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Hi, Rusty!
All is well.
My daughter phoned earlier to say that they were home safely.
The children now have the weekend to get organised for school on Monday ...... and finish off any outstanding homework.
Did Miss O have a clear couple of weeks holiday, or did she have to go into school for various meetings etc?
My son- in -law spent much of the first week of the Easter holidays at school, organising meetings, work schedules, dealing with paperwork etc.
He made it yesterday though for my birthday outing.
We still have some birthday cake to eat!
(You would like it...it is iced madeira cake!)

Hello Elle and Rusty!

Great that you enjoyed your birthday with most of your family
around you, and that you enjoyed the company of your daughter
and grand-sons. Not the time to think about crosswords!

I have potted around the house, archiving certain books that I want
to keep, but which I do not need at present (not novels) - too many
and not enough shelves! The usual problem.

Also glad you had a good time with your grand-daughter Rusty!
It all sounds good.

Now Elle, the barn owls have produced 2 eggs so far - well, the
female I mean! The male's job is to provide food.
If you look in the box, you should see something looking rather
tatty and grey-white - apparently it's a sock brought inside the
box by one of the pair a while ago - Wonder is she is going to
use it to cover the eggs whenever she 'has to' go out and stretch
her wings? What beautiful little faces they have!

Hello, Elle!
You can relax now you know the family are safe home!
Miss O went to school for one day.
I think she was helping her pupils to prepare for exams....I think!
Iced madeira sounds great!
You should drop some crumbs on the floor for Mr Jingles?
I just had plain old porridge for my supper!

Good evening, Pigale!
I had a very nice time with my granddaughter.
I sorted out my books earlier this month.
I had books that several years ago, I thought I would keep for ever.
But now I look at them and wonder why I ever would want to keep them.
So, they are in a cardboard box destined for a charity shop.

The problem, Rusty, is that now, I have to find room for these 3
archive boxes, plus 4 boxes full of DVDs - that I want to keep too, bar
perhaps half a dozen.
Boxes full of books are heavy, and they take up a lot of space,
particularly when I filled up 7 boxes today in toto!

Hi, Rusty!
I was planning an early night to "recover", but I fell asleep earlier when reading my book.....so now I have got my "second wind"!
And speaking of books....I was planning on weeding out those I have on my bookshelves (two books deep) but do not know if I will have the strength of mind to part with them.
I do reread my books......
But I have a lot of money now in my Amazon account......so I am sorely tempted to buy yet more......
Crumbs for Mr Jingles?
He - or his clone- has not visited us for a long time.
Long may it stay that way!



Hell, Pigale!
Have you tried stacking your books two books deep on your shelves?
All our bookshelves are like that!
I do look in on the barn owls occasionally.....I was amused to see the dirty sock!
Either the eggs are very small, or the sock owner has very big feet!

I think it's a bit of both! big socks and smallish eggs view the size
they become -

I do not like stacking my books two book deep! I like to be able to
look at the title and pull it out without disturbing any other.
Most of my books are reference books of some type or other,
or classic collections (Zola, Hugo, Philosophers, and some English
ones too such as Austen...etc). I do not wish to damage them.

I HATE pocket books - I don't mind soft backs, but so long as they are not pocket books. And I am afraid I never lend a book - I rather buy
a copy for the person as a present!

Pigale, we keep all our all (very many) text books and reference books on a different set of bookshelves.
I was referring largely to novels, when I said we "doubled up", but certainly no book has ever been damaged....and believe me , we have very many books!
Our bookshelves line our lounge round two walls...and there are book shelves, too, in three of the bedrooms!
I am always reluctant to have a "sort out ", but I am feeling it will soon prove necessary to do so again.............
I have been driven to writing my name in books that I lend, in the hope that it will prompt the borrower to return the book!

Yes Elle, I see what you mean - I too have many shelves in different
places/bedrooms/front room, etc, and like you, I am very reluctant
to let any of our books go - Even the very many architectural reference
books which my husband accumulated over his student/working
years both in the US, England and France.

Anyway, after writing your name in books, are they always returned
to you? The last time I lent one, it was returned with turned-down
corners, the binding broken when they were laid upside down on
a table etc.... so I said 'never again' - It was a hard back book too!

Anyway, I think my bed is calling me, so night night, and
talk tomorrow!

Good morning,
We have our first egg at the loch!