Saturday 30th March

Much of a muchness today.  It was a beautiful day again but the wind was raging, cold and there was no way I was going out there.  Seven start, sun was up again before me and back to bed with my coffee, washed and dressed and moved on to the sofa catching up on morning TV.  I caught a programme about American parents with autistic twins and they'd planned to take a holiday with their two older boys and it included a flight.  They said that the airlines in American allow you to have a practice run and I'd never heard of it before....what a brilliant idea.  They'd decided to take the autistic boys who were not developed speech to a special centre that had been built in the seventies by a Texan so that his daughter could have sensory  and safe areas in which to play.  The statistics were given that one in sixty children appear on the autistic spectrum and that really surprised me.  Interesting programme.

Eventually I breakfasted on beans on toast and that's more or less done me for the day along with a few nibbles.  I washed up and tidied the kitchen and feel better when those jobs are done.  I don't feel guilty at all about sitting down with the Kindle and filling time .  The other interesting programme I caught up with was Professor Brian Cox explaining the timeline theory....Again...a fascinating thing to watch, no wonder his live tours are sell outs.  Haciber pooped round with a box of chocolates for me to take one...It's her birthday so I'll have to remember to get her a little something when I next go to town.  My first tulip is out in the grave garden seen from the downstairs bedroom and I'm amazed at the different colours and the blossoms that are out and the promises of things to come.  I've got harebells, lily of the valley are poking through and a marvellous array of daffodils.  When the forsythia fades the Japonica Kerria quickly follows on, then spirea or bridal wreath as it's known and then lilacs.  I love spring but please stop that wind or we'll have no blossoms at all.  I just hope He's listening..

Fire lit at five thirty and it's really slow to get going.  I think the up-draft has to compete with the wind rushing over the top of the chimney.  It's the live programme of the Voice this evening so I'll watch this until I fall asleep in front of the computer and catch the rest of it tomorrow on the re-run.  LN....Now to go and find something for supper....LN

Sunday 31st March

Nearly there and that's a quarter of the year gone already...soon be time to start thinking about ordering wood.  So I stopped up to watch the Voice last night and what an almost impossible task to find four from nine.  My favourite got through and the other one that I wanted to didn't.  I think he'll have a future in show business though...he's so talented and seems to be a genuinely nice person.  It was late when I went to bed, not much sleep in me and with the hour going on it was four thirty when I put out the light and seven thirty when I put it back on again.  It was a leisurely start to the day so I made bacon, an egg and fried bread and sat in the sun at the table in the stairwell eating my breakfast.  I tentatively put a load of washing in hoping against all odds that it would be still there if I pegged it out on the line and sure enough it was.  The big stuff went out, the little stuff went on a line that I rigged up in the conservatory.  I might never have found that again.

Breakfast over and first chores done, I decided that I would wallow in the bath for an hour or so and get my hair washed.  There was enough hot water for the first fill so I put the boiler on for the top up and spent around an hour and a half in there.  I threw a pair of leggings on and a hoody and gave myself a pedicure choosing a coral varnish.  Feet get very neglected here in the winter..socks and more socks and very little fresh air gets to them.  They look much better now.

The washing came in after about an hour and a half and I'd lost nothing fortunately.  I forgot to add that it was still blowing a gale.  I walked the garden and was amazed how the leaves have come out on the berberis bushes and the others scattered around the garden.  At last the rhubarb has coloured up after being stashed under a bucket all winter but at least it lives.  The washing is now in the upstairs bathroom airing and will be ready to be put away in the morning.  I lit the fire at six to give a boost to the temperature in there just to make sure.  I've run a very green first time washed hoody through the machine and that's not on the radiator on a coat-hanger.  Laundry basket empty and I felt that I've got a little more energy today to get things done....probably because it's mother's day or mothering Sunday as it should really be called.  Quite strange really...yesterday I came across old photos on the computer of my grandmother, mother, some of me and some of my daughter...the female four generation line.  It evokes lots of memories of people, places and things.

Eight fifteen my time and and it's just getting dark....roll on summer.  Lean pickings in the fridge...I shall be taking to the freezer or settle for a cheese sandwich.  LN...I'll not starve overnight....LN