Nearly Empty House!!!

Well that's it for now. Ruby has gone home for a couple of days, DD is on her way to Manchester and Andy is asleep in bed. It's just me and the dog for a few hours and the house is as quiet as a church until Sunday when it will fill up again.
We are picking Ruby up on Sunday morning morning and going out for lunch then picking DD up from the station. An earlyish night before being up and off to York early on Monday morning.

I'm just having a few minutes and then I'll be dragging out the painting stuff and getting busy until Andy gets up.

It's very cloudy here this morning and although the thermometer says it's only 21C I still feel really hot and bothered. It's just started thrashing down with rain so that should make me feel a bit cooler.

Hope you all have a good Bank Holiday weekend.
Sheila-x-

A Picnic By The Lake!!!

Yesterday was a perfect day. Dry and warm but not overly sunny so we decided to pack up a picnic and drive down to Sudbury Hall and let Ruby have a run around in the adventure playground in the woods. When she decided she was hungry we wandered over to the lake and spread out our picnic blanket. It was a very simple picnic of cocktail sausages, snack eggs and boxes of prepared fruit but in the beautiful surroundings and fresh air it tasted like a banquet.

We paid a visit to the Museum of Childhood which was lovely although I did think the admission charge was a bit steep.
DD at 38 was shocked to see some of the toys she remembers playing with in a museum....lol.

I really shouldn't have but I just had to try the Rhubarb Ripple ice cream on offer....man it was good.

Sudbury Hall has changed quite a bit since I worked there twenty years ago. It's more child friendly and it was absolutely heaving with people which was really good to see.

We must have tired our little munchkin out....she slept until 9am this morning which is very unlike her.

Today Ruby has gone to Trentham Gardens with Aunty DD for a last day out for this week as she is being picked up at 10:30 in the morning to spend the day with Mummy who is off on Saturday morning for an exciting weekend in Dublin.
Ruby will be back with us on Sunday for another couple of nights sleeping over so in the meantime I will probably get some more painting done.

Thanks for all your lovely comments on my last post.

Have a fabulous day.
Sheila-x-

Happy Days!!!

Well Miss Ruby is in the house and with her arriving early yesterday we were able to go out for a few hours....only to do some food shopping but it was lovely.
Pocket money from Grandad was spent on a couple of toys from the charity shop and I also got a couple of bargains....two brand new kilner jars for 99p each and a brand new cookie cup making pan for 99p which Ruby and I are going to be trying out tomorrow. It makes little cups which can be filled with ice cream and fruit or you can put two together with a little icing and hide surprises in them. I'm not sure I will use it a lot but it's a fun thing for us to do.

We had a snuggly night watching films and then she was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.....and so was Ganma....lol.

Today she has gone for a little shufty into Derby with Aunty DD and I'm sure she will return thoroughly spoiled and happy.
While they are out I am catching up on a bit of laundry which didn't get done yesterday and some tidying up before I make a chicken curry for our evening meal.

Busy but very happy days and I love the change of routine when we have Ruby here. It's almost like having a holiday myself.

Hope you are all having a happy day today.
Sheila-x-

Cursing The Blue!!!

Yesterday we managed to get the ceiling painted and once it was dry Andy put up the new light fittings and shades.
I made a start on painting the walls below the dado rail. I am trying to cover a strong blue with my new grey and it ain't going well. I think it's going to take three or four coats to cover it completely. Luckily there is only one long wall and two shorter ones.
I have been cursing.

I've been doing our own decorating now for over forty years and yesterday I really wished that I had as much energy as I did when I first started. Oh I ache so bad.

Today is a day off as I am cooking a roast dinner and then I have to do a bit of tidying ready for my Ruby arriving in the morning.

I went to see her in the musical Matilda on Friday evening and it was totally awesome. The kids had learned the whole thing in a week and I think the prompter only had to prompt once through it all.
Ruby just wanted to go back and do it all again.

Oooops......something sounds like it's boiling over so I will go and rescue whatever it is.

Have a lovely day.
Sheila-x-

Another Evening Out!!!

Ruby has spent the last week at dance school taking part in a production of Matilda and she has absolutely loved it.
Tonight I will be going with DDIL to see the performance and I can't wait.

Hopefully I can manage to get another couple of skirting boards done before I have to have an early tea and a bath.

The weekend should see the ceiling done and a start made on painting the lower half of the walls but how far I shall get I don't know as I have promised Andy a roast beef lunch on Sunday and I have to clean the bedroom and change the bed for Ruby's arrival early on Monday morning.
All work will stop while she is here but she will be going home on Friday afternoon to spend some time with Mummy who is going away for the weekend and to spend some time on Saturday with London Grandma and Grandad. She'll come back to us on Sunday ready for going to York on the Monday.

By Tuesday DD will be back at work and I will have the house back to myself after a month of having somebody here all the time.....bliss.

Have a lovely day today.
Sheila-x-