Well what a lovely day its been! I was up early while everyone was still in bed, I absolutely love that. The house is so quiet and I can get on with the housework and enjoy a coffee in peace. I was up at half 7, pegged out a line of towels i'd washed last night ( was tempted to put them in the dryer but resisted), I stood listening to the radio in the kitchen and did a pile of ironing while I watched the birds stealing the moss from my hanging baskets and troughs to make their nests with - cheeky things!! Then I tidied the lounge, diningroom and kitchen. Dusted and polished, washed my kitchen sides and units down with stardrops - wonderful stuff! Cleaned the bathroom then ran the push along sweeper over so as not to wake everyone. House was spick and span and I was sitting having a coffee by the time they surfaced. Think i'm going to do the same again tomorrow as I really enjoyed it. How sad is that? Does anyone else value time alone just to take things at your own pace? I did really well today with the agoraphobia too. Hubby is still poorly and we popped out just to get a newspaper and to take the dog but he didn't feel well enough to walk around the fields so he stayed in the car reading the paper and I took the dog around the fields on my own. Doesn't sound much but I did go further than i've dared to go alone before so I felt pretty proud of myself. I was a bit cross though as my brother has downloaded an app on my phone that shows the distandce and route youve covered and I forgot to turn it on. Blonde moment! The idea being that I can see my acheivements and push myself a bit further each time. Sounds good if I remember to turn the bloody thing on! I made some fruit salad this morning for breakfast. A bit extravagant but I did buy the fruit on offer and thought it may tempt hubby into eating as he has lost his appetite and get some vitamins into him. So I washed and sliced strawberrues, grapes, blueberries and plums and put into a tupperware container in the fridge to chill. He said he didn't fancy it when he woke up so I thought stuff it and filled a bowl for myself. "That looks really nice" he said when he saw it and ended up eating a bowl so it was worth the effort. I've had to buy strepsils, lucozade and ice lollies today which I hadn't budgeted for but as we haven't actually been anywhere this holiday then I guess i'm still up on the money due to not using fuel or buying coffees and meals out. Must be the cheapest holiday we've ever had!

So house tidy, fresh fruit breakfast prepared and lovely pile of dry towels, folded and ready to go back into the bathroom all by lunchtime. Not bad going. The towels were a bit hard but they were bone dry in about 4 hours. I have 4 lines set up under my carport which is ideal as it still gets the wind but keeps off the rain. This is ideal when I peg the washing out in a morning before I go to work and it starts to rain.

Right everyone i've rambled on for long enough tonight. Any more and I won't be able to get up early again in the morning. I've washed tonight ready to go out again first thing and when the house is tidy I will have a relaxing bath in peace too. I've also started crocheting a blanket for my stepdaughter who is expecting a baby in June. So I will have to get a bit of that done too. I will post pics when it gets a bit bigger than a dishcloth! I've been thinking also today about how I could possibly make some money from selling cakes as I love baking. Every little helps. Ideas most welcome. Thanks for reading. Take care all.

Jules x

Evening everyone. Firstly I want to say that one of my home remedies must of worked as i've managed to hold off the flu and feel much better today. How i've dodged hubbys germs i'll never know. Maybe its my caring bedside manner "put those dirty tissues straight in the bin, cover your mouth when you cough, get out of bed while I boil those sheets!"I've got through a whole bottle of antiseptic/antibacterial handwash and been dosing myself up with all my home remedies to. Burning teatree and lavendar in the oil burners, making honey and fresh lemon drinks and for the past 2 days i've lived on homemade soup full of fresh vegetables and vitamins. Whatever it was it seems to have worked! Yesterday I made a tomato and red pepper soup and added a few chilli flakes for heat. Todays soup was vegetable, this consisted of onions, carrots, parsnip, swede and potato. To this I added mixed herbs, sea salt and freshly ground pepper, a few chilli flakes, a pinch of smoked paprika and a good squirt of tomato puree. I gently fried the onion in a little olive oil just to sofdten then addes the other finely diced vegetables and gave a good stir, finally I added the spices and stirred around for a couple of minutes. Finally I addes about a pint and a half of boiling water and put on to simmer until all the vegetables were soft. I then blended it as this is how I like my soup but you could leave it chunky. I made spaghetti bolognese for everyone else as hubby has had little or no appetitie and he said he just fancied it.

