It's officially ...

... spring.  Meteorological Spring was 1st March, Spring equinox was 20th March and today we moved to British Summer Time (BST), or daylight saving.  Can safely say it's Spring - and Easter Sunday!  7pm and it's still reasonably light.   I love the lighter evenings.  Bring on Summer, but let's have some decent summer weather! 

I'd intended to post midweek but somehow time has gone away from me and it never happened.  Been a busy week.  Busy doing nothing, or so it seems, but feel as though I've done a lot, which I must have - just doesn't seem like it.

There's been some good news, and not such good news, with OH.  The pain is still under control but fluid is starting to gather again.  After 3 months in the hospice last year due to extreme fluid retention and it taking that length of time to get to the bottom of it and deal with it we're not too keen on it coming in again.   It may be a bit of a trade-off though because it seems that the pain control has worked because of reducing his diuretic substantially.  In reducing that they've been able to try different pain relief, and a higher dose, than if he was on the original dose of diuretic.  Unfortunately it seems as though the diuretic has been reduced too much now so some fine tuning needs to take place.  It was looking as though he may have been home sometime this coming week.  Perhaps not - until they've done the fine tuning!

Eldest has confirmed he's not so in love with OCRs as he has been.  Think his midlife crisis is passing.  He still does the odd one but not as many.  He'd planned on running his first marathon next month but has decided against.  He's had a problem with his right knee for a number of years (seems to be a weakness in the family with knees) and has decided that road running aggravates it, although running through woodland, on softer ground, through mud and water and dealing with obstacles of all shapes sizes doesn't so much.  He ran the Hastings Half Marathon last year, intended to this year, but didn't in the end.  He'd entered, just never did it ... pretty much as he's done with the Brighton Marathon.  He'd applied for the London Marathon but didn't get in.  Just as well as it's turned out.  

March 2015 - Hasting's Half Marathon

The appropriately named NUTS Challenge OCR ... March 2015.  Eldest and DiL

Think my son's have a problem with reaching 'middle' age.  Youngest is doing his first OCR later in the year.  Workmates have entered him.  Crazy  .... now I wonder where they get it from???  Not that I'd ever do crazy things.  It wasn't me going jet-skiing or paragliding for the first time at the age of 60 *grin*

When I was sorting out some space to give youngest on his return home I found a fair bit of archery gear, including old bows, arrows and maintenance equipment.  As there's no way any of us will ever 'arch' again it was taking up needed space so onto eBay it went.  All bar 3 items sold so I'm happy.   10 items have left the building and I've a nice empty space that they took up.  I tried selling a 'vintage' travel cot as well.  It hasn't gone.  That could end up a charity shop donation - lol!  It's not been used in 13 years and I certainly have no use of it.

A make from last year, around this time. One of Clair's workshops.

Altenew stamps coloured with Prismacolors, highlighted with Wink of Stella (clear) and a die - MFT I think, but not sure.

I have a visit to make on Tuesday ... to the jeweller.  I'm hoping that my other ring is finally finished *big grin*  We'll see!

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Photos today ...

... from the weekend in Cardiff :)  An excuse to stop 'working'.  I'm packing boxes still.  Well, packed really.  Just got to access some electrics to disconnect the wall unit and 'tis all ready.  I've heard from one of the Americans several times over my bow.  Even an estimated shipping cost of £50 ($80) hasn't put him off and he says he's going to bid and hope he wins .... "it is a beautiful bow" (his words, not mine).  Hope he bids well enough to prove that - or at least that others bid as well and it gets bid up.  He knows what it is ... hope other's do to.  Anyway, on to the photos - a small selection but WARNING .... PICTURE HEAVY - LOL!

The first few need no explanation .... but just in case -

 ... and after Dr Who?

Norwegian Church - and arts centre

Merchant Seaman's War Memorial

Pierhead Building - National Assembly of Wales 

Torchwood entrance (yay!) and the Millennium Centre

The mad women

The view from Kim's front garden ... beautiful!  A stunning area to live.

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Where does ...

... the time go?  Just noticed it's 2 weeks since I last blogged.  Mind you, with my blogging history over the past year or so I guess that's just a blip - lol!  2 weeks, now what's happened in that time?

