Dans la maison.

We arrived home yesterday after a few days in France.
We drove down to Dover on Friday & stayed in The Loddington, a small hotel in the Georgian terrace just along from the docks - charming.
We had a v good Italian dinner, in a small family run restaurant & a morning shopping in the town, before catching the 12.30pm ferry to Calais.
We drove South to Amien, where we stayed in The Priory next to the Cathedral - a delightful cell with  gothic, vaulted ceiling.
After Amien we travelled along the Somme, visiting some WW1 sites, staying in Cambrai & St Omer.
On Monday, after touring St Omer, on foot, we visited Montreuil, then drove up the coast, through Le Touquet & Hardelot, scene of many a past KS holiday, before staying overnight in Calais, in a lovely old house, near to The Mairie, catching the ferry back on Tuesday lunchtime.
If I were an entrepreneur I would build a decent department store in Calais & some shops & restaurants on the port, which is totally devoid of anything apart from toilets.
The highlights, apart from some excellent regional dinners - abandoned the diet for the duration  - were the Gothic Cathedrals of N France & the battlefields around Vimy Ridge, still pitted with holes & craters from explosions from the years of battles as the allies attempted to dislodge the German army from the only high ridge amidst hundreds of miles of flat landscape.
The Canadians finally succeeded in 1917, with great loss of life.

I went out early this morning & washed both Volvos, which were amazingly filthy, before we went to Solihull, G to the bank whilst I bought fish & vegetables, to renew the diet & shake off the regained
3 lb!! - the cost of high living!

G gave me a camera for an anniversary present - photos to follow!

  

Passed the test.

I went to Solihull in the alternative volvo today - brill!
Quieter & smoother than it's older cousin.
We are deciding how to distinguish between them, in conversation - old & new, silver & black, RPO & JLU (Jesus Loves Us - love it), yours & mine?????
Any ideas?

We rolled out of bed early, well, 8.15am actually, but we had a late night owing to having fallen asleep on the settee, put on old clothes & raked up leaves for over two hours.
We cleared the yard, garden & this end of the field - 4 cu m of leaves shifted.
I reckon that we must be amazingly carbon negative, considering all of the CO2 utilised in the production of all those leaves.
A leaf-free environment = a happy G!
A bit like me & a clean, tidy house.

I made soup, cheese scones & rock cakes for lunch - Jan came so that we could get the advent festival letters sorted before a bigger meeting tomorrow.
I have to admit that I ate a scone - they are small. (&delicious)
I bought & posted J's b'day present in Solihull, drove to P & A's then walked to collect J from school.
We collected Th later, after football coaching, then cleared up after the gardener & cooked tea.
Their drive is like an emmental cheese as the gas Board lay new pipes to the house - they'll be filled in a couple of days, by different contractors, so I understood.
strange!

Grilled herring followed by chicken tikka  followed by a brandy before bed, to settle my stomach!
This is not a recommended combination!

No eggs again today. 

New wheels.

We have added to the fleet - a "Saville grey*, pearl" V50 with extras - just like our other one but with built in SATNAV & bluetooth & reversing alarm & younger.
*bet they drop that name, however many Ls.
G drove it to Solihull, then home, after we had done the school pick up & tea, I followed on in the old........
We bought the car at Tollbar in Warwick - great people.
I stopped for a quick saunter in Warwick en route forSolihull, then collected J then stopped at JS for fuel on the way home.
JS have really good offers on wine+ 25% off for 6 bottles.
I/we'll have another look tomorrow - some real bargains.
Look for the "Taste the Difference" - their winebuyers' choice, with a purple band, we have always found them to be v good.

P & A are having the garden cleared - a muddy job today, but looking good.

A little leaf clearing tomorrow - ash leaves down in abundance, a mtg with Jan about the Mid Advent/Christmas tree festival,before picking up J & Th from school.
Anyone want to decorate/sponsor a Christmas tree?.

All aboard!

