Monthly Archives: August 2025

Ladies Who Lunch!

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On Tuesday of this week, Jayne and I were Ladies Who Lunch!  We went to a Restaurant at Alfreton in Derbyshire called “Pesto” which is an Italian Restaurant but they do things a little differently.  They have three menus each priced £1 more than the previous one.  If you go for the most expensive one you are able to pick dishes from all three menus but if you have the middle priced menu you can only pick from that or the cheaper one and if you have the cheapest then you can only have dishes from that one.  You then get to pick three dishes. 

There are many different authentic Italian dishes and the last time we went which was in February in the snow, I didn’t quite get the combination of dishes right!  However this time I did.  I had a small piece of lasagne, some rice balls with beef  and cheese in them and a house salad.  Jayne had the lasagne, pasta with smoked salmon and chicken wings and she shared my salad.  It was really good.

We had a lovely time and we caught up on all the news and also discussed our Book Club book which we read in August which was this :

It was my choice and something that I would not normally choose but it was a really good read.  Very easy to read and the story was great and I will definitely be getting Emily Henry’s other books.  This is what I love about Jayne’s and my book club, trying different styles of books.  So far, when we began in April, we have done really well with the books we have chosen.

The story is about Daphne who is going to marry Peter but just before the big day he calls the wedding off because he has realised that he actually loves his best friend since they were little Petra.  Not only is the wedding cancelled but Daphne has to move out of the home she was sharing with Peter as he owns that.  She bumps into Miles who was living with Petra and who is equally devastated at the betrayal and to help Daphne out offers her his tiny spare room which she takes.  After a drunken night drowning their sorrows they decide to put on social media that they are an item and take a loved up picture which has the desired effect on Peter and Petra, disbelief that their exes are together!  Slowly as the weeks go by Daphne and Miles become friends, however Peter & Petra are detemined to break them apart!  Can they get over the betrayal and make a new life for themselves?

As I say a really easy read but good fun and well written.  This is our book for September :

I obviously saw this book when it came out but was not too sure as to whether I would enjoy it but it is Jayne’s pick for this month and as I said it is all about trying new books that I would perhaps not normally pick for me. I will be starting it this weekend.

Tonight we are at Youngest’s and Fiancé’s home as DH is helping Youngest with his truck and I am with Fiancé and no doubt we will get a Takeaway for dinner, well it is Friday night. 

DH and I managed to get some jobs done in the garden in between showers and me doing the washing as well.  A Box bush that has been in the garden for about twenty years that we did put in when we first moved here has developed Box Blight which affects Box plants and is a fungal disease.  Once the plant has it you cannot get rid of it and just have to dig them up and replace it with something else.  It is in the front bed on the right and is quite big so we have decided to put mulch and compost down and perhas plant some spring bulbs in the area that has been left and then next spring re-do the area and put some new plants in then.  

Over the weekend it is due to be raining so it will be inside jobs to do and there is always plenty of them!  Hopefully Sunday is going to be okay and we can finish the garden.  Have a wonderful weekend whatever you lovely lot are up to and I will see you back here on Monday. 

Hugs & Love, Susie & Coco xx

Work & “Ber”!

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Well we have been back home for almost two weeks and it was like we have never been on holiday!  It took me all of last week to catch up on our work and Eldest’s work and then home jobs, all the washing and ironing from holiday and then the first week back.  

I went back to our Opticians to get them to change the lenses in my glasses as I was not getting on well with the new style.  He did test my eyes again and I now have a problem with my left eye which he is referring me to the hospital for!  It may be that it could resolve itself or the hospital may not think it is a problem so I am keeping my fingers crossed 

Talking of Hospitals I have been today for my Pre-Op appointment!  I have got to now have my left hip replaced, having had the right one done in 2018.  It has been bad for a while and I started the process of getting it replaced in February last year and have been waiting since then.  This is one of the issues we have in the UK with our National Health.  We don’t pay per treatment/visit but we do pay via our taxes but since Covid when they got so behind on these types of operations and of course new people being added to the lists they are now behind.  I have been waiting eighteen months now and it will be another two months before I actually have the Op.  I am nervous about it but will be very thankful to get rid of the pain and taking pain medication every four hours.  Of course it looks like the Op will be end of October and then it is a six week recovery programme which takes me up to the first week of December!  That is going to be interesting getting everything done for Christmas!  I will not be able to drive until I have had my six week appointment after the Op so I will be relying on DH, The Boys and The Girls this year.  

We had a very busy weekend too.  Friday was Eldest’s Birthday and all the family were here for dinner and it was so nice we were able to eat outside.  Little Man had a great time helping Daddy open his gifts and then getting stuck in to Burger and chips for dinnerbut he loved the Birthday Cake best!  

