Could this be Spring?

[adesmith]

I shall make some sandwiches too - I don't intend to pay the ridiculous prices they charge on the trains.

Kath, you must pack a sausage roll as well! Whenever I go on trips I always have a sausage roll and maybe some chocolate biscuits!

[gloria townsin]

Could you just pop down to Hertfordshire, dear Kath, and get me organised too?!!!

Janet

Then come a bit further south Herts. way and organise me, two dogs and paraphanalia - Please!!

[jane jackson]

Gloria, are you going to be able to stay at Bryher in reasonable comfort? Do hope your kitchen is all up and running. Kath you sound very organised ~ don't break your phone charger this time! I think you're better off with the sandwiches ~ sausage rolls are so messy on a train ~ sorry Adrian!

[Kath Mulligan]

I shall definitely be much more careful with my phone charger this time, Jane! Tend to agree with you about the sausage roll too, I generally end up with bits of flaky pastry absolutely everywhere so may give that a miss. Chocolate biscuits too - sorry Adrian, but the trains do tend to be a bit on the warm side so shall probably settle for a packet of shortbread fingers instead and a Granny Smith apple.

Janet and Gloria, it takes me long enough to get myself organised, so I'm afraid I shall not be volunteering to come and help you both out - very sorry! The reason I have started to put things together already is because the last two or three times I have been to Cornwall, either M/W or with the girls, I always seem to have forgotten something quite vital, so am trying to be a bit more organised this year - although knowing me, I am bound to forget at least one thing!

Kath

[gloria townsin]

Jane the builder has been told we will definitely be there next Wed. We originally planned to be there today!! The second delivery of kitchen cabinets arrived today.........the small bit of flat roof that was attempted a couple of weeks ago when they discovered on trying to fit it that the angle had been cut completed wrong - can you believe it?? has been done today.........well I hope it has! Eddie has the doors to take down at the end of the week so I will know what the state of play is by the weekend, however, whatever the state of the place is we are staying there............heaven help us. As I've said before I wouldn't mind for myself it's the dogs that make it more difficult but they would rather be with us so we shall just get on with it. I know it will be far from perfect but I now feel I want to be there and get on with sorting things out, it's all gone on far too long. the original 8 to 10 weeks is way past it's sell by date and we are into week 16 I think, well if not this week it will be next and there's no way they will finish this week or next I wouldn't think.

Oh well Kath it was worth a try........I'll just keep sorting things out. I will start listing all my 'must haves' as long as I've got everything for the AGM and weekend in general it will be fine.

[adesmith]

Well I am not going to go on a picnic with you lot!!! *chuckle* You should have seen the epic lunch that Rachel packed up for me for London the other day! I am afraid that I dont do things by half when it comes to food. I am also well equipped with an insulated lunch bag with ice blocks! I take sandwiches and milk for my coffee to school so its a bit of a necessity.

Gloria, I really hope that things come together at Bryher and that you can start to get things organised.

You are probably thinking how I am on here on a school day! Well its Rachel's operation. We were worried that it might not go ahead because we have had colds but Rachel seems to have got over it quicker than me. I am guessing that by now they have given her the go ahead. I have Leave of Absence from school and we were up at 5am to get her to hospital for 6.45am. I waited with her but she told me to go home so that I could take Rupert to Cherubs (something he has been wanting me to do but I never can usually). It was sad leaving Rachel and even more sad leaving Rupert! He was really clingy. Anyway I have to ring up at lunchtime to find out how things are going and when I go back and pick her up. I feel guilty now that I have a few hours at home on a lovely sunny day so I am going to do some marking!

[Kath Mulligan]

Give Rachel our best wishes, Adrian, I didn't know today was her op. date or I would have sent her a good luck message earlier. Hope everything goes well and that she is soon back to normal again.

Sorry you think we are pathetic wimps at picnics! I'm only restrained when I am travelling on public transport, if we go out in the car for a family picnic we have the full works - pork pies, sausage rolls, sandwiches, crisps, salads - the lot! I shall have over an hour to kill at Sheffield station next Thursday so will probably grab some breakfast at the station cafe, so I shan't actually need that much to eat at lunchtime. I just usually get very thirsty with the heat on the train.

