Home again.

We've had an excellent Christmas holiday in Denmark, with the family, eating, drinking, playing games with the boys......
We had a wonderful danish Christmas on 24 Dec with MK's family - duck with red cabbage & caramelised potatoes followed by the best rice pudding ever, containing lots of cream & chopped almonds along with a whole almond.
If you find the almond & are lucky enough not to have bitten it in two, you have to conceal it in your cheek until all of the pudding has been eaten, then claim the prize.
On 25 Dec W & Mk cooked a traditional English dinner a la Jamie Oliver.
Actually, the preparations started two days earlier, making herb butters of different varieties to put on vegetables, under the turkey skin & so on.
The result was delicious.
We went for a long walk on Boxing day, the boys on their bikes - DK has amazing stamina for such a little boy; we played Lego games, which G & I needed to master before taking on the rest of the family at home.
Lego Champion is really good - all visitors will be expected to play a game.

W took us to the airport this morning - CPH, that is, not the small white boxes that were given as Christmas presents that allow you yo control music in the home with your mobile phone (I think)
The flight was early, we visited JR on the way home & have spent a quiet evening  in front of the fire, watching some recorded TV.

Many thanks to the Danes for their wonderful hospitality.   

Glædelig Jul!

Guess!
It is far warmer than we had anticipated & we could have avoided having to remove 2kg from the case to check in, by not bringing so many fleeces & padded trousers.
G did the journey with one of my shoes in his pocket (not the pair I was wearing to travel in).
We spent a day with JR en route & W met us at the airport to save any hassle with ticket machines or getting lost.
We have eaten royally since arriving & it's not even Christmas yet.
W & MK are very busy preparing a feast for Sunday a la Jamie Oliver, we are celebrating with T,B & family tomorrow, after church in Soro.
It will all be wonderful & very relaxing.
I took the boys out this morning, to run off some energy, & G this afternoon.
He has spent much of the rest of the day fighting his computer.
Merry Christmas & A brilliant new year to you all - I may not be able to cope with this device again - the cursor jumps to another computer & W is scathing far too often.
If you are invited to our Austerity Lunch, please RSVP, if not, let us know if you would like to join us for a square meal!

Done & dusted.

A great day.
I had a glowing report from the dentist, in that all was well, my dentition actually owing as much to the skill of my dentist as it does to nature.
No repairs needed & gums to be proud of - one bit that doesn't get wrinkly!

I then had coffee & a teacake in M&S, by way of celebration, & in place of breakfast.
I spent the rest of the day shopping in Solihull, my first dedicated Christmas shop.
It was a great success, despite having a couple of "googlies" to cope with.
I did need to eat a £1 bag of Thorntons chocolates to keep me going.
G had a "catch up" day, still feeling the cold.

We have eaten an M&S Indian meal, followed by nougat.
Pretty good, though too much really.

Watching Frank Skinner - good video of a passenger manhandling a youth off a train, in Scotland, who didn't have a ticket & refused to leave.
"More pandas in Scotland than Tory MPs!"

Eerie!

G went to the hospital for his leg check & was found to be "magnificent!"
I've done the washing - the clean bed smelt like  a Vietnamese sweat house after one night of G exuding spices through every pore - washed everything removable , line dry & hope for the best.
Last cards delivered & the wrapping started.
I had a quick clean at church & turned the Christmas tree lights on, ready for the school carol service this evening, on the way round with the cards.
A few responses to the New Year's day - year of austerity, invitations, so we wont be alone.

The family are coming to lunch on Sunday, food to think about.
Dentist in the morning, then a bit of shopping to finish - all good fun, I hope, & no cavities!

Watching "The Frozen Planet" - recorded to watch with G.
Amazing.

The eagle has landed.

George is home, not well-tanned & leaner, as anticipated, but about the same colour, a pound or two heavier, smelling Vietnamese & asleep in the chair, computer on his lap.
It's good to have him home & a relief to have those big decisions about driving taken away.
He has had a good time & plans a return.

We went to church this morning & turned all of the Christmas tree lights on - he was impressed.
We came home & changed & went to The Probus lunch at Maxstoke Golf Club, guest of the deputy chairman (Maurice)
Lots of locals,retired & elderly.
We were like Peter Pans!
Home at tea-time & have since chilled, in front of a good fire.
Time for bed - better wake G up.

Mid Advent.

Church, church, church.
Another day from 9.00am until3.00pm, chatting & serving teas & cake.
Not as good a turnout as hoped for, but a lot of good contacts made/remade & more people expected tomorrow, tree decorators & families.
Eventually ate yesterday's dinner at tea time, had a nap & have just finished tomorrow's sermon.
Does anyone know the postage to USA, Australia & Sri Lanka.
I have stamps (86p???), but don't know if anything has changed.
On line is useless, or I am.
I can't find out & missed the PO.
Wrapping & cards to do.

Is David Cameron a hero?

Perhaps I need chocolate.

Lit up.

I thought you would find my days lacking in excitement, so fear to blog.
Anyway, a quick resume of the last two days - mornings catching up , preparing notes for Sunday's sermon, e mails, post, etc.
I have spent both afternoons from noon until 7.30pm, at church, so that those who have paid for a Christmas tree, can come & decorate them.
This has been a great success, people there most of the day, helping, sharing, drinking coffee & clearing up.
The church is now lit by18 trees, 17 beautifully decorated, plus the one I did, on a high window sill - I'm really pleased with the result.
Yesterday was very cold, today a degree warmer - I wore a lot of clothes!
One large tree left to be potted & decorated, then we're open all weekend, serving teas & Christmas cakes - fruit, pannetone, pandoro, stollen chocolate logs & mini rolls for the kids.

Lady Dugdale popped in for coffee this morning, for an hour, as she had been not been able to attend the "Coffee & Cakes" morning. She is charming - her son was at school with W.
Not fallen asleep yet - no milky drink as I left the milk at church.
Bother.

Tuesday already.

Never start to watch a film after the news or you end up staying up half the night to watch the end.
I really wish that I was in bed, asleep, not watching "Cracker".
A busy day - played tennis in gloves, 4 degrees!
I have never played in gloves before; it's better than freezing hands.
On to church for delivery of the Christmas trees, Maurice & I put them in & I put cables around for the lights, as far as I could - more needed. Maurice is making stands for them, so on hold now until done.
I've just had a go at the 2011 missive.
I really don't like them at all.
Should I copy/send it or not bother?
I can have a lie-in tomorrow, today.
Great.  

PS. I've been filling in dates on 2012 calendar, amazingly, most of the family birthdays fall on weekends - my generation - all of us - G, M, AJ & me, that's 4/4
                   children/spouses - B, E,   that's 2/8
                   grandchildren - KP, T, Th, H&S, J, O.  that's 7/9.
All of the B&E family, all of J&G's children & all of my generation.
Total of 13/21, statistically, surely this should be 2/7, ie 6/21.
Just an observation

Partying.

I settled for roast pork & laying tables in the dining room & kitchen, 22 in all.
I've just had another "booking", so have to find somewhere for another seat, not to mention finding another chair.
Tables are laid, apple sauce & stuffing balls made so the rest is almost plain sailing - I have to take the 11.00am service at NW.
Thankfully, aj's here & a whizz-kid with a vegetable knife.
We went to the Pear's party this pm - very good, chatted to friends & met some new folk.
I went to the hairdressers first thing & glammed up a bit.

I'm watching some rubbish Tv as there's a big Christmas cake in the oven, which won't be cooked until after midnight - I'll have a look in a minute & make a trifle.

Cold this evening - I've put the geraniums in the factory whilst looking for chairs.
I found four - two with saggy bottoms, two with damp bottoms - sounds like a Mothers' Union!!

White Rabbits!

Have you eaten your first Advent calendar chocolate yet?
I haven't.
I haven't got one - no change there.
G once bought me a Hotel Chocolat one, I recall.

I returned from Bicester this afternoon, having had an excellent couple of days.
T, KP & I went to The Theatre, Chipping Norton on Wed. to see Ali Baba & the Forty Thieves.
It was brilliant, the theatre was beautifully decorated with Arabian style hangings & lamps; a funny, colourful traditional pantomime.
We read the story on-line the previous evening, T & KP were engrossed.
We had a light lunch in CN, then went to Bicester Garden Centre - their forest of Christmas trees is lovely - then Tesco, to choose tea, then home to tea before taking T to Beavers.
KP talked non-stop about Ali Baba & Cassim for the entire hour that T was out.
Today  I went to Bicester Village, mainly to see the new Lalique shop, then picked Gina up & had a lovely lunch with two daughters- in- law at a great new Italian restaurant in Bicester.
When I took G home, J gave me a consultation on my sore thumb, then I dashed home, to go to Costco with Jan.
Unfortunately, she couldn't make it & I'd not picked up the e-mail.
Never mind.
I have lots to do before Sunday, when there are 22 people coming for a fund-raising lunch.
I was intending to do roast pork & lay up tables, but I think that the limit for seating is 18.
Rethink!

Gym , then J & Th pick up tomorrow, then a fashion Show in NW.
Hairdressers on Sat am, early, cooking for Sunday, then a party at the Pears at 2.00pm.
Hopefully, aj is coming.
Christmas trees arriving at church on Mon am, 17 , to be potted/stood up, somehow, & positioned, with Maurice's help.

