A Wet Friday

It really is flaming June - flaming awful! It started off nice but now summer has set in and it's showers galore. Gone are the warm balmy days and evenings. Now it is drizzling and cool, ideal weed growing weather and just watch the grass shoot up! Of course it's too wet to cut it too - typical!
I am sorry I've not blogged for a while, just not been in a blogging mood I suppose. So make yourself comfortable for one of my rambles through my life recently.

I am still thrilled to bits with my washing machine and it's easy to use and get the clothes just right. I have bought myself a new rotary airer to go in the garden but it needs the spike putting in. Any tips on how to get it upright? My old one never was straight and the airer had this interesting tilt to it but no tourists came to see it like they visit Pisa. It was just a bit frustrating when the heaviest washing swung it round to the lowest point. I'd bend down to get the next garment to hang up and find the thing had swung away from where I was pegging :( hmm must be some invisible force working on it maybe I repel wet clothes? Anyway, it's not much use in this spell of damp weather.

How do I dry my washing? The good old tumble dryer! I have those large prickly balls in it to help dry washing quicker but they do make a bit of a racket, especially if you only have a small load of washing in with them. "Clonk, clonk, rumble, clonk"
I think they are a great invention but it's very frustrating when you empty out the dryer and find one's gone missing! Sod's Law says you'll find it in the deepest corner of the duvet cover or tangled up in your delicate sweater where it leaves you with an interesting bulge in the dry garment, making it look like something bespoke for the Hunchback of Notre Dame!

What did you say? "How's the knee?" well.... The injection is not a total success but not a failure either. It has helped lessen the pain quite dramatically and I have been walking a lot easier. The severe pain has gone and I am back to the dull ache with the occasional twinge stage. In fact, now the pain is so much better in my right knee, I am now aware of how much the left is also hurting! While the agony was all in the right knee I had not noticed pain in the left! But I can now feel that too! *sigh* It has helped me moving around at home and I have made quite a few dog walks without my stick. Jen noticed a difference in my appearance saying I looked younger! I was not screwing my face up in pain any more! Of course I'd also had my hair done so that helped a bit too!

Honey has been a worry to me. She's been back to the vet for a leg check up and I thought she was doing well, but they were concerned the bones in the bottom of the wrist have not fully fused to their satisfaction. As soon as we tried to get her to go faster than a walk she started limping :( I have to take her back in just over two weeks from now but they may have to operate again! If they do, it will be to have more bone grafts inserted and an internal plate pinned in place :-( The vet said it would be done as a continuation of the first op and I'd only have to pay for the materials used, they would not charge for their time. Big of them eh? The biggest thing worrying me is having to go back to square one with recovery, rest and limited walkies again just when we were starting to extend her exercise sessions :(

VERY mixed Morris Dancing

Holly Copse Molly

The weekend before last was Wessex Folk Festival in Weymouth, although I didn't go. John and Roz went, as Roz was dancing in old Weymouth. It's a lovely setting for the festival with narrow twisty lanes and open squares with the harbour full of boats as a backdrop. The festival is largely free to attend and a grand weekend it is too!

Last weekend was Wimborne Folk Festival with mixed fortunes. Friday and Saturday were well attended, despite all the efforts of others in and around Wimborne putting on their own folky entertainment for the weekend. I am sorry, but claiming to 'support' the festival by putting on an event in direct competition to the festival is not a good thing. Even the local theatre had a folky concert on the Saturday night, drawing people away from the genuine Festival concerts. All the town pubs have marquees in their gardens with music on all weekend, cashing in on the crowds drawn in by the Folk Festival advertising.

Dorset Buttons at the Green Man

The Sunday was a total wash out :-( Traders left early as the steady rain stopped all the street shoppers from browsing and buying. The dance sides moved indoors where possible, but there were not the crowds to support them and make donations in the collecting tins. We all hope the festival can survive the bad weather, and all the competing events, to continue for years to come.

We went to Ringwood Folk Club again on Tuesday to see Mike O'Connor, accompanied by Barbara Griggs on harp. What a beautiful evening's music we had. Fabulous songs and music charmed us all. Next one up at Ringwood is the comic poet Les Barker - definitely not to be missed!

