Tuesday 14 April 2020

From A Distance - Day 24 & 25


Yesterday started with Wii Fit, a blog catch-up and fruit & yoghurt for breakfast. In a previous life, we'd have spent Easter Monday trawling the car boot sales of rural Staffordshire but, instead, we walked to Johal's for groceries. Trust me, in these strange new times, getting all the items on my shopping list was every bit as thrilling as unearthing vintage treasure.

My trusty 1970s slow cooker - £1.50 from a car boot sale

After we'd got back from our expedition and had sanitised our shopping I assembled the ingredients for dhal and threw them into the slow cooker. We'd been battered by gale-force winds the night before so, armed with my yard brush, I swept up the Magnolia petals and noted with pleasure that the bluebells were in bloom.


According to the National Trust, over half the world's bluebells are found in the UK and they're relatively rare in the rest of the world. Who knew?


Since yesterday the temperature had dropped significantly so it was back to long sleeves, a jacket and boots but as the sun was still shining I was still able to sit outside and paint the flagpole.


Jon moved the wood to the newly positioned wood store,


And I weeded my fern bed,


Already showing signs of new life.


The joy of living in an old property is that you only have to dig a few inches to unearth something old and interesting, like this antique gate bolt I found whilst weeding.


That looks a lot better!


After a brisk walk around the block (those trees on the left are ours as is the fence), it was time to watch the government's daily update and to think about tea, deciding upon a mishmash of stuff from the freezer and some potatoes that were on the turn.



Tuesday (day 24) started in the usual way, a half-hour workout on the Wii Fit at around 7am, something I've done religiously for over a decade.


For those interested, my exercise routine consists of ten minutes of yoga followed by twenty minutes of step aerobics, five days a week. Looking at my trip photos when I got back from India last year I wasn't happy with the top of my arms, they seemed to have lost their tone since I turned 50. As luck would have it I came across these weights in the £1 charity shop a few days later, incorporated them into my step routine and within a month my arms were back to how they used to look.


After our fruit and yoghurt breakfast, Jon trimmed the ivy on the wall where the wood store used to be, checking thoroughly for nests first, while I varnished the flagpole. When he'd finished we swept up the trimmings, managing to fill two garden waste sacks, which we hid away behind the wheelie bins. Due to the Pandemic, the council has suspended the garden waste collection & closed the tips and it could be months before we can dispose of it.



After a lunch of dhal and wholemeal roti, I thinned out the plants growing in the border at the front of the house to make room for the flagpole. The new flag should be arriving in time for the weekend, I've just had an email from the eBay business I bought it from. Repositioning those electrical cables is a job for tomorrow.


The lads were as helpful as ever!


In the greenhouse we now have radish, lettuce, summer savoury, leeks and cucumber sprouting, there's turnips and French radishes in the beds, basil & peppers on the windowsill and rocket in the cola bottle planter.


The rhubarb, redcurrants and blackcurrants are looking good as are the chives, rosemary, fennel and thyme.


On our daily walk around the block, we salvaged a few dandelions for Jacob's tea.



He's 45 this year - here he is in 1975, along with me, Mum and my brother, Marcus, (who has always hated having his photo taken). The photo was taken by my Grandma and we're at Stonecroft, sitting beneath the kitchen window.


We've still got the same window and, forty-five years later, there's even a spider plant or two on the sill inside!


In cruel contrast to last week's mini-heatwave, the temperature has hovered around 10°C today. It's gloriously sunny but horribly cold when you're in the shade. Under my dress, I'm wearing leggings and knee-high socks. We're forecast some heat again tomorrow and I can't wait.

WEARING: Vintage 1970s psych print maxi dress (swapped with a vintage trader friend, 2016), Clarks' Orinoco Club boots (eBay)
Tea tonight is a salad with a mozzarella & red pepper flatbread (another freezer discovery, dated best before August 21st, 2019). Living on the edge, again!

Stay safe, stay sane, stay healthy!

