since I was last on here.  I'm really tired but just need to do a quick update on all the fun and games around here lately but probably in no sequence other than as I think of things.

On Friday my new cooker was supposed to be delivered, connected and the old one taken away.  "supposed to" is the kicker here.  The gas pipe to the thing was partway behind a cupboard - no no number one.  The extractor hood was too low and had to be removed asap - no no number two.  The trim at the bottom of the cupboards was too low and needed to be removed - no no number three.  Two and three were a five minute tops job with a screwdriver.  But number one needed a gas engineer.  Delivery guy said it was our gas supplier's job.  They said no, it's an engineers job.  You know the game by now.  Me in tears.  Andy asks a neighbour for a gas man reference and gets one.  He agrees to come on Saturday.  Fine.  Saturday am and the lovely man (guess what's next...) says that he can't connect the cooker until the extractor cover is removed but has a cuppa while Andy removes said bit of wood - with the man's screwdriver.  This man now does his thing with the copper pipe to make it all legal and goes away.  I'm happy and promptly help Andy do the wiring - remove wires form old cooker and attach to new one - and we are in business.  Replaced hood cover and now I have a working cooker that I am happy with.  BTW, we ordered online one that we'd chosen in the shop.  I didn't like the knobs but you can't have everything........we got a different cooker.....with knobs I prefer.  Who knew.  And I'm getting the money I paid for installation back as well as what I'd paid for them to take the old one away.  That more than pays the man who came out on Saturday.

It was out 28th anniversary on Saturday so we went for dinner on Thursday and had a lovely meal. It was nice because Andy wasn't too tired since he took a couple days holiday.  We like to go during the day rather than the evening and couldn't go Friday because of the pending delivery.  I don't do Saturdays!!!

Yesterday I had my routine eye screening at the hospital.  I'll get the results in a few weeks but don't expect any problems there.

Today we had the car serviced and MOT'd.  It failed because of the back rim that Andy bashed avoiding a cat a few months ago.  We knew he'd done it but left it as long as we could.  Nope, had to fork out another £70 for this one.  Costly bump, that.  But we had a pleasant day around the town.  It's Andy's one day a year to go into town!!!

Oh, while Andy had his couple days off, he received a letter from his company with the wrong final leaving date and wrong redundancy payment amount.  He spent time chasing that up, but was able to email another manager permission to act for him when he saw HR.  Andy then got an amended letter with the right date, wrong money again.  Again he chased it and now has a letter with both date and amount correct.  The sum involved was nearly a grand so it needed sorting out.

I'm okay.  I've been going to bed when the pain is bad rather than staying up.  I've stitched some on the purple angel but had a pig of a time with her hair.  In the end I just gave up and fudged it but it looks  great.  I'll adjust the backstitching to suit myself.  No one else should be able to spot the changes and I'd left it quite a few days.  I did it and frogged it several times.  Now that part is done and I'm doing the wings. Making progress though and like working on this one.  It's so much easier than the darn guinea pigs. (Anything has to beat the guinea pigs as they were soooo hard to do.)

but haven't been writing enough to satisfy me for a while.  So although I don't think I have anything to say I'll just start writing and see where it goes.  I do this for myself but if others read and enjoy it that's fine.

Stevie had made me laugh some more - as always.  He's asleep at my feet as I type this...  I had a satsuma and and apple last night.  Now this animal had been sound away on the other side of the room for ages.  As soon as I started peeling the satsuma he was at my feet all alert and didnt' take his eyes off the fruit until I gave him a segment.  Little sod wasn't happy with one either.  Then I started peeling the apple.  His nose twitched and his eyes followed every move of my hands until I shared that with him as well.  He always has the core when I'm done; but then all our dogs have loved to take my apple cores to eat.  And I thought dogs were carnivores!!  My whole life I thought that..... silly me or silly dogs.

By putting in a bit more effort the house seems to be coming round bit by bit but it's hard to keep up with all that I *should* be doing to keep it as clean as I'd like.  I do little and often and am happier with the result.  I'm learning that there is more (far more) to life than housework and the perfect house.

I'm still not losing weight.  Damn it all.  But it is my own fault for not being more active.  I have cut down on the junk food and am trying to eat lunch and dinner with vegetables as well.  There has been a big improvement there.  I walked Stevie a couple times last week and loved it.  I need to make myself do it more.

I had my hair done on Friday.  I've never had foils of blonde and dark brown done before and I LOVE IT.  Rose did a smashing job of the colour and the cut. With the new gel I got last week it's looking okay.  Way to go Rose.

