A Bit of Decluttering and a Change of Plans

I've been (sort of) nagging husband to give me a hand tidying up a space so I can move some things from another (bad) space. He did some of it today and ended up with a huge bag of rubbish and he several boxes to donate. He loaded up the car and took a bunch out. 

Really pleased that we made a bit of a start. 

I did go out for a nice (quick) walk this morning as I wanted to get back and (sort of) help husband. The sunrise was beautiful! A couple phone photos

Today was also the third anniversary of losing Aunt Jane. I think of all the things that have changed since she passed. I like to think she would have been proud of Baby A, a Great-great Neice. She did a lot with my children and I think she would have enjoyed seeing Baby A. 

Speaking of Baby A. Plans have changed. Daughter sent a pic this morning of her with a spotty face. They thought it was because of her drooling, but later she started coming up with a rash in other places. It meant a trip to the doctors. Funny in a way, as yesterday when I was talking to sister, she was telling me that her grandchildren (in England) had been off from school and nursery because of Hand foot and Mouth disease. Not something my children ever had. Well, guess what Baby A has? Yes. It's Hand, Foot and Mouth disease. She has to be off daycare until she heals. I offered to see if I could get a flight out to help out as she cannot go to daycare. I managed to get one for tomorrow, so I am flying out early! Husband and son will still be driving down next weekend. 

It does mean rushing around, trying to get last minute things sorted, but I really want to help. I feel bad about not being close enough to help out. I've sold a few things on Ebay lately, so I'm able to do the flight. Daughter will pick me up from the airport. I wasn't going to take the computer with me, but as I'm staying longer I think I will. Baby A goes to bed quite early and so do daughter and son-in-law so it will be a good time to work on some photography projects

I'll be back soon - from Minnesota! 

Long Nights and Chilly Mornings

It seems all of a sudden that the nights are really long. I don't like getting up in the morning when it's still dark and I don't like how chilly it's been! This week temperatures were about down to freezing. I had to bundle up for my walk. I even pulled out a pair of gloves! I'm not quite ready to get out the big coat yet. It's that time of year that when you go out in the morning you need a big coat, gloves and even a hat and by lunch time you look like an idiot all bundled up like it's the middle of winter!

The other morning it was stunning on my walk. There was a mist over the lake, quite thick, though thinning out in parts where the light shone through. 

On the home front I'm stuck with the decluttering. Well, I shouldn't say completely stuck. I've packed up almost two boxes for donation. I just need a kickstart to get back into it. I need to actually pick a place and start sorting rather than just thinking about where to start! I want to at least get the second box filled by the time I leave for daughters next week. 

What's happening at the weekend? Probably not a lot. I don't think we'll go far, as we did go away last weekend and we'll be going away next weekend. Perhaps I'll get started on that decluttering again! I have been in the craft room now that it's cooler. Still seem to be moving things around more than anything!

Do you have plans for the weekend? 

Took a Blog Break

It wasn't planned, but I ended up taking a blog break. I'm back. Hopefully a bit more cheerful now lol. 

We spent the weekend away, a long weekend Friday to Monday, a planned trip to the U.P of Michigan to look at the Autumn colours. It was really beautiful and peaceful. There's one more trip we have planned, end of next week to visit daughter and then we're done for the year. Not complaining, but it's been quite a busy summer with planned trips away. 

I can't wait to see Baby A. She is standing up now! She can pull herself up to her feet and when daughter holds her hands she takes wobbly steps. Where has the year gone! It just seems like the blink of an eye that I was planning to spend a few months with them when she was first born. Time really does fly. 

It's getting chillier now. I haven't given in and turned the main heat on, but I've put away the fan that was by my favourite chair and I've pulled out the little heater. It's been on the last few mornings as the temperatures dip to near freezing. It takes the chill off the house and the rest of the time I'm now wearing my jumpers. 

Have you turned your heat on yet? 

Photo today - lovely sunrise this morning. 

