Today I have been mainly Vol. 6

I was sitting soaking up the sun on Oxford Station, when a female mallard waddled purposefully past me, off down the platform, paying no attention to anyone, and into the distance. Bizarre!

Welcome back, Bags...I've missed you.

Oh .... give my love to Oxford!!

Oxford Station! Brings back memories of my student days in the 60's and all the times I arrived or left from there

May say a lot that my memories of the station are completely overshadowed by a those of a bar ...... or three

I don't seem to have much energy today. Travel weariness, I suppose. So I've been wandering round the garden with my camera after hanging washing out and checking what stage everything is at. I love the garden cycles.

Bags dear buddy, see you soon.

Yesterday, we were having some plants delivered to plant where the pond used to be. So they had the best chance of surviving, we arranged for our gardener to come and put them in.

When she arrived, with her dog, we mentioned that we'd seen a hedgehog in the garden and to keep an eye open for it. Suddenly we heard loud yapping from the dog and furious digging going on. We discovered the hedgehog and two babies and rescued them from the dog, placing them in a big cardboard box on top of the upright freezer in the garage while I went to track down a Mrs Tiggywinkle type of establishment.

By this stage Roy, the dog, had discovered 4 more babies which we aimed to put in the box with their mum and siblings. BUT, mum had, we imagine, gone to look for the rest of her babies and fallen down the back of the freezer and was stuck. Angel (the gardener) being much more wiry than I, was soon positioned on top of the freezer, wearing pond gloves, trying to grab the hedgehog before it fell all the way down to the bottom.

In the midst of all this, the girl from the nursery arrived, with plants, and joined in the general mayhem of humans, dogs and hedgehogs. Eventually, the little family was safely delivered to the rescue centre. We all had and decided there is nothing like a really good start to a Monday morning.

I rand this morning and all but one of the babies had survived and appeared to be doing well.

I've got the phone number of a rescue place near Eastwood in case you need it in the future. I phoned up Attenborough Nature Reserve yesterday and they gave it to me. [note to self; where's the scrap of paper I wrote it on; I meant to keep it for future reference].

Rang the surgery first thing and spoke to the triage nurse about the vicious dose of cystitis that had been with me since Sunday. She agreed to leave a prescription for me at reception and, of course I had to take the obligatory specimen. Waterworks are already responding to treatment, thank goodness.
In the afternoon, back to the surgery to have a couple of solar keratoses frozen. Not a glamorous look at the moment! While I was chatting to a friend at lunchtime, I happened to look at my feet and realised I was wearing identical sandals except for one thing - one was grey and the other blue. Am I in need of a carer?

anno Not yet! I did the same thing with shoes years ago. Same style but different colour. Only I noticed!
I hope you feel better soon.

Today is my lovely husband's 50th birthday. He's gone off to expend some energy (of which he has a seemingly limitless supply) on a full morning's bike ride before we go out for the afternoon together. Usually I cater for family parties, but I'm not up to it at the moment, so this evening 21 of us are going to a restaurant instead and I'm really looking forward to NOT having to do all the cooking, preparation etc.

Happy birthday MrGA

Enjoy your day GA

Enjoy your day with your lovely OH, ga. It's my eldest son's 38th birthday today - we celebrated last night as he's on his way to Hong Kong today. One of his presents from me was a new golf hat. I always take the receipt along for when he announces he's already got one. 'Just what I wanted, I needed a new one' he said, as I almost fainted with the shock of getting it right

I had no problem with buying the WM's gifts - I gave him a budget, he gave me a wish list of things he'd like. Job done.

Happy Birthday to the WM and a nice relaxed day for you too ga.

Tegan Are you lucky enough to live near the Attenborough Nature Reserve? It is a lovely place and a wonderful example of just what can be achieved with imagination after being a potential eyesore.

GA Have a wonderful day with the WM

I've just drunk a litre of water in readiness for a scan in an hour! It's always rather nerve wracking!
I did have a slight accident once, when someone was late for their appointment ahead of me!

annsixty; do you ever go there? My son lives in the area. I actually live in another area surrounded by old gravel pits now full of water and a haven for wildlife. Did you see the excellent programme on BBC on Friday [?] about the River Trent? It was a real gem of a programme [not sure if it's on iplayer as it's been repeated several times]. Ella; once it starts there's no holding back, is there [thinks 'key in door syndrome ]?

Oh it's still on iplayer; Crossing England in a Punt; River of Dreams. It really is a lovely programme.

No Tegan I didn't see it but will try to get to grips with i-player(rather dim with technology). I have a friend who lives in Attenborough but it is two years since I visited her and difficult lives for both of us makes a return rather unlikely,but what a lovely place to live.

My son doesn't live in the posh part ..which is very posh! I've only just got my iplayer working again as I needed an upgrade on adobe flash which my son did for me but I probably won't see him for weeks so any other technical stuff will have to wait ie my printer doesn't work; I don't know how to put photos from the digital camera on the pooter [so, most of the time I still use an old style camera ].

Thank you*Tegan*. Did find it.Watched it over lunch and did enjoy,and yes parts of Attenborough are very"posh "indeed. The church is beautiful.

I've never been in the church; must make a point of going there one day [it's by the bowls club, isn't it?]. And the tearooms at the nature reserve have won awards I believe. Bet it's lovely there at the moment with all the baby swans and ducklings.