They are out!!!!

Finally I think spring is on the way, this week at last, my first three daffodils have flowered. They look very cheery and I really hope that the rest of them flower soon. The weather this week has on balance been better and the daffodils and a few crocus makes the world seem cheerier.

This week was also my birthday, so it was nice to be able to celebrate with my family and friends. The night before I went out for dinner with Madeline, Sue and Sandra at the Long and Short Arm. Incredible value as they have a two for one menu, we had dinner and sweet plus a bottle of rose for £45 !! Bargain!!

We had tried to take a bit of a selfie with all of us, but it was just a bit on the cramped side, so the waiter took this one !! Madeline seems to have her eyes closed in both of the shots!!

This is the selfie!! Eyes closed again Madeline!!!

The next day at work Barb made me coffee walnut cup cakes, very nice!!!

Beth bought me a chocolate birthday cake, so we did the happy birthday thing with Laura, Tom and grandad.

Carl arrived a little later and bought me another cake, made by his own fair hand!! Karen (over the road Karen!!) made me some lovely chocolate Florentines, so lovely that everyone who tried them, loved them, so bang went my birthday present !!!!  So all in all I had a very good birthday!

This week I started back at work, its been a bit of a mixed experience. I am glad that I am only doing a phased return because I have found it all quite exhausting!! I have decided that when I grow up  I would like to  have a career as a furniture painter or a seamstress!!! 

Have a lovely week!!

The calm AFTER the storm!!

We are very lucky here in my part of Hertfordshire, we are not at risk of flooding and we usually only have the 'normal' weather to deal with. A huge part of the rest of the country has been flooded since before Christmas its something that must be soul destroying. Over the past few days we have had a really horrible storm, the wind was raging all night and I could hear stuff outside crashing around and  as there was a full moon with a quick look out of my bedroom window I could see one of the fence posts had broken and the fence was flapping around, still upright but flappy. The following morning I think we were lucky to get away with one broken post. All around there were fences down and trees uprooted. The weather has certainly been doing its very worse. Today is the first day in a long time where it hasn't rained and better than that it is sunny with a blue sky. I have daffodils nearly ready to bloom in the garden so perhaps spring is in the air after all. 

After a while off of work I am heading back tomorrow. I am still using my walking stick, so I am going to have to ease myself back in gently, I am going to have to take it slowly and not overdo things. Its a bit of a worry, I am sure once through the door I will be fine, it feels like stepping into the unknown again.Wish me luck!!

Just after Christmas, in the sales I bought myself an Amaryllis bulb, I planted it straight away and it grew very quickly. When it came into flower it was beautiful!! I was so lucky that I took these photos because the next morning it committed suicide!! It fell over and landed on the floor with a broken neck! I have chopped the stem off, but you are supposed to allow the leaves to grow on so that it will flower again next winter. I will have to take precautions next time to keep it upright!

I like a nice bargain, I have been quite limited as to what I have been able to do while recovering, but I have been able sit down and chop things up!! I have a food dryer which I haven't used that much, but a few weeks ago Tescos were selling apples for 5p each, a bargain, so I bought two quids worth and set about drying them! I sliced them and cut the middles out. The pile of middles looked really pretty. I dried the rings and now have two jars of apples which make tasty snacks. 

This coming week is my birthday so I have some evenings out planned !! I am looking forward to celebrating with friends and family!! I hope you all have a good week