I'll post more later. 

Weekend Catch-Up

I didn't have a bad weekend. Nothing very exciting. I went for a walk by myself on Saturday morning. It was #1day12pics, the first Saturday of the month. I've been trying to do a theme each month. I've been in a bit of a funk recently so just decided to take a mindful walk, enjoying the things that I could see and to take photos of things that appealed to me. It really was quite pleasant. At one point I was sitting on a downed tree near the beavers' lodge and a family came along. I think it was Grandad, Father and two really small boys, one a baby, one about four or five. The older boy was chattering about the lodge and the beavers and things he had seen. Just as they were turning to go a beaver came up out of the water. In a hushed voice I told them one was above water and they all got to see the beaver. The little boy's face was lit with wonder. It really was lovely to see. 

The beaver. 

On Sunday husband and I went down to middle son's place as his car still has not been fixed and he needed to do a bit of a shop. We went for a walk in the state park first and then picked up son. My older son (who lives with us) had to work all weekend so he wasn't too happy. He shan't have a day off until next Saturday. 

What's in the plans for this week? 

Well, tomorrow I have my Asylum Lake meeting in the evening. On Wednesday son's car is supposed to be fixed so after husband's work we are driving the car down to son's place and then driving back. Sigh. I plan on doing a bit more decluttering. Then on Friday husband and I are going away for the weekend up north to (hopefully) see a bit of Autumn Colour. 

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Week Ending

It's the end of another week. I've been quite productive this week. It ended with me taking two large boxes of donations to the charity shop and another box started. It actually feels quite good. I am almost ready to start tackling the books again! I feel as though I'm ready to get rid of more of them, to let them go so hopefully other people can enjoy. 

I've been going for a walk each day. It's been quite chilly some mornings and I am having to wear a light sweatshirt first thing. I've even pulled out a pair of fingerless gloves as my fingers get chilly when I'm taking photos. 

Baby A turned 9 months old this week - where has the year gone? Daughter sent me a photo where you can see her two top teeth peeking through! Just a few more weeks until I see her again. I can't wait. She's crawling everywhere and is starting to try to pull herself to her feet. I'm pretty sure that by the time we go to see her she'll be up on her feet. When daughter holds her hands, she can walk a little bit! 

Can't say a lot else has been happened. I suppose, sometimes that's a good thing! How has your week been? 

Another few bits decluttered. 

Magazine Hoarder

Yup, that's me. I've realised that I am a magazine hoarder. I didn't think I was, but since I've started looking over the house, I realise that I have a problem with magazines. The more I seem to actually see them, the more they seem to multiply. I have different kinds of magazines - photography, crafts, country life and cooking. A lot of the craft ones have patterns in them I 'might' someday do. Even if I lived to be 150, I wouldn't have time to do all the projects I've earmarked to do. It's time to sort through them and let them go. If you've been reading the blog, you know that I have been letting go of the photography magazines. I discovered a whole other pile of those so there are more to look though. After that I have decided that it's time to sort through all the others and start letting them go. It's also time to stop buying them. I haven't bought any cooking ones for a while as I look up recipes on the internet, but I do still buy some other ones.  I said it in a previous post, but I might look at continuing on with Kindle Unlimited (a treat to myself once I've decluttered a lot more books) as it has magazine subscriptions or, once in a while, I might treat myself to a digital magazine through PocketMags. Either way, it is time to stop bringing them into the house. Decluttering itself isn't enough. I have to stop bringing things into the house. 

That's my thoughts for the day, a reminder to myself in case I forget! 

Today I didn't declutter much. I did take one lot of floss up to the craft room and sort through it. I got several organised and a pile to donate. I added three magazines to the donate pile. They are knitting magazines with lots of patterns in them. I also decluttered 5 books. Not a lot, but I was busy and didn't dedicate a lot of time to decluttering today. 

Do you still get magazines? Are you a read them and toss them sort of person or a read and re-read kind of person? 