64 comments:

  1. Ah! Bless! Look at Jacob..He's lovely..! ;).
    HeHe! Love that name..That is a tortoises name..!
    Did you know..The name Jacob comes from the Biblical
    story of Jacob's birth where he came out holding the
    heel of his twin brother, Esau..
    I may be a lapsed Catholic..but..l remember my bible..!
    And the lord said unto Moses...you know the rest..! :).

    I'm looking forward to seeing your flag up and blowing..
    I've just this minute brought mine in..the Red, White and
    Green flies during the week, the Sicilian one on Sunday..!
    They look great..except for the bullet holes..HeHe! I jest!
    I Jest! :).

    Looks as though every time you post, the shrubs and things
    look a little bigger..I love the colours in the garden, even
    better when the sun'a shinning..Love to sit out, with a nice
    plate of antipasto..bottle red wine..Chianti if l have it,
    or a bottle of Sicilian Nero d'Avola Terre..After all some
    of the grapes could come from my families vine groves..! :)

    Well..must get on..Hope everyone is getting by from day to day,
    keeping busy that's the main thing..always summat to do around
    your home or garden..l'm not one more being bored..l'm afraid
    l don't sit and read books, patience..or lack of it..!
    And, l also have my music..an old Motown LP..on my old record
    player, just after the wind up..and l'm sorted..! :o).
    HeHe! "Get on Down" "Make it Funky" "Soul Brother Number One".

    So...
    Happiness keeps you sweet..
    Trials keep you strong..
    Sorrows keep you human..
    Failures keep you humble..
    Success keeps you Glowing..
    But..Only Friends..
    Keep You Going..!!! Amen..!!!
    (((*°▽°*)八 (*°▽°*))) (((*°▽°*)八(*°▽°*))) (((*°▽°*)))

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    1. I know hardly anything about the bible so I don't know what happened when Jacob came out grasping his brother's heel! I think our Jacob was named after the wine, Jacob's Creek!
      I've been trying to sit in the sun today, in my long sleeves, big boots and polo neck, I hope it'll be warmer tomorrow and talking of tomorrow I can have a drink then, I'm already lookimng forward to it after you've mentioned wine!
      Cheers, Willie! xxx

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  2. Owning a tortoise is really a lifetime commitment, isn't it? I know you mentioned in your previous post not loving turnips...I hate cooked turnips but love them raw. Eat them much like carrots and chop them up in salads. I love their tangyness that just turns nasty when cooked. Plus they last forever in your fridge. Lovely dress as always!

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    1. I like turnips but Jon doesn't - I was wondering how they'd be in a coleslaw, now you've said that they're good raw I'll try doing that. xxx

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    2. Try thinking of raw turnips as a substitute for water chestnuts. :)

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    3. Beth, that's a great idea! I love water chestnuts in a stir-fry! x

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  3. Funny about the trash pick-up, it's been 2 weeks since my town stopped picking up curb side recycling. Checked out the county's (Lowndes) website and listed is the address for a county recycling center. Imagine my annoyance when we went today and it was closed, and now a private for customers only place! What a pain! My recycling is piled on the porch. Garden clippings are still being picked up. Yes, I left the house for the first time in 3 weeks!

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    1. That's annoying! thankfully our recycling and household waste collections are still going ahead here, most of us are leaving notes of thanks on the bin lids or taping bags of sweets to the top to show our beloved bin men our gratitude.
      You left the house? Don't make a habit of it! xxx

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  4. Wow! It's amazing that Jacob is 45 and he's been with you all that time! Looks like you're going to have and awesome variety of veggies and herbs. I wanted to plant more this weekend, but it got windy on Sunday. I had just finished sweeping the porch and a big dust devil came along and blew it all back in 3 seconds. I swept it again, but then it got really cold in Albuquerque and snowed all day Monday. At least the lilacs didn't get damaged from frost. It's supposed to get really cold tonight so I hope they'll be ok. Warmer Spring weather is coming tomorrow though. Cats are always so helpful. Mine supervise me to make sure I'm doing stuff right. Love your dress and the cool boots!