I did venture out a couple of times today as hubby thought he felt well enough. So we went out ot the local garden centre but when we got there he didn't feel wekk enough to walk around and so we had to just sit and have a coffee. Never mind, it saved me spending! He felt quite poorly so I had to drive home. This is a rare occurance as he usually insists that he drives. He said he felt sick on the way home, not sure if it was his illness, the winding lanes or my driving!? Anyway he didn't feel up to calling into the petrol station to get fuel so that will have to wait until tomorrow. He is usually very fit and walks for 10/12 miles at a time with the dog at weekends but this afternoon he insisted on taking the dog to the fields in the car and then said he would sit in the car and watch while I took him for a quick walk. He did decide to get out and have a small walk but was shattered after walking halfway around the field. This flu is nasty and I feel really sorry for anyone who is suffering. I've downloaded a few free books onto my kindle tonight. I onlt ever get the free ones unless there is something that i'm absolutely desperate for. Today I managed to get a couple about frugal living so I will start reading them  tonight in bed. My life just gets more exciting by the day!!! Right then have a lovely day tomorrow friends and take care.

Jules x

Finally got the chance to sit down and write my blog! Only because i'm now too ill to do much else! So I broke up last Thursday for the Easter holidays and had big plans. Friday morning hubby woke up and felt really ill with the flu ( at first I thought it was a case of man flu I admit it!) anyway i've been running up and down at his beck and call since then. Alongside this i've had housework, shopping and my grandaughters birthday tea which i'd promised her. So i've been baking and making and then had a house full of guests yesterday. Its taken me all morning to clean up. Why do 2 year olds like to see how many hand prints they can get on the french windows and how many sandwiches they can hide under the dining table???? Maybe i'm geting too old for this! Then this morning i've woken up with a headache and a tight chest. So unfair. But i'm not letting it get me down. I have decided to cancel the gym membership as i said earlier on the understanding that I get out and about more. I want to start going on my bike. The problem is that I can't get very far YET due to the agoraphobia but my idea is to work on it. I'm so desperate to beat this as its ruining my life. I know there's only me that can do anything about it but its just so hard. I have been really careful with money this month and as today is a new month I will be even more careful. I learnt a few things last month and made quite a few mistakes with regard to saving myself cash. Transforming your whole life and the way you think doesn't happen over night though and as long as i'm making some chnges and progress then i'm happy with that. I'll post a few photos that i've taken over the last few days that I managed to take even though I didnt get to post them.  First two are the snow. Well obviously. It has mostly gone now except for the patches against the drystone walls and at the sides of the road where it was ploughed to make a road through. Saying that, it has been snowing again this morning just small light flakes. Dont think it will amount to much though hopefully. I still haven't dared to plant anything in my greenhouse due to the very cold weather.

Here is my lovely cosy fire, thank heavens for it the past few weeks!

 Random pic of my favourite mug. Just love the little mouse on the side. I bought this mug last summer from Boscastle in Cornwall. I went there with my son while I was visiting him in Devon. It was handmade by Roger the potter who has a studio in Boscastle. Everything was ruined when they had the tragic floods years ago and had to be rebuilt. Reminds me of a lovely summer and of how I was brave and well enough to go!

 Heres my Easter baking efforts. I made the first cake as a gift for my elderly neighbours. He is lovely and lets my dog out during the day while im at work. In the summer I always make him a cup of tea and a slice of cake if I see him pottering in his garden. The second 2 were for grandaughters party.

Right im off to put some washing in. A womans work is never done even if they are ill. ( No violins please!)

Take care all and if I have anything to report I will come back and blog later.

Jules x