A couple of decluttering photos :)

End of the Month

Wow can't believe it's the last day of September. Another month that seems to have rushed by. I did make the most of the last day of September and sorted out the shelf in the wardrobe. Yikes. I had forgotten I had most of the stuff up there. There were some craft bits that need to be somewhere other than there. Also I ended up with a bag of rubbish and another 21 items to donate! There was another bunch of magazines on the shelf, so I have a really big pile sitting by the chair again. Sigh.

I finished out the meal plan today and have written a list for the food shop which I will do tomorrow. When I get home tomorrow, I plan on reading a few of the magazine and also to organise the craft items I took from the shelf. Most of it was lots and lots of floss. I had honestly forgotten about it. In my craft room I have a couple of storage containers (the kind usually used in garages to organise screws and nails and such, they have little drawers in them) that I use for my floss. It is all numbered and such. Tomorrow I am going to work on putting some of the floss away. It's such a tedious job and takes forever (well, it seems like it) but that's the plan! If I have an excess of a certain colour I'll put it in the donate box. 

What's in the plans for October? 

It's the last month we have a couple of trips planned until the New Year. The middle of October we are taking a trip to the Upper Peninsula to (hopefully) see the Autumn colours. It's really beautiful up there at this time of year and I really enjoy taking photos. Later in the month we are taking a trip to visitor daughter and Baby A. We are driving out, husband and older son are staying the weekend and I'm staying an additional week and will be flying back. I'm really looking forward to it. 

Whilst I am home the decluttering will continue. That pile of magazines by my chair will be gone by the end of October lol 

Photo for today

A bit of colour starting to pop in the field on my walk. 

The Weekend

 Husband took the donations to the charity shop. There ended up being five boxes! I've already filled up another one as I got in the mood to do a bit of sorting out on Saturday afternoon while the house is quiet. This week I have plans to tackle the top shelf in my wardrobe and the cupboard by the back door (yikes!). Maybe by the end of the week there might be another couple of boxes to be donated. I told hubby I'm trying to think as though we're moving into a cabin and deciding what we can take with us. I'm not sure I'm that good at getting rid of stuff yet, but every bit is a little less in the house. 

Today husband and I went on a little Sunday Adventure. We did a little walk but I ended up feeling a bit blah and the amount of people around was making me a little less than happy! It was bright and sunny where we went though so that was a bonus. Back here at the house it was very cloudy. 

Now that summer is officially over they have already started putting up the winter fences. It is so amazing to me that in a few months there may not be a lot of this fence showing!

A walk along the pier at Muskegon, Pere Marquette Park. I loved the clouds! You do have to watch where you put your feet here as the concrete is not the best. 

Hope everyone had a good weekend! Do you have plans for the week? 

Can you believe it's almost October? 

It's Friday!

Well, by the time a lot of people read this it will be Saturday. Regardless, it's the end of another week. I wasn't the most productive today, but I did take care of bits and pieces that needed to be put away. I also spent time talking with daughter and messaging with my sister. Daughter has been away on a work trip for three days. It's her first long time away from her daughter. She did say they had been video chatting. Daughter was at the airport when she rang me. I was wondering how she was getting on. This might be TMI, but she is still nursing the baby and has been expressing milk. I wondered how she would get on at airport security with the way they are about liquids going through security. Apparently, she had a really good experience, so I'm pleased they take nursing mothers into consideration. She had gone prepared with bits of info off the TSA website and such if there were any problems. She said she is happy to be going home though she has enjoyed her adult interaction! She works from home usually, so it was good for her I think

My sister in Ipswich said things were going well. It's been pretty chilly there and a bit wet too. Think Autumn is definitely in the air. My BIL (other sister's husband) had his first chemo treatment and things went well apparently. I'm hoping he's not too sick from it. He did ok last time he had chemo though this treatment is a bit different. Sister sent some pictures of great nephews (so adorable) and of some of the birds she's seen and a few of the waterfront at night. I really appreciate our Friday sessions. Makes me feel a little less homesick. 