It was no fun clearing out the understairs cupboard to get my crochet and knitting stuff out because I kept banging my head on the low door.  Yes we have lived here for 10 years (last week) and the door has been the same all that time.  I still bang my noodle on it regularly.  Anyway, I found lots of goodies....pretty threads and a lot of wool....a shawl I started heaven knows when (crochet) and two unopened balls of wool to finish it....my tatting stuff and the instruction book.  Never did master that one.  Looked through the book and just laughed knowing I won't use it ever.  I went to a one day class to learn how.  Never managed the first loop.  It still makes me smile to know that I tried though.

I've been informed by the family and by looking out the windows!  I've been told to stay indoors until Andy can take me out in the car....the asthma doesn't like windy weather or cold weather for that matter.

At least we are warm and cosy indoors, under layers of jumpers of course.  I'd rather bundle up than put the heating up unless I really need to.

Well, the top oven is now packing up as well.  I was baking yesterday and the pie wasn't nearly done and suddenly the edges of the top crust are black.   Then the lemon cake was liquid in the centre and the top was turning a  very dark brown - on the right temp.  I turned it down and  all was well (and both are delicious).  I think my enjoyment of baking may be coming back although probably only for a visit!  I have to say here that I prefer my baking to store bought cakes etc.

I've been stitching a lot again.  I was working on the Unicorn for a week or so and enjoyed it until I unpicked one area of blue twice and am still not sure if I've used the right colour or not.  Now I'm back on the purple angel and still love it.  I'm doing her hair and face.

Not much else to say now, things have been nicely quiet here.

I've had a lot on my mind this past week and have felt quite unsettled, but still happy for the most part.  I felt tearful at one point and don't know why.  So I grab Louise Hay and some other authors off my bookshelf - these books are well used and underlined all over the place - and opened at random and flicked around till something caught my eye.  This way of doing things often works for me and somehow gets me the answers I need.  It worked and I've resolved an issue from childhood that has bothered me for the past few months at least.  Now I have peace in that area as well.

I've quit moderating.  Some things were happening that weren't what I was taught.  I know it isn't up to me to set the rules,and that's fine.  But when I'm not told what the new rules are......I don't need the annoyance or stress so I decided to call it a day.  I could have tried to sort it out but as the other person wasn't getting in touch I decided to let it go.  I'd been overdoing it anyway for a while when no one else would do any - and it should have been shared not left for one person to do it all.  Life is too short and something else worthwhile will come up soon enough.  It always does. 

I've baked a bit this week and enjoyed it.  But the oven is knackered, making timings and temperatures a guessing game.  I'll have to rely on the little top oven or the microwave.  I'm grateful to have those things.

Stevie is still fun.  I enjoyed walking him the other day but the breeze made breathing difficult even with a scarf.  I will persevere though for both our sakes.  He begged for some of my satsuma tonight and ate the segment I gave him before trying for more - unsuccessfully!

I got up and had a relaxed morning doing little jobs and pottering around on the internet.  Got a lot done.  Then did more downstairs and soon everywhere looked pretty reasonable.  That is enough for now.  I've given up on the showhome look.  Too much like hard work!!  and not very practical.

Then I had an online chat with my elder daughter in the US. That was a nice treat and I am grateful for it.

Ordered a new cooker today - finally.  We've been going to do it for a week and now it will be at least 19 Nov. before it can be delivered because I dithered so long.  Ah well. It didn't help that I couldn't remember that darned password to allow me to use the credit card.  I know it's for protecton, but I can't always remember what we changed  it to, and with one for Mastercard and one for Visa - different ones - and my elderly memory - it is not fun.  The delivery might be delayed but I hope not.

I did a tiny bit of stitching on the Unicorn and enjoyed it.  Until I got out my colour 820.  On Sat I bought a new skein as I knew the one I was using was running very low.  Went to my supplies tonight to get out a  spare 939 and found 2 new ones of 820.  We all had a giggle at that one.

A real laugh this evening.  Chel went up to remake her bed.  (Stevie finds it his daily challenge to see how much he can destroy her made bed every morning.  He usually  gets the pillows onto the desk somehow and all the bedding in a help somewhere.)  She now puts two laundry baskets on the bed to stop him....but didn't this morning.  When I got up he was very comfy in the middle of the mess...so when she made her bed I heard manic laughter wafting from her room.  She brought her phone down to show me the pic she'd taken of Stevie's chew buried under the mattress at the foot of her bed.  It's a rawhide shoe that I gave him last week when I went out.  I wondered where it went as he doesn't usually eat them straight away.  He likes to bury them in the garden and bring them in and gnaw them one the cream coloured carpet once they've become good and muddy.  No wonder we
love this little guy so much.