Christmas is coming

I went shopping in Stafford Town centre at the weekend and I met father Christmas.

I think I must have been behaving myself this year because I got a hug ... so perhaps I'll be getting lots of presents!!

TLC

We went to the DIY store and I spotted the bargain plant trolley. Tucked away at the back was the poor specimen that F is holding – a rather sad Peace Lily.

I don’t like to think of plants meeting an early demise so I paid 10p to rescue it ( about 15 cents). For the last ten days it has been fed and watered and has responded to TLC. Some leaves were too far gone to save but they were trimmed off and now I have a much healthier looking plant that should make a full recovery.

TLC works wonders.

What to do with the apple harvest

This year has produced bumper apple crops in the UK.

In spite of picking off lots of the fruits in June, giving the apples left on the tree chance to grow to a good size, we have been overwhelmed with the amount of fruit produced. None of the trees get sprayed so they produce an organic crop, complete with extra protein - you can’t offer these apples to the squeamish.

We eat apples as desert nearly every day (using up the worst specimens) and there is no room left in the freezer for anymore. We would need to buy a new freezer, and find the space to put it. What to do with the surplus – about two hundred kilograms!

The apples were gathered up and put into plastic boxes (supplied courtesy of Tesco) and taken by car (two journeys) to nearby Haywood Park Farm which offers an apple juicing service.

After being checked for bruising the apples were put through a chopping machine - I don't know its proper name - it's like an oversized liquidiser.

Then the farmer put the chopped-up apples onto the press and juiced them. The two types of apples produced distinctly different juices which were pasteurised and bottled.

Now all we need to do is to get labels made for the bottles - C has said he will help with this - and make a list of everyone who will get apple juice for this year's Christmas present.

Christmas gets earlier every year

Today I received my first Christmas card in the post! It was from a charity that I support occasionally and as well as the Christmas card they included their charity christmas catalogue.
They're too late - I know where I shall buy my cards from for this year - I always get my cards from the same shop, and I always shop early to get the style of cards I want to send - but not this early.

When you listen in on someone else's phonecall

I was chatting with my neighbour, soon to be 100, when her phone rang. Being hard of hearing she sets her phone to speakerphone so I heard both sides of the conversation.

The caller was ringing on behalf of ‘Gym and Tonic’ – Would she be interested in a membership at the newly opened gym?

H replied that as she was nearly 100 she was not interested in joining the gym.

The caller expressed amazement and said she sounded no more than 50. (How do you tell that from someone’s phone voice?).

The caller then asked would anyone else in the family be interested in a gym membership. H politely told them that no-one else in her family would be interested in a gym membership and ended the call.

We laughed at the picture conjured up by H working out in the gym.

I think it’s tough to make a living by telesales.

Signs of Autumn

In spite of the Indian summer of the last few days, the trees have already started to change their colours and are beginning to shed their leaves. Walking round the estate with my trusty camera I found lots of early autumn colours. There are patches of mushrooms growing in the grass and the abundance of garden cross spiders is most likely due to this year’s warm damp summer.

Especially for you RM, the colours of early autumn. They will be even brighter in a couple of week’s time.

Memories of Robert the Bruce

Going to put some materials in the recycling bin – the bin is due to be emptied tomorrow – I found the path to the bin was blocked by a spider’s web and the spider was waiting in the centre ready for some dinner to fly his way. There was no way through except by breaking the web and though I didn’t like to do this I needed to get at the bins. So I gently broke the thread from its anchor in the bushes on one side of the path and placed it on the bushes on the other side of the path. The spider was safe but now its web was useless as a food trap.

By the time I had finished working at the recycling bins, the matter of a few minutes, the spider had summed up its predicament and was busily making a new web in the bushes on just one side of the path.

It reminded me of the story of Robert the Bruce who, defeated in battle, was hiding in a cave from his pursuers. He noticed a spider having to persevere, making many attempts to span a wide gap to make its web – he decided that all was not lost and that he would try again to defeat his enemies in battle. (And next time he was the victor in the battle) Then there are many tales of people hiding from their enemies in a cave and not being discovered because a spider wove its web across the entrance, suggesting to pursuers that no-one could have entered the cave as the web was intact.

They should have studied the behaviour of spiders.

It's a small world

My elderly neighbour, almost 100 years old, and a long retired farmer’s daughter and farmer’s wife, has quite a collection of books on farming themes. 

