Thursday 25 April 2024
Thursday evening, 25-04-24
Wednesday 24 April 2024
Wednesday evening, 24-04-24
Wishing you a pleasant evening and a great night's rest. xx
Wednesday morning (should be Tuesday evening), 24-04-24
Monday 22 April 2024
Monday evening, 22-04-24
Good evening, everyone. Today started off beautifully sunny but it's now dull and we've had some rain. A shame, but the sun was bright and cheering earlier - it could have been much worse!
I was inspired by Jackie when I read her blog this morning where she talked about moving curtains around.
I have two enormous pairs of curtains in front of my French windows and the lining of one curtain has torn rather badly on one side - the side that shows. They are around twenty years old and that particular curtain gets a lot of sun on that bit so I guess it's just rotten really. The curtains are fine in themselves but the linings obviously need replacing and the curtains need a dry clean. Big job.
I am more than up to replacing curtain linings, especially if I make the new linings detachable ones - just measuring and straight seam really - so really all I have to do is cut the old ones off right next to the tape and use the correct curtain hooks for separate linings. I do wonder why I didn't have them made that way when the extension was built, in fact.
I don't need nor do I want new curtains. I like what I have and they are in perfectly OK condition (apart from needing a clean).
Anyway - that's a job to build up to but, in the meanwhile, this morning I just changed the pair with the torn lining around so that the torn bit is right in the corner and hidden from sight as well as less likely to get any worse because it won't be pulled when I draw the curtains closed or open. Some of the hooks snapped (as they do) and I had a five minute panic while I tried to remember where I put the box of curtains fixings last time I had a tidy out.
I found them in the most logical place so that was OK.
On reflection, I think I could/should also swap over the other pair too. They don't get so much sun so the linings seem to be fine but - well, wear and tear and all that. And in the meanwhile, time to start working out and costing up new lining fabric and all the trimmings. Perhaps I could go for blackouts - they have better insulating qualities, I believe.
And checking that the local dry cleaners takes curtains! I'm sure it does.
Thanks, Jackie - I needed that poke to get it started.
This morning I went to the first Circuits class of this block because I missed last week's one. It was very nice to be back.
Then I came home, had breakfast (nice) and did the usual Monday housework - downstairs. I'm now in a comfortable pattern with this all and am happy to save the amount I would previously have paid the cleaners. I was gutted when they said they would have to stop but it's turned out to be a good thing really.
I noticed that my clematis is looking pretty lively - just look at all those buds and that's just a small part. It will be a picture in a little while.
Less positively, the pollen is beginning to impact. My nose and ears have been uncomfortably itchy over the weekend so I started the annual anti-histamine tablets today. They worked pretty quickly, thankfully.
Well, that's today done and dusted. Has your day been good? And the weather? Have a pleasant evening, a good night's sleep, and stay safe and warm. xx
Sunday 21 April 2024
Sunday evening, 21-04-24
My chair is old and the seat part is shedding bits of plastic all over the place. Beth has just acquired a new chair (funded by her workplace), she has given me her 'old' chair which is actually pretty new, and I am buying a new chair for Alex because Beth's old chair isn't really his thing and he needs one.
Does that all make sense?
Saturday 20 April 2024
Saturday evening, 20-04-24
Have a lovely evening and sleep well. xx
Friday 19 April 2024
Friday evening, 19-04-24
Good evening, everyone.
I had a really good journey home and I didn't get lost ONCE - by that, I mean I didn't take a wrong turning - you're never actually proper lost with a sat nav, are you?
The only momentary ooops was in Sudbury when, suddenly, there was a sign saying 'Road Closed Ahead'. I hate it when that happens because it never says WHICH road is closed. It could be the road you're on or it could be a side road. Why can't it say 'this road' or 'side road'?
Fortunately, it was the latter so that was OK.
I was lucky with the weather too - I went through plenty of places that had had recent rain but never got caught in a shower myself.
Once home, it didn't take long to turn the hot water back on, turn on the central heating for a short time (it felt a bit chilly) get unloaded, make coffee (I have priorities), unpack, get the first load of washing on and do a fruit and veg shop.
Later on, I had finished all the washing which is now drying on the rack because it has been very showery here today and I've just finished making a couple of loaves of bread for the freezer - the house is smelling awesome and homey.
And I got my finances up to date. Normally, I like to check it all regularly and keep my spreadsheet up to date which, obviously, I couldn't do this week.
I think I'm all set up now.
The garden is still looking OK.
The bluebells at the front are lovelyand the lily of the valleys (or is it lilies of the valley?) are looking good too . . .
while, round the back, the strawberries are also looking promising.
Just as long as we don't get any frosts . . .
While I was away, I got an email from EON that cheered me up. The last bill for electricity was around the £50 mark and the new one, payable at the beginning of May, is around £28. That's quite a drop and I'm guessing that not only are the days longer so I am not turning the lights on so much but also, with the longer days and higher sun, the solar panels are producing more power. Whatever the reason, it was very cheering.
Tomorrow, I'm out for a walk with some Slimming World friends in the morning and I also need to get the ironing finished off and do my meal plan for the coming week.
What are your plans for the weekend?
Sleep well, everyone, and stay warm. xx
Thursday evening, 18-04-24
I managed to access Lindsey's class; it did keep freezing but only briefly each time. No good for conversations but fine for a fitness class.
Wednesday 17 April 2024
Wednesday evening, 17-04-23
The rest is family history.
Then Elveden opened, which was much closer.
Obviously, I took some photos as I walked around.
The idea is to really splash out and book one of the tree houses for a Monday to Friday break.
