Just quickly - A&G Surfacing arrived at 1/4 to 8 and have already removed the old kerbstones in preparation for dropping the kerb. I'm hoping they can finish the job today, but depending on what else they have on it may not be until next week. But the speed and efficiency with which they're working... well, fingers crossed!

Later edit: 3 p.m. It's finished! It's fantastic! I can drive over it from midday tomorrow. Finally, we haz a proper, functioning drive!

Photo later now...

Labels: drive, YAY

So... I'm booked in for a gastroscopy (oh joy) beginning of March. I've opted for an anaesthetic throat spray instead of an injected sedative. Should be OK, fingers crossed.

I meant to post this pic back in December but forgot it was on my phone. Beautiful deer in Broadmead, not on the main thoroughfare: it was tucked away in a little square behind the shops towards Cabot Circus.

Ken and I went to Hurrans on Sunday for a last visit. This was near the bus stop: not sure if it's an affirmation or a condemnation...

Hurrans - the end of an era. Terribly sad to see it empty...

We're on to The Expanse season 3 now, and Ken is watching too. Crackin' stuff!

Ken emptied the large compost bin (onto my higher raised bed) on Saturday - all wonderful rich dark soil to grow my plants in. Going to be rearranging that part of the garden over the next couple months: the big conifer that hid the bins from the house died in last year's brutal summer and will need to be cut down. Once we know where Kai wants his railway tracks to go we can make a start.

Off swimming in an hour - by myself today as Kim has a job interview this afternoon. She's been with the main Post Office in Broadmead for 20-odd years: as it's closing down next month she's now looking for a caring post.

Labels: garden, medical matters, swimming, The Expanse

Whoa! Two posts in one week? Whatever next?

It's been a productive week. Some more tidying up bits in the house, and I've weeded/hoed/prepped the two raised beds (put the two cloches on the higher bed and covered all the open soil with weed-suppressing fabric) in preparation for this season's food plants. Not growing sweetcorn again - it's a lot of work and last year's crop was nondescript at best. Easier (and cheaper in the long run) to buy frozen organic sweetcorn from Waitrose. Won't bother with peas either (ditto). Lower bed will have runner beans, a courgette plant or two, a pumpkin and several marrows - things that we like to eat, that are expensive to buy organic, and which I know will succeed in the space. Higher bed is asparagus (may be enough to use this year, looking forward to Sunday brunches of home made buckwheat pancakes, smoked salmon, scrambled eggs and a spear or two of asparagus!), garlic (which I planted on Wed, two varieties), heritage carrots, a few special large onions, spring onions, radishes, snap peas, mange tout and dwarf French beans - all of them successful in the past.

Greenhouse is still tidy from last autumn, and my French tarragon is coming along very nicely. Planning a lot of large tomatoes this year, to use in cooking, the usual minimunch cucumber, a variety of cherry tomatoes, and mixed peppers. Our bench has been stored in there all winter - Tyjer loves lying on it in the sunny warmth - so will start organising the growing space once that's back in its usual place at the top of the garden. And I've been out to Almondsbury to pick up some compost (next time Kim has a day off. She's happy to drive there and knows the way better than me!) Just need to sort out the small water butt: moving it to the front of the greenhouse so it's less work.

Kai fancied re-watching The Expanse in advance of Season 3, which is due out on amazon Nov 4th - which is an awfully long time to wait. I was reading the (mostly rather angry about the wait, as it's been available in the US since last April, apparently) comments on the amazon page - and a couple of people said they'd bought it on ebay instead, so I checked, and yes, it's available now, £12.62, free p&p. So I bought it. It arrived this morning. We've nearly finished Season 1, so will be able to start on 3 in a week or so after we've rewatched Season 2.

On the health front... Kai's Mon venesection went well. I had my yearly health check on Tues: appt was for 11 but I didn't get into the room until 1/4 to 12 - NOT happy (and neither was my back). BP is a bit high - I pointed out that wasn't surprising after sitting for 50 mins on their uncomfy waiting room chairs - so she's asked me to take my own readings (I bought a monitor some time ago, just need to put batteries in in) a few time over the next couple of weeks and she'll ring me for a phone consultation early March. Because I had to wait so long and didn't make a fuss about it, she got me in to have blood taken for tests right away instead of having to make a further appt. Just rang for the results: liver and thyroid functions normal, diabetes normal, kidney function satisfactory, vitamin D a bit low but not unusual for the time of year. Apparently they didn't test for my cholesterol count, which was one I was interested in: may need to make a further appt for that.

