A DAY OF SURPRISES!

After our carpet and furniture was delivered yesterday, we worked hard to get everything back into the lounge and we are very pleased with the result - see my extra photograph, which was originally going to be my Wide Angle Wednesday Blip.  I have written to the company concerned and told them that we are very happy and would gladly recommend them - the young man I spoke to this afternoon, when I rang to pay, said that it was good to have emails like mine, as many people complained when things went wrong, but never actually gave praise when they had had good service.  

Although my legs were aching this morning, my friend Caroline had invited me for coffee, so in order to keep up the exercise, I was determined to walk to her house - it’s only about a mile, but part of the route is a gradual uphill walk, so a good test.

On the way, I stopped to take photographs and enjoyed seeing the Spring beauty everywhere, including the tulips in front of Caroline’s log burner in her lounge.  We hadn’t seen each other for a while, so had a good catch-up chat after a wander round the garden and I even got some good ideas for training our new clematis onto the fence in our garden.

I then caught the bus into Old Town and went into Jack’s to have a coffee and a toastie before looking for some new chairs for the dining room.  Of course, Mr. HCB will have to have the final say (well he thinks it will be him!), but I did see some that would match our sideboard, so hopefully I can get him up to look at the weekend.  

Whilst in Jack’s I spoke to Pete, someone we see in there quite often.  I was telling him about Blip -  “waxing lyrical” about it and telling him how it kept me out of mischief gave me something to do each day, when he quietly dropped in that he was a professional photographer - ah well, they don’t have a special “look” and he said he might even give it a try!

I then walked back down through The Lawns, with my iPod going full blast and singing away, and I’m pleased to say my legs have done very well and my knees aren’t that bad now I’m back home.

When I got in, Mr. HCB said the postman had left two packages addressed to me. One of them contained a beautiful handkerchief sent by distant relatives from America who had celebrated their Golden Wedding a couple of weeks ago, and whom we had met when they visited the UK about 4 years ago.  We have kept in touch ever since, and although we were invited to be at their celebration, sadly couldn’t make it, but it was so kind of them to send this to us.  Apparently, this Second Line Handkerchief is from a  New Orleans’ tradition, originating from jazz funerals.

The second package was from Amazon and I was mystified, as I hadn’t ordered anything, but when I opened it, although there was nothing inside to tell me who the sender was, I am fairly sure that it must be from a Blip friend - I had been speaking to her yesterday and told her I was looking for this particular DVD, Pay It Forward, so she asked me where I had looked.  I said in just in charity shops, so she asked if I had tried Ebay or Amazon, which I said I hadn’t, as I was hoping to see a secondhand one.  So to my dear Blip Friend, who is now on her way to San Francisco - I say, “Many, many thanks - when we next meet, it’s my turn to buy the coffees!”

So a wonderful day of surprises - and I am feeling loved and blessed.

"The best things in life
     are unexpected…..
          because there were
               no expectations."
Eli Khamarov

P.S.  Really pleased today as I have done 8,163 steps or 5.2 km - wonder how soon I can hit the magic figure of 10,000?