Weather has been mild & sunny, but a change is threatened tonight.
Better fill the hotty!

Why has this strange machine added  "amp" after every "&" in this blog?
Another of life's little mysteries.

Wet and windy.

I think that I may have amused the postman this morning as I answered the door in my dressing gown & woolly socks whilst talking on the phone!
He came bearing a box of Tyrrells crisps in response to a letter, penned by aj, a few weeks ago, after finding some unpleasant lumps of unidentified stuff in a bag of crisps.
Allegedly, it was solidified oil or lubricant, posing as dog poo!
Anyway, thanks for the crisps, Tyrrells - I shall give you the benefit of the doubt, this time.

I eventually loaded the car with all sorts of goodies & went to the gym, briefly, the, exercised & scrubbed up, I shopped in Solihull for 25 minutes - enough time to collect my "free from the Telegraph" tie from T L Lewin,  & buy a cheese scone from M&S for my lunch  & park by the obelisk, for a mere 50p.

I arrived in Oxon with enough time to visit Marsh Gibbon, then on to Bicester to collect T & KP from school.
We are having great fun - KP has built a house around me & T has researched Ali Baba, in readiness for the theatre visit, tomorrow.  
Almost bedtime - I suppose that I'd better stay up whilst T & KP are up, on second thoughts.
About to play another game of dominoes, see if I can win one!

Hello from T & KP

Lazy Sunday

I just found a button that changes the size. I like it!
I'm having a lazy couple of hours, listening to "I'm sorry I haven't  a clue" on the replay bit on the TV.
I've found all sorts of things that can be done with the TV when you can get your hands on the remote.
Enough of that.
I've had a successful day, booked tickets to see "Alibaba & the forty thieves" in Chipping Norton on Wed am with T & KP, went to LM church with notices before taking the Advent services at Sh & OW then delivered some printed guidelines re the Christmas trees to the decorators en route home.
After a snack I had a couple of hours before needing to get dinner ready - friends are coming.
I considered ;
1. washing the car
2. digging up the geraniums for safe-keeping
3. finding the extension cables & tree holders ready for church.
I settled for "none of the above",  & relaxed with the remote.
One problem with listening to radio programmes on TV is that you have to stay put, rather than put all the radios in the house on to radio 4 & roving.
The Sunday Times to read yet - another late night then.

Fourteen for lunch next Sunday, so far.
Solihull tomorrow - gym, shopping, coffee at M&S, pick up J & Th then back to J Lewis for an aromatherapy facial.

Time to oven the chicken!

Too much caffeine?

Another great day - up at 7.00am & on the Internet, e-mails sorted, letters done & printed.
Somehow it was still eleven o'clock before I was ready to go out.
I shopped in Coleshill, Knowle & briefly, in Solihull, before picking Th & J from school & having tea,
It was J's school fair this evening, so P was home early so they could all go.
Big excitement.
It took an age to get home due to accidents on the M40 & M42 so all roads gridlocked.
I ate a crunchie bar as compensation, after dinner. I can regret it later.

I hope that this strike next Wed will be called off - it appears that chaos will reign, schools closed, so parents off work, hospital appointments cancelled & airports disrupted, for a start, costing the country a fortune
Apparently, men collect their pension for an average of 21 years, women for 24 years, amounting to about £11000.
Surely you must expect to pay more in if you are going to draw more out when you retire.
What do I know?

I have a sermon to put together, either tonight or early tomorrow morning, before going to clean the church, with Maurice.
I've booked a makeover for next week -  facial at J Lewis (b'day present) & hairdo.
No alcohol since last Tuesday, gym on Monday.
What else do I need to do?

A letter from.....

Thailand.
The first letter from G since we married.
I had a good night's sleep - always a good start, then had an excellent day, assessed by work done & pleasure gained.
I caught up on all of the jobs this morning, including e-mails for the week, paperwork, banking, the Mid Advent Festival (MAF) letters & posters & two loads of washing.
When this was complete I had neat piles of paperwork on the kitchen table, ready for posting, delivery,etc. as well as a voucher for entry to The Good Food Show at the NEC for £12, after 1.00pm.
I scrubbed up then delivered some of my letters on the way to the NEC.
On the door I was told that  I didn't have to pay, I did query this, but they were adamant - £8 for the car park & still £4 in hand.
The show was very good - I tasted some of the best cheeses I've ever eaten, bought parmigiana reggiano, chutneys, sauces, oatcakes & bakeware, ate loads of samples & entered lots of competitions, before leaving at 4.30pm, to beat the crowds.
I had a nice cup of tea & a nap before ironing, remaking the bed, then chilling with a scrambled egg to watch "Masterchef".
I must buy some food tomorrow. I'm planning to go to the gym & shop before picking up Th & J from school.
I have to write Sunday's sermon & clean the church before Sunday - Advent Sunday - get the rings up on the front door.
Time for bed.  

Home Alone.

I've just returned from visiting JR, having gone down on Monday pm.
I was so disgusted with the amount of litter in the village that I spent a couple of hours on Sunday pm;
tennis was cancelled on Monday am, so I put my wellies on & worked my way up the main road to Tuckey's Row. I met  one of the residents, who said that the council team were litter-picking from Coleshill, so I gave up, came home & showered & set off for JR's, arriving at 2.30pm, so his carer c Decorating could have a couple of days at home with her family.
JR's memory is getting very poor so every experience is new - every cloud has a silver lining, I suppose.
On Tuesday he had a near death experience over breakfast, that lasted an hour & ended with me getting him on his walking frame & half carrying him to the loo. After  getting him to his chair, a cup of tea & an hours sleep whilst I watched TV, he woke up & suggested going out to lunch.
Wow!
He ate a good lunch & looks better than when I arrived.
I'm an all round carer as I combine first aid with prayer.
We did his Christmas shopping, wrapping & did his cards, all put away for a few weeks.
I wasn't on the list again this year!

I'm delighted that we have 17 Christmas trees booked for the Festival at church, being delivered ready for "potting" up next Monday. Decorating the following Wed & Thurs PM, then the church open all weekend, when we shall serve teas & Christmas cakes from around the world (not really - me or Costco)
I have a log fire as it's cold & I'm tired after a long, busy journey home.
A bath & an early night seems attractive.

Can man live by cake alone?

There does come a point where you have had enough, even of cake.
I settled for adding coffee (always a firm favorite),lemon & coconut mountains to the fruit, banana, gingerbread & chocolate.
There remains only a segment of the fruit & the banana cakes.
I didn't really eat that too much cake - two coconut mountains that broke on leaving the tray, the odd sliver of coffee, to test, & hefty chunks of banana & fruit cake whilst clearing up, because I'd not eaten all day & was wilting/peckish.
The fridge was devoid of greenery, apart from courgettes, so I defrosted & cooked some salmon & had a sandwich.
Scrummy, even without a side salad.

The C & C morning went well.
Chris, Jan's husband did sterling work on the B&B, Maurice sold £60 raffle tickets, a good return on the £12 worth of prizes, & we made £290.
The house is gleaming again, even some of the silver polished & a "Welcome Back Di" cake made.
I watched  the end of "Strictly", then had an early night, with the kg of Sat Telegraph.
This could be why I was up & on the computer at 6.00am.

Coffee & Cakes.

Back home yesterday after a couple of days with aj, pottering & chatting & eating.
Manchester yesterday to meet MK & DK at the airport & spend the day together.
DK was brilliant & MK behaved quite well, despite most of the day being spent at the Childrens' Hospital, in waiting rooms.
I caught up on my sleep last night, not waking up properly until after 8.00am.
I spent the rest of the day putting fliers through doors/ chatting up folk about the Coffee & Cakes here on Saturday morning.
I took 20 Mid Advent/Christmas Tree Festival posters to Coleshill & have them displayed in the shops, banks, etc, then came home & started on the cakes - the ones that improve in a day or so.
So far we have :
fruit
banana
chocolate
Any suggestions for the rest.

Time for bed. 

Eboracum.

Thar's where I am - with aj.
We had an energetic day, walking down to Acomb for a potter this morning, then catching the bus into York, for a further potter.
We had tea & a bun in M&S & did a little shopping, with some success.
It was dark by 4.00pm today, before we got home for a nice cup of tea & a piece of cake (the way to aj's heart is a Victoria sponge, with jam & cream)
We are about to have dinner - aj's slaving in the kitchen!

I drove here yesterday after church.
G has texted me once in the last two weeks, yesterday he texted twice - once as we started the two minutes silence & again as it came to an end.
When I apologised afterwards I was told that people thought it was hearing aids bleeping.
Much more likely to be found in Sh church than a mobile phone, I suppose.

Back in the saddle.

Yes, I went to the gym this morning, the first time since Boudicca's personal gym!
I had to rush to get to M&S for the cardholders' event - £5 voucher + 10% discount + a glass (v small) of bubbly & a mince pie - then on to pick up J & Th at 3.15pm.
I've had a great day.
Actually, I've had a great week.
I went to Bicester on Monday, to babysit T & KP.
I babysat O & the twins on Tuesday evening, went back to B & E, as it was late, & and eventually came home on Thursday.

I delivered 28 letters about the Mid Advent/Christmas tree festival (MAV), inviting groups of friends, neighbours, families, etc to volunteer to decorate a tree in church for £10, as part of the Christmas celebrations.
The Estate are donating 10 trees & we hope for more from Planters Garden Centre; we have 2 volunteers so far.
It should be great, if it works.
The Church will be open on 10 & 11 Dec, lit only by the tree lights on the window sills & around.

