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

Thursday, 16-07-26

Morning, everyone.  Everything going well?  I do hope so.

A few photos . . .

Any spaces in the middle bed are covered with these - baby foxgloves.  They have to go, of course, but I will be planting the healthiest looking ones in a rectangular container.  Hopefully they will flower next year and I can move the container wherever a bit of colour is needed.

I meant to do this several days ago but didn't so maybe today's the day!

The lone survivor dahlia has a bud.  It's hard to see but it's there.  I can't remember what colour it is so that will be a nice surprise.

And, no photo but the confused dahlia at the front has a mass of big buds that should open very soon.  Nice.

Finally, the autumn raspberries have started doing their thing.  I don't have loads of canes but I'm hoping for a small picking every now and again.

Moving on . . .

Yesterday morning was both good and very ouch.
My eyes are still nice and healthy (I have a 'wart' at the back of one eye which they monitor carefully - it's fine) but, as suspected, one of my eyes has deteriorated a fair bit so it's new glasses and new sunglasses.   I do like the new frames and have gone for bigger frames for my sunglasses this time and for a finer compression (which contributed to the ouch but that's life).
Apart from the baby cataracts, my eyes are very nice and healthy so that's great.

Then it was the audiology appointment and, to my pleasure and surprise, my hearing has changed very little since the last check.  However, as I suspected, technology has moved on in the past four years so I have gone for new aids.  Not at all cheap but I'm calling it an investment in my future and well being.

Because it really is?

So - wart fine, eyes very healthy, cataracts still babies, hearing loss stable, no ear wax (sorry) and a large bill.  It is what it is and I am very much hoping that the new aids are as good as he said they were in terms of speech clarity.  I have a hundred day money back guarantee if I am not happy and, once the aids arrive, two fully functioning pairs of back ups, one battery and one rechargeable.

And I pick them up, glasses and aids, in a fortnight.

Today is a rest day.  In other words, there's nothing in the diary.  Chris and Steve are going away for a long weekend so no coffee and chat this morning.  I need to do some sorting out and the boot of the car is a disaster area so I will be dealing with that.  And there's always something that needs doing, isn't there.

The weather seems to be moderating a little bit (if you can call between 27C and 30C moderate) and all we need now is some rain - consistent rain (overnight, please) for several days.  

And pigs might fly!

All the best, everyone.  Take care and have a great day.  xx

Wednesday, 15-07-26

 Morning, all.  So, here we are, pretty much half way through July already.  Crazy, isn't it.

In yesterday's comments, Rachel said:
We would not have been allowed to do anything like that in my school in the 1960s. Have times changed or were primary schools always allowed to do send ups of teachers etc as I note you recall it as "old style? I am genuinely interested having attended a Catholic convent school for 12 years.

I agree, in the sixties it really wasn't the done thing to poke fun at your teachers.  You had to wait until Uni before being free to do that sort of thing - and didn't they take advantage of it!!!

When I said 'old style' I was thinking of how our school used to do a Y6 leavers assembly that was really a review of their seven years.  They split into groups and developed various scenes or quick fire jokes, all school centred.  There was always an 'Infant Assembly' where big Y6s trying to act like five year olds was incredibly funny.  There was always a scene from the staff room and they were clever at picking on staff characteristics and mannerisms.  It was never rude; the teachers would clamp down on anything that went over the top in that way, but just enough to be clever - and funny.  I was often the butt of something in my role as 'music lady', either taking hymn practice or choir.  And there were skits based on popular TV shows of the time and on regular visitors to the school.
These scenes would be linked with jokes that were designed to be funny  . . . I will say no more about their success or otherwise.
And they finished with a tear jerker song.

I remember leading my class back to our bay afterwards for the last day of the school year, my sides aching with laughter.

All that took an incredible amount of time and effort on everyone's part and, as time passed, the end of the summer term school work stopped grinding to almost a halt as the curriculum became more and more demanding so these shows had to stop and the leavers assembly became simpler, more adult organised and easier, especially when the Christmas show became infant based, leaving the juniors to produce a summer show.

And while on the subject of leavers assemblies, yesterday I was invited to this year's one which is this morning but I have sight and hearing checks so can't go - very sad.

So today is personal training at 7:15, then home to freshen up and then I am catching the bus into town to go to Specsavers.
Once that's all done, I will be popping into school to hand over a card and some flowers to someone who I have worked with as a governor and who is leaving today.  That's sad.

So I had better go and get dressed and ready - at the moment I have just a towel wrapped round me and I feel lovely and cool.
See you tomorrow, everyone.  xx

Tuesday, 14-07-26

Morning, everyone.  So here we are, starting the third week of July and, already, the evenings feel a bit shorter and the early mornings a bit darker.  Sorry, but they really do.

