I Love Easter.
Always Have.
Always Will.

Time For Walks With Chocolate.
Time For Buds, Youth.
Spring.

Out With The Stale.
In With The Fresh.

New Styles.
Novel Ideas.
Unfamiliar Territory.

Hair Of Pearls.
High Pastry.

Unfurled.
Everything.
Sweet Horizons.

Retreat No Option.

Hot Cross Buns.

I Love Easter.

Smashing day shopping wise!

Bought:

Like stuff.
Like.
Pyrex jug.
And like.
Baking type things, yeah. You know. Decorations and crystallised fruit bits.
Edibles from Sainsburys, like I could not go.
Loads of pearly diamante hair jewellery. (What we old'uns used to call hair slides)
Bird seed. But couldn't buy Bee Hotel on account of being doshless!

Went in Smiths for a book for Mother. Useless staff. So Waterstones got my order and money.

Mr H. took me to Birdwood for tea and cake. He flirted with me over the Lamington.

Mr H splashed out on some 25mm x M6 hexagon nuts and bolts-spendthrift!

Must dash now have like ten zillion things to do/make and see to.

I'm ecstatic!

Donned in my finest clothes (luncheon date a little later) I popped out for the papers and tube of Ibuleve muscle rub, anyway as I left the chemist I felt in need of more excitement so off I drove to the charity shop around the corner the one near the tattoo shop. Both were open but I only visited one...


I was met, as usual, by crazy old Joan whose face flooded with blood as she hugged me.
"Ooooh you do look smart today" said Joan as she towered over me.
"Thanks Joanie matey" I smiled "I'm off out later for half a shandy and pickled onion"
I thought her face would explode so loud was her laugh, so puffed her veined cheeks.
We bantered for the next couple of minutes about my drink problem and her daughter's do over the Easter break. Loads coming over apparently and all wanting trifles and legs of lamb.
Poor Joan, she seems to be everyone's mum.

After I'd extricated myself from her grip she let me wander around the shop where I found:

A largish cream coloured conical shaped bowl, now home to various fruits. £1. (Oh God I'd love a cottage)

A small gift for a small friend. £2. Gift could prove lethal in hands of exuberant creative young man. Wooden toys a.k.a post-lunch missiles. Bless:(

A plastic suit protector. For my fox fur. Free. That is how much Joan loves me.

After much banter regarding my clothes I coyly hitched my tweed skirt behind the counter showing a hysterical Joan my Tank Girl Boots.
She is such fun and so willing to play with me that splashing out cash in her shop is more than just pleasure it is essential for our health and general well-being.
A laugh a day keeps the men in white coats away.
Lol.

Anyway after she'd got her old dying breath back we walked to the door and that's when I saw it.

Standing outside.

Its beauty lit by chilly weak sunlight. It was big, it was beautiful and so I said
"That's going home with me. Bag it"
More hysterics and a call to the big bloke out back, the one with the ring through his nose and purple Mohican hair.
Out he ran, his size 22 feet lumbering like elephants.
"I'll help you get it in the car" he boomed.
And so he did. With a lot of hard work.
The coffee table was stunning, shiny brown chequered wood, made in Norway and as heavy as a boat of rocks. Boat of rocks? Hmmm I like that.

Anyway after dismantling nearly the whole car we finally managed to shove it in, the boot though couldn't close. So I tied a couple of plastic bags to one of the legs to warn fellow motorists, then handed over £3 to Iron Man and drove off.......... very very cautiously:)

Arriving home was blissful.

New bowl and new table. All I had to do was unload.

Ran inside with bowl, dropping it on mum's knees, then very carefully I eased the table out, taking every precaution didn't want to risk scraping or scratching the divine top. By divine top I mean its top is gorgeous. Lacquered? Squares in varying shades of tawny brown, tan and mid-nutmeg. Beautiful definitely and really really heavy and awkward to move. But slowly does it and so slowly I did it and before mum could say "Tea please" I had it polished.

A fair morning's work I'd say.

Cheerio:)

Of course I'll post a pic...

Crumbs is that the time?!!!

Minutes turn into hours when I'm gardening.
Only went out to plant a few more pansies and now I'm all behind.

Having planted the last of the aforementioned Pansies I dug a hole and finally put to earth the Magnolia tree. Out front by the way. Near the place where I knocked down the garden post. I didn't know whether to stake it or not but seeing as it looks a wee bit delicate I poked a cane in and tied the young tree to it.
At the base I planted an Anemone. Looks so lost. But I thought the tree might like a little company. Little and large or WHAT!

