
"No " we said firmly. "Its too risky!" And we held our ground on that until Bella came round ashen faced to say her dog had been euthenised as she was deemed " too old to keep an animal! "
There were orders from the government for her to hand herself in on her 75 th birthday.
"If she goes, then Im going too!" mum said defiantly, leaning across the table and clutching Bellas clasped hands compassionately.
That left us with no choice. How could we explain mums sudden " return from the dead"?
So, my brother built another room underground.
He stipulated firmly that only one person was allowed in the secret garden at a time for coffee or it would be too risky! Mum and Bella both complied and things worked well on a rotational system for a while.

We'd pondered over this news for a while and then we decided that we should have to take preventative action. My brother started tunnelling beneath the house secretly. We used the earth we'd moved and put it towards landscaping the garden building mounds and barriers so that the garden appeared to stretch on forever.
Mum got involved in the planning of course. It was going to be her " underground palace" ! But infact it wasnt that large. We didnt know how long mums agility would last so my brother refused to make it difficult to access.
He used hydraulic walls with portions that could swing back so that she could quickly hide and remove herself from the general living area.
There were false cupboards which led to her secret cavern and she had her home comforts around her. We all enjoyed the planning stage and implementing it was exciting as well. Keeping it a secret was a nightmare. One wrong word or whispered hint and we would all be in danger. Keeping quiet became the hardest part.

Mum was horrified. She refused to see herself as old and just referred to herself as " one of the older members of the community! "
But things had changed since she was younger and society was getting increasingly vicious.
It was the Pure Air Act that was the last straw! It declared that "anyone over the age of 75 was deemed to be appropriating good air for their own gain!"

This was all well and good until somehow word got out that we had a secret garden with a waterfall and an elderly lady was known to frequent it.

We had even made a little shrine for her with an artificial waterfall and a few natural boulders and some of her favourite flowers.
Lillies, nasturtium and forget - me - not competed for space and ended up rambling over each other in happy harmony in the summer.
Birds would visit for a drink and mum would sit there regularly enjoying a coffee in the sun declaring it was,' one of lifes little pleasures she wasnt prepared to go without ! "

We were hiding mum from the "pure air squad!"
They came around regularly, without appointment to check that we weren't harbouring any fugitives.
We'd already cleared mum by declaring her dead and we had certificates to prove it.
We had lovingly framed them and put them on the wall.
When any agents came investigating we always stood near them on the wall and sorrowfully expressed our loss to their great contempt.
"They take up too much good air! " the agents would say contemptuously.
"Its better for everyone if they're gone!"

This is my good morning contribution....a lovely and friendly little thread it is too. If you dont like it feel free to say or adjust or modify. As my name says I like to think , especially when drinking coffee and here are my thoughts today. It goes in the form of a story.

Happy Birthday to BlueSapphire 🎂

Blossoming, how lovely to read of the return of the swallows and the terns! I am watching for the swifts that will soon, I hope, be doing their flypasts high above the houses and gardens.

Aggie, I’m always reheating my tea and coffee in the microwave because I am so easily distracted that they always end up lukewarm (which I hate).

I had two (or one and a stump) teeth extracted on Saturday so I am still feeling sorry for myself. I will go to Tai Chi and push a few waves.

Thoughts with all with challenges. Have the best day possible ☀️

I hope so too. Madeleine is normally on line with her interesting post by this time of day.

I hope Madeleine is ok

Good Morning from a sunny Co Armagh, pity about the East wind !
Just back from walking up to Mass , I was glad I had my coat on
I’ve heated my cup of tea in the microwave , no idea why I didn’t throw it out and make fresh , getting mean in my old age
Love your temporary church MD

Good morning everyone from sunny Lancashire.

MrB and I have enjoyed a walk around the Dock in the sunshine. The wind has dropped, we saw 2 swallows and 3 terns, all summer visitors. One bank of flowers was covered in butterflies. It may not last but I’m enjoying it while I can.

Happy birthday BlueSapphire

As always, thinking of those with troubles in their lives.

Wishing you a good day whatever you’re doing.

Happy birthday blue sapphire hope you have a lovely day

These small things can be extemely wearing FGT. One of DH’s private pension providers -a very large insurance company - made such a colossal mess of sorting out payments to me that in the end I wrote to the Chairman who sent me a lovely letter by return, apologising for what should have been a straightforward transaction (it took them ages to admit they had lost all the paperwork I sent them) and sent me a cheque in compensation for my distress. The matter was sorted the very next day! I hope things are sorted for you soon. You can’t move on until all your ducks are in a row, I know.

Good morning everyone from the bright but still chilly west midlands
It's chilly inside and out, as DH is using a hot-air paint stripper once again on the ancient front door!
Mr Bean has nothing on him & despite all the fuss & the jeopardy, said door will most likely look worse!
Hurry-up lunchtime, I might need a tot of sherry in my soup & it's only flipping Monday. Best wishes to all apart from big-headed, hairy male fettelers. Phew.

Yes DWP very up to date Georgesgran his state pension stopped immediately via the Tell Us Once (very efficient government service in England and Wales) and they soon asked me for a refund too as he didn’t live to be entitled to a full month of state pension. Made me feel sad when I returned it.
Again, small things that pinch.

Ha! love the bananas LLFL! 😂