SPRING IS MOST DEFINITELY NOT IN THE AIR!

1st March 2018

DAY IN THE LIFE

I always look forward to the first of March, in my mind I have the idyllic picture of daffodils and tulips bathed in spring sunshine, furry bunnies and frolicking lambs, and pretty crocuses peeping through the grass...
But in reality, it its -5, snowing, and blowing a gale with a windchill factor of -11!

Any thoughts of looking stylish are out of the window as I have that many layers on I resemble the Michelin Man!  On the plus side come the warmer weather people will think I have lost weight when I shed all my layers... every cloud!!

Mornings are a struggle on days like today (mornings are a struggle full stop!! I am not a morning person! I am one of those people who have four alarms set in case I sleep in and takes till 11am to wake up!) when your all snuggled and warm in bed and the wind is howling outside, apparently its 'The Beast from the East' who will soon be joined by storm Emma - why do they insist on naming things?
However I'm proud of myself this morning as I got up at my second alarm, George had cookery so I had to get all his ingredients ready and weighed out for him, this sausage plait has cost a small fortune to make, you could feed a small family with what it cost!

The boys had everything crossed school would be shut but it wasn't much to their disgust, I told them to put an extra layer on this morning when they got up after Alexa informed me it was -5! I kitted them out with scarves and gloves so I knew they'd be warm walking back from school.

Thank god the days of the school run days are over, I did the school run from 1997 to 2017!! 20 years!! I counted the days to when George left primary school and I no longer had to do it - I HATED it with a passion no wonder really. The boys high school is a 15 - 20 minute walk from home, they moan about walking but a bribe of £1 for the shop on the way home always does the trick even though it costs us a a few quid each week!

First attempt at felt flowers, a daisy,
 three roses and a forget me not.

I had a productive -ish day planned today (well productive for me!) once the boys had gone to school, I wanted to catch up with my planner and try and organise my self a bit and write some lists (Oooo I do love a list!! Makes me feel so much better when I have written a list!), I wanted to plan  meals for next week and write a shopping list, and I also planned on having a go at making some felt flowers, I am planning on making some broaches for Mums and Grandmas for Mothers Day.

So I poured coffee and while watching  Jezza on the TV (where on earth do they find these people on Jeremy Kyle? And why do none of them have any teeth?) I had a go at my first flowers that I am rather pleased with, I made a daisy, three roses and a forget me not.

It was around 10.30 when I had finished being crafty so still dressed in my huge fluffy dressing gown, I poured another coffee as a reward for actually ticking something off my to do list, took my morning medication, for my back, blood pressure and a hundred and one other things (once I hit 40 I started falling apart!) I caught up on my social media and...  then fell asleep for an hour till 11.30!

Managed to drag myself off the sofa and upstairs around midday to make myself look more human then went back downstairs pored another coffee and snuggled under a fleece blanket with the dogs watching You Tube until my phone rang at 1 o' clock.

Every Thursday at one I have a call with Margaret my telephone friend. I am part of Age Uk's telephone befriending scheme, I joined last year when ITV launched their 'Million Minutes' campaign.
Their aim was for people to pledge some of their time to help the elderly or less fortunate in some way so I pledged 30 minutes every Thursday to Age Uk and they matched me with my telephone friend Margaret. Although I pledged 30 minutes we can chat for over an hour - and we do!!
We have become great friends and we both look forward to our chats each week.

I will do a separate blog post on Age Uk's telephone befriending scheme in case anyone would like to become a telephone friend.

After Margret and I had put the world to rights, I went back to You Tube and scrolling fashion sites popping things in my basket that I never buy!

This month is a NO SPEND month - ugh! Promised to do it January - FAILED, then February - FAILED, so lets see what happens in March!
Shopping online is so easy, too easy!! I order so much stuff I forget what I have ordered!! And when the postie hasn't been and my Hubby is home from work early I feel sick because I never know what hes bringing!! Usually I hide all evidence before he comes home from work... Ladies you know the score! I DO NOT need any more clothes!!! But I love buying them so much... so much I think I have a problem!!

My name is Karen and I have a shopping addiction!

#truestory

Just before 3.45pm Robert arrived home from school, no George! (They usually arrive home together)

He had forgotten to collect his cookery and had gone back to school for it, which is pretty much typical George. Robert had his scarf on but forgot he had gloves so his hands where that cold he couldn't feel them.
George then arrived home, he had gone back for his cookery and the door was locked so he was moaning about that being a waste of time and about being cold and that he too couldn't feel his hands, not only had he forgotten his cookery he forgot to put his scarf on and he also forgot that he had gloves too - honestly I do wonder sometimes!

This seasons must have item,
the bigger the bobble the
better!

Once the boys where safely home I put on my 57 

layers, 3 pairs of socks and my bobble hat - everyone knows its this seasons must have and the bigger the bobble the better! and Will and I ventured round to the stables to check on the ponies who where very happy and toastie warm despite the arctic conditions.

The only problem we had was the automatic water's had frozen, fortunately yesterday the girls from the yard filled buckets and containers at my house ( I live less than quarter of a mile from the stables) so they were all able to have a drink.

I took some warm water round to mix in the ponies feeds which they seemed to love - spoilt? My ponies? Never!! 

Today was the first day I had been to see the ponies since Saturday as my wonderful back had once again floored me! - Grrr!

Once the ponies where tucked up for the night it was home to see to the other animals, contemplate what was being cooked for tea and have a shower and my hair washed in lieu of a Doctors appointment tomorrow.

Will ended up cooking fish for tea, I didn't fancy it so ate a full family sizes pack of Revels instead and spent the rest of the evening feeling sick!!

After catching up with Emmerdale on TV (It was on twice tonight!) I took myself off to bed with a hot water bottle and the dogs. Dad is coming over early in the morning so no snoozing till 11.30 tomorrow for me!!

Its now 10.50pm and I'm all caught up and its time to sleep, lets see what tomorrow brings.

I'm thinking positive thoughts that I will wake up to 25 degrees and wall to wall sunshine - well one can dream.