Shelley and the bump

Here's Shelley with a small, but perfectly formed little bump.  She is now 21 weeks and doing well.  

Yesterday she had a scan and everything checked out well.  I can remember seeing these scan photos in the past, and whilst I hope I was suitably enthusiastic and impressed, secretly I was thinking this hardly looks like more than a fuzzy smudge and what's more, they all look the same.  But see now!  It's my grandchild and it's AMAZING!  Shelley said it was very detailed; she had to be scanned with and without full bladder, on her back, on one side, then the other.  The operative explained that he needed to check out all 4 chambers of the heart.  Isn't that AMAZING?  Apparently this tiny little thing is quite the acrobat and as Shelley was watching the screen she realised that what she had thought was wind, is in fact little one moving around.  No, her and Brad decided to go traditional and not find out the sex.  Did I tell anyone that she has asked me and Brad to be her birthing partners?  Oh, I did already, didn't I....

Family! Who needs them?

ME!!!

I spent a happy Whitsun weekend with my family at Carole and Tim's in Bury St. Edmunds:

• I haven't seen my sister looking so happy and relaxed for years. 
• I wonder what Tim really thinks when a bunch of oiks from London descend on him.
• Get Richard in his double denim and straw boater!
• Brad pulls off the double bubble - quick bank holiday rate job and back in time for the BBQ
• Shelley makes use of a lull in communications to update the o/s on her phone  
• Liz is a regular IT godsend, solving problems and offering advice
• Ben was really impressed with the house; thinks it's like a holiday home! 



BBQ man

Pyjamas and Breakfast

The fancy kitchen-diner

Hats and Fizz - must be summer

Braving the Bank Holiday weather

 


Nudge nudge, wink wink

Making sausages counts as cookery I reckon, but actually it felt more like messing about in the kitchen.  We bought a sausage maker when visiting our favourite kitchen shop in Chagford.  I purchased hog and vegetarian casings from the Wonderful Worldwide Web and mixed up the stuffing the evening before in order to let the seasoning soak in.  I thought I was super prepared, but the first instruction when I opened the casings was 'Soak for 2 hours".  Damn - when will I ever learn to look for the 'Leave Overnight' stage?  Anyway, the only problem was that our evening meal was delayed but it was yummy when we eventually got to it. 
 
Sausage making is a great activity for generating smutty jokes and dirty giggles.   

Surely one for a caption competition.  Any suggestions? 

Rush Hour

My new morning schedule:

6:30 Richard brings me tea in bed (bless him)

6:35 Turn on bedside light.  Sip tea.

6:40 Turn dimmer light to second notch (it takes me a while to come around)

7:00 Listen to the news and traffic report.  Giggle if there is a jam on my old route to work.

7:15 Wave Richard off to work.  Try not to sound too pleased about still being in bed.   

7:30 Pilates (damn my arthritic hip, but half an hour stretching seems to work)

8:00 Prepare for how the rest of the world thinks I look (wash, dress, make-up, hair, jewellery etc.) 
 
8:30 Civilised breakfast = sitting down, unhurried, on my own, maybe yoghurt, fresh fruit, granola..... 

8:40 Listen to 'Life begins at 8:40' on Classic FM (they play something uplifting, the musical equivalent of caffeine).  Linger over 2nd cup of tea of the day.

9:00  Think about what I might like to do for the rest of the day

Resurrecting Old Likes

Today I got my sewing machine out of the cupboard, dusted it down and took it along to Shelley & Brad's house to work on their bedroom curtains.   Do you remember sewing classes at school and why isn't that an option any more?  Carole and I even remember the teacher, Mrs East - what an old bag she was!  Most of the sewing machines at school were treadle-based, but Mum has a Singer hand machine and Carole and I were allowed to turn the handle. 

Then for my 21st birthday my parents gave me the latest electric Frister Rossmann, and that's what I was using today!  Shelley seems to think I'm wonderful to be able to take up the 'ready-made' curtains that weren't actually ready for her window and I felt quite the expert with my dressmaking shears, sewing box, threads and bobbin.  Was a nice way to spend the day.    

My Special Thing

Everyone has helped me to celebrate my retirement in style: I had a whale of a time, a constant round of breakfasts, lunches and dinners, presents, cocktails and champagne.  But now the party's over, the balloons have collapsed and the cards probably need to be put away (but where do you put all those beautiful thoughts?). 

And now I'm doing revision for an exam and I have to ask myself why.  As I look out the window at the glorious sunshine, I realise that I'm doing most of the things below: 

I'm doing a degree in English Literature because:

1. I love reading and writing (which is why I'm doing this blog)
2. I shall get a lot of satisfaction from the end result (I'm aiming high, for a first) 
3. My dream is to get something that I write published
4. I see other people enjoying their special thing (my dad in his garden, Martin & Pete playing their guitars, Meg doing her Indian cooking) and I've also seen them tired, stressed and fed-up with it at times
5. Got to keep that brain ticking over
6. Plenty of time left over for more partying
7. No need to act like a deflated balloon in between parties

Back to Wuthering Heights then....

Get It Right

When I say I mean to get this retirement thing right, this is exactly what I mean:

Out with the old Granny Grunge (note: hole in toe)

And in the with the new Granny Chic (purchased yesterday on a little trip to Kensington High St.