Sorry for lack of posts last week due to not being very well!  I seem to go ages without having anything and then suddenly get something and feel dreadful!!!  Starting to feel a little better this week but of course work and home jobs still have to get done!!!

It didn’t help that we put the clocks forward last Saturday and it always takes me what seems like weeks to catch up again!  In fact some years I don’t think I ever catch up until we put the hour back in Autumn!!!!  I love the lighter nights but at what price!!!!

Spring has finally sprung here and yesterday and today in fact it was in the 70° so Treacle has spent the days outside so she was very tired when she came in.  The garden is definitely coming awake now and it is so nice to see the sun.  Although at the Easter weekend coming up it is going to go back to being cold and even some snow in places!!!!  The wonderful weather world of Britain!

We should have been here from Saturday but although things are starting to open up travel to Scotland is not one of them.  We have not been to Scotland at Easter for quite a few years now and had booked to go last year then all the Covid thing began so it was moved to this year and no doubt it will now be moved to next year, here’s hoping!!!!  We are due to go up in August and am hoping that this will happen.

As our village is quite rural quite a few people keep chickens.  However the property on the hill above our home, we can’t see it except for their land, has now got a cockerel!  However the blooming thing is crowing all the time.  I dread it  when it starts to get light at 4.00am and it starts crowing then!!!!  They are “hobby farmers”, a few animals and really playing at farming.  He retired quite early so I think this is to keep him out of his wife’s way!!!!

As it is Easter this weekend and we are not away I have persuaded DH to do some painting inside!!!  Last year we concentrated on the garden, especially during lockdown, so this year we will be doing the inside especially as events won’t be going ahead until later in the year hopefully!!!

Monday was the second part of opening things up which included outdoor sports and Girlfriend was competing yesterday with Penny.  Here they are mid jump. 

Treacle has been enjoying the sunshine, so much so that I could not get in her yesterday until I produced her food bowl!!!!! 

I hope you are having a good week. 

Hugs & Love, Susie xx

Today is National Quilting Day, or is it?!!!!!!

Yes I was confused too!  I think National Quilting Day is always Saturday so it should say March 20th but whoever did the graphic got the day right and date wrong or vice versa.  Anyway whether it was yesterday or today Happy National Quilting Day!  I have some jobs to sort this morning but am hoping this afternoon to get a little bit of quilting done, although it is quite nice outside today so garden jobs make take over and I will do some quilting later in the week!!!  But it doesn’t matter when you quilt, so long as you can get a little bit done. 

It has been “one of those weeks” this week for me.  I think the Universe decides every so often that things are running too smoothly and decides to throw a huge spanner at you, just you know to keep you on your toes or flatten you!!!!!!!  Well it flattened me this week and things did not get done (!) hence today trying to catch up on things.  I am also hoping that next week is going to be a little calmer.  Are  you listening Universe?

I also missed Book Club Friday again (!) so will do a post later today on that. 

Yesterday was also the First Day of Spring when we have equal amounts of daylight and darkness before the evenings start to say lighter for longer.  Today certainly seems like a Spring day, although it is still cool but plants are starting to appear, the birds are busy and today we can see the sun which makes things so much better. 

Have a great Sunday whatever you are up to and a good week. 

Hugs & Love, Susie xx

For Mother’s Day Youngest bought me the windmill for our garden which lights up at night, I love it.  Eldest bought me the tin of plants which are so bright in the grey of the day.

Last year Clive Cussler passed and you know I love his books.  Latterly he co-wrote his books with different authors and he has been the only one to get this right.  Because of this he was able to release quite a number of books in his various series and I had got behind.  So I made a list of the books I was missing and DH and The Boys have bought me them for Christmas/Birthday.  There were still quite a few so Eldest got the rest of them for me for Mother’s Day!  I was also missing two Stephen King books and he got those for me as well.

My “To Read” shelf is now rather full!  I also forgot (!) that Friday last week should have been Book Club Friday, yesterday should have been Literary Monday!!!  I am doing well NOT at the moment!  I have started a new book last week but with everything else at the moment I am not finding as much time as normal to read, but hopefully by the weekend I will be a little more organised!!!

Also had some sad news today that our good friend, Gordon, whose wife Corinned passed last year, died yesterday.  Nothing to do with Covid and he, like Corinne, had not been well for a while.  They will both be dearly missed by us all

This is Corinne & Gordon in April 2011 playing baseball with us when we stayed at the Castle during our Easter vacation.  It was the day the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge got married and Corinne & Gordon came for lunch with us and after all the festivities it was a beautiful day so we went outside. 

