That is today's exciting discovery.  The stags go "Hwaah" well, "Roar" but in a more herbivorous way, but the does appear to go "mew".  I went to the deer park at Studley today and made this discovery while driving through the park with the window down so I could take photos.  I had to stop the car for 5 pheasants and 2 herds of deer. 

Frodo and I went to see Gran today but she was out.  But my Spicy Butternut Squash Soup is now approved of by 100% of my grandmothers.  I have keys to her house so I let myself in and left homemade soup, bread rolls and blueberry muffins on the kitchen counter like a food fairy! 

We were the last people into the water gardens, hell as we went in one minute before closing I think we were the only people in the gardens!  We were outnumbered about 300-2 by pheasants and squirrels. 

I am feeling quite good about feeding myself so far.  Today I made a one person chicken and mushroom filo pie with the last of the filo as well as a bunch of little bento sized ones that I am trying to freeze.  We'll see how that has worked tomorrow.  I also knocked together some chocolate muffins after dinner as I was peckish and had finished the blueberry ones. 

I must apologise once again for my lack of posting here these days but I have to say I'm most of my effort into Annainthekitchen.  I don't do much these days except cook and walk the dog and what I cook goes up there not here and what with shopping, prepping, cooking, photographing and eating I don't have time to do much else.  Which was why I started of course as I was borded out of my mind and had to come up with some way to fill my days.  I have, however, signed up to volunteer at The Ritz the old cinema in my town.  It shows one film a week and is run entirely by volunteers.  That'll be every other Friday starting this Friday so fingers crossed it works out.  Apart from that, well, even my gran gets out more that I do it seems!

I am not a happy bunny.  My tooth hurts and the painkillers don't last long enough to do anything useful.  One of Robyn's friends gave herself liver damage while getting her wisdom teeth by taking too many pain killers... she says it was worth it though...  I also managed to smack myself in the face just above my tooth with the dog lead so not the entire right side of my head is all achey.  And for my final trick I decided to make myself a nice cup of tea... and burnt my thumb in the steam.  I am not having a great day. 

I've got to visit Gran again tomorrow but I don't know what to do with her.  My uncle Richard usually goes round to see her every day but he's on holiday so mum and I have been taking turns visiting.  I took her out for lunch and a drive up the dale on Tuesday, which was great fun actually.  Then today Robyn, Alex and I went for a (very late) picnic at Brimham Rocks and then decided to stop by Grans and see her even though mum would also be visiting her.  And tomorrow it's my turn again... I've really run out of conversation to have with her, hopefully something scandalous will have happened in the village and she'll tell me all about that!!

... not together...

We started the day with our traditional easter egg hunt round the back garden in our pjs then did the usual turkey lunch thing for Easter today.  Gran came and so did Robyn's fiance Alex so they're finally introduced.  The puppy didn't manage to eat Gran so it's all good!!!

Dad and I rescued a bunch of toad spawn from the pond to complement our frog spawn and we have established an amphibion sanctuary in pots under netting up by the greenhouse.  I'm hoping based on the noises coming from the pond tonight that there will be more frog spawn tomorrow so I can take some to raise in a tank inside coz it's really fun to watch!!!

When mum and I went to take gran back home at the end of the day she asked if I wanted to see her hats as I'd been commenting earlier on how expensive hats have become and how I want to wear more hats.  I am now the proud oner of 4 40's hats!!!!  There's the brown felt hat my gran wore for her wedding, a green felt one, a little black boater and a coral coloured one that is all folds and does make me look somewhat mushroom like but it's a gorgeous hat for sheer craftsmanship so I had to have it.  The brown one is kind of tall but wraps round my head wonderfully, it feels so great and has the history, which is really nice... you know what? Photos will get this done easier...

...but that'll have to be tomorrow coz my camera is a piece of crap and the batteries are dead. 

Now I'll have to go out and buy a brown and a green outfit!!!! Winter coats do have their advantages in one respect, you can wear whatever you like on a blank canvas. 

You know Robyn had that lump in her neck and we were told it was all clear?  Well it turns out that all clears can be revoked.  It's "ambiguous" according to the top dude... after two different people lower down the chain told her it was fine back in October!!! 

She's going for more biopsys tomorow and that won't be pleasant but she's now terrified that she's got cancer and that she's had cancer all along.  I am being my usual pragmatic self... also known as 'you may as well stay in denial for as long as possible as it's less stressful'.  Or the more acceptable 'there's no point in borrowing trouble'.  But, yeah, she's stressed and worried and so is mum.  Fun. 

We did have a remarkably fun day today.  I spent a good few hours in the garden with Frodo enjoying the sunshine and then Robyn picked me up and we headed off to Brymor Ice Cream Parlour with her fiance* and their friend from school, confusingly also known as Frodo... although I believe his name's James. 

I had three boules: Black Cherry Whim Wham, Chocoholic and Clotted Cream in a surprisingly good waffle cone.  I don't like cones but as cones go it was alright.  I the got us lost... we almost went to Malham!!!  Oops!!!  But we did a u turn and went back to Harrogate to drop Alex off and go the buy me ribbons.  I have decided I want to try ribbon embroidery coz it looks fun.  I can already do regular embroidery but apparently thi takes 1/5 of the time and it looks pretty nifty too!!!

Then on the way back from Harrogate we decided to drop in and see Gran since we were in the area.  Which was nice... Grans are pretty much the same everywhere so the usual topics of conversation were covered and then we came home and had spag bog... all in all a good day. 

*look at me being all cool with it!!