With Youngest & Partner getting engaged it got me thinking about engagement rings and how personal they are. This is the new ring, below, and it is very pretty. Mine was designed by DH and has a diamond in the centre with a ruby each side of it and is set in 18ct gold band with the stone settings being white gold.  It is in fact at the moment being repaired as I have broken a claw on one of the rubies and did not want to lose the stone.  It is now thirty seven years old and over the years I have had it cleaned and maintained but when we took it in to the jewellers they said they could repair the claws or actually take all the stones out and re-set them completely.  This worried me because obviously it would be my ring and the stones would just be re-set but I was concerned that it would look exactly the same and I was assured by the Jewellers it would.

The above ring is Meghan Markle’s when she became engaged to Prince Harry and it has been reported today that she has altered this ring for the fourth time since this original one above!  Apparently she has had the band changed from the plain gold to one which is much thinner with diamonds in it and the central stone has changed from this shape to one which is now an emerald cut and apparently a few other alterations have been made, picture below.

However this is not the ring she got engaged with!  Would you change your ring so much that it does not resemble the ring you were first given?  I know I wouldn’t.  I do know of other celebs who have kept the original engagement ring but then had others bought for them, since the marriage, which have bigger or different coloured stones.  Apparently Victoria Beckham has fifteen engagement rings varying from diamonds to rubies, sapphires, emeralds and a moonstone!  Nice I suppose if you can afford it but again it is not the one you got engaged with!

I will have to get some pictures of mine when it is back having been repaired.  Talking of repairs a clock which was inherited by DH from his family which sits in our sitting room, is off being repaired at the moment.  He took it in to the Clock makers in Ashbourne before Christmas and we have not heard anything from them since so we are hoping that it is not so bad and they can fix it!  It strikes the hour and the half hour and I really miss hearing it strike during the day, it is so quiet without it.

Today is home jobs day and tomorrow I have to go to the Dentist in the morning to get a small filling!  I hate going to the Dentist at the best of times and especially don’t like getting a filling but decided I should get it done as soon as!  At the weekend DH is out all weekend at the County Swimming Championships so I have two whole days to begin the two quilts I need to get done for May this year!  Our weather over the last few weeks has been dull and grey although we did see the sun a little bit yesterday and it has been very cold with the odd day of rain thrown in for good measure!  Hey ho, hopefully Spring will soon be here.

Have a wonderful weekend you lovely lot. 

Hugs & Love, Susie & Coco xx

Although Friday seems to come round very quickly at the moment and the weeks are flying by of course! We have been having quite a few misty and foggy mornings recently which is typical for November here in the UK.  Next week we are due to have a freezing spell with frosts on the ground, which will be great and hopefully get rid of the germs floating around.  Eldest and Little Man are both poorly at the moment with colds and I am trying to avoid getting it because after what I have recently had, I don’t want anything else!

Blaze was bought a new bed which hangs on the radiator and we used to have them when we had cats.  He has been in it about three times but actually prefers lying on DH’s desk!  A typical cat!

Coco loves her basket next to my desk and gets very comfy in it and also uses her big toy as a pillow!  She has her Spa day booked in for next Friday just at it turns freezing  cold!

DH and I managed to finish the final bits in the garden last weekend and it is now all sorted for winter. 

The leaves have now all fallen off the ornamental cherry tree at the top of the garden and they have just about finished coming off the tree at the bottom of the garden too.

We got the patio cleaned a few weeks ago using hot water and bleach and it worked really well, there is only a little bit of green left but the rest of it looks good and I am hoping that it will not grow green over the winter.  We also got the side walk past our front door done last week and that looks better too.

The pond was cleaned and we put the fountain down to a small amount so that when it is windy it won’t be blowing the water everywhere.

I haven’t put any winter veg in my raised bed this year but I have planted a load of daffodil bulbs in it so hopefully it will be a lovely burst of yellow in Spring.  We had to trim one of the holly bushes at the front but as it had berries on it I put them in the veg planter to keep the squirrel from digging the bulbs up.  They look really good.

Little Miss Coco out investigating the garden.

I have started the Christmas baking by putting the Christmas Cake fruit to soak in Brandy before I make the cake.  I still have the mince pies, Christmas cookies and Cheesy Stars to make.  Over the weekend DH is out both days at another swimming club, their gala, so I am going to spend the day in my sewing room getting some things finished in there.  Next week I am out twice for lunch once with another friend, Sue and then out to lunch with Jayne too, so I am going to take the opportunity the rest of the week to get some of these jobs done.  Next weekend DH is home so we will be getting the rest of the Christmas preparations done and then on the Saturday evening we are going with Eldest, Partner, The Girls and Little Man to see Santa Claus which I cannot wait for.  I will bring pictures to you after that. 

