Week 34 2025 - One Daily Positive and Project 365

At some point on Tuesday we picked up a nine hour time difference on our flight to Sydney. I've had to write the days down this week so I know where I am.

It's been the wettest winter for 27 years, glad we packed our waterproofs.

I've been catching up with sleeping and blog comments in the afternoons whilst we've been drying out.

Thank you to everyone who has sponsored and shared my post. I've hit 50% of my target.

Anca - in Australia people take their cats on the road when they go camping. My son and his girlfriend take their cat out for walks. Pushkins had to go back in her box very quickly as she sat under Peter's feet while he was driving.

The last time we saw child 3 was at his sister's funeral in October 2024. This of course has been a trigger for me. Him and I went food shopping on Wednesday and as we were leaving the store he took the trolley to push it back to the car and I automatically grabbed the front end and started steering the trolley. It was something I did with Stephanie. She would use the trolley almost like a walker, but without guidance she'd either walk into an object or most often just go in any direction the wheels took her.

Sunday

Day 229 A day of cleaning. I started upstairs and enlisted hubby with some vacuuming after he'd mown the lawn while I cleaned the bathrooms. We took a break and went out for coffee and to print some more photos off. I then sat in the garden and scheduled blog posts up till the end of September, commented on posts for all the links I join in with. While Peter watched the football I finished the cleaning downstairs, he vacuumed and it was time for tea, a bath and an early night.

Stephanie forever 36. Boys now 36, 33, 30 & 26

Monday
Day 230 Kitchen cleaned, washing on and hung up, popped to the post office, picked up some photos, had lunch and off to the airport for a 10pm flight to Australia. I tried some flavoured sprite last the airport and suffered for almost an hour with my gall bladder not long after we took off. I swallowed pain killers and walked around the plane belching loudly.

Tuesday 

Day 231 Still on the aeroplane after a quick change in Dubai, legs stretched and coffee drunk. Slight panic when Peter wasn't able to check in as his visa hadn't been uploaded to the system (not our fault) 13 hour flight to Sydney. It was quite a comfortable journey in economy and the gluten free food menu wasn't too bad. Watched quite a bit of TV and I bought a sewing project with me to keep me entertained.

Wednesday

Day 232 Arrived 6.30am in Sydney but 9.30pm on Tuesday night in the UK. Child 3 collected us and we spent most of the day snoozing on his sofa. A walk out for coffee, then he dropped us at our apartment. After unpacking we walked to the beach and spent the evening watching TV trying to stay awake till a decent time so we don't wake too early.

Thursday

Day 233 Awake around 4am local time (7pm UK time) a very lazy morning. Peter was feeling under the weather and opted to spend the day lounging around the apartment. I caught the bus to Bondi Junction for a coffee and a walk round the mall as it has been raining non stop since we arrived. I walked the 25 min route to my sons and his girlfriends and had a nap on their sofa and dried out for the afternoon. The brought me back after a food shop. Peter and I had soup and bread for dinner and were fast asleep by 10pm.

Friday 

Day 234 Still raining and wake at 4am again. Breakfast by 6am and endless tea in bed. Showered, dressed and out for a walk to Coogee Beach for our second breakfast. We went back to the apartment and made lunch and read our books. Son picked us up and I spent the afternoon asleep on his sofa. He ran us back.

Saturday 

Day 235 Woken at 3am by a disturbance outside and didn’t get back to sleep. Bus to sons and a walk round a local market then into Sydney for the day. Back to sons for dinner and a lift home. Evening spent reading and watching football. A dry day today, it seems the endless rain has come to a stop.

Things to make you smile:

It has rained non stop since we arrived, thankfully we packed our waterproofs, but in an effort to save space I only had light weight shoes or trainers and my feet haven't been dry or warm yet.

Things that made me happy:

Seeing my son after almost a year. We last saw hime when he flew over for Stephanie's funeral in October 2024. Seeing his girlfriend again after we briefly met her on our last trip in August 2023, they had only just got together.

On the blog this week:

Post Comment Love - Link up with any post written this week

Word of the Week - Orange Button

My garden in August

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Post Comment Love - 22nd-24th August 2025

Welcome back to #PoCoLo with Stephanie from Bosworth.Life and I.

Post Comment Love #PoCoLo is a friendly weekly linky where you can link up any blog post you've written this week. If you're new or a regular visitor we're sure you'll find something of interest.

We'd also appreciate your help spreading the #PoCoLo word on Twitter, tag us and we'll RT. You can find us on twitter here: Stephanie - @BosworthLife and Suzanne - @ChickenRuby 

I'll be catching up with reading your posts, sharing and commenting over the next few days. 

Hello from Australia for the next couple of weeks.

We're visiting child 3 who moved out here 8 years ago. It's my 4th visit and hubbies 3rd. 

It's pouring with rain and has been the wettest winter in 27 years.

Our accommodation is a 10 minute walk from the beach with a variety of coffee shops and bars. We can do some basic cooking and there is a laundry room and a bus stop on the corner to get to Bondi Junction.

We'll be doing a lot of walking along the coastal routes during the days and spending evenings and weekends with our son and his girlfriend.

Want to find out more about Post Comment Love #PoCoLo? 

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Word of the Week - Orange Button

I'm an Orange Button wearer. 

I attended training with Worcestershire county council last month. The training is intended for you to wear the Orange Badge in work, either paid or voluntary or in your own time in the community.

