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

Sunday, 19-07-26

Good morning lovely people.  It's such a lovely morning today - sunny, a breeze and, right now, really 

quite cool.  So refreshing.

I didn't do much yesterday apart from the usually daily stuff.  I spent some time with the weeds and that was about it.  Certainly nothing to mention really.

Another cost - my kitchen tap is dripping quite a lot, not from the end but where the arm swivels and Matt the Plumber said it needs to be replaces.  Another ouch but it has to be done.  He said he can do in on Tuesday so that's good.

Just a cucumber, I know, but I took me eye off the ball just a bit and what is supposed to be a mini is over 7" long.  Hardly mini!  Hopefully, it won't be too seedy inside.
(there's two others nearly as long so I will have cucumbers coming out of my ears!)

Obviously 'confused' is a dahlia type because this is the pretty mottled pink one I got this year.  When I got it, all the petals were like the lower half but I do like how it is going.  It's interesting and different.  The one at the front has started flowering but the first flowers are not so lovely, very ragged, so I will wait before posting a photo

Today is more of the same really.  I think I have a bit of washing to do and I have to wash my hair so I will do that soon.  And then it's back to the Attack on the Weeds!

Have a good day, everyone.  Stay safe and well.  xx

Saturday, 18-07-26

Good morning, everyone.  A quick one today as life is very calm and uneventful right now.

I enjoyed SW group yesterday and had a loss which was a great relief.  I picked up my meds from Morrisons and headed home for breakfast - fried tomatoes (from the garden) and egg on toast and very nice it was too.

The rest of the day was spent pottering around doing little this and that stuff.  Nothing significant, nothing exciting.

I looked up 'why are my tomatoes not ripening' and discovered that heat can retard ripening.  Did you know that?  I didn't.  It seems that over around 30C stops the lycopene from developing and lycopene is what colours the tomato.  That would explain why the tomatoes in the shadier side of the bed are doing nicely while the ones in direct heat are staying obstinately green.

Perhaps, now it appears to be cooling off just a bit, things will start moving.

I've booked a cheeky little SET class with Lindsey online this morning and then I want to spend some time doing battle with weeds.  It's one of those wars where no-one seems to win providing I keep fighting but if I stop, they will triumph!
That's a metaphor for life, isn't it?

Take care, all, have a lovely Saturday, whatever you have planned.  All the best.  xx

Friday, 17-07-26

Morning, everyone!  It is definitely cooler this morning - no windows thrown open right now.  I tried and closed them again because it felt cold!  Lovely!

I finally got round to sorting out the car.  To be fair, it wasn't that bad apart from the boot and that was only the shopping bags which, I swear, breed while I'm not looking.  Anyway, all sorted now, some bags have been chucked, the Christmas bags are now separate in in a cupboard, the plastic bags are also tucked away for when needed and the ones I always use are in a bag back in the boot with a couple of chill bags and a bottle bag.  MUCH better.
Inside the car was fine.

I did a bit of garden pottering after filling a rectangular container with good stuff from the bottom of the compost bin.  I dug up all the self seeded foxglove babies and replanted some of the bigger ones in the container.  They immediately flopped over, of course but this morning most of them seem to have revived so fingers crossed.  It will make a nice, moveable display next summer, I hope.

And . . . 

Hidden among the foxglove babes was - another dahlia!  It wasn't there last year so I guess one of then from last year did a triffid on me.  I'm pretty sure it is a dahlia anyway but time will tell.

A not very good snap of the confused dahlia - see those buds!!

I also managed a load of washing but left the ironing for today.

I spent a short time working out ways and means of paying the large bills that are incoming - glasses, car service (which will involve new tyres) and the rest of the Christmas holiday in London although that is not due until October.  It's fine, the money is there but I like to have it all worked out - when to move money across and from where.
Also, making a bit of a plan to build the savings up again.
I do like to be organised with finances!

Today is Slimming World and then just stuff again.  Things have really calmed down since last week which is a great relief.

I have another Slimming World Kitchen box arriving at some point today.  That's the last for a while but it has served its purpose and it's nice to do now and again. 

Have a lovely Friday, everyone.  Stay safe and enjoy everything.  xx