It is grey and horrible here today and it has been raining.  Good job the pumbers are indoors and not out!  They are getting on really well; the floor is done and the walls and all the new pipework so they are now going to be doing the tiles.  Can’t wait to get it all done and I will show you pictures.

Certainly not been hanging the washing out and in fact trying to get it done has been a challenge as the plumbers have the water turned off for most of the day.  It also means that the heating is not on and it has been quite cold and damp over the last few days, so I have taken to wearing a jumper and a thick cardigan to keep warm! 

I am busy getting the Christmas presents wrapped, labelled and put into piles as I have to get some posted off so need to sort those out first.  Next job will be the Christmas cards and then the rest of the Christmas baking.  I have quite a few To Do lists going at the moment but am ticking the jobs off slowly!  At least being at home for this week and next means I have lots of time to get jobs done.  With the weather being yuck it is quite nice to be doing Christmas things.  I will show you some pictures when I am done.

I forgot to show you this.  When it was our Thirtieth Wedding Anniversary DH bought me some lovely pearl earings from Coleman Douglas Pearls of London.  All of the designs are done by the wonderful Chrissie Douglas (below) founder of Coleman Douglas.  So for our Thirty Fifth he bought me this lovely gold and pearl braclet.  In the five years we have known Chrissie she has become a very good friend.

https://www.pearls.co.uk

https://www.instagram.com/coleman_douglas_pearls

When we saw her in London she was telling us all about the new display which is about to open in Fortnum & Mason with all different styles of pearls created by Chrissie.

Chrissie likes to say these are not your Grandmother’s pearls and her designs are amazing.  I inherited pearls from my Mother, Grandmother and Great Grandmother and Chrissie re-strung them.  I have also received for various events a pearl necklace from DH and Chrissie redesigned a necklace that DH gave me for our Twentieth anniversary which never sat correctly.  There is going to be an event in February next year and we are going to go down and support her. 

Youngest is out tonight at Swimming Club coaching, DH & Eldest are out tonight for dinner together as they are giving blood later.  Me – dinner for one and ironing! Oh joy!

I hope you are all having a great week.

Hugs & Love, Susie xx

Bonfire night went off well and it didn’t rain until later so everyone got to let the fireworks off!

I am busy trying to fit one weeks worth of work into three days before DH and I head to London.  I have cleared all the washing and ironing, did our work today, doing Eldest’s work tomorrow and then home jobs on Wednesday!  Coco is going to love it as she is being looked after by Youngest and Girlfriend!  She will no doubt be allowed to get away with murder!

There is still a lot of water around the village on the fields and some of the roads as all the water tables are full, we are due to get some more rain at the end of this week but hopefully we won’t get the floods again.  Our garden is like a quagmire though and every time Coco comes in from the garden she has muddy paws!

The Plumbers are coming at the end of this month to do the bathroom which I will be so pleased about and whilst they are here Coco is going on her holidays and then when she is back she will be going for a spa day, all in time for Chirstmas. 

Christmas is coming up fast.  Whilst we are in London we are going to look for a few presents.  We have a dinner booked which will be great and going to the theatre too, so looking forward to it.  At the moment the forecast is fine with some sunshine which will be great.  I hate fighting around the streets with an umbrella!  Will show you the photographs when we get back.

Tonight is the Swimming Club AGM so DH and Youngest will be out late!  I can at least get some more jobs done!

Happy Monday everyone and I hope you all have a wonderful week.

Hugs & Love, Susie & Coco xx

This is today’s weather here and it is getting colder this weekend, more like October.

Although we live in a village which is semi-rural we are not in the back of beyond but the amount of power cuts we have is amazing.  The other day for no reason the power went off, came back on for a second, off again, on again and then off for an hour!  Of course at this time of year it gets dark early so we were plunged into darkness.  Having now lived here for over twenty years I am prepared and have battery camping lanterns stored.  However the one side affect of this was my computer threw a wobbly and so I have had no computer since Tuesday!  So sorry for lack of posts but I was not on line!!!!

Little Miss has had a busy week and I am still trying to get her in for an Airecut as she is getting very woolley and of course if I do get her in it will then be freezing!

We have decorated for Halloween but I just have a couple of more things to do and then I can show you!  Quite enjoying watching spooky films on TV whilst ironing, which was my job last night as I had a huge basketful and people needed clothes for the weekend.

I am not political in my posts but like 9/11 the attack this week on Israel has been appalling.  It has always been, since I was very young, a very conflicted area which is down to politics and religion but innocents being slaughtered, especially babies, is dreadful.

Whether you want to or not, Chirstmas things are happening!  I am getting emails about booking things in time for Christmas, emails about Christmas goods now being available, emails about Christmas food on the shelves!  So if you are one of those persons who does not do Christmas until December 1st then I think you will find Christmas is here already!!!  Last night I got a request from my lot about some mince pies; And so it begins!!!

I hope you have a lovely weekend whatever you are up to.  DH has a swimming event all day tomorrow so I will be hopefully doing some more quilting and of course getting ready for next week.  Jayne and I are going out for lunch, DH has the Charter Fair where he commentates on Thursday, a swimming event on Friday evening and then we are out with friends on Sunday for lunch, so a lovely week to come.  Work as always too of course! 

Hugs & Love, Susie & Coco xx

So on Instagram today someone said there were only ten more Monday mornings before Christmas!  Of course there are in fact eleven weeks until Christmas which I think sounds much better!  We have only just got into Autumn but Christmas things are starting to appear everywhere, including the shops!

We went to Goose Fair on Friday but did not go round the fair as Eldest & Partner (who is expecting) did not want to walk round so we did a drive by (!) but I did get some pictures.

