Tuesday, 10-02-26

Morning, all.  How's life?

It's dull and dreary here (again) but the days are getting longer and the mornings lighter.  Once the clocks go forward again, it will be so much nicer in the evenings too.  

I'm trying to think what happened yesterday.  Oh, yes - circuits first of all which was really good.  Then I came home and decided that, as I was really short of rye and spelt flours and quite short on strong wholemeal, I would take a drive to Marriages and replenish my stock.
Sadly, they only do wholemeal spelt in 6k bags so I then went a bit further round to Sainsburys where I got the spelt, some dishwasher powder (I always use powder because I have control over how much to use) and a few other bits and bobs, the most exciting of which was a pack of three pairs of black socks for my fitness times.

I've accepted that using a spike stitch will not work for the top down jumper (too wide and not long enough) so I've frogged it all and will start again the proper way.  No worries, now I know!  Maybe I will have another go but make my own pattern - if I can be bothered.

Today is a bit packed.
It starts with Groove - the weather looks a bit doubtful so I don't know if we will walk or not.
Then Kay comes and that's a time when I disappear into my bedroom and give it a good going over. 
Early afternoon, the lovely Sharon comes to do my hair.

Finally, early evening, I am off to a conference for school governors.  Hot buffet and various speeches, the most important of which is a senior Ofsted HMI talking about 'the role of governors in the renewed framework'.  I've already been to some internal training on this and my personal feeling is that they expect an awful lot from people who are fulfilling a voluntary role.  It is important though so I'm glad I'm going - and there's a free buffet AND it counts as my governors' training for this term.  Must remember to record it in the hub.
And must remember to take notes (yawn).

Well, time to bath and get ready for the day.  Have a good day, one and all!  See you tomorrow.  xx

Monday, 09-02-26

Morning, all.  It's the 9th and we are pretty much a third of the way through February - just saying!
That cheers me up no end.

After my mini whinge yesterday (thank you for all your supporting and empathic comments - they are appreciated very much) , we had sunshine.  More than just a bit too.  It inspired me to take a few shots of the garden - first of 2026, I believe.  These are all from the back.

The hyacinths are budding up.

Lavender - a newer one in a pot.  The old one isn't looking so happy (top left) so we will see . . .

Lupin spikes although what's the betting we get a later cold spell and it kills these off.  By the time it recovers, it will be too late to flower.

I'm going to have to be ruthless with the foxgloves - I don't want TOO many.

Ooops.  Your days are numbered!!

Clematis.  This particular bit will go when I prune it back when there's more growth at the bottom.

I did something different with Beth's loaves - I used two smaller tins instead of the bigger one and I tried a bake from cold.  As you can see, both were a success - what a rise!
I  must try the cold bake on the sourdoughs now and perhaps I will make two smaller loaves as well.

Moving on to today and I'm all ready to pop over to Lindsey's for circuits.  Being Monday, it is usually housework day but as it's a Kay-day tomorrow, I am going to focus on a good old tidy up.  The place is looking a bit cluttered.
There's a bit of washing/ironing too.

Better stop waffling.  Have a lovely day, everyone, and may the sun shine again for us all.  xx

Sunday, 08-02-26

Morning, everyone.

First of all, apologies for yesterday - after a bad night, I wasn't feeling great yesterday morning and decided to take a day off.  There's not much to write about anyway at the moment.  I suppose, what with the ongoing rain and winter dragging on, it all just feels a bit dreary and - not boring exactly, maybe I mean monotonous!

Anyway, I'm fine today, slept well and here I am.

Cooking with Alex went well and he made a delicious looking beany crumble for him and Beth as well as taking home more of base and topping for the freezer.

I can't think of anything else really - oh, yes, I started the top down jumper but decided to try the spike stitch rather than a plain granny cluster stitch.  It went well but I forgot the corners came out too big and I started the sleeves too soon so it was a bit tight under the arms, so I have just frogged most of it and will start again because I think it will look quite good so I want it right.  It will gobble up some of my leftover yarn so that has to be good too.

Today, later on, I am popping round to Beth's with her loaf and for a chat.  That will be nice.  Apart from that (and meals) I will be working on the jumper and watching stuff on the telly.

Are you finding things just a bit same-y at the moment or do you have more to do than you can shake a cat at?
(What an odd saying - who ever would want to shake a cat at anything?)

Wishing you a lovely day.  Stay dry, warm and happy.  xx

Friday, 06-02-26

Morning, everyone!  Hey, guess what!  It's raining cats and dogs - quelle surprise!!
It has to stop soon, surely.  Such a worry for people who live in areas that flood easily and very unpleasant for those with outdoor jobs - postmen, for example, or the dustmen (which includes women too, of course).

Chris dodged the raindrops over to my house yesterday morning and we had a nice, cosy chat about this, that and the other.  I so enjoy these times - if, for some reason, we can't make it, we usually chat online, like we did during lockdown.  There's good and there's bad about the Internet but being able to chat online is definitely good.

After breakfast (spiced apple waffles, yummy), I drove round the corner to Morrisons (wasn't going to walk in that rain) and, for once, did quite a small shop.  Now I am topped up with rinse aid and washing liquid plus sundry bits and bobs.  Hopefully, I won't need to do a top up shop until next weekend!

That was it really.  The rest of the day was spent inside, cooking, eating, crochet, reading, etc, and the curtains got drawn early!  And I may possibly have had an afternoon snooze!

Today is the usual Friday routine.  Slimming World and, fingers crossed, Alex.  No need to prep anything as it was all prepped last Friday.

Right, well, better go.  I want to check the bank account (I try to check daily, to keep on top of things) and then get things together for the day.
Stay dry, everyone.  Have a lovely Friday.  xx

Thursday, 05-02-26

Morning!  It's Thursday and it's raining - again.  And yesterday was so lovely too.  Oh, well . . . they said we needed lots of rain to replenish the reservoirs, water table, etc, didn't they?

There isn't much to say today, yesterday being a quiet and mostly at-home day.  I washed, dried and ironed, did some cooking and meal prep, did the downstairs housework, went to personal training and thoroughly enjoyed myself!

And I finished the blanket.  It is enormous and I have no idea what I will do with it but I'm chuffed.  
Now I have to do something else to tide me over while I ponder.  I have loads of yarn left so maybe I will do a top down Joseph's coat kind of crochet jumper.  I already have some and I do wear then a lot.  They're lovely over a crew neck fine knit top - light and warm.

Chris will be over for coffee first thing and, at some point, I need to do some shopping.  I've run out of things like rinse aid (thought I had another but I don't) and the red light is showing.
My list this week is not long but necessary.

And I could start next week's meal planning.  That sounds like the wrong order but I have so much in fridge, freezer and cupboard that I am working around what I already have in.  Best to shop first and then plan so I really do use up what I have got.
I think they call it reverse planning or, maybe, project pantry (?) - as if it is something new.  I've heard both those terms on YouTube.

Anyway, that's it really.  Have a lovely Thursday and stay warm and dry.  See you tomorrow.  xx

Wednesday, 04-02-26

Good morning, lovely people all.  Welcome to my Wednesday post!  We had some horrible weather yesterday - cold (for round here) and very wet.  Today's forecast to be better and my fingers are crossed.  We need some sunshine, we really do.

