Lots and lots has happened since September. We are still awaiting our new electric charger as the electricity supply needs some amendment. Don’t ask me what. It just does. That bit won’t cost us anything, then we have to wait for a quote for the actual charger, blah blah blah.

Younger Daughter, her hubby and little girl are now in New Zealand. As we approach winter here, they are in springtime and having lovely weather. Thank goodness for WhatsApp video calls and wi-fi. The last week before departure was a bit (very) fraught and the journey was long, but they are settled into their delightful temporary accommodation now.

The weekend after they all arrived in NZ, Older Daughter arrived for the weekend with her little boy. Who is delightful. Very affectionate.  From time to time he wraps up his toy tiger in some sort of blanket and just climbs on to my lap for a cuddle. Yeah!

There is a garden centre 7 minutes’ walk from our house. It’s a chain, and sells all sorts of stuff apart from plants. There’s a cafe, lots of “commissions” (small shops within it) and that’s where the knitting shop is, so I am there a lot. I have a self-imposed rule never to buy their plants, though, after bad experiences in the past. Once I took back an expensive hydrangea which had died, and the reason it died was because there were two separate flowering stalks, from separate plants, stuck into the pot. They didn’t even ask, they just refunded me.

Last Thursday I broke my own rule, and am already regretting it. I wanted some winter heathers to cheer up the winter time garden. I’d looked online and couldn’t find what I wanted, so gritted my teeth and had a look in said garden centre. Found just what I wanted. Or so I thought. I’ve just potted them up, and I should have checked when I bought them, but all three of them were so badly root/pot bound I had difficulty getting them out of their pots. Then they looked like they were covered in some sort of material. Nope. More roots, all bound round the plant. So I’ve bunged them in and am hoping for the best, but fearing the worst. Hmph. We shall see. The only silver lining is that I am probably not as odd as my self-imposed rules might make me seem. Mm.

At the risk of seeming even stranger, I have to admit I have done about 80% of our Christmas shopping. Mostly on line. In fact probably all online. Still a few things to get, but really not very many. Spare room now filling up with (labelled – oh yeah!) stuff and the poor postman is laden down almost every day.

Had my flu jab yesterday. I didn’t even feel the needle, but my arm is aching now. Better that than the flu, though, hey. And because I will be 65 before the end of next March, they gave me the jab which provides better protection. Good.