The Wednesday Hodgepodge! #9

It's Wednesday again which means it's time to join in with the Wednesday Hodgepodge with Joyce over at From This Side of the Pond! Each week there are 6 questions, we answer and then link up. Simple!

1. Spring has officially sprung (in the northern hemisphere anyway)...did she roll in more like a lion or more like a lamb in your neck of the woods? What needs more of your attention in terms of a good spring clean this year - your house or your garden/yard? 

Spring began on Thursday and it was officially the warmest day of the year so far for 2025 here in England. Near London it reached reached 21.3C (70.3F) which is practically summer weather for people further up north like me. I said to my family that if the weather could be this temperature for the whole of the summer it would be fantastic. It wasn't too hot but was warm enough to go out without a jacket or cardigan.

If you would have asked me a few weeks ago where needed a spring clean I would have said the garden but we're on top of that now and it's looking very tidy. All the weeds have gone, the soil has been turned over and we've even cut the grass! With the sun shining more I have had more motivation to get things done and I have been working my way through the house giving it a deep clean so at the moment there is nothing needing a spring clean unless you count my dressing table. I really need to sort my make up, beauty products and wash my brushes!

2. What's put a spring in your step lately? 

This warmer weather, birds singing, lighter nights and we still have the clocks to change on Sunday so it will be even lighter on an evening, seeing the ice cream man driving around, having plans for the next month, trying new recipes, good things happening to good people that I know, my hay fever tablets helping my allergies and worrying less about things. 

3. When you were a kid, what was the best snack to find in your lunchbox? If you didn't do the lunchbox thing, tell us what was your favorite after school snack. 

It would have to be anything chocolate. Back when I was a kid there weren't the rules about lunchboxes that there are now. Not everything had to be healthy and we were allowed little treats but my mother would try to keep my lunchbox healthy by adding lots of fruit, healthy snacks and definitely no chocolate. It was a good day when my grandad would make my lunch and I would get a simple ham sandwich, some squares of cheese, a chocolate flavoured mousse or yoghurt, a chocolate bar of some sort (usually a Penguin, Club Bar or Kit-Kat), crisps and maybe a little packet of sweets. He would put a banana or apple in there just to make it look a bit better. hehehe

4. In what area of your life are you planting seeds? 

I am trying to get my girls to be more independent. I am planting little seeds in my girls heads that they have to be more independent and stop relying on me to tell them what to do and when to do it. I have brought this on my self by probably being too soft on them for the whole of their lives, picking up after them and helping a little too much but now they're older they need to stand on their own two feet a little more. It's just small things like my youngest asked what bus she should get to be somewhere at a certain time and I made her figure it out for herself. My eldest wondered why something she wanted to wear wasn't washed and dried so I pointed her in the direction of the washing machine. Eek! 

5. Why do you live where you do? Would you consider living somewhere else? Why or why not? 

Almost 6 years ago we moved from up in the North East of England to the middle of England. It was only 150 miles but it was such a big change. I did blog about it and there were lots of little reasons and one big one! To be closer to family but mostly my dad! He was 70 when we moved and he's not getting any younger so we wanted the girls to get to know him properly which they have and to make some memories, we have a lot of those. Since we moved family dramas have been sorted so we now have my brother and his family just up the road too.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Since I had the cold a couple of weeks ago I have found that I have lost the ability to sleep until my alarm clock goes off no matter what time it is set for, I am waking a good hour before it goes off. I have never been a morning person unless I am stressed and are worrying about something so this is new to me. I have no stresses and worries at the moment. I am writing this just after midday on Sunday because I didn't have a lie in like I used to, sleeping until at least half past ten on a Sunday. I was up just after 8am. I have got all my jobs done, our evening meal is on cooking and I am now wondering what I am going to do with the rest of my day! Getting up early is great but it does mean I have more time and I am struggling to know what to do with it since I feel like I have done everything that I need to. It's such a first world problem but it's what I am thinking!