Tuesday, 09-06-26

Good morning, all.  Welcome to my Tuesday blog.

Already this morning we have had sunshine, rain and then sunshine again it's not half past seven yet.  Very unpredictable weather.  It also felt quite chilly when I popped out to take a few photos.

Here they are.

The lavender smells gorgeous.  I will be harvesting it in due course.

It's getting a bit big - I think it needs a good old cut back come the autumn.

A four cm cucumber.  :-)

The first baby tomato (that I can find).  The others won't be far behind.

A few golden raspberries.  Any fruit is a bonus this year after the poor things got so dehydrated in April.

The first video I have taken on the new camera.  Just a panoramic thing from the back door.  Apologies for the traffic and the wind and for any heavy breathing - I'm very hay-fever wheezy at the moment.  

I'll be off to Groove with Chris in about an hour and a half.  We're planning to walk so fingers crossed.  After that, the day is my own and I'm not sure what I will do - maybe pop out somewhere, just to cheer me up.  I'll Have a lovely day, one and all.  xx

Monday, 08-06-26

Morning, all.  Guess what - it's raining.  Just for a change, you know!!  😃

It might brighten up though.  The clouds look quite high.  Fingers crossed.

A few garden photos first because why not.

Messy bits I don't usually show.  I'm not using those pots for tomatoes this year so they really need a proper clean and putting away.

More messy bits.  The water butt and I also prop the broom and the washing line up against it.

They're all useful though.

Happy rhubarb!

And a couple of pretties in the middle bed.

After yesterday's little moan (sorry for that), I DID get a bit of decluttering done.  You don't notice the difference but I know I've done it.  I have another little bit listed for today which should make a bit of a visible difference.

In the afternoon, I popped over to Beth with her bread and sat outside with a nice cuppa to chat.  
I came home feeling cheerful and started sorting out the very messy front patch which is now not an utter disgrace to a decent cul de sac!  Well, the border isn't, we won't talk about the grass which I didn't cut yesterday because it was damp and won't be cutting today unless the weather improves dramatically.

I was getting really concerned that I had seen no signs of my dahlias coming up neither round the back or at the front.  While the back ones were very young and started as bedding plants which maybe were engineered to not keep going (I don't know, just maybe), the front one, the confused dahlia is much older and established and I would miss it no end if it wasn't there.
So you can imagine my delight when I saw signs of growth on Saturday and yesterday it looked like this.  They do grow fast once they get going.

I'll keep looking round the back and if there's nothing in a week's time, I will see if there's any bedding plants remaining in a garden centre.  If not, no worries, there's always next year.

Something that really cheered me up - my lovely neighbour went strawberry picking and brought round a pot with eight beauties in it for me.  Wasn't that kind?  They were lovely.

The one downer yesterday was the hay fever.  I truly thought I was growing out of it at last as symptoms have been so mild for ages now but this year - oh, my word.  Yesterday was awful, despite medication, and this morning isn't great either.  Ears, eyes, nose, sore throat, itchy skin.  Yuck.  I wish I could do a Paddington with a couple of toothbrushes.  In case you don't know, here's the link to a YouTube clip.  It makes me laugh every time.

I mut do some washing today so I've already got one load in and a couple more lines up.  I'll be off to Circuits in a while and then, when I come back, it is Monday so downstairs housework day.  If it doesn't rain again, I might give the 'lawn' a high cut, just to sort out the worst.

It feels nice to have a list!  😏
Have a lovely Monday, everyone.  Stay dry and be happy.  xx

Sunday, 07-06-26

Good morning, everyone.  Welcome to Sunday.

It's another of those days where the sun doesn't know if it's coming or going and the rain clouds can't make up their minds either.  It's all a bit dismal really.  What's it like your way?

Yesterday happened.  
I baked bread, roasted chicken, stripped the bones and made stock and I made a batch of Roy's white bean Alfredo sauce that I use to top lasagnes, etc.
I managed to break off the top of one of the tomato plants as I was tying it up which I was cross with myself for but this morning a little side shoot is forming just below the break so fingers crossed.
I didn't declutter anything.  < sigh >

Oh, and I got my old, defunct PC over to Steve who is very kindly going to make it secure (remove something or other) and take the rest to the dump along with some of his stuff.

Today - well, no idea but maybe I will manage to declutter just one drawer . . . make it manageable.  And I will be taking the loaves over to Beth this afternoon.

Things are a bit depressing round here right now because - well, I'm not going to get into politics, either with a capital letter or now so just let's say I am saddened and worried . . . and I'm saying no more.

Goodness, what a miserable post.  Sorry, all, I will cheer up, I promise.  Take care, enjoy your Sunday and see you tomorrow.  xx

Saturday, 06-06-26

Good morning, all.  Happy Saturday, even if it has been raining and looks as if it will start again soon.

Starting with some photos - the blueberries are blueing nicely . . .

