Mardy Crepeys

[SheherazadeSchadenfreude]

Done it...

I ought to be writing. I'm going to make that curry instead. And then go and stand on the fair trade stall in Horniman* Gardens. The lure of free chocolate obviously has no connection with this.

Pipe down at the back, Herbs, don't think I can't see you sniggering. It's not big* and it's not clever.

**I said pipe down..

Rudy - good luck. Thinking of you.

I have an exciting afternoon getting DD1 some camping stuff for her DofE. Not.

Had a lovely morning with friends and then popped in to see proposals for a new independent cinema on the lane and bumped into a load of others!

I am going to go into the garden this afternoon, but I am not quite sure what I should be doing

Wilbur, very impressed by gardening energy.

I keep thinking about C and W cake....may make Nigella's, which will not help my upper arms one little bit.

Crem, yes we did it last week - it is really straightforward and you can go back and fill bits you don't know in later. We are only applying for the minimum loan but the whole thing took about 15 mins. And likewise, dd hasn't heard from all her choices yet so we just bunged down her current first choice (loads of people must switch between now and September I think). The website was very clear and simple I thought.

Meet-up - I would love to but won't know if I can till nearer the time (ds sometimes needs shuffling around on Fridays and I hardly see dh at the moment, and that Friday there may be a window) - is that OK? I have absolutely nothing metallic and never have. I will be the foil to your, err, foil if i can come.

Right, just spent a couple of hours weeding and pruning

Those of you who know about gardening, what plants would be good for along a fence (long, narrow bed) under a climbing hydrangea which is mostly in the shade and where the neighbours cats all seem to come to do their business? Or should I go for large decorative stones, or what?!

I have the worst bingo-wings in the world, so I can never wave goodbye in sleeveless tops

Fingers crossed, Lalsy

I have also pruned - a teeny tiny bit and then collapsed in a deck chair with a book. Sorry BTM - useless with plants so unable to suggest anything for the borders.

Can't believe the high emotions on the make up on the train thread.

I know - have people nothing better to worry about?!

BTM - does said bed get much sunlight?
Is soil usual London clay ( dampish £ or dry and dark?

If shadowy is try hostas interspersed with white flowers ( summer bulbs)to add light.
If bright dryish bed I'd go for lavenders rosemary , thymes etc which all have purplish blooms to co ordinate with the hydrangeas
Percy thrower me

Cremo, not much sunlight, and the soil is currently damp and dark - think it's not too clay, not sandy and not too wet usually!

Off to google hostas and white flowers!

I love a hosta, but they get eaten by slugs about a day after planting in these parts.

Continuing my theme of minor injuries in response to DP's emotional trauma, two minutes after I got a text from him, at Fils bedside! saying 'grim, just grim' I poured scalding coffee all over my left hand.

I had to take.a call from distraught DP while clutching a Ribena ice lolly in my burning hand.

Still hurts now.

To wear out DS I've spent the afternoon in the park, with him in his woody costume, and he made a best friend. They played for hours. I got chatting to the dad of NBF, so made a new pal too.

Being 'supportive wife' is making it hard to organise seeing anyone, as I don't know when I'll be called upon for shoulder, or taxi services, etc. I've hardly seen a soul for the past week.

And another thing. DP's sis, who's doing most of the organising of the sitch, spoke to another doctor who said something like 'I don't know why you were told two months - it could be six. But we don't know what we're dealing with'.

So why the jeffing Jeff did they tell him, and us, two months? If they don't know, just say you don't know. He's scared.

Ah yes, that area is very popular with the local snails. Maybe not hostas then...

Herbs, you're having a rough time of it. And the not knowing must be one of the worst bits.

Oh Rudy. That sounds like a very tough afternoon. Are you happy with the decision? As happy as you can be?

Oh Rudy, that's so tough. I guess it's good that you were all able to discuss it and be honest with each other.

Sandown was lovely; proper posh private box with sit-down dinner and free-flowing wine, good company and lots of sunshine. The only thing missing was any sort of betting success; I failed to back any winners whatsoever.

So sorry, Herbs and Rudy, that you have had a tough day. Illness is never easy to cope with when it's someone close to you.

DH and I are slumped in front of the television (I think he's dozing) after a strenuous afternoon chasing DGS on his scooter. The weather improved enough for us to sit on a bench and have an ice cream.

The afternoon racing sounds appealing, although I always found the start more interesting than the finish (possibly because I am also not good at picking winners either! )

That sounds so tough Rudy. I'm sorry.

I went into Gudrun Sjoden this afternoon. It was full of fat women with wild frizzy hair in their 70s like I will be - like the hippy version of Per Una! They had 20% off everything but I didn't buy anything. Their sizing seems a bit mad - gorilla length sleeves on some things (I have really long arms and they were too long, and too wide for me), and on others, they weren't quite three quarters, so just looked a bit short. And the sizes seemed to veer from a bit tight to "let's see how many people we can fit in this dress". And some of the stuff looked as if it had been fashioned from hessian sacks.

Rudy that sounds tough, and Herbs sorry to hear about the rough afternoon.
Here sil is on 5th chemo so either one or three more to go depending on what they decide and then a cocktail of drugs for the rest of her life. It was a bit sobering to her my mil say 'she hopes it will give her a few more years'. Sometimes life is rubbish.

Otherwise nice lunch with old colleagues and ds and friend giggling about nothing as only children can.

Mrs S - was looking at Gudrun's
sackcloth sculptured OSFA asymmetric pieces the other day online. Not sure if the intent isn't supposed to look slightly clownish tbh. I personally like that layered lagenlook: but Gudrun tends to veer into frum peasant tablecloth territory sometimes.

Right I've booked the flights crepeys.
QQ you may add me to the Sparkly List.
Crem: silver lurex cardigan probably

If not hostas( agree about the slugs)
Then some lovely ferns interspersed with
Calianthus
Gladioli ( primadonna is a white one)
Begonia
Dahlias, possibly but they don't like wet. You can fill any gaps with pale pebbles or wild strawberries / wild garlic ( both ground cover with white flowers)
The idea is to provide contrast against the dark.

Rudy and herbs. You've both had a tough day , and I hope you are comfortably cosy this evening.
I have another hour at work... Meh

Crem - yes, quite a lot of the Gudrun sackcloth pieces would not look out of place with sandals and an ill fitting hat on a settler on a religious moshav.

I know nothing about plants and have brown fingers, as opposed to green. I've been known to kill mint.

Might nick that list of shady plants. We have a dark, damp bit round the back of the house, where a large shrub has just been taken out.

In case anyone is lacking in a gold skirt, our local Topshop has quite a few left in a size 10 (which is clearly no good for me!). I'm happy to be a gold skirt pusher if anyone would like one purchased.....

Rudy and Herbs - so sorry you having to deal with C so close to home.

Beachy how big is that 10? (Haven't shopped at TS in forever so no idea if they come up big or small!)

Thanks so much for that, Cremo! I will have to take the list to a garden centre and see if the staff can help me find them!

Rudy, that sounds very tough, but fantastic that your DM can make some decisions for herself.

Had a lovely evening at friends despite the DC's best attempts to derail us - DD announced she was going to her friends and as we couldn't pick up we said she had to get the bus back at 9. DH phoned her, but she was clearly not on the bus... she told him friends dad was dropping her back... no idea what really happened, but she was in bed when we got in! Meanwhile DS had a friend round and was pushing hard for him to sleepover...
Why do they always want to have a social life at the same time as us?

BD, no idea on the gold skirt, but I got the silver one in a 12 and it is very stretchy