21-07-25

 Sorry, no blog today.  Back tomorrow.  Have a lovely day.  xx

20-07-25

Good morning, everyone.  Well, the weather has broken with a vengeance.  While we didn't experience much in the way of storming, we have had good amounts of moderate and steady rain to soak everything through and through and to fill the water butt again.  Some storms are predicted today which indicates that humidity will yoyo up and down but everything is getting just what is needed - ongoing, steady, soaking rain.
No complaints from me!

I'm feeling loads better this morning after a really good night's sleep.  Yesterday was a gentle day with plenty of reading, crochet, working out how to crochet a bit of a hexagon, learning how to crochet half a hexagon (thank you, YouTube) and generally chilling.  I popped over to Beth and Alex's for a couple of hours.

It was just a quiet Saturday.  

Something really nice - I had a message from Annabeth (one of you lovely readers and a longer term online friend) suggesting we meet up when I am in Brighton next Saturday.  Such a lovely idea and I'm looking forward to it very much indeed - thanks, Annabeth.  xx

Today looks like more of the same.  I have a pile of recipe print outs to go through and organise, I need to meal plan for the week and I must update my finances and see where I am for the last third of July - it won't be amazing because I paid for the September holiday and I'm hoping I won't need to move anything out of savings.

Just a few rain soaked photos to brighten up a dull day's blogging.  :-)

Wishing you a fantastic Sunday, packed with lovely things.  Stay dry!!  xx

19-07-25

Hello, everyone.  Welcome to a very damp and humid Saturday morning here in Mid-Essex.  I'm really not sure if we had storms overnight, I slept badly because it was very humid and I might have had a tad too much prosecco yesterday evening and there was no lightning but there might have been and it might have contributed to the bad sleep.  Thunder? - not at all, not once the hearing aids are out.  Ditto for any super-heavy rain/hail.  They just don't register.

However, everything is lovely and fresh and green this morning, everything looks really happy and well watered, so we have had a pretty good rainfall and it is continuing through the morning.  Steady, more than drizzle - just perfect.

I took a few photos standing at the French window and going round.

The herb and foliage bed with the cucumbers to the left and some of the tomatoes along the fence.  And while on the subject, I am now picking a small handful of tomatoes each day and, for the first time since last Autumn, tomatoes were not on the shopping list.  They taste amazing!

Straight down the garden, over the flower bed, to the garden room.  I am so glad I put the cover on the egg chair.

Right again and it is the blankety bed and you can see how happy the tomatoes and runner beans are in that bed.  You can't see the chilli; it is well camouflaged and the fruit is still green but slowly lightening.  To the right of that is the baby corn.  Still no baby corns but time will tell.  :-)

Finally, I braved the rain to grab a photo of one of the hanging baskets.  Very pretty.

OK, moving on . . .

It was so hot yesterday but the hall we use for Slimming World was pleasantly cool.  A nice session and it is so nice to have someone on the weighing desk with me.

After SW, I did my food shop for the week (very ouch, as usual) and then pottered at home.

Chris and I popped over for J's 18th Open House party thing and it was really nice.  I met up with some former year one pupils, heard I was their favourite teacher of all time (I suspect that was politeness and beer speaking but, all the same, how nice) and caught up with their lives and doings.  It was fun.

Today, I have woken with what I suspect is a prosecco supported headache although the poor sleep and the humidity won't be helping.  Fortunately, I have a blank day in the diary so I can take it easy, get a few messy corners sorted (that always helps) and catch up on my sleep.
I also want to catch up on the first of the new Sewing Bee series.  

I've realised that October is my double pension month so that's the Center Parcs holiday covered and the Edinburgh one too.  Isn't that nice!

Well, I will stop rambling and get on with my Facebook duties.  Have a lovely day, whatever the weather.  Take care and be safe.  Bye.  xx

18-07-25

Morning, all.  The sun is trying to break through and it's supposed to be quite hot today but a change is afoot and there's a weather warning for storms and heavy rain tomorrow and Sunday.  I'm good with that, especially the rain - the ground is parched, despite my best efforts.

Yesterday was lovely.  Chris and I had a lot of laughs during our chat and we swapped produce - she took a cucumber home and left me with some plums which are now stewed and in the freezer.

I did groove online with the fan on as it turned humid.  Then, in the evening, I had a lovely online chat with some friends.  

Today is SW and weigh in and then there's nothing in the diary until late afternoon when I'm popping over the road to a neighbour as it is her son's 18th and she's having Open House.  That should be lovely.

So that's me for today.  Nothing special but all very pleasant, I think.
You have a good day too.  xx

17-07-25

 Good morning again, everyone.  No sun this morning and the forecast seems to indicate a very dull day ahead of us round here.  Not terribly hot though, thankfully.

