Look I really can't think about anything other than tonight's result...

Southgate's boys beat the German boys 2-0.

And this, for me, is the thickest sweetest icing on today's deelish cake. 

Today has been an ok kind of day. Been houseworking and baking. And that's fine. That's what I love to do.

And readers of this blog of which in the past have been many will know how much the antics of the England football team fascinate me.

Tonight's performance had me nearly choking on a piece of pork crackling but I cheered on and with the final whistle gave my pacemaker something to get its teeth into. I now wait for Saturday's match against either Ukraine or Sweden...

Tonight's win was a super special birthday present for me, albeit it a day late, but any win against any team on any day will always be the most wonderful gift.

Thanks Gareth, Raheem and Harry.

You've made a very old girl happy.

 

 

 Rain.

Rain.

And more rain.

Not a problem for me. I'm resting with Mark. Resting? Hardly. But I must try. Doctor Kelly's advice.

He was charming. Very chummy but very businesslike too. And so as I sat boiling with the heat, he said "you will be having a heart scan".

This on account of what the phsyiologist found two weeks ago when I went for a Pacemaker check up.

Apparently I'd had an event, an occurence in the lower chambers of my heart. Which, the doc said, was serious.

Bugger.

But he was so nice about it, about everything in fact, so reassuring. But his soothing friendly tone of voice didn't quite mask the seriousness of my situation.

After smiling broadly we said our cheerios, he went back to his large desk and I left the  hospital walking briskly to the bus stop.

I shopped till I nearly dropped, getting bits and bobs for Father's Day. Bought a gift on behalf of Mark for his dad, and a box of chocolate brazils for Mark's grandad. Don't know if any of that makes sense. Mark, bless him, can't shop, he hasn't a clue about money. We, his family, do the shopping for him, paying for it happily. Mark just does the "what have you bought? thing.

 He really is a wonderful young man. Full of joy. 

And by jolly jingo do we need that right now.

 

The hanging basket filled with apricot coloured begonias looks delightful.

Been very busy getting the gardens in to shape ready for summer . We were planning a party for Mark's 21st birthday, complete with bundles of his chums, a couple of family members and one or two of our mates from the car club. But we've decided to chop away at the guest list on account of covid not going away...

So the garden ensemble will consist of... Mark, dad, me, mum and grandad and granma. 

And, with the outstanding help from the charity Willow, a special appearance by Britain's Got Talent winner magician Richard Jones. 

Willow has been amazing, they help people who have had cancer, by offering holidays and gifts. They will also be supplying a birthday cake. We can't thank them enough. So a huge hug from us to Josie....Hug coming sometime later this year!

We, that's Rob and me, have, with lots of sweaty work and cash, transformed the back garden from a dullish workaday place to a picturesque slap happy lots of nooks and crannies space with fabulous herb garden, fruit and veg plots and a resident resin Buddha who shares a space with a swinging from a branch monkey.

The garden centre which has supplied flowers, ornaments, swing seats and bird feeders is the Potash Garden centre. 

I can't say life has been easy or even bearable during lockdown, it hasn't but, in the words of Marks's gran, "we're getting there".

Talking of Mark's gran, her lot hasn't been a bundle of fun either. Her beloved husband of over 60 years has dementia and what a heap of stress that has brought.

Rob's been getting 5a.m phone calls saying grandad has gone awol. Again. And can we go find him. So being the dutiful son he staggers out of bed and we cruise the quiet streets looking for the 87year old. Last time he went out for an early stroll we found him talking to a cabbie. On talking to the cabbie we discovered grandad wanted to go to Rayleigh. He was in Rayleigh only he thought he was in Stratford. And so it goes on. And so his wife, who is sometimes NOT his wife but an impersonator, struggles tearfully to hold onto the man she loves.

What makes this so painful to watch, to participate in, to feel is the fact that granma refuses to admit he has dementia. According to her he gets 'confused'...

He was in hospital for a week with a UTI, it was successfully treated and he was sent packing, he nows wanders his home in a daze thinking I'm a nurse. 

The hospital showed very little interest in the dementia or how his wife was going to cope, it was simply a case of 'he has family'...

So here we are...

Rob is working from home. Trying to concentrate being his biggest problem

Jeannie works occasionally. Trying to get her to do anything is ours.

Granma is in denial. Those pansies WILL get planted. My husband is back to his old self.

Grandad is the sole inhabitant on his planet.

Mark is blind.

I have a heart problem

I am watching Euro 2020...

Then Wimbledon.

 

 Another early start.

Crept into the back room just after five, and so not wishing to awake the sleeping beasts upstairs I boiled a little water in small pan over a low heat to make a cup of tea. 

And as I drank the tea I listened to the bird song. A perfect start to anyone's day. Yesterday I saw a Blackbird standing on our model railway track, its beak holding tight a bundle of broken branch bits and dried grasses. It saw me yet didn't move, not even a brief flutter of wings. Then it flew.

There's a cool breeze dancing its way into the little back room, the window being slightly ajar.  And as I look out onto the back garden thoughts of weed killing spring to mind. A job for this morning. I only hope I can get on with the task without interruption.