I spotted the autobiography of a vet whose name was familiar to me from many years ago.  When my younger sister was training to be a vet, she had work experience at his veterinary practice (quite a prestigious placement since he was famous in the UK as 'the television vet').  My sister was not impressed with him as he told her that she was wasting a university place that should have been given to a boy.  It had the effect of making her determined to prove him wrong.

He was also the vet for my neighbour’s farm animals and she said what an excellent vet he was, working very hard whenever he was called to their farm – he became a friend as well.

Having read his autobiography I have to admire him for the way he battled through the adversity of childhood poverty, and worked hard to achieve his qualifications.

I don’t think this would impress my sister though!

Exercise is good for you.

I have decided to try out zamba – some colleagues from my former place of employment have taken up this form of exercise and they enjoy themselves trying to coordinate arm and leg movements in time to the music. The only trouble with joining my friends is that it means a ten mile journey there and the same journey back which takes time and costs petrol.

I found out that a zamba class takes place in a nearby school (about 250yards from my front door) so I went to my first session tonight. The instructor welcomed me and found me some water to drink during the session. Next time I go to zamba I shall take some water and a towel – both useful for coping with the pace she sets.

I have discovered that if I concentrate really hard I can cope with the footwork, or with the arm movements, but not both at the same time. With practise I may well get them to co-ordinate! The gyrations – well everybody else is having to concentrate on their own efforts and will be much too busy to notice that I sometimes do and sometimes don’t!

At the end of the session the instructor said we should burn off 600 calories if we joined in for the whole session. That seems a lot – I’ll be content to feel fitter and if I lose weight – that’s a bonus.

Moan of the month

Is it just in my imagination, or do some large companies treat their customers with contempt.

I pay insurance cover for my washing machine so that should it break down the cost of repairing or replacing is covered. At the beginning of August I renewed my insurance cover and received an agreement letter. Paragraph 3 stated ‘Please check the above details are correct. If they are not, write ….. who will make the necessary corrections and reissue etc.’

On checking, the agreement document had the machine details incorrect. The procedure was followed and today I have received the new agreement. It is word for word absolutely identical, with the wrong information restated.

The final paragraph informed me the Customer Services team would be happy to help if I had a query and that I could telephone them.

So this is where the story gets silly!

I phoned and spoke to D – she told me that it didn’t matter about the incorrect details as they couldn’t be altered as HEAD OFFICE had set up the letter. She had no way of explaining to me why I needed to write about incorrect information that could not be altered. So I asked to speak to a supervisor or manager. Hold on please ….. After a minute D came back on the line and told me that what she had told me was correct and that the supervisor would only tell exactly the same as she had told me. So I repeated the request to speak to a supervisor and got the same response! I asked again to speak to a supervisor or manager and I eventually wore down her resistance and she asked me to hold on.

This time I had to wait about three minutes before I got a reply. Supervisor VK spoke to me now and gave me exactly the same reply as D. She could not explain why the request was made to write to the company if details were incorrect when no changes could be made. She did not feel it was a problem (By now, I was considering it a matter of principle) I asked who else I could speak to and was informed that the agreement letter format was “set in stone” and could not be changed. (What sort of business can prosper with this sort of “set in stone” attitude?) I began to feel that I was banging my head against a brick wall – or should that be a stone wall.

I said that I would need to write to Head Office to ask for an explanation as the ‘happy to help’ Customer services team were unable to help. DK informed me that all Head Office would do would be to forward the letter to Customer Services who would then reissue an agreement identical to the two I already have.

I really feel I should be saying to myself I’ve wasted enough time on the matter – I have better things to do with my time etc - and let the matter drop. But perhaps when I have three hours with nothing better to do to pass the time …. I will write to them.

A water flow problem

This year we have had some spells of very dry weather interspersed with longer spells of downpour. Much strain has been put on the guttering and F has had to do much maintenance.

The rain from the roof goes into the water butts via the downpipes but the water from the garage roof is channelled straight to the borders by a ‘Heath Robinson’ assemblage of guttering. The channel from the garage gutter, rests through a branches of an apple tree and then into the midst of the bay tree where water is able to pour out from the open end and into the border. We do not see this end of the guttering but hear water trickling or pouring out amongst the stems.

This weekend, when F dismantled the structure to clean it out before the autumn, he discovered, as well as apples, a bird’s nest. It was in good condition though a little damp. I think this is probably why the birdfeeder has been very popular this year.

The demise of the holly tree

We’ve lived in our current house for nearly twenty years and so it should have been no surprise that the holly tree, planted by the previous owners, has now reached to the top of the house. It is planted about four feet away from the side of our house and within a few inches of our neighbour’s garage.