The role is to be approachable and not run from the word suicide, a first point to start a conversation, to be non-judgemental, caring and an understanding listener, sign post and be somebody to ask directly about suicide.

It is not to provide counselling or therapy, long term support, a replacement for the NHS or a mental health referral service.

I've linked this post to Word of the Week with Raisiebay.com

 

My garden in August 2025

We've done loads of work to the garden since we got our house back in 2020, rebuilding sheds, building a new shed, demolishing the old ones, moving the soil from the building, twice, as we were saving it to fill the new raised borders and for levelling off the front garden, which we finally started this week.

Jobs done:

Soil dug, sifted, wheelbarrowed to the front garden, dumped, spread and levelled. Bags of rocks to the skip. Tree stump removed. 

Jobs left to do:

Cut conifer tree down and remove roots.

Plan and build new path.

Build a greenhouse, cold frame for wintering plants.

This is the area we've been moving the soil from so we can build a new path.

1st-7th August.

We've got so many tomato plants that I've been giving them away. These are ripening on the windowsill and I'll be freezing for making chutney.

I've collected seed heads and pods from around the garden, sweet William, sweet peas and poppies.

We inherited these pots 23 years ago when we moved here and this tree took some effort to remove.

   

The raised beds have been a huge success but I'll be planning next years planting.

The parsnips taste so sweet. They've been blanched and frozen. I'll plant more next year for sure.

8th-15th August

I wish I could share the fragrance of the sweet peas. They're in pots near every door.

I have melons, cucumbers, beans, peppers and pumpkins growing really well in the garden.

I think with the number of pumpkins I have that I'll be able to open a 'pick your own' pumpkin patch in time for Halloween.

Next year I want to plant more beans, strawberries and parsnips. I'll have the same amount of tomatoes. I'll grow the pumpkins and melons in a bigger space and just 1 cucumber plant. I want to grow peas, spring onions and more herbs. 

What do you grow in your garden?

Week 33 2025 - One Daily Positive and Project 365

More football this week. Carabao Cup against Sheffield United. I started supporting Birmingham City and going to their matches in 2006 when child 4 was training in their academy. My father was a professional footballer in the late 50's, a goal keeper for Barry Town and I grew up with his football stories and he took me to my first match at York City when I was around 7. From 2008-2010 I worked for The Football Association. In 2010 we left the UK and BCFC fell into the Championship and stayed there until more recently being demoted to League 1 and this season, they've bounced back up to the Championship.

I attended a few games when I was visiting the UK over the years when we lived abroad. We moved back at the start of covid and with grandchildren and me back in work, going to the games wasn't on my agenda.

I started back going to St Andrew's in February this year and it was getting harder and harder to get a ticket. This year, I'm determined to go to as many games as possible so I stand a chance of a season ticket next year.

Day 222 A lie in then off to Keynsham to visit MIL, drop off some tomato plants and cucumbers we've grown. Went shopping, then back for a cup of tea and off to visit the grandchildren on our way home. We sat in the garden, had a takeaway and lots of cuddles. Home around 8pm, watered the garden and watched TV.

Day 223 Another lie in, well I stayed in bed till midday then walked into town for a wander around the charity shops, a coffee, read my book and walked home. Finished my book in the garden, watched TV, had a bath, a bit of blogging and in bed by 10pm.

Day 224 A lazy morning, started some packing, tidying, paperwork and some reading in the garden. Out for a meal in Worcester with friends in the evening. Loving this hot weather, can’t believe it’s lasting this long. 

Day 225 Bit of drama this morning when the neighbours car shot off over the road and into our garden. She tried to stop the car and ended up with some nasty grazes on her legs. We were on our way out for coffee, Peter saw the whole thing, I just heard the car thump on the new border we've built, which thankfully stopped the car hitting the house, as the engine was on. Home to sort the garden, do some more packing and then off to Birmingham for the football. Peter collected me from Worcester at 11.30pm as there are no trains to Malvern.

Day 226 Into town to see a friend quickly, then coffee with Peter. Home and a bit more packing, re-levelled the front lawn. Lots of paperwork sorted out, laptop backed up onto memory sticks and general tidying of the house. Watched TV in the evening. I regretted my choice of a quick and easy tea. 

Day 227 Walked to get my nails done, Peter collected me and we spent the day with our grandchildren at home, the park and a walk to get ice creams. Home to pack, dinner, watch a movie and the football. Bath and bed. Sad news to hear our friend’s dog died. Jelly and our dog Bob were besties friends when we lived in Dubai.

Day 228 Off to my Mums for day, took her food shopping, sorted out her photo access on the iPad and full instructions handed over for the care of Pushkins while we are away for a month. Home to write some letters and ensure birthday cards are posted on time. Birmingham won away to Blackburn. Evening spent in the garden finishing a craft project, then everything tided away.

Things to make you smile:
I helped a guy at the train station by unhooking his rucksack from his bike pedal, he'd carried the bike off the train and it got hooked up, when he tried to put the bike down it pulled him over.

Things that made me happy:

Visits with the grandchildren, getting my 'to do' list ticked off, football, night out with friends, the hedgehog came back. Eating fresh fruit and veg from the garden.

On the blog this week:
Word of the Week - Bowels I'm almost half the way to my fund raising target - Please share the post if you can.

Post Comment Love - Link up with any post written this week

The good bits of July 2025

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