Wednesday, 06-05-26

Morning.  Welcome to a lovely, sunny Wednesday morning.  Not all that warm but not to worry.

Yesterday was a very pleasant day.  Groove went well and I was careful so the old back seems fine.  Lunch with Mandy was lovely.  It's so nice to have a regular catch up and we've got a date for next month too.

I did a bit of gardening and will do some more this morning, I think.  Some things are coming back up but some aren't, including the lupin that started off too early again and then we had frosts that cut it right back.  Such a shame.  The foxgloves are doing their thing and there are several flower head spires appearing and I seem to have a few iris flowers pending.
I'm not getting any bedding plants until after next week though so have plenty of time to think about what I want and where.

I need to tackle the front now!

Today I have personal training and then I'm meeting the girls for a Harvester meal and a good old catch up.

So it should be a really nice day.  I hope yours is too.  xx

Edit:  I forgot to say I think my new little camera might be arriving today - not the bridge camera I am thinking about but a new little slip in the bag camera that will probably be better than my current one because it's new and technology has moved on.
I'm still pondering on the other . . .  xx

Tuesday, 05-06-26

Good morning, everyone!  Welcome to a not all that sunny Tuesday (at the moment).  It's not raining though, so that's nice.

As hoped, yesterday turned out to be a quiet and gentle day.  It wasn't sunny but that was OK.  Lindsey's loaves came out a treat and I baked a white loaf because I fancied some! 
Nothing exciting happened, life just plodded along.

Today starts with Groove.  It's been a while since I did a class because of my holiday so it will probably be tough and I will be careful because of my back (which is loads better so that's great).  

Then Sharon is round to work her magic on my scruffy hair.   It really needs it!

Later on, I'm out to The Angel pub to meet a friend and have lunch and a chat.  I've looked on the online menu and they do a delicious sounding greens and grain salad - but fingers crossed they do actually do it because online menus can be inaccurate.

After all that excitement, I shall chill and enjoy the rest of the day, I hope.  

The light wasn't great but I popped out a little while ago and took a few photos . . .

Plants can be so resilient!  Last Wednesday, these were very droopy and unwell.

Not the best photos but . . . they're off!!

Have a lovely Tuesday, everyone.  xx

Monday, 04-05-26

Morning, everyone.  Just a quick post today as there's not a lot happening really.

Lindsey's sourdough has done a first ferment very nicely in the fridge overnight and now it's just coming up to room temperature so I can do the rest.
It's looking a bit dismal right now but, assuming the weather stays dry, I'd like to start getting the garden sorted out.  I did some weed scraping yesterday - they never give up!
And there's some housework to do.  I know it is bank holiday but the joy of retirement is that every day is a bank holiday but without the crowds.

Have a lovely day, everyone - stay well and contented.  xx

Sunday, 03-05-26

Good morning, everyone!  Welcome to Sunday.  We had some lovely sunshine earlier but it has gone now as the sky has clouded over a bit.  We had some rain yesterday evening and overnight, which I was glad about as the garden was so dry, but why does it always rain on bank holiday weekends?  

Yesterday morning, I went on a shop wander and managed to spend pretty much what was left of my holiday money.
First of all, I went to Riverside.  Home Bargains opens early so I got there about 8:40 but already the car park was filling and by the time I left, they were queueing right onto the main road to get in!

Anyway - Home Bargains can do quite a nice line in plants and they had some hanging baskets, very basic but at £4.99, I couldn't ignore them.  I got three and they are looking potentially very pretty hanging on the wall and the garden room.
(that's not weeds at the bottom, it's raspberry canes)

I also got a few basics - hair stuff, etc - plus a spiral bound book to keep in the kitchen to note how I put meals together because I tend to forget the details - things like herbs, spices, etc.  I'm an awfully ad hoc sort of cook!

Then I popped next door to HomeSense because I love it in there and that's where I polished off the holiday money on a pair of oil and vinegar pourers, a lovely flat based and straight sided platter for either eating off or serving in and, inevitably, an olive wood board which will NOT be a chopping board!  Oh, and an old fashioned rolling pin with proper handles.  I want to try filo at some point and it will be very helpful for that.

I drove on to Marriage's mill shop and topped up with flour and dried yeast before going across the road to Aldi for a few things I needed - carrots and red onions.  Of course, I got a few other bits too, who doesn't, but all useful.
By that time, the roads were horrendous so I decided the garden centre could wait.  I'm not going to get my tomato plants until after I'm back from Center Parcs and can care for them properly!

I was so tired by the evening that I was asleep just after eight.  I fully expected to wake super early but I didn't, I must have had about ten hours sleep, and I feel much more lively this morning.

I've taken some garden photos so guess what - I'm sharing them.  :-)

Potential blueberries

Potential pears although I'm not holding out much hope because they could all fall in June.

Potential raspberries 

Oh dear.  

However, already there is new growth.  It's hard to murder a raspberry cane!

Proper Med herbs - thyme, sage, oregano and rosemary.

And last but not least - not at all potential.  There's around five or six flowers with loads of buds.  It will be a picture soon.

On to today, the Oddbox arrived and it all looks great except that there's a missing mango - I've let them know.

I've already made Beth and Alex's bread and will be taking them over this afternoon with some of my Oddbox stuff.  Beth needs to borrow my secateurs so they're on the pile too.

Apart from the usual meal prep, etc, that's pretty much it for today.  A nice, gentle Sunday.  The sun keeps coming and going as I type so we will see how that pans out.

Have a lovely Sunday, everyone, doing what you love.  See you tomorrow.  xx

Saturday, 02-05-26

Morning all.  It was such a very lovely day yesterday round here, warm, sunny and just gorgeous.  Hoping it was the same your way too.

