Thursday, 12-02-26

 Morning.  Overslept, running late.  I'll post later.  :-)

Ooops - good afternoon, everyone.  Sorry about this morning, time just ran away!

Yesterday was a contrast sandwich!  The 'bread' was two fitness times, Groove in the morning and Personal Training late afternoon and between those two I relaxed and pretty much caught up with sleep.  Nothing much to write about, to be honest, so I will keep this really short and just wish you a happy Thursday, however you are spending it.
xx

Wednesday, 11-02-26

Good morning, everyone.  I'm feeling weary this morning after a restless night but that's OK.  

Yesterday was all change.
First of all, Sharon:  Hi Joy, can I come later today.  Good - no clash with Kay now.
Then Kay :  Hi Joy - I have a migraine, can I come tomorrow or Thursday?  I remember my Mum with migraines - not nice at all, so, of course, I agreed.

Come late afternoon, I set off for Hylands, where the conference was.
I glanced over the parking instruction, saw 'not' and 'front' and assumed it meant to park the Writtle end of the grounds.  Strange, quite a bit of walking but never mind.  Easier to get there.  So I arrived, parked and walked up the slight hill to the conference (ten minutes, pouring rain, thank goodness for umbrellas), and saw that everyone else had parked at the front.  Urgh???  Oh, well.

Had the hot buffet meal (delicious) and then there was an announcement to the effect that anyone who had parked at the Writtle end needed to go and move or they would be locked in overnight (the car, not the people!!)
There were four of us so back we went, totally dark by now, still pouring with rain.

The way to the front entrance isn't complicated but it does involve roundabouts including two you have to go right round in the rush hour traffic and an unlit road.  In the pouring rain.  Exactly the driving conditions I avoid if I possibly can.
I have to admit, I found it all very stressful but got there in the end and all I missed were the opening comments from our director of education and County Hall.  So no worries!

The rest of it was very good, very useful, inspiring in parts and I was glad I went.

And - lesson learned - next time, read the parking staff carefully and don't assume.
(it said don't park right in front of the house!!)

If there had been any alcohol in the house when I got home, there wouldn't be now as I was still pretty stressed but there wasn't which is probably just as well.  It did result in a restless night though but I can catch up on sleep and, little as I feel like it, an online groove session this morning is just what's needed to ground me.

I don't know if Kay is coming today or tomorrow yet but it doesn't matter.  I have personal training in the afternoon and I bet I sleep like a log this evening!  

Have a good day, one and all.  xx

Tuesday, 10-02-26

Morning, all.  How's life?

It's dull and dreary here (again) but the days are getting longer and the mornings lighter.  Once the clocks go forward again, it will be so much nicer in the evenings too.  

I'm trying to think what happened yesterday.  Oh, yes - circuits first of all which was really good.  Then I came home and decided that, as I was really short of rye and spelt flours and quite short on strong wholemeal, I would take a drive to Marriages and replenish my stock.
Sadly, they only do wholemeal spelt in 6k bags so I then went a bit further round to Sainsburys where I got the spelt, some dishwasher powder (I always use powder because I have control over how much to use) and a few other bits and bobs, the most exciting of which was a pack of three pairs of black socks for my fitness times.

I've accepted that using a spike stitch will not work for the top down jumper (too wide and not long enough) so I've frogged it all and will start again the proper way.  No worries, now I know!  Maybe I will have another go but make my own pattern - if I can be bothered.

Today is a bit packed.
It starts with Groove - the weather looks a bit doubtful so I don't know if we will walk or not.
Then Kay comes and that's a time when I disappear into my bedroom and give it a good going over. 
Early afternoon, the lovely Sharon comes to do my hair.

Finally, early evening, I am off to a conference for school governors.  Hot buffet and various speeches, the most important of which is a senior Ofsted HMI talking about 'the role of governors in the renewed framework'.  I've already been to some internal training on this and my personal feeling is that they expect an awful lot from people who are fulfilling a voluntary role.  It is important though so I'm glad I'm going - and there's a free buffet AND it counts as my governors' training for this term.  Must remember to record it in the hub.
And must remember to take notes (yawn).

Well, time to bath and get ready for the day.  Have a good day, one and all!  See you tomorrow.  xx

Monday, 09-02-26

Morning, all.  It's the 9th and we are pretty much a third of the way through February - just saying!
That cheers me up no end.

After my mini whinge yesterday (thank you for all your supporting and empathic comments - they are appreciated very much) , we had sunshine.  More than just a bit too.  It inspired me to take a few shots of the garden - first of 2026, I believe.  These are all from the back.

The hyacinths are budding up.

Lavender - a newer one in a pot.  The old one isn't looking so happy (top left) so we will see . . .

Lupin spikes although what's the betting we get a later cold spell and it kills these off.  By the time it recovers, it will be too late to flower.