What's up for the weekend? Not sure yet. It might - or might not lol - rain tomorrow. I might - or might not - get up early and try for a walk. Husband and son are going to husband's friends' tomorrow afternoon so I'm planning on having a bath and a read while they are gone. Sunday we are going out to the lakeshore. One of my favourite beaches now has free parking as it's the off season so we are going there. We avoid it in the summer as parking is too much. It will be quieter this weekend too! 

Do you have plans for the weekend? How's the weather where you are? Is Autumn in the air? 

The Beginnings of Autumn

The Decluttering - A Good Start

I actually feel quite productive! I sorted through the drawers in the bedroom yesterday and the wardrobe today. I am pleased to say that I have boxed up 32 - yes 32! - items of clothing to be donated. I got rid of 9 bits that were in no fit state to be donated. There was also a bag of rubbish - ends of wrapping paper, broken hangers etc. While I was on a roll, I got rid of 5 old cooking magazines and 21 books!!! Husband has three big boxes to take to the charity shop on Saturday. He will also be taking 17 photography magazines to his friend's house when he visits Saturday afternoon. I'm really pleased with what I've got rid of so far just in a couple of days!

I've just got to decide on what to work on next. I think it might be the coat cupboard by the back door. I think there are still things in there that belong to the 'children'. If there are they are going to be dontated or got rid of. They have been gone for years so I can't imagine they'll want them any longer. 

I do struggle to get rid of things, but it's strange that once they are gone, I don't miss them. I shall try to keep that in mind as I move forward. The goal is to rid the house of clutter and for everything to have a place. 

I also really need to work on the books. Those are definitely something I struggle with. There are also more magazines. There is one magazine I really like; it has lovely photos and is more like a book. I have been hanging on to them, but I am thinking that as I finish decluttering the photography magazines, I might work on getting rid of those. Perhaps over winter. It would be nice to sit with a nice hot drink on a cold winter's day and read one of them and let it go. 

As for future photography magazines I am thinking that I might do an online subscription. The one I really like is available on Kindle and at less than half the price. Or I might do a Kindle Unlimited Subscription which includes several magazine subscriptions. I'm not sure which. I know it is still money spent, but there will be less clutter and less cost. Until I'm ready to give it up completely I'm thinking it might be the way to go! 

Anyway, photo for the day. Cormorant. I have been seeing a lot of them. There were lots in England - several at the seaside and a couple in the park in Ipswich! I've been seeing them since I came back to Michigan too. There has been one hanging around at my usual walking spot. I've seen them there before, but I don't usually see them quite as close as this one has been coming. Also, when husband and I went on our Sunday adventure we watched as one got hold of a really big fish and ate it! Swallowed the thing whole! 

So here it is

Beginning of the Week - What to De-Clutter Next?

Son came up on Monday. We got his car dropped off, had a nice meal, a bit of cake and then we drove him back home. Not sure how long the car will be in with the mechanic. He has food enough to last and there is a shop about a mile away so he can walk there if anything else is needed. I'm hoping it won't be too long! 

Today I got started back into the daily routine. Housework done. Another stack of magazines ready to read. A bit of shopping done. My meal plan is done but I messed up on the food shop so there are a couple of items I need to still pick up. There was no walk today as it actually rained. It made for a long day, but I seemed to get quite a bit more done so I'm feeling a little bit more productive. 

I need to get back started on the decluttering again, but I'm struggling with a place to start. I suppose I might start with the easiest - clothes. So tomorrow I'm going to go through the wardrobe again. I'm don't really have loads of clothes, but I have more than I need. I think I can sort them into three categories - Walking Clothes, Comfy/House Clothes and those I wear when going out. I realised, when I was going on holiday, that there are some I hang on to that I don't really wear or feel that comfortable in. It's surprising when you're spending three + weeks away what clothes you actually need. When I was at my sisters this time, I wore all the capris I took - could have used another pair or two. I didn't wear all the tops - found I wasn't comfortable in a couple and two had defaults I hadn't seen until I got them into bright sunlight! My comfy clothes I wore them all. When I was packing there were certain items I avoided, and I don't wear them when I'm home! So why am I hanging on to them? Off to the charity shop they will go!

