A Busy Week

Hi friends,

I hope all of you are well. I've been a little less present on the blog this week due to busyness.

Unexpectedly my washer broke down so that added to my usual workload. I cleared everything out of the laundry closet and sorted everything as well as wiped it all down.

Of course, the washer breakdown necessitating an analysis of whether repairs are worthwhile or whether a new machine is needed.  This in turn meant even  more time doing online research, telephoning washer repairmen, researching flyers for washer sales and so on.  It looks like I will have to purchase a new machine.  After talking to experts, reading reviews on line and speaking with relatives with similar washing  machines I feel rather fortunate to have had my washer working as long as it did.  Many people seem to get only 4-5 years out of a similar model while I had 10 years. Even so, it is really   shame that we live in a throw away society and that manufacturers and retailers have done so little to improve the longevity of machines.
Most of us have become aware that machinery and equipment of various kinds are no longer built to last even if they don't become obsolete due to technological advances.

While I was cleaning out the closet, I was motivated to complete a number of Spring cleaning projects.  Things get so dusty over the Winter despite regular cleaning.
It feels good to clean in nooks and crannies and get all the dust bunnies out.  

Several bags and boxes of items to give away were put together and photos taken so that various advertisements could be prepared and posted on line.  I'm always surprised at what people are interested in.  This time the large bucket of powdered laundry soap was a sought after item. And also some clothing which often seems to be the hardest for me to get rid of.

It is very time consuming to give away several different items at the same time.  It requires responding to emails and scheduling meet up times when it is convenient for both parties. Inevitably I find, that often those that are the first to request an item are the ones least likely to be reliable when it comes down to picking the item up when they say they will.  I still prefer to give things to someone who might actually use them rather than to throw things in the trash and add to the landfill.

  

  

Since Saturday the weather has been slowly improving with more sunshine and gradually warmer days.

Soon I will need to prepare the garden.
 In the meantime I've started some seeds, both flowers and vegetables. This is the first year of starting my garden mostly from seed. Usually I purchase starter plants because I'm often behind schedule.
This year due to late warming weather, I think I can garden in the old fashioned way which is how everyone did it when I was younger.

On the hobby side I've read a few more books and increased my year-to-date total to 21 books.
I've put together several completed books to gift to my hairdresser tomorrow. I usually get books on loan from the library but from time to time I purchase a novel or two from the thrift stores. I often return them to the thrift stores once I'm finished but this time I am happy to give them to someone I know enjoys reading.

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I had a huge surprise late last week when relatives arrived in town without  notice.  They were here on other business but managed to find time for a lovely dinner.  Eight of us dined, visited and laughed together at a local neighbourhood restaurant and we had a lot of fun.
  Considering they live so far away it was touching to know they made time for me.
This particular set of relatives always does.

Last, but not least it seems so many people I know have their birthdays in April and May.  This has been keeping me busy writing and sending cards and phoning far away friends.
It's always nice when someone remembers me on my birthday and I try to remember special days of friends and family members.

I'm enjoying the last days of the tree blossoms.
I missed out on a lot of them but there are still some beautiful ones around.
I hope you enjoy the few I've posted here in this space today.
I think this variety of cherry blossom is the Prunus kanzan or the Prunus serrulata.
Sadly the trees are getting rather old and I never see anyone pruning or tending to them but they are still blossoming each year and bringing a lot of joy to me and to others.

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A New Dish to Try & Making Progress on Goals

I've spent the past two days getting caught up on Spring cleaning and pulling together all of the things I will give away or try to sell.  Normally I give everything to the thrift stores but I think this time I will do up an advertisement for Freecycle.  This is where you and like minded people, offer or request things that you want to get rid of, or acquire for free.  Even though there is a local branch, I actually heard of this service through a friend who lives in North Carolina. While I've been a member for quite some time, I've never actually used the service so this will be my first try.  I have a lot to give away: 6 bags of outerwear and linens, one tub of patterns, and two small boxes.

My assortment of stuff for giveaway.

I also did a lot of laundering of things that only get laundered maybe once a year and need special attention.  Lots of things continue to be moved around the apartment and "rejigged" as I get rid of things and make room.  This is a constant "work in progress".  I'm getting fairly close to getting to outstanding paper clutter and going through the 4 drawer file cabinet. I intend to get rid of at least 3 of the 4 drawers of paper but these need to be shredded and that takes time.  Once there is room in the cabinet,  I can add the papers that are currently in boxes I brought home from moms. I have already sorted through these boxes fairly well once when I first brought them to my home but next sort will be the fine tuning one where I decide what is absolutely necessary to keep.  My challenge is that I am the keeper of special or important documents; not just mine but for 3 other adults (family members) who cannot keep it for themselves due to various circumstances.

Another big project out of the way today was a good cleaning of the garden. A friend came over to do the work for me and I was amazed at how much he did in such a short time. It took him about 2 hours to clear away what would normally take me time over a 2 or 3 day period. I'm so pleased to have this work done because it is going to rain for the next few days. Once the rain stops, the bedding plants will at last get planted!  The constant rains and cool weather have really delayed all this work but at least it is getting done now. We did have a few days of sunshine but on those days I was busy. The patio furniture will be cleaned up very soon too and made ready for al fresco dining and relaxing with friends.

I managed to try another new recipe today. Something I've been wanting to try for years. I don't know why but it is one of those dishes that I just never got around to making and I felt intimidated by. I have my blogging friend, Diane at the blog, My Life in the Charente to thank for inspiring me to make the soup at last and I was pleased to find that it is really very easy.  My regular readers know that I only like to make easy recipes.  You can find Diane's recipe for butternut squash soup here.

Butternut Squash Soup

I most often modify recipes according to what I have on hand and today was no exception. In this case, I omitted the dairy, the citrus and the apple; not because I didn't want to add these but I didn't happen to have them on hand even though I normally would have these items in stock! I just made sure I had enough broth and seasoning to ensure the squash and onions were cooked and to ensure that the blended version would be reasonably thick and creamy. It worked out perfectly and it was so tasty! I will definitely try this soup again and also the spinach soup I tried for the first time the other day.