Two months to go

It's 2 months today that we head back to the UK! 61 sleeps!!!

And 63 sleeps till we see the lovely grandsons and get much missed hugs from them and from the lovely Tim and Marta.

And in the meantime, another trip we are looking forward to in late April is over to Sydney to see our lovely daughter, Kirsty. By then it'll be 21 sleeps till we head away, and about 7 more until we get to the boat. I've just read the CRT newsletter with info from RCR about de-winterising the boat, so am mentally preparing for that adventure.

And just to keep me busy in the meantime, the lounge dining room is pretty much ready for wallpapering. Joe has almost finished the painting (another coat required on the doors) and Dee is coming this week to help me put the paper up. This one will be an adventure as it's paste the wall stuff which I've not used before. Seems strange to contemplate hanging wallpaper dry, as I am used to it dripping with water from the trough or slathered in paste.

Until the paint on the walls cures (it was very very odiferous and gave Joe and me headaches, so heaven knows what's in it) Joe is going to visit his family in Wainuiomata and I am going to prepare the report I have been interviewing the project team and users about recently.

When this year's redecoration projects are completed, I'll have to potter in the garden, as much as Rob will let me. My best skill garden-wise is shopping, so I have practised this week to make sure the skill level doesn't drop off. Purchases include a ben yen lemon tree and a kaffir lime tree along with 5 punnets of pansies (various colours) a punnet of white cosmos, a pot of alstromerias, a swan plant for the monarch butterflies and a few shrubs, plus some compost and some gypsum to break down the clay-ish soil in what is going to be the cottage garden. Rob was going to be here Thursday but that changed to Monday. Hopefully he approves of my purchases!