Tuesday ...

John has a favourite plate - his Sheffield United plate which has just celebrated its 10th birthday.  I remember so well the night he decorated this plate.  I remember I had the most terrible head cold and we had arranged to go to this pottery decorating place in Yeovil called Pot Doodles - it was the sort of place that mums took their kids on a rainy day to keep them amused but to try and get adults involved they allowed you to hire out the place for a couple of hours of an evening and take your own food and drink and have an adult decorating party.  We had arranged to meet up with Frank and Cheryl and Tommy and Sally and I dragged myself off of my sick-bed because we always have a good time with them.  I remember Sally and Tommy taking ages to decide what to do and bickering about it whilst the rest of us got on with our projects.  I remember doing a sort of horses doofers plate which I gave to my lovely godmum.  I think Sally eventually did either a butter dish with a tiger skin pattern or a milk jug decorated like a Fresian Cow.  Anyway shortly afterwards Sally told us she was expecting her second child and we jokingly said that he/she had been conceived after a night of pottery painting and so if it were a boy he should be called Harry (as in Harry Potter) or Hermione if a girl.  As it happens it was a girl and she ended up being called Molly and if we look at the date on the back of the plate we know how old she is!

I can't say too much about what happened this morning but we went to organise for someone to come up to our house and look at the pool project and let us know exactly how bad or otherwise the situation was and what could be done about it.

We then went to play pickleball/badminton - for me it was my last game of pickleball before our break for Christmas.  John's badminton club will only be shut on Christmas Day and New Year's Day so he can go and play as often as he likes.

Dad is still poorly but slowly slowly slowly feeling a little better which is good news.  Mum and I decided to go over to the Blue Olive for our afternoon cuppa after our work-out.  We were going to leave it at just a cuppa until Charlotte sold us a slice of their date and ginger cake.  It didn't look overly inspiring and wouldn't necessarily have been my choice but I know how much mum likes ginger and Charlotte offered us a little sample before we decided and it was absolutely delicious.  

Whilst we stopped at the Blue Olive for a cuppa Mum was visited by each of the resident cats in turn but this one is Wobble - he could be Boris's brother - he looks very similar but sadly he has some sort of brain injury which means that his mobility has been affected and so he walks a little way absolutely fine and then there is an issue with the old synapses and he wobbles and shakes and his legs don't move as they should do bless him but at least he seems happy and Derrick and Rebecca, Charlotte and Dan look after him so life could be worse.

The weather forecast for tomorrow is not so good - I blame Sean and Sharon who arrive tomorrow and will be staying for good.  The weather always seems to change when they come!  I shall be going to the airport to pick them up - John is going to have to stay at home as we are having an 'expert' come and look at the work and tell us what can be done, what can be saved and what costs will be involved in getting the project completed.

This evening we were having the food I had intended to cook on Sunday when Mum and Dad were here but of course they didn't come.  We were having chicken breasts stuffed with mozzarella and wrapped in parma ham.  We had sort of missed out on lunch this morning what with one thing or another so John was starving and wanted something substantial for tea.  The events of 'poolgate' are really getting to us and we are not sleeping overly well as we are desperately trying to rectify the situation.