Belated Photo Friday

These are the photos I took last Friday when my garden looked as if Spring had arrived. It was short-lived, we now have cold grey weather again and the forecast of snow tomorrow. 

Quince 

Almost daffodil

I should have posted them last week, but things have been a little chaotic. I followed Mike down the path of ill health, but of course was unable to take to my bed. I feel mostly recovered now, unlike Mike, who is still in bed, not eating properly, his sense of smell triggering nausea attacks so bad there have been nights we couldn't be in the same room. 

I don't think I need say how my nerves are. 

Happy Valentine's Day, I think.

Happy Valentine's Day dear readers. I hope you are all feeling loved today, whether by a sweetheart or by friends and family.  

Traditionally the day is for lovers and secret admirers, a day when you can express your true feelings without embarrassment. Today as we all know it is a bit too commercial, flowers that you could buy last week for £5 cost £15 today. Oh well. 

Obviously it is a day for giving out love as well as receiving and so Mike has hit the jackpot. Laid up in bed with a very nasty chest infection it isn't going to be a day of champagne and chocolates or even a card, instead he has me waiting on him hand and foot (where does that expression come from?) while he doesn't even know what day it is. 

I shall have to keep myself occupied with giving out more love with a project that would have had Paula reaching for her stash, and probably having completed a dozen by now. As some of you might already know if you read Deb B.'s blog, she had the idea of donating hand knitted or crocheted hats to cancer patients at her local hospital and hopefully further afield. 

Off to tend to my patient. Spread the love people. 

Rant

Today I would like to rant about how unfair life can be. 
How I was born too short and too wide.
How my father left and my mother hated me for it.
How alone I feel in a crowded room.
How I found my soul mate, for him to be struck by the big C.
How I'll never swim with dolphins or visit Santa Claus.

But instead I will count my blessings.
A man who loves me as I am.
Five children who are all good people.
An internet of friends who pop by at times of need.
I have precious memories of true love.
I have Toni, my garden and an imagination. 

Six degrees of separation

I realised early this week that it is possible to play the "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" game with myeloma. I thought it might be fun to demonstrate one such game today. 

Mike is married to Lorna.
Lorna's ex-husband is married to an ex-school nurse K.
K lives in Hitchin.
The Hitchin office sent Deb B an edible bouquet 

So Mike and Deb B. are linked not only in myeloma. Ta da!

I can actually link Paula to Deb B. in two more steps.

Deb B went to watch a recording of Jonathan Ross.
One of the guests was Dolph Lundgren, Paula's favourite hunk. 

I will spend all of my time from now on linking people! :-)

Bad friend.

Oh f@#% * . I realised yesterday, too late, that I had forgotten to buy and post a birthday card to Bernard. Sorry Bernard.

So instead I will say

Happy 50^th Birthday B.

We hope you have a good one, Paula would have loved taking the pee out of you being an "old man" now. x x x

*flop 

Please feel free to leave more birthday wishes in the comments and I will make sure Bernard  gets to see them.

First February Photo Friday

That's a mouthful of a title! Happy February one and all. It is currently raining here, no surprise there then. 

As usual I am left wondering where January went. For a month with the full complement of 31 days it doesn't half go quickly, has anyone else noticed that? Let's hope the next four weeks don't go so quickly, every day counts when you're clinging on to a decade! 

Last night we watched a wonderful programme "Secret Life of Dogs" narrated by Martin Clunes. The dogs they featured were all amazing. One bottle fed lambs on a farm, another was a search and rescue dog and another, Max, diagnosed his owner's breast cancer. There were tears for Endal the assistance dog who had died in his owner's lap and joy at simply knowing what dogs mean to so many people.

Toni aged 3 months the day after we got her. 

Up until we got Toni I thought I was a cat person, I'd only ever had cats as pets. But since her arrival I have come to realise that I am in fact a dog person. I will never again be without a dog. She makes me laugh, she has kept me company when Mike has been in hospital and I cannot imagine life without her.

The following "video" is photos of Toni along with the noise she makes when I leave her. My daughter caught her doing it one day when she thought no one else was in the house.

It seems she can't live without us either.

4:30 pm  A quick add-on, the rain stopped around lunchtime and I was able to get out into the garden to plant the hanging baskets with primulas. 

I didn't use a flash and yet the yellow primula still shines like a buttercup! :-)