A touch of weeding and a few more memories.......

Yesterday was a good day, I was "at work" in the morning but this turned out to be very enjoyable because my client needed to go to Marks & Spencer and so I was able to spend the whole morning wandering around the huge M&S Superstore at Shoreham, there is a therapeutic element to this but at the same enjoyable! I was able to sit on sofas, test out reclining chairs! I rather liked a big Corner group, though my client fell for a beautiful small 2 seater "Love Sofa" !

"Watch out Stan," there may be changes afoot!

In the afternoon I was back at the hospital, all is going well and I have now had further fluid put in to my rapidly expanding boob. It is beginning to look quite good now! The Consultant only put 75mls in this time and it didn't hurt so much so I did not have the horrible uncomfortable feeling that I had last time. I go back again in 2 weeks for further expansion.

Today I have been very busy in the garden, I thought I would get a head start on the weeding, It'll take more than one session at 4 pm today to clear the weeds out of my garden! But I made a start this morning and then planted some new Azaleas and an hydranger , then got on with doing my hanging baskets. I must say the garden is looking quite good now.

At 11.30am my mind was thinking of my dear cousin in Peterborough. It was the funeral of her husband today, I wished I could have been with her but it was too complicated and I felt I was better staying here.

My Cousin, D, is my favourite cousin . When we were growing up as children , we became great friends. Her parents lived in Hull, but had a holiday bungalow in our Norfolk village, so they could come down nearly every holiday and for long spells in the summer. My Uncle and Aunt were both teachers.

D was about 2 years older than me, so she always took the lead and used to get me in to trouble. She befriended my best friend and we'd all do things together. Sometimes we'd take the canoe out and paddle down the river , sometimes it was the sailing boat, It was always quite traumatic sailing with my uncle , he used to get so cross if we did the wrong thing, lots of shouting and gesticulating would go on, and I'd get confused and hit my head on the boom, or more likely knock someone else! I preferred it when D & I went canoeing, we'd go for miles along to river to the broad.

Other times we'd go up the playing field and meet other people, I remember one day when my older counsin B was there, one of the boys in the village fancied her, I remember him dragging her behind the pavillion and kissing her, I remember her shouting and pushing him off, I remember we all laughed. Looking back I think he attacked her quite badly, but as an 11 year old I didn't understand, that he was in the wrong, forcing kisses on her.

We had 2 shops in the village, a Spar and a Mace. The Spar was a long thin shop with shelves down each side and a centre unit too, it was easy to go into the shop and not be seen. My cousin and my friend thought it very funy to go in and see what little item they could steal, a rubber, a pensil shapner, some sweets , I was horrified and got very upset about them doing this, but being the youngest they took no notice of me. They tried to make me steal something too, I went into the shop, but i was too nervous and my conscience too strong, I couldn't do it. Of course they laughed and teased me for not doing it. They tried to force me to take the rubber they had nicked but i didn't want that either.

Other times we'd play cards indoors if the weather was bad. I remember some strange form of Strip Poker, where we had to take of an item of clothing if we lost, we used to put on all sorts of extras to start with like necklaces and bracelets and hair ribbons, in order not to lose too badly, though I do have this horrid memory of me at about 10 years old standing in front of them in only my pants!!

When I was a little older I used to go with D back to stay at her house in Hull for parts of the summer, she was so much more sophisticated than me and she had loads of boyfriends. Sometimes we'd go to one of their houses and sit in their bedrooms listening to music, this felt so very grown up, I must have been 13 when she was 15/16. That year there was a party and I remember Auntie helping me to dress up , I wore a long Black maxi skirt with black halter neck top, I felt so excited to be going to a party with D's friends. It was a great evening, I don't think they realised I was only 13 , and a boy I didn't know snogged me!! The Animals "House of the Rising sun" was playing a lot, and Marc Bolan and David Cassidy.

We drifted apart as we grew up, meeting up only occasionally. D became a solicitor, living in London. And so today at the age of 48 D finds herself a widow, I feel so sad for her and her young daughter.

I have just come in from pulling up weeds in memorial. I hope that Blossom felt the comfort from all our vibes. The weeds have been well and truly dealt with, in one patch anyway, back to do more tomorrow.

I thought I'd finish with the Celtic prayer that I've mentioned before:

Circle me Lord

Keep protection near

and danger far

Circle me Lord

Keep hope within

keep doubt without

circle me Lord

Keep Light near

and darkness far

Circle me Lord

Keep peace within

Keep evil out.