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    1. Gah! What bad timing for that wind to arrive just as you'd swept the porch.
      It's been horribly cold here but thankfully no snow - although its not unheard of here in April and May.
      I always imagine Albuquerque to be hot!
      Cats are so helpful, I don't know how we'd function without them. One of ours kidly reminded me that his biscuit bowl was running low - at 5am this morning! xxx

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  5. Love the photo of Jacob as a baby and as he is now. Hope he enjoyed the dandelions!

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    1. Thanks, Kate-Em! he's missing his posh bags of mixed salad leaves, not much chance of getting any of those for th foreseeable future. xxx

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  6. Are those fiddle head ferns? You grow such interesting things! I have bunting to hang but we need to get hooks, so I'm going to get a list together and hopefully order on-line to then go pick up. I'm impressed by how much you are accomplishing in your yard.

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    1. I had to Google fiddlehead ferns - wow! I didn't realise there were an edible variety. I'm not sure what these are called, they're a native British variety ad grow like mad in our shady garden.
      Thank goodness for online shopping! We're running low on fat blocks for the birds, hopefully our order should arrive by the weekend. xxx

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  7. Bless Jon for checking the ivy for nests before trimming! Back in the day when I owned a half-acre property (with a wild back fence), I cherished the lawn care service lady who took the time each spring to hunt and mark the nests of baby rabbits in high grass.

    Your new red nail enamel is very attractive with the 70's maxi you're wearing in the pix holding Jacob! And that bit of coral in the turquoise ring really *pops*!

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    1. Your lawn care lady sounded like a wonderful person, no wonder you employed her services!
      I can't believe I've never worn a normal colour nail enamel before, I love it - I hardly recognise my own feet! xxx

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  8. I've been trying to figure out what it is about your garden that is so different, aside from all of the fascinating bits and pieces. I think it's because you're an artist and it is that which gives everything a special touch. On another note, wow to being so impressive with your wiifit routime. Honestly you are amazing how you've kept your figure and the wifi thingey no doubt plays a big part?

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    1. You are so kind and very generous with your praise! xxx

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  9. Our last home was a farm where there had been an earlier homestead in the 1800s. We would find the craziest stuff but the best had to be when the ground started developing a sinkhole and we realised at some point there was another house and the foundation was still there. Could have been dangerous had it gone unnoticed.

    Jacob is a fine old man. How is he adjusting to dandelion?

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    1. Fancy your farm being built on another house, what on earth were the builders thinking? No health and safety in those days, I suppose!
      The first house I bought was a tiny modern-ish house built on the site of an old buckle factory, I loved digging the garden back then!
      Jacob does like his dandelions although he's a spoilt boy and generally prefers those posh bags of mixed leaves from the supermarket - no chance of him having those for the next few months! xxx

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  10. I've heard that most pet tortoises don't have long lifespans as they're not taken care of properly, so it really says a lot that you've had Jacob for so long!
    I've just started yoga this week to try and get some exercise in as I don't have a garden and the weather has been rotten anyway. It's a lot harder than it looks, haha.

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    1. The tortoises you buy these days aren't very hardy, they are specially bred, have to have specialiset lighting and state of the art tortoise tables - Jacob is a Hermann, you often se them roaming around Greece, burrowing for shelter and foraging for food. Left to their own devises they live to around 120 years old!
      I'm sorry the weather is so filthy, I hope yoga gives you a bit of a boost. xxx

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  11. Wow, Jacob is a geezer! We had a turtle (not a tortoise) when I was a kid - he escaped his backyard tub and made a run for the nearby highway. We returned from family vacation in Disneyland to find our pancaked turtle on our front steps. What a memory.

    Love that maxi - such a great print! I like seeing all the little projects you and Jon have been working on around your lovely home. It's so cool that your family has had Stonecroft for so long!

    I have a very small freezer in our fridge, so there's not much that's in there that I don't know about. I'm not sure why I ever bought frozen squash, though - I'm not a fan! I think I was planning on making squash soup.