Also being bedded down a few more perennials in shades of red yellow and orange. As I dug I noticed loads of seedlings popping up, so I watched very carefully where my fork/spade went. The tiny fragile green shoots are the shoots of some wildflowers I scattered a little while ago. What amazed me was that I noticed them amongst the forest of weeds out there which of course I pulled up. Loads more a veritable carpet there is, but overall my stint today has made an improvement. By Endurance We Conquer. (Sir Ernest Shackleton)

I'm parched now so before I set about making dinner I'll have a lonesome cuppa, Mother being in the land of Nod.

By the way whilst I pottered a robin landed on the bird table and looked at me. He was so cute I wanted to pocket him:)

Cheerio

Cup of tea by my side and a quick natter before my day truly begins..

Here's one of my favourite pics of all time. Me 28, Chiefy, my first cat, very young.

Last night's Port 'n chicken casserole was yummy, pools of Porty sauce coloured the mash mauvey. Chicken meat falling of the bones and flakes of darkened herbs spread about like deaded insects. LOL!

Today's gastronomic treat will be nothing like yesterday's.
Probably something late with a sausage.

Today, after I've dosed Mother up on drugs and washed her hair and fiddled with her gnarled horrible old feet, I'll settle on the settee with me cooking books fingering them hopefully.
Guests Saturday...

If I can rouse myself I might, later after several cups of tea, plant some more flowers, itching to do me Magnolia Tree, only concern, the weather forecast. Could a sudden snow drop kill the baby tree?
Will definitely put out the last Sweet Pea.
Ooodles of others to put in the ground but they can wait.
By the way my New Compost Bin is filling nicely, can't wait till I can lift the little door and scoopper out my very own rich mix.
That reminds me, I'm quids in on account of not giving in to the latest Avon catalogue.

Now I must glide away. A sink full of dishes await. Just wait till I get my claws on Mr Horsehound, the no good tripehound.

Feeling happily creative tonight so bish-bashed together some sort of chicken dish.

In the pot went...

Skinned thighs, plump and many
chopped onion, blah blah boo hoo
can of tomatoes, regular not posh cherry
few chopped olives, black and rich from Sainsbury's deli. 45p
quite a lot of garlic, half a head in fact
parsley rosemary basil tarragon marjoram thyme, some dried others fresh. Concoction known as Herbs de Provence
black pepper, generous to the point of cruelty:)
salt, miserly
fingers of carrots, for colour texture and vitamin intake
Port, a five second glug

To go with it? Probably mashed tatties to soak up the boozy liquor.

If I need a sugar fix I'll open a can of mis-shaped mandarins (Sainsbury's Basic) (29p)

Planted a few flowers today.
Pansies
English Pompoms
Sweet Peas

Made a loaf. Over did it a little on account of being distracted, but divine aroma and inner texture. Soft as an angel's buttocks and as white as your false teeth.
:)

Spur of the moment...

Molly

The lovely Tinkerbell getting all my attention

As Mr H and me sipped our morning beverages I suddenly had an urge. And being a sensible kind of girl I gave in to it. Never wise to withhold.

So off we went to buy some more plants.
Our first port of call being the Riverside nursery which is on the way to Hockley. Once inside I felt stirrings of a magical nurturing nature so Mr H went for a trolley.
And before long it was loaded with many plants but I didn't forget the child in me so a large yellow dragonfly-on-a-stick thing will be stuck into soil, probably by the ceramic cat.

I liked the Riverside nursery not just because of the huge amount of choice but because they are wise and canny enough to have on offer free tea coffee and hot chocolate for patrons. Very clever. I of course satisfied myself with a mug of hot choc. Yum.

So we left and headed home but as Mr H. drove carefully around curves and bends he suggested we pop into a pub.
"Oh alright" I said
"But only for a half of shandy and crisps".
So within about ten fifteen minutes we were sitting on a bench outside our favourite hostelry (we don't drink there THAT much only ever frequenting the joint to eat gorgeous food and to admire their beams and brasses).

Sitting outside on such a pleasant day suited us, we had a bench overlooking a field and as I drank shandy I felt very happy.

And so we passed the time by drinking and sharing cheese and onion crisps and discussing nature and how new love cannot be assuaged.

Time to leave. So we left.
And seeing as The Punchbowl is near Four Acres we popped in on the way home...

See above pics:)

Being cooked today (rather late too)

Leg of pork
apple sauce
yorkies
tatties
glazed carrots and parsnips

No idea about pud.

So far it's been a corker of a day. Acting on impulse and heaps of foliage.

Cheerio