A good weekend - the barn dance went well, with over 80 there & a really clean floor as the hall had all been scrubbed after the dog show!
The catering was spot on & the supper was great & well received.
We came home & slept through the recording of "Strictly", with relief.

Church this morning, followed by a Paleo breakfast of bacon & egg before going to The Cruise Show at the NEC, compliments of Fred Olsen.
Full of middle aged + cruising types, we were quite out of place - much too young & fit!

Weird chickens - taken to sitting on a horizontal branch half way up the hedge or on a tree branch in the wood - they fly down the field when called/ when they hear us.
the one thing they don't do at all this week, is lay eggs, not in the laying box, anyway!

Exciting day tomorrow, picking up some new wheels!!!
More later.
  

Costco.

I've now done this blog twice, just to watch it disappear from the Universe for no apparent reason.
This effort will be brief!
A fun trip to Costco with Jan & Hazel (she has a card) to buy the vittles for the Barn dance tomorrow - cheddar cheese & Wiltshire ham, in the main.
Scrummy & a good price.

G stayed at home to welcome the aerial man as we have signal problems.
The aerial needed rewiring, but we still have a problem, with intermittent loss of signal.
Perhaps it's the box.

I went to Solihull afterwards, catching up with g, who had gone to oversee the finalising of the new boiler installation at P & A's.
On seeing the rather strange, elongated flue emerging at the side of the garage door, Th immediate concern, was "Will father Christmas get down that?"
I doubt it!

I stopped in Knowle en route & bought a picture of an owl - vintage majolica tiles by Maw & co, Burslem - they started making them again for a while in 1974, using techniques dormant since the 1880s.
It's brill!

Home made chili chicken & loads of vegetables for dinner - the highlight of the evening as TV is rubbish, as usual.
Looking forward to seeing the new bond film next week.
Barn dance looks hopefull - about 70 tickets sold.

Home again

Having a busy evening on the computer, doing the final drive to sell tickets for the Barn Dance, on Saturday evening.
We've had a relaxing couple of days, visiting B, E & family in Bicester.
T helped us on the computer & KP entertained as only KP can, & declared the Granny's egg was "the best boiled egg ever", at breakfast.
T had his egg with two rashers of bacon & a slice of fried bread, followed up with a crumpet with jam!
That should have kept him going until lunchtime!
I took T & KP to school this morning, had a cuddle, then we pottered around the town, had a scrummy lunch at the Great Western Arms, which is on the canal, next to the railway in Aynho.
The food is excellent/recommended.
A little time in Warwick, then home for a nice cup of tea.

Costco in the morning for some of their very best English cheddar.
To Solihull later to pick up J & Th, then home to light the first fire of the season, unless there's a change in the weather. 

Windy.

It is 25 years since the great storm in 1987 - amazing!
The weather today tried to emulate 1987, but failed.
We had planned to spend the day cutting the front hedge, had a relaxed start to the day, whilst waiting for the sun to come out, then put on lots of clothes & got on with it.
G does the cutting & I do the collecting. A lot of leaves were blowing down, which added to the mass of material to be collected - we dragged a loaded tarpaulin up the field to the bonfire six times, finally finishing shortly after 6.00pm, both knackered!
We've recovered, after hot baths & dinner - a nice piece of fish with stir fried vegetables.
We are rewarding ourselves with two days off - going to Bicester tomorrow to see the family, perhaps taking in a National trust establishment en route.

Hilary Mantell has just been awarded the Mann Booker prize with "Bring out the Bodies", a sequel to "Wolf Hall" that W & MK bought me for Christmas two years ago.
It was/is brilliant - an historical novel about Cardinal Wolsey & Henry V111 - anyone want to borrow it?

Wet & windy again tonight then a good weather forecast until Sunday - brilliant.
 