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    1. Oh dear, poor pancaked turtle! What a memory!
      I'd completely forgotten about that dress, it's one of those that constantly needs repairing but the print is so groovy you can get away with a ripped armpit.
      Our freezer is bigger than our fridge. Jon's normally the food shopper and he can't resist reduced to clear stuff and buy one get one free offers. He hasn't a clue what he's got stashed away - quite exciting in these strange times.
      I didn't even know you could get frozen squash! xxx

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  12. It's so nice that the sun is shining, even if some days it remains chilly. Imagine all of this along with windy, wet, grey days?!
    I love Jacob's 1975 photo, and how lovely that it's at Stonecroft.
    I found some bluebells in the garden yesterday, I was so chuffed.
    Take care
    xx

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    1. The sunshine is such a motivator even when it's cold - I've just pegged the washing out and my nose is freezing!
      I love bluebells even though I get annoyed with them springing up in my beds and choking the other plants! There such a welcome sign of longer days. xxx

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  13. A 1970's slow cooker, wow, I have never seen one of those and look at that tea pot.
    Jacob is lovely, when you go on your hols does he need looking after still.
    Marlene xx

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    1. I thought you might like that teapot being a vintage kitchenalia fan! I do love a proper cup of tea out of a proper pot. The slow cooker is fab, such a great car boot find.
      Our cat sitter looks afre Jacon when we're working at festivals and if we go away in the Autumn. When we're in India he's in hibernation so is fast asleep in his box in the utility room. xxx

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  14. What a handsome lad is Jacob! Your poor brother looks mortified in the photo. My son is the same - hates his photo being taken!

    Your garden is looking so good and what a wonderful array of plants and vegetables you have. Definitely 'the Good Life'. That's a very impressive house next door to you, too.

    Aah, 1975. I was a student nurse in my final year (I had maternity leave half way through my training and only qualified in 1976). I lusted after the globe oil lamp which I could see on your kitchen window - they were so popular then. I finally got one in the 1990s!

    Fabulous dress Vix and you look like summer; but you're right it was bloody freezing on Tuesday despite the sun.
    xxx

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    1. Aren't they fuuny? I've been on a few holidays with Marcus as adults and I think I've only got about 3 photos with him in them!
      The house next door is gorgeous, isn't it? The neighbours had to have their last home compulsory purchased because it was in teh path of bloody HS2 but I think they're really happy with where they've ended up.
      I'm sure that globe oil lamp is stashed away in an outbuilding somewhere - my Grandma was obsessed with lamps! xxx

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  15. Incredible how busy you have both been. Will you have time for charity shopping, car boot sales, and festivals?

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    1. Once life returns to normal no doubt the house and garden will be neglected once again! x

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  16. I love the colour of your mac, it looks great against the orange of your dress.
    Amazing to think Jacob is 45, I do love tortoises. I never had pets as a child but always wanted a tortoise.
    You have a good fitness regime, I wish I could find something at home that I would stick to. I've transferred my tai chi to the garden and start it with a long warm up but I'm not doing it every day and I'm missing my swimming. I need to find something that I can keep doing. The weights are a good idea too.
    Its sunny and warm(ish) here again today hope it is for you too. xxx

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    1. My trusty turquoise leather coat has been a firm favourite in my wardrobe for eight years (thank goodness for having a blog so I check back to when I acquired things!)
      Jacob's amazing and quite young in tortoise years, he won't reach sexual maturity for another 15 years.
      I bet you miss your swimming, I used to go three times a week but ended up getting to know so many people at my local baths that I ended up spending most of my time there chatting! xxx

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  17. i shiver seeing jon in shorts - here we are back into winter - had to wear a heavy sweater for our hike yesterday!
    what will you do with the new space in the corner? more pot garden? an outdoor bath? your veggie garden is on a good way - mild english climate - this seem the reason for the bluebells too - maybe the continental winters are to harsh and the sommers to dry........
    lovely old photo, my brother had this "no photo please" too.....
    gorgeous blue coat!
    xxxxx

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    1. I know! Once Jon's got his shorts on that'll be it until the end of October come rain or shine (or snow!) xxx