A few weeks ago our neighbour pointed out to us that a crack was appearing in the side of our chimney and he thought that it might be because of the holly tree – he also hoped that it would not affect his garage wall.

Time for action? Taking a closer look at the tree it had reached the sort of proportions that make it much too large to be so close to a building, so F decided to cut down the tree and our neighbour offered to help.

Cutting the tree down was the easy part – the roots were another matter!

They had not dislodged the paving slabs and they were more or less parallel with the house and garage, so it should not have been that difficult, but it took a long crowbar, a large axe and lots of effort to make any impression on it.

We’ve ended up with a huge amount of wood and seemingly even more roots.

They have been cut into smaller pieces – the trunk and thick branches and thick roots will make useful firewood – the finer branches, roots and foliage are destined for the garden fire. That is the fun part of the task.

Cutting down the tree has created a space and F has put down a platform of slabs to be the new home for the four household bins - now we're neat and tidy!

The potato harvest

Last year - the first year of my retirement veg patch - I planted potatoes and was pleased with the results.
This year I spotted two small potato plants growing in the patch where the potatoes had been planted last season. Obviously, I'd failed to dig out two small potatoes whenI'd harvested.

I didn't bother to do anything with the veg patch until we got back to the UK from our American/Canadian adventure - the first week in June. By this time, the potato plants had grown sturdy and it seemed a shame to pull them out when they had made so much effort. I filled the space around them with pea plants because they don't need any special treatment.
Today, because the potato tops were dying down I decided to dig them up - from two small left-over potatoes I obtained 6lbs 3ozs of potatoes ..... large, unblemished ...... I hope they taste as good as they look.

The UK situation

The past few days have not done anything to enhance the reputation of the UK. You could almost believe that it’s not safe to venture out, but the major part of the country has been unscathed, not wishing to make light of the events - it must have been terrifying to have been caught up by the events.

This is an extract from an item in the current newsletter of ACT (Association of Christian teachers) that I want to share with you….

“Wayne Clarke
Baptist minister and broadcaster on BBC Radio Merseyside

To be people of peace is to be Jesus on our streets…… I’m amazed again at the relevance of God’s word. Here’s The Message* version of Proverbs 1

“Dear friend, if bad companions tempt you, don't go along with them. If they say—"Let's go out and raise some hell. Let's beat up some old man, mug some old woman. Let's pick them clean and get them ready for their funerals. We'll load up on top-quality loot. We'll haul it home by the truckload. Join us for the time of your life! With us, it's share and share alike!”

Oh, friend, don't give them a second look; don't listen to them for a minute. They're racing to a very bad end, hurrying to ruin everything they lay hands on.”

This week, we’ve been reminded that this is the world we live in. To turn to Christ, rejecting evil, being honest and caring, is the gift we can give to this sad world.”….

*The Message is a modern translation of the Bible and these particular words were written about 2500 years ago – so it seems as if such troubles have been part of the human condition for many centuries.

Befriending the enemy

Stargazer Lilies are one of my favourite garden flowers. They look spectacular with their vibrant pink and white blooms and their scent is heady, pervading the border where they are planted.

I once had a modest number of half a dozen plants but the display was still spectacular. (I used a photograph as wallpaper on the whiteboard in my classroom.)

Two years ago I spotted a beautiful bright red beetle on one of the leaves of the plant. I knew it was a lily beetle and though I knew it fed on the plant I thought I would share my garden with this creature – after all, the lilies were quite robust.

Last year the lilies were not quite up to their usual standard.

This year – oh dear!

I think I might have to resort to spray if I am to re-establish stargazer lilies in the borders.

