What a lovely weekend! Chloe and I had a wonderful time in Southampton on Saturday. Calendar Girls was so funny and poignant all mixed together. They had managed to get a perfect mix. We also had a lovely meal in the theatre restaurant. Chloe has just 3 more weeks of proper living in Southampton before she begins the process of bringing everything home and begins her year of living out of suitcases. Her 5th year is her placement year and she will be working in a variety of places using home as a base. She will be in Guildford for 3 months and then Winchester and Portsmouth and 9 weeks in Southampton. It will be an exciting year as she gets closer to being a real Dr (quite a scary thought). She will have hospital accommodation provided in the week except when she is in Southampton.

Yesterday was so beautiful - we (well Paul and Ben) got the swing seat out and we sat for ages in the garden and even ate our lunch outside. Papageno was a very happy pussy cat having his family outside with him and an open door to go in and out as he pleased. In the evening Josh and Debs popped in on their way back from a weekend with Debs family. It was really lovely to see them although not long enough!

This week does include a hospital visit - a scan on my right arm to see if there is anywhere suitable to place a fistula should I ever need one again. My consultant wanted a plan should the need arise. If it is not possible they would have to look at my legs - not a pleasant place to have a fistula and to needle.

I also have lunch with a friend, lent group, helping at our 'seniors' group, tutoring, bible study and a meal out to celebrate Debz who lives with us birthday.

It's Saturday already - where did that week go to?

Today I am off to Southampton to see Calendar Girls with Chloe. I am looking forward to it although a bit tired already and the day hasn't started! I am glad it isn't raining as the journey is much more pleasant.

I am now the proud owner of 4 preloved cups, saucers and plates. They look very lovely sitting on my shelf. Each one has a secret story - not known but imagined! I am waiting for my 'vintage' tablecloth and then we can have afternoon tea!

In the post yesterday the most lovely jumper and shawl arrived - handknitted by my friend in Canada. Thank you so much K. I will have take photos with my newly dyed and cut hair. I went to the hairdressers on Thursday and had my first hair cut for over 2 years. I nearly have a fringe now and my hair looks like proper hair! You could imagine that I have chosen to have it like this.

I hope you all have lovely weekend plans.

'Sunshine on my face just makes me happy'. It is lovely to see the sunshine and hear the birds singing after yesterdays rain. What a beautiful world we live in.

Last nights lent group was great. Another timely reminder that anxiety and trust can't walk together. God is in charge - full stop.

Today a flute concert at lunchtime - lovely. And book club this evening. Although I haven't finished the book as I lost it for quite a while. I looked everywhere and then found it on Tuesday - ho hum!

And its raining - ho hum! I have looked at 3 weather forecasts for the next few days and they are all different - wondering if I can pick the best from each one and have that! At least it looks like the temperatures are going to be better. That is good for my poorly fingers and toes which have spent a lot of time numb in the last few weeks. It is one thing to have fingers that are white and look dead but another when they turn purple and the feeling returns - ouchy!

My bitty but busy week is going quite well. I am getting 'stuff' done which is good and feels satisfying. I am looking forward to Saturday when I go to Southampton to see Calendar Girls with Chloe. It is a lovely train journey down there and time to people watch and read. Very peaceful. My cup and saucer buying is coming on nicely. I have enjoyed ebay bidding for the first time and the excitement of the last few seconds as you wait to see if you have been successful. I can see how easy it would be to become obsessed! Good job I have set myself a limit!

So I am off to start my day - slightly later than planned but hey ho I can! I hope that you are all in the dry - not out in this wet dreary day.

From pinterest

Today I will dance - whatever the weather. Sometimes I get stopped in my tracks as I realise that I have allowed life to become mundane, I have forgotten to keep looking for the joy in each day and I have stopped dancing. The last 2 months have been a bit like that and I need to remember how fragile and precious EACH day is, right down to the last second given to us it is wonderful.

We were challenged again yesterday to think about what church is. Mostly I think I have got it - it is NOT the building or the institution or (and I realised I do think this sometimes) the event it is the people. Each one vitally playing their part in the body and we should all rejoice when one rejoices and hurt when one is hurting. We were reminded that we need to move from the rota society - serving only when it is my turn on the rota to a group of people who genuinely care for each other. What a difference that would make.

Today - tidying my very messy house and a visit to the auction rooms before the sale on Wednesday. I have never been to an auction so I am looking forward to this. A new experience!

Maybe this week will not include a single GP, hospital, consultant, blood test appointment you never know! Hopefully it will include, coffee with friends, an auction, a lent study group, a lunchtime concert, bible study, book club, some tutoring, some cooking, a bit of cleaning, a bit of washing and ironing and maybe some seed sowing, some sewing, some knitting, some card making, some reading, some sunshine, some rain and lots of joy and dancing. Sounds good to me!

This is a photo of a little bit of colour on a gloomy day. This is the corner of my sofa with some beautiful roses and carnations. These are the colours I love best - as you can tell! How much pleasure colour brings to our lives.

Good shopping day yesterday with Ben and Chloe. It was a real pleasure to spend the day with them. We had a lovely chatty lunch at Jamies. It was great to hear Ben and Chloe sharing their lives together. We managed to get everything we wanted to plus some shoes for Chloe who is going to a 'dinner' on Tuesday with Ed. They are the shoes I would wear if I could wear very high heels!

Yesterday evening Joy and Matt popped in with a very special gift - vintage cups, saucers and plates. I am collecting them for tea parties. I love the idea of the history of them. Each one coming from a home where they have been used (hopefully) for many special occasions or even for many unspecial occasions. Maybe bought for a wedding or anniversary gift and treasured for a whole life time. I have been talking about it for a while and searching second hand shops unsuccessfully but J and M went to a vintage show yesterday. I want them to be mismatched because then each little collection tells a different story.

I am also doing well with my Agatha Christie collection and now have nearly all of Miss Marple's books. I am slowly reading them all - great fun.

Today church and then roast dinner with Paul, Chloe, Ed and Ben - lovely. I may even allow myself an illegal parsnip!

It is quite amazing that last month this blog was looked at 1,324 times. Especially as I waffle such a lot these days! Thank you for continuing to be there for me after all this time.

Today is a foggy day - hopefully it will turn into sunshine later.

Ben's birthday went well yesterday. Although Papageno wasn't so impressed - we gave Ben some monkey slippers and Papageno is very frightened of them especially as sometimes they move and sometimes they just sit there! I also had coffee with a lovely friend - how precious it is to share our lives including our hopes and fears. Honesty can be costly but oh so worth the cost.

Today a morning with Chloe and ladies who lunch and bible study. Chloe has to go back to uni at lunchtime but will be back then for the weekend. I love having her here. The gaps are now getting longer and I miss our chatting. However she will be back for the whole summer as she has placements in Guildford for 3 months. She is beginning to think about what she wants to do in the future and it is so exciting thinking of all the opportunities.

Tomorrow I will spend the day with 2 of my children. We are going out for lunch and then to the cinema. We haven't done that for such a LONGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG time. Before I was ill. I am looking forward to spending time with them together - lots of chatting and laughing I expect.

I had a long chat with Josh on the phone last night which was lovely. I am slowly learning that he is now a married man and has another life. It is hard to let go and I miss him. But I am very glad that he and Debs are happy and enjoying their first year of married life.

So hopefully you all have exciting weekend plans - Spring feels like it is just around the corner now.