Tuesday, 29-09-26

Morning, my lovelies.  We have had some very welcome rain overnight - everything is still so very dry and it's going to take months before things are back to normal again.

Yesterday started busy and ended gently.
After circuits, I whizzed home, got changed, etc, and whizzed back out to gather the bus into town where I met Alex outside M&S.  Three quarters of an hour later we had sorted all Alex's Christmas gifts out and I had treated myself (bad me) to some Lush bath stuff and a really nice pair of earrings from an art shop.
Because wbhy not.

This art shop is a sort of collective shop that sells creations by local artists and crafts people and also supports people with challenges that make it hard for them to work.  I think it is run by the local church and I wish I could remember its name!!

After that we had lunch.  In my mind I had something like the M&S cafe but Alex had something else in mind so when I suggested Zizzi his face lit up!  So we went there and it was lovely.  We decided we ought to make this a monthly thing.

Once home, I collected my thoughts and then drove over to Beth with her bread and some tomatoes.

By the way, the change in technique worked for Lindsey's sourdough.   When it is wholegrain, you don't get the typical 'holes' in the crumb; it is more even. Mine is, anyway.  What you do get is the sourdough flavour, the rise and the digestibility!
Lindsey sent a photo to show me and she said it was absolutely delicious.  So that's good!!

Today it is Groove and another quick whizz round to freshen up and get changed before I have to pop into school for a SEND meeting.

Then the day's my own so it's housework stuff because it's much needed!  :-)

Have a good day, everyone, whatever the weather.  xx

Monday, 28-09-26

Really sorry - I wrote this on time and didn't post it by mistake.  Ooops!

Morning, everyone.  Welcome to Monday, so close to the end of the month now.  It's a bit of a dull start and predicted to stay that way most of the day but that's OK.

This is the cross stitch I am working on.  It's a kit I bought at the Sandringham Flower Show earlier this year and quite a challenge.  I don't normally need to tack in the guide lines, just use spatial skills but I did this time.  As you can see, I'm doing the 'twigs' and the berries all round and then there's quite a lot of top stitching for definition.
I'm not great at topstitching but am really enjoying it, all the same!

I got my four loaves baked,  You saw the photo of the yeasted ones which took all morning.  Lindsey's sourdoughs took all day and were baked in the evening.  I tried something I read somewhere and didn't do all the stretch and folds, just a good knead to start with and one more set after first rising.  They've risen fine but I will have to ask Lindsey what the crumb is like.

And I've finished KCSIIE!  Yay! I found that a summary of all the changes was one of the appendices  so I really have finished and I fervently hope I don't need to refer back to it during the year although, in the interests of thoroughness, I will go over the SEND section again, me being the SEND Link Governor.  It's a weight off my mind!

Today is busy!

First of all, there's circuits at Shimmy Studio.  Then it's a quick freshen up and change before catching the bus into town to meet up with Alex.  Beth's birthday is coming up and we're doing some birthday and Christmas present shopping together before we have lunch.  I'm really looking forward to it.

I think Beth has been dropping him a few heavy hints!
I might get a few bits for my own present list too, if I see anything.
Finally, once home (leaving Alex in town for something at the library), I need to drive over to Beth's with some tomatoes and her bread.  I should have taken them yesterday but rather thoughtlessly enjoyed a couple of glasses of nice red with lunch and I have a strict rule about no alcohol if I'm driving.

In the evening, I have some paperwork to look over for a meeting tomorrow but that shouldn't take too long.

If there's time, as all my payments, etc, have been made for this month, I will probably close this month's spreadsheet as see what (if anything) can either go into savings or carry over - probably the latter, what with Christmas spending, etc.

I think that's it.  Fingers crossed I haven't forgotten anything.  Have a lovely day, everyone.  xx

Sunday, 27-09-26

   Morning (just!) everyone.  A bit late this morning as I had a good lie in and have been making bread, both sourdough and yeasted.  The yeasted loaves are in the oven now so I'm keeping half an eye on the clock as I type.
(a good excuse for any typos!)

Isn't this nice?  I love it.  It's the cover of my diary for 2027.  I usually go for a marbled cover - yes, I pay extra for a pretty cover but I do have to look at it all year! - but this time, this one caught my eye.