This morning feels particularly gloomy as we have cloud overhead and, as every morning recently, it is delightfully cool.  I've felt the soil and there's no need to water this morning.  It was so nice using the hose again yesterday - I'm fully prepared to use my watering cans but I do feel I use less water with the hose, because the tap is on for less time and also because there's less splashing and, therefore, wasted water.  Still, rules is rules!

I can't believe how well the tomatoes are doing this year.  I guess they prefer the bed to pots, maybe it's the good feeding I gave the soil and I am sure the good weather has helped but just look . . .

(apologies for the poor light - as I said, it's a gloomy old start.)

Let's start with the Sweet Millions which are really living up to their name.  This mass of fruit is just two trusses, would you believe?

Two great big clusters of Alicante - they always seem to do well and are a standard purchase for me.

Romas have never done that well for me but this year - wow.  I'll use them for cooking (they're great for soup) and hope to freeze some for winter meals.

And finally, this is misleading.  The tomato on the left and the one behind it are both larger than the palm of my hand.

It's called Red Plum and it was an accidental purchase.  It had been put in the wrong place and I put it in my trolley thinking it was something else.  When I checked out, I nearly put it back but couldn't be bothered and I'm so glad I didn't.
I can't find anything specific about it on Google but time will reveal its flavour, etc.

Did I ever say how much I love tomatoes?

And while I am on the subject - the first meal where they are all from the garden!  

OK, so not loads but they were lovely!

The Y6 show yesterday, Gigglebox' , was absolutely fantastic; I think it was the best I have ever seen from them.  It was a show in the old style with lots of in-jokes about teachers, school routines, etc, with scenes' such as 'Playground Casualty' where they made great use of ice packs, kitchen towel and water, 'Our School's Got Talent where pupils were auditioning for places in the school choir and which finished off with a very funny version of 'When a Knight Won His Spurs' such sooooo sweetly that I was envious - I rarely got my choir to sing so beautifully in the Good Old Days - and an absolutely hilarious one about one of the Y6 teachers having a breakdown because her Pritt-Stick had dried up and she had to use sellotape (so unprofessional!!!) - I forget what show that was a take on, it might have been 'Educating Chelmsford'.

It finished off with a song that brought tears to the eyes - all about moving on but never forgetting the memories and friends they had made over the years.  Half the children had tears rolling down their cheeks as they sang.

It was just brilliant.

Today, the only thing in the diary is Groove (and the walk there and back with Chris) so I will be doing home-based stuff.  All the usual things like changing my bedding, washing, ironing, bit of gardening, etc.  And I must send off an email to Jen (the head teacher) about how much I enjoyed the show.

Better go and do my social media stuff now.  Have a lovely day, everyone, whatever your plans are.  See you tomorrow.  xx

Monday, 13-07-26

 Morning, everyone!  A new week begins and they reckon it will stay sunny and pretty warm.  Just as long as it stays as it was yesterday - hot, yes, but not humid and with a nice breeze.

Yesterday went pretty well.  I did, however, have a bit of a mini disaster with the bread.

When I bake my bread, I do a cold bake and I cover the tin I put the dough in with a other tin, bake for about 25 mins, remove the covering tin and finish the loaf off.
However, yesterday the yeast was super active (the warmth, probably) and rose up to the top of the covering tin (which I hadn't oiled because that's never happened before) - and it stuck.   Oh, the fun I had getting it out and you can see that I wasn't entirely successful!
I left the other one to cool down before tackling it and, once cooler, the bread came away well.  So I know what to do if that happens again.
So Beth got one loaf, albeit a very high one that looked as if I had stuck two normal loaves together!
Ands the one in the photo is now sliced and in my freezer.  Ugly loaves taste just as good as pretty ones, after all!

And Lindsey's sourdough was fine.

I did something I have meant to do for a while and that is to opt out of the winter fuel payments.   This coming year I won't have to save it and pay it pack through tax.

And, finally, my hearing aid is fine so that's good.

Interestingly, after two days of watering cans, I discover that while Anglia Water has a hosepipe ban, Essex and Suffolk Water doesn't - yet - and we're under the latter round here.  Yay, back to the easy option (for a while, anyway).

Today, I am off to circuits first thing and then Kay is over to sort my downstairs out, bless her, while I deal with all the baby foxgloves in the middle bed, some of which are going into a spare pot for now.

Then, this afternoon, I am off into school to watch the Year 6 show - it think it is called 'Gigglebox' so it should be funny.
This is what the online bumph says:

Tonight, school is taking over the TV!

Join the Parker family for an evening glued to the screen by a riveting schedule of TV shows, all of which have one thing in common…school! There’s edge-of-your-seats drama, devilishly-difficult quizzes, calamitous cooking challenges, tortuous talent searches, make-over madness…and much more! With giggles galore, these televisual treats go to prove just what a fun-filled place school really is, and why the memories we make there last forever!