A rescue story

A racing pigeon crossed our path when we were driving to an appointment. As we waited at a junction my daughter spotted a pigeon walking across the busy A34 and it was seemingly oblivious to the cars which were slowing down to avoid it. B, realising it was an exhausted racing pigeon, got out of the car and went into the road to try and pick up the bird which was still crossing the road. I put on the hazard lights so that he traffic behind knew I was not going to move my car and the cars on the main road slowed down almost to a stop while the pigeon was captured. B got into the car holding the pigeon on her lap while I continued along the road, turning the car round at the first opportunity.
We went back home and quickly found out the top part of a bird cage so that we were able to set up an emergency holding cage while we went to the appointment. The pigeon was very thin – he obviously had been flying for quite a distance and the last few days had been exceptionally hot for the UK. In a corner of the kitchen I laid down a thick pad of newspaper and put a dish of water and a dish of wild bird seed. When the cage was in place B opened the cage door and carefully placed the bird inside. Then I put a weighty box on the top of the cage in case the pigeon tried to escape. A hasty note was put on the kitchen table so that it would not be too much of a shock if F got home from work before we got back home.
Oblivious to the shock he might cause, the pigeon was feeding!
When we had attended the appointment and got back home F had returned before us and had decided to leave well enough alone. Now B could start the search for the bird’s owner – some racing birds are very expensive. ‘Sir Percy’, as we named him had a telephone number on his wing feathers, so first B phoned that number. Getting no reply she then took the information from the ring that was on the bird’s leg and phoned the information to the RPRA (The Royal Pigeon Racing Association). They were able to give further contact details. The mobile phone number achieved a result and the owner of the pigeon suggested that we feed the bird and release him but B would not agree to this. She explained that the bird was exhausted and needed to rest up for a few days.
The bird was from a Manchester loft and as this is much closer to the Wirral (where B works) than to our home, B told the owner she would take the pigeon to her workplace and that he could be collected from the RSPCA Animal Health Centre.


First thing next morning the owner went to the Animal Health Centre to collect his racing pigeon – he remembered to say thank you!!

When the nest is empty

Once upon a time we were a four car family and in order to accommodate the cars when we were all at home F and A put down some tracks of slabs so that the cars could be driven onto the front lawn without doing too much harm to the grass.

Over the years the offspring have left home and we are now a two car family so no longer need to use the extra parking spaces. We decided to take up the slabs and replace the turf.

F laboured all day, getting up slabs and stacking them neatly out of the way in the back garden.

We ruined the habitat for the local ant population!


F then had to spread some topsoil in the area so that the clods were level with the rest of the grass, cutting the turf to size and putting it in place, then bedding it down so it remained in place and could mesh into the rest of the lawn.


I got the easy job of watering the newly laid grass, a job that will need to be repeated daily while the weather is so warm and dry, if the grass is to survive.

We were left with about a third of the rolls of grass – the supplier was very generous in cutting the turves – they were almost double the stated size. What to do with them? Well, now the new grass is in place it shows up the rest of the front lawn which over the years has evolved into a mossy weedy patch! So today F is removing the worst of the remaining ‘grass’ and laying down the remainder.

I think I’ve jinxed the weather

At the beginning of July my daughter and her fiancée went on holiday so I stayed at her bungalow to look after her pets – currently three rabbits, two guinea pigs and eight budgerigars.
She lamented the state of her lawn which was so dry that the grass was beginning to go brown. On the way back from taking B and C to the airport I called in at the local supermarket and bought a watering can. I watered the lawn with a good many cans hoping that they would return to a revived lawn. The rest of that day was gloriously hot and dry.
The following four days the rain was torrential and when the dry weather returned it was much cooler and so the grass did not suffer. When B and C arrived back in the UK they had green grass and a watering can that had been used once - it seems to be surplus to requirements - and the weather has remained very rainy.
As if to rub salt into the wounds, the identical watering cans are now half price!

Everything catches up with you eventually

Last week was gym reassessment and I discovered that I have put on weight and inches - the opposite should have happened! The solution - eat less and exercise more often.
Retirement is wonderful and I am so busy but a lot of the time I seem to be involved in sedentary pursuits. Walking is recommended as very healthy exercise without having to go to the gym so last night F and I went for a walk - fifteen minutes out, then fifteen minutes retracing the route. In theory, next time we go walking we should get a little further in the same amount of time - eventually we should be able to jog the distance but that is some way in the future - a long way!
My sister and her husband walk most days - they take Umbrage for a walk -he's the imaginary dog they own. Not to be outdone, we take Advantage for a walk - she's our imaginary cat!

Spring has sprung

In spite of my best intentions January has half gone and I haven't posted yet. I promised myself that the studying was not going to take over my complete waking hours this year - after all there are more things in life that I want to do. I even took on a lighter study load, but it seems that it is taking up the same amount of time as last year's commitments.
Then today, as I was emptying the kitchen waste into the compost bin I noticed that the worms have come out of hibernation and are crawling on the inside of the bin. So I looked for other signs that the cold spell has gone and that the garden is waking up.


One of the earliest signs of Spring - just one cluster of catkins is beginning to grow on the twisted hazel - it managed two sets of catkins last year - so fingers crossed.