Spring stuff...

   Ooops I did it yet again, disappearing off without telling a soul. Naughty me.

squished bears

 Whilst I'm at home making myself poor by visiting eBay far too often (urrrgh hands up who else is sick of the flipping rain?) I thought I'd better stop by and poke my head round the door.
I have been busy with general stuff, visits from 'up north' sister..a sister who likes to walk and walk and walk (and then eat cake just like me) and a little brother who isn't quite so little anymore (dont know where he got his tall gene from) came to stay all the way from Canada.
There's been Stinky boy taking his RAF Airman's test ..and passing!

all new chickypoo pen

 There's been a spot of decorating and lots of repairing stuff (mainly the chicken run as I fell over in it whilst wearing my  pyjamas and spotty wellies, doing a spectacular roll in the mud and snapping off all the posts..Bald bloke found it highly amusing, being covered in chicken poo, I less so) Oh and our chicken run is in the FRONT garden....
Changing the little white car for a more 'manly' slightly bigger black one, (boys and their cars, honestly) I have the most 'manly' vehicle of all but nobody wants him as he leaks on you when it rains, smells like a wet dog  most of the time and has bright orange arches.
  Poor old thing, good job mummy still loves you Beastie truck.

Beastie

 There's been the getting of super-duper new glasses after Bella decided to eat mine.
Bella likes to eat stuff don't you know.  Blind as a bat for 3 months, I was.

geeky chic?

 There's been some injuries, namely from over excited hounds smashing into my calf at about 30 miles an hour. It felt like no pain I had ever felt..ever. Like being punched very, very hard with a red hot bowling ball. Yow! The dogs were fine, incase you were wondering.   I wasn't.

Harry (looking a little bit deranged), Felicity and Patricia (he named them!)

 There's been Birthdaying, corrr I was very, very spoilt this year with lots of unexpected surprises, two new chickens to replace some dear old girlies and a Cath Kidston holdall filled with pretty stuff  and Bald bloke bought me a birdbath. Reeeeesult!!)

Just need a weekend away now

 And lastly there's just been the general dog walking and gardening that I do anyway.

Nothing much very exciting really but I know you like to know, just like I do on your blogs.

Spring is definitely in the air amongst all this rain because I'm getting that nesting urge again. I really do have distinct need to decorate at the moment (lack of the big funds unfortunately stops me) I would love to paint the hall and have new blinds, have those much longed for shutters in the lounge and knock a big hole in the wall to make our teeny lounge bigger. I have so many ideas I have to write them down in a book before I go to bed to stop my head exploding in the night. It's quite interesting looking back through it and thinking "oh I'm glad I didn't do that" or "yes I did that and it worked out OK"
I wallpapered a  couple of walls a several months back and I love wallpaper, really love it, but every time I use it, I have a uncontrollable urge to paint over it a few months later.
About 10 years ago our bedroom originally had Cath Kidston pale green and white teeny polka dot wallpaper, it was really lovely but I got bored with it and painted over it in blue on a whim, much to bald blokes dismay. (that meant different curtains and bedding, you see)
 Then I acquired two rolls of Cath Kidston Paris Rose paper. How I loved this beautiful rosy paper with its nod to the 1950's but I actually prefer the red version if I'm honest.

nope, way toooooo rosy

 I papered the chimney breast in the dining room but once again, not long after,out came the paint. The same thing happened in our bedroom, a couple of  lengths of rosy loveliness and then having just decorated and 'de-boyed' Harry's old room in readiness for my sister coming to stay, I splashed a couple of coats of  my favourite Farrow and Ball blue over Cath and her rosy kitschness.Well, the paintbrushes were out so why not?... CRIMINAL isn't it? Especially as you can no longer get Paris Rose. A new old mirror (99p from eBay..bargain!)  and a shifty round of 'stuff' and I can sleep at ease without the rosiness shouting 'LOOK AT ME!' all the time.

my 99p vintage mirror!

