Garden Flowers

Guess what?  After two days of lovely sunshine it's back to the wet weather and more rain.

To brighten my day I thought I'd take a snap of my Bleeding Heart in between showers.

I've noticed that a few other bloggers have these plants too.  John bought me mine two years ago and it's so easy to keep.  Cut it back once it's stopped flowering and leave it to it's own devices.  Simple.

My other new addition this year is a Mossy Saxifrage which we got as it has the same name as the dog.

This looks pretty easy to keep too.  Just cut the dead stalks back to the green moss and leave till next year.

I like simple plants that look after themselves as I am definitely not a gardener.

Weekend wanderings

The weather this weekend has been glorious.  Or at least it's been a lot drier than last week when we had flood warnings!!

It was on with the boots and out with Moss.  John and I took him out whilst the Teenage One was still in his pit.

The trees are starting to look green again...... (they actually looked lime green in real life)

the pond was looking very calm.....................

Mr Swan gave the evil eye as we went past.  Mrs Swan was safely on the nest at the other end.

and the rape seed is yellow.....................not good for hay fever sufferers but lovely to look at.

It was nice walking around the village as it's very quiet now the traffic is diverted around the back.

Trying to make the most of the good weather we bought some bedding plants and tidied up the garden.  I'm hoping to have a colourful garden in the next few months with Geraniums, Petunias, Pansies, Lobelia plus one called Mossy something or other which we just had to have.
My orange scarecrow is called Tattie Bogle and is from my nephew who was in his school play of the same name.

How was your weekend?

Sunset

My shot of the day - Sunset over the village.   Taken whilst leaning out of my bedroom window!!

Start as you mean to go on

Last week we moved into our new school and I decided that with the new move there would be the new me.  Nothing to drastic but just a few things that I have been meaning to do for some time but have never gotten around to.

1::  So firstly there is the new office.
The new school is amazing and our office is beginning to look more like an office now we all have the box mountain unpacked.  There is still a long way to go with unpacking the Archive but that's a whole other story.  I've de-cluttered my desk and am in the process of brightening up my work space.  Everything in the office is either blue or grey and I feel it's in need of a little colour.
I'll get some pictures of the office this week.

This picture was taken by a pupil a few days before the old school closed and the Easter holidays began. This is some of our S6 pupils on their tour of the new building.

2::  The chop.
After my sister came to visit at Easter I decided that I needed to get my hair cut shorter. So that's what I did.  It's not so very different than before but it feels so much better now the weight has gone from the back.

3::  The big D.
Yep!  That would be the diet.  It's back.  Hopefully for good this time.  No falling off the wagon and drowning myself in chocolate wrappers and cake packets!!

4::  And finally...........

Pets as Therapy.  This is something I've wanted to do for the last few years but Moss was unwell and it's taken that long to figure out what's wrong and what he needs to fix it.  Turns out he just needs steroids!!
We went for our assessment back in February at a sheltered housing complex in the local town.  There Moss had to show how he could behave when encountering wheelchairs, walking sticks, zimmers etc. How he coped with being fussed and patted and how he behaved while I was taking to the ladies from the complex.  He did really well and passed with flying colours.
Once we had the notification that he had passed we had to organise where to take him, so I had a look at the list of places in our local area, that were on the waiting list, and chose a Nursing home a few miles away that had been waiting since 2002 for a volunteer.

Today was our first visit and despite the hiccup of the home not knowing we were coming it went very well.  Thankfully I phoned before leaving just to make sure they were expecting us.  They said there was nothing in the book but to come along anyway.
The activities lady was really pleased that PAT had phoned to ask if they'd like someone to visit as some of the residents had had to leave their dogs when they went into the home.
Moss was so well behaved and really liked the fussing - but then that's him all over.

We've been invited back in a fortnight so that can't be a bad thing.

What are you reading?

I'm currently reading The Dress by Sophie Nicholls.  I only bought it, as when I got my Kindle I didn't have any books and this one was only 99p.

It's a bit slow at the start but things seem to be picking up now I'm half way through.  My only problem now is staying awake long enough to read it!!

The Dress starts out as a sweet, gentle story of a vibrant, exotic mum who opens a vintage dress shop, and her self-conscious teen-aged daughter - the new kid in town who is having trouble figuring out where she fits in. The first half of the story continues in this vein as we get to know Fabbia and Ella.

About half way through things take a slightly darker turn and in the end we learn more of what has shaped the lives of Fabbia and Ella.