I had to say goodbye to a flower stem.  Not just an ordinary flower stem ... an orchid flower stem.  A plant given me by #1 son and his wife for my birthday in 2012.  I kept it on the kitchen windowsill once it finished flowering last year and thought I'd throw it away, as is usual, once the leaves had died.  They didn't die and in December I noticed a 'thing' growing out of it.  Thought it might have been roots but #2 son looked and told me it was the start of a flower stem, so I left it.  A couple of weeks later another joined it.  By the end of February, beginning of March, there were buds and those buds got larger.  On the 3rd April I took the first photo of the first, fully open orchid flower.  By the time I went to Italy on 15th April all buds were open on both stems and I had a grand total of 11 flowers!  I've never, ever been successful in keeping orchids alive and this one wasn't exactly looked after.  An egg cup full of water occasionally, when thought about, so very occasionally, and I ended up with more flowers than when originally given me.  2 stems instead of 1 and a full 7 months of bloom instead of 2 to 3.  It's now back on the kitchen windowsill and I'm hoping for a repeat performance :)

The first flower

The 2 stems, with buds and the first flower

In full bloom :)

I've also said goodbye to a lot of my archery gear.  I've had to admit I'll never shoot again so it was listed on eBay and all bar 4 items sold except .... the bow buyer ended up being a real waste of time and an eBay policy abuser so I reported him and he left me unwarranted negative feedback.  Reported him again for that and eBay removed it but I've had to put the bow back on sale.  I've stipulated UK only postage as it's really, really expensive to send overseas however I'm getting enquiries from the US and Italy and it's now got a bid from somebody in Australia!  They've not even been in contact so I hope they get out bid as I have a feeling they won't be too happy with the shipping costs if they win and I'll have another problem to overcome.  Just shows though, the quality and reputation of the bow I'm selling.  They're no longer made but were - and still are - considered to be one of the best bows ever made.  Just wish the bids would reflect that - lol!

Hubby and I celebrated (is that the right word?) our 28th wedding anniversary on the 16th.  Not bad for a 2nd marriage that few thought would last.  Perhaps it won't but it's certainly gone longer than my 1st, which didn't quite make 11 years - well, not together anyway. 

I had my flu jab on the 17th and, apart from a couple of days of sore arm it's been OK but inbetween these last 2 events me and some of my friends had a weekend in Cardiff.  Now nicknamed, by Toni, the Apple Mangoes the core group that go on the Crafter's House Party went 'on tour' and all because of a throwaway remark made by Cally to Trace, who lives in Cardiff.

Trace arranged a 'crafty' day on Saturday 13th but we decided Cardiff was too far to travel there and back in a day so it had to be a weekend.  Cally and I drove down early, stopping at Greta's for a comfort break on the way.  Greta was going with Debs and Jackie.  (Strange not having her in my car.)  Kim was making her way from Sopley by train and Toni, with her daughter Sonia, were coming from Tamworth by car with them sharing the driving.  Toni is learning so a good experience for her.  Kim arrived first and made her way to the city centre to explore.  Cally and I arrived and made our way to the Dr Who Experience.  Debs, Jackie and Greta found the shops and a bar, where we all met, eventually, to have something to eat and Toni and Sonia arrived in time for the pyjama party at the hotel in the evening :)

Saturday turned out to be more of a chatting and bracelet making day than anything else although a bit of decopatch was done and Trace hosted an hilarious raffle which you had to be there to understand.  Suffice to say we all had aching faces from the laughter.  A brilliant day followed by a great evening in Frankie & Benny's made all the better by our server.  He joined in with the fun and put up with a bunch of women of a certain age being silly where many might not have done.  Good job Rob :)

Sunday morning, met up for breakfast ... at same F&Bs and we went our separate ways.  Cally, me and Kim spent a while in the Range, bought a little bit and started our homeward journey around 11am.  Cally and I were taking Kim home, hoping for good weather as it was cross country and part of the UK I'd not seen before.  Lucked out!  It rained and it rained and it rained.  From the moment we left Cardiff until just before we reached Cally's house.  Photos will follow ....

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I'm tiring myself ...

... out!  I had a delivery on Friday.  I'd been considering buying a 2 in 1 cross trainer for a while.  Mentioned it in passing to eldest son, as he's got one, only to be told not to be too hasty as it was possible that his would be going.  Newly bought and had become a coat hanger, apparently - lol!  Anyway, said cross trainer was delivered on Friday, after my exercise class.  It's big!  It's probably quite a bit bigger than the ones I had been looking at.  Definitely more substantial as I was looking at folding ones.  This one's not.  They look easy.  They are not!  I can't even start with the recommended 'easy' start because of my breathing problems so I'm adapting them all to suit my capabilities.  I'm doing little but often so when I pass the bedroom I pop in and just do 4 or 5 minutes on the machine.  The walking bit I can only manage about 1½ minutes on the lowest resistance but I up the resistance on the bike bit and finish my 4-5 minutes on that.  I'm finding I put in roughly 6 sessions a day this way and I'm feeling a difference.  I plan on keeping it going.  It's easier with the machine permanently available.