 I just might wallpaper the inside of the wardrobe doors with the leftovers though, we'll see.
Now I know I must turn away and not be seduced by pretty wallpapers. I'm a plain and simple paint person and that's all there is to it. However I did see some fabulous pink 70s wallpaper on a trip to Tewkesbury recently and it keeps popping into my head niggling at me like a Labrador wanting it's dinner. Hmmmmm, I wonder..

cheerio for now x

28 days later

Oops where on earth did February go?Maude

I was supposed to tell you about my mad sister jumping off a tower in Thailand, stinky boy turning 18, Pete's new job and my poor old Dad falling down a hole..oh yes, it's been all systems go in this neck of the woods so I better get started really..

First off my Dad fell down a boat hatch whilst staying in Thailand and broke his shoulder, got septicemia, very nearly popped his clogs and is now stranded in England with my mum at my other sister's house in Corbridge, now unable to get home as he can't drive back to France..poor old thing. So we were all very concerned about him.(I reckon hes milking it now he's on the mend but don't tell him I told you so) Hopefully I'll be heading up north to see them soon.

Jac, who lives in Thailand and is terrified of heights, zip-wired off the Pataya Tower on the 26th of Feb to raise money for Josie's charity..She did it on the 3rd anniversary of Josies death (I can't believe it's been 3 years..seems like only a week ago) She impressed us further by doing it in high heels and linen trousers (well if you're gonna go for it, go in style )!! Crazy lady! Oh and she's recently published her book called A Dragonfly Tale which you can now buy on Amazon, ooh err!

George has turned 18 this month now that is scary.Does this mean I can no longer call him stinky 'boy'? is he now stinky 'man' stinky 'person' or stinky 'bloke'?
He has been looking like he's done ten rounds with Tyson this week after having some very painful surgery on his lip. It's been almost year since that awful accident and he still has to have more operations. Do you know that b*%!$?* taxi driver, who changed his plea after 3 court appearances, finally pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and only got 6 points and a £110 fine.
I cannot tell you how angry the parents of the victims were. George has got six stitches in his mouth at the moment to repair his lip where his teeth went through it and tore a chunk out of his chin, his nose was slightly torn away from his face, broken and the septum damaged so badly that cartilage from his ear needs to be used to fix it again...the force of them hitting the taxi which was doing a u-turn made him end up in the foot-well of his friend's car, even though he was wearing a seatbelt. He also got dropped from his beloved rugby team.The fearless Flanker was finding it all too difficult with his ongoing injuries.

The elderly taxi driver is free to take paying passengers again.

So anyway, a calmer, wiser George lives in this house now, and an 18 year old ..18!!(sorry I mustn't keep on about it) and what did he want for his birthday? DRIVING LESSONS
Pass the Valium please...

And then there's Pete. Poor old Pete who's had the weight of the world on his shoulders for far too long.
He got his job, the one he really wanted with Eddie Stobart and it all worked out OK in the end. He's away alot and when I finally settle into this new routine of him being away all week and not eating biscuits for dinner because there's only me at home most of the time, you might find I blog more often and actually get round to replying to more than 3 of my messages.So if you see a large Eddie Stobart truck called 'Jenna-Louise' on the motorways, it happens to be my Pete driving her (probably looking rather pleased with himself)
Apparently Mr.Stobarts lorries get quite a lot of female attention, so I hear from their latest recruit anyway....
There's even a huge fan club (Harry's rabbit is named Eddie after the famous green and white trucks)
As for the rest of us well, I haven't finished my Summerhouse yet..there's still lots to be done. Crikey they take some painting! But, it has had a new slate roof and a black and white floor laid..twice in fact.I'm so glad you approved of my idea of a Summerhouse. Me and The Hound sat in it the other day, me in my socks, sat on the floor drinking tea and Hound in his doggy feet just sitting and looking out the windows.It was just lovely, the sun streaming through and no-one being able to see us. I can't wait for it to all be done and finished properly and for the summer to arrive...Then there's the ducks..those lovely cute,cheeky little ducks who lay one beautiful pale blue egg for me each morning.. Lovely Lily looking like she should have a blue bonnet and pink shawl like Miss Jemima puddle duck... hmmm yes..lovely adorable ducks...

Just look at my blinking lawn!!!!! arggggh! pests!and my flowerbeds!!! (what's left of them) (sorry about the pants phone photos..cameras on the blink)

Before I go and disappear to eat my biscuit selection accompanied by a large mug of tea for dinner, and get back to reading 'The Lovely Bones' I thought I'd better just say...

