Friday, 03-07-26

Just a quick touchdown today as I am out in a short while.

Still no blush on the tomatoes.  I know - I'm too impatient!  :-)

Yesterday was pleasant.  I took the bread and cucumber over to Beth and Alex and picked a couple of yellow courgettes in exchange.  We also noticed that there are baby runner beans - very exciting!  Beth doesn't have a garden, just some big pots outside the back door.

The Governor training I did later was really very good indeed.  I'm glad I did it.

I was so tired afterwards that I rolled into bed earlier than usual and slept soundly.  Lovely!

Today, I have Slimming World and then just homey stuff which will be nice.  And I need to keep an eye on one of my tyres - the decompression light came on.  I've dealt with that but if it decompresses quickly, I guess it is a visit to KwikFit.  There's always something!

Have a lovely day, all, and take care.  xx

Thursday, 02-07-26

Morning, everyone.  Back now and ready to write!
Why do I keep thinking it is Friday.  I'm wishing my life away!  :-)

A few photos first because they brighten up the post!

Hundreds of tomatoes (not an exaggeration) but not a hint of pink yet.  Come on, toms, it's time to ripen.

However . . . 

. . . plenty of cucumbers coming along.  These are the mini ones but there's bigger ones also doing nicely . . . 

. . . and more blueberries to pick when I have breakfast.  Yum!

And these have come up from last year - I do love snapdragons.

Yesterday was easier than I expected and as expensive as I anticipated.

I said personal training was good yesterday and it was.

After breakfast, I drove over to Sainsburys, did a horrendously expensive shop and then filled up with petrol.  I am chuffed that I didn't need to fill up last month although I was a bit edgy at how low the needle was through the last week.  However, it held out and now the car is comfortably full again.

My payment for the new block of personal training went to Lindsey yesterday too as well several monthly payments as expected.

Oh, well, that's life.

To slightly balance that, I will be getting a little bit from Premium Bonds in a few days and my quarterly gas statement showed me in credit which is nice.  My strategy, which works for me, is to let the credit build up over the summer months and through winter until it goes into debit and then I pay the balance until it is in credit again.  However one does it, it is swings and roundabouts really, but this way is how I like to do it.

The afternoon visit to school didn't happen (it's been rescheduled) and the Governors' meeting was really good.  Lots of discussion and everyone contributes, one way and another.

I was shattered afterwards, came home, ate easy rubbish and woke this morning with a rubbish induced headache which serves me right!  :-)

I've had my chat with Chris and am about to start some bread for Beth which I will take over when it's done.  There's another governors' raining later this afternoon, one that I am very much looking forward to, all about supporting your head teacher.  I am expecting it to be really useful.

So that's today - a nice day, I think.  And now I need to get the bread started, pick some blueberries and make breakfast - it's such a hard life!!  😂

Have a lovely day, all.  Enjoy the sunshine.  xx

Wednesday, 01-07-26

Morning, everyone!  Pinch and a punch for the first of the month - and no returns.  lol
Welcome to July and what a lovely day it is here, to be sure.  Sunny, warm, not humid - I wish it would just stay like this with nice refreshing rain overnight (we didn't have rain overnight, by the way.

I'm just back from my personal training and all's right in my little world.  I always feel like that after a good session with Lindsey; she is such an encourager!  It was the first of a new block and she changed it up after a chat with me last week.  I do like the new routines; I think they will help a lot.

Beck to yesterday and the coach trip.  

I have to say, being on the Thames Estuary, Westcliff isn't a particularly nice beach, lots of mud flats and a view across to Sheerness.

It's quite a drop from the road to the sea front.  I suppose the name, Westcliff, is a bit of a hint!  Going down was fine.  Coming back was a fair old puff and pant!  :-)

However, there were plenty of benches and it was really nice to just sit and enjoy the sea breeze while people watching.

The view up to Cliff's Pavilion Theatre. heavily cropped to get rid of a rather unlovely ice cream thingy!

I don't normally post food photos in here but it's part of the trip - a massive fish and chips.  If I'd not been going into a show, I would have taken the rest home in a doggy bag but . . .

What I had was delicious!