Good Housekeeping has it's best / tried & tested Christmas produce from all of the supermarkets - M&S & JS did quite well:
Turkey               - M&S Classic British.
Smoked salmon - JS Taste the Difference, Speyside, whisky smoked.
Stuffing              - JS Taste the Difference, pork, sage & onion (Philistines)
Cake                   - JS T the D hand decorated....
Pudding              - M&S luxury/Waitrose richly fruited (£3 more!)
Mince pies          - Co-op truly irresistible

JS have some good wines at half price.
Tesco have Tattinger vintage champagne at half price.

New batteries in the bathroom scales so tomorrow morning will be trying - I'll start dieting as soon as I get off them, I'm sure.

Whew.

We had a great bonfire party last night, the bonfire went well, with titivation (paper & videos pushed into holes) & the fireworks all ignited with only the super-duper rocket needing a second attempt.
B the Brave!
We dined on chilli & rice, gingerbread & cakes & the grandchildren all had a late night.

E & T came to NW church this morning, T was assistant stereo operator & behaved brilliantly, although I did find that he was unable to discuss the finer detail of my sermon on "The Foolish Virgins"
B & KP went for a cycle ride & found a bee hive in a tree.

After lunch of roast pork the family had to leave early as T had a b'day party to attend.
G phoned from a Thai beach, having had a lift from Bankok, enjoying himself.
A lovely weekend. 

Wet.

 I have done everything on my list, apart from writing Sunday's sermon & taking out the letters re the Mid Advent Festival (because I have no envelopes.
I'll get up early tomorrow as I'm past it tonight.
I have a delicious, big, sticky gingerbread & cakes made, the ingredients for chilli & Sunday lunch, the beds all made up & two boxes of fireworks in the porch.

It was a lovely sunny morning - two loads of washing dried outside.
I went to Solihull this afternoon to collect J & Th from school. The M42 was closed so traffic was heavy. The Heavens opened for about an hour, so J & I were drenched, despite parking between the schools & having a big umbrella. We went to JS to choose fireworks & had tea there whilst we dried out.
It's raining again - as long as it's finished by tomorrow.

I'm watching "The Hotel Inspector" - The Grimscote Manor in Coleshill - The Grimstock, where W once worked.
JS has Baileys at half price - £9.89/litre.  

Home again......

I took G to Heathrow on Tuesday, having stayed with B & E on Monday night, to give us a head start.
G has travelled onward to the coast in Thailand, somewhere.
I had a text, but it was a bit garbled.
It took me three days to get home as KP had a parents' evening yesterday so I stayed on to babysit.
In effect, I took T to Beavers then KP & I went to Bicester Village for a potter & "a coffee" in Pret.
KP had a brilliant report.
My bed will seem very quiet & empty tomorrow morning, I'll get up & get on with the host of jobs I have to do.
QT is on - very good tonight, Ed Balls is the weak link.Peter Hitchins is particularly good - he had been to St Paul's to speak to protesters & said "they knew nothing about the economy, in fact, they knew very little about anything".
Do watch "The Frozen Planet", the photography is amazing - the best nature documentary ever.
I haven't even started my novel yet!

Tennis cancelled.

All psyched up & ready to play tennis & we don't have a quorum. Shame.
I'll go & put proper clothes on & then on to Plan 2. Finish the chores & off to Marsh Gibbon, then Bicester  to see the family before G departs for Thailand / Vietnam for another holiday. This time to see the elephant round up, eventually, in Surin.
Perhaps I'll fly out & surprise him by appearing in the herd, otherwise,I'm open to offers.

Yesterday was a lovely bright, mild day - we both went to the combined All Souls day service at OW, then had Marg & Phil, M,M & Keith to lunch. We went for a walk round the Moathouse Lane/Church block then back for a meeting with Jan re fundraising.
We now have    - "Coffee & Cakes" here on 19 Nov
                           - "Mid Advent" festival on 10, 11Dec, filling the church with Christmas trees &
                              asking folks to decorate them/ sponsor their decoration.
                           - Fund raising lunch here on 4 Dec.

Offers of help/attendance warmly welcomed.

Must phone the sweep to book for home & the almshouses chimneys, when I find his number.
Early start tomorrow, for Heathrow drop-off - glad the clocks went back!
Did they change in DK?

Fall back.

Not a comment on our relationship, but the fact that the clocks go back tonight.
There is the annual debate about the benefits of this.
Personally, I shall just rearrange my life to take place an hour later, where possible.

Yesterday I went to Balsall Common for my free facial, courtesy of the daily Telegraph.
I eventually found the establishment - a small semi on a housing estate, the curtains closed (10.00am), a pushchair by the door & childrens voices.
I rang the bell twice & then left, confident that I would not have a relaxing half hour.
Thanks, DT.
I food shopped in Solihull - P,A, J&Th for dinner & folk for lunch on Sunday.
A had a day off so we did not have the planned day with J & Th, but they had time to make pumpkin lanterns with G.
We ate dinner by lantern light - a first!

Tonight is the Fireworks Party at DMP, which we enjoy.
Nowadays the fireworks are followed by a meal in the Hamilton suite, rather than at the house - too much mud & outer clothing, I guess.

Apparently, the 3 things that make people most happy are:
1. finding a £10 note in a pocket of old clothes
2. going on holiday
3.getting into bed with ......clean sheets
I go with 3, & you can do it twice a week!

Michael D Higgins is the new President of Ireland, they have opted for a poet rather than a murderer, a dragon or a passe pop singer.
A bit of a "no-brainer". I would have thought.

Happy Anniversary.

We have been married for 16 years.
The weather was a lot better 16 years ago, we were a little thinner, younger & in Paris in the rain by now.
Today we opted for an NT property.
It was going to be Chatsworth & a walk in the dales, but due to the rain we decided on Whitwick Manor in Wolverhampton, a late Victorian Arts & Crafts manor house with lots of Morris & Burne Jones....
It was inspirational, especially when looking for wallpaper.
We missed lunch whilst in the house, so had an early dinner before I went to a meeting at 7.30pm.
We lit the first fire of the season.
Brill.

Apparently, York is to become "aware of dementia", training those who meet the public in supermarkets & the like on how to deal with the demented.
AJ may find she is treated more gently when loitering in supermarkets & approaching complete strangers.

I played tennis in the sunshine yesterday morning then did housework after lunch.
I'm not sure which of these activities caused me to ache this morning, as it's the first time I have done either for a while.
Jan & Chris came to dinner & enjoyed some holiday snaps.

A free Telegraph reader's facial tomorrow morning at Balsall Common, J & T in the afternoon, with P, A & Claire coming for tea.

The field opposite has been ploughed, so I shall have another look for my wedding ring. 

Another lazy day.

Didn't have breakfast in bed today.
We went to the Jewellery Quarter to collect some bits, had lunch in a little cafe down an alleyway, then did a tour of some of the more interesting suburbs, before collecting my specs from Solihull on the way home.
It had started to rain by the time we were home & has teemed down for much of the evening.
G has slept for much of the evening, starting from whilst I made tea at 4.00pm, having just got home.
B phoned, AJ phoned & Jan phoned so I am up to date with everything.
I can't get through to DMK - I'll try again tomorrow.

The home page has a woman's looks, projected ten years, depending on lifestyle.
Wow!
Eat blueberries, avocado & fruit, cut down on the wine & don't smoke.
No problem there, apart from the exorbitant price of blueberries & avocados.

Look out for the Aldi ad for washing up liquid.

Tennis tomorrow & the car in for a service, Jan & Chris for dinner.
I must remember where the vacuum & dusters are before home becomes a health hazard.

Back to M & S.

A really self indulgent day.
G brought breakfast in bed - he does this once every sixteen years - then I read the weekend papers, until 10.20pm
Unfortunately the alarm clock was wrong, I thought that it was 8.53am.
Fortunately tennis was cancelled, so it didn't matter anyway.
I spent the afternoon shopping in Solihull, the first trip out in the car & shopping trip for three weeks.
I really enjoyed it & came home with a load of scrummy food from M& S.
Sea food stir fry for dinner.

G  has been preparing for his travels; some odd jobs to do & packing to finish.
The garden looks great, even the Primrose paddock is mown & tidy.
We shall no doubt have a sharp frost shortly & the rest of the leaves will come own overnight.

Congratulations to those who spotted the mistake on the last blog - no W at Stanstead.
I shall apply for a job writing scripts for "Downton Abbey"!

Home again,

Another glorious day, perhaps autumn has been cancelled this year. I have a suspicion that this is intended to keep nearly all of the leaves on the trees until November, so that G can avoid raking up & making a pile the size of Wembley Stadium, at the top of the field, to compost down by the next ice age.

We arrived home yesterday tea time, in time to scrub up to go to a Conservative Party dinner at DMP at which Liam Fox was the speaker.
He did attend & was inspirational.
A shame that his talents will be lost for a while.
The second highlight of the evening was my winning a magnum of Tattinger champagne & £100 in the "Heads & Tails" game (hands on head or hips, toss of coin decides those eliminated - I don't think that success in this has any career potential!) 
The third highlight was LF choosing G & I to embrace for photos as he left.