Weigh in at Slimming World was more than a bit of a disaster but I knew it would be.  The hard work starts again now.  I can't go to my Friday group next week as I will be on a coach trip to Leeds Castle and I'm at Center Parcs with Beth and Alex the following week, so I will be going to a Thursday evening group - I can't leave it for three weeks before checking!

Putting that aside, the rest of the day was great.  Diane liked my efforts at a Cretan meal - she ate the lot anyway.  I was really chuffed with how it all worked out and have started writing some of the things I make in a designated book.   My 'trouble' with recipes is that I never remember the details of what I did afterwards.  

I woke this morning to find that my Premium Bonds have been nice again.  I never win very much, just small amounts, but every little helps nowadays, doesn't it?

I'm driving over to Moulsham Mill this morning to top up my flours and I'm completely out of yeast too.  I am out of a few fresh products that won't be in tonight's Oddbox so I will get them and then drive on the a garden centre to start getting tomatoes.  Yes, it is that time of year again.  Very exciting!

What are your plans for today.  Are you going away for the long weekend or does that not affect you nowadays?
Whatever, have a lovely day.  xx

Friday, 01-05-26

Morning, everyone.  Welcome to the first day of May and into the second third of 2026.  

I didn't show you what I brought back from Crete yesterday so I'll do it now.

The fridge magnets.  Starting at the top, this is a disc they found while excavating Knossos.  It is called the Phaistos Disc and contains information of some kind but, as yet, they haven't managed to decode it.
The Phaistos Disc - Heraklion Archaeological Museum

Then, clockwise, it's an aerial photo of the monastery we visited, a painted stone from the Botanical garden, an abstract olive leaf design on Greek marble, the Chania lighthouse and another olive leaf magnet with the mati in the centre.  The purpose of the ‘mati’, a schematic representation of an eye, is to ward off the envious gaze, which, confusingly, is also known in Greek as ‘mati’. According to the tradition, anyone offering effusive praise risks giving the recipient the ‘evil eye’, which can bring illness or misfortune, even if the giver’s intentions are pure.
Copied from here.  The Only Greek Charm You’ll Ever Need - Greece Is

While wandering around Chania, I went into a pottery centre and bought these two wee mugs, just the right size for a shot of coffee.

They have a web site but, sadly, not an online shop.  I suppose postage would be eye-watering anyway.

Flakatoras Ceramics

I bought the wee bottle of honey raki from the winery we visited.  Raki is a grape based spirit and I am advised that the nearest sub for cooking would be vodka.  
Honey raki is lovely.  

Rakı - Wikipedia

For my birthday, One Traveller gave me a little gift, a set with a mini bottle of garlic infused olive oil, three different olive pastes and a small tea towel (not shown - it was in the washing machine!)

Some of these came from the olive oil place and the rest from the Botanical Garden shop.
The body balm is absolutely gorgeous and you need so little.

And, finally, I treated myself to some olive wood bowls and a little scoop from the Bee place and from the olive oil factory shop.  I love olive wood things and they often have some lovely things in HomeSense.

I did intend to do some gardening yesterday but I was so very tired I rested up apart from a little bit of housework and tidying.

Oh, and I made some Cretan rusk bread as the barley flour came.  I was pleased with the results although I realised the barley flour was not high enough in protein so I've ordered some gluten powder.  I've also realised that I could make my own barley flour just using pearl barley and Thermione.

I made the rusks but I bet a normal loaf with some barley flour would taste good and I might try making some soda bread.
I'm waffling now, aren't I?

On to today and it is Friday so Slimming World and I am NOT looking forward to getting on those scales.  Not at all!

Diane is coming to our group because she can't make her usual Friday group and is staying for lunch so I'm putting together a meal where Crete meets Essex!!  Fusion food.
Fingers crossed.

Time to get the day going, I think.  Have as lovely first of May, everyone.  See you tomorrow.  xx

Thursday, 30-04-26

Good morning, everyone.  It's another lovely sunny start to the day; not that warm yet but it will be, I am sure.

I found a few more photos on my camera.

Where the Cretan party was held.  The poolside bar is to the left and the photo was taken from my dining table.

We had live music

And dance.

There are no photos of us attempting a couple of dances.  It was a riot!

OK, yesterday - it was a busy day what with three loads of washing, unpacking and tidying to finish and shopping.

It was lovely to be able to dry three loads of washing on the line and even better to get it all ironed and away.  

I went to M&S and then on to Sainsburys and managed to get stuff to start my Cretan food adventure.

Here's my first efforts - very tasty although the fruit was nothing like the Island fruit.  But then it wouldn't be, would it.

Talking of fruit., I seem to have six baby pears on my little tree although whether they survive the June drop is anyone's guess.  Still, that's half a dozen more than last year.  The apple tree has produced no blossom at all this year.  

I never thought of getting anyone to water the garden while I was away and when I got home several things were wilting.  The mint has picked up fine again but I fear one of the pots of raspberries has had it for this year.  I will let it all die back, cut the canes right back and cross my fingers for next year.

I went onto Wholefoods Online and got some barley flour and even paid for next day delivery so maybe I can have a go at making the barley rusk bread that I enjoyed so much.  I gather it is really just a bread made from wholegrain wheat and barley flours and then sliced and baked into rusks - a bit like savoury biscotti, in fact.)
However, according to the recipe I will use, you can make barley flour from pearl barley so I will give that a go at some point.

(this is why I call it an adventure)

Better stop - I need to get over to Chris for our coffee and chat.  See you tomorrow.  xx