Tuesday

 Morning, everyone.

I had a great journey up to Thoresby Hall.  Five minutes to the A1, ten minutes off the A1 to the hall t'other end and the traffic was pretty light for such a main road.  No holdups whatsoever which was absolutely amazing.  I was a bit early but they were letting cars in so I had a little explore before unloading.  I've brought far too much, of course.  Next time I will know better.  

After unloading and unpacking, first of all I scoffed some of the goodies left for me in the room and enjoyed a cuppa coffee before pinning down certain essential services!  I found the pool and got a sheet explaining how it's all organised.  My fond hopes of an early morning swim were dashed when I learnt that the pool opens at 8:30, exactly when I have breakfast booked, and ditto for the evening as it closes at 4:30.  Never mind, there are plenty of other times.

Then I got connected up - very important - although I don't seem to be able to work out how to connect my phone.  Not to worry, I will have another go later.  It's not the end of the world; laptops are far more important.

And then I located where I'm eating.  Never say I don't have my priorities!  :-)

Finally, I went for a walk around and got semi lost - and by that I mean I couldn't find where I left the building to get back in but there are other doors!  I took some photos, of course.

For guests who refuse to obey the Covid 19 restrictions, perhaps?

It really is a very attractive place.  I wonder what its history is.

I'll be exploring some of these, for sure.

I am presuming a family pets' graveyard.  They are very old.

There's not much to see in the gardens now but it will be beautiful in the summer months.

Dinner was OK.  I wouldn't say it was anything special but it was nice.  A starter of a mini deli platter, followed by katsu curry with rice and prawn crackers and a cheesecake for dessert.  All nice, just a shame the curry had an overwhelming taste of leaf coriander and I'm one of those unlucky people to whom leaf coriander tastes of soap.  Oh, well . . .

I sat in the 'Big Hall' after dinner and listened to some cabaret.  Nice, bluesy, easy listening stuff and the pianist was great in an understated way.  I will maybe go back there again this evening.

So - what to do today?  Shall I swim and chill in the morning and explore in the afternoon or t'other way round.  Or there's a trivia quiz, an organised afternoon stroll, some line dancing ('we'll teach you some steps . . '.) and a multimedia quiz.  Oh, and a pre dinner cabaret.
Decisions, decisions!

(must locate the Pavilion Theatre)

Such a hard life, isn't it!
(and yes, I'm awake at stupid o'clock but it doesn't matter.  I have coffee . . .)

Monday

 Good morning, everyone.   After another horribly wet day yesterday, it seems to have cleared up a bit overnight so my fingers are crossed for today.  I woke feeling very cold so I grabbed a cellular blanket from Dad's airing cupboard, turned on the electric blanket and put on my dressing gown that I keep here and now I'm as snug as a bug in a rug.  

In a little while I need to get the bedding off this bed and into the washing machine pronto.  It needs doing but Dad's lovely cleaner is here this morning and will need the washing machine so I'm getting mine done beforehand.  I suppose I could leave it for Gail to do but that doesn't seem right.  She works really hard to keep Dad's home looking nice for him and always gives over and above so it wouldn't be fair really.

Yesterday was another gentle day.  I didn't do much apart from the meal prepping and a bit of other stuff for Dad.  He's a grand old chap, manages extremely well by himself with the various people who help out and I am always glad to do my little bit as well.  He'll be 92 next month - that's a great age to achieve.

I'm not in a hurry to leave this morning.  Usually I get going just after nine so I'm well home by ten thirty but, of course, I'm going on up the A1 today.  I can't get to Thoresby Hall until three at the earliest and, as Dad reckons it takes around two and a half hours from here, I will have an early light lunch and leave at twelve thirty.

I'll let you know what I find the other end!!  xx

Sunday

 Good morning.  It was another yucky weather day yesterday with rain, rain and yet more rain although, thank goodness, there was no wind to speak of.  I went out to do an early morning shop and, when I left home, it seemed to be clearing up a bit but by the time I left the shop it was pelting it down.  I was thankful for my hood.
And it is still raining now.

I forgot to mention yesterday that the parcel arrived on Friday in good time.  It was some shoes from Hotter, rather an impulse but but I had realised that I didn't really have any shoes that worked with leggings/jeggings so when I saw these I jumped on them!

