Monday, 14-09-26

And a very good morning to you all!  It's so nice to be writing in here again after a wonderful holiday staying at Molina Viejo (the Old Spanish Mill).  It's way out in the mountains, about an hour and a half from Almeria which is where we flew to from Stansted.  I gather Southend to Granada was an option too but Stansted is closer to home.

I've uploaded my photos and I also have some taken by others in the group but need some time to get everything organised before I can blog.  Patience is a virtue!

Just to say that it was such a lovely time away.  We all got on well, the Mill and the food Darren provided for us were amazing, Lindsey did classes, we went out and about when we wanted to and it was all included.
It wasn't touristy so no souvenirs, no fridge magnets, just loads and loads of memories.

Back home, there was obviously a lot more rain than we had - we just had one very dramatic mountain storm on Wednesday evening and the rest of the time it was glorious!  I can see why afternoon siesta is a thing though!

So - this morning I took just a a few garden photos because why not?  Here we go!

First of all - what I thought was baby foxgloves that I dug up and potted in hopes that they would flower next year obviously aren't anything of the sort.

I did a reverse google search and they (I dug up several plantlets) appear to be nicotiana sylvestris or woodland tobacco plant.
Now, I remember planting one two years ago that really didn't do much at all so I guess it was pondering its options, so to speak.

Here's some into on the RHS site.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/69785/nicotiana-sylvestris/details

It's really quite dramatic and the flowers are wow!

It's really just as well I removed them from the middle bed because it's absolutely crowded now and looking a lot nicer that this photos would suggest.

I had to photo the tomatoes, of course.  Chris and Tracy have picked as I asked them to but there are more coming.  It's just as well I tied them up or the whole lot would have fallen by now, probably damaging the canes as they fell.

The rhubarb is dying back now so I will be removing the dead leaves soon, there's autumn raspberries to pick and. . . 

. . . here we go - the single surviving pear.  I picked it before going away, wrapped it in tissue paper and popped it in the fridge and now it is sitting in the fruit basket to ripen - fingers crossed.

Time to go up and get ready for circuits.  Yes, home one day and Lindsey is straight into the new block the following day.  Where she gets her energy from I don't know.  She was amazing all through last week and on she bounces into Autumn fitness.

I'll organise my photos today and probably do two or three posts about last week.  It was lovely and it's also nice to be home again.  Win win and now I want to do some Spanish meals as well as by Cretan ones and all the usual normal cuisine stuff.
Fun!

Have a lovely day, everyone - have you had plenty of rain too?
Take care, stay dry and see you tomorrow!  

Saturday, 05-09-26

Morning.  One more day to go, this time tomorrow we will just about be getting on the plane, I think.  I've had a bit of a lie in and now I need to get going!

I was so happy to maintain at Slimming World yesterday.  I thought that given the two weeks before had been illness related losses I would gain a bit after getting back to normal eating but I didn't, I maintained.  Yay!

The school meeting was helpful and I had an impromptu tour of the school which was lovely.

Most of my washing is done.  I just have some ironing to do and I can sort out what I'm taking as I iron.  I have tomatoes to deal with and a fridge to sort out, bins to empty, etc, etc, etc.  All the stuff you have to do . . .

My coffee is calling so I will love you and leave you for a while now.  Have a great week, all.  xx

Friday, 04-09-26

Morning, everyone.  How are you today?  We're having some funny old weather at the moment.  Not hot, hot cold, but on and off very humid.  Is it like that your way too.  

Yesterday went really well.  I need to work on my strength more after several week off personal training but that's OK, it is do-able.
I always enjoy my chats with Chris and yesterday was no exception.
Then I drove over to Hyde Hall where I med up with Val and we had a really good catch up.  I forgot my camera which was very stupid so, sorry, no photos!

Such a lovely day.

Today I've got going early with a load in the washing machine that I can get out before I go to Slimming World.  
After Slimming World, I am popping into school (pretty much next door) for a quick meeting.  
And then it is home, James, to get on with the washing, etc, so I can pack tomorrow.  It's all organised and planned, I just need to get it done so there's no dashing about and last minute panics.  I hate that!!

Have a lovely Friday, everyone.  xx

Thursday, 03-09-26

Morning!   Just a quick one as it's a busy day.

The audiology appt yesterday was very positive, my aids have been adjusted and they seem much better now, thankfully.  It's normal with new aids and a new hearing profile - it's a case of try it and adjust.  I have also ordered a microphone, the kind that clips on and bluetooths to my hearing aids.  It should make all the difference to guided tours, etc.

Today I've had my early morning PT class and it feels good.  I'm still lacking in energy but getting stronger again.  :-)

Chris will be soon for out coffee and chat and then I'm off to meet up with Val at Hyde Hall - must make sure I have my RHS membership card with me.  :-)

Have a good day, everyone.  Take care.  xx

Wednesday, 02-09-26

Morning!  How are you all today?  It's definitely much cooler morning and evening now, I'm finding, and the days are getting noticeably shorter.  On cloudy evenings I have my curtains drawn by around half past six and I'm starting to feel that cosy, snuggly vibe that autumn and winter bring to an evening. 

Yesterday was good.

