Life Is A Buddha Roses

(And quite a lot of sweet peas!)

 

I am going to join in with Ditsy Sprinkles' photo challenge during the month of August.

Why not join in and let Bianca know? You even have the daily themes laid out for you, which for me, at least, makes it easier as I don't have to make a decision of what to photograph. Too much choice and I can't decide!!

 

click here for more info

 I did this type of thing a couple of years back with 'August Break' and love looking back at those posts; interesting that quite a few of them were courgette flowers which we seem to have had dozens of already this year, but no actual veg!

 

I  am also going to start replying to any comments left on my posts, even if it is just to say 'thank you', as I really do appreciate that anyone bothers to drop me a line!

 

click here for more info

 So then girls (and boys)...shutters at the ready!

Z xx

A Little Bit Of This, A little Bit Of That (edited...Now With Video)

Last week was Mr B's first week off and if he thought he was in for a rest...

Monday morning saw me discharged from my urology specialist. No real answers, but equally, nothing to panic over, which in itself is a positive. Mind you, I was told there is yet another use of Botox; it can be injected into the bladder! Eek! Um, no thanks...I think I'll pass on that!

  

I had promised to take Mr B to Most Marvellous, so we walked down to there and had a good mung and a bacon sarnie. Lots of great things to take us back to yesteryear, but we were very good and left empty-handed. Can't remember where else we went, but we walked a lot and didn't get home until early evening. (How can my brain loose whole chunks of time?)

Wednesday saw us visiting my dentist...again! The new gold crown that I went to have fitted a couple of weeks before didn't fit. In the space of 10 days my teeth had moved/grown and I had to have another cast taken.

This new crown was a perfect fit; my mouth feels so much 'happier' if that makes sense.

Picture very kindly taken by my dentist and mouth held open by dental nurse.
Thanks guys!

Of course, a visit to the dentist means either a 'big shop' at the lovely Co-

op and/or a visit to the café in the park; this time the café won.

 A couple of yummy sarnies, 2 fabulous iced coffee drinks and a seat on the cushy sofa inside with a fab summer breeze = total bliss.

Feeling very happy  after trying out my new crown on a coronation chicken sandwich!

I've also realised that I had my hair cut and coloured Monday afternoon. (That's where that chunk of time went!) 



Thursday we went into town to TKMaxx. It was a 'mystery tour' bus route as there is work going on building a new rail station that seems to have closed 3 roads.

We had a pear cider at the King Billy and 'date night' at MacDonalds. Haven't had one of their burgers for ages and I have to admit I won't be rushing back there soon! Burger King gets my vote. (Much to the disgust of the other commuters on various  trains back from Brum!)

Friday we went to the doctors' surgery - him to get his finger checked out by the nurse as he had injured it just before he finished for the summer (ouch!) and I had a very successful meeting with the lady from the Wellbeing Clinic. I am hoping they may be able to step in where Bromford  left me in the lurch. I've done pretty well so far, but felt I've been loosing grip on stuff a bit. At least I didn't burst into tears this time. Again, a positive!

 

Saturday was spent moving stuff around in the lock-up. I think I'm hoping if we move it around enough it'll disappear!

 

 

Sunday was the Northampton Music Festival in the market square. A free event with something to suit all tastes. We went in to catch The Jets, a well-known local band and they were very good.

I was trying to upload 2 videos but Blogger was having none of it yesterday, but it seems to have worked today! 

Z xx

Early One Morning...

 

...just as the sun was rising, as the song goes.

The view from our back door this morning. Spot the blackbird - with a beak-full of goodies for the babes in the nest up to the right, on top of the shed.

 

Today was the Vintage Jumble and it was brilliant. Bought a stack of stuff and, after a tip off from Trevor, had tea at a lovely Italian place just down the road from St Matthews.

 

 

Jolly good start to Mr Bs' summer holiday I'd say!

 

Totally knackered!! It takes it out of me...having fun and being super-sociable! Ready to schlump in front of the telly and watch a repeat of a repeat of a repeat of Lewis.

Perfick!

 

What are YOU doing for your 'perfick' weekend?

Z xx

Whicker Wednesday - RIP The Man

For those of you who have been reading my blog for a while, you may remember I ran a series of posts, Whicker Wednesday, with a piece about Alan Whicker and a picture of something made of wicker.

 

 

He passed away on July 12. I waited until today, as a 'final' Whicker Wednesday tribute, to a bloke I grew up watching on the telly with that unmistakable voice and a certain style.

 

He was a presenter and journalist, had a television programme on the BBC, Whicker's World, that ran for 30 years and, although he never married, was with his partner for over 40 years.

From what has been written since his passing, I believe he will be sadly missed.
 

 

A true gentleman.

OOTD - date at the lert

Trying to keep cooooool!