Anyway, I have spent the last six days in Denmark with W, MK,J & DK, which was delightful.
Since I saw the family at Easter, W has lost 1/4 of his body weight by following a meat & bean diet, which apparently changes your body chemistry - you vaporise the fat & blow it away!
He's pretty skinny - I could try it, with a bit of bread & the odd digestive biscuit!
MK's as calm as ever, J has even more energy - a large hamster wheel could generate enough electricity to sell excess, DK has an increased vocabulary - all Danish!
We walked in the forest, ate with T&B & family, played football & went to a childrens' ballet in Copenhagen - the audience full of little girls in tutus, tights & boots!

The ten days before that G & I were on a Fred Olsen Baltic cruise, from Newcastle, visiting Oslo, Turku & Helsinki (Finland), St Petersburg then Copenhagen, where I disembarked, leaving G as a "single" for the journey home!!!
Really good - a cross between a 5* hotel & a Geordie old folks home, with days of escape in interesting places.
More later.
We spent a night with JR on the way home after W picked me up at Stanstead.
Enjoying being home

Gone tomorrow.

Style, that is.
Busy day.
Preached at Lea Hall this morning, then back to NW to take a baptism - dear little boy & a church full of family & friends.
We used to shop at Lea Hall with Mum & dad, near to Kingshurst is the only reason I can think of.
The church meets in a school hall attached to the church as the church was gutted in an arson attack a few years ago & they need £70,000 to put it right, perhaps it had another 0. A lot anyway for a small congregation in a poor area..
We had a light lunch in the garden - NEWSFLASH - it's just started to rain, the first since last Sunday & then weeks before then - Robnextdoor strimmed behind the hedge, whilst we ate, making conversation a little difficult.
We checked on the lawn mower at OW then visited the Alms Houses to see that all was well with the residents.
We are hoping that the workmen will start clearing the gardens & relaying the paths there soon, having been waiting for months.
We.ve cooked a Thai curry (using a jar of sauce from M&S) & watched "Antiques Roadshow" & "Spooks".
Just have to finish reading the paper & I can go to bed.
Will the sun shine again tomorrow?
I always considered that autumn started on W's birthday, 1 Oct - cold, damp, misty, with a lot of leaves about.
Perhaps it's just a day late after all. 

Hair today!

Well, I got it all done, by getting up early & power-napping whilst at the hairdressers & after dinner.
I don't think anyone noticed.
I swept another barrow load of acorns off the yard, cleared them of most of the rockery, then dug the front borders & cleared G's trimmings from the shrubs around the house.
I had a shower then went to the hairdressers, for three hours! It's the foils that take the time- you could foil a turkey & roast it in that time!
I eventually went on to Solihull, did a little Christmas shopping, had a cup of tea in M&S & came home.
G cooked the dinner whilst I got on writing my sermon for tomorrow (Noah/conflict - think of life in the ark with the parents, in-laws & all of those noisy,smelly animals)
I've just finished it - time for bed.

Happy Birthday William.

Can it really be that I have a son  aged 26 + 11 = 37?
I don't feel old enough.
Anyway, have a wonderful day,W, & I hope that the parcel has arrived.
I have stayed up ridiculously late so that I could be the first one to say it.

I went to see JR yesterday & stayed overnight so that his carer could go home for a day.
Wild activity at Shardelows as a team were in shoring up the sides of the pond, alongside the drive, with piles & sleepers. They then used a JCB to remove eight trailer loads of weed from the pond so that the fish could swim again, rather than climb through it.
A fantastic hot day for the job.
JR & I went to lunch at JS & then to see Mary, home for tea, supper & bed.
I got home at lunchtime, in time to do some washing, gardening & go to Solihull to pick up J & Th from school.
We went to Burger King for a treat as they had both had brilliant weeks at school.
I have made another life-style decision - I shall never go to BK again- it is much more expensive than McD, nowhere near as good, had no serviettes & had no tomato ketchup for Th to dip his chips into. 

We have had an M&S "Dine in for £10" dinner - prawn risotto, trifle & a bottle of rose  (couldn't manage the stuffed mushroom starter, after the tea at BK!)
Excellent.

Up early to garden, before going to the hairdressers at lunchtime.
I should have gone to bed earlier!  

A roast on Wednesday.

We have had  a busy couple of days - cleaned the church yesterday morning to clear the mountain of greenery from the harvest festival, then went to Bicester to see the families.
The church was easier than anticipated - two large black bags of greenery & two bags of fruit then some serious vacuuming.
A couple of hours.
The following hour was spent finding my handbag & getting home.
G came to mend the dyson, in the lotus, went to the volvo for tools, then went home with the key in his pocket.
I put my handbag in a carrier bag with the polish & dusters & put it in the wheelie bin.
I can't imagine how this happened.
I only looked there in desperation, having looked every where else five times, by which time JH had emptied his vacuum in the bin, having cleaned the clock room.
Maurice took me home - all's well.......

I picked up KP & T from school whilst G went to the local garage, then on to J & G's.
KP looked like an angel, sitting in the middle of the story group in a ray of sunshine, with bunches still intact.
We bought B&J's cookie dough ice cream & aerosol cream to make banana splits, which was a great success.
We had an enjoyable evening.
This morning we wrote "Mr & Mrs Bananaskin" stories before walking to school.
G & I shopped at Bicester Village, very successfully - I have a small, black Radley handbag (long awaited) & some Christmas presents to take to Denmark.
We went to the Jewellery Quarter on the way home & had lunch at a corner cafe, sitting in the sun.

Since getting home G has trimmed miles of hedges, I've helped clear up, picked a bowl of blackberries & cleared the litter from the entire village.
Beat that!   

How to measure success.

We seem to have been working flat out since my last blog, preparing for the Harvest weekend.
Friday, Jan & I shopped at Costco in the morning, catering for 50+ people for the walk on Sunday.
In  the afternoon G & I went to pick up Thomas & Jessie from school & get their teas - the abridged version of a "Thomas day", now they are both at school.
On Saturday I went to church to decorate & was delighted that 15 people turned up & made a brilliant job of the decorations - I served coffee & Danish pastries & cleaned up.
I know my limitations with making flowers & vegetables look decorative!
We finished the shopping later in the day, finding Ventura Park one of the worst places on Earth on a Saturday pm, but we did manage to buy very fresh bread for Sunday's escapade.
On Sunday we went to the Parish Hall early to prepare the food & drinks for the walkers.
The weather was not good - showery & cool.
Th walkers totalled 14, just 14!
A walking group from Coleshill + three locals - a little disappointing, having lefletted the entire village & contacted many local walking groups.
On the bright side, we served a few more lunches to folk from church, & enjoyed them ourselves.
The church was open all day so that the decorations could be enjoyed.
I had made cakes to serve & the church was manned all day.
Precisely one person came.
Anyway, all of the regulars went to   Evensong at 4.00pm, preceded by tea & cakes.
We sold of the excess salad & bread & the produce & flowers after the service, making the clearing up tomorrow far less arduous.
A very disappointing turnout, but those that came, enjoyed themselves.
We have all of the maps done, so we shall try again in the Spring.
Jan & I have cashed up tonight &, remarkably, we have made £45 profit.

Today has been beautiful - a belated Indian summer,
This morning we played tennis in the sunshine.
I came home & cleaned the downstairs after the house painting, & put everything back in it's rightful place. Brilliant.
This involved cleaning all of the windows, inside.
Just the outsides to do now.
G cut the front hedge & I went to help clear up, before having a shower & going to Jan's. to cash up.

We have had onion soup, made with the onions left over from yesterday, & smoked haddock for dinner, with a tomato salad.
Novel, but available.  

Another suitcase, another hall....

Just watching Question Time from Birmingham - Chris Hayton, a very nice looking young man, ex KS has been on , asking about planning.
Well done Chris.

We had a day's holiday, today: we went to town this morning, parked in the Jewellery Quarter, left my diamond ring at Turleys for the day for a minor repair, had lunch at Henrys Chinese Restaurant, then walked into the city centre to shop, a little, for W's birthday present. Success!

I really don't like the Bull Ring shopping Centre - too big, too many people, too many shops & too noisy, with awful acoustics. (I think that I may be showing signs of age here)
We walked back to the JQ & got soaked - no waterproof coats!
We collected my ring (which has been cleaned & looks amazing) & had a cup of tea in "Pomegranate", then drove to the Hippodrome car park.
We eventually had a drink in the pub opposite the theatre & then went to see "Evita", which was very good indeed.
A good day, no work done.

Time for bed.

Wednesday.

I'm lacking imagination today.
I played tennis this morning, sunny & windy, brilliant.
Phil & Margaret came to lunch, so I came home to cook. The house was a little cool as Peter painted the front & back doors & gave the conservatory a second coat of sadolin, so most downstairs doors & windows were open.
He has now finished, the windows & doors are all shut & the house all needs cleaning & things putting back.
Who cares? It'll get done next week, I think.
G has been busy getting new brake pads & an MOT on the Volvo.

I think that I'm going bald - my hair is receding on one temple, which is itchy.
G says it's genetic. I shall research it & spend my life's savings on saving my locks, if necessary.
I'm trying to get this in perspective.

Why has every & been followed by "amp;"?
I've deleted them.
Spooky. 

Drought.