Mind you, yesterday was good.
Groove class confirmed that I'm really back in the  - well, in the groove (sorry) again as far as fitness classes are concerned.  I felt very energised and happy.
Beth had made the most delicious vegetable soup for us to enjoy and we got stuff done.  Also, quite fortuitously, while I was there she got a phone call that involved us both - sheer lucky timing there.  We had a look at some of the different Center Parcs accommodation at Elveden - we will be going there next year to celebrate my 75th and want to maybe go a bit upmarket.

I'm on the last spike stitch round of my blanket now.  So many mistakes in the border but you really can't see them.  Then there's just one round of crab stitch, a few ends to sew in and that's it - finished.
I had some good news that involves me thinking about a baby blanket and I think the spike stitch done with the baby Aran yarn you can get at Hobbycraft would be perfect.  It's so soft and squidgy.

I always like Wednesday mornings.  It's the only day in the working week (not that I work now but you know what I mean) when I don't have to be out of the house by around nine-ish.  I can take things just that bit more slowly and that's what I will be doing today.  It is going to be a day of housework, cooking, washing, ironing, etc, and generally pottering around happily.
In the afternoon it's personal training which is always good.

Another very pleasant day in store.

This morning, I'm hoping that the weather is going to be good where you are and that you have nice things planned.
Take care, stay warm and see you tomorrow, maybe with a finished blanket!  xx

Tuesday, 03-02-26

Good morning, everyone.

Yesterday was just a happy day because:

I slept really well over Sunday night and didn't wake until nearly seven.

At circuits, I felt as strong and energetic as I was before I got the virus.

The coffee morning at school was really good and I felt useful.

I couldn't go over to Beth's but she's invited me over for lunch (hm soup) today.  I can take her bread and ravioli then).

I properly sorted put the paperwork on my desk and there were no unpleasant surprises, nothing forgotten that should have been paid!

And as a result, I found two recipes I have been looking for.

My meals were all tasty!!
Some kaftans I ordered (for Crete and Shimmy in Spain) arrived and I really like them.  They're not the most flattering (kaftans are very loose, after all) but flattering is as flattering does, they will be cool and I feel comfortable in them.

And I got a pile of washing done.

Such a nice day.  

xx

Monday, 02-02-26

Morning!!  It's another dull start to the day but maybe it will cheer up - you never know.  I'd love to be able to get my washing out on the line again!

Yesterday was another quietly busy day.

I finished both loaves and even managed to time it so that I could bake them together.  I will take Lindsey's over when I go to circuits and maybe drop Beth's off this afternoon.

Beth and I had our online chat using teams so she could share a screen; we got done what we wanted to get done so all's good.  She's feeling better but Alex is still rough, poor chap.

I managed to do a fair bit on the blanket.  The trouble with borders is that they are so, so long and mistakes are only noticed when you come back round to them.  My spike stitch border is far from perfect but, by the very nature of the pattern, mistakes don't stand out at all so I'm afraid it will just have to lump it.  I'm not undoing a round I just spent ages doing.
I think I have pretty much four more rounds and then I'm finishing off with crab stitch where you go backwards instead of forwards and it makes a nice finish.

Today I will be popping off to Circuits shortly before getting hurriedly freshened up, changing and then going to School for a SEND coffee morning wearing my Governor's hat.

This afternoon will be the usual housework, etc.

Nice day with opportunities to get out and about.  
Hoping yours is good too.  xx

Sunday, 01-02-26

 Good morning, everyone.  I hope you're having a lovely weekend so far.

First of all, Blods, you asked about the savoury bean crumble recipe.  I've written it out and you can find it here.
https://sw-the-med-way.blogspot.com/2026/01/recipe-savoury-bean-crumble.html

I had a gently busy day yesterday.   Here comes another list or two!  😀
I . . .
read the gas meter and sent off the reading
did my weekly shop; it was ouch because of needing cleaning products, loo roll, etc
found a recipe for sweet potato falafel
made some very successful rye sourdough pasta dough and turned it into twelve ravioli (for Beth) and a good portion of tagliatelle.  Both are now in the freezer
got more than halfway through Lindsey's loaf which is warming up in the loaf tin so it can do its final rise and bake
experimented with lunch and enjoyed the results
checked the boiler pressure (all good)
continued with the blanket edging

So today I need to . . .
get that washing and ironing done
make some rice pudding
sharpen my knives
finish Lindsey's loaf
make Beth's loaf

I was hoping to pop round to Beth's to help her with something but she's said don't because neither she nor Alex are all that well yet.  We're going to chat online instead.
I'm not sorry to be staying in - I haven't slept that well overnight and will be catching up today, I'm sure.

So have a very lovely day, everyone.  See you tomorrow.  xx

Saturday, 31-01-26

Morning.  And here we are at the end of January and it's another dull old start to the day.  The forecast is pretty good, however, so fingers crossed.

As I mentioned in comments yesterday, poor old Alex has gone down with another stonking cold so didn't come.  He and Beth seems to have been tossing the same virus to and fro between each other all month.  As soon as one feels better, the other goes down.
The good news is that Beth is feeling brighter now (for now, anyway).

So yesterday's class didn't happen which means that next week's is all planned and ready.  That's good!

When I am doing my meal planning for the week before I do my weekly shop, sometimes my brain just goes blank.  Then, I go into my Readly app and look at the recipe links I have saved in there.  This time I came up with things like smoky beans on toast, tuna quesadillas and black bean and carrot burger - now next week's plans look rather good!  :-)

Today or tomorrow I have to:

read the meter
check the boiler pressure (Matt told me to do it once a month and showed me what to do if the pressure falls to a certain level)
sharpen my knives

I've already done the finance round up so that's good.

And today I plan to:

do my weekly shop

start Lindsey's sourdough loaf

have a go at some sourdough pasta - if it works, I plan to use what's left over of the Christmas not-sausage roll filling to make some ravioli for Beth

do some washing and the ironing

make some rice pudding in the slow cooker

make some sweet potato falafel (must find a recipe)

and carry on with the border to the blanket.

All self-imposed busy-ness which takes the pressure off and makes it fun.

How about you?

Happy Saturday, everyone.  See you tomorrow.  xx

Friday, 30-01-26

Morning, everyone!  It's Friday already, the last Friday in January, and I have no idea what the weather is going to do.  I bet it will be dull and dismal; though, like yesterday!    To be honest, a little snow fall that lasts would brighten thing up tremendously but I can't see that happening!  😊

I did a few bits and bobs yesterday.  One was getting the end of month finances sorted as there shouldn't be any more payments to make for January.
So I did that and was able to move a tidy sum over to savings, which is nice.
I like February and March as there's no rates and water to pay so that will all boost the savings.

As always, coffee and chat with Chris was lovely and the time passed in a flash.
A little while later, Val arrived and we chatted, crafted, ate home made wrap based pizza (very SW friendly!) and generally had a good time.

Then I continued to work on the blanket border.  In the end I kept the spike stitch but used a smaller hook and that's worked out just fine.  It's looking good and, as I have it all draped over my knees, it keeps me beautifully warm too.

An online chat in the evening finished the day off nicely.

It's Friday so it's Slimming World and then Alex should be over for our cookery session.  Today he is making Beth's favourite savoury bean crumble and taking it home for their dinner tonight.  As with all the best recipes, I already have everything needed so no need to buy anything special.

And that is that.  Life is plodding on nicely and, while it feels a bit busy at times, it really isn't, it's almost all self chosen stuff and that's fine.  It's been a nice, gentle five days and that does my soul good amidst all the worries of Real Life.
Have a lovely Friday, be happy, stay warm and comfortable and I'll see you tomorrow.  xx

Thursday, 29-01-26

Morning, everyone!  How can it be so very close to a new month right now.  Only last week it was New Year's Day, surely???  

