March goes marching on


John came to the house with me the next day and did a thorough job of going through everything again, while I sorted out the last bits and pieces from the kitchen that we wanted and the last of the paperwork.  We took a break about 11 and went to the local cafe for coffee and a cake and went back again for lunch about 1!!  They will probably wonder why they never see us again after we had been such obviously well satisfied customers. In the evening John wiped Keith's laptop and set it up for Leanne to use.  He also went through all the 8mm films but there were none of interest.

On the Saturday John and I took the television over to Carolyn and John spent the day with her.  He set up the TV for her and also sorted out her iPad which had been locked by Apple.  Meantime I went home and spent a happy afternoon watching the Rugby.  In the evening I walked up to the High Road and met up with friends Ian, Marilyn and Les for a curry at Arkali - which we hadn't been to before so could tick off our project list!  (The project is to eat in every restaurant along the High Road and King Street).  Mike had been out ringing all day and had gone straight to the restaurant - so had the car which meant we didn't have to walk home which was a bonus.  We also got another tick later in the month when the two of us went out to eat at the new Italian "La Toscana".  We though it would be based on food from Tuscany but it had more of a Sicilian influence. It also turns out to be a chain - but the food was very authentic (a bit too much fish for my liking) and the wine was fabulous.

I drove John to Euston station the next morning when I got back from church.  He took all Keith's photos with him to scan - a huge project which now exist in 4 albums on Google Photos - see the Useful Links page for links to the albums.  I was very pleased to find 3 of my photos from Zambia days in amongst them, which I must have sent to Nan - the originals had been destroyed many years ago.  It seems amazing I was ever that young! There were 2 of the folk group I was in - "Sinnerman" - and one of the final evening at the hotel in Malawi where we had a holiday.


Once John had gone life began to return to normality.  I started going to the fitness classes and Zumba Gold again.  Svetla finally took the bookshelf which had been in the extension for 6 months, and the guest bedroom was once again set up to look pretty!


The rest of March was busy and stressful.  In addition to sorting out Keith's estate, and ploughing through all the bags of his paperwork, I was also busy updating the Middlesex ringers membership database and getting the pages ready for the report, and in putting together a clothing order.  I also updated WinRk, sorted out all my email admin, and got up to date with all my paperwork.  It was a really nice feeling towards the end of the month when I got to the point where everything was up to date and I had some spare time to cross stitch in the afternoons.  We had some brilliant weather (interspersed with some cold and wet days) and on 30th the temperature hit 20 degrees and I actually went out without a coat and wearing sandals for the first time this year.

I went to the Cantanti Concert with Monica  - definitely not Just a Song but just another concert.  I enjoyed the evening - we bought a bottle of white wine and I drank most of it which probably helped! The next day was the Chiswick ringers lunch at Monica's which was very pleasant. A good opportunity to drink some of the many bottles of prosecco I seem to have acquired.  I had a glass myself, but kept my head clear to do some cross stitch later in the evening.

I went walking twice with Maryanne.  We did a walk from Lower Assendon which involved crossing a busy dual carriageway twice - once involving pushing through an overgrown gap in the central reservation hedge - and started from a very small layby with only room for about 3 cars (so no good for Ramblers).  It was however an excellent walk - we had lovely weather - and we drove up to the Rainbow for lunch looking for better parking but finding none.  We had the stilton and broccoli tart again - and then remembered when it arrived that it was microwaved so the pastry was soggy. At least it was warm all the way through this time - and it is very tasty.

We poured over the map and decided that we could try doing the same walk starting from The Maltsers Arms in Rotherfield Grey and cut across to join it up near Lower Assendon without touching the dual carriageway.  As Maryanne was keen to do it as soon as possible we decided to do it again the following week - which we did with Madeleine.  We again had lovely weather, and it was again a brilliant walk and better all round than the original.  Maryanne had added an extension to the south to make up for the bit we were missing out round the dual carriageway, and made it up to 6 miles.  We had an excellent lunch in the Maltsers Arms - I had a lamb leg steak and the knuckle bone kept Suki amused for quite a while.  The only downside of going so far out to walk is that it is an hour's drive each way.  I decided to order the new Chiltern Society walks book - which has 50 updated walks and the routes are shown on OS maps.  It looks great and I shall enjoy working through it.

I went up to the Crem for the spreading of Keith's ashes - I did it on a Wednesday which seemed appropriate as that was the day I used to go and visit him.  I got some nice daffs which had been reduced to 20p a bunch - he would have been proud - to lay on the ashes and said my final goodbye. I also arranged for a plaque to go in the recordia room.  I put some flowers in the recordia room for Mum, Dad and Nan just to show they had not been forgotten!


The George and Devonshire started doing food on a Monday night, because a Premier Inn had opened across the road, so it became possible for us to order food after ringing.  I tried going along to the pub a couple of times and having a meal, but I really didn't enjoy it and the second time I had such an awful time I was upset about it the whole evening and all the next day. I had thought that it would be good for me as a Lent observance to go and be sociable when I didn't feel like it - having given up drinking at home for Lent it meant I could have a drink and do something positive.  However I just wasn't able to feel happy and at ease, and the food made me feel full and overweight which didn't help my mental state.  I know it is me that is being unsociable, not the fault of the other people there, but I am definitely happier going home and enjoying my own company.

I got rather bored of walking in the park and it was good that I had Devon to look forward to next month.  I was appalled to see the parakeets in Wendell Park stripping one of the trees of all its blossom!


I also decided to get my hair cut in a mad moment.  I went to the friendly looking salon round the corner - and was assigned someone who I think was the original owner!  She was at least 70 and had to hold on to me (and sometimes my hair) to support herself as she walked around the chair!  However she cut it quite nicely - although much shorter than I really wanted - and I was rather pleased with the result (assuring myself that it would soon grow back to a length I liked).  Absolutely no-one mentioned it at all (except Mary G several weeks later).  I pointed it out to Monica and she made a couple of soothing remarks, but no-one else.  Either they noticed but didn't like it so didn't want to raise the subject, or they really didn't notice!  I put Mike in this latter category. :)

At the end of the month I went to the Chiswick Choir concert with Monica, and she joined us for dinner afterwards at Lara with Tim, Sarah and Richard.  I offered to book the table but Mike assured me he would do it - and of course when we got there the criteria about the table being downstairs had been missed!  Why was I not surprised!!  So we got Mike carried up and carried down - and had a really lovely meal with good company. On the Sunday I did Church sitting - and when I got there I realised I didn't have a needle to do my cross stitch.  I had been looking forward to a couple of hours cross stitching so I went on a hunt around the church and eventually found an ordinary needle languishing in the bottom of a drawer in the temporary vestry.  What a piece of luck.  

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