It's OK.....

 

Angie 💓 xx

I is for.....

.....I'm saying goodbye to blogging after today.  There are a few reasons for this:

Firstly, our PC is playing up (again), then my tablet is so old that many things are not working properly on it, and my phone is so blimmin' fiddly and won't upload photos for some reason.  Blogger is becoming a nightmare to use too, and a blog without photos is boring in the extreme.

I will still pop in to read other blogs when I can and will leave my blog up for a while before I delete it, so I won't disappear off the face of the earth 😃

Sincere thanks to all of you who have followed me for years.  I wish you all health and happiness wherever in the world you happen to be and, above all, peace to live your life as you wish.  Take great care of yourselves.

Lots of love

Angie xxx

H is for Hygge and Hugs

 

hygge

/ˈh(j)uːɡə,ˈhʊɡə/

noun

1. a quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being (regarded as a defining characteristic of Danish culture).

   
   

My definition is:

• A cosy chair
• A warm blanket
• Hot chocolate
• A favourite book
• Relaxing music
• Calm breathing or meditation

What is your definition of Hygge?

See you tomorrow 💓 x

G is for Growing and Greenhouse

 From our dainty little cucumbers.....

.....to our scary carrots.....

....to our self seeded poppies.....

......we have enjoyed growing food at the allotment for the last 3 years or so.

 I must admit that it's getting harder though.  Neither of us can bend the way we used to and my back is often dodgy.  In addition, we have to drive to the allotment, only 10 minutes or so but it does cost fuel, plus the £25 annual allotment fee means that it's not cheap.  We are now debating whether or not to spend some savings on a small greenhouse at home.  It can be tucked behind the garage in a sunny spot and will allow us to grow salad crops as well as start off flowers and plants.  It's looking increasingly likely. Watch this space!

See you tomorrow 💓 x

F is for FREE

 

I was offered a free birthday treat: a pack of M & S cookies using my Sparks Loyalty card via the App. I never turn down free food so snapped up these whilst running errands in town. A treat is always welcome 😊

Don't you love free food? 😀

See you tomorrow ❤️x

E is for Ebay

 

I have been selling on eBay for 21 years now and find it a very useful platform to raise a bit of cash from stuff we no longer need.  Occasionally, I pick up a few bits from charity shops to sell on for a bit of pocket money.  I'll never make a fortune though and don't get anywhere near the £1,000 per annum profit allowed by HMRC before having to declare it.  Anyway, I'm well below the tax threshold for my income as it is.  Occasionally, I pick up beautiful pieces which I would love to keep, but space in the bungalow is very limited.  Since April this year I have sold stuff for a total of £187.50 after fees and postage.  This will be just enough for Christmas gifts, cards and wrapping etc this year.

DD's Family:  £30 each x 4 =  £120

Children:  £5 each (in a card) x 5 =£25

Cheer up gift for my sister:  £20 (not sure what to buy yet as it will have to be posted)

$30 Australian sent to granddaughter £16.04 (my son will choose and wrap a gift from us)

Leaving approx £6.46 for cards & wrapping etc Reasonably happy with that.....

See you tomorrow 💓 x

D is for Driving in the Dark and Determination

 

I have found that I can no longer drive comfortably in the dark, especially when there is no street lighting and some idiot is tailgating, and all I can see is his/her headlights in my rear view mirror. So I have stopped doing it. I'm sure that my developing cataracts haven't helped.  This now curtails what I can do because I used to drive to our daughter's during daylight and drive back in the dark.  Now it's dark by 4.30pm and I dare not risk it so it is quite exciting that we have joined the Gardeners Guild in a nearby village 😀  They meet once a month at 7.30pm and hubby drives, so I don't have to worry.  When we went out last Tuesday night it was quite exciting to see all the lights on the dashboard in our car for the first time. We only bought it 7 months ago! It just shows how often we go out 😂🤣😂

Determination comes into it here because I don't want to sit at home and wait for the inevitable deterioration of old age.  We are both determined to get out more even if just for a walk.

Do you have to make an effort to do things?  Is it easier to do nothing?

See you tomorrow 💓x

C is for Christmas

 Now let it be said...I love Christmas but it can be so stressful in the run up to the day. I'm all for simplifying the whole thing and I'm getting prepared slowly and methodically this year for the big day.  My Christmas gift list has shrunk considerably and the grandchildren will be getting cash and a token gift to open on the day.  I'm buying oddments as I find appropriate things.  The freezer will be topped up gradually, making the most of bargains as I find them and my Sainsbury's Nectar points are being saved for the food on Boxing Day, which I will be hosting for the family. No stress.......Fingers crossed 👍

Have you begun yet? All wrapped up? At the list stage? I'd love to know......

See you tomorrow ❤x

B is for Bonfire and Birthday

 

On Saturday night Himley Hall had their annual bonfire event.   Despite living quite close by for many years, I had never been to it in the past.   This year, when my daughter asked if I fancied going I said yes.  The grandchildren and their respective boyfriend and girlfriend wanted to go too, so there were 7 of us in 2 cars.  My OAP ticket cost just £7 but other tickets cost £12 upwards with £10 for each pre-booked car parking space.  The car parks turned out to be fields 😳 and after days upon days of heavy rain, the visitors were immediately sinking their vehicles into ankle deep mud.  We were lucky to spot 2 adjacent spaces under the trees on a narrow verge so grabbed them pretty quick.

The music and fireworks were great but the bonfire was so wet it barely took off when lit. We arrived pretty early, just after 5pm, and the fireworks weren't lit until 8.30pm by which time we were all pretty knackered, very wet and cold and ankle deep in mud.  But, hey, I was never allowed to go to a music festival in my youth so this was a new experience for me 🤣  We took spare shoes to change into for the journey home and left around 9pm (once the men in our group had pushed several vehicles out of the mud as their good deed for the day)  Luckily, our foresight to park on the verge paid off and both our cars got away easily. 

That will be the only time I'll be going though.....I enjoyed it, but once is definitely enough!

Birthday: it was my 74th birthday on 1st November so I think I'll stop counting now 🙄......

Back tomorrow ❤ x

A for Apologies and Anxiety

 It has been so long since I last wrote a post that I am struggling where to begin, so I've pinched the idea of a post a day using the letters of the alphabet for inspiration.  Today's post must begin with a sincere apology: to those of you who left concerned comments on my last post , and to the bloggers whom I follow myself on a regular basis (usually, at any rate) and who have been neglected.  My only excuse is that I have felt totally overwhelmed by life, health issues, family worries and world events, many of which I simply have no control over. 

It's been anxiety at the root of  it all.  I'm still not over it but must get a grip before it swamps me completely.

I hope you are all well and ready to see me struggle to find appropriate topics each day!😂

Until tomorrow.......❤ x