Gloria, I shall be keeping everything crossed for you that Eddie doesn't discover any more problems when he goes down this week (ie wrong kitchen units unpacked etc). What a crying shame that you haven't been able to go down this week as planned, especially with this lovely weather.

Kath

[gloria townsin]

Hi Adrian........lots of love and best wishes to Rachel and hope she will be home and feeling fine later today. Children quickly pick up when their routine changes and though he might usually love to be taken to 'Cherubs' (fantastic name!) by his Daddy he knows his Mummy is in hospital. But when later today you are all back together he will be the happiest little boy. Then you have the weekend together to recuperate.

Re messy picnic food.......I love it but am a real messy person when faced with flaky pastry and such like.......usually I stick to food that cannot 'go wrong' if you know what I mean when I picnic eat. Unless it's just me on my ownsome in which case I just get on with a good clear up once the eateries are finished.

As Bryher is like opening a mystery box every time Eddie opens the front door.........it doesn't matter how many times we tell Justin we are going to be there in a day or two, remembering as far as he was concerned we were going to turn up yesterday with all our goods........who knows what Eddie will find tomorrow. I don't know if I'm past caring or if I will have a canary fit when I get there next week.........but next week it has to be and that is it!! Had a session with B&Q about the extra kitchen units, said they would deliver yesterday between 1pm and 8pm.......this after I told them they couldn't deliver after 4.30pm, as that's when the builders go home, in a conversation the previous week. The very nice chap gave me the customer help number to ring saying they would sort it out, the woman in CS didn't want to know......."nothing I can do about it!" Brilliant, anyway, good fortune smiled and they were delivered in early afternoon, in a huge lorry - again!! having had a transit booked out for the delivery. But of course what the office doesn't understand is that to go from Exeter to The Lizard is no mean feat and they cannot send out one little van with our items when they have other deliveries along the way. The driver was nervous about going down the road but he must have managed it o.k. as Justin didn't get back to say otherwise. Didn't mean to ramble about Bryher here - sorry.

[jane jackson]

Best wishes to Rachel from me too Adrian. Re the picnics perhaps it's because we're female we think of all the mess and prefer not to have that problem! I always try to think in advance about the washing up when cooking and not cause more than I need to. When I first met Bryan he would cook (still does cook the evening meal because he enjoys doing it) and use loads of different dishes then leave me with all the washing up. I still always do the washing up and putting away but I've managed to get him to not use quite so many unnecessary items.

Will keep my fingers crossed for you Gloria. I'm sure it'll be lovely just to be there and the dogs will be happy anywhere with you.

[adesmith]

Okay, I will let you all off then and maybe I will come out on a picnic with you all after all!!! Wouldnt it be lovely if we could all have one big picnic in Oliverland? Well most of you will be there next weekend and I hope that you all have a great time. Do you know if you are allowed picnics in Trengwainton Jane? We were thinking last time that it would be really nice to sit on the terrace, amongst the agapanthus and eat a picnic looking out over Mounts Bay. I know that not all places like you to picnic in the grounds.

Rachel is fine and I passed on all your good wishes to her. We are hoping to bring her home at 7pm. Really dont know why they have kept her in so long. When she had her hernia she was home by lunchtime! We visited her between 3 and 5pm and they told us to go back at 7pm. They did say 'hopefully' when they talked about her going home! Its been quite frustrating because the hospital havent been very good at communicating things to us. I was worried about sitting around at home when I could have been in school - not much that I could do about it though because we just didnt know when I would be needed. Oh well, she will hopefully be home soon and I think we will all need an early night after another early start. Rupert was fine at Cherubs by the way and gave me a big cuddle when he came out.

Never really got into Lambing Live, I think because its been such a hectic week. Caught snippets though and I hope that you all enjoy the last show tonight. Is the racehorse program on tonight? Might see if I can catch it as I am looking forward to the Cheltenham Festival next week.