It was nice strolling around M&S and then Aldi which is in the same precinct.  I didn't get much, just a few stock up items really.  M&S now do pulses in jars for a very reasonable price and the jars are a very useful size too.  I don't anticipate needing to get much more this month apart from fresh stuff as I'm very well stocked.  It's a comforting feeling while everything goes up so much.

Again, not much festive stuff yet apart from things I'm not going to get - Christmas puddings, etc, and, of course, those inevitable tins of choccies, biscuits and things which have festive decor but which go out of date well before Christmas.  Crazy!

Today is a get everything tidied, sorted and cleaned day until the afternoon when I have a rescheduled audiology appt in town.  I'm allocating stuff now - tomorrow I'm out and about, Friday is washing day, Saturday is packing day and Sunday is woo hoo!!

This seems to be a good time to say that I most likely won't be taking my laptop with me to Spain - just because of the weight - all our luggage is cabin luggage.  That means no blogs next week, so sorry.  

Right, well, sitting here will never do.  I have piles of stuff to sort out.  Better get cracking.  Have a lovely day and, if you're busy, don't forget to have some 'me' time.  xx

Tuesday, 01-09-26

Morning, all.  Welcome to September and to autumn, if you go by the meteorological date!  It looks like a nice summer morning here right now but the weather is very variable right now so who knows?

I had a very pleasant time at the Riverside precinct yesterday.  I went really early so there was plenty of parking and the roads were much easier than usual, than goodness.

There wasn't much in the way of Christmas tut out.  Home Bargains had basic baubles and so on but they really go all out later, so I will go again in November, just for the colour and sparkle.  I did get some things - little gifts, a few candles (I love candles over Christmas) and I realised I was out of milk, not having used what I had for a fortnight (urgh) and cheese.  They also do jars of roasted peppers at half the price of Morrisons, etc, so I got some - they make a lovely soup with tomatoes and, maybe, lentils.

Then I went to HomeSense next door and, again, found a few gifts and the one naughty thing I got was a lovely olive wood board.  I love rustic boards, bowls, etc.

Didn't spend too much and, apart from the board, everything was planned.  Yay me!!

Once home, I did a big sort out, got gifts sorted into bags and written in my book, etc, which was also really enjoyable.  It's all out of the way again now.
I looked up the Advent of Change for this year but it doesn't seem to be available yet.  I'll keep checking.

Today starts with Groove and the walk.  Looking forward to this very much.

I'd really like to take a trip to M&S and use some of my left over money to stock up a bit - that seems a sensible thing to do at any time.  Nothing for the freezer though!
Then I have a whole list of stuff to do, some connected with Spain and some just general stuff.  I read the gas meter yesterday so that's off the list.

Have a great day, everyone.  Take care, be happy and stay safe.  xx

Monday, 31-08-26 - Chr*stm*s, maybe TMI!!

Morning, everyone.  So we have arrived at the last day of August.  In some ways it's not been the best month for me, health-wise and we've had some tricky weather to handle, haven't we?  But it seems to be finishing off much cooler and this morning looks like being a beautiful late summer day with some sunshine and nice and warm but not hot.  This afternoon we might get a bit more of that much needed rain - but we will see.

Yesterday was good.  I had a lovely time at Beth's where we had a good long chat about Christmas arrangements.  We've set the date for Christmas Tree Day and checked other dates.  This year, I will be away over actual Christmas but we decided it would be nice if I did a feast on New Year's Eve instead.

We talked presents, food to make, etc so when I got home I dug out . . . 

. . . my Christmas book.
It's not a fancy-dancy one, it is just a lined notebook with a festive cover but for the last two or three years it has kept everything organised for me.

Christmas 2026 has officially started now!  

(sorry)

I also finished off the August finances and am pleased to have money left over.  I don't have a rigid budget, I don't give every penny a job to do but I do like to know where I am all the time so at the start of each month I start a new spreadsheet that has all the regular payments, subscriptions, savings and regular outgoings (like Oddbox, Wonky Pods, the cleaner, Sharon, etc) already taken off regardless of whether they go early or late in the month.
So the only time my bank balance and my spreadsheet match is now, after I've finished the accounts for the month and moved any leftover money to the new month or into savings.  It makes me happy when everything ties together like that.  Works for me anyway, being a bear of very little financial brain!

This month and with Christmas in mind, I've moved leftovers into September rather than savings and today I plan to start a bit of present buying, using that money.  I know it's not quite September but anything I get will go onto the September spreadsheet.

The other festive thing I want to do is get down all the bits and bobs I already have and start matching them to people or events.  That will be good to get sorted.

Enough of this and apologies - I just like to be organised before what tends to be a busy and chaotic time of year.

There's no circuits today, not because it's a bank holiday but because Lindsey is away.  Groove tomorrow will happen as usual.

So, as said above, I'm off to the Riverside precinct to have a good nosey round HomeSense - I love HomeSense, it's quirky - and Home Bargains.  They seem to be opening at the usual times so I will get there early because that precinct can be a parking nightmare later on.

For the rest of the day it's the usual stuff and I'm finding I'm still quite tired at times so if I need to rest I will.

Have a lovely bank holiday, everyone.  Doing anything exciting today?  Have a lovely day.  xx