This morning I wore my ‘favourite’ coat to walk the dog. It’s a parka. I never had one as a teenager, they were too expensive. I bought this one in a sale in Matalan – cheapish clothes shop – a few years ago and honestly I’ve had good wear out of it. It was a little chilly, so I did up the zip, only for it to get stuck more than two thirds of the way up. It wouldn’t go down, or up, and I was stuck! I had a good grip on the zipper, and tried in vain to budge it. Nothing was stuck in the zipper, and the only way to break out was to tug the zipper apart. That did it, and I was free, but now my coat won’t zip up anymore :( It has poppers too, so it will have to do for now. I like it because it’s warm, has good pockets, and a great hood. I won’t replace it just yet, and I have another heavy coat in the wardrobe for really bad weather. Spring is on the way so I guess I won’t need it too much longer anyway, but what a nuisance.

I had a good weekend, so far. I stayed overnight at my friend’s house on Friday and we went out with some of his family to a club to see a comedy act. It was nobody special, just a threesome who apparently do the rounds of clubs and pubs all over the country. They were very funny and we all had a good laugh. I haven’t laughed so much in ages. So, a couple of drinks as I wasn’t driving, a good laugh, and company. Who could ask for more? We didn’t get home until after 11pm which is late for me, but I still didn’t sleep well. His dog likes me, and always sleeps upstairs when I’m there, and he snores! His neighbours came home even later and for all the world sounded like they were vacuuming after midnight. I then woke before 6am because the heating had come on, and I was being boiled alive lol. I got up at 6am, let the dog out, and sat in the living room with a coffee until he got up.

I came home on Saturday to a house still in one piece and a very excitable dog. He often doesn’t eat when I’m not there, the dog that is, and it took him hours to calm down. I came home with the groceries for the weekend, and I picked up a cherry tree from Asda of all places. It was only £5 for the tree, and it’s a bare root tree, so how it’ll fare I don’t know. Time will tell.

After going out, and shopping, and not sleeping well, by Saturday evening I was shattered. I managed to stay awake until 10pm, then I settled down. I awoke at 4am with pins and needles, tossed and turned for a while, then awoke again at 7am which is a huge lie in for me. I must have needed it. I’ve been feeling a little faint towards the end of the week, but this morning I felt fantastic. I had a lovely shower, and took the dog for a long walk. I’m just waiting now for my son to get up (it’s 8.30am) so we can have English muffins and bacon for breakfast.

Later on I have to pop out for a plant pot and some compost so I can plant my new fruit tree, and I’m going to make a French style chicken ‘soup’ for dinner. It’s made with chicken and chorizo, and thinly sliced vegetables and a red pepper. Everything is cooked long and slow in a casserole pot, and then served over cous cous with crusty bread. Man, I’m salivating already lol.

During the week I’d taken my son to his rheumatology appointment. He was asked lots of questions, they measured his weight (he’s very slim) and blood pressure, and then sent us off to the main hospital for special blood tests. They couldn’t do them there because they have to go into a special heater to keep them at a certain temperature for testing. They took 5 phials of blood which seems a lot. I’ve no idea what they’re testing for because he didn’t want to ask, and he wouldn’t let me go in with him. Fingers crossed they won’t find anything untoward. Children do make us parents worry. He seems fine in himself; he just gets quite cold easily and wears fingerless gloves even in the house. Hopefully he won’t have to wait too long for the results.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and have a great week.