I was up at 7.30 this morning to make sure I was up and dressed in time for the man from Wessex Water. I have a 5 bedroomed house with high council tax banding so I've been paying a fortune for my water which is based on banding. As Jenny is only home for half the week usually, I am paying for 5+ people's water use when there's really only 1.6 people living here. So I have taken the plunge to change over to a water meter! My sister's water bill dropped from £80 a month to £12 when she switched, so I am hoping for a similar reduction here. The very nice young man turned up after 10 and it took him all of 5 minutes to attach the meter so I am now being metered.

For the record, it has been raining for hours here, and is still raining. Steady fine rain, with heavier bursts at intervals, giving the previously parched gardens a thorough soaking. Just watch the grass and weeds shoot up!

I hope you and I get some more sunshine before too long. Have a great weekend whatever you're up to xxx

And finally...

 a short poem from Les Barker

Disaster at sea

It was a calm, still day in Yarmouth,
The channel clear and wide,
As the last of the timber sailing ships
Sailed out on the evening tide.

They never saw that ship again;
They searched when it was light,
But that fine old timber vessel sank
That clear and peaceful night.

No one knows what happened
On that night in 1910;
But the crew and her cargo of woodpeckers
Were never seen again.

It's Saturday (I think)

Bad sign - I'm totally losing track of the days, and it's a Bank Holiday weekend to make matters worse! At least Jen's comings and goings usually help me but the extra day throws me totally.
Today I was intending to go to Leicester for the day to see some old friends and meet new ones, but having had the injection in my knee yesterday, I am having a quiet day at home, alone apart from the dog.


Rex



 I will be popping over to see to Rex a bit later, spend some time playing with him and let him do the business in the garden. John and Roz are out for the day at Chippenham Folk Festival so I will be visiting Rex twice today for an hour or so each time. It's a short drive so no strain on the knees.

Is it me or is it cold? It looks more like a March day outside. A bit windy, overcast, and decidedly cool. I think I need a cardigan! Warm, sunny Bournemouth/Poole is not living up to its reputation today.



I am loving my new washing machine! It has a faster spin speed than my old one and shorter wash programmes. So I should save a bit on tumble dryer times too. I have a bit of a backlog of things - clothes, sheets, and towels so the machine will be busy this weekend.



new cover design

 I treated Honey to a nice new duvet and cover, (see pic) bargain stuff from Tesco! She had a rather manky old king size duvet folded over out near the boiler in the utility room. Giving the room a clean up ready for the new machine, I decided to scrap the old quilt. It was too big to wash and too nasty to face taking it to a launderette for the  big machines there.  Honey had also had a bit of a chew and scrape at it and blobs of the stuffing were coming out everywhere! I did let her try out the new thick single duvet in the lounge and she loved it so much I could not get her off it again! I grabbed it last night as she got off it to go to bed upstairs and plonked it down by the boiler. This is one of her bolt holes when I go out. It's warm, dark and draught free, she feels safe there. She can also watch me cooking from there! So it gets used quite a lot.
Using a single thick quilt means it's soft for her to lie on, but folds into a good size for her to stretch out on. It will also easily fit in the washing machine! Result!

There may be a recession on, but the one local business that seems to be thriving is Sunseeker boats. We are talking millions for one of their gin palaces and they have several boat yards and storage areas around the town, making them a big local industry.  I did suggest Jen tries to get a job there as most of the customers are probably multi-millionaires and you never know... but she did not fancy working there :(  I think she needs a millionaire to help her have the life style she wants, or at least a wealthy farmer who likes horses!
I drool every time I go along Poole Quay and see all the huge Sunseeker yachts moored up for their servicing visit. The pic is a modest 8 berth + 4 crew job. One of their smaller ones LOL.  I lost count how many were moored along by their boatyard opposite Poole Quay the other day, many a lot bigger than the one in the pic! Someone's not affected by the recession!

It is time to pop over and see Rex and let him out for a pee. I do hope you have a great weekend whatever you're up to.