What do you find the easiest to get rid of? 

Photo today - this is one of the photos I took in England. Mandarin Duck. I love these ducks. The males are really bright and colourful. There are a bunch of them that live in Christchurch Park in Ipswich. My sister always sends me photos of the ones she sees when she is walking there. While I was there I saw mostly females and a few of the young males, not so bright and colourful, but one time we were walking there and there was a pause in human noise and out he popped. He was so very bright and a real treat to see!

Bits and Pieces and Cross Stitch

I haven't written in a couple of days as I don't really have a lot to report. I need to think up some different posts, maybe I'll write about a few walks I've been doing. I have been writing lists and sticking to them and I have been getting a few things done. I've been enjoying video chatting with daughter and Baby A. Daughter says that Baby A has upper teeth coming in. She's also come down with a bit of a cold and has been really grumpy. Poor girl. She's dealing with double trouble right now. I'm hoping she'll feel better soon. 

I have started a cross stitch for Baby A. I've got a bit further than this photo, but this is the last one I took lol

Oh, I should also say that the pile of magazines is gone though it has been replaced by more that I need to read through. I'm so glad that I am getting through some of them. It does actually feel good to let them go. If only it was easy to get rid of other stuff! There are two boxes to go to the charity shop though so that's good too. 

I suppose next week will be more of the same. Tomorrow is my middle son's birthday. He is coming up to visit as, coincidentally, his car has to go in for repairs (someone hit his parked car - sigh). Husband has bought steaks to do on the barbeque and then we'll drive him back home. He is fortunate that he can work from home for as long as it is being repaired. We're hoping it won't take long. 

Hopefully back tomorrow

Ramblings, Dentist and Plodding Along

The dentist appointment was horrible. I hate going. I need another crown and a filling. I am so disappointed. It doesn't seem to matter what I do I always need stuff done. I was tempted to say nope, not getting anything else done and walking away but I didn't. I have scheduled appointments to have the things done. I'm not thinking about it until I have to. The dentist couldn't get me in until mid-November (how is it that it needs to be done but isn't that urgent apparently). That's after our weekend away and after visit to daughter and Granddaughter. I'm going to put thinking about the dentist on the back burner and concentrate on the good things to come first. 

The appointment took longer than I expected so nothing got done yesterday except the stops I had planned after the appointment. My food shop - ouch - is done. Today I started with a foggy walk and then came home to get some things done. It was quite a productive day. The pile of magazines at the side of my chair is dwindling away and some more Ebay items got listed and some things packed up ready to ship tomorrow. It's been too hot to go up in the craft room, but I feel as though I've got a plan to deal with the mess  things in there when it does cool down. 

I did get a start on a cross-stitch Christmas ornament for Granddaughter. I'm not sure I like the colour of fabric though so I might have to make another one. At least it's a fairly quick design. It's a Baby's First Christmas one and you stitch their name on it. Speaking of Granddaughter, a nice thing that made yesterday (after the bad dentist appointment) was that daughter video chatted with me and I got to spend time with Baby A. She is adorable. She doesn't sit still long at all! She's crawling around and rolling around and into everything. It makes me laugh and smile. Much needed after yesterday!

