Spring in April's step

Bloggie pals!!

Oh wondrous of joy - April is Springing!

The Daffs are blooming, the Cranesbills are leafing!

But bestest of all is a sight worth seeing 

 That of Charlie and Gumtree stealing a kiss-ing! 

Ahem!

We are now currently at the solicitor's stage of the house buying process and anticipate the sale to go through by July or sooner! YIKES!!! *Bites nails*!

Wishing you all a fabulous Easter time and to all those A-Zing - enjoy!

"I spy...

... with my little eye something beginning with C!" says Gumtree!

Bloggie pals!

After some April showers, the sun came out, the cats frolicked and I started my long delayed plant potting up project!

Hope Spring has truly sprung where ever you are!

Have a great week y'all! 

Bonkers basking baking

Bloggie pals!

As I bake blueberry muffins (they taste better than they look! LOL!)

Charlie basks in the glare of the camera

And Gumtree goes bonkers while snoozing! Well he was boxing the air while asleep!

Spring madness is truly here! Have a great week y'all!

Some Snooze, Some Submit

Bloggie friends!

While Charlie did this all weekend when spring finally sprung and we basked in a mini-heatwave...



... I wrote one short story and submitted here. Thanks to amazing Patsy and Madeleine for the heads up to this writerly opportunity.

Wish me luck!

And big yay for Patsy - her debut romance novel Escape to the Country will be out on 30th March! You can read the first chapter here - you won't be disappointed - there's a cow called Rosemary, a dishy tractor driver and lovely lonesome Leah looking for love. :-)

Have a great week everyone!

To bee or not to bee

Bloggie friends!

Although it was quite a chilly day yesterday, the sun made such a decent showing my first bumble bee of the year visited me as I pottered around with my pots!

I think it’s a Queen Bee looking for a place to have her bee babies! She lapped up the sun for a while then buzzed off. I hope she found a lovely safe home to start her empire!

Now that’s what I call celebrating Mothering Sunday!

Charlie says: I try to ignore all that buzz.


Have a wonderful week – see y’all next Monday!

Twinkle twinkle little big stars!

Bloggie friends!

The lovely Susan Kane of thecontemplativecat just emailed me with the fabbo news that for a few nights only the UK night skies (11/12 March) will be graced with the sight of FIVE PLANETS! Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn, Jupiter and Uranus. Details here.

I’ve just returned from wandering outside in the dark in the hope of catching a glimpse of these planets with my naked eye. All I saw was the big round pregnant full moon glowing a glorious sheen of red but then I ran back in the house when I heard howling dogs heading my way!

Ahem.

Now try saying Uranus without tittering! LOL!

Charlie says: I glow under the sun’s rays.


Pic taken 10 March - Spring was truly in the air!

Happy St Patrick’s and Happy Mother’s Day (UK) this weekend! See y'all on Monday.

Mum's the word and Judi-Bug!

There was a fabulous meteorite shower all over the UK at the weekend and I missed it.

LOL!

So here instead is the best bit of a conversation I overheard on my commute to work yesterday illustrating why mums are just brilliant!

Mum of teenage girl: You’re not overweight, you’re underheight. If you were 6 feet 10 you’d be normal weight.

:-)

Speaking of mums – today me and Charlie are waving a big hello to wonderful mum Judi-bug of SASS. She’s just had a biopsy and we have everything crossed for good news.

She gave Charlie such a wonderful hat to wear and today we honour her by showing it off here again.

Charlie says: I enjoy the spring sun on next door neighbour's mat.

Pic taken last Saturday when it was sunny and warm. Sunday was wet and windy and just horrible!

Happy Spring everyone!

A boo-boo!

Bloggie friends!!

Where'd Tuesday and Wednesday go?!!? :-)

Charlie says: I look only for next door.


Oh bloggie friends! I made such a boo-boo attempting to critique the first chapter of a lovely classmate's novel in progress. I ended my critique asking her questions about her main character only to realise later as I re-read the chapter that they've already been answered.

I'm so not cut out for this critiquing lark! LOL!

Oooh the spring temperature is hotting up!!

Lazy Hazy Dayz

Bloggie friends!

I could show y’all the hot cross buns I baked and the simnel cake too but I’ve eaten them, so here’s Charlie to show you his new cat collar instead!


I’m still on holiday – but I have submitted some writing to two competitions that I just know I won’t win so to avoid me the embarrassment, I ain’t telling you which ones! LOL!

See y’all before The Wedding!

Spring has Sprung, ooh ar!

Bloggie friends!!