Ssssshhhhh

Having been entertained by O & the twins since Friday evening, it was really quiet here yesterday evening; J & G came for Sunday lunch & the circus left town at teatime!
The children had a great couple of days - G was like the Pied piper - behaved brilliantly & ate like horses (no, not the hay diet, W)
We had a bit of a lie in this morning, tennis cancelled.
G cut the front hedge whilst I washed & ironed then spent an hour in Solihull, taking on essentials - rat poison - then on to collect J & th from school.
Tea & a chat & home by 6.30pm.

I spent two hours yesterday, making phone calls to drum up support for the Barn Dance on Sat.
I left a lot of messages, so hope for a few positive responses - the more the merrier.
I have to shop for the bread & cheese, etc for the ploughman's suppers, so need some idea of numbers before the weekend.
It'll be alright on the night!

Rubbish TV again tonight - Dragon's Den on BBC 2, but "signal too poor".
Caught up on e mails & entered a couple of competitions.
A day in the garden tomorrow, cutting the hedges, all is done then, ready for the winter.
Visiting B & E on Wed to catch up.

Apparently more English want Scottish devolution , than Scots - 9/10 Scots take more from the public purse than they pay in taxes.
How can that work?

Time for bed.

Day out in Borchester/Solihull

G tackled the triffid on the front of the house yesterday, whilst I went shopping - O & the twins for the weekend, from teatime Friday, then combinations of the family for meals, concluding with Sunday lunch - Danish pork, ridiculously cheap.
I hassled Solihull College as I haven't been paid for April & May - perhaps get it in time for Christmas!
Did my usual shops in Knowle & Solihull, ending at M& S - even had time for a large, decaf, skinny cappuccino, copliments of aj's premier membership.
Fresh boiled eggs x 3 for tea - they made friends with the chickens & there will, hopefully be egg/s to collect today, bath & bed.
I had a quiet, with the remote control & aj on the phone whilst G went to the boxing dinner at DMP.
I helped the club in the early days by having the coach into school to work with some special groups of students - good for self esteem, development, balance.......
Those were the days!  

I'm up early to go through tomorrow's sermon, before anyone wakes - movement overhead - sounds like the furniture being moved - I'd better investigate!
Have a good weekend.

Another exciting day in ambridge.

Dum de dum de dum de dum.......
Happiness is making the most of what life offers to you, & enjoying it.
I am happy.
I drove back from Cambridge yesterday afternoon, having spent a couple of days with cousin JR, who has dementia  - his carer got lost on the way back & didn't know the address.
She wasn't difficult to find - a large black lady wandering around the country lanes - all's well that ends well!

Prepared a sermon, did loads of washing & ironing & three hours running the Village Shop today.
I served quite a few customers almost competently!
I hardly dare mention that I'm about to cook dinner - gammon steaks & egg.
I'm ravenous!

I hope that this isn't too challenging/boring for my faithful followers!

Hummm...

Today did not go as I had anticipated: tennis
                                                             potter in Coleshill while g had a mtg
                                                             shopping in Solihull (Mother Hubbard!)
                                                             picking up J & Th from school/tea
                                                             home to cook dinner
No tennis - all but three of us on holiday!
G & I went for a bike ride to Fillongly, up the killer hill, instead.
No TV last night/ no signal, so G sitting astride the roof fixing the aeriel.
This made us late for his mtg, too late to stop in Solihull, so straight to pick up J, in pouring rain, then on to collect Th, still with the big brolly up.

G went to the dive shop (1hour), then had to put the new door on P's dishwasher, whilst I played lego harry Potter (J won, as usual) football & cooked tea.
I eventually went to M&S Food, on the Stratford Rd, about 6.20pm & arrived as everything was reduced, so had a bagful of bargains, plus a Christmas pudding!
Late home, but fish & stir fry veg didn't take long & the TV is back on track.

I had last another pound this morning - 4 to go to the next  stone.
Off to see JR tomorrow, for a sleepover, then back for a meeting on Wed evening.
The lotus needs just a few bolts  to hold the seats in then G will have wheels......

Just off up the field before bed - we think that the earthworks may be badgers.
They are rarely seen during the day, even if near at hand, as they are nocturnal.
Perhaps we're totally mad........time will tell 
     

Monsoon delayed.