Ice Creams - I think I ate more ice cream in my three-and-a-half weeks in England than I have for the last year. Two of my favourites - the classic Whippy Ice Cream with Flake and Rum and Raisin. Yum

New Week

I did strike everything off my list today, but there really wasn't as much on there as I should have put down. It's so hot right now I'm using that as an excuse. It's making me tired and more than a little grumpy. It also doesn't help that I have a darn dentist appointment tomorrow which has filled me with dread for weeks now. I've been trying not to think about it and I keep getting reminders! Ick. It's a cleaning but usually they find something that needs to be done. They seem to want to replace a lot of work and I really can't do that right now. I suppose I just need to be a little bit more forceful with my 'no's. 

The appointment tomorrow isn't until 11.10am so smack darn in the middle of my day sigh. I'm going to go for a walk beforehand. I am also going to stop at a couple places before dentist and a couple more after. I'm going to do a food shop on the way home. I have a list so hopefully I'll stick to it! I'm hoping to get away with not spending a fortune. I had some meat bits in the freezer and am working the meal plan around those for this week. I haven't got around to looking in my cookery books for new recipes yet. I did add a few magazines to the giveaway pile. That pile by my chair is slowly dwindling!

This beach hut made me smile.  The owners called it Windy Bottom. If you had a beach hut what would you call it? 

Some Random Bits, Plans and Pictures

I'm gradually getting back into the groove of things, but I still feel a little bit of post-holiday blues. It always seems worse when coming back from a visit to family knowing it will be a while before I see them again. There were lots of good times had though and that's what I'll try to look back upon. I allowed myself last week to be a little blah about everything, but now it's time to get back into the groove of things. 

I have been writing myself a little list each day and it does seem to help things plodding along. I need to get back on the decluttering wagon. It just seems a little overwhelming and I need to pick a place to start. Even over these last few days I've been picking up some magazines to sort through. They are one of the things on my list to read and let go of, an easy thing to do you would think. There are a few that I will pass on to someone else and others I've ripped a page or two out of and the rest will be going into the recycle pile. I shall continue with that again this week. There's a pile by my chair that I am going to get through this week. 

Another thing I need to get a handle on is the food shopping. I know that prices have gone up in England, but I was surprised at how much cheaper food was there than here in the US. It makes me cringe when I see some of the prices I'm paying for basic items. So, the plan going forward is to make sure I shop around for prices. I used to do it a lot when we were on a tighter budget, but I sort of got out of the habit. There is a new Aldi's opening up nearer us and I shall make sure to check out their vegetable prices. I am going to look for some new recipes so that I can combine sales with some new menu choices. I want to make sure I use up all of the ingredients in the fridge, perhaps having a clear-up day at the end of the week when it's a hodge-podge of items. 

Any tips for cutting down the budget? I meal plan each week which does cut down on impromptu visits to the shops and unnecessary buys. Any recipe sites you really like? I'm also looking for some lovely British recipes - tried and tested hopefully!

Think that's enough for today. I'm going to think on the decluttering and where to start. 

Leaving this with a few pics from the visit. I took a lot of them!

My sister and I visited The Castle on the Hill - Framlingham Castle. I've been there a few times, but for my sister it was her first visit. We had a fun time!

Back - Normal Service to Presume ha ha!

I'm back from England. Had a lovely time. Didn't really want to come back. Lol. No, I am excited that I will be seeing Granddaughter soon. Sister and I had lots of lovely walks. Me, her and her husband had a nice weekend away and lots of good times. I shall miss her. Can't wait for next year! The weather was really quite lovely. There were a couple of nights of rain, but had cleared up by the time we went out and only one day where the weather was miserable. That, of course, was the day we wanted it to be dry! Sister had arranged for a small family get together. My other sister and her husband were there, as was my brother, his partner and three of his grandchildren. My sister who I was staying with had her two adult children there with their children. We all met at a local social club they belong too. There is a football field out the back where the children could play. Luckily, there was a break in the weather and the children could all play together outside. We ordered fish and chips and had a great old time with lots of chat and a few drinks. 

Of course, now comes the struggle to get back into the groove and get things at home back on track. It was nice just being away from the house and all the stuff that goes with it. I had good intentions to think about plans while I was away, but in reality, I didn't think about the house a lot at all. That means that I have to think about it now! 

