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Laburnums, Brookfield Drive, Hartleford Regis CR4 9PY 6th March 2019 Dear Penelope, So sorry for the delay in writing my New Year’s update. How is it even March? As for 2019, they’ve got to be kidding, where did 2017 go? Is it really 45 years since we worked together in that dismal basement in Foyles? Thanks so much for your Christmas card and the very informative letter about your family. I was so impressed by Clarice and Andrew’s achievements and their beautiful new cars. They must have wonderful jobs despite their rather mediocre academic achievements! Jack and I were in Bristol last month for Leonard’sRead More →

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Let no-one tell you that Ireland is just bogs and rain and mist. Living in South Wales, Mrs B. knows all about lush, damp places and having booked a short cruise from Cardiff more than a year ago, she was reconciled to the probability of coach excursions through wet greenery and dashing into tea shops to dry off. By the end of the 4 days visiting ports in Ireland, however, the tour guide was joking that ‘they had a meeting in Dublin and insist you must all stay’.

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The thing about retirement is that it seems such an unlikely and faraway destination from the perspective of a houseful of charming toddler-gangsters and the routines of work and home. Pension contributions are removed on a monthly basis and only begrudged slightly less than the taxes that eat into the resources needed to maintain the lifestyle which said gangsters insist is their right. (Mrs Bloggins wonders how much larger her savings might have been if scarce funds hadn’t been squandered on Pokemon cards which are now stuffed in some dusty boxes in the back of cupboards. Fortunes were also spent on Lego and Warhammer –Read More →

Oranges and cranberries boiling in a pan.

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Various reminders that this is the traditional time to be making marmalade have tempted me to have a go. Firstly, emails from ‘Riverford Organics’ tried to sell their ‘Marmalade Making Kit’. This sounded like a great offer until I realised that the ‘kit’ consisted of organic Seville oranges, lemons and a recipe. The Riverford site has their recipe complete with instructional video. It didn’t look too difficult…

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It is a frosty, January morning. Mrs Bloggins sits at her desk with a fresh mug of tea reviewing the day and her life so far. Already, this morning, she has fed the cats, the tropical fishes and her three dogs. She has checked that the garden hens have food and clean water and has put fresh seeds on the bird tables. The milk bottles have been brought in (Mrs Bloggins still has a milkman although he only delivers on Monday and Friday), condensation on the windows has been wiped off and the dishwasher is running, as are the washing machine and tumble dryer. MrsRead More →

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This is Mrs. B’s first blog post. Please be patient and kind. She has many great ideas but also has  a lot to learn. While she works out how to do what she wants to do, here is a picture of a typical January day in Neath.