More aggravation

My computer is still dead, and Mas spent most of the day trying to sort it out and making various two hour long conversations with different IT people. I did gardening as I could not stand listening to it all; if left to my own devices I would have thrown my computer out and gone back to writing with ink and quill.

In the evening we were so fed up we watched an old episode of Jeeves and Wooster to relax, but I still had a poor nights sleep.

Friday was a ditto of Thursday, except that we went swimming in the afternoon, and in the evening watched a Pie in the Sky and the Mentalist, which seems increasingly stupid to me.

At a later date I found Joan had sent me this picture of spring flowers in her garden.

Toby arrives in the UK

Toby arrived from Toronto yesterday around 4.00am and went down to Pete's; I spoke to them later in the day.

My brother Peter came to see us, and we sat in the garden talking for a while before having lunch; the weather was very hot and humid, interspersed with sudden showers, but it was a nice change relaxing in the garden.
Later I walked Peter down to the station and saw him off before it got too late.


Today Mas had an appointment at the Royal Free Hospital at midday, but came back quite quickly. Toby arrived around 4.00pm, looking very well. We all had a lot to talk about, but managed to break off long enough to go to The Harvester pub at Mill Hill for an evening meal which we all enjoyed.

Visits from friends, to hospitals and round the bend

On Sunday we had invited Tania, Robert and Diane over hoping that the weather would be good enough to eat out in the garden, but it was cooler with a chilly breeze. Luckily the house was still fairly tidy so we could concentrate on preparing the food until they arrived.

This exotic huge flower, which Glen and Barry gave us last year, has flowered at last.

We had a nice afternoon with our friends, Mas cooking rather too much food. We managed to sit in the garden for some time, but it was a bit chilly. Later Robert and Tania gave Diane a lift to the station before going home themselves.

We went off to bed quite early as we were feeling tired after our marathon entertaining weekend.

On Monday we got up early as Mas had to go to the Royal Free Hospital for some tests. Salty was not to be seen, usually he is waiting for us to get up. We had breakfast, and I drove Mas to the station.

Salty had not eaten any food during the night, and had not slept at home. When it began raining quite heavily I became more concerned as I know if he was nearby he would come indoors to get out of the rain. I phoned Pete, telling him I thought someone may have stolen him as he is so handsome; Pete said he wasn't and that no one would want him as he has such an ugly tail!

I walked down to Edgware whistling as shrilly as I could looking for him, and getting some strange looks on the way.

Mas came home from the hospital happy to have got the tests over with, and relieved that there is nothing serious the matter, and went round the block looking for Salty without any luck.

When it began to get dark I walked in a different direction, whistling again. I could not see him, but walking past Margaret and John's house I spotted him and called. He gave me such an indifferent look that I had to look carefully at him to make sure it was him. He moved from front garden to front garden, then he sat down next to two small cats and they all looked at me! I got hold of him and marched round the bend to our house with him growling all the time, I had obviously shown him up in front of his friends!

I had an email from Joan. Spring has finally come to her part of Ontario and she sent these pictures of Wake Robins and Dog Toothed Violets growing in the woods

Garden work and Legal Eagles

Today Mas and I went into the garden with Salty. It was cold and bright, Mas was sawing cut off branches and I swept leaves and cleared away all kinds of debris for about an hour. In the meantime Salty climbed five trees several times; he still finds it difficult to climb down the trees, and once I saw him peering down from a tree with his mouth in a comical '0' shape, and he had, at one point, to be rescued from a shed roof.

Later I walked down to Edgware, as fast as I could, for exercise, bought Mas a fleece sweater in a sale and a TV guide, and walked home again. Mas, meanwhile, was putting up a new washing line for me. I need not have bothered with the TV guide as there was nothing on that interested us, so we watched an old video with Robert Redford in it called Legal Eagles which was entertaining.

surprise orchids and neighbour's garden

I am feeling much better than I have for a long time, and for the first time coffee tasted like coffee again, and it felt good to be alive.

We spent some time in the garden as everything seems to be growing really fast. Later found I had a long and happy email from Jana, which made me glad too.

Our neighbour invited me to his garden to look at what he has been doing with it over the last two weeks.