The above picture was the day they arrived on holiday having got up at 3.00am to leave at 4.00am.  They all went back to sleep while Eldest drove and it was a good plan but they all had a snooze in the afternoon.  We did the same on the way back too leaving by 4.00am and got back home by 12.30pm having stopped for breakfast!  It was a busy weekend on the roads as it is the last few weeks of the school holidays so a lot of people were going away.

The above was on Eldest’s Birthday.  None of us get a look in when Grandad is around with Little Man, he absolutely loves to be with Grandad and be carried around doing things.  Here they  are sat on our steps into the garden!Eldest’s Birthday cake.  I did not make it.  I normally do but I am not able to stand and bake at the moment due to my hip being so painful.

We also had another busy family day on Sunday as well and again we were so lucky with the weather and were able to eat outside.

Monday here was the last Bank Holiday of the year and that has thrown the whole week out with work of course!  DH was with Eldest at the garage doing odd jobs and getting some things sorted for his new ramp going in.  He already has two large ramps and has now fitted a small one which when not in use goes into the floor.  This will be for jobs that just need a quick look and something small doing on them.

Eldest on the fork lift getting ready to take the delivery off the lorry.

Here is the ramp extended.

When not in use they go flush to the floor.

The mat on the desk is another present from us.

His Partner bought him this sign for the wall of the garage.

Here it is in place.

This weekend we are at home and although the weather is not very good we are trying to get the garden tidy.  DH managed to get the grass done last weekend, but we have some weeding to do and some of our plants need trimming.  

Next week begins the “Ber” months, which I think is a great description of the last four months of the year.  SeptemBER, OctoBER, NovemBER, DecemBER!   I do love all the seasons but I love this time of year Autumn going into Winter and of course Christmas at the end of it.  We have some great things coming up in the next few months which we are looking forward to.

If the weather does not ccooperate then we are planning on docing some home jobs inside and also carrying on with the decluttering that I began a few months ago.  I am still aiming to get it finished before the end of the year.

I hope you lovely lot are having a great end of summer and I will see you tomorrow.

Hugs & Love, Susie & Coco xx

Coco on night patrol!

Holiday Edition of Susie’s Friday Book Club 2025.

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Above are the books I have brought with me on Holiday.  As those who follow me know that along with Quilting, Reading is my other passion.  One of my Aims at the beginning of the year was to do more reading and I have certainly tried, along with also doing our Little Book Club with Jayne and also listening to Boots when I am at Eldest’s working.  So far I have been getting through more books and this has encouraged me to read more physical books as well.  

However at the end of June I went for my annual eye test and my old Optician had retured and the new one said I needed an uptick in my perscription.  However he felt I would benefit from some new lenses which help those who work al day on a computer and then with reading.  They are in fact like a graduated lense.  I decided to given them a try although I was a little apprehensive. Well I have given them a month and I am not getting on very well with them at all.  Of course there is nothing I can do whilst I am in Scotland but have an appointment when I get back to sort them out!  

This has meant that I have not done as much reading as I would have liked due to these goasses.  However I have read Jayne’s and My’s Book Club Book this month which I chose:

Jayne reads my Blog so I will have to not give the game away too much with I loved it! I chose it as it is definitely something I wold not normally pick up but I wanted to be fair about choosing the books to not always have the same genre which I know we can fall into.  My only stiputlation from my point of view when Jayne and I were sorting our Litte Book Club out wa that I would not read any deep or meaningful books such as “The Kite Runner” or “The Tattooist of Auschwitz”!  I am sure they are tremendous books but I read books to escape and that style of book I would not want to read.  This is why I have never joined a book club because whenever I have spoken to anyone in the Club they end up always readinf this type of book!  

Anyway back to ” Funny Story” Daphne is getting married to Peter and they have moved back to his home town, where his parents live and all his old friends, including his best friend from Kindergarton, Petra.  Petra is living with Milkes.  Just before Daphne’s wedding Peter says he cannot marry her as he has realised that he loves Petra and she loves him.  That night he leaves to go on holiday with Petra and asks Daphne to move out of the home they share!  Daphne  loses her home and her Fiancé!  She does however meet Miles who offers her his spare room and they both are miserable together.  One drunken evening they decided to take a picture together and post it on Social media and make out that they are now a couple to get back at their horrendous ex’s.  Of course trouble begins going down this path.  

It is a great summer read.  Very easy but well written and I will now be buying Ms Henry’s other books!

When we are home I will go through all my other books I brought away because I also missed World Book Lovers Day on August 9th!   

Hugs & Love Susie xxx