A strange word.
No wonder people find English a difficult language, not me, I hasten to add, I cope very well with English.
No other languages, just English.
Last night friends came for a meal & then G used my laptop & then I fell asleep.
This was a shame, really, as I was enjoying watching "Doc Martin" up to that point, & I didn't get round to doing a blog.
I dare say that W & B will note that my day had little of intrinsic interest anyway, but I enjoyed it, in the main.
Actually, the morning was disappointing, as I cycled round the village to get the Parish Hall key, to check on the amenities, ready for Sunday's ploughmans extravaganza, then went to Coleshill to play tennis.
There was no-one there, which was disappointing as it was such a lovely day.
No tennis.
When I got home I found a message on the phone - Chris's husband died last Friday & things were complicated. 

Anyway, I went to the dentist, in Solihull, instead of lunch, to have half of a back molar replaced & came out feeling really spaced out. No pain - I could fall asleep during the horrors of it all -  but the anaesthetic really leaves me groggy & feeling the need to get home quickly before I loose consciousness.
I still feel a bit weird this morning, but I'm sure it will pass.
I now have a full set of teeth again, until the next time.

Just off to photocopy more flyers - Jan to ddeliver.
Nicee day, but blustery - volvo not bike!
"Have a good one" as the guy in the charity shop says - covers just about everything.

Title refers to the fact that we have been watering the top of the garden for 24 hours as some plants are looking very poorly & the soil is like dust.

Kinnocks running Denmark.

I may be wrong, of course, as I'm not really very politically inclined - not a Daily Mail reader or anything like that.
I hope that the result is pleasing to the Danish side of the family.
Will they notice any difference?

Apart from that, I have had a very quiet day.
G insisted on doing the Thomas day, as he had jobs to do in Solihull & one of us needed to stay at home as all of the windows are open, owing to them having been painted.
We have been very lucky with the timing of the painting as it has been dry all week & late enough for there to be few flying insects to impale themselves on the country cream.
There's one more window to paint, then the masonry & conservatory.
It looks great.

I ran, literally, to Jan's to collect some paperwork, then went to church to photocopy the flyers to go out around the village.
Jan has a swollen face due to a gnat nibble, with only one functioning eye, hence wearing shades.
Chris had locked his car keys in the boot of his lotus, at work, in Coventry, so I took her & the keys over.
The A45 is dodgy enough when you see the traffic on both sides of you.

After a light lunch & an unplanned nap I  wrote Sunday's sermon.
This was quite a long process, with three false starts, finished by 7.00pm, just as G arrived home.
Excellent. I now have tomorrow free to dig the garden & deliver flyers.
Enjoy the weekend - there's a definite chill in the air now. 

Happy Birthday Jessie.

Jessie's position as eldest grandchild is underlined today by her reaching the grand age of eight, now a whole year older than  T.
I popped over this afternoon, to share the moment & deliver pressies, visiting Solihull en route, to collest part of the pressie which M&S had ordered for me.

Another lovely day so P the P could get on.
Some of the windows are finished now & look great, he's a perfectionist, not many of us about!
All of the masonry & the conservatory to do afterwards.
I vacuumed the window sills this morning  - several years of general detritus & insect remains blowing in on windows that haven't been opened for a number of years, added to the dust from sanding down.
A spring-clean when it's all done - that will save going to the gym for a few days.

I prepared the Evensong service for next Sunday, mix & match from services old & new, short as possible, with a lot of singing.
I hope it works well.

Judith & Peter have been for dinner - chicken stir-fry, apple strudel & creme fraiche or cream with lemoncello, cheese (jervaux from Yorkshire).
We are all on diets so this was good in parts.

Dian Abbot was on Question Time.
What a self important, obnoxious, posing woman she is. It was from Londonderry so questions were very skewed.

Thomas day tomorrow, he finishes at 11.30am, this week only, then full time.
No more lunches at McD until half term!  

Tinker, tailor, Soldier, whatever.

Been to see T, T, S, Spy at the Odeon in B'ham, courtesy of the Telegraph subscriber.
It was a very good film, excellent cast & acting, I even almost understood it, which is more than I ever did when it was on TV.
Neither of us fully followed it, despite staying awake for nearly all of the film.

Apart from that, we have had an excellent day.
The weather was great so Peter the Painter got on well - all of the windows open all day & all of the priming & undercoating done.
He is an excellent worker & doing a brilliant job.
I hope that we can afford for him to do some interior decorating later.
I've done a fair bit of work  in the garden & sorted the pot plants - I find that if I pot them lovingly, water & fertilise them they do really well, rather than just die, which is really good.

I.ve vacuumed through, despite G's attempts to make us live in a tip as P the P is making a mess all over.
Washing ready to go out in the morning, which is promised to be an other lovely day.
I hope to get to Solihull to buy food as Judith & Peter are coming for dinner & it's J's birthday - pressies to deliver.
G's taking the volvo in early for two new boots before the MOT.

We have an olive tree in the garden!

Time for bed.

G is asleep, having had an early morning, catching up on the Grand Prix/sleeping on the settee, followed by making good/painting windows inner parts, then off to Warwick to the dentist.
I've had an easy day - bathing, dossing, then going to Warwick with G to potter whilst he suffered.
We had coffee & a sandwich then went to MG to see Gina & the grandchildren - delightful, hectic & noisy.
We went via Bicester Garden Centre, which is marvellous.
We bought a climbing jasmine for G's new shed, a Camelia & a couple of other shrubs.

We got home at 8.00pm, just in time for the Church fundraising meeting.
This went well - we have the weekend of 24/25 Sept all planned out for the Harvest Celebration & a Mid- Advent weekend planned for 10/11 Dec - the church decorated with Christmas trees, serving teas with Christmas cake, ending with Evensong, with carols, Andrew willing.

I think I need to do some housework tomorrow.

Blustery.

Today is warm & very windy.
The decorator is here to paint the outside of the house.
He comes highly recommended & has worked really hard all day, despite the weather.
I played tennis for a couple of hours, which was challenging & great fun.
G has been doing jobs connected with the decorating, outside somewhere - he's just gone to DMP to take a thank- you letter to Colin & Lynne.
 We had a lovely weekend, the hotel looks great, at the top of the drive & was superb.
We drank Veuve Cliquot throughout, a fantastic 7 course taster menu in The Grill on Saturday evening, with matched wines & sommelier to explain them.
We spent Sunday morning in the park then back to lunch in the hotel with the rest of the family & grandchildren.
We got home by tea-time & slept off the excesses.
A taste of the high life!

I have the TV on & have already nodded off once - the effects of fresh air & exercise.
I must rescue the washing, put a second load out & do some housework before G catches me still sitting down - perhaps he'll be detained at DMP.
On TV this nerd is making horseradish vodka by steeping horseradish roots in vodka (surprise) for 3/4 weeks.
I have  horseradish roots in the laundry sink, I dug up in the field on Friday.


All of the grandchildren are now at school, I hope that they are all enjoying themselves & the school run is manageable.

TGIF

Actually, no, as it makes no difference to us retirees.
Everyday is a holiday, unlike the days of my family, who are so busy that they don't have a moment to comment on my blog.

Thomas came this morning, we played, he played football with G; asked if G was any good he replied, rather diplomatically, "he's not as good as me".
Th did some colouring whilst I did the last thank-you letters for Blyth hall & froggy notes inviting folk to come & decorate the church for the harvest on 24 Sept @ 10.00am, promising "refreshments & fun".
Th & I delivered a few of these, on foot before G took him to church where Maurice was working on the bells.
I prepared their lunch then changed to go to a funeral -that of Enid's husband, Peter, a lovely man who had spent the last 9 years in a wheelchair following heart problems.
The crem in Nuneaton has a glass wall & overlooks open fields - very peaceful.
The service was taken by a Reader, which made me think that I should offer my services here, if needed.
I am qualified but have always declined for fear of failure. 
The service lasted an hour, then back to a local sports club, grinding a wheel on the curb en route as the friends I was following executed a turn in the road & I followed.
Bother.
Home by 5.00pm with ideas of vacuuming whilst G was out, but settled for a nice cup of tea & watching the news.
A quiet evening, beef stir fry & poor TV.
Enjoy your weekends - ours is action-packed, starting with a stall at the NW flower Festival tomorrow morning. Bric-a-brac to load & damsons to pick first thing.

plums & damsons.

Chris & Jan joined us for dinner tonight, Jan brought her own as she has started a diet where the food is sent to you monthly.
It looked alright, but not as good as our calamari, prawn & scallop salad starter, followed by M&S sausage, new potatoes, sprouting & cauliflower cheese then poached damsons, plums & Maribelle's(?) with creme fraiche.
The Maribelle's are the little yellow plums that grow on the tree opposite the conservatory.
G has raked up barrow loads; today they were on sale in M&S for a vast amount so we decided to eat some.
They were all very good.
We also picked the best crop of pears from the tree on the West wall - large & luscious.

Before all of this horticultural activity, we had a morning at home, doing things, then went to Solihull for G to go to the bank whilst I bought food. 
I sorted out the wardrobes & took a large bag of clothes to the charity shop.
I should have spared a couple of pairs of jeans to return to M&S as they were giving tokens today only.
Never mind - my needs are small (scope here for sarcasm)
We settled for coffee in M&S & came home .
Time for bed.

Indian summer?