Hugs & Love, Susie xx

For all those who follow Formula 1 in the UK we lost the voice of Formula 1 yesterday with the sad passing of Murray Walker at the grand age of 97.  He always had a balanced view of the sport and teams but was a huge supporter of all the British racing drivers.  He did have the knack though of saying that whoever was leading had the race in the bag, for the car to then stop or something else to happen!!!  Rest in Peace Murray, I am sure you will be comentating on the great races in Heaven.

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Yesterday was Mother’s Day in the UK and my Boys spoilt me.  I had some lively gifts, which I will show you pictures tomorrow, and they were all busy doing jobs so I did not have to do a thing.  So thank you so much Boys and DH I Love you all to bits.

Had a busy day with work and and now off to start a basket of ironing before they all descend on me for dinner!  I hope you lovely lot had a great weekend and have a good week to come. 

Hugs & Love, Susie xx

I think we all need a hug this week, I am so glad it is Friday!  The whole week has not been as I had planned.  I started each day with a clear list of what needed to be done and I have got to Friday with half the list completed and still more to do!  Why do some weeks just happen like that?

I need to start planning the Spring Cleaning too.  I usually get bits and pieces done during the week and then plan the big stuff when DH is around to help, especially moving the furniture.  Last year we got it done during lockdown but this year we are hoping that things will start to open up, but it still needs to be done.  Hey ho we will get it sorted.  Also need to get the painting done too!

Treacle has been snoozing in her basket most of the day as we have been dodging the showers.  We seem at the moment to have April showers along with March winds, which is interesting.  I am hoping that Sunday is going to be okay and we can get a bit of gardening done. 

The Robin now appears to be making a nest in the Box bush as well as the Dunnock which will be interesting! 

Anyway I hope you all had a good week and have a great weekend, whatever you are up to. 

Hugs & Love Susie xx

For #TBT today these pictures are from March 2006 in Scotland of course!!  One of the favourite things of the Boys was to take their bikes, in fact they both learnt to ride without their stabilisers here!  Eldest was ten and Youngest was six.

This is the first time we went down Loch Ness on the boat and we were so lucky to have a beautiful, if cold, day.  At least we saw the sun. 

The Boys after the trip on the boat.

The wake of the boat on Loch Ness.

Almost like glass!

It has not been a good week, one way and another, I have home jobs to do tomorrow and hopefully I will be able to get some quilting done at the weekend.  We are due for rain again and high winds, so March is making itself known on the weather!  Hey ho.  I hope you are all having a better week. 

Hugs & Love, Susie xx

This is the view from my desk and you can see the big Box bush on the left.  Well for the past week or so the Dunnock has been very busy flying in and out building a nest.  Well it must be four stories high by now with en suites and media room!!!!!  I have never seen so much activity.  Firstly the sticks went in, then moss and now it has managed to find white fluff from somewhere!  I do hope after all this work that they are successful in hatching some eggs.

This is a Dunnock!

Tonight DH and The Boys are playing cars again (!) so I will get dinner and leave them to all eat whenever they appear.  It is the one benefit of the evenings staying light for a little while.  We move our clocks forward one hour at the end of the month and it will be great to have those lighter nights but oh boy do I hate having to cope with that loss of an hour for a few weeks!!

On March 21st we will be completing the National Census which is done every ten years.  Lots of people moan about this but for anyone who has looked at the old Census details from the early 1900’s they can be fascinating and also help if you are tracing family tree details. 

We did see the sun for a little bit this morning but it has now clouded over and we are due rain for the rest of the week and weekend and it has been forecast high winds.  So far March has come in like a lamb so I suppose it will be going out like a lion!!!  Obviously no gardening will be done this weekend. 

We are gearing up for the next stage of things opening up now all the children are back in school which will be March 29th when two households can meet outside but no more than six.  Also outdoor sports can begin again and people do not have to stay home but if they can still work from home that will help.  The next date will be April 12th which is the big one when non essential retail opens again, Restaurants can open but only for outdoor meals and the most important of all hairdressers and beauty spas can re-open with Covid safety measures in place.  Also swimming will be back on this date.  May 17th will be the next day when more things open up and more socialising will be allowed but only if there is no increase in infections.  However by then they will have managed to get a huge amount of the population vaccinated so fingers crossed we will be allowed out again.  By June 21st it is the hope that we are nearly back to normal but there is still a way to go before that happens I think. 

I hope you lovely lot are having a Thrilling Tuesday. 

Hugs & Love, Susie xx