How did last week slip by so quickly? What a whirlwind it has been here.
Unfortunately Tuesday, not only my wedding anniversary day but my last day at work, started with a bit of a stand-off with the new lady – I was playing it cool, polite but not overly friendly (quite unlike me). It was our first encounter since our difficult day last Wednesday and I was adamant she was not going to spoil my final few hours at work. Not much had changed in her attitude but she got the message that I wasn’t going to pander to her whims on my last day when I threatened to put all of my reference files in the shredding bag if she felt I was wasting my time checking they were all updated to pass on to her – though as she already knows everything she shouldn’t need them! Standing my ground seemed to make her more amenable for the rest of the day.
In the afternoon I was suddenly called to the training room for a meeting which ‘surprise’ turned out to be a buffet spread laid out with Prosecco, party food and cupcakes and attended by all the staff and directors. There were speeches and presentations, more bouquets, gifts and wonderful words of thanks and appreciation for my hard work over the last 18, almost 19 years. So my house is full of beautiful flowers once again and my birthday cards had to move over to make room for my leaving and wedding anniversary cards.
I was really touched – it was certainly a good send off – quite unexpected and lots of goodbyes, with promises to keep in touch and a few tears.
Then after an emotional day it was back home to collapse.
Early on Wednesday morning we set off for Pateley Bridge and Studfold Park with fairy wings and birthday presents on the back seat and a picnic in the cool bag ready to celebrate Little L’s 4th birthday.
The only route for us was 2 hours on busy (A) roads through Bradford and Otley and then along some winding (B) roads but it was a pleasant enough run through the countryside – places I had not been before. We all met in the car park at about 11am – the weather was very warm but luckily it stayed mainly overcast so we didn’t get burnt as we were hunting for the fairies.
Both Little L and her friend were far too excited to eat much of their lunch and only managed half the ice cream cone and a lick at the cream frosting flowers on the birthday cake.
Her main birthday present was a balance bike but she wouldn’t ride it until she was kitted out with the full helmet, elbow and knee pads. Luckily the postman came with them during the afternoon and then she decided to keep them on until bedtime!
We had bought her a camera that takes real pictures and selfies which you can add cartoon features to. I had as much fun with it as Little L and would add it to my Christmas list if I could!
After a lovely day playing it was then back home to collapse.
On Thursday morning up bright and early again it was all hands to the deck once more at my elder daughter’s house – DH sorting out new banister rails on the landing and me back on the gravel patch.
By Saturday with a bit of help from the men to lift some very heavy paving stones which formed a pathway and edging we finally laid the gravel. Our daughter then added the finishing touches of the table, chairs and pots of plants to form a seating area. It looked really good but I forgot to take the all-important picture – I will take one and post it soon.
After 3 days hard graft it was back home to collapse.
On Sunday morning DH and I rushed around packing clothes, food and tools for our trip to the cottage in Scotland. We finally managed to get away at lunchtime and arrived at the cottage about 8pm to then unload everything again and finally fall into bed.
After a hectic few days we must have been so tired that we slept for 10 hours solid but at least now we are here our time is our own and we can go at our own pace for a few days until Thursday when our commitments begin again.
I love exploring the garden when we haven’t been for a while – so many changes and so many different plants in flower. Our Bramley apple tree is full of apples – it must be a good year – each morning I am gathering up the windfalls, before we leave I daresay DH will give the tree a good shake. I will have to give most of them away as our freezer is still full of apples from last year.   
The cottage garden has lost a lot of its summer colour due to the hot weather – many of the flowers have had a shorter flowering period with the intense heat and lack of water but the Buddleias on the woodland walk are weeping with the weight of the blossoms this year and they are full of butterflies.
The Hydrangeas are also out in full bloom now – the one above was my dads, I have no idea what it is called but it is a beautiful shade of coral pink around the edges of the petals which fade slightly as they open.
The Rosa Rugosa hedge down the lane has huge hips forming already and the Agapanthus are just loving this sun.
There is plenty to do here – weeding, pruning and tidying but only one day left so I need to prioritise. On our next visit which will be longer maybe 2 or 3 weeks we should have time to make more of an impact. Going to Italy this year certainly put us behind with the general maintenance.
I hope everyone is having a lovely summer – I have a bit of catching up to do with my favourite blogs.
Back soon x
where the journey takes me 2 