Bits and Bobs, Birds and Books.

Thank you all for so many interesting and helpful comments yesterday, food for thought.

We listened to Radio Suffolk yesterday to hear our son talk about the work he is doing recording the details of what's left of the Air Force base at Martlesham on the edge of Ipswich. He is teaching volunteers from the General Public how to record historic buildings. Each week for the next couple of months he'll be doing the same thing at all the airfields that were used by the USAF 8th in East Anglia. He then came over here for dinner and to bring a couple of loads of washing because their washing machine packed up. Mums are still good for doing the washing even when their children have been moved away for more than 10 years! He brought a beautiful bunch of flowers as a thank you, there were enough for two jugs absolutely gorgeous!

While here he helped Col move a few heavy things onto the trailer ready for moving to the bungalow and other stuff into the horse box trailer for storage.

I fancied a trip out so went to Woodbridge this morning, stocked up on more prunes from The Grape Tree and did a tour of most of the charity shops. A few years ago I would have relished a morning wandering round the shops but the chances of finding anything exciting in charity shops has diminished so much that's it's hardly worth the effort. All I picked up was a hardback copy of Agatha Christies "And Then There Were None' from the Oxfam Bookshop for £1.99.

 This was on TV over Christmas but we didn't watch it and I'd not read it. I hadn't realised this was originally called " Ten Little Niggers" and when that was a word that wasn't polite to use it was changed to "Ten Little Indians" which then again had to be changed. The TV film must have renewed interest in the book as there is a new paperback edition coming out next month.

Ipswich hospital join with MacMillan Cancer Care and Suffolk County Council to provide help and information for people with cancer and after a call from Col's link nurse, she sent forms and a phone number and Col rang it yesterday and it looks as if we are entitled to a bit of money - Good news indeedy! We thought that because we have savings we wouldn't qualify but maybe we do. Lots more phone calls, forms and information to sort and a meeting with someone next week, but anything that helps the savings stretch will be good.

 The weather has been really rough here today and the birds have been backwards and forwards to the feeders non stop.

Just wish they'd keep still long enough to get a decent photo.

Back Tomorrow
Sue

Coping with cancer

 We were talking about how different people we knew coped with cancer. My mum had breast cancer but was also severely disabled with rheumatoid arthritis and she never mentioned the cancer at all, almost pretending she didn't have it. Col's Mum had breast cancer which later spread. She was in hospital several times over the years and we heard every detail of every operation. Each time Col's Dad came back from visiting hospital he would spend a couple of hours on the phone ringing everyone to tell them the latest news. After Col's first chemo session his Dad rang to find out how he was and spoke to Col. But then he phoned again just a couple of days later, when Col wasn't here and I had difficulty telling him that Col was the same as he had been two days earlier and there just wasn't anything more I could say. I really hate having to go into all the details of illness. Tell people it's cancer, a bit frightening and worrying, yes, but then get on with coping with it. I'm not good on the phone unless it's a business call so if I answer the phone and it's someone wanting to know how he is I pass the phone over to him! I may even avoid answering the phone when he's not here! I asked him how he thought his way of coping was and he said "probably grin and bear it and moan a bit!" I don't know if this will change as we progress through.


 I'll miss this when we move.

 It works a treat over the Rayburn to finish getting things dry on short winter days. In the bungalow we will be gas and electric. We will miss our Rayburn and wood-burner but after doing all the wood hauling, fire cleaning and laying, by myself, for the last couple of months maybe I won't miss them as much as I thought!

Thank you for all the comments yesterday. Only John at Going Gently could have left the comment he did! Honestly that man has a 8 year old's toilet humour!

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Sue

Monday Memories

I don't really do Facebook - though I am on there somewhere but Col uses his page more often and he said everyone is posting photos of themselves when very young. You can guess where our photo albums are -  In- A- Box - and I refuse to open a box just to find a picture of Col aged 4!


But this is the photo our eldest put on her Facebook page. H and her brother M aged about 3 and 1½, we're not sure which beach, but I think Southwold. Cardi's knitted by Col's mum, a much missed Nana who made so many of their cardigans, jumpers, hats and mittens. Sadly Nana Sue won't be a knitting Nana, maybe I'll be the book Nana!- a wonderful excuse to search out lovely children's books from charity shops!

Son M - the now 6 foot plus archaeologist  will be on Radio Suffolk tomorrow afternoon talking with Leslie Dolphin about the Eighth in the East project. 