Sort of like pumps but proper shoes with a bit more substance to them.  They'll look fine with all sorts or things, I think.  I really did want to take them with me so it was worth waiting.  Not the sort of thing I'd want to wear for a walk out in the country.  For a start, I wonder how they will stay on!  :-)

I did a bit more indulgent, holiday shopping at Tescos.  They didn't have any nighties but they had a good range of PJs so that was fine.  I slept more comfortably overnight - I've never been one for sleeping in the buff.  I also get a cordless mouse for my laptop, a USB hub, some slightly sparkly slip on shoes (not great quality but they won't get hard wear), a nice little bag (on special) and a dress.  It's great that this season's dresses seem to be nice and loose fitting which suits me down to the ground.

On the slightly more frugal side, I got three pots of noodles of various kinds (not Pot Noodles, slightly more up market!) for lunches next week.  One of them with a couple of hi fi bars (a Slimming World product) and a piece of fruit will save me a fortune, having looked at the lunch menu for Thoresby Hall (ouch).  I'll have had a good breakfast and there will be a good dinner so a more snacky meal will be enough.  And if I'm out, the fruit and the bars will be sufficient.

Dave and Anna arrived a bit late - they'd had to make a detour as the centre of Bishop's Stortford was flooded.  I don't go that way nowadays but know where they had the problems.  It can be very puddly and more at that point.  We had a very pleasant lunch and chat and it was quite late in the afternoon before they left.

Today is another easy day.  Cooking, social mediating, knitting, reading.  Definitely no going out, the way the rain is falling right now.  I'm just hoping it will have cleared up a bit by tomorrow lunchtime.
Have a pleasant day and I hope you can stay warm and dry.  xx

Saturday

 Good morning, everyone.  Well, we certainly got some 'weather' yesterday!  It lashed with rain all morning and much of the afternoon and I got soaked loading up the car.  I had more to load than usual because I had one case for Dad's and another for Thoresby Hall plus separate 'other stuff' bags for convenience.  

It wasn't very nice driving over, particularly my end of the journey.  It eased off three quarters of the way there and Dad said they had had nothing like the rain we had.  It had been wet but ordinary wet.

Unloading was a lot easier!!!

I'm here now anyway, sitting up in bed and typing on my laptop, coffee to hand.  Talk about easy living.  In a little while I will get up and pop over to Tescos to get a few bits and bobs including some sort of nightie as, silly me, I forgot to pack one.  Oh well, it's not the sort of thing that won't get used afterwards is it?

Dave and Anna are coming over for lunch, hence the need to get in some bits and bobs.  It'll be very nice to see them again.

That's it really.  I have no specific plans other than the above.  What I do have is my laptop, my knitting, my kindle and some magazines so I will be perfectly content.

Living a happy life.  xx

Friday

 Good morning!  It's not nice outside and, I gather, will remain not nice for a few days.  Thank goodness for warm homes and watertight transport!

The biggie this morning is that Mr and Mrs Trump have tested positive for Covid 19.  While I am sorry for anyone who has this most unpleasant and dangerous virus, there is a bit of unholy glee inside of me that I am doing my best to smother because it isn't nice, not kind at all.

But, as a week ago he was telling Americans  not to worry about Covid-19 because "it affects virtually nobody except the elderly and those with heart conditions", there's more than an element of poetic justice about the whole thing, isn't there?  I just wonder how many others he and his wife have infected.  And it will play havoc with his re-election campaign; I'm just wondering how he will manipulate this one.  Aren't I horrible!

On to more pleasant things, yesterday was satisfyingly busy.  The fridge has had a jolly good clean out and I was pleased how little had to be discarded.  I've cut down the remaining green tomatoes and they are sitting on a couple of trays now.  I always find this very sad.  I dearly love having unlimited and free tomatoes and they've been superb this year.  Now all that's left are browning and bedraggled plants, waiting to be pulled up and discarded - which I will do when I get home again.

Today I finish off all the bits and bobs, do a final reccy over everything, pack and leave.  First of all though, Sharon is coming to work her usual magic on my hair.  Great timing, isn't it?

I actually can't leave until a parcel arrives.  On Wednesday morning I ordered some shoes from Hotter and paid extra for next day delivery which I assumed meant Thursday.  That's what the bumph indicated anyway.  But no, they will be delivered today!  So I will wait.  They'd better!

I'll carry on blogging over the coming week and should have plenty of photos to show off.

Thursday

 Good morning.  A clear, square, simple font today.  It's called 'Rubik' and I can see why.  There should be no difficulties with this one, I think (and hope).