Had a bit of stress over one of my sales last night.  The bow buyer raised a dispute with eBay saying that it's not in the condition stated in my listing.  He raised the dispute before even contacting me.  It was listed as used and had 6 photos, some of which actually showing where there were small paint chips on the riser.  Not sure what this guy was expecting for his money but worse, he won't tell me how it's not in the condition stated in my listing.  He keeps giving excuses as to why he can't tell me yet but says he'll be posting it back on Monday.  He also bought a brand new arrow rest that I listed and he's saying that's not in the condition I listed either.  It's brand new, in a sealed box, for heavens sake!  How can it not be?  More like he bought it as a spare for the bow, as I had it, and as he's decided he doesn't want the bow then neither does he want the rest.  Personally I think he bought the bow for himself and has found it's not suitable.  He sniped the auction at the last minute and hadn't asked any questions, although all the info he would have needed was within the listing so I'm at a loss.  I think he's trying to find a reason to return it that pushes it onto  me and not himself.  It's not that it's been damaged in transit either as I would have thought he'd have said.  There was a lot of correspondence going back and forth last night and every time I asked for more specific information which wasn't forthcoming.  The last message I sent pointed out that we were on eBay's time scale as he'd raised a dispute and that if he didn't answer the questions I was asking he'd probably have to answer similar to eBay if the dispute escalated.  This morning he had closed the dispute as 'I'd requested him to'!  I hadn't asked him to at all and our correspondence will confirm that.  Pity, in a way, as I feel pretty confident that eBay would have found in my favour just by looking at my feedback .... just as described, well described, excellent eBayer .... and not just for the items I've sold recently but over time.  Anyway, he can return it and I'll refund what he paid for the bow and I'll either do a 2nd chance offer to the person he sniped (who did ask questions beforehand) or list it again.  He won't be getting his postage back though and he'll be in for a surprise when he finds out how much it's gonna cost him to return it.

I've been doing some investigating.  Coming back from my exercise class yesterday I found a visitor trying to get in the front door.  It nearly made it as well, until I found something to move it further away.  I found this .....

It was humungous!

  Very pretty in it's colouring but huuuuuuuuuggggggggggggge! (see my left hand digit finger?)

Apparently it's a privet hawk moth caterpillar.  It was probably looking for somewhere to bury itself so that it could pupate,  Not a lot of luck in our front garden as it's laid to gravel with membrane underneath it.  It would find somewhere eventually as we've a few plants so there are spaces in the membrane.  It digs deep to pupate and in June/July next year will emerge as one of these .....

Britain's largest moth.  As large as the one I saw in Cyprus 2 years ago (pictured in my Cyprus photo book [page 39] and also a hawk moth)

We've no privet in our garden, which is it's primary food source, and there's none near so the only place I can think it came from was our lilac bush as that is one of it's food sources.  It's only privet, lilac and ash and lilac is the only thing close.  If the daft thing had gone down to the base of the bush it may have been able to bury itself there.  Anyway, there's no sign of it now.  Perhaps I should have kept it and given it a pot of soil to bury itself in.  I might have got to see the moth next year ....

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Bank balance ...

... has increased quite healthily.  Perhaps not quite as much as I'd have liked, overall, but it's increased and that's the main thing.  Archery stuff was looked on favourably and all bar 4 items sold.   I got silly money for some of it.  Way over what the item could be bought for new in some cases.  Things I thought would command a really good price didn't get quite as much as I'd hoped for but other items got a lot more than I would ever have thought.  Even my quiver, although good quality leather and not a cheap item when bought, sold for more than I was expecting.  Really surprised me as I was going to throw it out but thought I'd put it on for 99p and see what happened.  Surprised me 'cos it had my name on it.  I'm hoping the person who bought it really did realise that as her name was Jo.  She's either bought it as a present or she didn't notice, despite pointing it out in the heading and the description.   Still, her problem if she didn't - lol!  Anyway, it's either all on it's way to new owners, received by new owners, or waiting to be collected by new owners.  It's been a busy few days trying to find suitable packing, trips to the post office, arranging couriers and making appointments.  I'm acting as sales manager for hubby who has some items for sale relating to air target shooting.  He's never sold on eBay himself and it's looking likely he'll not be doing it any time soon himself.  I'm having to answer questions, Best Offers and the like.  He's now found some more 'stuff' he tells me!  I think he needs a lesson in listing and selling - lol!