And I wasn't so full that I couldn't manage lemon sorbet.  Very refreshing!

Barnum itself was brilliant.   Very cleverly staged, musicians, acrobats on stagem doing their thing while the story unfolded.  I say 'story' - some musicals have a very slight story, don't they, it's all about the staging, directing, colour, music, lights, etc.

I've had a soft spot for Lee Mead since 'Any Dream Will Do' days and I have to say he was fab - and he did some tight rope walking too!

I don't think it is a show I would necessarily want to see again, but we all had a great time and that is what it is all about.

Today, being the first, has a couple of routine things, I need to fill up with petrol and do some grocery shopping, I am hoping to go into school for a quick meet up and it's a governors meeting this evening.  So not busy as such, just full.
It should all be good though.

Have a lovely day, all.  xx

Tuesday, 30-06-26

Morning, everyone.  Just a quick one today and no photos 😁

The weather yesterday was lovely, wasn't it?  Sunny, warm but not humid and inside stayed cool.  Perfect.

I enjoyed circuits very much indeed.  We were in Lindsey's garden and it was fun.

I got a reply about my SEND report and it has now uploaded to the meeting paperwork thingy so that's off my mind.

And I booked two weekend breaks - naughty me.  No, not really; you may remember I took some money out of savings early in the year and one of the things it was for was  - well - fun stuff because why not?  So these Friday to Monday breaks are both to Five Lakes, the second one being in December for the Festive experience.  The first one is in August so not too far away.
2026 certainly has been The Year Of The Holidays.  

This evening I am off on a coach jolly to Southend/Westcliff to the Cliffs Pavilion to see Barnum and, for the first time, I have booked a table at an eatery close by.
We're leaving at four so the plan is to have a wander along the sea front, have my dinner and then another wander around to let it settle before the show.

I'll have my early personal training tomorrow morning and I'll post after that hopefully with photos. 

Have a lovely day, everyone.  xx

Monday, 29-06-26

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to Monday morning.  It's a lovely start to the day - cool, fresh, sunny, just perfect.  all the windows are open and it feels cool, cool enough to put my slippers on.  Sheer bliss!

I took some photos because it brightens up the blog.  My back garden is in shade at this time of day so maybe the colours aren't so vibrant, but that's OK.

The almost all herb bed - they're doing really nicely at the moment.  Mint, rosemary, oregano, sage and thyme.  The chives haven't done so well this year.  I think they have been crowded out by the oregano and I can see I will need to dig out most of it (the oregano, I mean) - it does spread!

Baby figs.  I doubt they will ripen but they are nice to see.

These plum tomatoes are bigger than they look in the photo - they should be great to cook with.

Autumn fruiting raspberries - there's just a hint of flower buds so fingers crossed for autumn.

Just a general view from the side of the garden room.  

The sole survivor!

Just so very pretty!

My new dahlia.  The poor thing got nibbled almost to death by sluggy, snaily things but seems to be picking up now, thankfully.

And no buds on the confused dahlia yet but it can't be long now - it's growing fast!

Yesterday was  a nice day.  Some washing, drying on the line and ironing, some bread baking, some gardening - nice, homey things.  I finished off a report and sent it off and I started reading through the paperwork for the governors meeting in a couple of days.  It was so nice to sleep between clean, fresh sheets and be able to snuggle under the quilt.

Today starts with circuits and then it's Monday stuff - downstairs cleaning and tidying, some weed scraping (a daily even at the moment), I have ironing to finish, meal plans to make and I need to re-read the paperwork and make notes as necessary.

It's going to be another good day; I hope yours is too.  Take care.  xx

Sunday 28-06-26

Morning, all.  And it's a beautiful, fresh, sunny, breezy morning, a perfect summer start to the day.  The oppressive feeling has lifted (for now, anyway) and I have already been out doing a bit of garden work.

I'm glad I checked my phone yesterday morning because Richard had sent out a message saying Community Garden would start at nine thirty to catch the cooler temperature.
I was there first so set to with some weeding and side shooting the tomatoes.

