The new duck run arrived yesterday. It slightly concerns me what a small sized box it is in. I have the feeling it is going to be very hard to assemble and it has to be all done in one day as once the other one is taken down we have to have the ducks safe again by that evening. I see a long day ahead of us soon! Scarlett was very excited by it's arrival and is expecting to see it all up and ready by next week so we are going to have to start planning.
I was right about the weather yesterday it was just a bit grey and drizzly really. It could have been much worse though. We managed to go for a walk and then incorporate gong to the bakers, which is Scarlett's new favourite thing, to chose a cake for after her lunch. She chose a shortbread teddy bear, then I bought two more for youngest son and daughter for when they got in from work, then worried eldest daughter would feel left out when she came to pick up Scarlett, I bought her one to take home too! Scarlett insisted on carrying them all home with the paper bag pressed up to her coat so unfortunately this was only the only one which arrived home without losing a limb. I was assured however they were delicious!
I have mentioned before about our wonderful local bakers. They still make all their items on the premises and in the past few years have expanded to make a coffee lounge which until recent times, when of course it has been closed, is always busy. As soon as it is open again I can't wait to take Scarlett to sit outside and eat our cakes!
In 1977 when I worked in a bank in London, on a Saturday I used to do voluntary work with the disabled children at nearby Queen Mary's Hospital. I planned to start training as a nurse when I was 18 and at the time, hoped it would make my transition easier. It was an incredibly enjoyable time of my life. I would travel on the train from my Mum and Dad's house and get off at the station to walk the mile to the hospital and spend the day in work I enjoyed enormously. After the monotony of working in a bank it seemed such fun. I would walk past this bakers, still run by the same family in those days, and think to myself how lucky the people of this area are to have such a lovely bakers, although I never went in as by the time I came past again at the end of the day it was always shut. I used to think one day I would love to live round here.
In the spring of 1981 as a third year student nurse I would catch the bus to travel from St Helier Hospital to Queen Mary's for my two month paediatric secondment. I would get off the bus outside the bakers to walk that familiar walk through the area I liked so much, with such happy memories of my days as a volunteer. I was pleased to see "my bakers" was still there even though I still didn't go in.
Over 20 years later in 2004 we moved house, to the area I had always liked, just a five minute walk from a shop I felt nostalgic for even though I had never been inside . I joked with my family as the house purchase was going through I may finally get to go in that lovely baker's shop and the first thing I did on the Saturday morning, after we moved in on that Friday in August was to walk up there to buy everyone cakes as a treat. It was one of the most satisfying moments of my life! If anyone had told me in 1977, that one day I would be popping in and out with my granddaughter all these years later, I wouldn't have believed them. How strange life can be.
I'm going over to do shopping for my Dad today and it looks like it's going to be a nice day with lots of sunshine. I hope everyone has a lovely day, with some sunshine what ever you are doing and where ever you are in the world. xx
