This week

Sunday - Collected Col from hospital after Chemo
Wednesday - Driving Col  for long morning out to and from hospital for his blood test and waiting for results
Friday -  Ditto except for even longer out because they were in total chaos!
Today - Col has taken himself to hospital for blood transfusion because of yesterdays results.

In between packing boxes and shifting things

How wonderful it will be to be within a few miles of the hospital!

Back in a day or two
Sue

Bun cases are smaller than they used to be - Discuss

I was rustling up a batch of sultana buns this morning and decided that since the invention of cup-cakes and the move to muffins, good old fashioned bun cases are smaller than they once were.

Another box packed, another cupboard sorted and 5 small bits of unwanted furniture over to Campsey Ashe ready for Mondays auction.

I don't know if it's the same where you've been but we've had a beautiful day here today. There was a bit of  spring in the air and a little warmth in the sun, providing you were indoors!
Outside the red catkins on the red hazel are all showing and the primroses under the quince trees are spreading.

Thanks for comments yesterday
Back in a day or two
Sue

Wednesday - A List

Thank you for all the interesting comments about so called artisan foods. I'm going to be searching the shelves for them from now on.......not to buy them.......but just to see what silly prices are charged!

We've been to hospital again this morning for what will be regular twice weekly blood tests for Col. Each test involves waiting for results and then any other treatment needed. We hope if he feels OK he will go on his own as I need to crack on with packing. We are still waiting for confirmation that solicitors will be able to manage a 9th March completion.
As well as packing there are all the other things to do

• Taking some unwanted furniture to the auction market
• Try and organise a carpet for the bungalow between exchange and completion
• Taking the car in to get the Cam belt done (they are being so kind and loaning us a car for free while they do it, in case they can't get it done in one day)
• Getting our youngest to sort out the stuff we have of theirs still in the shed after 10 months!
• Finish loading the flat trailer with the garden and workshops things we will need
• Finish loading the horsebox trailer with the garden and workshop things that we don't need
• Baking
• Breadmaking
• Working out how to get a settee to our sons house
• Notifying seemingly 1001 places of the new address
• Organising final meter readings
• Arranging redirection of post at the Post Office
• Getting some photos done for new driving licenses

Oh heck, now I've written this down it looks even worse than I thought. It's 23 years since we moved and I'm sure it's got more complicated.

If I don't post everyday you will know why!

Back when I can
Sue

Moving news and last nights TV

 from google images

We've been puzzling about moving dates because the original plan was March 16th which would be when Col should be due for a blood test  on the day before his next 3 day stay in hospital for chemo. We didn't see how we could ask to move it to an earlier date because our buyers were waiting to get some of the money they needed and moving later would clash with Easter. So it was a lovely surprise this morning when the Estate Agent phoned to ask if we would like to do completion on the 9th as our buyers had been able to arrange for the money earlier. That will make life so much easier as Col would be feeling well for a week in the new home to help me get things sorted before disappearing off to hospital. The removal company can do the 9th so as long as both lots of solicitors can organise everything that should be the day.

 Did you see last nights episode of  Supershoppers? They were looking at some of the so called "artisan products" available. Packed in rustic brown paper packages with labels that look home produced but they turn out to be made by some of the biggest companies, Dorset Cereals were one example. They are packed in small boxes with a 'country look' packaging. BUT they are owned ABF - Associated British Foods who also make Jordans cereal, dozens of other products and own Primark. Another product they featured were Teapigs - which I hadn't heard of but they are very posh teabags and come in small packs looking as if they were made in someones kitchen. BUT they are owned by Tata - one of the biggest companies in the world (they also produce steel and cars). The presenters put some Heinz baked beans into dinky kilner-type storage jars, tied them up with string and a paper label and took them out on the streets to see what people would be willing to pay for "artisan beans".............the answer?...........anything up to £5!
I suppose you pay you money and you take your choice but a lot of people are paying much more  just because of the packaging or because they assume they are buying from a small local company.

