Monday, 30-03-26

Morning, all, and welcome to a new week.  In some ways it is not a busy week as there's no classes but there's still things on.

Today:  Kay (confirmed)

Tuesday:  Sharon to do my hair
Wednesday: the usual new month stuff and message Kay (finance person, not cleaner)
Thursday:  coffee and chat with Chris who will be back from her cruise today and then Diane is round

Friday is clear.
No, definitely not busy but writing it like this fixes it in my elderly brain!!  😀

I might have already mentioned it, but Beth and Alex are coming round for lunch on Easter Sunday which is the ideal excuse to splash out on some lamb.  I love roast lamb but hardly ever have it because it is fiendishly expensive.  
I had thought I would shop later in the week but, when I checked my Morrisons App for any new deals, I saw that one was triple More Points, finishing yesterday.  So I finished my list and popped over.
They had loads of legs of lamb but, more to the point, they were less than half price if I used my More card (which I always do).  So a very decent leg of lamb was around £12-13.  Still not cheap but more affordable - so affordable that I bought three, one for Sunday and two for later in the year.  There were loads so I didn't feel guilty.
I also found a reduced pork joint and a few other meat items so I am super well stocked with meat now.  So much for reducing contents of my freezer.

Oh, well - sometimes you just have to.

So today is Kay-day and things are almost ready for her tender care.  I just have to tidy stuff on the table and put away the rest of the ironing, neither of which will take all that long.
Apart from that, I can complete the finances for March, I need to plan my meals for this week and my bedroom needs some attention so that means sheets to wash.  

And, joy of joys, the remaining episodes of The Other Bennet Sister have dropped into iPlayer so I have that to enjoy too.

At the moment, I'm reading Tracy Borman's 'The Stolen Crown', the story of the succession of Elizabeth I.  It's factual, not fiction, but reads very interestingly and I do enjoy history that is not too academic in form.  So I can get on with that too

I won't be bored, that's for sure.

Sunday, 29-03-26

Hi, everyone, welcome to British Summer Time and a heavy frost!  Classic!

Yesterday was another lovely day.  I finished off the washing and did most of the ironing:  there's just a little bit left which I will do after I've sent this.
The bread came out lovely and I took it over to Beth's in the afternoon where I had a good old chat before coming back home.

I think I might have already said that I'm not making bread for Lindsey as she's away for the week so I'm making some sourdough for myself this week.  I tend to have a mix of sourdough and yeasted, depending on how much time and energy I have.  Yeasted is a lot easier and very much quicker.  The starter is just on its last stretch and then I can start the dough.  It might be finished today or it might need the second rise in the fridge.
Then I want to make another batch for Diane to take when she comes around on Thursday so I will start that Tuesday.
And, finally, there will be more bread for Beth and Alex and I want to make some spiced Easter loaf (aka not-crossed loaf), pretty much the same as hot crossed buns but a lot less faff!
It's going to be a bready old week this week - how lovely!

Have you had a frost this morning too?  Stay warm and cosy and see you tomorrow.  xx

Saturday, 28-03-26

Good morning, everyone.  Welcome to a lovely, sunny Saturday morning here in mid-Essex.  It's none too warm but that's OK, the sun makes such a difference.

Yesterday wasn't sunny but it was a pleasant day for me, even if the washing did have to dry inside!  Slimming world was really good, there was a really positive vibe and loads of people.  I do love helping with the weighing - that way I get to exchange a few words with everyone.  The new magazine was out too and I'm looking forward to having a good browse through it later on today.

Alex came for his last cooking session for now with one exception.  He will be coming round on May 8th, his birthday, to make a birthday cake.  Isn't that nice?  Not that it is working to my strength but I am sure between us we can get something decent made.  At the moment he fancies a vanilla sponge with chocolate icing although that might change!

This morning, I have almost finished Beth's loaves.  They just need baking so I'm going to pop them in the oven after I've finished this so they will cool nicely before I take them over this afternoon.  
I have a bit more washing, plenty of ironing and some sorting out of the veg in the freezer but, apart from that, the day is my own.  Nice.

Have a lovely weekend, everyone.  Take care, stay safe and see you tomorrow.  xx

Friday, 27-03-26

Morning, all.  this week seems to have gone really quickly;  how can it possibly be Friday already.

Yesterday was a really pleasant day.  It was really cold but the sun shone and it was very cheering.  I had time to get everything done without feeling rushed before Val arrived and we had a lovely chat over soup and cheesy toast - yum!

That was about it really.  A gently, restful sort of day.

Today is the usual Friday - Slimming World and then Alex is round to make a Thai green curry.  This will be his last lesson for a while - I think he has other commitments coming up.  I think the weekend will be pretty gentle too.  Nice.

Have a lovely day, everyone, whatever the temperature.  xx

26-03-26

Morning, everyone.  Welcome to a very cold but beautifully sunny Thursday morning.  