One good thing is that the last of the payment have gone out for this month so I can round up the January finance ahead of time: one thing I don't have to do at the weekend now.  If I go food shopping, I will count it as the first for February!

I got a shock when I walked out of the house to go to Lindsey's at seven yesterday morning.  The temperature dropped overnight and there was a thin sheet of ice over my car, something I had not expected.  I was five minutes late in the end because it took ages to clear properly.
PT was great though - I think I rather like doing it early morning; it started the day off well.

Another thing that was great was the governors' monitoring afternoon.  We had feedback from staff about SEND, maths, English, phonics and early years and we went out during lunchtime to watch OPAL in action.  Very, very impressive.

Then we split into four groups for quadrant meetings (the rest of the curriculum is split into four areas, called quadrants).  I was allocated the mental and physical wellbeing quadrant, essentially PE and PSHE.  Not areas of particular interest before the meeting but it really aroused my interest.  Very informative.  

The other governor I was with will write the report and send it to me for my additions.

It was very intense and I was glad for an hour's rest with a cuppa before being picked up for the meal.

And that was also lovely - goodness, how we talked!  Beth is not that well, couldn't come, so we have arranged another date for the beginning of March.  I'm really looking forward to that.

On to today and it's much easier.  It's the usual Chris and coffee time, over hers today, and then Val is here for lunch.  In the evening there's an online chat.  I'll be all talked out by the end of the day, won't I?

Have a lovely day, all, stay safe and warm and see you tomorrow.   Bye.  xx

Wednesday, 28-01-26

Morning.  

I'm having an early start today.  I couldn't make personal training this afternoon so Lindsey fitted me in at 7:15.  That is am, not pm.  So I will be out of the house at seven.

The reason I can't do this afternoon is that from midday onward the whole governing body will be at school for a collective monitoring visit.  This is instead of an evening meeting.  There's various things to go to and it runs on into staff meeting so is less disruptive (and expensive) for the school staff and budget.  It will be interesting to see how it goes.

Then this evening I'm out for a meal with Beth, Linda and Julia to make up for the meal I missed before Christmas because I was unwell.

All go today and I need to get moving if I'm out of the house on time so I will keep this really short.  Have a good day, everyone.  xx

Tuesday, 27-01-26

Morning, all.  After a colder than expected day yesterday (not far off freezing at times, according to my car!), it's now chucking it down and is predicted to do so all day.  Rather yuck but infinitely better than they are getting the other side of the Atlantic right now.  That's really not good and I do hope anyone reading this is safe and able to keep warm and fed.

After looking up some videos, I have decided to - and started - doing a spike stitch border.  As Catriona said, it will go very nicely with the Maple leaf style.  
Having said that, I now don't like the rows of dc I did round before deciding so I am going to frog what I have done and start again.  Annoying but I should have thought more sensibly.

Today starts with Groove and, for once, there's no decision to be made as to whether we walk there or drive.  There's no way we want to walk in the pouring rain.

Then Kay comes (fingers crossed) and I will work upstairs (yesterday was crochet over housework, every time!) and then the rest of the day is my own.  I will need early bed tonight as tomorrow is an early start so if this doesn't appear until a bit later, that's why.

I managed to remember to take a few snowdrop photos.  The light wasn't great but usually the white doesn't photo well so I'm pleased with them in my own simple way!

It'll be daffodils soon, won't it?  When we went on our walk two Saturdays ago, they were already out in Tower Gardens.  Beautiful.

Better get going.  Wishing you all a warm, safe and happy day, wherever you are.

Bye!  xx  

Monday, 26-01-26

Morning, everyone.   Monday rolls round again and a new week starts.  According to BBC weather, it's going to be very cloudy but no rain is expected.  We will see.

Very little happened yesterday.  I finished off Lindsey's sourdough loaf; the whole process really does take so much longer when it is colder.  In warm, summer months, it takes pretty much a day from mixing the dough to having a completed loaf but at the moment it's taking the whole weekend.  Most of that is fermenting/proving, of course; it's a case of 'go with the dough'.

I worked hard on the blanket and now there is just one more square to join before I think about the border.  I might do another spike stitch border if I can sort out how to do those corners without making them too large.  I'll do a bit of looking things up.

Glancing through my diary, there's not much on except for Wednesday which is pretty full.  It looks like a dull and dreary week ahead so maybe that is just as well.  Snuggling down warmly is lovely when the rain falls.

The only thing in the diary today is circuits first thing.  It's housework day but tomorrow should (fingers crossed) be a Kay-day so I can focus on upstairs and, hopefully, get some order into a fairly chaotic situation - all behind closed doors, of course!  I also need to give my paperwork a good sort out.  I swear it reproduces when my back is turned.  And as it is coming towards the end of the month and pretty much all my payments are out, I can do the monthly totals and move any leftover money into short term savings.

And that's about it really.  Very dull, very ordinary, very little to write about really.  How about you?  xx

Sunday, 25-01-26

Good morning, everyone.  It's damp and dull here today again after a lovely, sunny day yesterday when the temperature was up to around 10C.  I took some photos of my snowdrops for today's post and then accidentally deleted them.  Doh!!!

It was a very leisurely start to yesterday.  Once downstairs was nice and tidy and the tea/coffee tray was ready, I did some crochet until Beth, Dave and K arrived and the business of the meeting started.  Short story is that investments, etc, have done very well, K is pleased and we carry on pretty much the same.   In the wider scheme of things, I don't have much invested but, to me, it is a lot and it's a security and a comfort - thanks, Mum and Dad.
 She's going to do some number crunching and let me know various options for accessing some of my money to minimise tax liability.  I know I could have whatever I want right away but they are long term savings so that is not the point!  :-)
I should hear back from her Monday or Tuesday.

Once K and Dave had gone, Beth and I sorted out a few more things both financial and other before she asked if  would like to go out for lunch, her treat.  You bet I would!

So off we went to a local pub and had a delicious lunch.  I had roasted sweet potato and hummus sandwich and could only eat half so I brought the other half home and had it for dinner, toasted.

Like this.

It was a very satisfactory and satisfying day all round.

Today is an at-home day.  I have a little list of things I would like to get done/sorted, a sourdough loaf to finish off and some meal to plan, including Thursday lunch when Val is over.

And crochet, of course.  There's always crochet!  What would life be without crochet?   :-)

I do hope your Sunday will be as pleasant as I expect mine to be.  If you are Scottish, Happy Burns Night to you and may your haggis be tasty!  (sorry, I don't know any authentic sayings)  Have wonderful celebrations.

By, all.  See you tomorrow.

Saturday, 24-01-26

Morning, everyone.  I hope everyone is well and has had a good week.
Apologies for any peculiarities with my blog - I suspect it is Blogger blips and fingers crossed they will sort things out because I have absolutely no idea whatsoever.

First of all, I finished the maple leaf squares and I'm really pleased with them.  I think I now need to work on making the darker green surrounds wider  and use this as a joining strategy too - I need to give it all a go and see how it looks.  I can frog, if necessary - it won't waste any yarn.

I was gobsmacked to get Slimmer of the Week at Slimming World yesterday, coming home with a heavy bagful of cans, packets, fruit and veg.  What a nice surprise.

Alex's Yorkshire pudding wrap was really good for a first attempt.  It tasted good and he enjoyed scoffing it.  Well done, Al.