I think that this is an Arctic winter.
Today was cool & windy with the odd shower.
This isn't what early September should be like - back to school, sun comes out, we all know the pattern.
Anyway, I have been in the garden - picking damsons for Sue, who sells jam by her garden gate & gave the chutney for Blyth Hall & enough left for the ploughmans' lunches on 25 Sept.
I've tidied all of the garden around the yard, which I then swept - a barrow load of leaves & acorns.
G went to the hospital then mowed the lawns, painted the overlap bits on the back bedroom window, ate his dinner & took charge of the remote control.

We have taken advantage of our Telegraph subscription for the first time (apart from a free coffee in Debenhams in Oxford) & booked free tickets to see "Tinker, Tailor......."
I've just booked tickets for "Evita" at the Hippodrome, half price through Travelzoo.
Culture Vultures or what?

So much going on over the next couple of weeks, we shall need a holiday.

It's the Lotto rollover.
I'm not overly excited as I think that our ticket has run out - 4, 29 31, 35, 38, 48.
No big winner so I'll have to buy a ticket on Saturday. What would I do if I won?
I'd buy a big house on the coast & furnish it like a proper beach house.

Home, without Robin.

Aj & I have had a long weekend getting a little culture.
We met at Kings Cross on Saturday lunchtime, evaded the EDL protest & found our car to go to the Marriot Hotel on  East or West India Dock, aj & the driver knew which one) in bright sunshine.
After a potter we met the other three couples, none of whom knew what they had done to be a "Nissan winner"
Two had at least bought a Nissan recently.
Who cares.
We were plied with drink then taken to O2 to see "Batman" from a box, with bar & buffet dinner.
Pretty good show, circus & drama & a lot of posing by Batman.
Back to the VIP bar (no VIPs - B & R must have had an early night), then back to the hotel bar (posh) for more drinks.
I only managed two glasses of wine before tonic then coffee.
aj did much better!

Sunday I went to Uxbridge on the train to meet G & cousins for a great lunch at The Compleat Angler.
Highly recommended.
We went to P's at Richmond, to catch up with aj, then G home.

Monday we walked to Ham House, along the river, did the NT bit, then back to Richmond to shop & drink coffee, then back to P's to nap & cook dinner.
We watched the Ham House video before touring the garden as the house didn't open until 12.00.
This enabled us to answer the questions on the tour as the guide obviously hadn't seen the video or read the book. How to win friends........

Today we came /went home.
I'm getting the hang of this travelling on the train - aj gives me an Oyster card & I'm off.

I've just come in from an Alms Houses trustee meeting &  need a glass of wine - G didn't finish the bottle he opened yesterday.
E-mails done, washing & ironing done & bed changed, loads of damsons picked & taken to  an elderly jam maker. A little light housework & that's it for the week.
Really?
Perhaps I'll do a 16 hour fast as recommended by W. Miss breakfast.

Weather should be better tomorrow, gardening to do.

Watching a good programme about twins  bereaved on 9/11.

White Rabbits.

I know that it's the 3 Sept., but the first two days just disappeared.
We had a great time with all of the grandchildren, & spent Wed at the Safari Park with T & KP, before returning to Bicester.
Wed was not one of my better organised days - I forgot to let  the ladies know that I was unavailable for tennis, or B&E know that we were returning T & KP.
Whoop
I've been forgiven; the three ladies at tennis said they enjoyed the chat & the early return home.
That's dedication!

Yesterday I shopped for food in Solihull M&S rubbish anyway sale is over, thank goodness.
We had a fund raising meeting over afternoon tea, then the "old" KS folk came for a meal in the evening.
Most enjoyable - I felt quite athletic in such company.

Just getting organised to go to London to meet aj for her Nissan prize of  a visit to "The Batman Experience" at the O2, then overnight  in London, train tickets provided & cars to meet us at the other end.
Should be fun.
I only have to get from Euston to Kings Cross, which I've done before without alarming anyone.

Have a good weekend.

This computer keeps locking.
Is it my fault or is it trying to tell me that I should have an i pad?

Tuesday, very late, hence Wed.

T & KP are sleeping over.
They sleep very well.
Jessie & Thomas came for the day, along with Fred, Nigel's son.
They have had a whale of a day, the fleet of wheeled vehicles flying around the yard, helping Nigel in the shed, helping G build a bonfire, cooking & making shops from shoe boxes.
All  have eaten well, in fact, the cupboards are almost bare.
It is ridiculously late as I've been finding a priest to do a baptism on Sunday, sorting the evening harvest service & checking the planning application on Shustoke House Barns, at the bottom of Castle Lane,to a wedding/occasions venue, which is causing a lot of concern.
There are many photos in the plans, they are very attractive, grade 11 listed & redundant.
Car parking for 50 cars, events licenced until 2.00am.
Is that really going to cause a big problem?
Equivalent of 9 jobs created - I could become an MC!!
Should we be worried?

West Midlands Safari Park tomorrow/later, using the free return given when we took J & TH some weeks ago.
I thought it was great, Jurassic Park, on a smaller, less scary scale.
Earplugs may be needed (passengers, not beasties) 

Church closed.

It was open until about 5.00pm & we had a steady flow of people through all day, who ate all of the cakes & scones that I had made, enjoyed the church & made donations of £135.
We made a few new contacts, have volunteers to man the next open day, decorate the church for the harvest & decorate christmas trees for the Christingle service in December.
A pretty good day all round.
G has finished his shed, ready to move in next week, & planted the fruit bushes we bought in Bicester last week.
We have eaten pan fried salmon, followed by pancakes, which caused both aj & G to nap intermittently all evening.
We have just watched a good play with Bill Nighy, time for bed, said Zebedee! 

Done & dusted.

Yesterday went very well.
aj & I went to the hairdressers at lunchtime, went & had coffee & went back again an hour later, as he was running late.
We relaxed  over lunch,  loaded the goods into Keith's van, relaxed with a cup of tea, then eventually went to Blyth Hall, to set up for the evening.
G & Keith set up the bar, whilst us girls, aj, Jan & I, laid the table - 8 cheese, 5 breads, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, chutney, oil & balsamic.
It looked very good, so I'm told.
Nearly 70 attended, ate most of the bread & cheese & bought £470 worth of raffle tickets.
Colin joined in & sold off the remaining food whilst aj slaved over a hot sink.
We were home by 10.00pm, tired.

Everything's back to normal, we've done the accounts & we are delighted to have made almost £1700 profit.
aj & I went to Solihull to return the glasses to Laithwaites, along with a case of wine - far less was drunk than we anticipated, the shopped for food for the weekend.

I  have included the menu  to prove that we did not have a vast selection of accompaniments with the cheese, as suggested somewhere.
The evening was a great success.
I wonder if I won the lottery.      

Happy Birthday aj!

I'm not changing my age for a while now, as this will save me thinking about it.
I am now officially 58 & sticking!
I spoke to aj at midnight - she answered almost as coherently as she does earlier in the day.
This was good going as she had eaten an entire M&S family size chicken pie  (with veg) for her dinner.
She ate one half, fell asleep, then, remembering how good it had been, she ate the other half.
Not bad for a 57 year old!
I had a great day yesterday, so I shall revert to that for my b'day, if today's not so good.
I was out early, photocopied posters at church, played tennis in the sunshine for a couple of hours, trailed around the shops in Coleshill to get the posters displayed, then went to Solihull & Knowle , to finish the wine & cheese shopping.
W suggests that this must be pretty straightforward &, as usual, he's right.
We have 8 cheeses, 6 wines,3 non alcoholic drinks, water, 5 different breads,4 types of biscuit, 2 types of olives, 3 chutneys, oil/balsamic, sun-dried tomatoes & grapes.
Have we forgotten anything?
I'm sorting out plates & knives for 70, along with cheese boards, bread baskets & dishes.

I had coffee in M&S, bought a new straw hat in the sale &had a wonderful chocolate in Hotel Chocolat, where I went to buy a gift for Lady D.
Life can't get much better.
Jan & Chris came to dinner, we had spatchcock chicken, a bottle of bubbly pinot noir, put in the mystery case we bought at Laithwaites, & a coffee birthday cake, with candles, for Chris, whose b'day was on 22 Aug.

AS I was up late/early I sneaked downstairs & opened the mysterious present from W & MK, J & DK.
I am now the proud owner of a brilliant pair of flowery Hunter wellies.
these will be my "indoor wellies", worn to impress, & to keep my feet dry, of course.
Many thanks - they're great.

Off to start my day - O & the twins sang "Happy Birthday" to me, over the phone, which was lovely & had me in tears.
Us 58 year olds!

Spellcheck doesn't!like this blog.

Flock + 1

A busy day - church followed by a meeting with Jan & Keith to finalise details for the Blyth Hall Soiree.
Home for a cup of coffee & the odd digestive biscuit, then back to church, Lea Marston this time, to baptise young Oliver Stephen Matthew Smith, great grandson of Les, in the village
A dear little boy, about 18 months old, who spent much of the service lying on his tummy somewhere near my feet.
Home to prepare dinner, with P, A & family - toad in the hole, Eton mess & chocolate cake.
Thomas & Jessie are staying for a couple of days, both sleeping peacefully after a little "Miffy" & chocolate.
Adventures planned - Safari Park and/or Marsh Gibbon.
Time for bed, I think. It may be an early morning.....