AND . . . I will have SIX little tomatoes from the garden in my lunch salad!!!

Did you all have a good weekend too?  

See you tomorrow.  xx

Sunday, 12-07-26

 Morning, everyone.  Welcome to my blog on a sunny but refreshing morning.

No photos of the garden today - it's not a big garden and you've already seen it all a million times (give or take) - but just to say the tomatoes are continuing to ripen, there are more blueberries to pick and there will be one big and three small cucumbers in a few days so I need to load my salads with the current cucumbers!

It was a lovely meal out yesterday lunchtime although one of my hearing aids conked out half way through which was a bit socially limiting.  It had run out of charge, goodness knows why, but it seems to be charging up OK now so . . . who knows, eh?
I had a delicious spiced chicken skewer with salad and some chips and P had brought a home made sponge birthday cake along so that was dessert.  It was delicious!

Such a pleasant time with lovely people.

Today I have watered the tomatoes (must keep them hydrated) and things in pots because they do dry out quickly, I've done a kitchen tidy up and I have two doughs doing their thing in the kitchen.  Lindsey's sourdough will take some time but Beth's yeasted bread will be oven ready soon.  It's funny how it's pretty much the same recipe, same ingredients anyway, but the outcome is so different.

I have a Little List of Little Things that need to be done, the sort of things that are easily forgotten, and I need to take Beth's bread over to her at some point but, apart from that, it's a very gently and quiet day with no meals out at all this coming week (thanks goodness).
There's Wimbledon, of course, and various YouTube things to catch up on and I have bought (for my Kindle) Philippa Gregory's book "Normal Women - 900 Years of Making History" which sounds very interesting indeed.  Have any of you read this?  What did you think of it?

Just remembered - it's nearly the end of Wimbledon and, true to form, I have stopped taking my hay fever meds and everything is fine.  Yay!

Right - better go and check Beth's bread and then get the day started.  All the best to you all - have a lovely day

xx

Saturday, 11-07-26

Morning, all.  Another bright and sunny start to the day and we are now under a hosepipe ban which I have already broken because I didn't know.  Now I do, so it is watering cans ahoy!

Ho hum!

(Mind you, I have just read that an exception is made for food crops that you are going to eat.  Must check that against my own water company rules . . . 

. . .  checked and nope!  Oh, well)

Yesterday was a fair bit cooler - not cool, just cooler and it was really very pleasant.  Mind you, it was hot in the hall during SW - there's no air con and no windows that open and you are not allowed to open the fire doors.  A number of people didn't stay for the second half because it was so stuffy.

One of our lovely ladies is on the Hall Committee and she said she will raise this issue at the next meeting.

In the evening, I picked Diane up and we went over to The Castle Inn to meet with everyone going on the Shimmy in Spain week in September.  It's the same place as we went last Sunday and, while the food is fine, nothing special but fine, the service is little short of terrible.
We waited to be seated for over five minutes on Sunday - we had booked and the place was pretty empty - and in the end one of us had to go and find someone.  It seems that the same thing happened when Lindsey and Tracy arrived first last night and there were inexcusably long gaps in service.  Again, the place was not that busy and maybe that's why.

It's a shame because it is a nice place.

Today sees the last of the big Eat-Outs for a week or so.  It's been nice but the budget has taken a battering.  Still, today is going to be great - a group of us from Slimming World are celebrating someone's 80th birthday and we're going to Roxwell community pub, The Chequers.   There's no menu online, sadly.

Apart from that, it will be a day of watering plants and dodging the heat.  The longer range forecast is for more of the same for a couple of weeks so better get used to it.  At least it shouldn't start raining as soon as schools are out.
Have a lovely day, all, and see you tomorrow.  xx

Friday, 10-07-26

Morning, all.  How are you all doing?  I hope you slept well and feel refreshed this morning.

Let's start with the photos.  Mostly tomatoes . . .

I'll probably pick this one to have with my lunch and there are now more coming around it as you can see.

These are honeycombs.

The sweet millions are starting to redden now too.  Nice one.

The bigger tomatoes, including the plums, are remaining obstinately light green but their time will come!  :-)

Last photo - I picked the blueberries that were ripe.  They're delicious.

There's more still to ripen but not loads.  It's not a mega crop like last year but it is a satisfactory harvest so no complaints!

I pulled the three rhubarb leaves that were browning, cooked the stems and will have them, with some blueberries, folded into yogurt for breakfast.
And after yesterday's comment, I put the leaves into the recycling bin.  However, I googled and yes, it appears you can compost them:

"Many people wonder if rhubarb leaves are compostable and suitable to use safely as an organic fertilizer. Rhubarb leaves are potentially harmful for people to ingest because of the high amounts of oxalic acid they contain. However, composting these leaves is perfectly safe because the oxalic acid will rapidly degrade in the compost pile and not impact the finished compost quality.

