Ambling on ....

So this week has been a bit quiet really. For once, nothing major has happened and life has been doing what it normally does and has just been ambling along. Some weeks are like that, where you get to the end of the week and wonder how on earth you got there!

The week started off quite well with DH having an appointment at the hospital on Monday. After having an x-ray we saw the consultant who seemed very pleased with everything, said things are looking good with no major upsets, but he has to stay using his crutches for a bit longer due to some damage to some of his muscles. So, just to make sure that there are no complications further down the line it means that he still can't move on as quickly as he would like in terms of getting off the crutches and getting back to walking without them. It's frustrating, but necessary. Frustrating in the short term as it also means he can't go back to driving just yet, but hopefully it means a better outcome in the long term for him. They've also said that we can increase the travelling a bit now as long we have enough stops - no flying yet though, so no plans for the Highlands just yet, but we have planned a couple of nights away in the south west of Scotland soon, far enough to get over the border, but not too far for travelling.

After we'd been to the hospital we went to order some sand and gravel so that we can get a proper path sorted out at the front of the house soon. At the moment it's just a few stepping stones set in the grass but the stepping stones don't go all the way from the front door to the main path in the street. Hopefully we've got enough sand and new stepping stones to make decent path now. DD's fiancé is going to help out next week, weather permitting ...(I say help out, but I think he's going to end up doing most of it on his own with a small contribution from us).

The rest of the week has been pretty much the same as most weeks with both of us working and just plodding on. We had a little bit of snow midweek, but not enough to disrupt anything ....   

And then before you know it it's the weekend again and another week over with. And for those who know it was Burns Night on Friday night, well, we didn't have haggis this year. DD decided to invite herself round at night and, as she doesn't like haggis, we saved it until last night. It's one of those things that I think you either love or hate and we happen to like it. But it's like turkey I guess, as every Christmas we say we really like turkey and should eat it more often, and then only buy it again the following Christmas! The same goes for haggis. Every year we say we like it and should buy it more often, and then Burns night comes around again and we haven't had it since last Burns night!

#Burnsnight #snow

Deliveries, removals and trees!

It’s good to have a clear out. Finally getting rid of unwanted or old bits of furniture. We seem to be doing a lot of this lately!

After finishing the last of the Ikea packs last weekend we had to make room for the new drawers by dismantling the old ones. They were too damaged to sell or go to the charity shop, so we took the drawers apart and put the bits in the garage. And as Ikea had also delivered a new mattress which had been settling in the spare room, it was time to remove the old mattress from our bed. I know you’re supposed to change your mattress every so many years, but really? Who does that?! Ours was a bit overdue, let’s put it that way..... With a bit of pulling and pushing we managed to get the old mattress in the garage. So now we had a garage filling up, and a hallway full of bedside drawers and books! 

Two trips to the tip over the last few days and we’ve removed the mattress (not an easy task getting that in the car), along with the old memory foam that had been on top of the mattress, the old tall drawer bits, and various other bits that had been waiting to go. DH had also booked the British Heart Foundation to come and collect the books and bedside drawers that we'd been collecting in the hallway.

So now we have some new furniture in the bedroom, a clear hallway, and less books! (although you wouldn't know it to look at the bookcases....). I wouldn't say we've got more room in the garage as there's still the matter of the sofa bed that's on its side in there until we decide what to do with it.....

We've also had a new freezer delivered. We've managed with a small under counter freezer in the garage for some time now, but decided a tall freezer would be better, give us more storage capacity so when we see something on offer we can at least take advantage and not have to leave it because we've no room in the freezer. That's the theory anyway.

And today I have been helping out locally with the Woodland Trust, helping to plant new trees in an area where some of last years newly planted trees have died off and needed replacing. I think there was about 15 volunteers in total and we managed to plant quite a number of trees - I think somebody said about 500-600 or so this morning. Despite a very foggy start to the day it soon cleared up and we had some blue sky for our few hours planting. Well worth getting involved with.