Well, first things first - pinch and punch for the first of the month and no returns!  :-)
I'm finding it hard to believe that it's really October.  The tenth month of the year, the month of clock change, falling leaves, storms, lengthening nights, increasingly filtered sunshine, holidays  and two birthdays.

Both Mum and Beth had/have their birthdays this month.  Beth's expected date was actually on Mum's birthday but she decided to hold on another week.  I sorted out her gift when I saw her earlier this week so that's really all done and dusted - I have sent over the cash and she will get the item.  I'm hoping she can come over for a nice meal and stay the night so a bottle can be opened.  Normally she'd be meeting up with friends but in this current situation that would be neither desirable or wise and Beth, with her health issues, is not stupid nor is she careless.  Fingers crossed we will be allowed to get together by then but if not, then another time.

Ever since I retired, I have taken great delight in going on holiday in October.  It's a sort of 'yah, boo, to you' kind of thing and always makes me smile to think that I am no longer chained to school holidays.  It's become a sort of tradition and my fingers are crossed that it will still happen, given that restrictions can be imposed at a moment's notice (and fair enough).
I'm working out my own safety measures for next week - basically always wearing a mask indoors (which is now legal anyway), staying away from others and being outside (weather permitting) as much as I can.  I'm going away on my own and have no expectation of mixing with any other groups so it should be fine.
However, as a precautionary thing, I won't be stopping off at Dad's on the way home and I will be leaving a fortnight before I next visit him.  We both agree that this is the best thing to do.

Yesterday more or less went according to plan with one extra - son, Dave, popped round for coffee and a chat which was lovely.  I got lots of bits and bobs done and have more or less sorted out the clothes I need to pack - I won't actually put them in the case until tomorrow morning.  I finalised things with the house sitter so that's all OK.  Personal training was great and tuition was enjoyable.  All in all, it was a super day.

Today is very much more of the same.
I have a list of Things To Do which include clearing out the fridge and cutting the rest of the tomatoes, ripe or not.  They will just have to sit in a couple of plastic trays and ripen for the house sitter, S, to go at during the week.  Any that don't ripen will go into some sort of chutney.

Eileen and anyone else interested - I used the Kekue microwave grill to make a breakfast toastie (bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms and cheese) yesterday and it was great.  Dead easy and delicious.  So far, so good.  I'm using it again this evening to cook some steak and will let you know.

Have a lovely day on this first of October.  I'm looking forward to reading what Sue (My Quiet Life) says about it - I love her month info posts.
Here's the link:
https://attheendofasuffolklane.blogspot.com/2020/10/october-2020.html

Wednesday

 Good morning, everyone.  Here's today's offering, called Cormorant Upright.  It is quite a small one and I've tried the next size but that comes out huge.  I do have a liking for these italic-y type letters, don't I?

Yesterday it rained.  All morning  it mizzled and drizzled before the sun finally struggled out, gave up and misted over again.  It wasn't cold, thankfully, and once the rain stopped it was quite bright, pleasant enough to make the harvesting trip to the allotment a pleasant experience.

I didn't go to aqua in the end.  My neck/shoulder ache was niggling and I though it better not to so I cancelled online, stayed home and pottered.  There was a bit of ironing, some trying on of new clothes and some sorting out of things I want to take for next week so that kept me occupied.

Tuition was great.  I always like it when there's something new to the student to get their teeth into and, almost always, the reaction is very positive.  By the end, place value with decimal numbers, rounding to a specific number of decimal places and long multiplication of decimal numbers had all been gobbled up with great glee!  There's three weeks before the next session - holiday and then the dental implant surgery - so I'll need to revisit it all.

Today is, again, blank in the diary apart from personal training and a tuition session.  I have a load of washing on and hope to have that all sorted out before bedtime and will set out the rest of what I want to pack in the blue room.  

There's more shifting things around to do, weather permitting, and a bit of general tidying up as well.  That should keep me occupied and happy!

I saw mentioned, on a vlog, that Dunelm has got its Christmas stock in.  Oh, dear, what a shame, how sad, etc.  That's a pleasant visit for some time in the future, lockdown permitting.  I do love looking round Christmas tut, even in October!

That's enough of the C word - thanks for reading and I hope this font isn't too small.  Stay safe and be happy.  xx

Edit:
Adding just a bit to show the next size up.  It looks enormous to me; how does it seem to you?