Sorry for a distinct lack of posts due to being so busy.  I hope you lovely lot will have a lovely weekend. 

Hugs & Love, Susie & Coco xx

I don’t know if you have seen anywhere, it has certainly been around on Instagram, that if you have over 1000 books then you have your very own Library.  The above is the Library at Chatsworth House, my favourite room on the whole tour, and last year had the good fortune to actually go into the room and get to sit down and learn about some of the books housed there.

Of course this made me wonder how many books we have in our sitting room.  Here is a picture of our main bookshelves taken a few years ago and there are a lot more books on the shelves now.  Below is a picture of the other bookshelves in the sitting room.

So DH and I decided to count them and we have 1,254!  Therefore we are renaming the sitting room our Library now!!  

A room without books is like a body without a soul – Cicero

Work has been busy and I am trying to keep on top of all my jobs and then carve out some time for quilting and reading.  The other eveing I was reading in bed and fell asleep with my glasses on, the book fell onto the bed and my light still on!  I think I woke up about 2.00am and put everything on my bedside and switched the light off!  The only down side of reading at night!  Although I do find that if I read in the day I can also fall asleep!  I have so many books that I want to read on my TBR shelf especially at this time of year when I want to read the books I have which fit the season, like the spooky books and then the Christmas books!  I will make some time.

The weekend was busy with DH at the Fireworks on Saturday evening and it only drizzled a bit but it all went off well and then the whole family were here yesterday for DH’s Birthday which was a lovely day, although I was tired this morning.   This week is a quiet week so it is going to be a mix of work and getting some jobs done during the day too.  Next weekend we have the whole weekend free so DH and I can get some jobs done and we may go out for dinner on Saturday evening. 

Have a wonderful week and just to remind you there are 51 days to go to Christmas!!

Hugs & Love, Susie & Coco xx

Coco’s Monday!

I know that may sound like a lot but the way the weeks fly by, having only just begun November, it will be the end of November and then Christmas before we know it!!!  Of course I have a million and one jobs to get done but I am definitely trying to pace myself this year and not end up rushing around and then being ill like last year when I had shingles!

We had quite a lot of Trick or Treaters last night and Youngest & Girlfriend did  a great job answering the door.  They were dressed as a policeman and prisoner!  Bonus we have some chocolate left!!

Our weather over the weekend is going to be dull but fine with no rain which will be ideal for tomorrow evening when a lot of the official bonfire events are taking place, including DH being Event Control for the Council one in our area.  He will be out from 2.00pm setting up for when the fireworks which will begin about 7.00pm. 

In the morning we have a bit of time to get a couple of final jobs done in the garden.  The leaves have now almost finished dropping so we need to get those up and I need to plant my Spring bulbs.  I have only bought Daffodils this year and I think I am going to put them in my Veg bed as I have not put any Winter veg in.  DH and I did our patio last week with hot water and bleach which cleaned it really well and I am hoping that it will not go green this Winter when it is wet.  The special eco-friendly stuff I bought did not do a thing, so I resorted to Grandma’s recipe of the bleach.  We need to do the pathway outside our front door which also leads to our garden gate as that is very green and of course it gets very slippery when wet, which I do not need at the moment!

Sunday everyone is at home for Sunday Lunch to celebrate DH’s Birthday and I am so looking forward to that.  I am also babysitting Little Man tomorrow evening as well, so his Mummy & Daddy can have a night out, again can’t wait!

Here is Little Man rocking the woolly hat and cardigan as it is getting cooler now.

This week has been a hectic one again and very busy which is why I think the weeks fly by!  I have several “To Do” lists and am getting through the jobs slowly and am managing to keep up with work, Eldest’s work and home jobs including the washing and ironing.  One big job which I am still doing is decluttering things and between Christmas & New Year we are going to get the attic tidy and hopefully the garage too.  Well that is my aim anyway! 

I hope you lovely lot have had a good week, have a wonderful weekend and I will see you back here on Monday.  Hugs & Love, Susie & Coco xx

Coco was tired last night!

I am here, I haven’t fallen off the edge of the Earth (for all those Flat Earthers!).  DH and I have been dealing with family things which I will not disclose here.  We are all okay and life is moving on, but as I have said before, even though your children are grown up they come with grown up problems and we are lucky to be here to help them through it.  However it has been a very challenging few weeks and I am hoping that between now and Christmas will be a little calmer.

