Diary > Thursday 11th February

[Roobarb]

No snow today, a lovely sunny day but the road and pavements were still icy. However, the sun had melted the snow from my patio and it was dry so no hazardous trips to the garage. It's only a yard or so so but that's all it takes if you hit an icy patch.
Tidied up a bit inside the garage, it was lovely with the door from the patio open and the sun streaming in, not feeling as cold as it has done for the last few days. I even managed to do a bit of gardening, snipping away some dead bits from the nearest part of the border, the sun had melted the snow on that bit of lawn. Checked the plants I have on and around the potting bench to see if they'd survived, mostly looking good. It was lovely to get out in the fresh air and sunshine and actually gave me an appetite for lunch  something that's been lacking when I haven't been able to get out for my walks.

Was making a sandwich when it sounded like pouring rain on the front window, it was the window cleaner. My furry friend next door hadn't announced him, must have worn out his woof on the DHL man earlier. Opened the front of the garage for him, what a difference after he'd cleaned the windows, I'd just been thinking how dirty they were when the sun was shining on them.

Put two loads of washing in, had to dry indoors. I hung some things on the ladder radiator in the bathroom later, I don't normally do that as I don't like the bathroom looking like a laundry but they dried really quickly.

Completed my tonal sketch and emailed it to my art teacher with my reference photo.
A neighbour opposite is having some landscaping work done in her back garden, when I saw how much soil had been dug out yesterday it looked as if she was having a swimming pool put in! Highly unlikely I think.
Saw NN scraping away a narrow strip of snow from the side of her drive - with a garden hoe!  . Just in time for it to freeze over again.

Watched Your Garden Made Perfect on TV, haven't seen it before, it made me start thinking of my own garden and making plans for it. I won't be able to do anything yet, a weekend of freezing temperatures and a bit more snow before it warms up on Monday.

Have been thinking about RTL and her bus journeys in these conditions, hope she's okay,

[Ruskie]

Um Thursday ... I can’t remember what I did - nothing worth mentioning. 

Glad the sunshine has enlivened you a bit Roobarb. If others had sunshine too I bet there will have been a scurry of activity from everyone which we will read about in Thursday’s diary.

I was wondering about RTL too. We haven’t heard from her for a little while. I hope all is well.

[Mowsehowse]

I expect RTL is in the middle of a gruelling shift pattern and too exhausted to manage extras.
Hope it is nothing worse.... Been there, done that....... Not a lot CAN be worse!!
Her travelling is SO arduous, and so cold no doubt.  I heard that in the Frozen North you are probably needing a light cardigan just now. Well I am wearing 5 layers indoors.
What a pathetic creature. I could not survive anything colder I don't think!

We had howling winds all night, and what a good job I put an extra duvet on the bed.
The sea has turned a very nasty shade of brown and three hours after high tide the water was still crashing over the sea wall, while  seagulls were having fun paddling on an area of flood water in the park.
H playfully informed me a cold shower has an invigorating effect on the capillaries, so he left it turned to cold for me. I warned him his capillaries would regret such action if that was true!
Waited around all morning hoping for a video call introducing us to the new baby, but were eventually told Baby had been fretful during the night and mum was too tired; perhaps they would manage the following day.  Which was hugely disappointing of course.
After lunch we decided we had better get out for some exercise despite the mean weather. Set off staying around the back streets as far as possible, to keep out of the winds which were gusting 50 to 60 mph according to the forecast. Very few other walkers around.
Late afternoon when we returned we were treated by proud dad, to a very swift video call showing off the baby, which he thought he would "risk" while new mum was out of the ward for a moment.  Delightful rosy, chubby little chap, already nearly 2 days old, and as yet to be named.
H phoned his sister and brother to relay the good news, and they have all had their vaccinations, including SiL who was 68 two weeks ago.  That makes her far closer to 67 than I am to 70.
During the evening I made pom-poms to finish off the 3 little hats I have knitted, ready to post with a card tomorrow.

[Caw1]

After all the excitement of yesterday I was too tired to post last night!  More later...

Roobarb- glad to see the sunshine had lifted your spirits and you were able to get into the garden... nice to see all the plants poking their heads out... not that I would in the cold and snow 😂

Ruskie- many of my days are eminentally forgettable! At least you have the sunshine on your side...

MH - how lovely for you to see a video of the new nameless grandson... you’d think after nine months and perhaps knowing the sex of the unborn child they’d come up with something! Ours were just the same in fact T was called sausage for about a week before being finally named!
The thought of a cold shower isn’t funny... like mine as hot as the water will go!
Brave to go out walking in the windy weather you’ve been having too...

I’ve been thinking about RTL too... expect she’s on those dreadful shifts and in this cold too.... hope we’ll hear from her soon..

