Not the Friday we had planned...

I cannot believe that the two little daffodils I picked last Sunday are still going strong.  They had been flowering in the garden for a few days before I picked them and with the poor weather that had been forecast I thought they would be better indoors.  They provide a welcome ray of sunshine on a day when the news of the atrocities happening not so far away in Ukraine dominate our thoughts.  I find it all so very sad that war, any war, still happens.

I find it quite difficult to carry on regardless but that is what we are doing.  We had set today aside to spend with friends Wayne and Lisa but for a number of reasons not least the current situation in the Balkans they were not able to come today so we have gone back to plan A and are giving the small toilet (the "downstairs" toilet) a freshen up.  

John investigated the hunch-back lump which appeared on one wall and it had been caused, as he thought, by a rusting reinforcing rod buried inside.  They rust and expand and push the plaster out.  

There was nothing that could be done save knock the plaster off, treat the rebar so it doesn't rust any more and then plaster over before repainting.  This will take some time because it is so bloody cold at the moment that everything takes for ever to dry.  This morning when John got up it was only 6 degrees outside and our bedroom has gone back to being in single figures which is not what we normally expect for March.

The toilet is so small that it doesn't allow us both to be in there at the same time, in fact John has had to take the door off so that he can get in and manouevre.  You would think giving this a quick lick of paint would be a quick job but we seemed to be working on it all day and not making much progress.  

It is, if nothing else, a chance to give the room a real deep clean so everything is being bleached to within an inch of its life.  I even managed to get outside and clean the window which isn't easy because there is a rather heavy window box on there.  

We had some welcome sunshine today but not much and not for long and it was accompanied by a bitter wind so I didn't hang about outside for long although I dearly would like to get some gardening done as everything looks ravaged by the current weather.  On the plus side I can confirm that 11 of the 12 hosta roots which Ellen brought out with her have survived and there is evidence of new growth.  The twelfth may still put in an appearance but I do remember that the growing notes said that if any of the roots appeared to look mouldy they may not thrive and I think there was one which was a bit iffy when I unwrapped it.  I hope it isn't the mainly white leaved one - that was the one I particularly wanted - it is bound to be knowing my luck!!!

So we did what we could by way of decorating today and then cleared up, cleaned up and put everything away in readiness for our 'date night' and the two massive steaks I had purchased from the butchers yesterday.  We recognise as prices continue to increase that we can have a lovely evening at home with a nice bottle of wine and good food for a fraction of the price it costs in a restaurant.

This was our meal - I made breadcrumbed onion rings tonight and they were fabulous!!!!  The steaks were amazing - they never seem to shrink, on the contrary they seem to plump up during cooking (pictured with and without my sauce) the spicy wedges had a kick and the mange-tout a crunch - all washed down with a glass or two of our favourite wines from Vasilikon, John on red and me on white!   It was just a shame that the Mighty Blades didn't get the brief and managed to chuck away a lead with almost the last kick of the game!