Katie Noelle...dont worry I read it just how you intended it..yikes, boys hey?!!
Yaz sang 'the only way is up', Siobhan....ahh the 80's!
Thankyou so much Deborah for my sunshine award, how lovely I must pop by and accept it properly x
and lastly MRS WOO (that's my shouty voice) its about time you came and saw me for a cuppa and dont call me Fudgeflaps!!!!! (it's all to do with my surname ladies..nothing else, I promise)

Cheerio for now xxMiss Daisy

Life begins..

..as they say, when you hit 40. Yep, I've hit forty today.. FORTY..ooh scary! But if life begins, then that's all right with me and I'm quite looking forward to it..although the 'middle age spread' can hold off for a bit longer and I'm not quite ready for the 'Tena ladies'..just yet.
The filled wooden flower box in the photo above was a birthday gift from my lovely boss at the shop...how gorgeous are they? I just adore them. And I've had a lovely suprise from my sisters and brother..but more about that another time, I think this post should really be a grovelling apology to all those people who sent me messages! I've been madly busy, had a computer virus that had something to do with emails and still seems to crash or play up each time a new email arrives (grrrr) and we've been decorating That room again. Lack of time is a horrid thing, I have ten million jobs to do, the gardening to do and finish decorating something I now wish I hadn't started! Even Easter came and went in the blink of an eye.
I've also had some sad news that knocked the wind out of me a bit when a friend who I had only seen a few days previously, died unexpectedly.I shall miss him and it hasn't really sunk in yet.
I've also missed blogging.I really must find more time from somewhere or other to catch up, either that or employ a chef and cleaner as well as a general gardener,and decorator. So I'm very sorry if I didnt get back to your messages, I felt terribly guilty when I couldn't because of the virus frustrating me to the point of the computer being launched out the window or just not having the time.Just how do you full-time workers find time to blog? Hopefully I'm going to be more organised, pull my finger out and get back to normality soon-ish.I did manage to paint the hen house last weekend..much to the annoyance of the ladies, who made so much noise the footballers playing on the park peeped over the front hedge to see what was going on.(I think Betty must have wanted blue instead of green as she seemed to be making the most noise)
That room (the dining room) is still in chaos, but this time I think I might just like it when it's finished as we have a different table and swapped about the furniture. I'll do a grand unveiling later where you can tell me you prefered it before!
We had to pick up the new old table from Bath and on the way back we called in at Cafe no.9, owned by the lovely Anna at All things lovely. I must admit I was really nervous saying hello..but her cake is to die for ( just dont smile after you've eaten the poppy seed as you get poppy-seed-polka-dotted teeth) the cafe is lovely like Anna and you must check it out if your passing that way.
So that's it for a bit..nothing exciting to report really, George is much, much better..and I'm still plodding on.
Enjoy your week and please forgive me if I fall silent for a while! xx

The other stinky boys Birthday

Hmmm..what can I say about this crazy one. He's the comedian, has his own language that only I can understand, likes to put on the most bizzare old men masks and go off riding over the hills in them,much to onlookers amusement, adores animals..I mean really adores them and has a heart of gold..(but boy, can he moan sometimes!!) He's up at 6am every morning to walk the dog, do his paper round and feed the creatures.

He also loves vintage stuff and granny blankets but can do a mean 'table top' on the bike that is permanently attached to him.

Happy 15th birthday Harry! xx

or should I say

"Lizzard it's your falala..dont forget to take rodent for a five before you have your llama, Christmas tree "

yup, he'll know just what that means...crazy I tell you!!

The stinky boy's birthday!

Who ever thought this little cutie with his cheeky smile and infectious giggle would grow up to be a big, stinky six foot 16 year old, wearing his trousers way too low and his hair way too long, the occassional grunt that gets translated for us by his younger brother and trouble for a middle name.

I can't quite believe I have a 16 year old in the house..it's most odd,heaven knows what I'll be like when he turns 18,now that really is scary!

Well, happy birthday George...

it's certainly been a roller coaster so far,with quite a few downs as opposed to ups,but none the less entertaining!

love you lots, honest.