Not a happy chappy!!

My printer has given up the ghost...not that it really concerns any of you and it won't make a difference to me blogging and of course there is one that I can use should I be desperate to....but all that is besides the point......it is such a nuisance and an inconvenience!!!

On the plus side all the ink cartridges were about ready to be replaced so I haven't lost out there.

But now I have to decide what to get...I hate getting gadgets...everything changes and you can never get what you previously had and then there are thoughts and opinions and 'what ifs?' and 'wherefores', Oh it's all such a big headache!!

Okay rant over. I did have a nice weekend...I don't usually do weekend plans as I like to just see what occurs but this week I did meet my friend Fi so she could help me pick new glasses, I have to admit though it was actually her four year old son Hector who saved the day and found me a pair...I will show you when I get them...I think I look Okay in them...another thing I hate picking out!!

So after picking the glasses Hector and Hetty came back to play for a while and we had a lovely time with train tracks, lego and ice lollies. You can't beat happy children and their imaginations...it's such a shame they don't stay young for long!!

Sunday was a lovely roast chicken with family and then finding out after several hours of internet searching and the Hubby saying 'Told you so' that yes the printer really has had it.

So how was your weekend? I hope no matter what you did or didn't do you enjoyed it!!
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Sleepy, sleepy.

Well I did have a post which I was going to write yesterday for wordless wednesday but apparently I was really tired last night and dozed off on the sofa after work...whoops.

So then I was going to write some form of lengthy post today but I have just

finished catching up and leaving comments on a few of the blogs I like to follow and to b honest it has took me so long back tracking on my typing as I just don't seem to be focusing totally on the keyboard that even these few words seem to have taken forever.

So with Tro happily chomping on a bone in the corner...the son and hubby happily gaming on the comps and the cat curled up in the crook of my legs I am just going to leave you with this.....

It's a t-shirt I saw whilst christmas shopping and I loved it so much. I showed it to the children and said that it was definitely me and that I should have one. The children said that I wasn't silent about correcting anyone else's grammar and especially not theirs which I kind of had to (silently I may add!!) agree with so I still don't own the t-shirt.

That's all for now...totally pointless I know but at least I an still around!!

Warmer weather - wonderful walks!!

So we have had a few milder days and that has meant a few lovely walks with Trojan. The first we had was last Wednesday and so I took a couple of shots...the weather was so nice I actually removed my hat and gloves!!!

Tro and Suny enjoying the
springtime smells!!

Glorious sunshine and
clear skies.

It's so nice to see a
shadow!!

No I haven't got another dog...the one in the photo with Tro is Suny, the labradoodle. Suny lives next door to us and his owner has had an operation on her knee so he has been sharing morning walks with us. He is still essentially a pup at two years old but a good boy and gets on well with Trojan.

The weather has been very weird of late.....today we have seen double figures but just two days ago it was -5 degrees. Weird and wonderful. Everywhere is still very wet so although it's nice to get a milder day the colder days do mean the dogs are clean when we arrive home!!

Of course we have had some spectacular sunrises too.....

Sun rising out my front room
window.

 Of course with the sunrise comes the birds and we certainly get a lovely dawn chorus outside with all the birds we have flying around.

Female blackbird watching
the sunrise.

You can't see so well the type of bird due to the 'silhouette' nature of the photo so you'll just have to take my word for it, and I know she probably isn't really watching the sunrise but I do love this photo!!

I'm really bored with winter now...It's nice to see the days getting longer but the turn of the seasons just can't come quick enough for me. I do relish the start of winter when the days start getting shorter and I have time to kick back, relax and take time on some of my other hobbies but with having got so little gardening done last year I am really itching to get back into it.

Having said that I haven't picked up my knitting needles since last August and this is one hurdle I am going to try and overcome whilst I'm waiting for the lighter nights...funny really, chatting with my Sister last week and she hasn't picked her knitting up either...we have both vowed to get back into it though!!

I think if the weather is decent at the weekend I may go and potter down the plot for a while...only for the morning though as I am going to look for a new pair of glasses at the weekend. I hate doing that but my friend Fi has kindly offered to come and help me choose some so it will be a nice couple of hours out...this just means an allotment visit will need to be earlier rather than later.

