21st August 2009 The day I last put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), Aunty Hilda slipped quietly from this world. Having said her goodbyes to her sisters, she left us that night to reunite with her beloved Ted, no doubt with a gentle sigh and a raised eyebrow at the state of the… Continue Reading

4th August 2009After successfully laying the flooring in my study, Jamie went on to spend another three days fitting flooring and hanging doors for Roger Woolnough. Once done, he returned to Willow Bank and laid a new floor in the sunroom, a trickier task, as he had to craft a drain cover. He then spent… Continue Reading

19th July 2009 It’s been a bit of a rough patch for Sue these past few weeks. She’s had yet another bout of her persistent chest infection and, following a consultation at the local cottage hospital, has been booked in for a hysterectomy on the 22nd of August. It turns out this has been an… Continue Reading

5th July 2009 Summer has well and truly arrived in the UK, with temperatures soaring to 32.2°C in the garden, warmer even than Majorca, according to Charlotte, Sarah, and Claire, who were enjoying a girlie week at an all-inclusive hotel in Cala de Majorca. Judging by their constant excursions into town for meals, I suspect… Continue Reading

21st June 2009  Roger and I flew from Luton to Sofia to visit my step-brother David, who lives in a tiny Bulgarian village called Ritya. Just a couple of weeks prior, they’d been burgled, so I was carrying five CCTV cameras in my luggage. Our flight landed at midnight, and by 1:00 a.m., we’d collected… Continue Reading

2nd June 2009 Sarah has battled bravely through her exams, all while sweltering in what can only be described as tropical conditions. Despite the heat and the academic pressure, we managed to squeeze in a bike ride, which she thoroughly enjoyed. She even promised to go on more once the exams are out of the… Continue Reading

25th May 2009  Sarah is still in the thick of her GCSE exams, but remains relentlessly cheerful and full of life (I think, though it’s sometimes hard to tell with teenagers). She’s 16 now, which feels quite impossible. The years do sprint past when you’re not looking. Over the years, I’ve quietly filed away every… Continue Reading

19th May 2009 I’m getting thoroughly fed up with the weather. The wind and rain seem to be on a rota, with the “weather witches” hurling heavy downpours and gales our way on a near-daily basis. The poor plants, which by now should be basking in open-air beds, are still cowering behind greenhouse glass. Watering… Continue Reading

11th May 2009 Since returning from Italy, the sun has been putting on quite a show, but it’s been partnered with a gale-force wind. Venturing outside has felt less like a spring stroll and more like an Arctic expedition. Still, the fruit trees are blossoming, the vegetables are pushing through, and, fingers crossed, we could… Continue Reading

29th April 2009 Thanks to the economic recession, now officially affecting everyone’s Christmas card list, Jamie has, unfortunately, been made redundant. The family joinery company he worked for has seen work drying up faster than a paddling pool in August, and John, the owner, had no choice but to let his only two employees go.… Continue Reading