It's Been A While

I had not realised how long it has been since I have made an entry. The days just seem to fly by.

So, what have we been up to? Well, we have planted masses of Pansies and Violas in tubs both in the back and front gardens. I have planted up three hanging baskets to go out at the front of the property. Filled with evergreen plants that should withstand the winter, Ivy, Curry plant, some creepers and more pansies.

Then we have had two visits about our boiler. Like our friend Joan of Joan's Musings, the boiler has to go. It is over thirty years old we have been told. Actually there is little to go wrong with the type of boiler we have, but they are the most expensive and inefficient to run. With the ever increasing gas prices, something had to be done. So, one afternoon was spent discussing with an expert, the best type of boiler for us. Then, last Friday the surveyor came to work out all the details, how much pipe work etc. Straight away there was a problem. The first chap had measured up wrongly and the new boiler is one inch too wide to go where it was intended to go so a new place had to be found and all the figures re-worked.

Eventually all was settled. The parts will all be delivered on the 19th October and work will commence at 8 a.m. the next day. I am certainly not looking forward to it. All the noise, the dust, being without hot water and heating overnight (you can bet your sweet bippy that night Mother Nature will decide to give us a frost)! The immersion tank in the airing cupboard will go (be nice to have the extra space), the old boiler ripped out, the flue dismantled and the hole in the ceiling made as good as they can. Thermostat controls off the wall which will leave a hole to be filled and that will mean re-decorating the kitchen. The water tank will go from the loft so there will be men all over this little bungalow and I am going to find it hard to find a reasonably quiet place.

It will be worth it all if we see the bills drop and will also be nice to turn on the taps and get instant hot water instead of switching on the immersion heater and having to wait an hour.

The boys are doing very well. Daniel has taken to school quickly and enjoys it. Nathan starts football club on Monday after school, so he now has a track suit and trainers. None of the family are really into sports but the boys love kicking a ball about. If Nathan does well, we could find ourselves being forced into watching football on t.v. at some point!

Yesterday the family were over. Dean worked hard trimming our trees at the bottom of the garden. He took at least six feet off each one. They grow so very fast but without them we have no privacy and all the houses at the back look straight into our lounge, which we hate.

Daniel was out there most of the time helping "Grand-dat" picked up and bag the felled branches. Nathan was in and out. Daniel, as I have mentioned before, is totally fearless. He wanted to climb the ladder and see from the top. Nathan went first but decided halfway, that he would prefer his feet firmly on the ground.




You can tell the height because that is a house at the back and the window is the bedroom one. Please do not worry. The ladder was firmly secured and also Daddy was right behind him so he could not have fallen.

No half measures for Dan though. He climbed right to the top:-



He was thrilled because he also found two birds' nests in different trees. He came running to show me. Old nests, one was a blackbird's by the look of it and the other was a wren's, so tiny and perfect.

Here he is with the blackbird one:-




I have a few more photos of the boys to show you now, taken over the last few weeks. The toy Rhino is Daniel's class mascot. Each child in the class takes it home for a weekend and has to take it on "adventures". Then afterwards the adventures have to be written about with accompanying photos. By the end of the school year "Reg The Rhino" will certainly have got around.









The weather continues very mild and sunny and that is the forecast for the next few days. Having to water the tubs every day is a bit of a chore but will be worth it for winter colour.

Well, that is about all from me. I hope life is treating you well, dear friends and readers. Until the next time.....