Monday, 27-07-26

A very good morning to everyone.  A new week starts and it looks like more wall to wall sunshine after a cloudier morning yesterday and some actual, real, live rain.  Not much but enough to wet the ground.  It won't solve any water shortage issues but it did freshen up the atmosphere.

I made Beth's loaves and tried out a theory I had.  A short while ago, if you remember, I made a couple of loaves for her that rose almost scarily fast and, when baked, stuck to the tin that I covered the bottom loaf tin with for the great majority of the bake (I start from cold) and it was a nightmare to get it off the top of the loaf.  Well - I realised that I had just made some sourdough and decided not to clean Thermione but to mix the yeasted dough in the pan that had a bit of remaining sourdough.
I wondered if that little bit of sourdough created the super-rise so, yesterday, I deliberately added a bit of starter to the mix and, lo and behold, another super rise.  No sticking this time though because I oiled the tins I used as covers!

I need a loaf too so I'm going to try again today - just to check!

I said I'd show what I bought at the Show on Saturday so here goes.

A bit of a cheat, this, because I didn't buy it; it was a freebie and what a good freebie it is.  It's lovely and substantial and I will definitely be using it.

Two fridge magnets.  They are both from watercolours painted by the then Prince of Wales.  I love water colour paintings and chose these over a slightly more gaudy magnet.

My hands are very dry at the moment so I've started using beeswax hand balm again.  I got some in Crete which is still in use (you only need the tiniest amount) but I think it's an ongoing need now so I treated myself to these two from a stall.  The scents are gorgeous and the dry patches on my hands are so much softer again.

Five lovely cards - I'm always after a nice card or two.  These are prints from originals and just my thing.

The sunhat.
I've been looking for ages but couldn't find anything that didn't make me look like s Dingle Dangle Scarecrow (any one teaching primary in the 70s and 80s will recognise this) or a demented gardener.  This was just perfect, quite flattering and makes me look uncannily like my Mum at first glance.  A plus is that it rolls up and comes with a little bag for storage.

Just shiny hanging things that catch the light and move in the slightest breeze although, thinking about it, maybe it wasn't a particularly wise purchase - glass, reflection, direct sun = potential fire hazard in this weather if the air is very still.  It it's moving, no worries.

Hmmm - I'll ponder that one.

And, finally, of course, the show guide book.  Expensive but informative with a useful map and descriptions.  A nice memento.

The only thing I did set out to look for, a really decent pair of gardening gloves, was the one thing I missed.  I think the relevant stalls were the in the area I didn't have time or remaining energy to explore.  Not to worry, they are hardly a rare commodity.

I also have loads and loads of leaflets, business cards, etc, which I will be looking through and maybe accessing online to take a look.  

Now it's Monday and the only thing in the diary is circuits at Lindsey's.  
However, being Monday, it is downstairs cleaning day too and I want to make that bread as mentioned above so I won't be bored.

Have a lovely day, everyone, and I hope your weekend was the best.  See you!!!  xx

Sunday, 26-07-26 - Sandringham Flower Show

 Morning, everyone!  Welcome to Sunday.
Let's get a few things from Friday polished off first.

Eddie (bless him) came round, spent half an hour looking into my laptop (not literally, just exploring the files, etc), said I had more than enough RAM, found something that was causing a bit of a blockage, dealt with that and now things are proper back to normal again.  Phew.

And I've transferred what I need from savings to pay for the hearing aids on Wednesday.  A bit early but better safe than sorry.  I can now finish off the monthly accounts nice and early.

And for anyone who might be concerned (thanks, Annabeth), I don't live near where that dreadful explosion happened on Friday, nor did the smoke cause any issues round here at all, thank goodness. It was close to Hyde Hall, some people have been very affected and I feel for them; also for the fire fighters who had to go to hospital.

Thank goodness no-one was killed (as far as I know)

Now on to yesterday.  I'll just wander chronologically through my photos . . .

It was quite an early start but what a gorgeous day.  At Sandringham it was very hot but there was a breeze that made it all very pleasant.
We got there after ten so it was straight over - a short walk from the coach park, much better than Hampton Court last year.

Just outside the entrance to the show was a tent run by local churches with home made cakes, etc, and cold drinks.  It would have been rude not to have a delicious cheese scone and a can (who knew) of sparking water.

The famous church on the estate, the one we see on the news every Christmas morning when the Royal Family go to church and back again after the service.

It was open and I peeped in but it's only a small place and it was absolutely packed so I didn't bother.