I'm going to have to be ruthless with the foxgloves - I don't want TOO many.

Ooops.  Your days are numbered!!

Clematis.  This particular bit will go when I prune it back when there's more growth at the bottom.

I did something different with Beth's loaves - I used two smaller tins instead of the bigger one and I tried a bake from cold.  As you can see, both were a success - what a rise!
I  must try the cold bake on the sourdoughs now and perhaps I will make two smaller loaves as well.

Moving on to today and I'm all ready to pop over to Lindsey's for circuits.  Being Monday, it is usually housework day but as it's a Kay-day tomorrow, I am going to focus on a good old tidy up.  The place is looking a bit cluttered.
There's a bit of washing/ironing too.

Better stop waffling.  Have a lovely day, everyone, and may the sun shine again for us all.  xx

Sunday, 08-02-26

Morning, everyone.

First of all, apologies for yesterday - after a bad night, I wasn't feeling great yesterday morning and decided to take a day off.  There's not much to write about anyway at the moment.  I suppose, what with the ongoing rain and winter dragging on, it all just feels a bit dreary and - not boring exactly, maybe I mean monotonous!

Anyway, I'm fine today, slept well and here I am.

Cooking with Alex went well and he made a delicious looking beany crumble for him and Beth as well as taking home more of base and topping for the freezer.

I can't think of anything else really - oh, yes, I started the top down jumper but decided to try the spike stitch rather than a plain granny cluster stitch.  It went well but I forgot the corners came out too big and I started the sleeves too soon so it was a bit tight under the arms, so I have just frogged most of it and will start again because I think it will look quite good so I want it right.  It will gobble up some of my leftover yarn so that has to be good too.

Today, later on, I am popping round to Beth's with her loaf and for a chat.  That will be nice.  Apart from that (and meals) I will be working on the jumper and watching stuff on the telly.

Are you finding things just a bit same-y at the moment or do you have more to do than you can shake a cat at?
(What an odd saying - who ever would want to shake a cat at anything?)

Wishing you a lovely day.  Stay dry, warm and happy.  xx

Friday, 06-02-26

Morning, everyone!  Hey, guess what!  It's raining cats and dogs - quelle surprise!!
It has to stop soon, surely.  Such a worry for people who live in areas that flood easily and very unpleasant for those with outdoor jobs - postmen, for example, or the dustmen (which includes women too, of course).

Chris dodged the raindrops over to my house yesterday morning and we had a nice, cosy chat about this, that and the other.  I so enjoy these times - if, for some reason, we can't make it, we usually chat online, like we did during lockdown.  There's good and there's bad about the Internet but being able to chat online is definitely good.

After breakfast (spiced apple waffles, yummy), I drove round the corner to Morrisons (wasn't going to walk in that rain) and, for once, did quite a small shop.  Now I am topped up with rinse aid and washing liquid plus sundry bits and bobs.  Hopefully, I won't need to do a top up shop until next weekend!

That was it really.  The rest of the day was spent inside, cooking, eating, crochet, reading, etc, and the curtains got drawn early!  And I may possibly have had an afternoon snooze!

Today is the usual Friday routine.  Slimming World and, fingers crossed, Alex.  No need to prep anything as it was all prepped last Friday.

Right, well, better go.  I want to check the bank account (I try to check daily, to keep on top of things) and then get things together for the day.
Stay dry, everyone.  Have a lovely Friday.  xx

Thursday, 05-02-26

Morning!  It's Thursday and it's raining - again.  And yesterday was so lovely too.  Oh, well . . . they said we needed lots of rain to replenish the reservoirs, water table, etc, didn't they?

There isn't much to say today, yesterday being a quiet and mostly at-home day.  I washed, dried and ironed, did some cooking and meal prep, did the downstairs housework, went to personal training and thoroughly enjoyed myself!

And I finished the blanket.  It is enormous and I have no idea what I will do with it but I'm chuffed.  
Now I have to do something else to tide me over while I ponder.  I have loads of yarn left so maybe I will do a top down Joseph's coat kind of crochet jumper.  I already have some and I do wear then a lot.  They're lovely over a crew neck fine knit top - light and warm.

Chris will be over for coffee first thing and, at some point, I need to do some shopping.  I've run out of things like rinse aid (thought I had another but I don't) and the red light is showing.
My list this week is not long but necessary.

And I could start next week's meal planning.  That sounds like the wrong order but I have so much in fridge, freezer and cupboard that I am working around what I already have in.  Best to shop first and then plan so I really do use up what I have got.
I think they call it reverse planning or, maybe, project pantry (?) - as if it is something new.  I've heard both those terms on YouTube.

Anyway, that's it really.  Have a lovely Thursday and stay warm and dry.  See you tomorrow.  xx