Out to Leiston this morning. Col went to the doctors to pick up a couple of things to help with the side effects of chemo, I went in the Co-op and Building Society which put me into temptation because they are fund raising for a charity by selling second-hand books for £1 each, and I found this, a hardback from the 1970's

a few years ago I wouldn't have looked twice at this but Persephone have re-printed 3 of  her books recently which I enjoyed so I thought I would bring this home and add it to the boxes. I looked on Amazon to see what they were selling for and some of her books are crazy prices. Not this one though - it's only worth a fiver!

I've finished the first of my library books - Silent Nights, Christmas Mysteries edited by Martin Edwards. One of the British Library Crime Classic reprints. It is short mystery stories dating from the 1890s (Conan Doyle) to the 1950s. Some were by well known authors  such as Edgar Wallace and Dorothy L Sayers and others long forgotten. A good read.

It's so interesting how the National newspapers have picked up Mean-Queen-Ilona's story from her local paper. I looked at the Daily Mail on line article where there were 100s of comments - some quite nasty and then Col said Radio Suffolk were talking about it this morning and her story had also been featured in The Sun on line. They seem to think she must be miserable living how she does but those of us who read her blog know she's certainly never miserable - a little odd sometimes maybe, but a kind, thoughtful and independent lady. I normally avoid anything to do with national daily papers but decided to register on line to have my tuppence worth and speak up for Ilona's thrifty-ness.
Many years ago we were featured in the local paper as being The Self-sufficient family and a few days later someone from the Daily Mirror turned up on the doorstep ( this was before the age of internet) and wanted an interview. I'm so glad I refused.

Many Thanks for comments yesterday
Back Tomorrow
Sue

Grey Sunday Morning

A really nasty morning here this morning - Fog, drizzle and very grey and gloomy. No plans to go far today. I hope we don't get those HUGE snow storms  that they have on the East Coast of the USA. Hopefully by the time the weather system has crossed the Atlantic (if it's coming this way) the temperatures will have turned the snow to rain - but then we don't want that amount of rain on the already saturated countryside in Scotland and the North of England either.

I spent an hour yesterday shifting things from my garden shed into the big shed where we are putting all the outside stuff that we're taking with us. I had thought about maybe sowing a few veg seeds to have plants to take with us but maybe that's just making things a bit too complicated, so all the pots and seed trays I want have gone into one water butt and lots of other smaller bits into another. That should make it easier to put them on our trailer. We're moving all the outside stuff ourselves to save money and I want to get it all collected together in one place.
Then I packed another box of books. The dining room is filling up with boxes and the shelves are emptying.

One of the blokes that Col once supervised when he was a County Council bridge inspector, called in this morning to say goodbye as he had heard that we were moving to Scotland - where on earth did that rumour come from! He didn't know that Col had cancer so that news hadn't got around the workmen yet - it will now! It's very depressing to hear of all the money wasted now the workmen are contracted out to a private company. He told of a sweeper lorry that travelled from Welwyn Garden City to Suffolk - on 2 separate days to do half an hour of road sweeping each time. The company will charge the council for two lots of 12 hours when it was just one hours work. How can that be cost effective - it's MADNESS and surely a waste of our Council Tax.
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I need to reply to some comments from days past and send messages

To my friend Mary In Bath - looked up the details of that book - The Narrow Road..... - sounds too grim for me! ( thank you for the card and thank you S too))

To several people - thank you for the ideas for Col and the chemo side effects. Luckily he hasn't got a metal taste in his mouth just an odd one sometimes and a bit sore and dry. He has tried the pineapple idea which is also mentioned in one of his leaflets.

Simon - Carrying books on the bike is not too bad as I used to bike with 2 small children - one in front on a converted cross bar seat and one on the back too!

Bovey Belle - I think the chemo-brain your friend mentioned is also affecting Col as he hasn't felt like reading since his first treatment. I hope he finds something light that appeals among his new books.

Hello Fran and Hazzy - good to hear from you.

To my penfriend D - I hope Michigan isn't affected by as much snow as the East Coast.

Beachcomber - Yes, - Can Any Mother help Me by Jenna Bailey is on my shelves, and soon to go in a box. When I read it a few years ago, I thought what a lovely idea for being in touch with people around the country and now we have blogging which does the same thing in a more instant way.

I think that's sorted out replies, lovely to hear from everyone.

Back Tomorrow
Sue

It had to happen.......

