Sunday morning

It's a misty, moisty morning, as you can see from the photo, but it's the sort that will burn off later on when the sun comes out. Having looked at the ten day forecast for Crowborough, it looks as if we're going to get some pretty pleasant weather most of the time. Good-oh.

Well, the big thing for today is the Grandson's Christmas dinner! We have a nice looking organic free range chicken, some sausage and bacon and some of Delia's spiced red cabbage made yesterday from a red cabbage off DD's allotment (and it tastes absolutely wonderful), some runner beans (also off the allotment) and some left over ratatouille, plus roasties made with King Edwards off - yes, you've guessed it - the allotment. These are really our Christmas potatoes which she will dig up and I will prepare and freeze for the Big Day, so it is very appropriate that we use them for this meal as well. Oh, and we have stuffing as well - from a packet, of course, but I bet it's tasty anyway. DG, being a young teen, will be able to do much of it himself too, with just a little guidance at times and help at the end when things get - er - heated!

More info later!

Saturday evening . . .

. . . and I'm weary but happy. After some extremely heavy rain first thing, by eleven it had started cheering up and we went off to Tescos to get food for the next few days. We have a system to ensure no-one does too much work - we take it in turns day and day about to make lunch and dinner - breakfast sorts itself out really - and if you're the cook you are not the bottlewasher. Today it was DD's day and she used some of her garden/allotment vegetables (yes, even aubergines) to make a most delicious ratatouille which we devoured with great gusto, mopping every last bit of sauce from our bowls with chunks of a crusty baton. It really was scrummy and best of all there's some left over for another day. It's DG tomorrow and he's set on making a Christmas dinner. Eeeeek!

I must wax lyrical about the kitchen for a moment. It really is beautiful and very well stocked with equipment, pots, pans, china, glasswear, etc. It's a delight to work it, there's loads of room and working space. If I have any criticism it is that things are not organised all that intuitively - in other words I'd put stuff in different cupboards - but that's a minor niggle. You can see from the photos how nice it is.

When we got back from shopping we had an hour or so in the pool (lovely), then it was lunch. After that I went for a walk and picked some blackberries while DG played in the games room following which he and I knocked a table tennis ball around for a while - and he discovered that 'real' table tennis, even with jolly old Nan, is an awful lot harder than playing with his Miis on the Wii!
Then it was back to the barn for dinner.

I think I'm going to sleep well tonight.

Saturday morning

And this is the view from the dining room window this morning. Wetter than wet and, being a thatched cottage, the rain is dripping down to the considerable overhand and from there to the ground, making it look even wetter than it already is. I doubt we will go swimming this morning!

Never mind, we're on holiday, I can't feel guilty about not tidying my bedroom or thinking about planning, I am sitting here with the aroma of fresh coffee wafting round me, thinking about nothing in particular, grateful that the ground is getting the moisture it needs. Maybe it will brighten up later on. If it doesn't, perhaps we can go bowling or something like that.

Whatever we do, it will be great!

Streele Barn

The dining room - yes, I have my laptop all set up and ready.

Is this what you call an inglenook fireplace? It's just lovely and if it's cool of an evening we might light a fire.

The stairs leading to the gallery and the lovely beamed ceiling. There's a bedroom either side of the gallery, each with its own en-suite bathroom.

The view from the patio.

Part of my bedroom. It's about half as wide again and double the length at least. Yes, it's a double bed.
So you see, we are in luxury this week and feel thoroughly spoilt. It's nice.

Friday evening

Well, here we are at Streele Farm again, after a very busy couple of days doing all sorts of things in preparation. It's lovely to be back and even more lovely that, thanks to some very serious kindness, we are in Streele Barn rather than the Dairy. Three big bedrooms, a bathroom each and so much room. It really is delightful in here and reassuring to know that for both me and DD our houses are being well looked after by friendly and kindly house sitters.

I can feel the stresses and strains slowly seeping away and I'm gradually relaxing and getting sleepier and sleepier. We had a lovely dinner. Jacket potatoes with cheese and salad. The potatoes and most of the salad were still in the soil not that long ago and, my goodness, you can taste the difference.

So it's only right that the photos should be of the Barn and I will post them in a separate entry to make up for yesterday.

Wednesday

An unusual cosmos. It was a surprise, in fact I looked carefully because I thought it mught have been damaged by some pesky insect, but no. I rather like it and look forward to more of the same.


It's Wednesday and, for once, I remembered to put the recycling stuff out yesterday evening so I don't have to go running out in my dressing gown. After my recent deliveries I had rather a lot of cardboard boxes to dismantle and cut up and the recycling bag is full and overflowing into another bag. I was glad to get that done - thanks DD for helping.

Today is 'getting the house ready for visitors' day. It won't take long - well, it will but only because I will keep getting diverted into other stuff. One of these decades I will have a good declutter. The amount of stuff I have is totally ridiculous for someone living on her own! Not this week though. I wonder - am I hoarder because I am a teacher or am I a teacher because I hoard things? Answers on a postcard, please . . .

And finally, a whinge (not another one, do I hear you ask?). It's not fair, NOT FAIR! All my tomatoes are still as green as green and DD has a RED one! I bet mine will ripen while I'm away. Bound to! Mind you, with the large number on each of the three plants, I'm going to have a great time with them. Can't wait! But it would be nice to have some ripening before the start of the new term so I can go out early morning, pick my tomatoes and fry them for breakfast. That would be just lovely! Fingers crossed.

Tuesday

Ooops - missed yesterday's posting. To be fair, I was out all day more or less, and quite busy, but even so . . .
The car went in for its MOT and service yesterday. no nasty surprises, thank goodness, and it only cost what I expected it to cost. There's one little niggle that they want to look at again so it will have to go back in later on in the month. So today it's ho for the post office and road tax and then I will be all nice and legal.

Apart from that, I was helping DD to clear out some stuff and very satisfying it was too. Today I'm doing the same for myself. Funnily enough, when you do it for yourself it feels a lot less satisfying.

My heart goes out to everyone affected by the violent behaviours over the last few nights. Those who have damaged homes, those who have lost businesses, those who now have no jobs to go to. It's an odd way to protest about unemployment - to create even more unemployment.
And I believe insurance does not cover riot damage, which just makes it so much worse for individuals. Those responsible could so easily make a positive difference, so why do it like this? Because they find it fun? Exciting? Satisfying? I don't know, but it makes me feel sick.