Baby Steps

Baby steps do accomplish a lot.  It's so easy to stress yourself out standing at point A and looking at point B and wondering how on earth you're going to get there.  This week we did a little bit every day, even in the drizzle (that fine rain, that soaks you through!) and we've transformed a good quarter to a fifth of the garden already.  It's the part that everyone sees first, whether they go outside or look through the living room window.

This morning Mr G's best mate Pete has been round with his chainsaw to tackle some hard to reach branches and bushes and that is probably about the height of it for today.  A lot of people see Sunday as their day of rest, but (unless we're entertaining that night!) Saturday is our family's day of rest.  I try to be at home with the family every Saturday, just chilling out as best we can.  Minimal housework.  I have - against the odds - actually got dressed in proper clothes today, but usually I go no further than a shower and a fleecy onesie!   One of our little treats for the week is a £1 Goals Galore football coupon on a Saturday, and we enjoy watching the vidiprinter for two hours.  Yes, enjoy.  Yes, I'm aware it's sad.   It's also Grand National Day, but I'm not having a bet on that race, because... I do find it a cruel race.  Most years there's at least one horse that has to be put down, so it's obviously too much, or too dangerous for them.  Animals dying isn't sport, not to me anyway.  I know a lot of people each year say they won't bet on it again because of that reason, but go against their own word.  I haven't bet on it for three years now.   

We try to be very 'green' as a family; aside from the obligatory recycling that most people do nowadays with their rubbish collections, we recycle our glass, plastic bottles, paper, cardboard, garden waste and food waste.  Before the Council started taking food waste we used to compost it anyway.  But also if something can be donated, reused or upcycled then we do that as well.  Years ago we had some of those canvas and wooden framed wardrobes and drawers, you know the ones, can't afford a new wardrobe?  This will do as an interim measure.  Neither use nor ornament.  We've kept the wooden frames in the garden, and they've had plants on and empty plant pots not in use, things like that.  I'd bought some new herbs this last few weeks, and Mr G decided to build me a herb planter, from the wooden frames.  All this cost us is £2.79 for a piece of 2 by 2 for the corners.  We had the nails, and the lining already.  But of course, in going to buy this piece of wood, my husband also managed to embarrass me.  Imagine the scene ladies.  No, actually gentlemen, I'd love a man's point of view on this one.  What would you do?  Hardware store.  Full of men buying hardware-y stuff.  Robin Thicke's 'Blurred Lines' comes on the radio.  Do you:

a) Remember the first time you saw the uncensored video of 'Blurred Lines', let your eyes glaze over at the memory

or do you

b) Twerk your way down the aisle to the queue

Yeah.  He lost me four aisles back, I had to hide and pretend I wasn't with him.

Can you tell what it is yet?

Isn't he clever!

I love my new planter, I love it even more because it didn't cost me a fortune, and that it's something Mr G made for me.  In the rain. 

Filled my strawberry planter and potted on two hanging baskets of Tumbling Toms, red ones and this year we're going to sample some yellow ones too.  Hopefully...

Here we go...

The doorbell.  There is a story behind the doorbell.  As you can imagine.  And it involves my ritual humiliation in B&M (of course) by my lovely husband.   As you can see, it's a Cockerel.  Yeah. 

Mr G:  Shell!  Come here, come and look at this massive Cock!

Thing was, there was a member of staff coming down the aisle, and she FELL into a display when he said it!  He embarrassed me every time we went in there, so I bought it for him in the end. 

So, yesterday I had all manner from him, every conceivable comment you could think of including 'putting cocks up' 'easiest cock erection I've ever had'.   Oh.  You name it, he said it very loudly.  It's a good job my next door neighbour is deaf.  But what the woman next door but one thinks, I don't know...   

M x