I dug up the row of broad beans which were pretty much over, a row of peas that were ditto and all tangled with the netting and then I tackled one row of potatoes.  I do love forking up potatoes and then getting my hands into the soil to find more.  It wasn't a bad crop for a very short row!
Those three tasks, plus the associated weeding, etc, took all my time.

A few photos from the Community Garden:

The first of the sunflowers - it's lovely.

And Richard gave me some of the potatoes I dug up.  I had some for lunch and they were lovely!

I now know Community Garden has another meaning.  It is not just about the vegetables/food side of things.  The first two weeks I did consisted of me, my friend, J, and Richard but today there were others.  One was a young man with  Down Syndrome and his dad and the other was a young lad, probably around ten or eleven with learning difficulties, possibly with autism.  They were both lovely and were obviously having a great time.   The lad helped me with the potatoes, bless him.

That's community for you, isn't it?

Once home, I had breakfast (I was hungry by then) and then had a nice cool bath (I think I said shower in a comment reply, sorry) and got into one of my lovely, loose kaftans.

It got hot again - not quite as sweltering as the previous three days but not comfortable.  However come the evening, something lifted, a slight breeze got up and it cooled.  No need for a cooling shower last night before bed!

Today I woke feeling cool!  Such bliss!  We haven't had any rain as far as I can tell but at the moment it is lovely, windows opened wide to let the fresh air in.   

It felt so good that after the morning watering I set to and cut more lower leaves off the tomatoes, chopped them all up small as Richard has taught me to do (I've never done that before) before tipping the lot into my compost bin.

Then . . .

in one corner of the garden I had an osmanthus, a shrub with holly-like leaves.  It was actually the first thing I bought when I had the garden totally remodelled in 1998 and got a large (plastic) pot from the garden place in Boundary Mill, up the A1 near Grantham - I remember Mum and Dad came with me.

It did fine for ten years, slow growing but good.  Then came the extension work.  I had to move out of the house over the summer holiday (staying with Mum and Dad) and the garden was thoroughly neglected, I am sorry to say.  And the bush has never been the same since.

I wish I had taken a photo before I started because you would be able to see what a poor thing it was.  

It was pretty hard work, cutting back as many of the branches as my secateurs could cope with, scraping off the looser soil at the top (now in the compost bin) and then turning the pot on its side and over to try to get the roots out.  Phew, they were very tightly impacted but with some bashes on the sides of the pot and some levering, out it came.  

After quite a lot more puffing and grunting, I managed to lift it with a squat lift thing worth of an Olympic weight lifter (and if you believe that . . .) and over into the bin

And my back is fine!  :-)

So is the pot.  It needs a good clean out, of course, and then I will  use it for the olive tree I plan to get using a birthday token from Diane and as a 'memory' of Crete.  Do I need special soil, I wonder.  Must look that up.  I hope not because the compost bin is pretty full and I could use some of that.

And then I took a few more photos because you have to, don't you?

More big cucumber, two of which might be ready to pick today.  They're growing so fast you can almost see it.

You can't see in this photo but there are blueberries to pick for breakfast.  Yay!

The tomato plants don't look so pretty with their bottom leaves gone but the fruit will like the extra sunlight.

And the rhubarb is going from strength to strength.  I am so looking forward to next year's crop.

And now I am enjoying the first coffee I have had in days.  It's just been too hot.

My Oddbox was on the doorstep this morning so I've sorted that out and am looking forward to enjoying the contents.

I will stop waffling now, have my bath, etc., and get some whites into the machine.  I want to change my sheets now it is cooler again.

However, the rest of the day will be a restful one, I think, just pottering in the garden (I need to do some weed scraping, for a start) and generally relaxing.  

I hope the weather is just as pleasant where you are - have a lovely Sunday.  xx

Saturday, 27-06-26

Morning, all.
Thank you so much for your lovely comments yesterday - what a lovely lot you are, to be sure.  xx

So - right at this moment we have had a bit of a storm earlier, some rain and it's cooler outside than in so windows are open and fans are placed to such the cooler air in.  It looks as if we might get a bit more rain so I am keeping one eye on the window (which sounds uncomfortable but you know what I mean) as I type.