Happy times to my Feesch friends in Leicester! Virtual hugs and a kiss from me {{{{ * }}}}

Life is a roller coaster

Honey saw the vet Monday morning and the lovely Dan gave her a good feel! Lucky dog! Anyway he is confident it is a fatty lump and nothing to worry about. There are options if it continues to grow and become a problem to her. There is a chance it will actually disappear but I am watching it! Any significant changes and I'll be back to the vet. It does not cause her any pain and is far enough away from joints not to cause her any problems walking.

My new washing machine is being delivered today :) I hope it all goes ok. John helped me hugely Monday with clearing the decks and Jen finished off last night sorting the corner where the machine is going so we're all set.

I am off to the hairdresser a bit later - colour, cut and blow dry. There goes a good couple of hours :) A nice chance to sit and relax and get a bit of a makeover! Much needed I can tell you!

I am going through one of those periodic dips in morale/emotions at the moment. Constant pain gets me down. I know my pain is curable and I am in a much better position than many who have progressive conditions they cannot escape. I am lucky in that Honey gives me the incentive to move and get walking - she nags me! She is squeezed up by the window in the lounge trying to stay in the now narrow strip of warm sunshine. She loves the warmth. Jen and I were looking at her the other day and surprised to see bum fluff! Stop laughing at the back! When we got Honey she had been living in concrete floored kennels for about 6 months since retiring from racing and sitting around on the concrete had rubbed off all the fur on her backside. This made her look a bit weird as she has dark brownish skin yet her fur is a pale gold honey colour. Anyway, until recently she has had a bald bum, but now she has definitely got new fur growing - sparse and whiteish and fluffy :-D The vet was sure the follicles had been destroyed and she was unlikely to get hair growing again in that area. I think the time spent with her leg pinned meant she seldom 'sat'. She either stood up or lay down on the floor and it gave the hair a chance to get going again, no friction on the skin.

I am all set for my knee injection Friday. Oh I do hope it works. Pain free days and nights for a short time.

It is a shame I will not be going to the Feesch Spring Bash Saturday and meeting face to face, for the first time, with some lovely online friends of many years, as well as seeing again ones I've met before. I've been on Feesch since 1999 and it's a shame it has closed, but the spirit of Feesch lives on via FaceBook. It's just a shame that such a mostly friendly bunch of people can harbour a few who have a warped view of the world and take delight in trying - unsuccessfully - to break up happy relationships. Twelve years down the road and John and I still have a solid relationship.
It's Chippenham Folk Festival this weekend too and I can't go to that either because of my knee injection. I can hear some of you saying - why not change the injection to next week? Well right now my knee is so bad I would not be able to walk at all after a long journey anyway, and be in pain day and night. If the injection helps even for a few weeks, the relief will be most welcome.  John and I make a good pair now - limping around with a walking stick each when we go out. John is hopeful he will get a cartilage repair op fairly soon which should ease his knee pain until his arthritis gets a lot worse. I don't have enough cartilage left to scrape smooth :( so next step for me is a new knee joint. I want to be mobile as soon as possible while I am still young enough to enjoy doing things with family and friends. I live in a beautiful area and have spent many happy days wandering the green Dorset hills in past years, but now struggle to get beyond the first park bench away from the car park instead of walking the entire perimeter of the whole park :-(
I want to walk well again, maybe even dance a bit! It will make losing weight easier too.

Ok now I've got you depressed and feeling sorry for me, I'll let you go and do whatever cheers you up most. Enjoy the sunshine if you have any, stay in comfortably dry if you have rain, and batten down the hatches if you still have wind.

Umm maybe I could have phrased that a bit better LOL

Have a good day/week and a fabulous bank holiday weekend whatever you are planning.

I hope my REAL Feesch friends have a superb Bash weekend - I will enjoy the photos and imagine myself there with you all. xx

Why does everything happen at the same time?

It's Sunday and the place is a tip - even more than usual because I'm having a tidy up! I know that sounds daft but I have little heaps of things to go to a) the rubbish bin, b) the recycling bin, c) the garage, d) store room upstairs and then there's the stuff I have no desinated place for and needs a home! So it looks worse before it gets better :(
James will be shifting the piles soon. The Grand Prix has just finished so it will be action stations when I've finished here.