There were some interesting 'pods' on show, all frighteningly expensive and which made me glad for my garden room, even if it's not as quirky!

Mind you -I could go for this - a cool tub would be great in this hot weather and a hot one for when it gets colder!!

There were some lovely greenhouses and lean-to cold frames, etc, which made me wonder about getting a cold frame to go against my house or against the garden room wall.
Something to think about for the future, perhaps.

Mindful Chef (the meal box people) had a show garden that was just what I would do if I had the money.  Obviously the garden room would stay but, as a concept - perfect!

Maybe I was a bit biased because they were handing out really good quality hessian tote bags that were a perfect size for little-legs me and which I will get great use from - but I don't think so.

A riot of flowers

And how they did this, just for the show, is beyond me - they looked as if they're always been there.  Loads of flowers but only a few beans, so far.

Courgettes and, behind them, broad beans, all looking remarkably healthy!  A shame picking wasn't allowed!!

Designed by Sophie Godber, the bumph said "Mindful Chef's Gathering is a living extension of our means.  It mirrors our love for diverse, plant-packed eating and showcases how a vibrant lifestyle starts from the ground up.  It's a riot of colour (I said that above, didn't I?) and flavour, designed to inspire thoughtful, sustainable cooking."

A bit wordy but I could see what they were getting at and I might take a look at their site.

I popped into the Lifestyle marquee - some lovely stuff for sale in there!

It was getting close to lunch time and the queues were building up so I decided to have it early while there were chairs available.  I had this - a Greek chicken wrap and it was absolutely lovely!

This was the stall and there was a queue that grew and grew.  A proper charcoal grill for the meat and you could see everything being assembled.  

I really enjoyed it - it reminded me of Crete.

I couldn't get a better angle for this wooden butterfly.

There are loads of very old trees on the estate which were cordoned round as they could be fragile and unsafe.  

While on the subject of trees, one tree looked weird with things hanging down.  Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be headphones that were tied to branches by their lead.  With them on, you heard a low rumble which was the tree moving and some pop-pop-pop sounds that was water travelling up the capillaries.  It was fascinating, almost musical and rather awesome - and judging by their facial expressions, others thought the same.

A few random photos . . .

I LOVE that name for tadpoles!

I spend a while looking at the Girlguide garden.  My Mum would have loved it - she was a keen Guide, ranger, captain and commissioner all through her life.

I'm not ashamed to say a few tears prickled . . .

This is a bench, seating the other side, and with the Guide promise cut out.  It's changed a lot since my short time as a Guide (and which I can still remember perfectly)

A badge blanket with all the garden/environmental/etc, badges that can be awarded.

The House!!  No union flag flying which was sensible of them.  

There was a small produce tent for fruit and veg - no jams, chutneys etc.
The quality was impressive.
This one was a collaborative entry from some group or other.  

It was hard not to reach out and taste some.

There was some lovely garden furniture plus sculptures, sparkly stuff, nick-nacks, etc, as well as plants.  I wasn't tempted by the sculptures on this stall but there was some lovely furniture and I'm hoping to hear back from him regarding something specific later today.
Tell you more, if . . .

I didn't actually get to see everything as I took my time and didn't rush.  There were talks, music, ice cream vans (mango sorbet cone, yum), all sorts of small displays, stalls, etc.  so I'm not concerned about what I didn't see.

I didn't take photos of everything I saw; there were far too many and lots of people milling round them.

Photo opportunity.  This was very pretty.

Heading back to the coach, I stopped off at the Delphinium restaurant in the Visitor's Centre and treated myself to a lovely pot of tea for one!  Really nice tea, proper tea leaves and a tea strainer and lovely china.

I looked in the shop with half an idea to buy myself a cup, sauce and plate but, my goodness, the prices!
A single tea plate was £20 and, should I foolishly had indulged in a three tier cake stand, it would have set me back £150!  Ouch.  
You will be glad to know I didn't . . .

And finally, as I had ten minutes before I needed to head back to the coach, I sat in an arbour in the shade in indulged in some people watching.

Such a lovely day

I didn't set out to buy anything in particular but, of course, I did get a few things including my fridge magnets, you will be glad to know.
I'll tell you about them in a separate post though - this one is quite long enough as it is.

So - a good journey, great weather and a really lovely day.  And now I have a gentle day to recover . . .

Friday, 20-07-26

A very good morning to you all.  Welcome to Friday's blog post.
We have sunshine this morning instead of cloud.  It feels nice right now and it looks like being much the same all day.