Speaking of Christmas:

Because things have been so up in the air, I have been playing Christmas music in my car when I have been travelling around!  It just lifts my spirits, but I do get moaned at by The Boys as they think it is far too soon for all this!  I can say that I have almost finished my Christmas shopping, only a few things left to get and my sewing room now looks like half of Santa’s Workshop!  I am debating with myself as to whether to get wrapping now or leave it a little bit?  I have managed to get all the pets their treats and toys for Christmas and had to put them definitely out of the way of Coco and Blaze! 

This weekend is one of my favourties, in that we get an hour back, as the clocks go back one hour on Saturday night.

Yesterday would have been my Mom’s 95th Birthday.  Here she is on her wedding day in 1949 aged 19.  Sadly she died one week before her 55th Birthday so this time of year is quite poignant. 

Our weather is defintely in Autumn mode now, although we have had a couple of frosts it has not been too cold.  However that has meant that it has been quite misty in the mornings and on Wednesday the above picture was at 5.00am as the fog rolled in.  Usually we don’t get foggy days until November, but it was quite thick on Wednesday and lasted quite a while. 

The trees in our garden have almost lost their leaves and DH and I have the job of collecting them this weekend.

Here is the big tree at the top of our garden and the platform where the Den used to be.

So as it is Autumn I got our winter bedding out and I love it as it feels all cosy and warm, especailly as I also got our winter duvet out too.  Someone is also loving it:

This is cuddle mode.  She hops up on the bed, once DH has got out to shower, for morning snuggles and then in the evening, especially if I am in bed first!  The other morning she actually stayed on the bed asleep after I had come downstairs!

Little Man is now sitting up on his own and has in fact begun to crawl, so nothing is safe now!  Watch out World he is on the move!

Honey and Star are now finding high places to sleep as he is moving 🙂

This was Blaze the other evening, so I think my Halloween decorations are sorted, pumpkin and black cat!  Now if only I can get Blaze to sit still for a few hours on Halloween!!!

I subscribe to Country Life magazine which is every week and I love it.  There are so many articles in it regarding country things as well as art and life in general.  Anyway this week’s issue came through the door on Wednesday and look who is on the cover!  Anyone who has followed me for a while knows I absolutely love Snoppy.  This one I will be keeping.

I have still been doing bits of decluttering here and there in my aim (which began on January 1st) to get rid of things we really don’t need or use.  A lot of things we give to the Charity shop and obviously some I keep and some get tossed!  When we went to the charity shop last weekend they said they are no longer accepting books due to hygiene concerns. I don’t get rid of many of my books as I try very hard to only buy books that I know I will read and re-read and keep, but there is always a few and I did get rid of some. So now we have a problem of what to do with them?  We do have a book stall at Carnival each year and there is the Book Exchange in the Village so they will be going to one or other of them.  However what on earth are people going to do if we don’t keep our books?  Can you imagine if they had had the same attitude hundreds of years ago, we would not have the books we have now which are in museums!

I did spend last Saturday doing some quilting, which I cannot show you because they are Christmas presents! It was great to sit down and get some quilting done again.  DH is out all day Sunday this weekend at another swimming event, so I will be in the sewing room again.

Next week the children here are on Half Term Holiday for a week and although our Boys are all grown up I still stick to my routines that I used to do when they were young.  One of which is next week I will be making our Christmas Cake and putting it in the tin and will “feed” it until I need to put the marzipan and icing on it just before the Big Day.  We are out tonight to some very good friends their home for dinner, which I am looking forward to.  I have made a blackberry and apple crumble to take with us, a very Autumn dessert. Last night I managed to get all the ironing done and the washing is up to date and today I am cleaning our home.  Tomorrow DH is home and is going to help me with some of the bigs jobs, where I need furniture moving etc.  I also need to get two jobs done in the garden and then it will be all ready for Winter.  Grocery shopping will also be tomorrow too.  I need to sort the downstairs freezer out, I did our upstairs one last week, and then they will be ready for the Christmas build up.

Anyway after this very long catchup post, I hope you lovely lot have been faring well.  I am still suffering from things left over from the virus I had in August on holiday and was at the Doctors on Monday and have to go back next Monday having had to take more tablets.  I really hope they are going to work and it will all be sorted, if not I will be taking a trip to the Hospital, which I would really like to avoid! 

Have an absolutely wonderful weekend, it is almost November and only 61 days to Christmas!!!! 

Hugs & Love, Susie & Coco xx