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  18. There was quite a drop in temperature, wasn't there? I was back in long sleeves on Monday, but still determined to continue with my wardrobe changeover. Left plenty of warmer stuff out, though. It's wonderful to your garden thriving. Ours is now a bit less of a jungle, but still needs a bit of work. We are supposed to have garden waste collection of Friday, and I do hope they will come, as we've nowhere to put it all. Lovely to see Jacob, and that 1975 photo. And obviously that psych print maxi is a delight! Oh, and it's true about bluebells, they're so quintessentially English. It goes without saying that we have some in our garden too :-)) xxx

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    1. What a shock to the system Monday was! I was shivering when I walked to Johal's. Thank goodness the heat returned yesterday, I was losing the will to garden!
      Our bin men have just been - recycling and household waste is being collected as normal, it's just the garden stuff they're not collecting which I suppose is fair enough, we can always compost our waste.
      Hoopray for bluebells at Dove Cottage, a part of Belgium that remains forever England! xxx

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  19. Dearest Vix,

    Do you eat fiddleheads? We used to up north (New England). I spotted some in your photos!

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    1. Hello Mei! I'm not sure if our ferns are fiddleheads - I don't want to risk posioning ourselves! xxx

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  20. Woww, you're growing an amazing variety of plants and veggies!, such a great job!, your garden is looking more and more paradisiacal!
    You look fabulous in your colorful dress, despite the chilly weather, and love your photos with Jacob, all of them!;D
    besos

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    1. Thank you! Every day we spot a new green shoot we do a little jig of joy in the garden! xxx

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  21. Those ferns look like edible fiddle heads! My blog friend Julia has written about these as she picks and freezes masses each year.
    Your garden is looking resplendent- what healthy herbs and plants! What joy!
    We bought some Bluebells at the garden centre on that last visit where we got the compost etc- so happy to have them in the garden. Yours look beautiful!
    Jacob is such a hunk! It was so funny to see all the tortoises in mainland Greece when we went to Zagori and Meteora.
    I should probably do some weights as my upper arms are a bit flabby. We went for a 15mile cycle ride today, cycling to Canewden and Paglesham and it was SOO good to get out and feel the breeze in our hair and to see somewhere different but safely- the roads were so much nicer being mostly empty! I LOVE cycling in the Spring when it isn't unbearably hot.
    Jon did really well doing that work! Well done!

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    1. I've Googld fiddleheads but I'm not sure if they are, they look more like the native British fern to me - I told Jon that apparently some species are edible and he's told me that no matter hard things get he refuses to start eating ferns!
      When we were in Pelion on the Greek mainlands we were amazed by how common tortoises were, several times we'd have to pick them up and help them on their way.
      15 miles? Goodness me, that;s impressive. I seem to have lost the ability to cycle since I had my hip replaced, I ought to relearn now that we're virtually traffic free in Walsall! xxx

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  22. Spring weather at its unpredictable best,hope its warmed up again. Your garden certainly is looking good. Interesting about the bluebells , they are quite common here in Tasmania in Spring, i have many clumps in my garden. Now I have finally founds some lentils I am planning to use your dhal recipe tomorrow, many thanks. Loved the family photo with Jacob. Well done on keeping up your workout , putting me to shame but finally getting in to a routine. Take care. xx

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    1. Spring really is a puzzle! We're waking up to frost but by mid-morning it's bare arms and flip flops.
      Hope you enjoy your dhal! xxx

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  23. Hi there, love the first photo of the post, you look so happy!! Can't believe that Jacob is 45 years old. My son's partner,Sara, was happy to hear that, she's hoping that "Hope" will live at least as long. Did you know that Darwin's tortoise, Harriet, which he brought back from the Galapagos Islands (another place I'd love to visit!) died in 2006 at an estimated age of 176!!The house and garden are looking wonderful, all the hard work has certainly paid off. Funny you were talking about arms, I was in class writing on the board a few months ago and shock horror, could actually feel my arms wobbling from side to side!! Will have to get some weights too!! Have a great week! Enjoy yourselves! XX