Me having a paddle. 

Hope everyone is having a good end to the summer. I came back to rather hot weather - which I hadn't missed at all! My sister says they've had a few chilly days since I've left. Not sure I'd like that much either lol. 

Back tomorrow! 

Quick Check- In

 Hope everyone is well.  I haven't been online that much.  I didn't bring my computer with me as I really want to enjoy the time with my sister and family.  I'm writing this from my phone which isn't quite as easy!

We're having some lovely walks.  Saturday we went to Felixstowe to visit Mum's bench and take some flowers.  It was lovely to be back there again.  Sunday was a walk along the Waterfront in ipswich,  up to Holywell's Park and then back to the Waterfront to listen to some love music.  Monday was a blustery walk at Brightlingsea, Tuesday Walton-on-the-Naze, Wednesday an Ipswich walk with both my sisters and today a really windy walk at Woodbrisge.

Lots of walks but some lovely cake eaten too ha ha.

A few phone photos

 If you are on Instagram I am posting a few stories there on my account

My instagram

I'm going to try to check out some blogs in the morning!

Packing

This week has been extremely busy. I've had two additional meetings for the Asylum Lake board I'm on and I've been trying to get ready for my leaving tomorrow. Yes, Yikes, Tomorrow! As I write this I have not started packing. I do have clothes sitting out wondering what I should take with me. I hate this part of getting ready for a holiday. I shall be alright once I am on my way. I have checked in online with the airline so things should go a little easier. I leave from Kalamazoo and fly to Chicago and then Chicago to London. There is a lot of waiting in between as flights only leave from our little airport a few times a day. It makes things a lot easier though as the drive to Chicago and back is just horrible. It's such a small airport here that the queue waiting to get through security is usually empty or maybe has (at most) 10 people in it lol. So different from the larger airports. I have loaded up my kindle with books to keep me busy while I wait. I also have a few audio books ready to go. 

I am really excited to be able to spend some time with my sister. We shall have lots of long walks and a few ice creams and glasses of wine! 

Well, I'm off now to pack. 

Morning Walk

Sunday Adventure

Today we went to the lakeshore. Husband went to his friend's house yesterday and somehow invited them along on our trip today! It didn't turn out too badly. His friend's wife likes to take photos too so nobody was rushing me as I walked along. It turned out warmer than I thought and it was quite beautiful as we walked along.

There were quite a few people on the pier and a few of them were fishing. We watched as a couple of young lads caught an absolutely massive salmon. They asked me to take a photo with their phone of the three of them with their fish. It was huge! I think the more seasoned fishermen were quite jealous. 

The second State Park that we stopped at was lovely. I honestly can't understand why this beach is never full. There is so much parking and lovely sand and the water is beautiful yet there are hardly any people there. I shouldn't complain as it is nice to have a summer beach mostly to yourself! 

As we walked further along reaching the channel we looked up and spotted a plane writing in the sky

We didn't realise until a bit later that the air show was going on later in the afternoon!

Quite a nice day. 

When I got home I did start to look through my clothes. Sigh. Never know what to take. I suppose I should really think about it lol. 

Hope everyone had an enjoyable weekend

End of Another Week

Had a lovely walk this morning. The sunrise was lovely and the clouds - oh my - I loved them. By the time my friend had come down to the lake for the walk the clouds had all gone and the sky was just blue. I think she missed the best part of the morning!

I sat on one of the downed trees that I usually sit on, felled by the beavers quite close to their lodge and enjoyed the quiet of the early morning. There were Cedar Waxwings flying over the lake trying to catch flies, two Kingfishers competing for fish in the lake, a Green Heron flying over to land on a nearby log to fish for breakfast and there were the beavers coming into the lodge from their night beavering around in other parts of the lake. It's really lovely sitting there most mornings. I enjoy waking up there. 

Friend and I had a nice walk around. The temperature was just right.