What isn't comfortable is that I, like a lot of you, I suspect, am feeling uncomfortably bloated.  I know I'm drinking a lot but I guess heat has that effect.  On the other hand, I've just been in the garden tying up the tomatoes (no need to water, yay) and, pre meds, only one sneeze so that's good.

Last night wasn't all that bad.  I have a routine - get the fans going in the bedroom and then have a cool bath, lie on a towel on the bed and let the fan air dry me off - it's beautifully cooling.  If I want cover, I use another towel.  I won't say it was the best night's sleep but it was loads better that earlier in the week.  What tricks do you have?

There's one thing on the agenda today - it's Community Garden day, ten to about twelve.  I'll go and do a but but if it gets too warm (it's supposed to remain super hot in the east and south east today) I will come home and chill in front of the fan.  It's getting very boring, not doing much, but better than overheating.  :-)

Next week is quite a busy week so a quiet weekend sounds good, doesn't it?  

Have a lovely day, everyone, and I hope it is very much fresher and nicer where you are now.  xx

Friday, 26-06-26

Morning, all.

Today I am remembering my lovely Dad who passed away mid morning five years ago.  I still miss him so much - and Mum too.

Thursday, 25-06-26

Good morning, all.
After a very unpleasant and sticky night, it feels quite nice at the moment.  I have doors and windows open and fans pulling the fresher air from outside into the house.  That will need to stop soon but, right now, it is refreshing. 
I usually enjoy a really hot bath in the morning but today a lukewarm one felt so good!  

It wasn't great going into school yesterday afternoon.  A number of children were being picked up by their adults and it will be the same today - the school isn't closing though.

The meetings were good although I felt for the staff concerned - talking to a governor was probably the last thing they wanted to do.  Good news on the phonics front and then a longer talk with the SENDCo.
When I got home I wrote up the phonics report and sent it off.  Later this morning I will write the SEND one and then my duty is done.

And my TiVo box overheated and there was a warning on the telly screen.  That's never happened before!   Hopefully no damage has been done but I ordered a new one a few days ago anyway - Virgin said I had to - so that's OK.

I've already done the minimal housework I intended to do apart from a bit of ironing which I will do after I've posted this.  
Chris is over for our Thursday coffee iced water and chat.  The fan is blowing in the garden room, hopefully keeping it comfortable.
Then I was supposed to drive over to Val's for lunch but we have rescheduled it for a fortnight.  I'm fortunate to have this flexibility.

After all my moaning and groaning, some good news.

One of the lost dahlias in the back garden has found itself.  There were five but one is better than none and I have the one I planted this year too so that's nice.  The confused dahlia at the front is growing rapidly now.  No buds yet but It can't be that long.

And the lone pear is still there, still growing.

I'd better stop waffling and deal with that ironing and then I can put the basket and iron away.  Clutter make a room feel hotter, doesn't it?

Take care, stay sun-safe and have a comfortable day, everyone.  xx

Wednesday, 24-06-26

Good morning, everyone.
I'm just back from personal training and I am so, so glad it's not this afternoon!!   We have bright sunshine and already the temperature is in the high 20s C.  The windows are open while the sun is round the front.  Later the blinds will be closed and the fans on.  I'm expecting a couple more fans today which, I hope, will help too.

How did you sleep overnight?  I slept OK but kept waking up.  I'm not sure whether it was the heat or because I drank so much yesterday - it could have been either or both.

I took these to send to Lindsey because we were talking about them in P T.  Happy tomato plants.  No sign of ripening yet but some are visibly lighter.  I so love it when the day starts with tomato picking.

And the blueberries are quite content too.  I'm not picking yet but it won't be long before some are ready.

I don't have anything on this morning but this afternoon I am off to school for a couple of meetings, SEND and Phonics.   Phonics will be short but the SEND might take quite a while.
Then I am popping into Morrisons for some ice lollies and other cooling stuff; I don't care what Slimming World says!  :-)

Take care, everyone, and stay weather-safe, whatever you are getting, rain, storm, cold, heat . . .  xx

Tuesday, 23-06-26

Good morning, everyone, and what a surprise!  It is dark, gloomy and pouring with rain right now.  To be fair, I would not have heard any storming overnight (hearing aids out, etc) so maybe it's not surprising to my neighbours but I didn't expect it!

