4th April - not so nice

Yesterday we had the very inviting photograph of our duck bobbing around in the clear blue waters of the swimming pool and this morning, after very heavy rain last night, this was the scene that greeted us...

A miserable start, although in fairness the weather did pick up and it was quite pleasant come the end.  I even managed to get out and do a bit of gardening, it was still a bit windy although nothing like it had been the day before.  The garden is beginning to really 'Spring' into life - it is just a bit sad that no-one else will get to see it.

My lovely stalker friend Drew (aka Bill) Bailey has been hiding his artistic light under a bushel for far too long and with us all now confined to barracks in one way or another I decided to set up a challenge to give us something to get our teeth into.

Initially it was just to be he v me but then we decided to throw it open to a wider audience so that we could all enjoy each others' work and so the entries have started to come in - there is no prize, just the thrill of taking part and sharing with others at a time when we can begin to feel a little isolated.  I chose the theme for this week - Daffodils, a reminder of Spring and all things cheerful - Drew will chose next week and we have not limited it to water colours - any medium will do.

My friend Gillian's nutty husband David decided to submit this photograph - mmmmm not sure he is entirely on the right lines but this vessel was called the Royal Daffodil!!!  He has a very unique Northern sense of humour which can sometimes get him into a spot of bother but, as I said to him, if he ever loses it, things must be very bad and we are really in the shit.

With so much more time on our hands we are watching more TV than normal.  I was happy to tootle around with my painting challenge whilst John watched The English Game and then I found a football related comedy series from 2016 which had him absolutely cracked up - shame there was only one season of it because it was funny.  A sort of cross between the Royal Family and Stella - if you can find it somewhere and want a giggle (and are not easily offended by the double entendres) watch it!!

John is concerned that the gardening and DIY programmes I have been watching are giving me too many ideas.  The only saving grace is that access to the shops I would want to go to is limited if not nil so anything we do, we do because we already have the necessary bits and pieces at home.

On that note I am posting a project completed by a friend and which I think is fabulous and now John is very very concerned that once the restrictions are lifted I am going to insist on having something like this in the garden somewhere.  Well he could be right particularly if we take down the Anniversary Bench which was put up temporarily in 2016 for our Silver Wedding celebrations - once that goes I will be left with loads of space to be creative!!!

So if anyone has an old console table with drawers that I could do up then please hold on to it for me.  It could double as a potting bench!!!  I need something as I have just planted up a packet of geranium seeds and the pots do not look aesthetically pleasing!!!

Our viewing for this evening is a sit-com called Stath Lets Flats - it is about an incompetent Greek-Cypriot letting agent in London - sounds promising!!

My extract from the Ration Book for today...

In 1943 with the situation becoming desperate the Minister of Labour, Ernest Bevin, decided to force young men into the mines, through a kind of lottery, involving all those aged between 18 and 25 who hadn't yet enlisted in the armed forces.  One of his secretaries would pick a number from a hat each week and all new recruits who had that digit at the end of their National Service number were added to the list of trainee miners - these boys were known as the Bevin Boys.