.....................I've had to unpack two boxes that had been packed and taped up. Except that we still couldn't find what we were looking for!
It was all because we had a bill in the post for baling the big bales last summer, we knew we owed it but there was also a bill for 2014's baling and Col knew we had definitely paid for that at the end of 2014. We had the receipt....... somewhere.......but where the heck was all the paperwork for the 2014-15 tax year. So two boxes were opened and searched, with no luck. Then I checked in the box file laying on the desk which I knew held this current tax years bits and there was the folder labelled 2014-15. Ho Hum!
The two boxes that I unpacked  were old ones we'd been given, they've now been repacked into one of the large, better quality boxes from the removal company, so not a complete waste of time.

Thank you for comments yesterday, I will try and remember to do book reviews on here. My first to read is Silent Nights - Christmas Mysteries edited by Martin Edwards. It's one of the British Library Crime Classics.The short stories in this book are mostly by long forgotten authors. I'm very much looking forward to many more old crime fiction that will be republished by them this year and have just gone on the library website and ordered Death On The Riviera by John Bude. BLCC have already done 3 of John Bude's books and they were all a good read and didn't come across as too dated.

We watched the second episode of Shetland last night and the story still didn't finish. I'm also  watching Dickensian when it doesn't clash with something else but I'm getting worried that there may not be happy endings for some of the characters!

No other news of note except to welcome Jennifer who is a new follower

Back Tomorrow
Sue

Library day

Shopping first, trying to find tasty ideas to make Col feel better and to get rid of the horrible taste he has in his mouth all the time, yet another side effect of chemo.

Then down to the library van, not on my bike today as it was pouring with rain and very blowy. This is my haul.

Most are crime fiction but there are a few non-fiction that I've found mentioned on blogs. Now that Col isn't "him outside" anymore we thought you might like to see his  collection too. He orders on line as I do and gets his ideas from the bibliographies at the back of other books and ideas picked up from TV programmes, like the Simon Dawson Pigs in Clover featured on the Ben Fogle programme.  Not sure why he's ordered the Simon Dawson Self Sufficiency book as we've borrowed that before and we won't be at all self sufficient  in our bungalow in Ipswich!

I've just been listening to the news and the weather forecasts for the East coast of the USA - They have large amounts of snow forecast and a state of emergency has been called for many States. So please do take care those of you reading from the other side of the Atlantic.

Many Thanks for comments yesterday

Back Tomorrow
Sue

Thrifty Thursday, frost and those birds are back

Thrifty Thursday this week instead of Frugal Friday because tomorrow is library van day - at last - so my library books will feature in tomorrows post,

Have their been any thrifty things this week? Not many

• We took a flask and snack to hospital on Tuesday to save using the cafe ( and thank goodness we did as we were there 2 hours longer than we thought.)
• Free heat and hot water as usual
• Used home grown leeks, squash, Brussels sprouts, apples and beetroot plus apricots from the freezer.
• Home made bread all week
• Several extra portions of various dinners have been popped in the freezer, handy for me when Col is in hospital. 
• Got a discount on feed by asking around for who wanted bird peanuts/feed to make up to 10 sacks

I can't think of anything else.

Today was a big bake day and Col choose sultana buns, I choose coffee sponge and by mutual agreement cheese straws were made too. Some are for the weekend and the rest have gone into the freezer. Plus sausage rolls for dinner and to put in the freezer and 2 mince pies with a scrappy bit of puff pastry that was left over from the sausage rolls. A few years ago that little bit of pastry would have been chucked out but not any more!

We rarely get  a hoar frost, the sort that leaves everywhere covered with  frosted edges, perhaps because the air is dryer or it's windier nearer the coast.This morning just for a while everywhere sparkled and I snapped the sage

and the conifer

but it was soon gone and we had a grey morning until the sun appeared.

I quickly grabbed the camera again later because the redpolls were back on the niger seed feeder and facing the right way to see the colours. They'd gone a second after clicking so only just in time.

Many thanks for comments yesterday, regarding which I have a dilemma. When I was posting just 2 or 3 times a week I had time to answer comments individually. Now I'm posting everyday I seem to have to choose between answering comments or reading other peoples interesting blog posts or spend longer on line which would leave me no time for reading which would be a Disaster! I do read all comments of course but what to do about answering??

Which reminds me to reply to Phil - Knodishall church is thought to be  built  in the 15th century around  an earlier Norman building. The tower is 15th Century, the buttresses 19th century but there are much later improvements. There is no record of a village around the church but it seems that the village as it is now grew in the 19th century around a green and mill  ( a mile away) rather than around the church. The Victorian primary school ( now a house) is actually half way between the church and the newer village almost as if they hadn't decided which part was more important.

Oooops nearly forgot to welcome Marjorie, follower 344 in the google pictures

Back Tomorrow
Sue