A few photos because there's nothing like being boring, is there!  :-)

The rhubarb is still trying to take over.  I'm not so tempted now as I think the stems will be getting a bit woody by now but just wait until next year.  I must look up some chutney recipes!

Glut incoming!!

I'm taking a bag of tomatoes for the Slimmer of the Week hamper this morning and there's still plenty left for each of today's meals.
Perfect!

Here we go - the three ripening Romas and I reckon I can pick them this evening for a pasta dish.  Three is plenty for one portion, given that they are very fleshy with few seeds (says the bumph about them).

I'm in a bit of a rush this morning because I slept longer and have to be out soon after eight (it is 7:53 right now) so apologies.

So it is Slimming world first, and early this afternoon my super computer whizz, Eddie, is coming over to see if he an work out why my laptop is running so very slowly at the moment, especially where images are concerned.

Fingers crossed because it is a bit of a pain, one way and another.

Just to let you know that there probably won't be a post tomorrow.  I'm off with the Broomfield Coach Trips people to Sandringham Flower  Show so will be out quite early.  I'll be back Sunday though.

Have a lovely day, everyone.  xx

Thursday, 23-07-26

Good morning, everyone!  Welcome to my Thursday blog.  The weather seems to have settled into a pattern - dull cloudy start, then the sun breaks through and it's lovely and warm, cooler evenings and a lovely cool night, perfect for good sleep!  The only thing that would make it better is rain - but only through the night, please.  :-)

After going out to pick some tomatoes, I took a few photos:

These are sitting on my kitchen window ledge but they're not all today's picking.  Some of the tomatoes on the left are ones that fell off so I brought them in to ripen.

It's a mix of sungold, honeycomb, Rapunzel, sweet millions and a few gardener's delight.  The only tomato not yet showing some colour is the Shirley, and they usually ripen a bit later.  Even the Alicante is blushing a bit.

As for the Roma, I may be making some sort of pasta thingy with them by the weekend.

Visually, I am quite missing some yellow and a bit of the variegated ones but I decided to go sensible this year so it's my own choice.

Lunch with Chris was great.  We went to The Hare which used to be good, then went really downhill, was taken over (I believe) and reports were that it was picking up again so we though we would give it a try.  Yes, it is definitely better - service was friendly, prompt and helpful and the food we had was plentiful - and they did doggy bags so it did my dinner too.  I will definitely go back there.
The only thing - they no longer do the small plates which is a shame and we mentioned that to our server.  Hopefully, she will report back.

I watched the recording of the new Sewing Bee programme.  I do love Sewing Bee.  Is anyone else watching it - what do you think so far?

Now, the car . . .

The garage lad (he looked so, so young), Kasey, turned up promptly to pick up the car and take it for its service and MOT.  By mid afternoon, she was back again and the news was good.

First of all, the tyres are still legal and fine although he said to pop in later in the year and he will check them for me again, to make sure.  That was good!
The air con is now running smoothly and without pong.

The cracked fog light cover has been replaced.

The only thing he queried was the cambelt because they should be replaced every ten years or roughly 100,000 miles, which ever comes first.  I had to check the previous paperwork but that was done by the previous garage at the ten year check so all good there too.
And there's no reason why it shouldn't do me for at least another year.  Yay!!

And the bill was far less than I was dreading - no new tyres (yet) of course.  So, all in all, a huge relief.  That's the last unknown bill for this month; I know how much else I need to pay now.

That being so, I sat down, did the maths (what's in the bank, take off next month's income, already in, take off the last two payments, allow a bit for food, etc,) and then worked out how much I needed to transfer over to pay for the hearing aids next Wednesday.  That amount is now winging its was over from short term savings and all is well.
By the middle of September, I should have replaced that in my savings, barring any unexpected disasters ( 😄 ).

And last night, after all that, I slept like a log.  In bed soon after eight, asleep almost immediately and I didn't wake until after five.  I must have really needed that sleep.

Chris can't make our coffee and chat today and there is absolutely nothing whatsoever in the diary.  I'm going to stay at home and potter - bit of sorting, bit of decluttering, bit of gardening, that sort of stuff.  More productive than it sounds.

Well, I must love you and leave you, as dear Diane Epps used to say.  I still miss her.
Have a lovely day and stay safe and well.  xx

Wednesday, 22-07-26

 Good morning, everyone.  It's another dull start to the day today after yesterday when it didn't brighten up at all.  It's not cold though so no way am I complaining.  Maybe some rain is on the way - let's check the BBC weather . . .