Yesterday was, as expected, a quiet day.  I did some washing that dried on the line and I need to get that ironed at some point today.  I did some reading and some Governor stuff, continued with my cross stitch and watched more telly that I should really.

We had a beautiful sunset yesterday and that's another advantage of the trees being chopped back.  

There's two actually.  One is seeing sunsets in all their glory and also I can see the positive impact on my solar panels.  I know I rabbit on about those panels now and again but they have made such a difference to my spring/summer/autumn electricity usage and bills (around £20 per month and most of that is standing charge) and, since the tree chopping, as the days get shorter and the sun is lower, the panels are generating power much later in the day than before.

Don't get me wrong, I love those trees and would never want them cut right down, but I do appreciate some advantages when they have to be cut right back.

The Strictly season has started, of course.  I really enjoyed last night and I'm sure it will feature in my Sunday posts as time passes!

Today is still quiet but there's stuff to be done, all the same.  The aforementioned bread and ironing, of course plus bits and bobs.  I want to finish KCSIE and I'm nearing the end of a book I'd like to finish, maybe in bed this evening.

Finally (no cheering at the back, please), I've just taken Beth's loaves out of the oven.  Don't they look nice.

I use Thermione so it's perhaps all a bit of a cheat, but I mix and knead the sourdough first and remove it to a bowl.  Then I mix and knead the yeasted bread in the same bowl without cleaning it.  The little bit of sourdough really helps to get a great rise.

Better stop and send this as it's now afternoon, not morning.  I hope your Sunday is going really well.  
See you tomorrow.  xx  

Saturday, 26-09-26

 Morning, everyone!  It's the weekend, a few days of comparative rest for some and the sun is ashining brightly.
Thanks very much for all the fish and chips/fish on Friday comments - they were interesting.  

I got a real shock when I stepped on those scales yesterday at Slimming World.  I went, thinking that a maintain would be areal win but, somehow, not quite sure how, I lost two and a half pounds.  That cheered me up no end.

When I got home, I had a message from Beth.  She needed to be round here for one of those eye things where you dilate the pupils first  and couldn't drive afterwards.  So I took here, brought her back to mine and she stayed around until her vision settled again.  It was a good opportunity for a chat and she took some tomatoes with her - three cheers.

While we were waiting in the eye clinic, I got out my Kindle to read some more KCSIE, telling Beth what I was doing.  A lady opposite up laughed and said she'd ploughed through it at the beginning of September and then the new, considerably changed version was published mid-Septemberso she's now having to read it all through again.  Poor lady!
Anyway, I am on the appendices now so nearly there.

I took just a few garden photos yesterday:

The middle bed, the flower bed is looking just like a country cottage garden - crowded and loaded with colour.  Just what I want it to look like.  Not the best photo, I know, but you get the idea.

The tomatoes keep on giving.  They are slowing down now but I am now hoping for no frosts for a while.
And I am looking up green tomato chutney recipes and saving jars!

This was a surprise I only noticed yesterday.
Longer term readers might remember me getting a little fig bush, knowing that the British summer isn't long or warm enough to produce fruit that has time to ripen.
However - just look what I noticed.  Two ripe, nicely squidgy figs!  Yay.
I knew there was a reason why I bought some Serrano ham this week - not quite prosciutto but it'll do.  And while I don't have goats' cheese, I do have some real feta.
Guess what lunch is today!

I'm having a chilled weekend (another one) because next week is quite busy one way and another.

So today I will be menu planning, reading, cross stitching and generally taking things easy.  Nice.
Hoping your day is good too.  xx

Friday, 25-09-26

Good morning, you lovely people.  Welcome to Fish and Chips day - although I don't usually, do you?

It's chilly right now but I gather it will warm up in a while - typical Autumn weather, in fact.

Personal training yesterday was good, as it always is.  I don't have one next week as Lindsey is away, but I have plenty to work on so that's OK.  Lindsey posted a few things about hips mobility and leg strength on one of her groups and they both look the sort of thing I could work with.

Chris and I had a good old natter and I managed to palm off some of my tomatoes!  Hers are pretty much finished now and she bought some the other day so I wish I'd offered sooner.  Not to worry, she knows now.
Kay didn't come.  She's had a really rough time recently and is withdrawing from house cleaning until after Christmas when she will make a decision whether to resume or not.  I have every sympathy for her; life can be very challenging at times.