So I am saving.
I'm going to sleep well tonight, I am sure. Hope you all do too. Sweet dreams . . . xx
Tuesday 16 April 2024
Tuesday evening, 16-04-24 - loadsa photos.
Poem by Joy and Co!
Basking in the sun
I think I'll stay a little while
And dream of greenfly lunch
Basking in the sun.
I used to just eat greenflies
But now I like a bun.
Basking in the sun.
My shell so lustrous, gleaming bright
Brings praise from everyone.
How nice to be a ladybird,
Basking in the sun.
Glancing here, glancing there,
Just watch those aphids run!
Basking in the the sun
I'll chase those flipping greenfly
And watch the b*ggers run
Basking in the sun.
Along comes Mrs Ladybird . . .
We're going to have some fun - woo hoo!
Basking in the sun.
I've eaten all the little pests,
and now my job is done.
Monday evening, 15-04-24
Er - I mean Tuesday morning! Morning, everyone, apologies for last night; I was very weary and couldn't string together more than a couple of words at a time! After a good night's sleep, things are looking much brighter.
Well, I had no idea you were such a set of poetic geniuses (geneii??). I will string all your creations together and post the resulting ode this evening.
My effort to this was:
How nice to be a ladybird,
Basking in the sun.
Glancing here, glancing there,
Just watch those aphids run!
. . . which is very like one of yours - Cherie's I think. and:
How nice to be a ladybird
Basking in the sun.
Along comes Mrs Ladybird . . .
We're going to have some fun - woo hoo!
Well, I'm here although the journey wasn't entirely trouble free. For a start, as I got into the car to start off, the heavens opened and we had a right dramatic hail shower. It was more than a bit noisy. Then the sat nav, which usually readjusts itself to my route after a few attempts to get me to go the way it wants me to go - which is the M11, joining at Bishops Stortford via the most complicated series of roundabouts I have ever had the bad luck to get confused on, because of Stansted airport and all the hotels that have sprung up there since they took a delightful little place and turned it into a monster (sorry, end of rant) - anyway, the sat nav refused to re-calculate and eventually I turned it off and relied on memory to get through Braintree and it was fine.
Then I took a wrong turning in Bury St Edmunds which was entirely my fault but I managed to spot a helpful signpost, got onto the B1106 and it was plain sailing after that.
And finally - it could only happen to me - I got myself 'lost' in the Center Parcs car park. To be fair, lost isn't the right word but after registration, I turned the wrong way and ended up in the car park rather than on the road leading to the Lakeside Hotel. And the signing wasn't great - I wasn't the only one looking confused and going round and round like that teddy bear in the garden!!
The positive is that, after unloading, I managed to park the car somewhere even I won't forget. It is, after all, a VERY big car park!
Anyway, eventually I got settled in and unpacked. The new header photo is the view from my bedroom window and this was what wandered across the grass when I happened to have camera still in hand.
Once unpacked, I wandered into the village. I had intended to have a swim but I was so tired I just went to the booking desk to get my gym pass number and find out where it was and how the pass works. Having done that, I headed back slowly and settled comfortably in for the evening.
On to today and I'm not rushing at anything, I might wander down to the lake before breakfast, perhaps with a coffee in my flask, then come back for breakfast, go for a swim, have lunch, walk across to the Spa where the gym is, give that a go and then chill for the evening. Yes, that sounds very pleasant and I do need some serious exercise to counter the amount I've scoffed over the weekend. I'm feeling it in a certain sluggishness and an ache across the shoulders so some activity will sort that out.
I'll try to take some photos but there are a lot of people here and one does have to be careful. See you again either this evening or, maybe, tomorrow morning, seeing as I have no morning classes this week and the pool doesn't open until ten.
Have a great day everyone and, again, thank you for your poetic efforts. 😉
Sunday 14 April 2024
Sunday evening, 14-04-24
Chives (in the foreground - the background right is an ornamental grass) which I have had for a couple of decades-ish now. So useful for this and that and the flowers are so pretty too.
The sage was so tatty, died back over the winter and I almost dug it out but back it comes, growing happily again. Yay!
Thyme. Getting a bit scruffy and overgrown so needs a bit of a haircut.
Mint. From left to right mint sauce mint, chocolate mint, apple mint.
My faithful bay. Three winters ago, when we had two really cold snaps, I really thought it had died. All the leaves turned brown and fell off. I started cutting it back and noticed that the stems still looked green and living near the base so I cut them back and waited. Sure enough, up came new growth and now, just look at it!
Saturday 13 April 2024
Saturday evening, 13-04-24
Not a great photos - but I moved the blueberry into a pot (it was just in a black poly thing after the pot it was in had rotted) and was so pleased to see a number of flowers. I think I need to get another one though; they don't self pollinate.
Now I have a water butt, I can water it properly.
The geranium wasn't great last year and it did get rather disturbed during the rebuilding of the wall so it's nice to see strong growth.
Out the front, one of the tubs looking really pretty.
The lily of the valley was a work in progress for so many years. Mum gave me some roots a very long time ago and they stayed in a pot for ages before I split then and put some round the front. Last year they showed signs of being a bit happier and this year they have spread and are going to look lovely. There will be enough to pick a few to scent the living room. One of Mum's favourite flowers and scents and one of mine too.
The English bluebells were also a work in progress for ages but seem happy now. I split them and that worked.
And finally - by the front door and looking very attractive.
And then I went over to Beth's for coffee and a good chat, came home, did all the ironing and - phew. All very satisfying but I'm glad I had planned an easy dinner.