It was my birthday on Saturday and I have to say I consider myself very lucky to have a birthday in this, the most beautiful month of the year. I haven’t received my birthday present yet. It’s coming on 21st of the month – a new computer! Aren’t I lucky? The one I have been using for the last three years is soooooooooooo slow now, that it is almost unusable so I’m ditching it. Unfortunately that means I will soon be using Windows 8, which I don’t care for at all, but there it is. I need to upgrade. I’ll let you know how I’m getting on soon. Meanwhile, if any of you have any tips about using Windows 8, I would be very glad to hear them.
Here in the cottage garden, I have started bringing in the summer geraniums. They will not over-winter outside if we get any frost and I don’t want to lose any so one by one I am bringing them in until April. It sounds a long time doesn’t it, but there it is. I took some cuttings from the bigger plants, as usual, and the little babies are doing really well on the window ledge in the front room.
Preparations for winter continue. I need to get a new hot water bottle. I use one so much, I wear them out every two years. Here’s a tip: never keep your hot water bottle too long because the rubber inside can become perished. If you live in England, always buy a good one. It’s not worth risking getting burned. I don’t feel ready for an electric blanket yet. I’ll consider that when the hot water bottle doesn’t work anymore.
Today we went to Specsavers. Larry needed a hearing test. This comes free on the National Health Service over here. He was referred there by the doctor we have. The test took an hour to do and he walked out of the shop with two new hearing aids and much improved hearing. It didn’t cost anything and it was all over very quickly and efficiently. He was very impressed and once again, I can say how very proud I am of our National Health Service here in England.
So, next stop is the hospital on Thursday, when L has to have something on his neck looked at. I’ll let you know about that afterwards. The older we get, the more we need the doctor etc. it seems!
So enjoy the Autumn with me and wish me luck with my new computer when it gets here. I think there will be lots of cursing and swearing until I get used to it.
Oma 
Happy belated birthday! I’m still on windows XP because we can do PC maintenance ourselves and I have a very old Wacom Tablet that I can’t live without, there’s no driver for it in win 8. BUT I do know, because we just installed it on my mum’s new laptop, that you can get a program that makes the user interface of win8 look like the one you’re used to! Only difference is another icon on the start button, really.
How interesting. I’d like to know more about that programme Pia?
http://www.classicshell.net/
Thank you Pia. I’m getting the computer on 21st Oct. I’ll check out the programme soon after.
Yes, happy belated birthday! Beautiful flowers. I hope you had a good day.
Yes, I did thank you. It was very quiet, but lovely and I got to see both grandsons and two out of three of my sons. The other one phoned, so I am blessed 🙂
Wonderful flowers, and congratulations to Larry for his restored hearing, and happy belated birthday.
Thank you Loren. I can’t get enough of the Autumn colours, oranges and browns etc.
Happy Birthday and very pretty flowers indeed.
Thank you. I love birthdays, even though now I’d rather be counting backwards!
happy belated Birthday Wishes Oma, and I love those autumn flowers,, we got in our geraniums the other day to take cuttings for next year.. There is always something to be done in the garden… And Happy to hear Larry is getting sorted and settling in and enjoying what Britain has to offer… 🙂 Much love Sue xox
Thank you. Larry has been here three months now. It doesn’t seem possible because the time has gone by so quickly. He is still happy and enjoying the changes that life in the U.K. is bringing to him.