I'm ploughing through KCSIE.  I set my watch to fifteen  minutes at a time and it's really helped.  I'm now more than half way through and there are a lot of appendices that I don't have to do more than skim read so I'm confident that I will finish it today.  I'm also going to read through the summary of changes (there's quite a lot) which, I think, will be more relevant.

Finally, I had a lovely online chat with friends from the Slim Win group.  We haven't 'met' all summer so there was plenty to catch up on.

Today, being Friday, is Slimming World day.  I haven't been angelic this week so I'm not expecting any miracles - a maintain would be fantastic!  :-)

And no fish and chips.  I'm making Spanish white bean stew which looks both delicious and dead easy!  And healthy!

Have a lovely day and enjoy your fish and chips if that's what you're having.  xx

Thursday, 24-09-26

Morning, all.

After 'eeeking' at all the tomatoes yesterday, I set to and processed all the older ones into my version of passata.  I threw the lot into Thermione, added a splash of water, cooked them for 15 mins, gave them a good blend. pushed the lot through my mouli to catch any remain seeds (there were some) and then reduced it all down a bit on the hob.
The house smelled wonderful and the freezer groaned!

I've been liaising with Alex over Beth's birthday (next month) and Christmas presents and we had a bit of a Messenger chat about things.  I do like organising gifts, it is such fun.  I'd already ordered stuff from Temu and from Amazon and Alex choose what he would like to give.  I'm happy to give what he didn't choose as it's all nice.  We're meeting up next week to do some more gift shopping and, if time permits, have lunch together.  That will be lovely!  

I'm expecting the Amazon stuff to arrive today and I'm looking forward to tucking it all away with the other Christmas things.

I'm ploughing my way through KCSIE.  Honestly, it's a bit ridiculous.  Over a hundred (edit - two pages short of two hundred!) pages of solid stuff and everyone in education is required to read it - us (volunteer!!) Governors have to do it once a year; if we don't all sign something to say we have read it, it can trigger an OFSTED fail.
I never remember more than a little bit of it.  Don't get me wrong. it is a very, very important document, but . . .  < sigh >
I'll do a bit more this afternoon.

Today is busy - at least this morning is.  I have personal training at 8:15 so I need to leave just before eight.  When I get home, it is a quick freshen up and change before Chris comes over for our chat.  Then it's Kay, who had to reschedule from Monday.  Not that the last is 'busy', as such but I feel guilty about someone else working when I'm not and my bedroom needs some attention so - there you go!

Better get going, I guess.  At least this afternoon will be nice and relaxing (fingers crossed).

Take care, stay well and be happy.  xx

Wednesday, 23-09-26: just another day!

Morning, all.  Yesterday started off quite gloomy but brightened up beautifully a bit later on,  before clouding over again.  The evenings are definitely getting chilly though.  I'm eyeing up my crocheted blankets!  😉

Chris and I drove to Groove.  I'm finding that the classes I am going to are not comfortable for my knee but afterwards it feels a lot better, so that's great.  Groove was fun, Lindsey was in top form and there were lots of laughs.

I decided I ought to be a responsible governor and get my Safeguarding update training done so that's now all ticked off and recorded.  I also started ploughing my way through Keeping Children Safe In Education which is compulsory reading.  There's a lot of changes this year and it is a mega huge thing so I will take it slowly.

If I can get it finished today, I can sign to say I've done it and my conscience is clear.  I won't remember it, of course I won't, but I will have done the necessary.

There's nothing in the diary today so I think I will tackle some of the autumn gardening.  Not the tomatoes - they are still giving generously - but the cucumbers are over and the rhubarb is dying back.  Next year I can pull some and enjoy it but this year it will feed either the green bin or my compost..

I've just been out to pick tomatoes.  I didn't pick yesterday but even so, eeeek!!!  And I haven't shown you what I already have and not used . . .

More passata to make today.  Frozen in those silicon lego blockthings, they take up the least amount of room and I will use them through the winter and spring.

And some to give away too, definitely!  Chris, Tracy next door, Beth and Alex . . .

Finally, I have a very short shopping list so I'm going to pootle off to Morrisons at some point.

Have a good say, everyone.  Enjoy the last dregs of summer while it lasts.  See you tomorrow.  xx