(I'm definitely putting something similar on my meal plan for Sunday)

And later on Matt turned up and now I have a non dripping tap again.  Very relieved about that.

All in all, a successful day!  :-)

Today starts with K, my money expert, coming here for a financial review.  Beth and Dave will also be here - I involve them as they may possibly have to take it all over as trustees and, certainly, after I pop my clogs.  I really hope not the former but you never know, do you?  Dad was always very open about his finances and it made things very much easier after he passed away.

After that's all done and dusted, the rest of the day is mine.  I have cupboards to sort out, a load of washing and some ironing and a sourdough loaf to work on while Beth's load is already in Thermione, happing rising but, apart from that, I want to do some more work on the blanket.

Wishing you the best of days and let's hope the sun shines today.  If you are Canada way, it sounds pretty cold there at the moment - stay warm and cosy and take care.  xx

Friday, 23-01-26

Morning, everyone.  Welcome to Friday!
First of all, Blogger isn't letting me reply to your comments - no idea why and it is fine on my other blog, but I'll have to reply collectively as a new comment, or they will all be out of order.  Sorry and let's hope it's back to normal soon.  Blogger has these blips now and again.

Yesterday was nice.  Chris came over and we had a good old natter.  I did the weekly shop and got everything put away.  I made soup using leftovers.  I tidied out a cupboard and did all the ironing.  I finished the penultimate maple leaf square and started the very last one. 
I had ordered some wooden shelving for the airing cupboard and it arrived earlier than expected.  So I put it together and . . .it didn't fit.  When I measured it, it was four cms wider than the spec said and that little extra made all the difference.  Grrrr.  So it is in the other way, front to back, so I can still use it and, if I ever get something else, it's a jolly nice little shelf and I will find some use for it.

Then I chilled!

Today it is Slimming World first thing and then I'm picking up Alex for his cookery lesson - he wants to make a Yorkshire pudding wrap today, bless him.  After taking him home, Matt is round to sort out a dripping tap - that only thing I have noticed isn't quite right since the new boiler work.

So that's my day.  What does yours look like this damp Friday.  Stay safe and warm, everyone, especially if it has turned super-cold for you.  Have a lovely day.  xx

Thursday, 22-01-26

Morning, everyone.  Welcome to Thursday!

Yesterday morning was such a dull, damp, dreary time round here.  The afternoon was a bit dryer but still dreary!  Never mind, I had plenty of time to enjoy myself as Kay couldn't come (there are very good reasons, family needs always come first in my book) so I sorted out a few more cupboards and now I have stuff to take to a local charity shop that doesn't need appointment times.
And, with all this spare time, I now have just one and a half maple leaf squares to go and I've finished them and can move on to joining and the border.  Exciting.

In comments, Rachel asked about my fitness classes so here's a bit of an overview of the whole thing.
My 'provider' is via Shimmy and Groove, a small local business owned by Lindsey Abbott.  I had her son in my class two decades ago now.
Here's a link to her Facebook page.  https://www.facebook.com/ShimmyAndGrooveFitness/#

Lindsey does a whole range of classes:
Circuits is rather like HIIT - a circle of activities that we work around, usually one minute on each one.  Occasionally she does a front led session, especially if she's got someone accessing the session online and in better weather we all work out in her garden rather than her lovely studio.  The activities focus on both strength/core and cardio
Groove is my favourite.  It is dance-ish sequences to well known music that she has copyright access to and the focus is cardio.
Then the other one I sometimes do online is SET which stands for Strike, Energise, Tone.  Strike is combat type stuff, punches, kicks, etc, mixed with jacks, squats, etc, that we go through over and over with something new added each rotation.  Energise is like a mini circuits but without equipment.  Tone is usually mat based and works on cure strength - a bit yoga/Pilates-like.
The last group class is Strength which is a more extended Tone, on mats.  I don't do that one.

Some of these classes are in hired halls for bigger groups and some are at her studio for smaller groups.

On Wednesday she does a rotation between these four classes.  Yesterday was strength and next week is SET.  When her sessions are Studio based, you can join them online as well.

I nearly forgot - she sends out a WOW (Workout of the Week) to those of us who have subscribed.  A variety of different things, delivered on Messenger and there for the whole year for us to use as and when.
And when she has to miss a session, she has a bank of recorded classes and sends one out so we get something.

Then there's personal training.  One-to-one and geared to the individual needs of each client.  I enjoy PT very much indeed.  At the moment I do a ten minute warm up, some rotation and strength stuff and then work on core, calves, ankles and feet, as feet/calves are a bit of an issue for me.  Part of it is just age but, as they say, if you don't use it, you lose it!

She can also do specific one offs, massage, etc.  And she's a live wire, great on fund raising for the Blossom Suite which is our local centre that supports parents whose babies were born too soon or did not survive.
And she organises fitness holidays, other stuff like self defence for women, sound bath sessions, trips to gyms for specials, etc as well as the Beat The Street initiatives.  She's incredibly supportive, empathic, flexible and really funny!

I don't know how she does it all, I really don't.

I hope that gives you some idea of what's on offer and, if you are local and want to tone up a bit, get in touch with her via Facebook.

Today looks to be another gentle day.  Chris is round for coffee and chat and then I will pop to Morrisons to do my (hopefully) small weekly shop.  I prefer Fridays but when Alex comes for his lesson, I do it Thursday instead.
Then I shall sort out a few more cupboards and when that's done I will chill!

I hope this hasn't been too disjointed - or no more than usual anyway.  I'm in the middle of making a roasted carrot and lentil soup to use up stuff that's is close to the edge and had to keep jumping up to stir, check, etc.  It's now all cooked and blended and tasting wonderful!
I dearly love a home made soup!

Rioht, time to get going.  Have a wonderful day, everyone.  See you tomorrow.  xx

Wednesday, 21-01-26

Morning, everyone!

I was thinking about the coach trips and wondering how many I have booked this year.  I really must get it all together on one sheet somewhere . . . I wonder if there's a page in my diary I could use.

Nothing in January

February:  St Albans

March:  Cambridge; Stratford upon Avon

April;  no coach trips but I will be going to Crete

May:  Leeds Castle; Poppy Factory and river cruise; five days at Center Parcs with Beth and Alex

June:  Paddington (so looking forward to this)

June:  Southwold (just for the day); Barnham

July:  Sandringham flower show

August:  nothing (yet!)

September:  Shimmy and Groove in Spain

October and November: nothing

December:  Thursford; RAH; 

Exciting and it's the sort of thing I wanted to do when I started these coach trips - do things and go to places I wouldn't necessarily visit on my own because of travelling, etc.

Yesterday changed from being a busy morning to an almost nothing morning.  I drove over to Beth's and we did what we needed to do with a helpful outcome which I was pleased about.
However, by the time I drove past the hall where Groove was, there was only ten minutes left and by the time I had warmed up it would be time to cool down.
Kay had already texted me to ask if she could do Wednesday instead of Tuesday which was fine by me.

So today is a bit busier - Kay in the morning and Personal Training in the afternoon.  OK by me!

Have a great day, everyone,  Stay safe and warm.  xx

Tuesday, 20-01-26

Good morning, everyone.  A quick one today (no  cheering at the back there!!) as it's a bit of a busy start to the day.

I thoroughly enjoyed circuits yesterday morning - I can feel the strength returning and it wasn't until nearly the end that I could feel the 'crash' (not literally a crash, it is just how it feels).  So mush better than the past two weeks and it's a relief.

