The debonair Basil Marigold's

Or so this 87 Year old going to church my well say! My favourite quote, which is so what an older gentleman would say, obviously a grandfather because I think everyones granddad would say this. "I shouted after her but she is a bit deaf. I couldn't chase her as I've had a triple heart bypass." To all the married folks out here. You can picture yourself here, can't you in many, many years time! I can see myself chasing my wife in her scooter, mind you with us it will probably be me driving.

I have posted quite often about how a small, as yet unborn, female child can almost cause seismic like shifts in her parents lives. And just for posterity, if my daughter ever reads her fathers mutterings. Go and tidy your room, because you have no idea how long its taken to get it tidy, for you! Anyway. We are going for what I have happily labelled the 'Felicity Kendall, good life, Tree Hugging Hippy route' Bottom wise with non-disposible nappies. Ssshhh...whisper it, but yes there is another option to disposable, which bizarrely has been around for a while longer. Though be aware, it may require a little effort. Now we are washing ours pre-child and they are happily pegged on the washing line, which to my mind more resembles a chicken abbattoir.

...and that is, lead from the front and battle with your men. From the dawn of the ages great generals have been great leaders. The best have fought from the front. Alexander the Great fought with the cavalry and was often the first into battle and the only thing he didn't try and conquer was his addiction to vast quantities of Alcohol. Caesar shared battles in Gaul with his men. So, it has to be with the Gardening Khan. I fight in the frontline and like Alexander who was wounded so many times it must also fall to the Gardening Khan to suffer in Battle. The battle was victorious but the post was tough. but not invincible. Another wound another battle. But that's the story of battles, isn't?

In prior posts from a couple of days ago I presented the beginning of part tre in the ongoing theaker conquest of Mother nature, in the form of our Garden. And conquest is the right name as that's how I tend to garden. It is the enemy and I am the Gardening Khan. So, today, while multitasking I continued the annihilation process by acquiring an essential gardening tool. A very Large sledge hammer, the weapon of choice to a gardening tyrant. But to explain the genius of the hammer I have to pay thanks to the next door neighbour who solved my 'what am I to do with a half tonne concrete post and a tiny 2 door car issue?'. For those among you of forensic mind you will already see the requirement for the hammer? I needed two things 1 - Get rid of post which is solidly encased in bricks and concrete and made of concrete. 2 - require a foundation to re-lay slabs on made of bricks and concrete. The lightbulb lit up the town and so Mr Hammer was introduced to Mr Concrete Post. I hav...

It may look the Legion d'honour but is in fact the medal from the Underwood 10K road race. I have done this road race for about 4 years now and have always enjoyed it. It is both Challenging and close by. It is the course where I have achieved my Personal Best in a 6 mile running event at 41mins. Not this year though, nor last as it goes. Life has got in the way of running training a little. But this year I am aiming to get back into the groove and this was the start, the first race of the year. The only drawback was the fact that despite advertising the fact they had water stations, there were no water stations when I ran the 6 miles and it was flippin hot too. not a great start.

...A previous photo, from a previous Post. One where I display the finesse of my finish so to speak. What is required here is a little imagination. As you see two posts now imagine across the paving there is another pair of Posts, which meant in the mists of time a gate was attached. Now as part of the Theaker grand garden strategy we have the next stage. Now I could tell you that this process was easy, but this would be a lie it was part time team archaeology and part Chuck Norris brute strength, fortunately we have the father in law over at the moment, which made the removal of these two concrete posts encased in concrete rather easier than on my own! this is my kind of gardening. Though there is a drawback, pictured here; now you may think that what I am showing you is the concrete leg of one of the great river bridges, it was in fact the concrete post ripped from mother nature, herself. both of them. What I have to figure out is how to transport them to the skip. I did think that I...

Our ebay purchased bureau disappeared on saturday to a new home in Yorkshire! clearing yet more space in the ex-spare room, now being converted to the nursery! Today I moved out the double bed and mattress so I could at least begin to make some headway. To give us both a fighting chance! I now had space to put up the cot and here are the photos! also the ikea changing table bought again, in yorkshire, Leeds, in the background. If we're not selling to Yorkshire, we're buying from Yorkshire! What continues to amaze me is that something so small, needs something so big, because that cot is large!