Monthly Archives: May 2020

VE Day 2020.

75 years ago Britian celebrated the end of the War in Europe on May 8th 1945. After six years of fighting, rationing, the bombings and millions who lost their lives the War in Europe was over. The current situation is a juxtaposition with then and it seems quite appropriate that we should be celebrating this whilst in Lockdown!

Our families were very much involved with WWII, my Father was an aircraft engineer in the RAF and DH’s father was a member of the Royal Engineers. My Grandfather was in a reserved occupation so was an air raid warden during the War and DH’s Grandfather was also in a reserved occupation, he was a gentleman farmer, so he became a Policeman.

My Dad was actually in India and Burma so was actually still fighting when May 8th occurred and his service did not end until VJ Day on August 15th 1945.

We should have been having celebrations around the country and DH was due to commentate on them locally but of course they have all been cancelled due to the current situation. However they are talking about doing something later in the year depending upon how things go!

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Our families were very lucky in that they came home but so many did not and it is their sacrifice that means we are free today.

For the Fallen

By Laurence Binyon

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,

England mourns for her dead across the sea.

Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,

Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal

Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres,

There is music in the midst of desolation

And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,

Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.

They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;

They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;

They sit no more at familiar tables of home;

They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;

They sleep beyond England’s foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,

Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,

To the innermost heart of their own land they are known

As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,

Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;

As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,

To the end, to the end, they remain.

(First Published in The London Times 1914)

As we remember those that fell during WWII, and WWI, we also remember all those who have fallen since in modern conflicts around the World. Also to all those serving in the various services now. who are busy helping with the current situation. Thank You.

Stay safe.

Hugs & Love Susie xx

Susie’s Friday Book Club.

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Anyone who reads my Book Club suggestions knows that I am a huge fan of the late Mr Cussler. I particularly like the Oregon Files series of which this is his latest.

Juan Cabrillo and his team are tasked with rescuing three CIA agents in Southern America before their covers are blown, which seems a simple mission, but all three go wrong almost from the start. Also in the same area a covert CIA operation is also taking place when it is attacked by what looks like a tramp freighter, however it has hidden features and destroys the CIA ship. Why has Cabrillo and the Corporation turned on their own?

It is another fantastic ride with the action continuing on each page until the end but will the Corporation survive?

Another great story from the master of action and I will be interested to see if Boyd Morrison will be allowed to continue to write the stories now Mr Cussler has passed.

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Doing Book Club today (yes I do know it is Thursday even if we are in Lockdown!) as tomorrow is VE Day 75 and I have done a special post about that.

We are hearing things about the Lockdown being eased although they still seem to be indicating that it could be on for another three weeks. Our Boys have had emails from their companies with how they think it will work once they are back but I do think it will be trial and error with this until we find a workable solution to all of it.

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I did see in the paper today where a Dutch restaurant have erected small green houses outside for two or three people and they are delivering the food on a long wooden paddle. The staff are wearing gloves and face shields but it does look like a cute idea to get around the social distancing. Obviously takes up a lot of room as well but it is latteral thinking. (picture credit: The Daily Telegraph uk)

I hope your Thursday is going okay and have a great weekend, stay safe.

Hugs & Love, Susie xx

The Wednesday Wag.

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It’s another sunny warm day here in Derbyshire and I have been making the most of it on Mom and Dad’s bed. It was cool first thing so I was on the bed but as it warmed up I moved outside!!!

Mom worked this morning but this afternoon she has been baking!! A new loaf, her orange cake and some rock cakes which were Granddad’s favourite!!!

Above, all cooling on the top.

Orange Loaf Cake.

White loaf of bread, freshly baked today!

Rock cakes, just the right size for me!!!!

I got to help with the clean up!!

Although after I had licked the spoon a bit I started to chew the spoon!!!! Mom then put it in the dishwasher!!!

Mom has been doing a lot of cooking in the kitchen whilst we have all been at home and she made this for dinner last night.

Cottage pie! She then spread Red Leicester cheese over the top!!! I haven’t had any yet but there are leftovers!!!!

I am hoping to get a Rock cake after my dinner!

Happy Woofy Wednesday and stay safe. Treacle xx

Tuesday!

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Treacle had a lovely day yesterday and she was very tired by the time we went to bed!!! We face timed Youngest when she opened her presents!!!

She had a new soft toy from Mungo & Maud, along with some of their organic biscuit bones and four tennis balls!!! She will get some more presents from Youngest when this is all over!!!

Waiting for a biscuit!

One thing I bought for my Jeep was a new carrier for the back seat. Treacle is having difficulty jumping into the back now and I can pick her up but she is not too happy with that. However she can still get into the back seat of my Jeep as it is lower so I bought this hanger (below). It is held in place by the headrests and handles so it is like a cradle but there is a mesh at the front between the two front seats so she can see us driving. We will give it a try and we are allowed out!!!!

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Girlfriend sent me the above picture the other day of Youngest with Simon! As you can see he is very keen on Youngest!!!