Saturday was a busy day and then in the evening we were at the pool for the swimming championships.  The swimmers had a good time and there were several PBs’ and even three new records were set.  Sunday we got some jobs done and were back again at the pool for the second event.  Again lots of PBs’ and two more new records. 

This week we have a fairly quiet week with work and next weekend DH is out all day Sunday at another Club’s event and Saturday we will hopefully get more jobs done.  Our weather is weird still and we have warm days and a drops cooler at night but the weekend is supposed to be cooler still.  Everyone of course is saying it is global warming etc.  I have decided not to read or listen to the news now it is just so depressing.  I know we should not put our heads in the sand but I just need a break sometimes! 

I did watch the three series of the above over the weekend, whilst ironing etc, and it is great.  Nothing taxing in it but well written and three great actors.  It is on Disney + here in the UK.

Have a great week you lovely lot. 

Hugs & Love, Susie & Coco xx

The weather is up and down here at the moment!  Some days it is quite cool and very Autumnal and other days it could be Summer again!

The weekend was so busy.  Saturday morning saw me at the Hospital for an eye check up.  When I was in junior school someone threw a stone and it hit me under my right eye.  A few months later I noticed when looking at the board I had a jagged line down the middle.  Long story short the stone had created a scar on my retina.  After many, many appointments they basically said there was nothing they could do.  However your brain is an amazing thing and I don’t see it anymore and the only time I do is when I go for my eye test!  However the last time the optician said that my eye pressure was higher in that eye and wanted to get it checked.  Another long story short, everything else is fine and they just need to keep an eye (!) on it!!!!!  That wasted three hours.

DH and I then went to the Regional Swimming Awards.  It was held near to the Headquarters in Loughborough and in fact the hotel was actually in the University grounds.  We were, of course, way early which was a good thing because no one had told the organisers that it was an Open Day at the University!  You have never seen so many parents, children and cars!  It was a very nice afternoon with several awards being given out and Afternoon Tea. 

We got home about 4.00pm in time to get ready and go out again in the evening with the Boys Godparents for dinner at The Farmhouse, which was a lovely evening and we caught up with them.  Sunday we got some jobs done but had a chill day too. 

Yesterday flew by with work and DH was at a swimming meeting all evening (!).  Today it should have been “Ladies who Lunch” day but Jayne is poorly, so we have cancelled until she feels better.  DH said that there is something going round so I really hope I don’t get it!  Tomorrow I am with Eldest at his work and Thursday and Friday are Home jobs days. 

The Plasterer came yesterday to look at the utility room ceiling and he has booked us in to do the job and the Plumbers say that it should be November for getting the bathroom done.  At least it will be before Christmas.  At the weekend DH is out both days at a regional event so I am hoping, if I get all my jobs done before then, to get into my sewing room and get some things done there.  Here’s hoping!!!

Hugs & Love, Susie & Coco xx

Keeping an eye on the neighbourhood!!!!

I cannot believe where the weeks go, no sooner is it Monday morning and suddenly it’s Friday night!  The plumber has been to secure the leak in the bathroom and the boss is coming tomorrow to look at it to say how long it will be before they can come and do the repairs.

This, above and below, is the hole in the Laundry ceiling into the Bathroom!

This is the floor, bath panel and hiding, is the toilet!

At the moment we are walking on two boards sat on the joists in the bathroom to get into the shower and fortunately we have the downstairs loo!  I just hope that it will not be weeks and weeks before they can come and do it!  I said for a while we should replace the bathroom suite as we had it put in when re-did the bathroom when we moved in, in 2001, but the Universe decided I needed to get on with it!!!!!!

On a more cheerful note here are some of the tomatoes I have grown this year in our garden.  I didn’t get a picture of the carrots I grew, but they were very nice!

After the nice week we had where it was lovely and warm it has been raining since then, the garden is looking very sorry for itself at the moment!

Coco is a true Airedale and not keen on the rain, but does love being dried when she comes in wet!

She has taken to sitting in the open doorway and gazing out at the garden!

Although she is now eighteen months old I still think she looks like a puppy from the back.

Eldest is away for a few days with four friends from school as one of them is getting married next month, it is all happening.

Now don’t faint but this weekend we have not got any swimming events on!  However, only us, Saturday is chaos!  At 9.30am I have to be at the hospital for an eye checkup (!), lunchtime we are at the swimming awards ceremony (!) and in the evening we are out with friends for dinner!  Sunday we are hoping that the weather is going to be fine and try and get the garden sorted!!!  It is getting rather out of hand.

60

I have a few friends who are turning the Big 60 this year.  One today, who I used to go to school with and another good friend next Monday!  I hope they have wonderful days!

I hope you lovely lot are having a good week. 

Hugs & Love, Susie & Coco xx

9/11 We Will Always Remember

********************

Sorry for the lack of posts it was a busy week for work and then the bathroom floor decided to collapse into our laundry and downstairs bathroom!  Turns out there has been a small leak from the clean water tank in the main bathroom, which has been going for a while and has managed to wet the complete floor under the flooring.  Needless to say DH has been speaking to a plumber in the hope that they can come and fix it. 

We did say a while ago that we might re-do the bathroom and well the Universe laughed and decided it was a good idea!  As you can imagine it is a mess!  Hopefully if they can repair the damage we can then get the floor re-done and a new bathroom set too. 

This week is busy again with work and DH has another announcing event on Saturday and then DH, Youngest and I are at another swimming event on Saturday evening (!) no rest for the wicked.  Hopefully Sunday will be nice and we can get some jobs done at home. 

We have had a scorching week last week here with 29°C most days, it has been hot and sticky.  This week it is more like 20°C which is more normal for us and some rain. This will mean the garden will be going mad again, so that is a definite job for the weekend!

I hope you have a wonderful week. 

Hugs & Love, Susie & Coco xx