Hi

I've discovered e-mailing!
Well, I'm not new to it, but I've had e-mails that need/warrant a reply & suddenly I'm e-mailing.
It's brilliant.
I don't think it costs anything & I get a reply really quickly.
This could be the way forward!

Anyway, we, or it might only be me, have eaten up all of the puddings from Wed's entertaining so we can get back to proper eating again.
Can I really have pet on 3lb in two days?

Yesterday we sourced food for the wine & cheese evening.
That might sound like a two shop stop, but it's not that easy.
We did Costco in Coventry, with Jan, for olives , sun-dried tomatoes & some cheese - the special cheeses are from a deli in Knowle, where we have ordered scrummy special breads.
W told me I must have the sd-toms & goats cheese. 
Are there any other "must-haves"?

We bought a sample or two & dined on cheese, olives & herb bread - not too healthy really.
I'll have a go at cheese straws, W makes them & says they're easy - I used to make them, in a former life, I think.
It's strange how you can be reminded of things that you had completely forgotten, but can't put them in context. The past all blurring/stirred up.
Is this common or is my brain closing down?
Immaterial really.

I bought two pairs of trousers yesterday, blue linen, long desired, in M&S sale & bargain crag hoppers, really special, spf 40, ....... even better than the chs that G took me to see, for my travels.

Have a brilliant weekend - I'm going in the garden.

Spotted Dick fondue.

PS. I  forgot the culinary delight/high spot/discovery of the decade.
Some years ago I bought a green enamel Le Cruset fondue set, following a visit to W in Grenoble, returning home via Geneva, where we had a typical Swiss meal, in a restaurant built to look like a typical Swiss home .
I daresay that we were the only couple in Geneva eating fondue in a fake Swiss chalet!
I may be wrong.
We stayed in a comfy hotel in the red light district, booked for us by W.
An interesting visit, all in all.

Anyway, the fondue was so good that I bought a fondue set some time later.
We used it once - highly calorific & lots of cheeses needed -  since when it has been taking up too much room in a kitchen cupboard.

On Wed, in the pudding frenzy, I had used my large pudding basin for a creme caramel & needed another for the spotted dick.
The fondue basin was perfect, a lovely shape & the handles make it easy to lift out of the saucepan when you steam a pudding.
At last it can earn it's place in the cupboard.

A level results day.

We don't have any results to worry about, thank goodness, but I still remember W getting his results, on a school holiday in the South of France.
All that education & he can't think of a comment for his Mother's blog!

I had a hectic day yesterday - up at seven o'clock to prepare puddings for lunch & dinner, tennis, lunch with Shaws, Woodwards & Jan (fish, new potatoes, purple sprouting & petit pois, followed by spotted dick, Danish rice pudding, fruit jelly, etc). Cleared up, Internet search for a holiday, nap, Wheelers for dinner (salmon with ginger, chili & soy, with new potatoes, asparagus, & ps, followed by creme caramel & cheese)
This is the first time that I've made the Danish rice pud - rice cooked in pan then whipped cream & chopped almonds stirred in.
This recipe was on the Internet - are there any secrets that I should know - it was very well received.

A quiet day today, to spend in the garden.
G will be working on the shed - he hopes to move in before Christmas!!

Perhaps an heir-hunter will knock on my door today.
It was just suggested by a programme on the TV.
As it's just background noise, I was thinking "air hunter" & thought it must be a pretty easy job.
Proof might be more difficult!
A little light ironing before I start the day - I think that G is still asleep.

Tuesday - the less glorious 16th.

Blog or find a holiday, on line.
Actually, I managed to do neither; there are so many deals about & too many different holidays to choose from, we can't decide.
We did find a cruise on Discovery, but it came in at £3579 as there were only expensive cabins left.
The volvo is having a short summer break at the "Ring of Bells".
They tracked the noise to a drive belt, but didn't have one in stock.
It should be done by tea time.
I should be doing housework & baking ready for tomorrow as we have seven for lunch & Rita & Peter for dinner.
We have been to the bank this morning & now G is off somewhere, in the lotus.
I've done work on The Blyth Hall Soiree - spoken to Lady d, letters out to donors & tickets ready to deliver.
We still need to sell more tickets.

Great game of tennis yesterday, we are playing early tomorrow so I hope that this good weather keeps up.

AJ's has the London "Batman weekend" sorted - a taste of the high life?

The glorious thirteenth.

It was past midnight before I was able to blog, last night, so missed the intended title.
Grouse beware!
The streets seem to have settled down, with added security, even in the bluest of white Solihull.

We went to see JR on Wed, staying overnight. All seems well there & Abigail, the Bolivian carer is great. It gave her a couple of days off, to spend with her family.
There is a carrier bag in the pond, which JR can see, of course. How do we get it out?

The volvo has a nasty banging/clicking from under the bonnet.
Ring of Bells has had it in once. overnight, to hear it first thing.
They didn't.
I took it in on Friday. It was banging away when I arrived, so I left it running on the road & fetched a mechanic.
He listened under the bonnet for ten minutes, without diagnosis, so it is having another away day on Monday, with bed-rest until then.
I went on to shop in Solihull, scrummy, healthy, bargain food in M&S & some window shopping.

Today I went to Blyth Hall to discuss the Soiree with Lady D. & Keith.
Lady D was delightful & couldn't have been more helpful.
We just need to sell some more tickets - let me know if you want to join us - good company, good wine & scrummy cheese in wonderful surroundings, all for £20.
I've finished tomorrow's sermon, thank God, we've had a super dinner & are now relaxing, watching Ronnie Corbett.
G is getting on well with the shed, Nigel has been here all day, petting in the footings for the little walls that will meet the timber, eventually.
It will be fit for habitation at this rate, better than the factory.

Two services tomorrow then I can relax, hopefully whilst gardening.

We're eating healthily, so no more cakes for a while & loads of fruit & vegetables.
We seem to have got into the habit of going to bed too late & then reading until the small hours.
This has the knock on effect of losing the following morning.
It must stop.
I shall be in bed by 11.00pm tonight.

Spellcheck turns Solihull into "molehill".
Discuss.

Phew!

What on earth is happening?
Kids rioting in the streets of Birmingham, amongst other places, fire-bombing buildings, firing cars, smashing shop windows & looting.
The scenes are horrendous - people have lost their homes & businesses, others forced to leave their homes, in fear.
This is just opportunist crime.
So, what triggers it?
Surely decent people don't behave like this, so what is our society really like?

Peter is staying with us, a quiet few days, with some good weather.
I played tennis yesterday & did loads of washing today, otherwise, lazy.
I have delivered the first lot of tickets for Blyth Hall & done more invitations.
I wish that people who have said they are coming, would reply so we know how many tickets are sold.
G is getting on well with the shed, mining scrap metal in there.
Rain forecast for tonight, so I haven't watered the plants.
I trust that the forecast is right.  

By thunder.

Sunday afternoon, we have just had a ferocious storm, the first this year, as far as I can recall.
I was contemplating doing a little light gardening, but that is obviously out of the question now.
I shall follow plan 2: make some scones to go with the raspberry jam I bought for the prize-winning sponge cake & clotted cream that I bought in Tesco yesterday, because they didn't have any double cream.
You may ask what I was doing in the abhorred Tesco.
Well, I awarded myself a day off.
I booked a hairdressing appointment for 11.30am.
I asked him to do whatever he thought best.He opted for my present bob, which he said that he had been cultivating for twelve months & now hung very well (I think that I got that term from somewhere else. Was it B at DMP?)
We opted for it shorter & shaped to my neck at the back.
It looked good when I left.
I went to Solihull, parked at Morrison's (I feel that they owe me a lifetime of free parking after the £80 fine), went to M&S for coffee as it was 1.30am & I'd had nothing to eat.
This took an hour as I met an old friend.I only had time to shop in M&S then back to the car, to beat the 2 hour curfew.
I opted for Knowle to the Acorn shop, the only food shop is Tesco.
No wonder that JS & Waitrose are vying for a store there.
We went to Balti Cottage last night, whilst I was still glam.
We found that a whole meal is too much to eat - I left half of mine, G had a bad night, with flatulence!

I went to communion this morning, assisting as Keith is on holiday.
I got rid of the remaining plants from the sale at the show, before they realised that they were in a pot plant hospice, & was given a jar of marmalade.
Peter is here for a couple of days, snoozing in front of the TV after a late lunch.
Th kitchen floor is glistening as G dropped a bottle of Rioja before lunch!

Back to the kitchen - I did make a fine banana cake before lunch & a banoffi pie for desert.
Guess what I found lurking in the vegetable rack last night?

Friday again.

If I haven't blogged, it is usually because either I'm not at home or I'm so tired that I've fallen asleep in the evening & not woken up until it's too late & I'm already tired again.
This week it's been a combination of the two.
We have had a great week entertaining & being entertained by grandchildren.
We went to Bicester on Monday, stayed over, then brought T & KP back with us for a couple of nights.
They played hard all day & slept like angels all night - you know when they are asleep, they stop talking! Th & J came for the day on Wed & they had a whale of a time.
It was very warm, we had two tents, a gazebo & a fleet of vehicles out - we've just put them all away this evening.
A hosepipe, bucket of soapy water & a lot of small sponges created a great vehicle wash, & watered the lawn at the same time,
The most enduring image of a hot day is KP holding the sprayer, which was watering the bed at the top of the garden, the kids running under the dry parabola.Kp realised that she could adjust the direction by holding it & spraying at everyone.
OK, but Adrian was collecting Th & J, in his new car!