I have now booked two trips for next Christmas - the two that I had to back out of this past Christmas because of The Virus.   To be accurate, one, to the Royal Albert Hall Carols, is booked and I am waiting to hear about the Thursford Spectacular one.  It seems a long time away but there trips get booked up so quickly and, having missed the last ones, I really would like to go this year!

Diane came round, we exchanged Christmas gifts (better late than never) and had lunch, talking nineteen to the dozen all through.  We're meeting again with the other two for lunch half way through February but may get together before then.  She left planning what to have with some of the loaf I made for her for dinner!!

It was a really lovely day.

Today, for once, I am not rushing around clearing the decks for Kay.  I think that if the place is messy, the has to spend some time clearing and I want her to clean - you can't clean a mess really!  However, it's fine from yesterday and the weekend and I really ought to learn a lesson!!

Very first thing, I am round at Beth's to help out with something.  I'll go ready for Groove in hopes that I can get there for at least part of the class.  Then Kay is here to work her magic and, while she does that, I have a few things to sort out upstairs.
I feel terribly guilty if she's working and I'm idling.

Things calm down this afternoon.  I might go for a walk if the weather is nice but I have several episodes of Pottery Throwdown to catch up on.  I could do both, of course.  :-)  

I thought it was going to be quick but I seem to have rabbited on as usual.    Have a lovely day, everyone, whatever the weather.  Stay warm and cosy and see you tomorrow.  xx

Monday, 19-01-26

Hello, everyone!  How're you doing?  I love Mondays - I know in reality it's just the next day but, for me, there's a sense of cutting off, leaving behind and moving on into new things.  
Not that there's much to cut off really, it's same old most of the time - and that's not a whinge, I love  most of my 'same olds' very much, it's just a feeling.

Yesterday was busy in a gentle, homey sort of day.  Lots of kitchen stuff.

I made three sourdough loaves in the end, two to to take to Lindsey for her and her friend and then I remembered that Diane is here today and I always make a sourdough loaf for here, not because she asks for it or expects it, but because she likes sourdough and she's a good friend.
I had to do a bit of experimenting as I didn't have any more active leaven so I mixed some more and got it bubbling using Nellies 'prove' function before putting together my own loaf recipe.  Thankfully, it worked which I was relieved about.

I sorted out a pack of cooking bacon.  Quality varies with these packs but in the one I got more than half was a thick wodge of gammon ham which I can boil or bake (or both) at some point plus two small gammon slices and some bits which went into the ravioli filling (see below) - and not a lot of fat to cut off.  Most of it is in the freezer now.

Then I set to making some filled ravioli from scratch.  I'm on a bit of a mission to find the most wholemeal-y home made pasta, the problem being that the more wholemeal used, the less pliable the dough is.  50/50 with a bit of psyllium husk powder seems to work fine so that's a good starting point!

And, finally, I cooked a batch of savoury mince in the slow cooker, using stuff from the freezer.  Four portions are now in the freezer and one portion for this evening or tomorrow.

The dining table is now clear, I have a very tidy and organised corner cupboard and a bag of stuff for the charity shop.

And I dusted and swept.
What I didn't do and need to do is tidy my work table - it is covered with paper!!

It was a very satisfying sort of day!

Today I have Circuits first thing and a bit later Diane is over for lunch and a chat.  Between those two, I hope I can get some order into my work table (with the computer, etc) so that even if it's not 100% done, at least it looks better.  If I can get that done, I will be a happy bunny!

Oh, and I have piles of washing - not quite so interesting but necessary!

Better get going.  Happy Monday, everyone, stay safe and well.  xx

Sunday, 18-01-26

Good morning again, everyone.  How are you all?

So sorry about yesterday.  I was a bit rushed in the morning; it was my own fault for having a very lazy sort of start to the day and then I just got stuck into things.  Out of sight, out of mind, as the saying goes.

Going back to Friday - what a lovely day it was!  I went to Slimming World and weighed in at half a pound off.  Not much but, given the sort of week it had been, I was relieved.  There was a great buzz with returning members including target members who wanted to pick up their new book and there's several people who were mums of children I taught in year one.  It's so nice to catch up with them - how their children are doing and so on.  That's one of the nicest things about living close to the school - you see lots of familiar faces and old friends.

I got the bus into town and met Alex outside the Giggling Squid.  We had a very delicious lunch.  We started with prawn crackers and a dip, moved on to some crunchy chilli chickpeas (so good - I want the recipe!) and then a Bangkok bites sharing platter plus some wonderful chunks of belly pork done in a very sticky sauce.  All this was sharing platter stuff as you can from the photo of the Bangkok bites, taken from their site.

I finished off with some lychee yogurt ice cream which was amazing!

Here's the link to their site:
https://www.gigglingsquid.com/restaurant/chelmsford/

And to some info from the founders/owners:
https://www.gigglingsquid.com/news/20-questions-with-cofounders/

. . . just in case you are interested.  Well worth a visit if you have one near you.  

Thanks, Alex, for a lovely time out with you.

When I got home, I just chilled and got on with my crochet.  The maple leaf blanket is coming along nicely; I've nearly finished sixteen squares and have four more to go.

Yesterday (Saturday), I had a slow start before driving down to Tower Gardens to meet the others for our walk.  We had two 'new' people, S and P, who were two of my parents quite a while ago now and when we stopped for coffee, up rolled J, their 'child' with his wife and children to say hello.  Wasn't that lovely?  
The sun was shining and it was the perfect way to start off the new year's walks.

Later on I finished my shopping list and popped over to Sainsbury's where, you were right, Viv, they had loads of different kinds of flours so now I know.  I also found the maple syrup I like best that Morrisons hasn't had in for weeks.

And that was yesterday!

If Friday was my personal reset day and yesterday was a chill out day, today is house reset day.  I need to get all that stuff away in the corner cupboard again and one of my walking friends told me of a local charity shop where you don't have to make an appointment to donate things so I can take all the stuff I have sorted out tomorrow, maybe.
It is a Kay-day on Tuesday but I have a friend over tomorrow for lunch so I must do a quick dust and sweep over the bottom half of the house too.

I need to draw up a rough plan of the week's meals.  Usually I do that before shopping but I'm very much using what I already have so it wasn't necessary.

And, finally, I have a double batch of sourdough that has slowly risen overnight and looks very healthy so I need to finish that off today, one for Lindsey and one for her friend who might be interested in me making her a loaf once a week too.

I'm rather looking forward to getting everything sorted and in order again.  I know where everything is going now, it just needs to be done and dusted, so to speak.  It should be a very satisfying day!

All the best, everyone.  Have a great day, packed with good stuff.  Take care, stay warm and see you tomorrow.  xx

Saturday, 17-01-26

 Running late and put for a walk fairly soon, will post properly later.  :-) 

Later:
Ooops, sorry, the day just got away with me.   I'm calling today a washout and will be back properly tomorrow morning.  Hoping you have had the best day.  xx

Friday, 16-01-26

Morning, everyone.  It is warm and I have enjoyed a bath followed by a shower to wash my hair.  Yes, both, just this once.  It was absolute bliss.  And I have warm fingers.  The smallest pleasures are the most important.

Now I have to get used to new controls.  Matt went through it all with me so fingers crossed.

The weather was dreadful yesterday so I cancelled the demo which was a real shame because it was one I wanted to go to.  Matt did need to discuss a few things so perhaps it was just as well.

I went over to Chris' for our coffee and chat and warmed up there first thing.  That was really lovely.

Today I have Slimming World and then I am meeting Alex in town.  He's treating his old Nan to lunch at the Giggling Squid.  It will be lovely, won't it?

