One month slides into another

October has been a very pleasant month,  Weather-wise maybe not brilliant, but very pleasant otherwise.

A personal highlight of every October is that I mark another year.  I'm now 66 and still wondering what I will do when I grow up.  I think birthdays get even better as one gets older,  These days I acquire very little "stuff" which needs stuffing away somewhere but instead I get loving messages and cards, I'm treated to special lunches and I get loads and loads of flowers.  For a week or two it feels as though I am living in a florist's shop!  

Some of my birthday flowers

I've had the decorator in which always feels like a very mixed blessing.  It's lovely when my house feels extra fresh and clean but I find preparing rooms for decorating and then setting them straight very difficult.  Fortunately I have kind and loving friends and cousins who would do far more for me if I would let them and they are happy to come and do their bit.  

I've got a good start on writing Christmas cards and most presents have been bought and are ready for wrapping.  

And November begins tomorrow.  A friend will be coming to stay for a few days.  November is one of my "me months" when I allow myself more time for myself.  And it's the month when slow cooked soups and stews, hot buttered crumpets and cosy days at home come into their own.  Wonderful!

A Quick Update

One "thing" is conspicuous by his absence from my Blog.  The mighty Jack.

I am missing Jack's help very much.  I have been very lucky and have found someone to help me with the garden and some DIY but Jack and I have been friends for many, many years and despite what he tells you about what a dictatorial bully I am, I let him do (more or less) what he likes in the garden.  The front garden is referred to as Jack's garden!!

However, I am not missing Jack's friendship for the simple reason that I have visited the great man every few weeks.  I went this week and I can promise you that he is as cheeky as ever.  He is waiting for knee surgery but is still the same old Jack.  He and Mrs Jack now have a Shih tzu called Millie who is keeping both of them on their toes.  His own garden looks immaculate and Mrs Jack keeps him in order as well.  They enjoy their caravan at Mablethorpe and they have a son and a daughter as well as three grandchildren to keep them busy.

In his absence I have planted three hebes in "his" garden.  He loathes hebes but I didn't know that until I had planted them.  However, he now has a very definite reason to come back and get me back in order.  

I know he will read this so - "Look after yourself, Jack.  The garden and the blog are both missing you".  

Today is the day you meet a unicorn

Now there's lucky for you.  Unicorns are known to bring good luck so today is definitely your lucky day.  

I met this chap at the WI (Women's Institute) on Thursday.  He is wooden and was a little plain when I met him so I decorated him using pyrography (pokerwork).  It was my first shot at this craft but I was very well supervised!

I don't think I'll be doing any more so he's come on my blog to see if he can find any friends.  Any takers?

Hopscotch

Hopscotch was an odd one.  It was a game which adults could remember from their own childhood and so it was approved of - but not at our school!  The problem was we weren't allowed to chalk on the playground and hopscotch needs markings.  

These days most playgrounds have painted hopscotch pitches.  I found this one at the Eden Project when I was in Cornwall.  This isn't quite the same as "our" layout but there are many variations.  The idea was to throw a beanbag (or whatever!) into the first square and then hop over it and continue down the pitch and back again.  On the way back you stopped at square two, picked up the beanbag, hopped into square one and home.  You then threw the beanbag into square two and repeated the hopping, this time hopping over square two and so on.  The people awaiting their turn watched with eagle eyes and woe betide a hopper who put a toe where no toe should be or if the beanbag didn't land cleanly within its proper square as that was instantly the end of the "go".  To overbalance was the end of respectability and a cue for pitying or contemptuous remarks.

No-one stopped us from chalking on pavements so it was a good game after school.  I remember it especially in the long summer holidays.  I actually preferred playing alone as the wait for one's turn could otherwise be very long!