Thar be a heatwave ‘pon the southeast of ye olde England!!! Oooh-aaar!

Yep! Worst pirate accent EVER!

True anecdote: There I was thinking I captured the London slang of my youth in one of my very early stories only for my tutor to comment “what region of North England is this person from?” LOL!

Charlie says: I bask in the glow of the sun too.


Spring has sprung, bloggie friends!! Hallelujah!

Spring Fever

Bloggie friends!!

I nearly got me a bargain coat from Next shop if it hadn’t been for this mad woman who grabbed it from the hanger as I was examining the sleeves.

Yes, bloggie friends!! She swiped the coat while I was holding the sleeves.

True story!

I was so shocked – I just stared at her while she strode bold as ..er.. brass.. to the till to buy it.

Talk about Spring Fever.

Charlie says: I smell bargains in this bag.


She failed to spoil my day however, as I got me a lovely skirt and top - both at half price!

Happy sunshine day everyone!

Speaking the lingo

Bloggie friends!

There I was trying to catch up with all your blogs when this message flashes up in luminous purple on my screen:

“Your Dell computer is about to start an enumeration of hardware scanning”.

When my computer starts to speak to me and in better English too, it’s definitely bed time!

Charlie says: Bath time first, then snooze time.

Thanks again for all your lovely well wishes!! Let's hope Spring brings new beginnings and fresh opportunities and good health for all!

Japan Earthquake Appeals:

British Red Cross, World Vision, Global Giving, Save the Children

Here is one for animals: Wetnose Animal Aid: they help animals in need all over the world and have a special donate button specifically for the Animal Refuge in Kansai, Japan

Have a lovely day, y'all!

Daft pot of daffs

Bloggie friends!

I share with you, the latest pic of my crazy over-crowded pot of daffodils - along with a viola or two – each one of them singing:

“Spring is just round the corner, hang on in there!!!!”

Charlie says: If I stretch longer, next door will see me for sure!

Happy last Day of February!

A Pot of Spring

Bloggie friends!

To give me writer-ly hope as I submit my story and to hopefully put a spring on all your steps, here’s a pic that promises new life, fresh beginnings and more daylight.



A pot of various growing bulbs and a stray pansy or two.

The bulbs were planted in layers- the idea being that they will grow in various stages from spring to autumn but they seem to be growing all at once. Ooops!

Charlie says: Yep, Spring is right behind me!


Wednesdays mean we're halfway there!

The Freedom of Feet

Oh beautiful bloggie friends!

Today was such a perfect sunny spring day. My toes were finally free from socks and tights usage for the first time ever!!

I can wear sandals again…!!! And show off my aubergine painted toe-nails!

And to add to my spring delight look what I found living in my potted hardy Scottish pine that I use as my Christmas tree for two years running now.

Lotsa seven-spotted ladybirds all using the tree to lie, live and er.. make love in - and there was a lot of THAT going on.


Which begs the question what are baby ladybirds called apart from larvae?!?!?!

Charlie says: you have bugs?!?

Have a glorious pedicured Sunday everyone!

The Rose Bush

So I thought I'd plant a mini rose bush in memory of my tough ol girl. I want a red one for her because her velvet red collar always looked good on her and she always liked munching on leaves so I thought, yes, a red rose bush.

I visit one of the only two independent local florists in town.

Because of Mother's Day last Sunday I find that there are a glut of mini-rose bushes, pretty primulas, budding daffs and dwarf hyacinths.

But only one mini-rose with red buds.

I'm not as green-fingered as I'd like to be yet I do know that this bush with its dying buds had plenty of new shoots, was fat with newly sprouting stems covered in not quite opened leaves and its roots were bursting out of the pot. Perfect for planting on.

And did I say it was the only rose with red buds? And all for £2.99!

So I take it the counter to buy.

There is this sweet-looking elderly lady - hair like cotton wool, face like cream cake - a bit shakey, a bit tremulous - wearing a pink floral apron standing by the cash till.

She is weilding a huge pair of scissors.

She takes my rose bush and we start chatting. She's telling me how to plant the bush, what to feed it etc etc.

In the meantime I watch horrified as she snips, snips, snips away at the rose bush.

Snip, snip, snip.

By the time she is done talking my previously bushy rose-bush is reduced to a stump.

"Here," she says wrapping the pot triumphantly in plastic and holding it out to me, "all ready for potting up!"

She must have seen my shock because she then hesitates and adds, "Let's call it 90p, shall we?"

Today, the first bumble bee came visiting my lavender plant. Spring has arrived.

And so will Charlie very soon!