Because the toxin molecules cannot survive outside of the plant’s cells, your compost pile will not be affected. You will even be able to fertilize edible plants in your garden safely."

https://homegrail.com/can-you-compost-rhubarb-leaves/

There was also a suggestion that you chop up the leaves first to make the composting quicker.  However, NEVER try to eat rhubarb leaves as, in their fresh state, they are toxic.

So that's something learned.

Chris and I had a lovely chat sitting in the garden room.  It was a cool start to the day so it was delightful to sit in.  We're not necessarily going to be able to make Thursdays on a few occasions in August but that's OK, normality resumes in Autumn.

Then I drove to Val's for lunch.  It was absolutely lovely hearing about old friends and exchanging news and views.  It was hot in the car but the air con works fairly quickly so that was fine.

When I got home, I was zonked and spend the next few hours dozing - in fact, when I came to, it was nearly 19:00.  I slept well too!

Today will be another hot one, of course, but maybe not in the 30s (says the BBC).  I have Slimming World first and it will be busy because the lovely lady who does the weighing with me is not there today so it's just me.  Kay is coming round with something her husband has made which will be nice.  
Then, early evening sees me out again, picking Diane up and going to a get together for those who are coming on the Spain trip in early September.  It's getting pretty close now!  We're meeting at The Castle which has a really interesting history.
This is what Wiki says:

The village has two public houses: the Castle Inn and the Dog and Partridge, both on Main Road. The Castle, formerly called the St Anne's Castle, has a long history. The current building dates from the early 19th century, but it was built on the site of a medieval hermitage known as St Anne's which served as a resting place for pilgrims on their way to and from the tomb of Thomas Becket at Canterbury. The old hermitage continued to serve as a hostelry after the pilgrimages ceased at the Reformation.

At some point I need to do more weeding round the front but I will see how hot is gets before deciding when.

And that's it for today.  Have a good one, everyone, and stay safe in the sun.  xx

Thursday, 09-07-26

Good morning, everyone.  It's a pleasant, fresh start to the day after quite a hot day yesterday, so doors and windows are thrown open and it is all lovely and cool.  I've given the plants their morning drink and I now have two little tomatoes changing colour., not one  And the confused dahlia has buds.  Can my goblet of life hold any more?

Some of the rhubarb leaves are dying.  Perhaps it is the hot weather.  I will have them out soon as, reading about it, if the stems rot, it affects the roots.  Those stems will be pretty tough so compost rather than food.

I really enjoyed PT yesterday.  I didn't say but on Monday at circuits I turned a bit dizzy so yesterday I scrambled a couple of eggs to have before PT.  They were hard to eat as I don't usually have anything but fruit first thing but I had more energy and felt great so maybe I need to adopt that habit when having a before-breakfast class.

I did a bit of gardening while it was still cool-ish.  The sage now looks pathetic but healthy!  I also chopped the oregano right back (should have done that ages ago) so I can now see my chives again.  The recycling bin smelled very aromatic by the time I had finished!

Then I went out a-shopping.

First of all I went to Longacres because the shop has some lovely gift ideas and I have four birthdays this month - well, friends who have birthdays, I mean.  It was the right place to go and I now have three gifts all nicely wrapped and ready for distribution.  THe other birthday is a bit later in the month.
Next it was Hobbycraft because I needed some yarn - not much but I knew they would have it and they did.
Finally it was M&S at the Clock Tower Precinct.  I had a £10 card on my phone to use so I did.  Food shopping, mostly fresh stuff; M&S fresh food is great quality and lasts longer.

Back home again and after a bit of housework, I went online and now I have a sight check and a hearing check scheduled for next week.  May as well get them done back to back and make just one journey into town.  What with birthdays, car service, my RHS subscription, new glasses, possibly new hearing aids, etc, it's a bit of an ouchy month and I will definitely be pulling some money out of savings.

As I always say, that's what those particular savings are for.

And I updated my finance spread sheet!

It was too hot to do much else so I sat, chilled, drank copious amounts of cold water and tried not to go to sleep until bedtime.  :-)

Today, being Thursday, starts with coffee (or cold drink) and chat with Chris.  A bit later on, I am off over to Val's for lunch, taking her pressie with me.   And that's about it - a nice, easy, restful day.  Lovely!

How are you managing this latest spell of hot weather?  Take care and stay well, whatever you are doing.  See you tomorrow  xx

Wednesday, 08-07-26

Morning, all.  It's not so sunny this morning and, while it's not really hot yet, it doesn't feel nearly as fresh as yesterday at this time.  I guess maybe the humidity is starting to build a bit.  Shame.