Okay, going a little (to put it mildly) off topic so I will say 'bye' and see you Wednesday with my first Wordless Wednesday post of 2016!!
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January on the allotment.....2016

Hi All....so I didn't get back quite as quick as I anticipated but I have been having some thoughts on how I can keep the blog going at busy times and then through the winter too. I figured one good way was to take some photos on the first of each month and then just do a little, 'What's going on' post.

This will always give me at least one post a month and I thought was a great idea. Now I did actually go and do an 'Oxalic Acid' treatment on the bess on the 1st January so I thought it was perfect as I had some photos....until I realised I had already put the oxalic acid post on the bee blog and deleted the photos....Okay so that left me with nothing.

Not to worry though as I popped down the the plot with the camera to grab a few snapshots and to be honest I was quite surprised with how good it was all looking!!

Never did get the old potatoes out the ground,
I wonder what is lurking beneath??

The garlic looks to be doing great,
I just hope the bulbs have split will
in the mild winter.

The broad beans look great on 3/4 of the row,
I can't remember if I ran out of seed before
the end or not?!?!

I think there are still a few roots left in
here but either side where I got the
ground worked is looking great!

I took these photos back on 11th Jan
it was a beautifully sunny day!

The calabrese has started to flower,
This is my first success with this brassica.

The savoy cabbages have some
good sized heads on them.

Definitely a brassica.....possibly P.S.B.
I guess only time will tell!

The chard has fared well over the winter,
I may even get to harvest some this year!

So I may have got a little carried away taking photos...who'd have thought there was so much to take photos of in January. Obviously I am now going to take photos on the first of each month....not only will this guarantee me a post each month it will be nice from year to year to see how things differ with weather, produce and production.

I have also decided to get back into taking photos and after today i will do a wordless Wednesday post. To be honest i could have done one today....it is such a beautiful day outside and I had a lovely walk with Tro and Suny but I will share those photos with you in a couple of days...wouldn't want to bore you totally and not have you come back at all.

So that's about all for now...oh unless you are curious about the Oxalic Acid treatment I gave the bees. Sounds a little toxic I know but it is a substance found naturally in plants which is lethal to the varroa mite that like to infest beehives and latch onto the brood causing all sorts of problems...if you are interested and want to see some pics then just go here to check it out.
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Happy 2016!!!!!

So here I am...alive, well and a survivor of the christmas and new year period.

So 2015 wasn't a great year....blogging took a serious plunge and for those of you that personally know me well will you will know the reasons...for those of you that know me just through my writing don't need to know any more than that I had reasons to be sporadic, absent minded and most of the time non-existent not only on this blog but the bee blog and the allotment and life in general. It wasn't a good year at all but I am alive and well and it's important to keep moving forward....

So with that out of the way I am going to try and get myself back into the swing of things. Not only was I not blogging but I also wasn't reading so I intend to start visiting my favourite blogs again and try to get myself back into a routine...it may be a little different to before but I have always thrived on routine and it's time to start thriving again!!

Christmas was nice...a little different and weird but we had a nice one....didn't feel like getting the camera out much but did get a few pics of Trojan opening his presents.
This was his third christmas with us and he is starting to get the hang of opening presents...so much so this year that when he had finished opening one of his tried to take one of mine out of my hands so that he could open that too....just as well he had plenty of presents to open!!

Trojan having a wonderful
'ripping' frenzy.

Even after opening a bone Tro was
happy move onto the next prezzie!

Trojan made a wonderful mess and
had a wonderful time!!

Of course I took far more photos than I posted but maybe you wouldn't be quite as excited as me to see tro opening all of his presents!!

I did get lots of lovely christmas presents myself too. Two beautiful dresses....(yes....I can be feminine and even spire to look more like a female this year!!) and also a new tiller from the Hubby. I don't know if I told you that mine got stolen last year?? It's a bit of a mundane story...partly my own fault...but circumstance of the year played a large part and as they say '$hit happens' so He replaced it for me and I am very anxious to try it out as mine was due for a serious service. He did get me a wonderful pair of Ugg boots too and I felt thoroughly spoilt!!

Okay...not really sure where this post is going any more but I just wanted to wish all my readers (that is if I have any left) A very happy New Year.....apologise for my absence and lack of responding to comments and to let you know that i will be posting again soon.
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