Another surprise.  Perched on the roof opposite to my house and it stayed put long enough for me to grab my camera and zoom in.  A grey heron, Google search tells me.  Definitely not local so I hope s/he found their way home again.

I got stuff done yesterday before it got too hot.
Lindsey did circuits outside which was lovely.  It was warm but there was a refreshing breeze.

I came home again, Kay arrived and, while she was sorting my inside out, I did some garden stuff.  Potted on an indoor plant that had outgrown its pot, did some weeding and some slab scraping and trimmed the lower leaves off the tomatoes.  Now the lower fruit can catch the sun better.

It got quite hot in the afternoon but by then I was inside, blinds drawn, doors and windows open and fans on.  There was still a breeze and it kept my living room at a very pleasant temperature.

Today and, particularly, tomorrow and Thursday are expected to be very hot indeed and very humid, which is worse.  We're just not geared up to such weather in the UK.  Houses are built and insulated to retain heat which is a Very Good Thing most of the time, just not in a heatwave.  I gather temperature records may be broken before the end of the week.  We will see.

Chris and I will be off to Groove first thing.  We were expecting to walk there and back but that depends on the rain.  A bit later, Sharon is round for my six weekly hair sort-out.  Then the rest of the day is my own.
I seem to have a lot of cucumber so I think I will make some simple pickles with some.  I seem to be having cravings for pickles at the moment - beetroot and pink onion.  Some cucumber will make a nice difference.

And we are now in the middle of a storm - that was a big crack of thunder just now!  I certainly won't need to give my garden its morning drink, will I?  It's pouring and I've just had to close the landing window and wipe the sill.

Right, I have to get my other social media stuff sorted so I will say goodbye.  Please, stay safe in this extreme weather and stay as chilled as possible.  Bye.  xx

Monday, 22-06-26

Good morning again, everyone.  My windows are thrown open to catch the morning freshness and I've given the garden its morning drink.  It was warm yesterday but I stayed mostly inside and it wasn't so bad.  A load of washing dried in about half an hour!

Goodness, I was tired after Saturday's outing.  It was very pleasant to not have to do anything but just go with the flow and I did snooze off several times plus a good night's sleep.  Definitely, I am feeling my age sometimes nowadays!  :-)

I said I would take a photo of the little jug I bought.  It looks big in the photo but it is about 9cms tall so really quite small.  No handle so not ideal for hot sauces but fine for milk, cream, etc.

Just a couple of garden photos - it's the season for them, isn't it?

Every time I look, those tomato plants are bigger - and so are the tomatoes.  No sign of colour yet but they will, in their own time, ripen and then it will be delicious.

Just because . . . those hanging baskets look so lovely - photos don't do them justice really.

On to today and it's another day with not very much on the agenda.  I have circuits first thing, then there's some housework, washing, ironing, etc, before it gets too hot.  This afternoon is predicted to be pretty extreme round here (for us in the UK, I mean) so I will be chilling inside, blinds across and fan on.
There's already a jug of water in the fridge, ready for hydrating.  

How do you handle this hot weather?

Take care, stay cool, remember water, hat and sun block.   See you tomorrow.  xx

Sunday, 21-06-26

 Morning, everyone, and welcome to astronomical summer time!  Also, which is almost shocking, the longest day.  Isn't that crazy?
The sun is shining brightly and it's still nice and fresh although the forecast is for very hot weather.  I gather it was really hot here yesterday but by the sea there was a lovely sea breeze that kept everything just perfect.

Anyway, I won't go on about yesterday as I've done a separate post about that.

Today is cucumber pick'n' day.  In fact, I already have and they are in the fridge.
Two minis and one large one.  I might see if Chris could use half of the large one.

And just a quick shot of some of the tomatoes.  There are loads of babies now and I need to start weekly feeding, I think.

I'm feeling rather weary after yesterday so today is a nothing day.  I will chill, rest, crochet, watch telly and generally just vegetate!  
With the fan on!