Photo books have been received and to say I'm pleased with them is an understatement.  I've now got another Christmas present - granddaughter's prom record - and a photographic record of 2012.  I've started cleaning out the files for 2013.  Italian holiday photos have been sorted and uploaded to the relevant site, so I've a smaller selection for that book.  I've also cleaned the files for 2012 ready to go on disc.  Unfortunately the discs I want (archival ones) are out of stock at the moment so they'll have to wait.  Think this photo business is going to be a life time's work as I'm trying to get them in order, clear out the rubbish ones and put them to disc in years.  A lot of work just from the digi photo side without those that go back pre digi and need scanning and sorting.

Not sure what pics to add to this post - there's just so many ...

Last June our next door 'forever' neighbours moved.  They were living next door when we moved here in 1988.  How long before that I don't know.  They were left a property in a flatter part of the area so they had it modernised and moved there ... they are both well into their 70s and one has knee problems the other, hips.  It made sense.  Property was bought by a guy for his daughter, who subsequently moved in 3 weeks later, after it had been modernised.  The new occupant is a young, unmarried Mum with a toddler (and now another on the way).  A few days later we met another of the new occupants and who has become a very regular visitor.  Not always welcome, I have to say.  Not when she finds the open fanlight window in our bedroom and visits at 1 o'clock in the morning!  I think she thinks she has 2 homes.  The one where she can come for a cuddle and peace and quiet and the one where she gets fed.  She doesn't here as we've tried not to encourage her but that may change come November as we've now been asked if we'll feed her while the neighbour goes on holiday ... as she visits us anyway - lol!

Honey ... making herself comfie on hubby's wheelchair.  A British Blue - I think.

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Not a lot ...

... going on at the moment so not much to blog about with up-to-date stuff.  Normal everyday business.  Grocery shopping (hate it!), chiropodist and general bits and pieces.  Archery stuff on eBay has a lot of interest ... thankfully ... so I'll be packing and posting soon.  Hope it all goes but over half already has bids and there's still over 4 days to go.  Strangest thing is that I listed my quiver and it's got 3 bids with numerous watching.  It is a quality quiver but ... it's personalised!  I had it made to my design way back.  The 'decoration' is as asked for, including my name.  Yep, it has PAM scribed on it in quite large letters.  Now it could be a name but I guess it could equally be initials.  Whatever, it was one of the first things I got a bid on.  On started it at 99p because I didn't think it was worth anything to anyone other than somebody called Pam so a very limited market.  It's currently at £7.50 and I've been asked how much to take it off auction and do a Buy it Now.  I won't do that because it has bids but more because there are so many watchers.  I'll let it find it's own price and be happy with that as it nearly got dumped :)

Think I'll continue the bathroom story ... as much as I can.

Bathroom was finished and we were using it well, despite not being happy with the finish (photos could show but we'll leave that bit now)  In February I thought it about time I got on with sorting the study out.  Other things had come along and put a stop to it over a few months.  Was progressing well when I took something off of a book shelf and found this ....

Blue 'dust'

Pulled the shelf out and moved stuff on the shelf below and saw this ...

More ... and down to the ground

I emptied the book case completely and started cleaning the mould away.  From the top it wiped off the wall quite well, then wallpaper started coming away with it and I realised the wall was wet.  On checking I found the edge of the carpet was wet and the bottom of the bookcase a CD tower next to it was also damp.  Wondering where this had all come from I suddenly realised that the other side of the wall was the wet room basin!   LEAK!  Went into the wet room and a quick check proved there was a leak but ... we couldn't turn the water off other than at the mains as I couldn't locate the isolator valves.  More to the point - I couldn't get to the pipework at all other than the top few inches.  The pipework had been boxed in with no access made to them.  Called plumber and asked him to come as an emergency.

Back to study and further investigation showed that the mould was behind a double wardrobe as well - and had transferred some to the back of the wardrobe.  The mould extended over a metre long and a metre high.  For the amount of mould we'd obvioulsy had the leak since the new basin and tap had been installed back in September/October.

Behind the wardrobe

Pulling the wardrobe away dragged some of the back off :(

The mould extended to where the dark spot is above the yard stick.
From there to where the paper is stripped it 'dusted' off.

Plumber arrived and, long story short ... this is how he left us.

Note how wet the boarding is under the basin ... and along the bottom!

This was after he'd had the basin off the wall.  It transpired that the isolator valves for the basin were behind the boxing in but in the bottom left corner and totally inaccessible.  This part of the room had to deconstructed to get to the pipework and with a view to putting in an access panel and new isolator valves.  It was then left open to help dry the wall.  This was February.  In May, after nearly 3 months and several attempts to cure the leak, unsuccessfully, we sacked the guy and contacted somebody else.  They found other problems that needed to be dealt with and problems that the guy, as a supposed heating engineer, should not have left us with.

