#WBOYC
Dear friends. March saw me going to two art exhibitions, one in Plymouth; the start of our big garden renovation, numerous walks and bike rides and a Good Housekeeping hairdressing event.
Let's dive in.
Sun March 1
It's meteorological spring! Yay.
Bit cloudy. Did workout. Started Babbel subscription to improve French for holiday in Oct. Did some weeding and pruning. Roast lamb.
Monday 2 March
J went to the Velodrome with Rachel and Olive. Olive is learning how to use a balance bike. I went to the dentist. A crown came out and unfortunately will have to splash out on an implant, with a specialist dentist at the practice. The process takes 5 months !!
Did walk in morning.
The forest still has quite a few puddles.
Tues 3 March
Early start for flying visit to Plymouth to see the Beryl Cook art exhibition. Smooth journey including coach transfer (rail replacement) from Tiverton. Dropped case off at hotel. Had lunch and walked on the Hoe. Glorious weather. Had an ice cream. Then went to the exhibition. Very busy. Beryl started her art career in her 40s. She was a guesthouse landlady in Plymouth. I love her quirky take on life. Lots of her paintings feature ordinary people enjoying themselves in the pub, on the Hoe, at the car boot sale.
Met my brother and his family for dinner at the Steak and Omelette restaurant. V nice. Just a short walk to my hotel.
Weds 4 March
Didn't sleep well, effect of glass of wine and a Baileys when not used to drinking. Sunny start but clouded over. Did a quick YouTube workout in hotel room. Longer trip back, 30 min wait at Tiverton. Sunny again in London.
Thurs 5 March
Sunny. Did 3rd bike ride, bit longer at 22 miles.
Friday 6 March
What we call "Samsung day". Our pre-ordered new phones and earbuds arrived. Initially we were horrified when we got a message saying the driver had missed us, with a photo of the wrong location. Fortunately he realised it was the wrong address.
Did a YouTube workout and weights. Banged head on the microwave door. Lump size of quail's egg.
Saturday 7 March
Overcast. Did bike ride, 22.6 miles. Felt easier than Thurs. Did some admin and a blog post. Saw Rachel Sean and Olive.
Sunday 8 March
Did walk. Grey day. Had lunch at King's Head. Surprised to see Christopher, Katie and family in same place, with friends.
Mon 9 March
Cloudy, sun came out pm. Was supposed to be giving blood but had a temperature and wasn't feeling great so rescheduled. Delivered leaflets in the afternoon. Only 2 houses had dogs going crazy. Some of the letterboxes were a bit more aggressive. Started The Capture series 3.
Tues 10 Mar
Sunny intervals (not many). Did bike ride. 20 miles. Started clearing out the garden, emptying pots that will be given away, ahead of the big garden renovation.
Weds 11 March
Sunnyish. J did his fast walk. I set off for mine but realised it was colder than I'd expected and I was cold. So Went to the shops and came back. Did a Shellea workout instead. Neighbours next door came home with their new baby.
Started reading a new book about grief and it reminded me of when Mum died in Sept and I was in her house 2 days later. Reminded me I still have her texts on my phone. They go back to May 2022 which is when I changed my contract to EE just before retiring. The first one mentioned "water off a duck's bridge" which made me smile because that had been one of her Malapropisms.
Thursday 12 March
Blowing a Hoolie. Bike ride was very tough. Relieved to get home. Had another delivery from Must Have Ideas. Can't resist their stuff.
Friday 13 March
J was tired so we didn't do the long walk to Pilates, just the class. Bought my Co-Op flowers. Did more work in the garden. Wish I didn't have so many pots. Moved some daffodils to the front border rather than lose them.
Sat 14 March
Sunny and pleasant. Went to the church bazaar. Didn't buy anything. Saw an old fashioned London bus (top pic).
Made a determined 4 hour attempt to empty containers, re-plant tulips in the front where possible, and empty the earth. Back breaking work. Had to stop at 3. Still have lots of pots left. It's a bit sad having to get rid of daffodils and tulips which haven't flowered yet, but have no option. Watched Materialists, Sky Cinema, 6 out of 10. I thought initially it wasn't going to be too lame but my, it was so ponderous. And I don't believe someone as materialistic as Dakota Johnson's character would change her spots.
Sun 15 March
Sunny but cold with a nasty wind. Up early to empty dishwasher and make bacon sandwich before the 7am Grand Prix. Then we went for a bike ride. I was really tired and stiff after yesterday so it was hard work in the wind. A couple of dogs off leads barked at me. Nearly had heart attack.
Did roast lamb at home as I didn't want to be eating out on the first Mother's Day without mum.
Couldn’t sleep so came down to watch the Oscars but it was too slow. Only saw 2 awards in an hour!
Monday 16 March
Very cold but at least sun came out.
First day of garden renovation. Skip arrived. Lots of my pots and two statues were placed on the drive. Very pleased when a lady asked if she could take most of them. Went to see root canal specialist but unfortunately the tooth that fell out is not viable. It will have to be an implant.
Tuesday 17 March
Started The Other Bennet Sister (BBC). One of my resolutions for 2026 was to read Jane Austen. I tried in the past but found it a bit twee with too many bonnets. Well, I've done very well. I've listened to Pride and Prejudice read by Julie Andrews, and am enjoying the new TV serialisation with an alternative take on the book.