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    1. Hello Diana! If Sara is on Facebook I recommend she joins the Tortoise Protection Group, it's really helpful and full of friendly advice about tortoise ownership.
      176? I definitely need to put provision for Jacob's care in my will, don't I?
      Failing weight, a couple of tins of baked beans (or whatever is avaialble) makes for a good lockdown alternative to weights. I remember being horrified by the wobble! xxx

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    2. Oh thanks, I'll tell Sara! Good idea about the baked beans, will give it a go before summer arrives!! Xx

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    3. Glad to be of use! xxx

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  24. My happy read of the week.
    Isn’t the time flying by. We think every day passes like a whirl.
    It’s lovely reading what you two are getting up to and you’re giving us all a positive spin on things. Keep going Vix. Love from us two xxx

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    1. I can't believe we're almost a month in, I thought I'd be climbing the walls by now! I keep looking at Stonecroft and thinking how loved it looks, my Grandparents would be thrilled to bits!
      Much love to you both and keep up the happy posts! xxx

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  25. I love your diaries, but I am particularly enjoying the garden updates at the moment! I've become a bit obsessed with gardening during this lockdown. It sounds like you have quite a variety of veg and fruit to look forward to. I also love how your garden has an actual flag pole! I definitely would have eaten the flatbread too. We can see the bottom of our freezer now, not much excitement left in it. Xx

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    1. Thanks so much. It's lovely to compare notes and see where we're up to. Kezzie's another enthuastic novice gardener if you'd like more inspiration.
      I dread the day we reach the bottom of the freezer. Mind you, Jon snuck out today and did a Co-Op run as he'd finished his tobacco. I think he's gone mad in the biscuit aisle! xxx

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  26. Having Jacob so long is just Wonderful, not many Pets can last our Lifetimes! My Brother has a Parrot and said he has to include it in his Will lest it outlive him, which is entirely possible! The Ivy on your Wall is spectacular, I Love all Vines! You'll have a great Harvest this Season in the Veggie/Herb Gardens, I've yet to put ours in here at the New Home since I can't get out to a Nursery and want to install Gabion Wall raised Beds for them anyway.

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    1. Until I read Ivana's comment I had no idea parrots lived so long. With any luck Jacob will outlive us, he's not even sexually mature yet - although my red toenails are making him a bit frisky! xxx

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  27. Happy Birthday Jacob! How lovely to have an animal that has been with you since childhood - what stories he could tell. Your garden really is a masterpiece.

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    1. Thanks so much, Shelley! Jacob spent all day yesterday asleep as it was bastard freezing. He'll be stomping around his pen today like a thing posessed as it's sunny and warm this morning. xxx

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  28. )h the bluebell are gorgeous!
    I love seeing Jacob -he's so cute. I forgot that turtles live for so many years. X

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    1. We love introducing Jacob to children, they think he's a tiny dinosaur! xxx

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  29. Great to learn about your work out routine. I have been slacking lately and surely enough I've developed back problems, I need to get back to regular exercising.
    That maxi is gorgeous.

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    1. If I don't keep moving I seize up, it's a struggle to exercise some days but I know it does me good. xxx

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  30. I had no idea bluebells were so peculiarly English. I do like them.

    I tried some yoga - with Adriene on YouTube; everyone goes on about it - after my back and right hip started hurting recently and it definitely helped. I miss going to the gym; it keeps me mobile (I can live with the lockdown weight gain, but not the back pain). Wii Fit was such a brilliant thing.

    Happy birthday Jacob!

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    1. The blueball fact was news to me, too. I do like those weekly National trust emails now we can't visit any of their properties.
      I'm a right state if I don't keep moving. I'm glad the yoga helped. I used to do classes but my techniques loads better with the Wii Fit, it can tell me I'm wonky and I can sort it out. xxx

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Thanks for reading and for leaving a message. Please don't be anonymous, I'd love it if you left a name (or a nom de plume).

Lots of love, Vix