I understood that Thursday & Friday were going to be very wet.
They weren't!
In fact, yesterday morning was bright & sunny; I went out on my bike, putting up Barn dance posters & visiting friends, whilst all the sheets & towels dried, on the line in the garden.
We had a late bacon & egg breakfast, so skipped lunch - a great time-saver!
I cleared detritus from the dining room & cleaned downstairs, just in time for a meeting of the Holy Land revellers, in there at 7.00pm, with the well-travelled Broad brothers.
All went well, helped along by a couple of bottles of wine (non-vintage, the Tealls arrived half an hour early, so offered drinks.........)
Eventually tucked into cauliflower bolognaise at 9.00pm. 
No Internet access & pixilated TV.

Bt came this morning & doubled the broadband speed, apparently.
Now all TV channels are pixilated apart from ITV, which is rubbish, pixilated or not.
G is making do with recorded Goodwood - I shall sit on the central reservation of the M6 tomorrow evening, for some peace & quiet!
I got up early this morning to writ Sunday's sermon - Mark 10 - marriage & divorce.
I've avoided this one by preaching on the epistle reading for the last 23 years.
Remarried divorcees aren't all adulterers after all.
Phew!
I should have tackled it before - another couple of hours needed to finish it, tomorrow.

We went to Brmingham later; had a scrummy lunch in Pret a Manger - "no-bread sandwich", better known as a salad!
PaM is brill - food is always great as is the tea & coffee - even G enjoyed it.
B'ham city centre is the pits.
We went into Rackhams/House of Fraser, which used to be quite special.
It is cheap & tatty, the basement has changed from household, food & cafe to "Big Name Clearance" - like an expensive Primark, but scruffy.
I shall never darken their doors again!
Visited the Jewellery Quarter to look at wedding rings, but no sale.
Leaving the Pitts & off to bed. 

Before the monsoon

Played tennis in bright sunshine this morning, home for a bowl of soup, then off to Solihull for an hour in M&S sale, whilst G went to his favourite haunts, then on to collect J & Th from school.
Nothing exciting in the sale.
J & Th helped to decorate a cake for A's b'dat, tomorrow - designed by J & a joint effort - turned out well.
Cassoulet with sausage, bacon, veg & yesterday's stew - really good - for dinner, then relaxing with the TV.
Plenty of exercise, but a lazy day.
Home tomorrow, putting up posters for the barn dance & blackberrying, if available, with some housework ready for a meeting in the evening re the Holy Land.

Yesterday's photos are from the holiday in Vietnam, alongside me this weekend - spot the difference! 

Lazy day.

I used a shop till for the first time today - running the village shop for a couple of hours.
I bought a few items before any customers came, to practise using the till, then served the three customers  - not busy in the mornings - quite efficiently.
I did read a bit of Sir William Dugdale's biography, "Settling the Bill".
It is fascinating - the family made their money from the local coal mines after Grandfather overspent on Merevale.

I've been lazy since getting home - did most of the T crossword, watched some TV, did some polishing, made a stew and a chocolate cake.

G has been in the Lotus all day - it's getting there.

I've been to an Almshouses meeting this evening - it's cool, wet and windy out.
Just watched Hotel GB - quite good.

Weight down another couple of pounds - hope it continues for a while/another stone!
 

Happy Birthday W.

There must be a mistake, I'm not old enough to have a 38 year old son.
He must be only 28!
To reminisce, he was 6lb 9oz, blond with blue eyes & gorgeous - only the size has changed.

I played tennis, in the sunshine, this morning, came home to lunch, then went to collect J & Th from school.
I took two newly laid eggs, which they thought were very good, along with mini chocolate sandwich cakes, to save G from eating them.
Home via JS & Homebase - adhesive for G, who spent the day putting the lotus back together.
A morning in the village shop tomorrow - hope it works!

How about the Ryder Cup win - seems that we can do no wrong this year, sports wise, anyway.
Who is this Ed Miliband?