 

What the heck is in that drink? It's blue for heavens sake! I think it was a Slush Puppy...Mr B brought us back drinks and hot coronation chicken baguettes from Laserquest across the road from our storage place.

 

They were lovely, but how weird, it's food for kids. Warm curried chicken in a baguette? For kids??

Lummy, fancy tastes, or what?

But jolly yummy!

 

Matching my drink to my footwear!

As I say to Mr B, "These things aren't thrown together!"

 

White linen pants and sandals from TK Maxx.

White cotton pin-tucked blouse from New Look (several years old)
Lipstick, MAC Ruby Woo, (Mr B treated me at Dublin Airport Duty Free)

Necklace, a gift from Mr B, from Liberty Blue, Belfast  

Sticky Fingers

I was going to call this post "Still Pampering, Sorry, Papering", but cannot get strikethrough to work in the title.

Any ideas?

 

 

Oh yes...I'm still wallpapering the front room!

 

It's not that I live in a castle with huge rooms, (I wish!), just we have to move stuff around and then I get to do a bit more.

 

The latest thing to be shoved around is the piano, which has to be done by Mr B (too heavy for me to do it!); in between him scooting off on tour, y'know, that work thing!

 

Having watch a few YouTube vids, they show you how to paper around light sockets; turn off the juice, loosen the front plate, cut out the middle bit of paper, cut at angles into the corners and tuck behind the plate.

 

Ummm, NO!

For a start, the plates have been sealed to the wall!

 

And all this 'cut your wallpaper', heck NO! It all just shrivels up together and tears. (See, like on the bottom right of the picture above). The same when cutting off the excess top and bottom.

 

This may be that the paper is thin??

 

I also 'treated' myself to some ready-mixed paste for this last papering session. Will stick to the mix-it-yourself as I find it easier to distribute across the paper and, again, possibly because of the pappy paper, as you move the brush away to another area the paper comes with it and you get a whole load of creases!

 

But, to be fair, I am really chuffed with my attempt. The walls are cr*p and have so many different bits of plastering and undulations. In a perfect world I guess you could get someone in to skim them, but this is the way the Council has left it and I'm not paying to have it re-done! With the light from the mini chandelier casting shadows that move all the time, it feels like the walls are not 'static', so, if I wanted to be picky I could, but instead, I'm just basking in the fact that I've given it a go!

Z xx

The Sweetest Thing

 

It's taken 3 years for these Sweet William seeds to flower, but now they have, they were worth waiting for.

Z xx

Back In The Day

A little bit of reminiscing occurred when I found this photo.

 

 

Taken the morning after my 28th birthday and still quaffing champagne!

 

We, (me and Mr B), had  gone for a meal and stayed overnight at The Petersham Hotel, in Richmond, Surrey.

I often would travel over to Richmond on my own, before I knew Mr B, and walk along the towpath by the River Thames, down to Ham House, and watch the polo.

Heaven!

 

The view is across the meadow to the Thames.

 

I am wearing my red leather trousers and Toni & Guy sweatshirt. In 'the good old days' I used to model for them; you probably still can. It did used to be free and sometimes it would be students, hairdressers who came to the Academy to learn new techniques, sometimes the salon hairdressers themselves. It was thru' doing this that I found my first place to live in London; with one of the T&G Artistic Team, Christine,  Paul Yacomine, hairdresser and, now long-time friend, Bruce, who was a make-up artist supreme.

 

My goodness, I was in girlie heaven!! On top of that, we were in Hounslow, with the airport flight path out the front and the Tube line at the end of the garden. As odd as this sounds, that was Zoe heavenly too!

 

The look of surprise as any visitor spied Concorde coming in to land !

 

Oh, happy days! (Well, actually they were quite hellish at times...moving to London...trying to establish myself and get work etc etc, but, hey, time smoothed out a lot of the cr*p!).

Z xx



I'm Gonna Be A Bombshell!

 

Mr B has flown to Dublin this afternoon. The same time as I was sitting in the dentists' chair! (You know, the one with my name plaque on, 'cos I've been there so often recently!)

 

Flying to Dublin = access to Duty Free!!!!!!!

And there's a mini Victoria's Secrets  store at Birmingham Airport.

Cue Mr B on the phone reeling off  what they had on display.

How do you choose??

 

 I didn't! I let Mr B pick what he thought appropriate! 

I think he did exceptionally well!

A Bombshell perfume gift set with a free bag, (not 100% sure it is the kit in the picture, but, hey, gotta have some surprises!). The Perfect Body Ultimate Spa Kit, which sounds absolutely fabulous...almond oil, coconut oil, sugar scrum...mmmm and Angel Fragrance mist.

 

I usually can't wait for him to come home but this time I really can't wait for him to come home!!

Z xx