. . . but the last pear has dropped.  RIP little pear!

A nice splash of colour.

My home is smelling very fragrant at 07:30-ish as I'm roasting a chicken crown that will feed me for much of the week in various ways.  I've also started off some sourdough, for Beth this time, not Lindsey, as she still has some to use from previous bakings.

Yesterday's weather was so much nicer.  It wasn't hot but we had plenty of sunshine.  Cheering.

SW group was good (I lost a bit, yay) and how can a small shop amount to so much?  Sign of the times, isn't it?

Today is a homey day, I think.  There's nothing in the diary and plenty to be getting on with inside.  There's the declutter of my bedroom, for a start, and I want to make another batch of a bean-based white sauce for the freezer as I used the last portion yesterday.

Right, time for some stretch and folds and I need to check the chicken so I will love you and leave you.  Have a really lovely Saturday, however you spend it.  All the best.  xx

Friday, 05-06-26

Morning, everyone.  Today has started nice and sunny again but it did yesterday and ooops!  Not a great day weather wise although, to be fair, we did get some sunshine.

I had a nice chat with Chris before finishing off the OFSTED Training and then, later on, attending one entitled Handling Complaints in School.  It really was very good indeed - very informative and helpful.
I've got two more coming up in the next month - next week's one should be heavy, all about exclusions, both short term and permanent.  We ought to know about that as it is wrapped around with statutory stuff.
And the other should be much more positive - Supporting Your Head Teacher.
I will be all trained out by the end of term!

Today, as usual, starts with Slimming World followed by a weekly shop in Morrisons.  I have a very short list this week which is great.

And then . . . ?  Maybe bedroom, maybe garden - probably not both though!

One of the hanging baskets, taken between showers yesterday.

And I have six cucumbers coming along, still very small; the biggest one is 2cms long but it's a mini one so that's not bad.  Once they really get going they grow very quickly so guess what I will be taking for the SW hamper once that happens!  :-)

Happy Friday, everyone.  Wishing you a lovely, happy, satisfying day.  xx

Thursday, 04-06-26

Morning, everyone, and hasn't it turned cold!!!  I have my snuggle hood on (the long one) and last night I had my electric blanket on to warm the bed.  Brrrr.

The heating hasn't quite clicked on but it is close to doing so!
Come back, summer!

I planned to blitz my bedroom yesterday, didn't I?  Famous Last Words!  I was asked a question about some of the Governors' training and answering that pushed me into a rabbit hole, so to speak, and I spent much of the day catching up on training I should have done last week.
It was good, it was worth doing, but I still have a cluttered bedroom!

Oh, well . . . and I did manage to bake some bread in between PowerPoint slides!

By the time I left for personal training, my brain was aching and some exercise was just what I needed to clear it.

And I slept like a log - once I had warmed up.

It's Thursday which means Coffee and Chat with Chris.  I'm at hers this week and it's safe to bet that we won't be sitting out in the warm sunshine this week!
Then I want to finish one lot of training before the next one goes live late afternoon.  Another brain-ache day but it will be good to get it done and my Governors' training record looks quite impressive.  It doesn't mean I REMEMBER it, of course, just that I've DONE it!  :-)

So that's today and maybe it is just as well the there's no enticement to sit out in the sun (or shade) and read today!

And having just written that last, the sun seems to be coming out to play.
That's life!

Have a great day, everyone.  See you tomorrow!  xx

Wednesday, 03-06-26

Good morning, everyone.  I've woken up to sunshine which is nice, and it was cool overnight - it's lovely to be able to snuggle under my duvet and I sleep so much better than lying on top.  Just a sheet to cover doesn't do it for me, not at all.

Let's get the boring garden photos over and done with, shall we?

A bit small and a bit sparse but, given that I thought I'd killed them for this year (lack of water while I was away), I will take whatever I get with gratitude.  The autumn raspberries seem to be recovering too so fingers crossed

The very sad news is that another baby pear has dropped.  Just one remaining and I have no real hopes.

Yay.  Growing slowly!

And the newly planted rhubarb seems very happy and is growing fast.  I'm so, so tempted but no . . . not this year. 

No baby tomatoes yet but I live in hopes!  :-)

Chris came over for a pre-recorded Groove session yesterday morning.  It was a real blast from the past when she was still in her old house and had a fringe!  😊

It was much more fun doing it with someone else than just on my own.

The sun came out later on, which was nice, and I did this and that around the house in between catching up on my sleep - I wasn't in bed until after midnight on Monday (because of the show) and woke at my usual time of just before five so a bit of a catch up kip was very welcome.

Today, there's nothing in the diary until personal training so I am taking bin bags up to my bedroom and starting a good old clear out.  It gets so, so cluttered and, while I do tidy, things need sorting out properly so that's what I am going to do.  Then it is PT so I will get a good old stretch and tone.  Perfect.

Have a lovely Wednesday, everyone.  Stay safe!  xx