Our garden is changing by the day and as you can see is very green at the moment. I have put some seeds into my herb garden where the little pegs are and hopefully they will grow.

I have tried to grow some seeds for my pots for the summer but at the moment they have not appeared!! I think, when the garden centres are open again, I will get some plants for the pots for summer. I have bought some plants to put in where we have cleared some of the trees. I also want to take some cuttings when I can in the summer of our existing plants so we can plant some more.

We are due for some warm weather again later this week and then a few days of it being cool which does help the garden and I have been watering when it is very dry. We have a pond in an old Whiskey barrel which we have had since we moved into our home but it needs cleaning out. We don’t want to do this yet until we are able to get to the garden centre to buy some new plants for it and get a couple of gold fish. We did have one gold fish in there for years and he eventually passed with old age. He was a gold fish when he started but by the end was very white!!! We did have two originally but the one which was left was never happy with a companion so in the end we left him on his own!!!

That is the last project we have to do at home, as well as keeping everything neat and tidy in our home/garage/garden/cars!!!!! DH and Eldest did the attic at the weekend and they have made a fantastic job of it. Woe betide anyone who makes a mess of it, or the garage, or our home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are keeping our work ticking over but obviously things are slower than they were and it will be interesting to see how things shake out when we get back to whatever new normal we will be living when the Lockdown is lifted. I think, as we have orders and work which is just delayed, things will get back to where we were before we stopped but I think this time in the recession to come restaurants, cafes, cinemas etc are going to be the ones to find it hard whereas before they all seemed to still be okay whereas manufacturing suffered.

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Swimming is a particular conundrum. How do we get the swimmers back swimming but social distance them from each other? How do we manage the parents dropping off and picking up with social distancing in mind and then how do we cope with looking after the swimmers by the Committee whilst they are with us, ie more people needed for the welfare and yet we have to social distance too! I think we are going to have to wait and see how the schools deal with it before we can do anything. We have been told that there will be no competitions until the swimmers have been back and training for six weeks, but if we have to halve the swimmers times that will then mean twelve weeks and don’t get me started on the new risk assessments, which I will have to completely re-do!!!!! Also they are talking about competitions with no spectators which may work for F1 and football matches but I don’t think will work with swimming!!! Who knows!!!!!

I hope you are having a good Tuesday and will have a great week.

Stay Safe.

Hugs & Love, Susie xx

Treacle.

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This little lady is 12 today!

The first of the family to have a Birthday in Lockdown!!!! Mine is next, will we still be in Lockdown then?!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Two weeks ago, above, when it was lovely and warm and sunny!

This morning. DH went out early again, so Treacle had been out, had breakfast and so came back to bed. Don’t blame her on her Birthday! We got up at 8.00am!!!

The day we go her home!

Eldest with her, he was 12.

Youngest with her, he was 8.

Treacle with our dear Kelly! Kelly’s look says “What have you brought home?!!!”

This was Kelly’s favourite sitting spot, above, looking into the garden, so Treacle on the right copied her!!!!

Two very pretty grown up Airegirls!!!! They had both just come back from the Spa so I got a picture before they got messy again!!!

Treacle again just back from the Spa!!!

The Boys with Treacle not long after we got her.

All three of them ten years later!!!! Eldest 22, Youngest 18 and Treacle 10!!!!!

Unfortunately because of Lockdown we can’t all be here but I am sure we will have a second celebration when we can. She is opening her presents tonight when DH gets back and we will be video calling the rest!!!!

Happy Birthday Treacle, we all love you!!!!

Stay Safe all.

Hugs & Love, Susie xx

May Day!

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We have done really well in April with all the nice and warm sunny weather we have had rather than the usual April showers! In fact I think Lockdown has been a little bit easier because the weather has been so nice!!!

Lots of experts say you should reflect on the month just gone and see what you could have done better and assess everything. I think this year the whole World will be assessing everything in light of the current situation. I am glad that because of the Lockdown I have got lots done around our home and the Spring Cleaning finished and am now starting on some other jobs, including my quilting. It think also that Lockdown has made us all slow down, which can never be a bad thing in this busy day and age.

We have some April showers types of days over the next week but it is then getting warmer again with sunshine. The gardens need the rain. DH and Eldest will be tackling the attic over the weekend, all it needs is tidying up as we got rid of all the excess last year.

We are still waiting from our Government to hear how we are going to come out of the Lockdown whilst trying to avoid a second spike in cases but I do not think that life will be going back to anywhere near normal for a long time. We shall see.

I am going to get some nice jobs done over the weekend, bit of quilting, some more work on the Boys memory books, some baking oh and a basket of ironing to do!!!!

I hope whatever you are up to, stay safe, and have a great weekend.

Hugs & Love, Susie xx

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Your Daily Treacle. This was the other morning after DH had left at 5.00am, I had made a drink and his sandwiches and he left, Treacle had been out, been fed so came back to bed!!!!! She was like this until it came time for me to make our bed!!!!!