I also asked about another concern that I haven't mentioned here (yet). Remember a couple of years ago I had that awful chest pain and got checked out at the Bristol Heart Institute? Well, it's happened again three times since, and over the last 18 months I've found that if I take too big a bite of food, or don't chew the mouthful thoroughly, it feels as though it gets stuck in my oesophagus around the level of my diaphragm, and is immensely painful. It usually takes two or three minutes to ease and for the food to go down, and drinking doesn't help (makes it worse in fact). Dr thinks it may simply be acute spasms, as apart from that I'm mostly fine, but has referred me to the BRI just to be safe. So I may be having an endoscopy in the near future. Oh joy...

So, apart from that? Things are going OK. Still no dropped kerb, but that's understandable given I'm asking him to fit us in around his other commitments. It's in hand. The last couple of days have been wonderfully sunny with temps well above normal for the time of year: not sure it that bodes well or ill for the summer. But when I opened the greenhouse an hour or so ago, there were a big fat bumblebee and a red admiral butterfly (!) drinking from the flowering daphne, which was marvellous to see.

'Bye for now!

Labels: garden, greenhouse, household matters, medical matters, The Expanse

Brief catch up...

The snow had completely gone by Sunday morning, but it was pretty while it lasted.

The shower curtain rail has now been fixed and the job completed!

Highways have confirmed the excavation licence has now been reissued to A&G Surfacing free of charge. The company has confirmed they will be in touch soon to arrange a mutually convenient time to finish the work. I'll cheer once it's done.

Decided I'll take Derpy to be serviced before we start using her, once the drive is finished. Renatec are just down the road (literally).

WeCare person arrived today with the paperwork for the replacement downpipe - it'll be around £1,200 [wince] but it really needs to be done, as it's a health risk as much as anything, so aiming to have that completed by the end of August.

Have read and thoroughly enjoyed The Left Hand of Darkness. Astonishingly it was just one line of dialogue from the book that I remembered, the rest was as if new to me - which was fun!

We've finished watching Primeval and really enjoyed it. I just wish it had run to another couple of seasons...

Hurrans Garden Centre is closing on March 10th (so sad. We've spent a small fortune there over the years, it's been there (under different names) since before we bought the house and it's so quick and easy to get to and such a fun place to visit - nice café too, although that closed down for good before Yule.) They're having an 'at least 50% off sale', so Kai and I bussed there yesterday. Came back with another trug for my patio herbs (half price), a selection of seeds, weed supressing fabric and a couple of low terracotta pots for my cactus orchid succulent. Should have been £107: came to £49. I like savings like that! Now have to clear the patio area and get some compost so I can get started...

Kai has venesection at 5 today. He's going in by himself this time, and Ken will meet him at the hospital Costco after work to make sure he gets home safely. (He'd probably be perfectly fine but he has felt a little wobbly and light-headed on a couple of occasions so one of us always goes with him. Usually me, but given the timing and Ken already being in town, he's volunteered this time.)

That's about it for now. Gradually clearing the projects to give myself time for writing. Not quite there yet but it's getting closer. I hope...

Labels: books, British drama, car, garden centres, household matters, medical matters, shopping

It's magical waking up to silence...

There's a garden under there somewhere...

He didn't stay out very long!

Pretty.

Snow flowers!

Poor Derpy...

But the kids loved it! (The park, on our way down to Sains to get a bit of shopping. I can heartily recommend Yaktrax!)

Alas, it had stopped snowing and started melting as we were on our way back - though it's still well covered out there, and temps are due to get below freezing tonight. So ice tomorrow then. Oh joy... We don't have to go out luckily. Should all be cleared by next week. Less a Beast from the East and more a Pest from the West, as one of our TV forecasters said a day or two ago.

Not much fun for travellers though - traffic disruption. Many busses were cancelled or on limited routes as well. Still, this is proper British winter weather, and our walk was a lot of fun!

Labels: snow