And I'm in a bit of a rush so need to send and go.  Have a lovely Friday and stay warm and dry.  xx

Thursday, 15-01-26

Morning all!  Happy Thursday to you.   We have a bit of a dire weather forecast here today starting with rain and then moving on to torrential rain.  Yuck!
On a brighter note, how can we be pretty much half way through January already?  Where has the time gone?  January is supposed to drag, we all know that.  😉

Yesterday morning, I said it didn't feel too cold in the house and it truly didn't; it was cold but not THAT cold.  However, when I drew back the curtains, there was a really heavy frost.  It stayed cold all morning with the most glorious sunshine which was very cheering!  Frost makes everything look so very pretty, don't you think?

Anyway - Matt turned up and work commenced.  Just before nine, I set out to take the bus into town to drop off my glasses so the lenses could be changed.  I was so glad that my precious pair were fine - I remember they said then that there was hardly any change but I decided to get new ones anyway.  Yesterday, I was very glad I made that decision.
I trawled around the town a bit but nowhere could I find the 'health food' stuff I was looking for - buckwheat flour, spelt flour and psyllium husks (I use the flours in my normal cooking and there's a reason for the psyllium, I've never bought it before and have no idea . . .).
So, sadly, when I got home it was off to Amazon and they will be delivered today.
It wasn't until later that I remembered I might have been able to get the flours in Lathcoats.  Darn it!!!

Yesterday was a bit hokey cokey - apart from going into town in the morning to drop off my glasses, I went round to Lindsey's at midday for my personal training session.  It was still quite hard but I can feel my stamina coming back a bit and we had a good old chat at the same time.
And then I went back into town late afternoon to collect my glasses.  I'm so grateful for a good bus service and my golden oldies bus pass.  It may take longer that using the car but it is a whole lot more frugal and, to be honest, easier, especially in rush hour.

The change of lens has been great.  Everything is clear again and I'm not blinking and rubbing my eyes in an effort to clear my vision.  Such a relief.

It is possible that today will be the last day of all the plumbing work.  Matt said it would take four days.  I discovered this morning that I have water out of the 'hot' taps again although it's not hot, of course, as the boiler isn't on and one of my bath taps is dripping so that needs sorting pronto because it wasn't.  I'll mention it to Matt when he arrives.

It's Thursday so I am over to Chris' for coffee and chat.  That will be really nice. 
Then I am booked to go into town yet again for a Thermomix cookery demo but I'm not sure about that.  There's a bit of a walk from the bus to the demo place and the forecast is for heavy rain so I will just see how it goes and cancel if it's really bad.  I have no wish to come home dripping wet to a cold house.  I'll have to ask Matt what the chances are . . .

Then, this evening is the weekly online chat which I'm very much looking forward to.  So quite a busy sort of day in a way but, also, not busy because it's fun stuff.
That's all so I will stop waffling and get mu second coffee started.  Have a lovely day, whatever the weather your way.  See you tomorrow.

Update at 11:00 - we have warm radiators!  Three cheers!!

Wednesday, 14-01-26

Hello again, everyone!  How are you today?  It doesn't feel so cold this morning and I have no idea what the weather is doing yet.  Yesterday it was absolutely miserable.  Rain, rain, rain all day and I felt cold and low, probably because I slept really badly over Monday night.  Doesn't help, does it

It wasn't a bad day apart from the weather.  Chris and I drove down to Groove, did some fitness fun stuff and drove back again.

By the time we got home, Matt had taken over the kitchen and I wish I had taken a photos.  Oh, my!

By the end of the day, the old boiler was out, the new one was in and it all looks a bit - steampunky? - in that corner.

I was so tired that I took myself and a fan heater upstairs and had a snooze in the bedroom.  That helped!

Matt's corner.  I see no point in the poor chap loading everything into his van and then unloading it again the next day.  He sorts everything out so it's all stuff he will need the next day.  Ditto with the carpet protection.  He would have cleared that but I said don't bother.  Waste of time really.

(and it gives me a reason not to hoover the carpet!!)

All the stuff from the kitchen cupboards that needed emptying is on the living room table and each time I go by I take a look and am, gradually getting rid of stuff that initially I decided to keep.  Having it out there for days really makes a difference.

It's proper unsettling, having a mess, but helpful too, in a way.
What I do find more difficult is having someone else around all day.  I am so very used to solo living and having my safe space to myself most of the time, and have been for decades.
Not a grumble or a whinge, just saying!  😊

Today I am out a fair bit which Matt said is just as well! (not quite in those words though) as he will be working in the kitchen, on the landing and in the attic.  I have to take the bus into town to drop off my glasses so the lenses can be changes and will be wearing my old glasses through the day.  I have a few things I need to do in town too.

Lindsey kindly changed my personal training time to twelve so I will be out to that.  

And, finally, I will be bussing back into town to pick up my glasses so I will, I hope, have proper clear vision again.   Thank goodness for bus passes!!

Fingers crossed for better weather.

Time to get moving.  I have plenty of time before Matt gets here which is good.  

Have a good day, everyone.  Stay warm and dry and see you tomorrow.  xx

Tuesday, 13-01-26

Good morning, everyone!  How are you all?  It's not that cold again this morning although I have to admit it was hard getting out of my cosy, warm bed!

Yesterday went pretty well with just one hiccup.

Matt rolled up bang on eight o'clock, unloaded everything, told me I could go out and about as much as I wanted and set to while I drove off the circuits.

Matt is a very tidy worker - this was as bad as it got in terms of big stuff although there's a bit of a mess around the now defunct boiler (still on the wall in the kitchen) and the landing was a bit of a no-go for much of the day.

For me, the worst thing was having no water - just just two flushes-worth, one upstairs and one down - so I whizzed off to Morrisons to get some bottled water (not for the loos, I hasten to add)!
However, by early afternoon Matt had the water on again so I now have a fair bit of bottled water to use up.  Not to worry, I'm sure it will come in useful at some point!

The hiccup was some very dodgy pipework/non existent welding under the landing floorboard that dated right back to when the house was built.  So Matt had the carpet and boards up, sorted out the dodgy stuff (I think I was lucky there!), replaced everything and you would never know he'd done anything at all except that I think he also sorted out a certain 'springiness' in the boards and they now feel nice and firm to walk over.

That's put him back a few hours but I'm so glad he was able to sort it.  And it was simple, unlike a recent job, Matt was telling me, when he found unsuspected asbestos and the job had to be halted while it was checked and properly dealt with, adding considerably to the cost of the work.
Thank goodness it wasn't complicated like that!

He's left me with some alternative heating.  I have the oil filled radiator on right now and it's certainly making a difference but yesterday evening I didn't need any heating, triple layered as I was with double socks and an electric fleece over my knees, just like an oldie (no rude comments, thank you!!).

The worst thing now is no hot water.  I am not a fan of top to toe sink washing but at least it's only for a few days.

I've just remembered - I had a bit of a panic yesterday.  On Sunday I had the garden room and garage unlocked as I was putting all the festive stuff away and yesterday morning I couldn't find the keys (which are on the same ring).  I hunted high and low and was getting a bit worried.  I have spares but that's not the point really.  

Thankfully, I found them eventually - I had put them on a dining chair and then pushed the chair under the table.  That'll teach me to put them away properly where they should go, won't it?