Have a lovely day, one and all.  Stay cool.  xx

A day in Southwold

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southwold

Hi, everyone.
I've been to Southwold before; in fact, I've had three week long holidays there and it is one of my favourite seaside places but I really don't want another whole week there so when this came up on the Broomfield Trips email, I grabbed at the opportunity.

We set off before the set time - the coach was early and so were we, all fifty odd people.  It was actually Jan's birthday (Jan and Ray organise these trips) which was very nice.
We made good time with absolutely no holdups, even round Colchester, which was unusual for the A12, and it looked like we would get there really early . . . until we came to a dead stop in Yoxford.  The road was totally closed, barriers all the way across.  Our coach wasn't the only vehicle either, there were a fair number of other cars too.  I checked the map on my phone and there was nothing so I am guessing the coach sat nav was the same.  So we had to turn and the driver had to work out another route.  It said there was a diversion in place, but there were no diversion signs.

You may or may not know but the A12 is the main road up to East Anglia and once you go off it, the roads are single lane or less.  Difficult for a big coach!  So working out which roads to take (and missing a turning meaning he had to go round again) meant that instead of arriving early, we arrived late!  And the road closed sign appeared on my phone (so presumably on his sat nav) before we arrived but it was late and that was naughty of whoever has charge of that sort of thing.

After that, no problems.  I had less time than I thought before the gin tour but that was OK.  
I wandered along the beach, taking some photos, had an ice cream and turned up for the tour with ten minutes to spare. 

The tour of the Adnams distillery was excellent, much better than the last time I did it.  There was a family of four (grandma and three grandchildren - one of which might have been a in-law) and me which meant that it didn't take us too long to get to the various stopping points.

We watched a video first and then Ron (our guide) led us all.  He was so good, very knowledgeable, very funny and  vary caring.  The grandma might have been my age or maybe a bit older (it is so hard to tell) but not quite as mobile although the stairs were fine, she just had to be careful.  The other three were very solicitous too (I think that's the right word) in making sure she was ok.

The distillery.  It's not big (doesn't need to be) and makes vodka, gin and whisky.  It's very modern, fully automated and produced in batches rather than continuously - it's a small venture and you tend not to see their spirit products in the supermarkets except for local ones.

The view from one of the upper windows and, below, some of the machinery.

This is the family - they were celebrating their grandma's birthday which was a few months ago and this was their gift, I think.  They were all lovely!

Ron (below) took us into a small bar area and the tasting started.  Again, he was very good, talked about each sample before we tasted and poured pretty generously.

It was great fun.

After that, I headed up the high street and did a bit of shopping.  Fridge magnets, of course, and I bought a half price dress from White Stuff.
I was dismayed not to be able to find the cheese shop but the unit had become a craft area, showcasing members of the Suffolk Craft Society.

There was some lovely stuff, especially in the gallery upstairs and I got talking to the lady there who makes hooked rugs.  Well out of my price range but she also had greeting cards made from photos of her work and I bought a couple of them.  She doesn't have a web site so I can't point you that way.  Shame.

I also very much admired some ceramics and there is a site for that artist.  
Marie Coomber Ceramics
Sadly, the piece I particularly admired isn't shown.  It was too expensive anyway and I didn't fancy lugging it around Southwold foe the rest of the day without breaking something.  I did treat myself to a little jug though and I'll take a photo at some point - not now though.

I had a look around St Edmund's Church but I talked a lot about the church before so here's a link and some photos.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Edmund%27s_Church,_Southwold

I popped into the little museum (it hasn't changed) and into the Adnams shop because I had a 10% vouched from the tour but didn't get anything there.

Over the road from Adnams is a little triangular oasis of calm - a tiny wee garden that I don't remember from before although it must have been there.

I meandered back towards the sea, treated myself to a coffee in The Swan, Southwold's posh hotel . . . 

. . . before heading towards the Little Fish and Chip Shop for a very late lunch which I ate sitting on the sea front.

I say 'ate' but I could only manage half so I rewrapped the rest and when I got home I reheated it and enjoyed it for dinner.

Finally, I did another beach wander, back towards the pier, up and down the pier and then to the coach.

Such a lovely day.  Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and before we left, Jan and Ray had started organising another one for the last third of August.  

It's in my diary!