I had one errand to do before going home where I did some house stuff and went up into the craft room. It was nice up there with the window open and the breeze blowing in. I plan on going up there again tomorrow for a bit. 

I chatted with sister this afternoon. This time next week I shall be there in England. I'm really excited! I am looking forward to long chats and walks and lots of just relaxing and enjoying time together. We get along well. 

What's up for the weekend? Not a lot. I have to look through my clothes and things and make sure I have everything I think I'm going to need. I'm not sure about tops and things as I tend to wear the same things over and over and just wash. I think there are things buried at the back of the wardrobe, but we shall see! 

What are your plans? 

The Week is Plodding By

The days are plodding by. I actually feel as though I'm getting things done. Well, sometimes I feel as though I'm taking two steps forward and one back. At least that means I'm making progress however slow. I have been making lists and getting most things done.  That's progress too! Once I get back from my trip I am going to start working on time management and getting rid of things.  I thought I might as well start this year, but next year is going to be The BIG purge. We shall see how well that goes! I like my things, but sometimes I look around and think I wish there was less, then I wonder why I'm holding on to some of it. What is the point of the things? Craft things, am I going to use them? Can I use them when there is so much of it? Aarrggh. Too many thoughts running around in my head. 

Anyway, back to this week. The heat and humidity have finally broken. The last couple of days (temp) has been really nice. It fell down with rain yesterday, so I didn't walk. Today I got out early and it was lovely and sunny. The walk was really quite pleasant. I'm hoping tomorrow will be the same! I have a haircut at 11.30. It hasn't been that many weeks since I had one, but I wanted to fit another in before I leave, and my fringe is getting a little long. I know some people cut it themselves, but I can't cut a straight line even with a ruler and I don't trust me to keep cutting and cutting until there is nothing left lol. I shall have a trim and she usually lightens it up a bit as I have quite thick hair. It's one more thing to check off the to-do-before-I-leave list. 

I did finish the shredding the other week. There was a lot of it, but it's out of the way now. I have quite the pile of magazines to send with husband this weekend. Hopefully I'll have a few more too! 

I did sort through some of the photos I took at Shiawassee on Sunday. I was pleased that I got quite a nice photo of one of the eagles that was sitting up in a tree. It's one of the young ones. It was huge. I didn't realise quite how big they were!

Pretty Productive Day

It's a good start to the week - at least a good start to getting things done. I went out early this morning hoping for my usual walk. At first it was fairly nice but then the clouds rolled in and by the time my friend arrived to walk there was thunder in the air. I had walked a bit but then we ended up walking back to the car! 

A little bit of sun

As the storm rolls in. 

I got home fairly early and just in time as I had barely got inside the house and it absolutely fell down with rain! 

While it was raining, I cleaned out the fridge and wiped down the shelves as this was something I had put on my list to get done. I checked all the condiments (and there were a lot of them thanks to husband and son) and unfortunately had to throw out some as they were expired. To be fair, they had mostly been used. It felt good to get this done!

By this point the rain had stopped so I went and did a food shop. Ouch! Yikes! Not happy with prices or money spent but that's for another post! 

I took a nice break in the form of having a bath and listening to a bit of my audiobook. In the afternoon I pulled out my new shredder and started on the massive pile of things that need to be shredded. I was really impressed by the new shredder. I'm not sure how long I've had the old one but the paper shreds were rather large and took up a lot of space. This one the pieces of paper are smaller and take up a lot less space (not to mention it could actually eat the whole page as it's not blocked lol). I got quite a bit of it out of the way. I'll be doing more of it tomorrow. 

I also read several of the magazines in the to-be-read pile, which is huge. Sigh. Husband says he is going over to friend's this weekend (whose wife likes photography) so I'm hoping to palm some of them off to her!

Not a bad day if I do say so. Quite please with all that was accomplished! Let's hope the rest of the week continues in the same way.

How was the beginning of your week?