Last week they were talking about Gluten Free Foods. They found that many products labeled as GF and  found on the "Free From" shelves at a high price are often exactly the same as the ordinary product on the normal shelves which are gluten free anyway.

Once upon a time shopping was simple!

Back Tomorrow
Sue

Empty shelves, full boxes

My lovely bookshelves are looking very empty, almost all the 1000+  have been packed in boxes and sealed up. Left undone are a box for Col - in case he runs short of library books, a box of reference books and a box of cookery books. Still to pack are books I might want to read if I run out of library books - which seems unlikely! All the books will have to stay packed until we can replace the awful living room carpet and get some new book shelves for the bungalow

 After the days of driving backwards and forwards to Ipswich it was time for me to stay in and do some bread baking and I also made a blackberry and apple crumble for Col's dessert. Whether he will fancy eating it later is a different matter - although he says the nasty taste in his mouth is not too bad this time. He thought he might like a bacon, onion and tomato sauce with pasta for dinner so that's been rustled up.

I hope blogging friends over in Wales and the South of England are keeping safe during this windy weather, it's pretty rough here but nothing like what I saw of Aberystwyth and the South coast on the 1 O'clock news. From where Col was sitting at lunch time he could see out 6ft front fence swaying backwards and forwards in the wind. Somehow between us we managed to prop it up and Col hammered in some nails to hold the props tight against the trees on the sheltered side of the fence. I didn't want him to be doing stuff like this but he said if we hadn't the whole lot might have come down. By the time he'd finished he was shattered and had to lay down for several hours - Men!

The cat was pleased to see Col home again yesterday too.

 
 Back Tomorrow
Sue

Sunday sentences

I was well chuffed to find that link to Hoots Mon worked yesterday, I wonder how I did it? This is a constant discussion here when I struggle to work something out on t'internet and then have no idea how to do the same thing again! "But you just did it" he says.

Had a text message to say I could pick Col up at 10 this morning so he is now safely home, fast asleep and will be able to have a good nights rest after 4  broken nights. 

Good rugby games yesterday, Dylan Hartley managed his first game as captain without getting himself into trouble - thank goodness.

I heard we have storm Imogen on the way, over the south of the country this time, I'm glad Northern England and Scotland are having a break from storms.

Welcome to Wendywu and Pamela  who are new followers

Thank you to everyone for the kind comments, Col will read them all when he wakes up

Back Tomorrow
Sue

There's a moose, loose aboot this hoose.

I have no idea if this link above will work so sorry if it doesn't. Adding a youtube video may be beyond me!

I spent the first 10 minutes of watching Shetland last night trying to catch a mouse that Polly had brought in. It vanished somewhere even though she had it cornered for a second so I expect to be surprised by it dashing across the floor again tonight. This is when I miss our dog Lucy, she was a Collie cross and would never give up on catching a mouse even if it meant laying with her nose under a cupboard for hours.

Antimacassar - Now there's a word that I never thought I would hear in this house. 

According to the dictionary:-

The definition of antimacassar is a protective cover for the arms and/or backs of upholstered furniture.

One of the annoying side effects of Col's cancer is a sweaty head! Sounds weird I know, but there you go.

It's particularly bad when he is asleep and he has had a towel on his pillow for weeks  Then we moved a leather recliner into the living room so he could lean back for a snooze and he needed a towel over the back of that too. But it kept falling off or slipping down so today I'm going to stitch a couple of  hand towels together on 3 sides so they can fit over the back of the recliner. Should keep me occupied while watching the rugby.

I went up to see him this morning and found him in the day room with two other men from his bay. They had had a really bad night as a poor man had had a bad reaction to his chemo which involved him shouting, swearing, thrashing about and threatening the nurses. Eventually the nurses managed to sedate him. Col said the man was quite OK until this weird episode in the night. So not a lot of sleep had by anyone last night.

Thank you for comments yesterday

Back Tomorrow - probably

Sue