lawn

May – Shorth month . . .

/ Tony / Leave a comment

By that, I mean it’s going to be a short work/pay month. One of the downsides of working at the cafe is when it comes to Public Holidays. If it is a normal day when I would be working, I have to take the time off as either unpaid or accrued holiday. I normally get one day’s holiday for every month I work. They are usually quite good at allowing people to take a holiday that has yet to be accrued but not always. This financial year there will be eight days that I work that will be classed as Public Holidays. That just leaves me four days to take when I need them as an actual holiday. I’m lucky in that I can afford to take some of the days unpaid. The coronation has not helped although, I’m a little surprised that the May Day holiday hasn’t been moved to cover it.

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I need a few days next week with dry weather. The lawn (if you can call it that) at the front of the house needs cutting. That’s a bit of an understatement. It seems to have grown some jungle like qualities. I know it may sound like an excuse, but on the days when I have been able to cut the grass, it is either raining or had rained before. With a small lawnmower, it can be difficult if the grass is wet and as it is powered by the mains electricity, it’s not a good idea to cut in the rain. It’s a small lawn, but it has a steepness to it that makes it hard even when the conditions are perfect.

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The “When are you going to quit?” question came up again the week. A friend and former school colleague asked me on Thursday. I said that I was not sure yet, but that I’m giving it some consideration. It would be nice to not work now I’m 68, and if I’m honest I possibly could afford not to. But £100 a week for twelve hours of work, is not to be sniffed at. It covers a bit of shopping and some pocket money and I think I would miss it. I would probably miss the company also.

Still tired …

/ Tony / Leave a comment

   Youngest was back from respite yesterday, and he seemed to be in great mood. All set for  an early(ish) night, when he started to be ill. For no apparent reason, Mrs H told me that he looked like he was choking on something. Then he was sick !!!! A bit of a mess. After cleaning him up, he settled down in his own room. Of course, neither me or Mrs H slept well. We both seemed to have that ‘one eye and one ear open’ kind of sleep. However, there were no further incidents during the night. He did wake up at around half two, but as usual, he put his TV on (very quietly), and went back to sleep. Seemed fine this morning, and for the most part, he has been great.

   So today was gardening day. Just outside the living room window, we had a patch of what was loosely called a lawn. In all honesty, it was a patch of moss and weeds, with a few blades of grass thrown in. I/we managed to get it down to bare, almost weed free soil, over the past couple of weeks. I had collected all the leaves, last autumn, and bagged them up. Mrs H then spent a good few days last week, digging in these leaves, which were now starting to rot down. A couple or three bags of cheap compost on top, and we have the makings of a half decent bed of shrubs. Just got to keep it that way now.

   I also managed to give my car a vacuum out too. Now there’s a challenge !! I am of the opinion, that our Dyson, is the only one that does not utilise it’s famous ‘cyclonic suction’ to its best. Well, it does not do cars well at all !

   So what with the gardening, the car valeting, and the other jobs I got done today, it has been a long day.

Halfway ….

/ Tony / Leave a comment

   Well, that’s Saturday over, and it’s not been a bad day. Youngest has been fine, if a little loud, for most of the day, with no real problems at all. Mrs H dropped a bombshell this morning, when she asked me to take him for his hair cutting !! This would not normally be a problem, but the way he has been for the past few weeks, meant that I was dreading it. However, he surprised me, and trip went very well.

   Managed to get to mow the lawn today. Now that usually is a chore. What normally happens is, that the weekend weather usually prevents me from cutting the grass, until it has got too long. Then, with copious amounts of bad language, I spend a good one and a half hours, trying to cut the damn stuff. I also sorted out my little ‘greenhouse’ and planted some Dahlia seeds. May plant some salad leaves tomorrow, if the weather holds.

   I now have a new page on here, that has a few photos from our last holiday. They are not the best pictures, but for a first attempt, I don’t think I did too bad.

   I posted a status comment on facebook today, whilst I was in the garden. It basically said “……has cut the grass, and is now chopping out some dead wood (why does work spring to mind ??)……”. This seems to have caused a little upset, with some of my colleagues  …… ha ha ha. Just need Doris Day singing “The Deadwood Stage” as my ringtone to finish them off, and I will have lost all my work friends … ha ha ha.