My day
A bright sunny morning .... after dressing we made a short video and messaged it to our youngest grandson J as it’s his birthday.... daughter messaged back to say they’d FaceTime later after morning school work so he could open our pressies in front of us.... photos of the cake were sent...she’s such a clever girl if it didn’t take so long to make I’d say start a new career!
The morning was spent sorting out my shopping delivery and generally faffing about doing who knows what!
We decided to have an early lunch and then all of a sudden they were on the screen and presents being opened! He loved the circus card I’d made him..especially the monkey that was hanging!
Very shortly after that we joined them again on zoom this time with the other grandparents and some of his friends for the Magician to do his show... that’s got to be a first... it all went very well and the children enjoyed it... quite clever to do that sort of thing via zoom! At the end he left the channel open and it ended up with all us grandparents having a good chat as we’ve not seen one another since this date last year!
After all this excitement it was a nice cuppa and I settled down to do some more family history sitting in the kitchen with the nice warm radiator at my back!
Spoke to my friend M to see how she was feeling today.. much better she said just woken with a headache and then had massive nose bleed... she’s been asked to be part of a trial which involves using a swab up the nose, posting off and recoding how she is over next 28days... they’d been pestering her to get the swab posted...apparently fine to go out to a post box and post it...not so good when you’re feeling awful and still infectious..not sure about that one..anyway I was pleased to hear she’s feeling better... off work now until 1st March... it’s her 70th birthday on 2nd! But she’s happy to return then as she’ll be with people.... sad we’re not being able to see her and definitely not able to celebrate with her... normally she’d be visiting her sister in Perth, Oz at this time of year...
More photos appeared of the birthday boy in his new football kit.. all red including the boots! Looked very fetching with black leggings underneath !
We had been invited to yet another zoom for cake cutting and singing Happy Birthday... this time just the family...
I hurriedly got dinner organised...Pork chops coated in paprika flour dipped in egg and finally breadcrumbs, home made whizzed up in my little chopper.... all ready, herb potatoes and chops in the oven...
Then after they’d had dinner and a bath it was time for the zoom and cake... we all wanted to know how we were going to get our piece!
After dinner we relaxed and watched a film on Netflix with Robert de Niro in...
well it was a busy day with lots of screen time but the birthday boy had enjoyed his unusual day! Apparently going straight to sleep when his head hit the pillow... mine too!
Here’s a picture of the cake... a snake on a log! His request apparently... daughter had finally finished it at 2am!

Hope others days have been better with the thought of spring around the corner!
Stay safe
 Caroline

[Mowsehowse]

So lovely for you to be that involved with your grandsons and the birthday party.
Great cake. I used to have fun making them for my boys, right into their teens, and it is one of the few plus points they award to me.

New mum has decided on a name.... probably, (several weeks ago,) she just won't allow new Grandad to be told what she has settled upon.

[Ruskie]

The snake cake is fabulous Caroline! You're a creative family all round that's for sure. What an exciting day you had ... and, another great sounding recipe.

I used to go to a lot of trouble decorating my children's cake - and was often up until the wee hours putting the finishing touches on.

Um, babies names - I think I might take the prize for that one. My daughter was still "baby" at several weeks old.  Even then we changed the name after registering it, so she has two birth certificates. I still wish we'd chosen something else. I blame OH who used to ask his work mates for their opinions on our short list (major mistake) - if one of them didn't like a name, then it was taken off the list. We also had to match it with a surname which complicated matters and ruled out many names I liked.

[DianaCanada]

Enjoy reading all your diary entries!  That cake is amazing.  Always like to hear what babies are named, fashions do change!  There is one name I liked for my eldest, glad I didn’t use it as it was very trendy at the time, although I didn’t know that at the time.  She ended up getting her grandmother’s first name, other grandmother’s middle name and is called by a variant of the middle name! Complicated, as she is never known by her legal name, which according to the laws of Quebec, had to be hyphenated. 
Not a good day yesterday as I had slept poorly Wednesday night.  It does seem to affect my leg pain, or my ability to cope with it.  Will get up soon and walk around the house a bit. 
Still cold here, what else?    Not windy, though, that’s a plus.  Houses here have central heating and are well insulated, so inside is fine, except late afternoon I often put a sweater on. One plus about winter with a dog is that it is the one season he stays dry and clean outside.  Early summer mornings he gets soaked with dew.
Didn’t do much yesterday, sorted a puzzle, read more if my Vera book, did a little online work, watched some TV.  We finished The Scapegoat last night on Acorn streaming, very good.
Valentine’s Day is coming.  A chocolate cake will be made!  Salmon tonight.

[Roobarb]

I'm a bit late catching up with everyone, I don't know where the day has gone.

Well done on braving the high winds MH, great for you to be able to see the new arrival after the initial disappointment of thinking you'd have to wait another day.

What a lovely day for you Caroline, a great way to take part in your grandson's birthday when you can't be with them in person. I suppose the technology that we're so thankful for is just part of life for children when they've grown up with it.
Good news that your friend is feeling better, sounds like things have been pretty grim for her.

Ruskie, I hope your daughter likes the name she eventually ended up with. At least she won't remember being called 'baby '!

Diana  - will you be the one making the chocolate cake? Or will you be getting treated? 

[DianaCanada]

I'm a bit late catching up with everyone, I don't know where the day has gone.

Well done on braving the high winds MH, great for you to be able to see the new arrival after the initial disappointment of thinking you'd have to wait another day.

What a lovely day for you Caroline, a great way to take part in your grandson's birthday when you can't be with them in person. I suppose the technology that we're so thankful for is just part of life for children when they've grown up with it.
Good news that your friend is feeling better, sounds like things have been pretty grim for her.

Ruskie, I hope your daughter likes the name she eventually ended up with. At least she won't remember being called 'baby '!

Diana  - will you be the one making the chocolate cake? Or will you be getting treated? 

The cake will be a joint effort!  And we will both eat it 
It’s going to be the same Recipe I made for OH on his birthday last March.  It looked awful (I had to take a picture, it looked like a giant mutant donut) but tasted great!  I know what I did wrong and will do it right this time (famous last words).