Today starts with Groove although whether we walk there and back depends on the weather.  Then it is another day of doing not very much - it's hard when key areas are in use and there's certainly no point in dusting, etc, at the moment.  I had to empty a few cupboards in the kitchen (for pipe access) so I can go through the contents and deal with anything I haven't used recently and as for what I had under the sink - words fail me!  I can certainly get rid of some of that, for sure.

So it is all go for today and now I need to boil a kettle and have a nice warm wash at the sink (better than nothing!!) and get dressed ready for Groove.
Have a lovely day, everyone - see you tomorrow when, fingers crossed, I will be nearer to having hot water!  xx

Monday, 12-01-26

Morning, everyone!  It's Monday - new week and, fingers crossed, new and fully functioning boiler by Thursday or Friday.  It's is a fair bit milder this morning which is good because I wont have any heating - well, I will, but from little appliances!
(Poor electricity bill)

Back to yesterday and a grand old tidy up.  There is now no evidence that Christmas ever happened round here with everything put away, dismantled, sorted out, etc.  It took ages but it is all done and dusted.

The blue room is, if not totally tidy, at least organised.  The airing cupboard is empty again - which is why the blue room isn't tidy - and even the kitchen is ready for Matt to come along and cause havoc!!

I'm hoping that my life can go an as normal meaning that I can get to my fitness classes.   Home won't be normal, of course, but it is temporary and for the 'greater good' so I can live with that.

I need to get a move on, have my bath, get dressed and be ready for Matt's arrival at eight.  Have a great Monday and see you tomorrow!  xx

Sunday, 11-01-26

Good morning, everyone.  Sorry this is a bit late.  I got started in the kitchen and forgot the time.

I managed to get down to Iceland to finally spend my raffle tenner and came back with some SW ready meals and a few other healthy bits.  I also went into Home Bargains as I needed a few other bits and bobs too; a few storage boxes and some olives.

Later on I went with Beth to an appointment.  She nearly didn't get there; just before it was time to leave, Alex managed to block and flood the loo and it was all panic stations.  However, he has come a long way recently and once the immediate flooding was dealt with, he sorted the rest on his own and, as Beth said, when she got back again :

I returned home to a functioning toilet, towels on a boil wash, a scrubbed and shiny floor and bathtub and two emergency plumbers poking around the guttering. Well done Alex. He's even returned the -cleaned- plunger with a nice tub of quality street to our kind neighbours.

Well done, Alex.

On balance, the appointment was productive too so all good.

Today is all home-based stuff. After I have sent this I will be re-emptying the air cupboard for Matt tomorrow and then I'm having a good old sort out, long overdue! The step count should be good.

Well, better get a move on, hadn't I? Talking about it won't achieve anything. Have a lovely day, everyone. See you tomorrow. xx

Saturday, 10-01-26

Good morning, people all!  So, here we are, a third of the way through January.  This month usually drags and drags and feels as if it's never going to end but it is whizzing by for me at the moment.  I'm not sure why but it is very welcome - the days are already getting longer, I can open the curtains earlier and draw them again later and when I came out of Lindsey's personal training session on Wednesday, it was still light.

As expected, yesterday was a dull, wet, dreary sort of day, cold and a bit windy.  However, I was so thankful that the really bad weather either passed us by round here or it had abated somewhat before reaching here.  Peeking out, the ground looks almost dry so that's good too.

Alex didn't come over yesterday (for very good reasons) so I had a bit more time to do stuff.  I picked up my new Slimming World recipe book that I got free because I took out a countdown, so I had a bit of a browse through that and noted some recipes to try this week.

Today I am out with Beth later on, going with her to an appointment, but earlier I must start off Lindsey's sourdough starter and then I want to go to Iceland to spend that £10 I won at SW last week.  

Yesterday I got some info about the Crete holiday that I want to go through so I will print that out, go through it and make a few notes about clothes, what to take, etc, so I know what I need to do/get, etc.  I know it's four months still but these things have a habit of catching up and taking us by surprise.  I also want to sort out a few dates for Diane to come over (she's on this holiday too) so we can but our brains together.
Is this the sort of thing you do or are you more laid back than I am?

Apart from all that, it's the weekend - mind you, after retirement, isn't it always the weekend? - so I will chill, read, craft, maybe go for a walk, weather permitting, and just enjoy life.

Have a lovely day, everyone.  See you tomorrow and stay safe, warm and well.  xx

Friday, 09-01-26

Morning, my lovelies!  Welcome to Friday!  It's a cold, wet, yucky start to the day although it is supposed to be clearing later on.  I've just been out to the shed and it's raining, a bit windy and cold but no ice anywhere and nothing blown over.  I thing we got off lightly!

I really hope none of you has been affected by this storm that is moving through.

Yesterday was busier and way more spendy than I anticipated!

As always, the chat with Chris was great.  We never seem to stop talking and it's so much fun.  
Then I drove over to Beth's, stopping to fill the petrol tank on the way so that's something ticked off the list.

Once I'd finished at Beth's, I stopped off and did a bit of shopping at M&S as I was going past the shop.  I'm absolutely fed up with Morrisons not having any decent frozen fruit and I know M&S have a good range.

Once home, I had a message from One Traveller reminding me that I needed to pay for the rest of the holiday to Crete and complete their paperwork so I had to get the travel insurance sorted out first (should have done it weeks ago),  before completing the form with the info that they need and paying the rest.

Between the petrol, the M&S shop, the insurance and the holiday - oh, my gosh.  I had the money saved but it's still kind of painful, isn't it?

Today starts with Slimming World and then I am picking Alex up for his cookery lesson.  Once he is home again afterwards, I think my weekend starts!

What are your plans for today?  Have a lovely one, stay warm and dry and I'll see you tomorrow.  xx

Thursday, 08-01-26

Hi, everyone, welcome to Thursday!  What a change - it no longer feels icy and it's a gloomy start to the day, such a change from the bright and frosty early mornings so far this last week.  I can't imagine we will get any of this snow that is supposed to be coming over, just pouring rain.  

The roads will be safer, thank goodness.  When I drove home from personal training, the gritters were out.  I was glad to see that but it looks as if it was wasted effort.

I'm not sure I did very much yesterday.   The Christmas tree still reigns supreme and I expect it will stay that way until the weekend now. 

 I spent some time in the kitchen prepping/making meals and I worked out a SW friendly recipe for tattie scones (my version of them anyway!)  My ex/late Scottish m.i.l. would turn in her grave but I bet mine are healthier and, once smothered in egg, will taste fine, I expect.

And I think they look OK - nice and rustic!

Just remembered - before Christmas, after a meeting at school when someone said they didn't really know what the Governing Body did, I suggested to J (head) that the news letter had a series of paragraphs called 'Meet the Governor' or similar and each of us could write a short paragraph in turn.  And I foolishly offered to go first!
So yesterday a message pinged into my mailbox asking if I could write something for tomorrow's Newsletter.  Eeek.  So I had to think!  Brain aching stuff, guys, it really was.  I went into full on SENDCo report writing mode (I'm the SEND link governor, you see) and it took a while to reduce it to something appropriate and friendly!
J was happy with what I sent so phew!  Now I can smile while the others sweat!

Oh, and the photos of me that the school has is dire so I took some time to take another one, edit it to get rid of the background and send that to J too.

Today Chris and I are back into routine again so she is coming over for coffee and chat and then I am popping over to Beth's as we need to discuss something.  

After that, I don't know - probably some meal planning so that I can write my shopping list for tomorrow.  