There's been a lot of activity chez nous this last week or 2. Honey is now on lead walks and is delighted to be out and about, sniffing all the smells and leaving a few 'messages' herself. I have walked her down the road and been to Baiter harbourside park. She sniffed every blade of grass and every leaf on every bush to see who's been a round lately. She has also generously pee'd everywhere she can to let her friends know she is back LOL

In a rash moment, I let Honey out in the garden without checking for foxes/squirrels first. At 2 in the afternoon I would not expect to see a fox. Of course there was one sunbathing on the grass! Honey chased him off, managing to catch one of her dew claws on something in the process so it was hanging off and bleeding when she came back in :-( The claw came off cleanly on her bed when she tried licking it and it stopped bleeding quickly.  Anyway, it meant another quick visit to the vet *sigh* but a quick check up and a shot each of antibiotics and painkillers and she was sorted.
Tuesday was her annual check up with vaccination boosters so it was 'hello vet' again. He listened to her heart and lungs and felt her all over, checking her broken leg thoroughly. Everything seemed fine :)
My washing machine had decided to stop working and was completely silent with no pump, no drum movement, and a flashing warning light on the control panel. So I had a wet wash load to deal with and a few phone calls to local repair men. "HOW MUCH???" I have cut my losses and ordered a new machine. Super low energy, efficient thingy with a quick wash option if you need something in a hurry :) That is being delivered Wednesday tea time - well 5 - 9 pm - so I have to clean the utility room out for them to get the new machine in. I also have to disconnect the old one they are taking away, but that's easy - I hope.
John has offered to help me clean and clear and that will be great.
Friday I finally got to the doc, only about 9 months later than I was due to see him. *cough*
Anyway he looked at my warped knees and moved my leg around to assess the state of it. He's giving me another injection this coming Friday as a holding measure. I told him the last one didn't help at all - 48 hours no pain, then worse pain than before afterwards and no further relief. A trainee GP did it under his supervision and I don't think she was in the right place with the needle. My GP doing it this time and I have confidence in him. His injections don't hurt and work well. The one she gave me hurt like hell at the time and did not work as it should have. Following this injection , my doc will look to booking more X-rays then start the referral process with a view to a replacment knee hopefully not too far away. What a relief that will be even though it will be about 6 weeks of not driving anywhere! I love my car and the freedom it gives me to get around. I will also have to sort some kind of dog walking service for Honey, but I have a friend who does that as a job anyway. I'm sure she can help out for a price.

Ah, Honey! I usually give Honey a massage most days. She loves being stroked and rubbed and lies back totally relaxed while I do it. Most of the time she lies on her right side so I massage her back and left side. Today she was lying on my bed so I gave her her massage on the bed. This time she was lying on her left side so I massaged her back and right side. I found a lump on her shoulder. It was not there about 3-4 weeks ago as far as I know, but it is about 2 inches across and flattish. It did not move with the skin, it seems to be attached to muscular tissue underneath. The upshot is I am back seeing the vet with her again in the morning. :-( I hope I am worrying unnecessarily and it's just a harmless fatty lump or a benign tumour that can be safely removed, or ignored. Not sure I can face losing a third dog to cancer. Joey had a non-spreading but virulent tumour that kept growing back until vet could not operate any more. Casper had lymphoma. This lump looks very different to either of those so I am hoping for the best and preparing myself for the worst. Honey has not has much luck of late.

