Come here for corona-free chat!

I am loving the sunshine at the moment and have enjoyed sitting in the garden planning on what needs doing next ! DH is not so impressed with all the plans ???

Loving the sunshine in North Devon too!

As are the cats, they have been out, then in, then out, then in, ad nauseum! At this rate we will need to replace the handle on the kitchen window!

I’ve been in the garden all day but I’m in now with a cup of tea and backache? Oh have just spotted the ironing. Should have sat in the other chair.......

I have just been taking part in an experiment , involving my iphone , ipad and lap top , something to do with goodness knows what and I am red faced sweating and fed up , my head hurts . But it seems it was very helpful to my child , laughing like a drain she was !

should I drink this glas of cold water or pour over me head !

On my perambulation today I saw loads of daffodils, the very first bluebells peeping through, flowering currant and a rather splendid tabby and white cat who was patrolling outside like he owns the place. Which of course he does.

Excellent idea. Could we persuade the BBC to do a c*r*n*-free programme too?
A year ago I stopped listening to most of Radio 4 because of the relentless coverage of Br*x*t. For the past several weeks they’ve done the same with the plague. Yes, I want the latest news but not every programme dealing with the same theme all day every day.
It’s bad enough being shut up alone. I want the radio to keep me company but there’s nothing left to listen to except Radio 3 in the evenings. Tonight that’s doing Shostakovich so I’m sitting here in silence.

Don't they all SueDonim! We don't even have a ? but there are a few who patrol our garden like they own it, some even saunter into our house as if they do . The latest Lion King is particularly fond of the birds feeding in the garden. He's been quite successful at stalking and catching his prey yet he's the youngest "leaseholder"!

watermeadow Here's a link that I posted elsewhere - the Royal Opera House has a programme of ballet and opera that they are transmitting on various media, such as Youtube.

Also there's masses of stuff on I-Player for radio at the moment - lots of drama if you like that.

www.theguardian.com/stage/2020/mar/17/hottest-front-room-seats-the-best-theatre-and-dance-to-watch-online

Cherrycezzy we didn’t even know this cat was a regular until we had a heavy fall of snow and we could see his footprints going all round our house. He takes the same route every day. He’s a splendid cat, I have to say. Ours are house cats and wouldn’t thank you for any fresh air.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202003/medium-821334-c06c83ef-e762-4daa-af3f-25485bdace8d.jpeg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202003/medium-69225-12684783-2b6f-4169-af62-c97fd73e111e.jpeg

First bluebells from the end of our garden

We have a cat call regularly in our garden, too. He's a lovely black and white one. Always has a collar with a bell on, but I think he must have devised a way of removing the collar as every time I see him he seems to have a new one on! He patrols our garden and cul de sac as if he owns the place and we have to watch him around the birds, as he has caught one a few times, plus the odd mouse.
Out yesterday for my daily constitutional, it was lovely listening to all the different birdsong and looking at the beautiful flowers in all the gardens. Not such a lovely day today, so if I do venture out, I will need to wrap up warmly. Not sure if I'll bother today.

Here summer time was ushered in by snow showers. Very reminiscent of one of Giles' best cartoons!

I am trying to dry a mattress cover which was too big to go in the washing machine, so I washed in the time-honoured fashion yesterday in the bath and tramped on it. Hung it out and of course it was still wet this forenoon.

It just fits into the tumbler dryer, but refuses to dry!

It's cold here, +3 centigrade and a wind that makes the chill factor -3, so not surprised that the cat went to bed at 11 a.m.

I've been sorting through old photos - a task I have been avoiding for years. Caught that bug from SIL no 2 who writes that she is cleaning out cupboards and drawers!

Finally found the voice mail on my new android phone - no instructions in the user's manual and the ones on the internet decidedly unhelpful. My old phone didn't survive having a glass of fruit juice overturned on it, so I couldn't use the SIM card.

I had daffodil bulbs planted for St. David’s Day, 1st March , they have just bloomed , only 28 days late !

I’ve been watching the birds on the feeders in the garden. Mostly tits with a few robins, spadgers & a woodpecker. They all go for the peanuts first followed by the fat balls, leaving the seeds until last. I am rapidly running out of supplies so they will just have to make do with the seeds! DD who lives in the same village a 10 minute walk away, tells me that ‘her’ birds prefer the seeds first, then the fat balls & peanuts. There really is no pleasing some birds ?

Made Redcurrant jelly with ones from freezer, several more tubs to do, very satisfying, such a lovely colour, will use it on our greek yogurt.
Hope it sets enough, but not too much!

new grand daughter arrived safely today. Huge smiles all round, great delight ???

Ladychaplin19 congrstulations, what lovely news

Ladychaplin
Congratulations. New life how fabulous. My DIL due in 20 weeks. Feels such a long way away

Congratulations, Ladychaplin. You must be thrilled. ??

Congratulations Ladychaplin19 how lovely and what welcome news.

Bumping this so that it gets used, and so that more threads are started under the topic. We need to visit a coronafree zone at least once a day!

We do indeed Elegran. I’m sitting in the garden ‘resting’ ,from digging, on my sunbed plugged into Classic FM. Elgar’s Praise to the Holiest from the Dream of Gerontius is belting out and briefly all is well in my world. I’d like to disconnect the ear plugs and let the neighbours enjoy it too but they’d probably think Id lost the plot ?

I've had an afternoon in the garden planting seeds into small pots to get them started - cabbage, peas, peppers and chillies. I found it very therapeutic. The warm sunshine helped, too.I've also got some potatoes to plant into tubs, but have decided to hold off planting them out until the risk of frost has passed - we've had a couple of really chilly nights this week. Then, when I came back indoors decided to make a casserole using up some of the cooked lamb and a medley of vegetables. It's a bit of a catch as catch can meal, but I'm sure it will be tasty.
The rest of the lamb I will mince tomorrow and make shepherds pie, I think.