Yesterday morning was pretty busy.  I went into school to enjoy the concert followed by the pupil voice chats and then, not being 'needed' again until around eleven, I drove out to Writtle and booked my car in for its service and MOT.

I've always taken my car into town to where I bought it, a Peugeot dealership, but last autumn they closed that branch and the nearest one now is Stratford, I think.  Too far to take the car anyway.  Chris recommended a garage in Writtle that she and Steve use so it's now all booed in and that's something off my mind.  Best of all, they do a pick up/drop off service, like my previous garage did.

When I got back, it was time to complete my visit with a walk around the school which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Now I just have to find out if I am expected to do a report for the governing body or not.

Come the early evening, Julia picked me up and off we went to the Harvester where we had the best time.  We laughed so much!
Now I am two down, three to go!

Today, being Wednesday, means I am off put to my early personal training and then I will be going to Longacres first to get some birthday gifts followed by a quick shop for salad ingredients - I'm getting through so much salad stuff right now.  I'll probably go to M&S because I have a £10 card to use and M&S veg is very good..

Now, opinions, please.  Would you say this is starting to colour.  It's a honeycomb tomato so orange rather than red and it is very different to those around it - in colour, I mean.
I think it possibly is and, if so, yee hah!!!

When I watered this morning, I picked two mini cucumbers and one big one.  I will take the big one to Lindsey, I think.
One of the sheer delights of growing a bit of produce is being able to share it with others.  It's great!

The other thing I really must do is book a sight test.  It's not that long since the last one but my vision has changed again which is a nuisance, seeing as it is less than a year since I had the right eye lens replaced.  I am pretty sure it is the left eye this time which means that my precious glasses aren't going to me that much use so instead of having the lens changed, I think I will be going for new frames as well this time.  As I always say, ouch, but that's what my short term savings are for, not just for holidays!
I ought to book a hearing check too.  It's the same place so I could do it in one visit.

Right, time to stop.  Have a lovely day, everyone, and say cool, hydrated and safe.  xx

Tuesday, 07-06-26

 Morning, everyone.  A less cluttered start to the day today although, to be fair, the clutter yesterday was mostly my fault as I stayed in bed reading instead of getting up and didn't realise how time was flying!!  Bad me!

Going back to Sunday, the meal with my friends was lovely.   The table was booked for one and we finally emerged at four thirty, having eaten and chatted our way through the afternoon.  

And the tyre seems fine - just One Of Those Things - but I will keep checking, just for peace of mind.

Yesterday, I went off to circuits first thing, as usual.  It was a bit too hot to have it outdoors, sadly, but inside was also hot.  That was odd because Lindsey's studio is usually quite a cool place but, as we walked back to the cars, it felt cooler in the breeze outside than it did in the studio.

Back home, I checked my emails because I had sent off a message to a beach hut hiring place in Southwold.  When we went a few weeks ago, I knew about the possibility but didn't act on it and I wished I had.  The trip was so popular, Jan and Ray have organised another one in later August and this time I have booked a hut, just for the day obviously.  If you know Southwold, it's the row of twelve blue and white painted beach huts that are near to the pier, just after the lifeguard's hut, by the 'safe to swim' area.  And an ice cream place - ooops.  They are pretty basic but it will be nice to have a base to dump things in and a guaranteed somewhere to sit and chill.  I may use one of my chill bags for drinks, and so on

Today, for once, there is no Groove.  That's because I'm off into school, firstly for a concert (piano and woodwind), then to do some pupil chats (getting the 'pupil voice' as they say) and, lastly, to meet someone.
I'm quite chuffed about the concert.  I actually started that tradition, quite a long time ago now, with my recorder groups, my choir and other pupils who had private lessons.  The first one was a huge success and we never looked back from there on.  Now it has grown to three concerts.  I missed the first as I was already doing something else, the second is today and the third is next week and is a Rocksteady concert, whatever that may be.   Hang on . . .  OK - Google says 'Rocksteady is the leading provider of in-school band lessons for primary age children'.  Looking forward to that one!

This evening, I'm out again.  This week is a bit of an Eat Out Week.  Tonight's is with Beth, Linda and Julia and we always go to the Harvester.  We love the salads and I know exactly what I will have so that's great.  And one of us has a Blue Card so we get a discount.
Then, on Thursday, I am over to Val's for lunch - Val does healthy lunches so that's good and I'm looking forward to a nice catch-up.
Lastly, on Friday evening, those of us going on the Shimmy trip to Spain in September are meeting for a get together to get to know each other.   I may just have a drink rather than eating anything, or just a starter, perhaps?
So it is quite a week!!

(Edit:  I'm also out for lunch on Saturday to celebrate a friend's birthday.  Crazy week)

Still no colour on the tomatoes but there is a big and a small cucumber ready to be cut and loads of blueberries to enjoy so can't complain!  :-)

Cue for some garden photos!  :-)

My poor sage.  That's got to come out!