Fingers crossed for my Honey. xx

After Fairport Convention

Wow!! What a night! I have had trouble sleeping in 2 or 3 weeks running up to our fairport gig Friday. So much to organise and check, I'd wake in the middle of the night and toss and turn for an hour or 2 going over everything in my mind.
Friday was rather hectic from the time I woke up.
John had an important appointment 9 am in Bournemouth. They sent him an itinerary with a list of buses and trains to catch which would mean him leaving home soon after 6 to get a once an hour local bus for start of trip. :( so I picked him up at 8 and we were there 10 to 9. Rush hour traffic would have delayed buses and he'd have missed connections so would probably not have made it on time. Anyway, we made it and back at a reasonable time. We went shopping to get stuff for a buffet supper for the band prior to the concert. I made it round the supermarket ok but beginning to feel it in my knees by the time we were done.
I dropped John back at his place and headed home myself. I sorted Honey out and finished packing all my 'bits' for the concert. I had hoped to have half an hour so sit and maybe doze but the 2 hours just vanished and I was back on the road to pick up John and grab a quick bite of lunch at Wetherspoons before heading for the concert venue.
We set to with a band of brilliant helpers and sorted the seating. There was an added problem of a pile of stuff being 'stored' on the stage which all had to be shifted as it did not leave enough space for the band with the sound gear. We also had to wait for the Hall manager to turn up and sort the stage lighting for us - half the lights were either pointing down to the ground or up on the ceiling! We had to move some seats to get the ladders in for him and then move them back afterwards again. Our amazing team of friends pulled out all the stops doing the bar for us, as well as shifting furniture.
By 5pm I was beginning to feel the pain in both legs. I sat down for a bit, sorting out the 'box office' and table of flyers and advertising. We put out some club flyers on chairs in the hall and virtually all of them went by the end of the evening :)
The band were expected about 4 but it was gone 5 before they turned up. They started sound checking and tucking into their buffet so all checks were done well before 7. We opened the doors at 7 so people did not have to queue at all and could come straight in on arrival. Late arrivals had problems as the car park was full and there was a thundery downpour too, so not only did they have to drive around looking for a space but they then got wet walking to the hall :(
The concert was brilliant! Rod did 3 songs to open the proceedings and allow late comers to get settled before Fairport took to the stage.
It was an amazing concert with the band on top form! Brilliant songs! Great rapport. The whole evening swept past all to quickly and then we were bidding goodbye to our patrons, who all seemed very happy and loved the concert.

Chris Leslie (FC), John, Ric Sanders (FC), and me!

 The cleaning up and tidying up was a nightmare. The fit and able helpers all pitched in and stacked chairs and packed them away. By this time I was barely able to stand let alone carry anything. I did what I could, taking down posters etc but it was torture standing up. By now the pain was right down my shins and going up my thighs. I was forced to let the others do the moving things around and basically supervised from a chair. We collected up the rubbish and I took it home. I was not able to go round and check everything was ok before we left so I do hope all was clean enough and tidied up enough.
There was an almighty storm to the north of Poole and the lightning display was fantastic. Sheet lightning was running across the sky behind the clouds with the occasional fork finding its way to ground. I dropped off our helpers at their homes and headed home myself. I was in tears by the time I got in. I was tempted to sleep downstairs but I was so tired and in so much pain I thought bed would be best. I let Honey out and got myself organised and into bed.
Honey's leg was a bit swollen and she was limping badly so I think she must have strained it some time during the evening. James said she seemed ok while he was here, but she was limping when he left. It was not swollen in the morning, and she was walking on it with a bit of a limp. I kept her quiet all day and by yesterday (Sunday) she was back to 'normal'. She seems fine today and I shall start taking her for a short walk down the road and back later this week. I know she will be glad to get out and about.

This weekend has shown I need to take action about my knees. Both are now playing up. The left one has started giving way on me at times. The right knee is totally worn out and distorted. It gets very painful at times and can collapse without warning any time. I have not yet fallen over with it as I use a stick to balance myself, but if the other one goes too I will be over and down. Time for referral I think and get on the list for replacements.
Coping with pain is tiring and aging. I need help!

Last night our wonderful friends who ran the concert bar for us hosted a thank you barbecue. There were seven of us and we tucked into a pile of assorted, burgers, sausages, chops, steaks and chicken with salads and bread. Lovely!
We had a bit of beer left over after the concert which we bottled up in 1 and 2 litre bottles and they needed drinking up (well that was the excuse) so there was a lot of beer consumed between us. I say 'us' but I am not a beer drinker, and I had a couple of large glasses of Pimms, well diluted with extra lemonade. The wine was flowing too so everyone was very happy, apart from 'designated driver' - me! I dropped John and Roz back home before heading home myself.
Jen arrived home the same time I did so we had a nice chat for an hour before heading to bed. I was knackered!