Yesterday was a day of two halves.  I got all sorts of stuff done in the morning and in the afternoon I drove over to Lindsey's for P T and then went into school for a longer than usual governors' meeting with all sorts of stuff to discuss.  We were all tired by the end.

I've been discovering the new costume drama from the BBC, The Other Bennet Sister, which tells the story of Mary, the fifth sister who appears as merely a caricature in the book and, I seem to remember, didn't appear at all in a much earlier adaptation when I was much younger, she was that unimportant to the overall plot. 
I found the first five episodes on iPlayer, enjoyed them very much and looked for a Kindle book, only to find that I already had it.  I'm now enjoying that much more than the TV version, as I almost always do.  They have to cut so much out for TV and, as a result, have to adapt what they do include to make it all work.
Jane Austen it isn't but it's a good read.

Today, as Chris is still on holiday, there's no coffee and chat until my dear friend, Val, arrives for lunch.  I've made some soup and some bread - simple but tasty.

And now I'd better go and deal with things so I'm proper ready.  A bit of tidying is definitely needed!!
Have a lovely Thursday, everyone, whatever your plans.  xx

Wednesday, 25-03-26

Morning, my lovelies.  How are things for you this morning?

I'm sitting here, having woken at stupid o'clock, it's still dark so can't see the weather yet but the forecast is for sun and showers and a bit cold too.  Never mind, I've just finished my first coffee of the day, the one I have my collagen in.  I have no idea if it's helping yet - my skin feels softer but that could just be imagination, couldn't it?  And my joints are popping a bit less but that could be a phase.  
Time will tell.

Yesterday turned out really nice.  I got back from Groove, had an apple and a coffee and then set out for Longacres.  I might have mentioned last week but when I was away I got a bird bath, a quite cheap one, from a stall in Thrapston.  The chap suggested that I get some sort of rock/slab to put in the middle for the smaller birds as it was a bit deep.
So I looked and they had just what I needed. Odd prices though - one was £5.99 or you could get three for a tenner.  Shame I didn't need three really but not to worry.
I also wandered around inside and bought a birthday present for someone so that was good.

I had a wee look in B&Q which was next door and found this:

Not a great photos but never mind.

It was bone dry but still looked glossy and good with no wilting and lots of new leafage so I thought it worth a go.
The label said £19 which I gulped about a bit but got it anyway.  At the checkout it showed just £9.  You can't get a half posh bunch of flowers for that nowadays, can you?  So even if it only lasts the summer, that will be good.

After saying I had nothing much happening yesterday, I remembered that I'd been invited to the Y3/4 Easter Show which was a musical of Roald Dahl's Jack and the Beanstalk from his Revolting Rhymes.  It was fab, really good and I was so glad I was invited.  There are perks for Governors!

Today I want to spend some time in the kitchen.  I have a loaf to make and bake, soup to make for tomorrow and a fridge that needs a good clear out.  I also have those storage boxes which I plan to use to put bits and bobs from a couple of cupboards in - it should make them easier to access.  Later on I have personal training and then a governors' meeting so I must go through the paperwork too.

Better get started.  Have a good day and stay warm, dry and safe.  xx

Tuesday, 24-03-26

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to a forecast-to-get-chillier-and-wetter Tuesday morning.  It sounds like winter hasn't quite had the last word yet in some areas.

After giving my muslin cloths the hottest wash I could, I took a good look at them and decided that some were really past it (stains and holes) so they have been repurposed for car, window clearing, etc, etc, I looked on Amazon without much hope and there they were - babies muslin nappies much cheaper than I expected and, given that some of the ones I am using right now were bought nearly fifty years ago (Beth will be 48 this year), I reckon this lot will see me out and well beyond (Beth and/or Anna will take them over, I am sure).
Don't I live an exciting life?

Apart from that, Circuits was good as always but that's it for two weeks now - next week is the break between blocks and then it is Easter Bank Holiday.  I'm glad Lindsey is generous with her pre-records.

Kay couldn't come.  That's OK, things are tough right now and I'm the last one to want to make things harder.
So when I got home from circuits, I went out again.  First of all I went to B&M to look for plastic storage.  I didn't find what I wanted but they did have some jars of roasted red peppers very much cheaper than in places like Morrisons or even Aldi so I stocked up.
Then I went next door to Marriage's Mill Shop to stock up with rye and strong wholemeal flours before driving on to Sainsburys where I got my spelt flour plus a few other bits and bobs  I'm still not impressed with their range of clothing though.
Now I am well stocked with my different flours which makes me happy.  I think I have someone else to bake sourdough for, starting in the middle of May.  Plenty of opportunity to keep practising!

Today is Groove and then housework.  I'm glad I did most of the washing done yesterday and dried in the sunshine.  Those muslins should arrive sometime today and they will also need a wash before use.

Apart from that, the day's my own and, right now, I have no idea . . .  :-)

Hope you have a lovely day too.  xx