Did bike ride. Overcast and chilly.
Weds 18 March
Beautiful sunny day. Did short online aerobics workout. Went into London. Wanted to get a blouson bomber jacket but no success. Bought a kaftan for beach holiday. New fence around garden completed today.
Thurs 19 March
Sunny. Did longer 29 mile bike ride. Saw twitchers on a bridge. They were looking for a kingfisher. Also saw longhorns. Rafts and kayakers were out. New fences at the back where our garage is. Below: the route included a canal.
Friday Mar 20
Sunny. Went to dentist for implant consultation. Booked in for extraction of what's left of offending tooth. Published books post. Listed a few items on ebay. Sold a paperweight right away.
Saturday March 21
Cold initially. We went to help position marshals for the well known forest run, the Orion 15. Sunny, took jacket off. 5 mile walk. John took a saw to trim some overhanging branches on the route.
Surprised builders with Bulgarian biscuits. Bought them on a website called The Biscuit Baron.
Did my first French refresher lesson with Babbel. Boxed up 2 ebay sales. Tried The Madison (Paramount). I don't think we'll watch it again. The story is no doubt about an entitled wealthy family who decide to retrace the steps of a loved one who had a cabin in the wilds of Montana. I can imagine they will encounter humiliations, disappointments and tragedy on the journey and will end up having been rehabilitated. I didn't like any of them so it's a No from us.
Sunday March 22
Cloudy start. Mini cycling trip with Rachel, Sean and Olive to pick wild garlic. Got summer bags of clothes out. Was horrified to see 3 big bags. Definitely getting rid of 2 bags' worth. Sold 3 items on ebay and made £270. Result. Not clothes.
Monday March 23
Turned sunny. Family outing to see the Turner/Constable exhibition. I wrote about it, and showed my favourite paintings here, but below are a few more.
This was Turner's first exhibited work, at the age of 17, called The Rising Squall, Hot Wells, from Bristol. This picture hasn't been seen in public since 1858.
This is Chain Pier, Brighton, by Constable. Brighton was a fashionable and fast growing town in 1827. Constable spent several summers there hoping sea air would help the health of his wife Maria.
The boys were a bit tired on the tube home. John and his brother Eamon (far right) are very alike aren't they?
Got my Penguin status back. My Samsung watch rates my sleep on a number of parameters and assigns a sleep animal. The lion is top of the list. I was a penguin, number 2, but lost my status a few weeks ago after sleeping poorly, and became a deer. Penguins sleep quite well but they tend to wake every 3 hours.
Tuesday March 24
Bike ride to Lee Valley, 22 miles. Dreary and windy. Got it done. Started sorting summer clothes. Took a bag to charity shop. Could sell a lot remaining but need steaming and photographing. Sometimes I can't be bothered and simply take it all to the charity shop.
Wednesday March 25
Cold. Walked over to South Woodford to have hair done. Long session, full head of highlights, roots retouched, keratin treatment and toner.
New sleepers around the raised beds now in place.
Thursday March 26
Cold but blue sky. Nippy wind on bike ride. The builders were sorting drainage today for the new patio. New garden gate went up. HBO Max launch today. We started The Pitt.
Bought tickets for Margery and I to see Squeeze in Plymouth on Dec 1. Below: tulips at the front of the house.
Friday 27 March
Cold. Short walk to Pilates. Oh joy managed to do squats without creaking! First time in years. I put it down to Youth & Earth Krill oil capsules. Went to the post office but it was closed following a robbery (!). Hopefully none of the staff was hurt.
Sat 28 March
Sunny but cold. Did forest walk then delivered leaflets. Patio tiles now in place. Watched film One Battle after Another (HBO Max).
Sun 29 March
Cold. Did a Shellea workout and weights. Went to Rosie's 7th birthday celebration. The 2 younger grandchildren kept asking balefully where their presents were. Below: John with Olive, who's nearly 4.
Bit of a sore throat. Hope I'm not getting a cold.
Mon 30 March
Cold, sunny intervals. J didn't feel up to a bike ride. Did forest walk instead, 5 miles. Sore throat gone.
Had tooth extracted. Very quick. Will have CT scan in 2 months to see if the bone has regrown sufficiently for an implant. Post office still closed. Had to sort out Evri delivery instead for 3 parcels. Think I may use it going forward, as you can be self sufficient with their lockers.
Slept badly, pain from extraction.
The builders are painting the garage, having replaced the wooden apex with a uPVC version.
Tues 31 March
Cavity was fine today. No more pain. We did a walk. The cold breeze had abated. Post office still closed. Went to next nearest, in a convenience shop, using a bus, as I had a letter that needed to be signed for. Quite a few other people doing the same thing. Shopkeeper run off his feet.
Met Annemarie at Hearst HQ for a VIP Good Housekeeping event featuring celebrity hairdresser Michael Douglas. His wife, Davina McCall, was also there. Excellent session and goody bag. We had a drink and some food afterwards. Home by 10pm. It felt lovely to be out on a warm evening, wearing a light jacket.
Me with Annemarie from My Fashion Life on YouTube.
She is a Summer, I'm a Spring. We're in "our" pinks.
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