Yesterday was a pretty good day.  I got a lot of little things done, personal training was, as always, useful and fun, and I went to the open evening at school and saw several old friends.  I don't know any of the children now though - it's been nine years, or will be at the end of August, since I retired.  Would I go back now?  Not a chance.  It was lovely looking round but I'm over that kind of life now, well over.

Confession time, folks.  I've booked another break - a Monday to Friday at one of my favourite places, Center Parcs, Elveden.  As always, I've taken a self catering apartment by the lake; they are so very comfortable and smart and then have balconies overlooking the lake so fingers crossed for nice weather.  Early morning coffee on the balcony is lovely!
Surprisingly, it wasn't that expensive.  I mean, CP holidays aren't cheap but it seemed to be quite a lot less that a couple of weeks later.  Maybe the end of September is a less busy time there.  Anyway - done, dusted and paid for.   It's put the clappers on any extra savings this month but I'm OK with that.

Round the front, the confused dahlia is cheerfully doing its thing.  I chopped off a load of dead heads yesterday and this morning there were loads of new flowers.  This plant really does thrive on neglect.

Today, being Thursday, starts with coffee with Chris.  Then I have various bits and bobs to do, a loaf to make, a batch of curry sauce for the freezer and Groove online at two, finishing with an online chat with friends this evening.

Such a nice day!  

I hope yours is too.  Stay chilled and safe and be good but maybe not too good, OK?  xx

16-07-25

 Good morning, everyone.  It is a fine, sunny start to the day but we had some rain yesterday evening and overnight.  Not loads, not enough, but it all helps.

The runner beans must have appreciated it and maybe the insects heard what I wrote yesterday because here's the first baby runner bean (that I can see).  There's loads of flowers though so I really must start making more gaps in my freezer so I can freeze bags of runners for the colder weather.

Such a shame you can't freeze cucumbers!!

The Lakeland order arrived and now I have proper parchment, super strong foil and enough freezer bags.  I also have a pizza peel thingy (impulse) and some useful bottle pourer things.  

I was looking through my diary for the Broomfield coach trips, all day trips apart from Edinburgh, that I have booked.
This year (from here on):
Brighton
Rye
Evita
Knit and stitch show
John Rutter concert
Norwich
Edinburgh
Kew Gardens (lights
Thursford (maybe)
Harrods and then carols at RAH

And in 2026 (so far)
Leeds Castle
St Albans
Paddington, the Musical
Stratford upon Avon.

Plus Crete and Spain - not Broomfield coach trips.
A really nice mix of interest, shows, specials and visiting interesting places
I don't think my children can argue that I'm not enjoying my money in my 'old age', can they?

So why am I pondering on a short break in September?   lol

Today starts nice and easy as I don't have to get out for a class.  The first scheduled thing is personal training this afternoon and then, early evening, I am into school because it is Open Evening and the governors are all invited.  It's a good excuse to wander round, be nosey and see some old friends again in their natural environment.  :-)

So - after the necessaries, I should have time to play with some hexagons - and puzzle out how to do the middle.

Have a great day.  Bye.  xx

15-07-25

Morning, all.  We're pretty much halfway through July already.  Time is really flying.  

It was quite a nice day yesterday - not too hot, cool morning (after some early light rain) and evening.  Today we are supposed to have rain but not until the afternoon so I have an early load of washing in to get out on the line before I leave for Groove and the other load (the darks) should be ready to put out when I get home from Groove.

Today's rather samey garden photos are . . .

Definitely ready for cutting.  I think cucumbers are going to feature strongly in my salads for the next little while.
The one I cut yesterday was proper nice, no bitterness at all.

I wonder if Chris would like a cucumber.

The first Sungold to begin to ripen.  Thought of Dad when I saw it.

And others.  They are definitely on their way now.

By the way, I looked up the type that has blossom end rot and it said they are super delicious so I'll keep it for now and see if I can get some fruit from it.
I wonder if I forgot to add crushed egg shells to the soil in that pot.  All the others are fine  . . .

(Hoping that is not Famous Last Words)

Better up my intake of spicy foods!  So many chillies!  

A bit hard to see but I've picked loads of blueberries and there's still loads more.  I am now putting some in the freezer.  Blueberry jam, maybe?

There are loads of flowers on the runner beans but, as far as I can tell, none have set yet.  Come on, insects, do your worst!!

I made another loaf yesterday.  No problems with sticking this time but it didn't rise nearly as much as the disaster one.  No idea why now and it was frustrating although the loaf is perfectly presentable, just a tad flat.  

I've got another one on today - for Beth this time.
I've decided that next week's loaf for Lindsey is going to be my first go at a cheese and chorizo one.  I'll use the recipe I got from the course and guess at the amounts of cheese and chorizo.  It was such a delicious loaf.

I didn't do nearly as much housework as I had planned so guess what I'm doing today.

Yup!

Have a good day, all.  Enjoy whatever fine weather you have and, if it rains, we can be thankful on behalf of farmers and gardeners everywhere.  

Bye.  xx