The wet room, and the other problems, were finally sorted out and finished at the end of August ... nearly a year after the room was started.  We're finally leak free and have an access panel so our wet room now looks like this ...

Not a huge change but at least we're now dry and have access if ever needed again and .... the study wall is finally dry and has been cleaned up.  The paper is lifting and the room needs decorating but it's all clean and hidden and the rest can follow in time.  The saga is not yet finished though.  The original guy guaranteed his work.  He has had a bill sent and we're prepared to take it to law ....

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Busy couple of ...

... days, or so it's seemed.  Spent most of the day yesterday listing 'stuff' on eBay.  Archery stuff mainly.  I accepted I'll never shoot again some time ago but it's been hard making the decision to get rid of the equipment. Well, you never know, do you?  If I hung on to it then I could at least pretend that one day ....

Anyway, decision made so it's been offered for sale and within 15 minutes of being listed I had a bid on one of the items.  I've now 8 11 items with bids on (it's gone up 3 since I started this post *happy face* and everything is being 'watched').  I know that doesn't necessarily equate to bids arriving but the bow has had 118 views and has 23 watchers so I'm quite confident that will go, especially as I've had somebody ask if I'll ship to Italy - and it's now one of the items that has a bid on - YAY!.  It is a good bow, arguably one of the best ever made and it's no longer available.

Once I'd done that, hubby decided he wanted to try some of his target air rifle accessories.  He's not really shot target air rifle since around 1996 following an injury he picked up in the Atlanta Paralympics.  Trouble with OH is that he's no idea how eBay works for selling so it was a frustrating afternoon for me trying to explain and him not listening.  Suffice to say that if he sells any of what he has listed (courtesy of moi) he'll be blooming lucky!

I'm trying a new slow cooker recipe I found on Pinterest.  It smells good but may be a tad salty.  I always follow new recipes to the letter - unless I've not got all the ingredients but if I've got close I use that.  For this one I had them all.  We'll see what it's like come dinner time :)  After we've tried it as given I then make adjustments subsequently to suit our taste.  Watch this space - *LOL*

Washing machine is busy.  Guess the ironing board needs to be next :(  Bed was stripped yesterday and linen washed. Today it's the day to day stuff - aka, clothes!

I've also got a letter ready to go in the post tomorrow regarding our bathroom makeover.  Story goes - and I'll keep it as brief as possible ......

Spur of moment decision to have it done, bought on by OH's elbow problem (another story for another time) last year.  We had a plumber/heating engineer already doing odd jobs and he had good references on CheckaTrade.  Disabled bathroom/wet rooms were on his website as within his capabilities and tiling was one of his skills.  Oh ... how wrong all that was, as it turned out.  Anyways, quote given and accepted and work started.  3 weeks work he said.  Started well.  Room gutted, old tiles removed and walls all plastered by the first weekend.  2nd week started with the floor being prepped for the drainage and tiles started to be put into place and that was when we realised that perhaps he was a little short on the truth regarding his skills.  Every day, after he'd gone, I was finding tiles that weren't satisfactorily installed.  Every day he was having to remove some tiles and redo them.  It ended up that he was spending ½ the day putting right work he'd done the day before and the initial 3 week timescale started to get longer.  Eventually the room was finished (?) 7 weeks later.  Have to say that the finish was appalling.  We ended up with grout on the window frame which won't come off, even now.  To get it off we would ruin the frame.  Mind you, it's ruined with it on there.  We had tiles where he'd not even bothered to cut them round pipes and we had spaces between tiles that varied from nearly nothing to ¼ inch (spacers varied from proper plastic spacers to strips of cardboard of varying thickness).  There were holes in the grouting and .... I could go on but it gets boring!

I'd gone out the last morning.  I returned to be told that it was all finished but the shower didn't work?  WHAT???  Seems that he knew it was unlikely to work as he'd blown the fuse the very first day he was here but thought he'd fix it later.  He'd not isolated the electrics to the shower (which was being reused as it was newish, but moved) before he started taking the tiles off the wall or doing any of the 'demolition'.  In the end he had to call out an electrician friend (he couldn't find the fuse in the fuse box) who found the fuse and went to buy a new one.  Everyone left.  I went round with a notebook and post-it notes to label the 'snags'.  He came back to sort it all out .... not!  He did what he could that was possible.  The rest wasn't.  He got paid but less the cost of the door and his charge for fitting it.  Brand new door ruined when he cut it to fit - but it's only a little bit, was what he said when pointed out.  Not good enough, no pay :)

And that, as they say, was it .... or was it???

From this ...

To this ...

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