However, there's nice new growth from the bottom so a ruthless cut back should be all that is necessary!  I'll probably go out and do that when I've send this.  

Pretty in pink.  

The tomatoes are taking over the asylum!   There's so much fruit and I just have to wait!

It's hard to believe this was a titchy little baby rhubarb a few months ago.  No harvest this year, of course, but there will be plenty for the freezer next year, I am sure.

Part of today's lunch . . .

And a random photo of the morning moon.  :-)

Right, well, better stop waffling now or I will have a rush to be ready.  Have a lovely day, everyone, and stay cool!  xx

Monday, 06-07-26

Morning all.  As often happens, I'm pushed for time, so I will give today's post a miss - back tomorrow and have a lovely day.  xx

Sunday, 05-07-26

 Hi, everyone.  Better late than never!

Yesterday was very quiet, very tranquil.  I checked the tyres and they were fine.  I'll check again today but hopefully there's no issue.  Maybe it was potholes - as everywhere, they are quite an issue right now.

Today is pretty much more of the same except that I'm out for lunch.  I have two groups that I go out with.  One is friends from way back including Beth, the other is people I have met through Shimmy 'n' Groove, including Diane and it is these lovely people I am meeting up with today.  The place we usually go to has closed so fingers crossed we like this place - there's no online menus but reviews seem positive.

I've done a bit more tidying, I've cooked a small gammon joint which will see me through the week and I'm about to go up, wash my hair and get dressed.  Have a lovely day and see you tomorrow.  xx

Saturday, 04-07-26

Morning, everyone.  Welcome to Saturday.  It is another promising start to the day after a beautifully summery day yesterday when it was quite warm but not at all humid and it cooled down beautifully in the evening - just perfect.

I was watching the Met Office forecast for next week and it seems to be more of the same around here (although not further north) with warm, sunny days, low humidity and cooler nights.  Bliss!

There's absolutely nothing in the diary today.  How good is that?  I have noticed the weeds fighting back round the front so battle will commence again and I have a post it beside me that says 'check tyre pressure; so I must do that.  My fingers are crossed right now!

I think I will also do some tidying up and, maybe, more decluttering.  

Today's garden photo is the confused dahlia round the front.
I look for three things in the garden at the moment - cucumbers to cut, tomatoes going pink (no luck this morning) and buds on the confused dahlia - it's one of the joys of my life when it starts flowering, it's so very pretty.

Here's to a gentle, quiet, easy Saturday!  Cheers!  xx

Friday, 03-07-26

Just a quick touchdown today as I am out in a short while.

Still no blush on the tomatoes.  I know - I'm too impatient!  :-)

Yesterday was pleasant.  I took the bread and cucumber over to Beth and Alex and picked a couple of yellow courgettes in exchange.  We also noticed that there are baby runner beans - very exciting!  Beth doesn't have a garden, just some big pots outside the back door.

The Governor training I did later was really very good indeed.  I'm glad I did it.

I was so tired afterwards that I rolled into bed earlier than usual and slept soundly.  Lovely!

Today, I have Slimming World and then just homey stuff which will be nice.  And I need to keep an eye on one of my tyres - the decompression light came on.  I've dealt with that but if it decompresses quickly, I guess it is a visit to KwikFit.  There's always something!

Have a lovely day, all, and take care.  xx

Thursday, 02-07-26

Morning, everyone.  Back now and ready to write!
Why do I keep thinking it is Friday.  I'm wishing my life away!  :-)

A few photos first because they brighten up the post!

Hundreds of tomatoes (not an exaggeration) but not a hint of pink yet.  Come on, toms, it's time to ripen.

However . . . 

. . . plenty of cucumbers coming along.  These are the mini ones but there's bigger ones also doing nicely . . . 

. . . and more blueberries to pick when I have breakfast.  Yum!

And these have come up from last year - I do love snapdragons.

Yesterday was easier than I expected and as expensive as I anticipated.

I said personal training was good yesterday and it was.

After breakfast, I drove over to Sainsburys, did a horrendously expensive shop and then filled up with petrol.  I am chuffed that I didn't need to fill up last month although I was a bit edgy at how low the needle was through the last week.  However, it held out and now the car is comfortably full again.

My payment for the new block of personal training went to Lindsey yesterday too as well several monthly payments as expected.

Oh, well, that's life.

To slightly balance that, I will be getting a little bit from Premium Bonds in a few days and my quarterly gas statement showed me in credit which is nice.  My strategy, which works for me, is to let the credit build up over the summer months and through winter until it goes into debit and then I pay the balance until it is in credit again.  However one does it, it is swings and roundabouts really, but this way is how I like to do it.

The afternoon visit to school didn't happen (it's been rescheduled) and the Governors' meeting was really good.  Lots of discussion and everyone contributes, one way and another.