I think it will be one of those days when I spend all day doing not a lot but still managing to fill the time.
Have a great day, everyone.  I really hope this incoming storm doesn't affect you too badly.  Take cane and stay safe and warm.  See you tomorrow.  xx

Wednesday, 07-01-26

Good morning, everyone!  Welcome to Wednesday, a slightly warmer day than yesterday but very much less attractive!

We did get a very little snow in the afternoon yesterday and some more early evening which quickly turned to rain.  It initially froze but that didn't last long either.

(You can hardly see the snow in this clip - it was very fine)

I sorted the boiler out with three boiled kettles - poured over the condensate pipe, I mean, not over the boiler - and when I got home from Groove, the house was lovely and warm again.

Matt has confirmed that the boiler work will start on Monday and that he has plans for the pipe so this shouldn't happen again (unless it's very cold again this week).

I didn't feel super-cold anyway, I used my little fan heater for a while and there was plenty of piping hot water for my bath - or I could have had a shower anyway as that doesn't rely on the boiler.

I had to chuckle at myself.  Do you remember that when I went on the Northern Lights cruise I bought some clothes for the extreme cold.  A balaclava hat, long johns, thermal trousers, etc.

Well, yesterday I wasn't going to walk down to Groove with just legging on my bottom half so I dug out a pair of the trousers and the balaclava.  Those, with two layers under my coat, gloves and a warm scarf meant that by the time we got to the hall I was so hot!!

I'm keeping it all out for next week when I wont have any heating for a few days - just in case!  :-)

Kay came, worked miracles and left.  Bless her, it is so nice to have a bit of help with the housework again and once a fortnight is just enough for me not to feel too self-indulgent.  And she's nice - we get on well.

Did I dismantle the Christmas tree.  Well - er - no.  It looked so lovely and sparkly.  I've not turned the tree lights on this morning because I know me.  In fact, I don't have anything in the diary first thing so it's top of the list.

Also on the list . . .

Changing bedding
Washing, drying and, maybe, ironing
Finishing doing my bedroom

Sorting out the blue room - all the Christmas fabrics go in there and at the moment it's all just over the two beds.  Chaos!!

And this afternoon I have personal training, the first one for a long while.  I really enjoyed Monday and yesterday's classes so it should be good and it is always nice to catch up with Lindsey.

Well, I may not have anything in the diary but I do have a load of dough in Thermione and I need to check how it's going so I will love you and leave you.  Take care, stay warm and I hope that the weather is kind to us all, wherever we are,
See you tomorrow.    xx

06-01-26 and the Last Day of Christmas

'The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people.'

Theodore Roosevelt
(Hmm - depends on your definition of 'success' I guess)

Morning, all.  It is very cold outside - I know that because my boiler refused to start and that red light is flashing.  So it's cold!!

It's a known problem to do with the drainage pipe freezing up and, if my boiler had been replaced in the autumn, it would now be OK.  However, for good reasons, it wasn't so now it's cold and never have I been more glad for my warm, fluffy socks, slipper boots and long snuggle hood (with hood up!)
At least I have immersion heat so I will be able to have my usual hot bath!

To be honest, I was half expecting it.  I have dug out the fan heater and, if it's really cold (it isn't that bad inside at the moment really) I can decamp to the garden room.

OK, grumble over!

Moving on - or, rather, back, we actually woke yesterday to a very light sprinkle of snow so almost the first thing I did when I drew back the curtains and realised was brush a path to the shed.  Never get between a girl and her food.

To be fair, it wasn't slippery but it might have been and there's no point taking chances.
I bet Jackie, Chris, Sharon, etc, are thinking 'What????' given the metres of snow they get every winter but round here it is most unusual nowadays.

It wasn't too hard to clear the car and the roads were clear so there were no hassles getting to Lindsey's for circuits.  They were pretty empty too; I thought it would be worse but then remembered most of the schools round here don't start back until today.

Most of the day was spent doing a good old tidy up of all sorts of stuff lying around.  It's still not great but I can carry on while Kay is doing the cleaning stuff so, by midday, all that will need doing is the tree.

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas

I gave unto myself . . . 

Another reed diffuser

thirty tea bags

one cross stitch moggy

one Christmas book

my favourite perfume

twenty gnomes to crochet

stuff for my hair

one book to read ................

two smelly soaps

one reed diffuser

warm, fluffy socks

and a Jamie Oliver book

This wasn't an accident - I already had the first diffuser when I saw this one in the Center Parcs shop and loved the scent so I decided to get another one.  One up and one down!

And that's the twelve days all over and past.  😐

Today is Kay-day so by midday I should have a lovely, clean, more-or-less tidy downstairs.  That's such a nice feeling!
Before then, Chris and I will walk to Groove, do class and walk back again so I think by lunch time I will have earned an afternoon with my crochet and books, don't you?

If the heating isn't on by the time I get back from Groove, I can boil kettles and thaw the frozen external pipe (terrible design hiccup, that pipe is) that is stopping the boiler from lighting.

Better get the day started.  Have a good one, stay as warm as you can and I will see you again tomorrow.  xx

05-01-26 and the Eleventh Day of Christmas

I've just noticed that, in my new diary for 2026, each weekday has some sort of 'motivational quote' that I thought I would reproduce in here because - well, why not?  

Today's is:

Be a first rate-version of yourself, not a second-rate version of someone else.

Judy Garland

Morning, all!  It's another cold one but it's cosy inside which is something to be very thankful for.  Anyone had any snow?  ❄❄❄

I've been working on the maple leaf blanket and thought I'd lay some of the squares together to get an idea of how it will look.  I can tell you two things

1.  It's going to be nice and colourful and

2.  It will be a big one!!!  

I've done more squares than those on show and should end up with twenty so it will be a 4x5 rather than a square like the Quiet Skies one.  

I think the shading works quite well.

Yesterday I spent some time in the kitchen, sorting stuff out, making and baking Lindsey's sourdough loaf and making some bacon and butterbean soup (delicious).  That's about it really - a lazy day before proper, real life resumes - apart from the crafting.  I admit I spent quite a lot of time wielding the old crochet hook!

I missed the first of the new Great Pottery Throwdown; I have it recorded so I will enjoy that today or tomorrow.

On the Eleventh Day of Christmas

I gave unto myself . . . 

Thirty tea bags

one cross stitch moggy

one Christmas book

my favourite perfume

twenty gnomes to crochet

stuff for my hair

one book to read ................

two smelly soaps

one reed diffuser

warm, fluffy socks

and a Jamie Oliver book

I can't really remember getting these but I obviously did.  They might be helpful in weaning off the coffee a bit, you never know.

Lindsey's new six-week block starts today with circuits.  I'm looking forward to it but a bit uncertain.  Exertion is still starting off the coughing but, well, of I have to stop and cough, I have to stop and cough.  Her online classes were a real godsend over the past two weeks, keeping me in the loop a bit after missing the last two weeks or so of the previous block.

Once I am home again, it is Monday so housework day.  As tomorrow is a Kay-day, I will concentrate on getting everything but the Christmas Tree down and away in the boxes.  That includes the festive china . . . the lot!  I'm sad, I love the brightness, but tomorrow is twelfth night so it has to be done.

I will make a yeasted and seeded loaf for Beth - I do her one a week.

And I will work on getting pages set up in the other blog - the first lot didn't work at all and I have no idea why not.  Time to read the instructions a bit more carefully, I guess.

Time to go and do my Facebook stuff so I will love you and leave you.  Have a good day, stay warm and well and, whatever you have planned, may it all go really well.
See you tomorrow.  xx