I'm sorry there isn't much to smile at in this blog.
Ah .. I have an '...and finally'...
I cooked a few extra sausages yesterday for me to have today for lunch and I gave a couple to Honey as a treat last night. They were a bit spicy and now I have a flatulent greyhound stinking the place out :-( It is BAD!!!
 Anyone want a dog? ;-)

If I bury my nose I can't smell it :-)

The Road to Hell is Paved....

I have all these wonderful ideas, and loads of good intentions about carrying them out, but somehow when it comes to actually doing the deed I seem to run out of steam.

In my minds eye I have rearranged my lounge, completely refurbished and reorganised my dining room, turned my tired old fashioned bedroom into a stylish boudoir (including getting ALL my clothes hung up in mirror sliding door wall to wall wardrobes) but somehow I still stay the same. Piles of stuff everywhere! Old furniture, old clothes etc etc. My house is rather like one of those sliding square puzzles, but to be able to move things around I need that space to move things into. That's my big problem. No spare space. Just cupboards, shelves and wardrobes FULL of stuff! The overflow sometimes makes it to a black bin bag and the wheelie bin, or even a trip to the tip - sorry! Civic Recycling Amenity *cough*. Sounds posher I suppose but it's still a tip, a well organised tip though. You also need a passport to get in there, a recent bill, or some proof of local residence because we don't want Bournemouth's rubbish, or Purbeck's, or Wimborne's. When they are supposed to make money from re-cycling you'd think they'd let anyone in! Wimborne do! We are also automatically scanned for car reg. and logged, and only allowed a limited number of visits per month. So woe betide anyone doing a major clear out and trying to make 5 trips in 2 days! You'll be stopped and interrogated!

My 'garden' is also a source of worry. I can just about manage to cut the grass once in a while and clean up after Honey but I have a beautifully wild nature reserve :-) I have birds and butterflies galore, squirrels, and foxes too. It helps living next door to woodlands and a playing field. I get many countryside visitors you would not expect in a town, yet I am only a mile up the hill from all the shops in the town centre.  I look after the front garden ok with the occasional helping hand from my son, my sister when she comes to visit, and my next door neighbour who loves to potter in the garden. He has donated a few plants from cuttings from his garden and it looks lovely now.

I am getting hungry and I've just had a look in my fridge. It's looking a bit bare. There's the remains of an iceberg lettuce, some cheese, eggs, bacon and a bag of potatoes. Looks like it could be a store cupboard lunch. Tuna pasta bake anyone?

Or maybe beans on toast with melted grated cheese :-) There's always something I can rustle up without having to shop. Uh-oh! Now I feel really hungry. The beans are sounding good. I am down to the last tin of the dozen I bought months ago when they were on BOGTF. Lovely tasty Branston beans - bought one pack of four and got two free! I'll have to stock up again! I am also down to my last tin of tuna. The pasta bin is looking low. Hmm bad planning to run low on larder basics all at the same time.

However it avoids too many trips to the shops and reduces the temptations of buying cakes and chocolate. Mmmmm C H O C O L A T E!!! Chocolate cake heaven!

Honey is still hobbling around, sometimes walking pretty well then carrying her bad leg for a bit. She is still managing to get up and down stairs even though it looks like it hurts her to do so. I keep checking her leg and there is no sign of swelling or infection. The pin holes have healed over almost completely now and are barely visible. We have survived 2 weeks of no walkies and she asks every day at the usual time if we can go. She understands 'no' and then changes it to asking for her dinner LOL. No mistaking the rattle of her dish!

We had a mini thunderstorm last night. One flash from Bournemouth way and a fairly quick rumble after it but that was all we got, with a brief splatter of heavy rain drops. Obviously Bournemouth got the full whack because Jenny came in shortly after and said the Frizzells roundabout was flooded right across the road!

I hope you have a good weekend and get some sunshine. For those of you planning a barbecue - good luck at dodging the showers and storms :-)

xxx

Where did the weekend go?

