Yes I DID Help, and here is the proof.

Work is progressing well, Michael has been papering at the dining end of the kitchen whilst I finished stripping the paper at the other end. He sneakily took this as a record of the fact that I did help.

I did make the tea and coffee, most of the time, and I have been cleaning round the windows, the closing edges that you only see when you open the windows. My pet hate is seeing them dirty and cobwebby so they get done very regularly. I am also "mr shifter" and have moved several things from A to B back to A and then to C.

I took Ben out for an hour this afternoon and took a few pics.

This field is just on the edge of the village, the center section was hand picked a few days ago for the flower market, the remainder will not be gathered they were really grown for the bulbs. This is their 3rd year so they will be harvested in the autumn. 

There is a small area on the far left that is tulips, out of sight, these are still just leaves.

Now this is a wallflower, it is a perennial and has bloomed each of the 9 years that I have lived in the village. 

A patch of Honesty growing wild at the edge of a field, there are seedlings growing all around and in a few years it will fill the whole area.

I have walked past this barn end wall hundreds of times and never seen this shrub before. There was a scraggy hedge and a broken wall that have been removed. It is so pretty, there are 2 side by side and a paler one further down, I could not get closer as we had heavy rain yesterday evening and the land has been ploughed.

As usual for me the last photo was the first one that I took today. I woke early and put the breadmaker on with a fruit loaf recipe, as soon as it was cool enough I had a slice. Michael had the crust with buttery stuff but I had mine as it was, yummy yummy yummy. I bought this breadmaker after Froogs recommended it and have not regretted one moment of the time I have had it. I do not use it all the time I like to make a big batch in the Kenwood and fill the oven. For one off loaves it is excellent and this is like an enormous Hot Cross Bun. I have to make another without the fruit for Fran, I will do it last thing tomorrow for her to take back to London.

Reasons to be grateful.

1. The glory of nature all around us Free.

2. My point and shoot camera that was a gift several years ago.

3. Ben having the patience to wait for me while I decide what to photograph.

4. My kitchen will soon be finished and back together.

5.The pile of paint tins will be gone from the bathroom, the most convenient place to put them.

It may seem strange to keep paint in the bathroom, they were tucked in a corner right out of the way so are one of the few items that have not been shunted round for the last week or so.

 The spare bedroom/craft room is finished but the shelves need to be tidied once all the "relocated" items have been returned to their proper homes. B****r, I have just remembered that I forgot to get a new lightshade when I was out yesterday, tomorrow it will have to be.

I have a list of odd jobs to be done to finish each room off, I spent 20 minutes looking for a green glass dish to put in the bathroom before I remembered giving it away months ago.

I want to nip into the garden and pick some daffodils for my vases, I like a splash of colour here and there and the yellow is so happy.

Ben needs to be fed soon and I have to check that the box of meatballs, that I removed from the freezer last night, are thawing.

We are having  roast beef tomorrow, it is the enormous joint that I bought for Christmas and we didn't use.

 Once cold I will slice some of the left over meat up and freeze for Fran, the rest will become cottage pie, go into large Yorkshire puddings and so on until we have eaten it. I guess that Ben will help out, if I ask him nicely.

I ordered a couple of crochet books from up the Big River yesterday and a top up of Ben's vitamin pills and the supplement that he takes for his flaky skin. I am looking forward to getting the parcels, well 2 of them any way.

I have started to crochet a colourful Granny Square Blanket, I can not get my sewing out and knitting little clothes for Bramble is too fiddly when watching TV or a DVD. This will be for my new home, I know that it may be some time before I move, but it will also be a while before the blanket is finished. 

On the subject of finishing, I ought to get a wiggle on and finish my tasks.

TTFN                                                            Pam