Yesterday it rained. We went to the Transport Museum in Coventry after lunch, then on to Ikea for tea, then back to Bicester.

Today has been a Th & J day - humid & warm.
We've camped, made cards, had a treasure hunt for coins to make sets up & been to the playground to work out on the assault course.
They should sleep well tonight.
During the treasure hunt we found a cache of Gina's jewellery in a dressing table pot, in the spare room.
It had been missing for a long time - not a place that I would look, as a rule.

Hairdressers tomorrow - a bit of indulgence .
Still haven't decided whether to go for the chop.
On that note, G's beard has gone, completely.
He did go for the hill-billy look for a couple of days (middle missing)
That really was bad.
He does look at least ten years younger - I'll post the before, during & after photos when I can remember how to do it.

Another late night.
I have compensated by sleeping through a Sean Connery film & The Real Deal - self preservation.
I have to finish reading The Human Stain (Philip Roth) as we recorded the film last night.
I gave up about half way through, a few weeks ago, as it was such slow going & I couldn't spot the humour that was promised.
Perhaps the second attempt will be more successful, seeing Anthony Hopkins (? - Silence of the lambs guy) as the main character.

Travelzoo day.

Wednesday already.
Monday morning was spent on housework - quite enjoyed it really, sad to say, then down to Bicester to see G & family, then on to see B&E for dinner & a sleepover.
We came home with T&KP yesterday, via Solihull and had lunch at mcdonalds.
we have spent today with tents and J and Th  ( not for the night!) and we had tea and lunch in them.

Brilliant!

We have had a great day.
I went to the show at 9.00am - having got up early to make scones - to put my baking in the show.
Keith collected the bric-a-brac & tables with a trailer to take to the show field at Blyth  & G followed on, on his bike.
The weather has been superb all day long.
We set up the stall & gazebo on our allocated plot, sold all day long, selling loads of stuff & taking £245.
I won a prize in the Alzheimer's Society "stallholders only" raffle (no, not an elderly.......) &, to cap it all, I won 2nd prize with my Victoria sandwich & 3rd prize with my chocolate cake.The other entries were only the odd half mark off a prize.
The show was brilliant, a proper rural event, with lots of stalls, animals, tractors, steam engines, dogs & horses. It was a sell out.
You should all come next year.

We've had an omelet & I've done my "bit" for Malcolm's memorial tomorrow.
I've watered the garden, despite the hose pulling out of the fitment every 3 minutes & then soaking me as I put it back together.
I hate hoses!

Well.

G has spent the day building the shed, with Nigel.

Blogger has just erased my entire blog.
Bugger!

Briefly, I've finished the church display for the Whitacres & Shustoke Show, on Sat, & washed the bric-a-brac & put it all in the garage, ready for transporting on Sat morning, by Keith.
I have to find time to do my baking - shortbread, scones, sponge, choc sponge & fruit cake.
I can take the surplus to church on Sunday, as long as they haven't been destroyed by the judge, testing texture.

Thomas & Jessie tomorrow, so we shall relax a little.
It's M&S day for "valued customers", like me. Those who eat  M&S food, whilst wearing M&S clothes & sleep between M&S sheets.........
We had a spatchcock chicken tonight. Delicious.

Must see how much bottles sell for & price aj's gramophone player, with horn!

A good send off.

Chris's retirement do was enjoyable with a very good turnout.
The Abbot Beyne staff did her proud, with singing, a DVD & speeches from a variety of sources. (only one with no stop button)
Kingsbury, her first headship was represented by Mick, Barrie & me, with some humour.
She was very successful at both schools & we loved "The Chris years"

Played tennis this morning, perfect weather. Please let it last until Sunday so that it is fine for the show on Saturday.
I went to Staples for poster making materials & JS for ginger oatcakes, after tennis.
I ended up buying stuff that I haven't used....
We put up the magic magnetic framework, the A3 card was too small so I used posh ceiling paper.
I'll finish it tomorrow......

Jessie has some Little Miss specs from today, she can pair up with T's Mr Bump ones.

G has been building the shed with Nigel, the telegraph pole uprights are in place, so it looks like the Norfolk tree circle. I like it in this state as there is a good view through it. I have suggested that we leave it as it is, but I don't think that this will happen.
Shame.
We have tomorrow to finish the display & sort out the goods to sell.

So the Olympic sites are finished a year ahead of schedule. Amazing. Perhaps we have turned the corner. 

24999

That is the counter reading on my blog at this very moment.
If you are the first person to read this you are hit no 25000!
Congratulations!

I have just woken up, in the conservatory, having sat down with a cup of teas about half an hour ago.
The evils of drink at lunchtime!
We had our lunch party, both P & M & M & M bought identical bunches of lilies from the florists in Coleshill.
We enjoyed salmon followed by bread & butter pudding.

We have to change to go to Chris's retirement do.
My "Jenny Joseph bag" is almost complete, now having a tin with odds & ends.
Still no summer gloves, despite an exhaustive search of the house this morning.

I shall wear my brown Country Casuals dress, which fades to cream & yellow, bought to go on the cruise in Dec 2009 & found to be too bulky to pack. Or perhaps it was found to be too tight.
Either way, it remains unworn & awaiting an event on a warm evening, so, here we go......

Another scorcher.

I was up early to put out the dustbin, dead-head the flowers & water the plants as a warm day was promised.
We played tennis in beautiful weather this morning, then home for a shower, lunch, then off to Cannock High School. for a meeting with Barrie & Mick.
Tomorrow night is Chris's retirement do & we are to do the "Kingsbury years".
We realised that we had no anecdotes as we had actually just enjoyed all working together & making the school such a success - the most improved school in the country in Chris's second year, headlined in "The Daily Mail".
I had a few from the holiday in Bude; some work to be done on that before tomorrow night!

The satnav was determined to get onto the Toll road.
I was determined to stay on the A5.
Needless to say, the satnav won, but only for the last 8 miles or so.
Those of you who use the toll road will know that this counts as a complete victory.
I managed to avoid it on the way home, or , rather, on the way back to Ventura Park, to buy food, so could afford the odd crust!
G has removed this half of the shed in the field, ready for Nigel to start erecting telegraph poles tomorrow. He has excavated bin loads of copper scrap, so we now need a tatter as well as a skip.
I just want it to look like a gingerbread house & have a mezzanine.
I think that I may be disappointed.
We have a lunch party tomorrow - Phil & Marg, Maurice & Mary.
Salmon & asparagus, any ideas for pudding?

Torchwood has just started. Looks scary so I'm off to bed. 

Another scorcher.

Phew, a busy weekend.
Thomas & Jessie on Friday - a lovely day, so we put the tent up on the lawn & played "camping" & had lunch outside.
P & A came to dinner, by which time the rains had come.Jessie helped make dinner & laid the table, whilst T rested up, watching a DVD with G.

On Sat morning we had a meeting here about the planned church fundraisers.
I completed my sermon, then went to Solihull, to shop.
It is Chris Thompson's retirement do on Tuesday; I have bought her the Jenny Joseph poem, "Warning" & attempted to buy all of the articles mentioned. I have the red hat, purple skirt & satin sandals, slippers, summer gloves & brandy to find.

We have a stall at The Whitacres & Shustoke Show, next Sat. We have to make a display board, that is, we have to find a board & then make a scintillating display to put on it.
No problem there then.
We have done 45 invitations to order tickets to the Blyth Hall Soiree & delivered most of them.
We drove around the lanes of Botts Green this evening, looking for a couple of farms, without success.
Some of those we did find had no letter boxes! The guilt felt in having to open a back door to throw a letter into the house.
I took services at LM & NW this morning, then home to get lunch, with Judith & Peter.
G gave the invitation late last night, so the meal was a little unusual (what we had available) - jacket potatoes with chili followed by rice pudding made with palm sugar, strawberries & cream, coffee & coffee cake.
Since I started cooking cakes in the non-fan oven  my cakes have tripled in height. I have even ventured to enter some in the show on Sat, since we shall be there early anyway, setting up our stall.

Time for bed said Zebedee.

Thomas & Jessie tomorrow, so there'll be no staying up half the night.
I got out of bed at 9.45am this morning, G was lying in bed, flat on his back, not snoring; I had to put a hand on his chest to check that he was breathing.
Actually it was only 8.50am, I'd mis-read my watch hands in the dark - problems of sleeping in the spare bedroom, leaving all cons behind.
G should be healed in a week or two.
The beard will have to go, it's like a small, aged pet that constantly needs stroking.

I cleaned the church, with Maurice this morning - dysoned the cobwebs off the lights, barrow-loads of them, G took photos then went to the bank.
If their experts are so b..... good, why are they working there & not retired if the South of France?
After lunch we had coffee, G slept, then we delivered Blyth Soiree letters around the district.
Most of the letters are now ready to go out,apart from a few that need saws, Jan doing the labels.
J & T may like to put through doors tomorrow.
Still have a sermon to write.
Perhaps we won the lottery last night, then again....
A useful day but no real highlights. I still have my hair.

G has just shown me the Thailand photos from 2003.
God, I was fat (G was pretty meaty as well)
Must lose another stone.