I was shattered afterwards, came home, ate easy rubbish and woke this morning with a rubbish induced headache which serves me right!  :-)

I've had my chat with Chris and am about to start some bread for Beth which I will take over when it's done.  There's another governors' raining later this afternoon, one that I am very much looking forward to, all about supporting your head teacher.  I am expecting it to be really useful.

So that's today - a nice day, I think.  And now I need to get the bread started, pick some blueberries and make breakfast - it's such a hard life!!  😂

Have a lovely day, all.  Enjoy the sunshine.  xx

Wednesday, 01-07-26

Morning, everyone!  Pinch and a punch for the first of the month - and no returns.  lol
Welcome to July and what a lovely day it is here, to be sure.  Sunny, warm, not humid - I wish it would just stay like this with nice refreshing rain overnight (we didn't have rain overnight, by the way.

I'm just back from my personal training and all's right in my little world.  I always feel like that after a good session with Lindsey; she is such an encourager!  It was the first of a new block and she changed it up after a chat with me last week.  I do like the new routines; I think they will help a lot.

Beck to yesterday and the coach trip.  

I have to say, being on the Thames Estuary, Westcliff isn't a particularly nice beach, lots of mud flats and a view across to Sheerness.

It's quite a drop from the road to the sea front.  I suppose the name, Westcliff, is a bit of a hint!  Going down was fine.  Coming back was a fair old puff and pant!  :-)

However, there were plenty of benches and it was really nice to just sit and enjoy the sea breeze while people watching.

The view up to Cliff's Pavilion Theatre. heavily cropped to get rid of a rather unlovely ice cream thingy!

I don't normally post food photos in here but it's part of the trip - a massive fish and chips.  If I'd not been going into a show, I would have taken the rest home in a doggy bag but . . .

What I had was delicious!

And I wasn't so full that I couldn't manage lemon sorbet.  Very refreshing!

Barnum itself was brilliant.   Very cleverly staged, musicians, acrobats on stagem doing their thing while the story unfolded.  I say 'story' - some musicals have a very slight story, don't they, it's all about the staging, directing, colour, music, lights, etc.

I've had a soft spot for Lee Mead since 'Any Dream Will Do' days and I have to say he was fab - and he did some tight rope walking too!

I don't think it is a show I would necessarily want to see again, but we all had a great time and that is what it is all about.

Today, being the first, has a couple of routine things, I need to fill up with petrol and do some grocery shopping, I am hoping to go into school for a quick meet up and it's a governors meeting this evening.  So not busy as such, just full.
It should all be good though.

Have a lovely day, all.  xx

Tuesday, 30-06-26

Morning, everyone.  Just a quick one today and no photos 😁

The weather yesterday was lovely, wasn't it?  Sunny, warm but not humid and inside stayed cool.  Perfect.

I enjoyed circuits very much indeed.  We were in Lindsey's garden and it was fun.

I got a reply about my SEND report and it has now uploaded to the meeting paperwork thingy so that's off my mind.

And I booked two weekend breaks - naughty me.  No, not really; you may remember I took some money out of savings early in the year and one of the things it was for was  - well - fun stuff because why not?  So these Friday to Monday breaks are both to Five Lakes, the second one being in December for the Festive experience.  The first one is in August so not too far away.
2026 certainly has been The Year Of The Holidays.  

This evening I am off on a coach jolly to Southend/Westcliff to the Cliffs Pavilion to see Barnum and, for the first time, I have booked a table at an eatery close by.
We're leaving at four so the plan is to have a wander along the sea front, have my dinner and then another wander around to let it settle before the show.

I'll have my early personal training tomorrow morning and I'll post after that hopefully with photos. 

Have a lovely day, everyone.  xx

Monday, 29-06-26

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to Monday morning.  It's a lovely start to the day - cool, fresh, sunny, just perfect.  all the windows are open and it feels cool, cool enough to put my slippers on.  Sheer bliss!

I took some photos because it brightens up the blog.  My back garden is in shade at this time of day so maybe the colours aren't so vibrant, but that's OK.

The almost all herb bed - they're doing really nicely at the moment.  Mint, rosemary, oregano, sage and thyme.  The chives haven't done so well this year.  I think they have been crowded out by the oregano and I can see I will need to dig out most of it (the oregano, I mean) - it does spread!

Baby figs.  I doubt they will ripen but they are nice to see.

These plum tomatoes are bigger than they look in the photo - they should be great to cook with.

Autumn fruiting raspberries - there's just a hint of flower buds so fingers crossed for autumn.

Just a general view from the side of the garden room.  

The sole survivor!

Just so very pretty!

My new dahlia.  The poor thing got nibbled almost to death by sluggy, snaily things but seems to be picking up now, thankfully.

And no buds on the confused dahlia yet but it can't be long now - it's growing fast!

