A SMITH FAMILY REUNION AND A BIT OF A MIXTURE

It's raining hard outside and it is supposed to rain for the rest of the week. I love the view outside my back room when it rains.

 It was a busy week last week. I had various appointments and so did P:-). He sees a GP at Stanwell Park - quite a way from Berkeley.  Why P:-) sees her when she is 40 minutes away is a long story but she is very good. Stanwell Park is a pretty little village by the sea. 

I always enjoy the drive there and we usually call in and see P:-)'s daughter M and granddaughter Sophie who are in the nearby town of Helensburgh. They have just sold their house.  M and her husband B have spent a lot of time rebuilding and renovating it.

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It was a little old miner's cottage that they gutted and rebuilt and added onto extensively at the back. P:-) spent many weekends helping them. Click here if you would like to have a closer look at it and a tour through it.


 The Catbirds  have been eating more of my mangoes. I came home the other afternoon to find a well eaten mango on my back deck. 

There were only a few mangoes on my tree to start with. I think this was the last of them.


My daughter R was away last week so I had Jasper, my grand-dog for a few days. Here he is being spoilt by my mother.

We had a bit of an episode at the vet's at 5 o'clock Wednesday morning when Jasper seemed to be having trouble breathing. It turned out to be reverse sneezing, probably as a result of an allergy. He had to have an anesthetic to have his throat checked. Seeing the vet out of hours was not cheap but at least little Jasper is OK. He is still on antihistamines for the next couple of days.

We had a lovely day on Saturday. The descendents of P:-)'s grandfather , Pop Smith, had a get together at Cobbitty scout hall.

P:-) and I have been together for five and a half years and I have met many of his extended family, but it was lovely to put more names to faces. 

It was great weather and a good day was had by all.

 The afternoon was finished off with a rainbow.

 Interesting sites


1.

 The Tiny Project

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 Web designer Alek Lisefski recently completed the Tiny Project, an 8 feet by 20 feet tiny house on wheels. Since then, he’s been living in the house full-time, along with his girlfriend Anjali and their small dog. Click hereto see some really good photos of the fascinating interior.

2.

 Motor scooter in 1916

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Lady Florence Norman, a suffragette, on her motor-scooter in 1916, travelling to work at offices in London where she was a supervisor. The scooter was a birthday present from her husband, the journalist and Liberal politician Sir Henry Norman. Click here to read more and see more pictures.



3.

The TABBY

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If you've got the space and the tools, the TABBY can be put together in less than in hour: The TABBY  comes in both two seat and four seat versions, can integrate a fully electric drivetrain, an integrated hybrid engine, or an internal combustion engine, and fully finished models are said to cost between €4000 to €6000 ($5445 to $8168). Click here to read more.