I also managed to get out in my lunch hour on Thursday as the weather was nice. A brisk walk to the local park to take in the sun was lovely and just enough to keep me going to the end of the day. It's nice to think that the days are finally starting to have a bit more daylight, slowly but surely, and with signs of spring, even though I don't think we've yet finished with Winter, it's lovely to see nature springing up.

#woodland trust #spring #DIY #treeplanting #nature #

DIY-ing still

Ikea does it again! 

It’s so straightforward ordering from Ikea. I wish all companies were like this. Order submitted after choosing delivery date and time slot. Order confirmed. Confirmation text on day of delivery with tracking option so you can check how far away the delivery is. Telephone call half an hour before delivery. Order arrives. Done. Completed. No hassle. No stress. It just works. Brilliant! New mattress opened and airing ready to be used in a couple of days after it’s settled. New bedroom furniture half completed - two new bedside drawers done. A larger four drawer unit to go tomorrow. 

And, with unexpected help from DD today,  we managed to get some steppingstones bought for the path we’re doing in the front garden, along with some edging roll for the front border to tidy it up. Sand and gravel to be ordered next for the end of the month when we can hopefully get the work done. Then it's nearly done outside. Some pressure washing on the patio and some weeding and it should look ok. 

All this after what’s felt like a very long week even though we both had Monday off! The first week back at work after time off always feels like a long week until you get back in to a routine again. But it doesn’t take long until you feel like you’ve never been away. But that’s the trouble. You’re no sooner back than you’re planning more time off! (Well. I am!). 

#DIY #Ikea #gardenworks

Birthday days

It’s been a busy few days since New Year and I haven’t achieved all that I’d planned to. I have, however, had a lovely birthday which seemed to spread over three days! 

My birthday. The day itself. Some lovely presents and lunch out with DH. We haven’t been out a lot since his operation at the beginning of December, so it was nice to go somewhere fairly local and have lunch together. Followed by a joint effort at making a lovely evening meal. The day after I had lunch with my Ladies that Lunch group, and then drinks out with another friend at night. And then yesterday DD treated me to afternoon tea which was delicious .....

I think all the birthday celebrations are over with for another year now! 

Today has been spent working out what we need to finish the garden, and deciding what mattress to get for our bed. The garden is almost finished now with just a few touches needed in the back, and a bit of work at the front, so bark, stepping stones and gravel. Thankfully we’re getting help to get the garden done as DH can’t help yet, and I find I can’t do as much because of my back. So it’s taking a bit longer than I’d like, but it’s looking better. 

As for the mattress, a new one is long overdue and there’s so much choice these days. But good old Ikea wins again. It’s not the cheapest, neither is it the most expensive, but after trying DDs mattress (from Ikea) it seems a good option. Order done. Await delivery! 

More jobs still to do. But do you ever finish jobs on a house?......

New Year!

Welcome to 2019. 

It’s been a while. And months of ups and downs. 

Just as we thought things were on the up, life throws a bit of a challenge. DH found out in May that the pain he thought was coming from his knee was actually being caused by his hip. 

Fast forward nearly 7 months, various tests and X-rays later, and one not very straight forward hip replacement, a week in hospital, and back on two crutches, three weeks before Christmas. Not exactly great. But not the end of the world either. 

In between being told a hip replacement was needed and having the operation we’ve managed to fit in three visits to the Scottish Highlands, flying up each time (avoiding the eight hour drive for now), and having the most amazing time on new roads and discovering new landscapes. We’ve been to one of the biggest agricultural shows in the highlands and finally got to Loopallu (google it - it’s brilliant - probably the smallest music festival but what an atmosphere!). 

All in all it’s been a pretty busy few months. Sadly we won’t be jetting off anywhere just yet as DH has been told no flying for at least three months after his op, and travelling very far by car is also out of the question for a while. But plans are afoot to get away as soon as we get the go ahead. 

In the meantime there’s still work to do on the house, mainly the garden - tidying up and weeding - making it all look presentable. 

So, roll on 2019! Let’s see what this year brings ......