Yesterday was  a nice day.  Some washing, drying on the line and ironing, some bread baking, some gardening - nice, homey things.  I finished off a report and sent it off and I started reading through the paperwork for the governors meeting in a couple of days.  It was so nice to sleep between clean, fresh sheets and be able to snuggle under the quilt.

Today starts with circuits and then it's Monday stuff - downstairs cleaning and tidying, some weed scraping (a daily even at the moment), I have ironing to finish, meal plans to make and I need to re-read the paperwork and make notes as necessary.

It's going to be another good day; I hope yours is too.  Take care.  xx

Sunday 28-06-26

Morning, all.  And it's a beautiful, fresh, sunny, breezy morning, a perfect summer start to the day.  The oppressive feeling has lifted (for now, anyway) and I have already been out doing a bit of garden work.

I'm glad I checked my phone yesterday morning because Richard had sent out a message saying Community Garden would start at nine thirty to catch the cooler temperature.
I was there first so set to with some weeding and side shooting the tomatoes.

I dug up the row of broad beans which were pretty much over, a row of peas that were ditto and all tangled with the netting and then I tackled one row of potatoes.  I do love forking up potatoes and then getting my hands into the soil to find more.  It wasn't a bad crop for a very short row!
Those three tasks, plus the associated weeding, etc, took all my time.

A few photos from the Community Garden:

The first of the sunflowers - it's lovely.

And Richard gave me some of the potatoes I dug up.  I had some for lunch and they were lovely!

I now know Community Garden has another meaning.  It is not just about the vegetables/food side of things.  The first two weeks I did consisted of me, my friend, J, and Richard but today there were others.  One was a young man with  Down Syndrome and his dad and the other was a young lad, probably around ten or eleven with learning difficulties, possibly with autism.  They were both lovely and were obviously having a great time.   The lad helped me with the potatoes, bless him.

That's community for you, isn't it?

Once home, I had breakfast (I was hungry by then) and then had a nice cool bath (I think I said shower in a comment reply, sorry) and got into one of my lovely, loose kaftans.

It got hot again - not quite as sweltering as the previous three days but not comfortable.  However come the evening, something lifted, a slight breeze got up and it cooled.  No need for a cooling shower last night before bed!

Today I woke feeling cool!  Such bliss!  We haven't had any rain as far as I can tell but at the moment it is lovely, windows opened wide to let the fresh air in.   

It felt so good that after the morning watering I set to and cut more lower leaves off the tomatoes, chopped them all up small as Richard has taught me to do (I've never done that before) before tipping the lot into my compost bin.

Then . . .

in one corner of the garden I had an osmanthus, a shrub with holly-like leaves.  It was actually the first thing I bought when I had the garden totally remodelled in 1998 and got a large (plastic) pot from the garden place in Boundary Mill, up the A1 near Grantham - I remember Mum and Dad came with me.

It did fine for ten years, slow growing but good.  Then came the extension work.  I had to move out of the house over the summer holiday (staying with Mum and Dad) and the garden was thoroughly neglected, I am sorry to say.  And the bush has never been the same since.

I wish I had taken a photo before I started because you would be able to see what a poor thing it was.  

It was pretty hard work, cutting back as many of the branches as my secateurs could cope with, scraping off the looser soil at the top (now in the compost bin) and then turning the pot on its side and over to try to get the roots out.  Phew, they were very tightly impacted but with some bashes on the sides of the pot and some levering, out it came.  

After quite a lot more puffing and grunting, I managed to lift it with a squat lift thing worth of an Olympic weight lifter (and if you believe that . . .) and over into the bin

And my back is fine!  :-)

So is the pot.  It needs a good clean out, of course, and then I will  use it for the olive tree I plan to get using a birthday token from Diane and as a 'memory' of Crete.  Do I need special soil, I wonder.  Must look that up.  I hope not because the compost bin is pretty full and I could use some of that.

And then I took a few more photos because you have to, don't you?

More big cucumber, two of which might be ready to pick today.  They're growing so fast you can almost see it.

You can't see in this photo but there are blueberries to pick for breakfast.  Yay!

The tomato plants don't look so pretty with their bottom leaves gone but the fruit will like the extra sunlight.

And the rhubarb is going from strength to strength.  I am so looking forward to next year's crop.

And now I am enjoying the first coffee I have had in days.  It's just been too hot.

My Oddbox was on the doorstep this morning so I've sorted that out and am looking forward to enjoying the contents.

I will stop waffling now, have my bath, etc., and get some whites into the machine.  I want to change my sheets now it is cooler again.

However, the rest of the day will be a restful one, I think, just pottering in the garden (I need to do some weed scraping, for a start) and generally relaxing.  

I hope the weather is just as pleasant where you are - have a lovely Sunday.  xx