Wild Thursday

It is blowing an absolute gale here and the skies are growing ever darker.  Never known winds like this in July.  The papers mention the fact that many people are suffering from winter illnesses such as colds and flu. The weather is hitting seaside traders very hard.  More rain is forecast in the areas already hit so badly by flooding and now Oxford has been affected as well.  Many people have no fresh drinking water and to read of people fighting over water bowsers and people charging others £15 for a drink of water is appalling.

My heart goes out to all those that are affected, many are not insured. Some insurance companies are now saying they will not cover people whose homes are in areas likely to flood. Thankfully, there have been few fatalities unlike the terrible floods of 1953 when so many died.

It is all so depressing.  Let me lighten the mood a little. Although this cartoon is obviously set in a much bigger flood, it is very funny, at least I thought so.

It was lovely spending the afternoon with Becky and the boys yesterday, they seem to develop more each time I see them.  They had some Madiera cake which they both love. Then every time Mike left the room Daniel ran after him shouting "cake Grandad".  He certainly has a healthy appetite.

I received a lovely present a few days ago.   Lots of you will know that our friend Sandra Sandra`s Scribbles recently had a holiday in Russia.  She sent me a little gift on her return.  Now, when I showed this to Nathan and Daniel, you should have seen the joy on their faces.  I told them that I was going to show them some magic.  Here is what Sandra sent me and what I used

As I produced one doll from inside another, their faces were a picture of amazement and wonder.

Nathan keep saying "again Nana" all the time laughing and clapping his hands.  There is nothing like seeing that sort of joy on a child's face.  It reminded me of my own youth when, as a very small child, my beloved Grandmother would show me things from her precious china cabinet, curiosities that my uncle had brought back from all over the world.

So, thank you Sandra.  You not only made me happy, you made two little boys very happy as well.  I am sure they will always want to see "Svetlana" every time they visit.

It did stay dry enough for the boys to spend time in the garden and Nathan spent his time kicking a ball around.  Wonder if we have another David Beckham in the making.

Daniel was much more interested in playing with some clothes pegs.  They also loved talking to and watching the rabbits which you can see in the background and also climbing on top of the run.  It kept showering lightly but that did not put them off.

Jack does exactly what our Pip used to.  He likes to sit and "guard" the rabbits.  Now he has backup, Leo lays and watches them as well.

Considering the atrocious weather we have been having, the plants are not looking too bad.  Trouble is we cannot really sit out there to really enjoy them, but at least we can see them from the house.

Lastly, Mike got a very nice photo of Leo.  He is really growing up now.  We must contact the vet soon to see about getting him neutered.  He is a very loving cat who actually thinks he is a dog!  He runs to the door with the dogs when anybody knocks, he loves to go in their dogbeds, he sits in line with them at mealtimes and tries to go for walks when Mike takes Jack and Jesse out! 

He was so funny yesterday.  When Nathan was kicking the ball around, Leo kept shooting out from behind bushes and having a go himself.  You should have heard the screams of laughter from Nathan.

Well, this is turning into a book rather than a journal entry.  I must get off the computer.  Every day I promise myself I will cut down my time on here but somehow it never seems to happen.  Going to get a few jobs done and then, because of the weather, I will settle down with a book.

Love,