. . . er, nope, nothing in the next week or so.  Ho hum!  I am pleased to see the forecast for Sandringham has changed though; yesterday it forecast rain on and off all day on Saturday but now it says sunshine.  Why Sandringham?  Because I'm off on the coach to the flower show on Saturday, that's why.  A rainy day, however welcome the rain is, would be dismal.

Lunch with Diane yesterday was absolutely lovely.  Cressing Temple is quite a big area, not huge but enough not to feel crowded.  We had lunch first and then meandered to the walled garden where we sat and talked - and talked, and talked and . . . laughed a lot.  It was just lovely.

And when I got home, there was my shiny new tap, all installed and working.  Just a tap, nothing more fancy.  I'd love one of those fancy Quooker tap type things but that is well beyond what I want to splash out on right now.  But if I ever have my kitchen done and I might, it's showing its age now, that's something I will seriously consider.
Do any of you have one?  What do you think?  

On go today and I've done the garden tour, coming back in with a handful of tomatoes and a mini cucumber.  

I need to look decent by about 8:30 because someone will be picking up the car and taking it for its MOT/service.  I know they will say new tyres, I was told last year that they will need replacing this year so that's an ouch to start with.  Apart from that, fingers are very crossed.

To soften that, Chris and I are out for one of our infrequent lunches together.  We've had to reschedule this so often, I can hardly believe it is still going ahead but the table is booked and Chris will be driving.  That will be lovely.

So that is today - I doubt I will be doing any more than just the basics as far as housework is concerned so that's nice too.  :-)

Wishing everyone a really pleasant day, wherever you are.  xx

Tuesday, 21-07-26

Hey, everyone, welcome to Tuesday and we are in the last third of July now.   It's not quite so sunny (yet) and it is delightfully cool at the moment but I'm sure it will warm up at some point.

I got two loads of washing done (one was my bedding) and gave my bedroom a clean out so it's all neat in there.  I'm sure I sleep better in a tidier room (note - I said tidier, not tidy!) and clean sheets are always one of life's great pleasures!

Kay sorted out downstairs so, all in all, what with that and the washing and ironing done, it was all good.

And look . . .  

. . . at last, some colour.  It's actually more obvious in real life than on this photo and, not only that, but there's two starting to colour on the other Roma as well.
I think I need to cut back the lower leaves a bit more - give them a bit more light and air.

The foxgloves are nearly over now but sometimes, when I cut off the more or less dead spires, another grows from the same stem.
Nice.

And the Japanese anemones are now starting to flower.  They were a very poor show last year but are making up for it this year.  There's loads of buds..

I have a morning routine that I like to follow, assuming enough time, fine weather and time of year.  I come down, start the coffee, get out my meds and then wander into the garden, do a quick reccy, deadhead stuff, talk to the tomatoes, eliminate weeds, etc, and, if it's very hot, do a morning water.  No need for that at the moment.

Anyway, I find it very grounding.  Then I come in, grab my coffee and head to the laptop.  

Nice.

Today it is my friend, Diane's, birthday.  I'm driving over to hers, picking her up and we're heading to Cressing Temple Barns to have lunch in the Tiptree tea rooms there.  Then we can wander around the grounds.  It's so lovely there.

Cressing Temple

While I am out, Matt the Plumber will be round, replacing my drippy kitchen tap.  It will be lovely to not have to continually be wiping up water from around the bottom of the tap.  It's just as well I totally trust him as he knows the hiding place for my key!  We've done this before and it works really well.  He might still be working when I get home but perhaps not.

Have a really lovely day, everyone.  xx

Monday, 20-07-26

Good morning, everyone.  Welcome to sunny Monday.

Yesterday was nice and gentle.  I baked bread, cooked meals, took the bread round to Beth and stayed for her delicious home made soup with some of the bread for dinner/supper.  We ate out the back - she has a flat and thew outside space is communal.  Everyone is very friendly and chatty and it was lovely.

Today is another not doing very much sort of day.  There are no classes this week.  It is a Kay-day so while she is working her magic downstairs, I will give my bedroom a clear up and then attack the weeds.  You'd think they would have the decency to shrivel up and die in this dry weather but, dear me, no!  Pesky things.

That's it, really.  It is officially the first day of the summer holiday round here so it feels very appropriate to be doing nothing much at all.  :-)

Bye - see you tomorrow!  xx