Blood test - Karen day - Still cool and windy

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My blood test was before 9am and I was back home by 8.50am - Sheila the phlebotomist is so quick and reliable, and, it being 3 weeks since she had seen me she immediately said she could see I had lost some weight and it suited me. Well .....

Then Karen arrived and Y and I went to Jacksdale Garden Centre for some plants mainly for the ringaround bed in the front lawn. Oo0-er, if you open the link you will find a decent website. Obviously most pubs can't do it but garden-centres can.

We did a little shopping (good time to go - very quiet and unhurried and plenty of parking spaces). By the time we got back Alec had arrived to do some heavy jobs in the garden.

This afternoon I finished off de-weeding the ringaround and planted most of our newly acquired plants. They were in good order and nicely rooted. It's going to be a hotchpotch of little groups of geraniums, asters, petunias, lobelia and french marigolds. With Alec working in one part of the front garden and me working in another, the robin was 'spoilt for choice'. Wherever the most recently turned soil was, he was there. The photo on the left was the best I could manage. (a) he didn't like the camera and (b) brown birds don't show up well against brown soil.

I'm enjoying my little forays into the garden. Y is concerned lest I overdo it (as I do most things) but it IS good exercise, and from my kneeling mat I can't fall down very far. By-the-way I forgot to tell you but yesterday, the Dentist was very pleased with Y's teeth. "You really do look after your teeth don't you?" was his judgement as he told her no remedial wotk was necessary.


Although more guarded than the Robin about my presence Mrs. Blackbird decided the pickings were too good and plentiful to ignore.

The snap on the right demonstrates even more the problems of brown birds against brown backgrounds. Never mind - just a record shot anyway.

Y is also suffering aches & pains, and back-ache and we both needed a lie-down. But, due to Alec being here we decided one of us should stop up. Y took the first watch and then after an hour, I toook the second. It's abit much when you have to have naps in shifts !

Alec has promised us another day's work next week, probably Wednesday or Thursday by which time we shall have returned from our Norfolk break with Mansfield National Trust. We are really looking forward to it but unfortunately Peter and Joan aren't going.

WoW tomorrow. In Reg's absence, people are to meet here at the usual time. No decisions yet as to venue. Hope the weather is friendly.

My responses to your previous comments

Bob ..... AVG is OK but it kept flashing messages at me ! My new Norton (effectively free!) beavers away quietly in the background and also offers me secure online storage space.

My first experience with headphones was a crystal-set I managed to build from a kit and I was allowed to have it in my boyhood bedroom. You see I was a radio fanatic even then ! Then you are right, I did have to use them during my National Service.

Jill .... I think we are all getting more accustomed to the new crossword compilers at The Telegraph. The way they flag anagrams, and sound-likes etc., is subtly different. Today I think there's a 'sound-like' flagged as 'noisily' which I thought quite clever.

What a shame your friend can't take an interest in the garden birds. Now they really do sound exotic. Parakeets and a Green Woodpecker. Brinsley wouldn't be ready for that.

By-the-way, rose varieties with multi-bloomed stems are usually called 'floribunda'.

Pete B .... A pleasure to plug your site. Unfortunately Reg is still on holiday but he is a 'red arrows' fan and in fact all aircraft. He is also a keen aero-modeller. Wow-ee, another link there well worth opening.

Rob ..... Nice to see you. I agree with your points overall and your concerns about the County Council in particular. Tracy says how helpful Labour have always been to her and her Arts Administration department. I wouldn't expect much from the Tories in that respect. She now has 140 people working for her and really fears cutbacks.

Y spoke to Margaret this morning and some interesting news about 'Lachs'. With The Panthers Coach's approval he is being 'poached' by Manchester. The Panther's coach feels the experience there will be very good for his career. Also he is having part-time release so he can go to Manchester University at the same time. Margaret of course refers to him as Robert and is very pleased for him, and proud of him too.

Its early days but I like the look of Norton 360.

I accept that compared with Tesco my earphones were pricey. But 'hey ! why not push the boat out ?

I agree - The Haiku certainly creaks abit.

jbw .... I'm mystified as to how you managed to uninstall Norton when you couldn't boot-up your computer.

I agree McAfee is good. And their SiteAdvisor is useful so long as not taken as gospel. Some of the sites they accord green, amber, or red ticks to, haven't been checked by them for a year or more.

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Quotation time .....

"The haiku lets meaning float; the aphorism pins it down"

Mason Cooley

Sleep tight - Catch you tomorrow - and, just for Rob -



I think it was one of his in the first place !
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