First long weekend done and dusted. Hope you all had a good Easter. I have been alone, apart from Honey, for most of it. James did come to lunch Sunday, as usual. Sausages and mash for him, as usual. I had a lovely tasty, tender pork steak, roasted in oven with onions and mushrooms, served with a load of fresh broccoli. It was lovely.

Yesterday being Monday meant pub quiz night. Last week the pub was heaving! Every single chair and stool was in use. Even the tall bar stools were hijacked by one team round a small table. We had something like 14 teams and, for the first time in about 2 years, the quiz master paid out a 3rd place prize. It was back to 'normal' last night with 8 teams. But was a good night.

The quiz master likes to make 'holidays' a bit different so instead of 6 rounds of 5 q's with 2 pre-selected joker rounds, making 40 points in total, we had 4 rounds of 8 q's with one joker round, played and marked as we went.
The first round was a real stinker and we managed a miserly 1 (yes one) point, but highest score that round was 3 LOL. The others improved as we went and we maxed the last 2 rounds. Unfortunately we went for round 2 as our joker and got 2 wrong! That was a vital 4 points gone, instead of 2, and we'd have tied for 1st place. As it was we tied for 2nd place and lost out on the tie breaker question. So a good 3rd place in the end. We won the pic round which was also a harder one.
It was just James and I last night, as Kev & Sheila were grandparenting, and Jen was back late from Salisbury and too tired to quiz. So James blitzed the pics and I answered the quiz. We got the same number of q's right as the winners but played the joker badly :( Ah well, such is life.
We made some new friends as a newish team (about 2 months attending) came and sat next to us as their usual table was taken, 3 ladies of the silver haired variety. They were very nice. The pub lounge bar is on 2 levels and teams tend to stay either on upper level or lower. It's funny how we all have our favourite table and feel unsettled if we have to sit elsewhere. We have our fav. table and a second best in case first choice is being used.

I had a tasty pasta bake with side salad for my dinner. It was described as 'chicken and smoked bacon pasta bake'. I had 2 tiny cubes of chicken and a few scraps of bacon in my portion, lots of pasta and loads of cheese sauce so it tasted good, but more like macaroni cheese than chicken and bacon.

How's Honey? I hear someone ask. Well she's doing just fine now. The first couple of days were bad as she would not put her bad leg to the ground without whining and wincing. I phoned my vet and got some pain killers prescribed. They did help and she slept a lot the first few days. Her sore leg did not stop her making it upstairs, although she was very slow and careful coming down as she HAD to use her bad leg. A week later she is a different dog. She is walking almost normally on all four legs, just occasionally 'carrying' the bad leg if it hurts a bit. She has started nagging me for walkies. Even after a week of not having a walk at all (vet's orders - 3 weeks to go yet) her walkies body clock is still working LOL. Nothing like being shadowed by a dog who's whining and giving me the 'big-brown-eyes' look, an almost silent 'PLEASE take me out'. I pacify her with her dinner. She always gets fed after walkies, so if she gets her dinner she knows walkies will not follow and stops begging.
Right now she is curled up on her duvet bed right near the lounge window to catch the sunshine patch. She loves to sunbathe and feel the warmth on her back. The sun is much higher in the sky now and instead of the sunny patch being halfway across the lounge as it was a month ago, it is now just a few feet out from the window and the warm sunny patch is limited. She looks happy.

I had some good news yesterday - I am getting the grandsons for a sleepover in June :-D. James has almost finished clearing his old room so I can get on with painting it and sorting the furniture so one of the boys can go in there, and the other in our 'official' spare room. Except Jen has used that as her bedroom overflow lately so there is a pile of 'stuff' to clear out (hopefully into the bin). [ I hope you're reading this Jen! LUVU!!]

John had a rough weekend, with a huge tooth abscess that came up almost overnight. He's on anti-biotics now and hopefully feeling a lot better.

It's less than 2 weeks to our Fairport gig and I'm getting into panic mode. We have not sold out and would love a few more ticket sales before the night. But it's hard times all round and people are not spending their money if they can help it. :(
I will enjoy the concert anyway. It will be great hosting the 'lads'.

Have a great week and enjoy the Royal wedding.
TTFN xxx