Monthly Make - April 12

As we've just moved to a brand, spanking new school I thought I'd make an office sign to go in the window next to my desk. I used 6 old CDs (that had been lying around hubby's office gathering dust), covered them in oddments of patterned paper, traced and cut out some Basic Grey letters and added a few embellishments on each circle.

It doesn't look too bad, if I say so myself. Unfortunately with it being a brand, spanking new school the Head Teacher doesn't want anything in the window so it's now hanging on the noticeboard instead.

You can't win them all.

Last week

Last week we had visitors.  My sister and nephew came to stay for the second week of the school holidays.  It isn't always easy to get time off together as the English school have different holiday times from Scottish schools. 

With a 10 year aged gap between cousins it might have been a difficult week but.....................

The boys went swimming:

They went to Starbucks:

The Teenage One even held his cousins hand whilst out walking the dog:

My Nephew enjoyed the play park at Baxter's where we went for a pancake.

He also liked his cousin's gaming headset.  He did try it on whilst his cousin was still asleep though!!

And of course no week would be complete without a bit of plane spotting at the local castle.

All in all a very good week but over too soon.

I hope your week was a good one.

Happy Mail?

My sister, she of the Happy Mail, sent this card.
It arrived today.
Yes, that's right, the sister who is staying with me this week.
Little sisters ...

Happy Easter

Happy Easter from my favourite shop in Vernon.  Pâtisserie Rose.

All 100% chocolate.  How cool is that?

Chateau Bizy

Friday we took a walk around Chateau Bizy which is 1 mile from Vernon "Centre Ville" (Town centre).
We were a bit disappointed that the tour of the house wasn't longer or that we couldn't see the whole of the gardens but the bits we did see were very nice.  As per usual I had two "not really interested" blokes with me but I just ignored them!!

The main part of the Chateau - from the courtyard.

 Main courtyard leading to the stables.

 The front of the Chateau - which overlooks the English park.

 The gardens that we were allowed to walk around were very peaceful and very warm to sit in whilst waiting for the tour to begin.

 With small statues and water features.

We also walked up to the fountains (of which there are quite a few).  I popped in to take a picture of the horse-fish but had a really spooky feeling come over me and they really freaked me out.  I couldn't take the picture quick enough.  It was a really strange feeling and one I didn't like very much at all.  It's something I've never felt before and never want to feel again.  The boys thought I was a freak!!

And just for my Mum I managed to get a picture of the Teenage one.  Not looking too shabby after two days in bed.

Giverny

How is it when you go away on holiday someone isn't well?  Why can't that happen when you're at work or school so you can have time off?  The Teenage one has had a horrible chesty cough for the last few days and has spent much of the days in bed.  In an attempt to get some fresh air into him, yesterday we went the few miles up the road to Giverny.  The village where Claude Monet lived for the last 43 years of his life.  Where he painted his famous Water Lillies.

We'd already been around his house last summer so just walked around the village.

 Down the narrow little streets.....

 The new mingling in with the old.....

 up to Sainte-Radegonde church

 which is much prettier on the inside than out.

Stopping to look for the Commonwealth War Graves of 7 airmen killed on 8 June 1944.

Then back to the car via the fish pond where the boys played "Spot the biggest"!!

A fishy tale

Yesterday John and Samuel went fishing.
1:  Waiting for a bite....

 2:  We're in!!!

 3:  The one that got away!!

 4:  John's turn to wait.....

 5:  Second catch of the day

 6:  And another one.......

7:  And me?  I finished reading my book in the sun.

8:  All in all a very pleasant few hours watching the world go by on the river.  Sitting in the sun.  Catching four Bream and losing three!!

A chilled Sunday

This Sunday was very chilled.  Probably because we're not at home but back in France.  We flew back to Paris on Saturday and were back in Vernon for tea time.

On Sunday John and I decided to go and get some bread for lunch.  As the boulangers are open on a Sunday there are always fresh baguettes on the go.

We walked past the church (called Notre Dame as all churches in France seem to be)......

 and the back of the Town Hall....

bought the bread....

and had to stop and sit in the sun with a cool beer.....



Later we took the Teenage one out for a walk before supper.

We walked past the neighbours in their lovely pink house....

 down to the trees on the side of the River Seine

 over the bridge where, just because he's nearly as tall as his Dad...

 Samuel learnt that he's not big enough yet not to get duffed up by him!!!

 We stopped to take a picture of the bridge house which is all that's left of the original bridge after it was bombed during WWII.

 and where John had a quick snooze......

 before heading back across the river and home.

It made a change from walking the dog, the housework and the ironing!!