Happy St Andrew's day.

Patron saint of Scotland, Greece, Rumania, Russia, Ukraine, Constantinople and Barbados.
Not a lot of people know that.
Celebrated by doing traditionally Scottish things, like................
Presumably, in Russia, celebrated by doing traditionally Russian things  (watch out Ukraine!), in Greece, typically Greek..........................

I've had a whole week of relaxation, with no housework, little driving and a lot of exercise, so feeling relaxed and up to the challenges of next week.
I went to Bicester last Sunday and have been a presence there for the week as E was abroad with work.
T and KP were excellent company, as usual - so well organised and thoughtful.
T does have an obsession with being more than punctual, especially for school!
KP isn't bothered at all, but can be chivvied.
We did go swimming without her kit and to school without PE kit, but all put right with a little backtracking/going home to fetch it, pronto.
T told me that I "handled it very well"
Praise indeed!

Three days of parking, walking a couple of miles, shopping and drinking coffee.
This took in the opening of the new Joules shop in Bicester Village, with gifts, mince pies and bargains and a visit to the odd charity shop.
On Thursday I went to Oxford on the S5, visited the Ashmolean for an hour, then pootled around for a couple of hours in the sunshine before bussing home in time for school pick-up.

Home fitter and a little lighter - I must get into some exercise routine, but what?
Jan's B'day dinner last night - great meal and a giggle.
A trip to Cheltenham today to deliver a top hat and give the Lotus it's final run of the season.
Used it yesterday - 10 degrees and little wind so fine with a woolly hat.

30 Xmas trees (coping with the abbreviation at last) at church waiting to be erected and positioned tomorrow - a team of good men/a good team of men (what's the difference) lined up so that I can check 40 sets of lights and position trees.
Hope the weather holds - it can be a very cold job.  

Shwapped out!

After weeks of planning - borrowing clothes rails and  glasses, buying wine and mince pies, advertising to arouse enough interest to have a room full of vendors and advertising.
In all we had 18 rails and tables and the hall was full of good clothes and accessories for sale.
A good time was had by all but we could have done with a lot more buyers.
Those that did come went away loaded down with bags full of clothes and stall holders all bought from each other.
I bought a new Jaeger dress for £10.
That's Christmas day sorted!

the chickens have taken a new stage in evolution today, roosting six foot and higher in the cherry tree by the conservatory.
This is either to watch us - they all sit on the well and watch me when I'm ironing in the laundry, or to have a better view of life in general.
Friends here for lunch - toad in the hole. I wish I'd been told the two of them were vegetarians!
Beans in the hole isn't quite the same.
How is it that W and B can both make better Yorkshire pudding than their mother?

A marigold day........

Two marigold days in fact, so the house is now shining from top to bottom, apart from the downstairs floors that still need mopping.
A tidy house makes for a tidy mind, or something like that.
I've been rewarded both days by going out to dinner - The Chapter, with local clergy and Readers on Tues, to meet the new Archdeacon, and to The Cock at Wishaw yesterday, with "The Dream Team" from KS some time ago, to celebrate the retirement from teaching of BS to return to the church, full time, after a very successful teaching career.
The other two are sorting out schools that need support, then there's me!

Today I cooked a leg of Welsh lamb and mint sauce.....blackberry and apple wholemeal crumble, and M and M came to lunch.
That's it - didn't really get much else done, apart from washing, which was on the line for a couple of hours and came in damper than when I put it out.

Clothes Shwap tomorrow, cooking to do for guests and clothes to find and price.
Ah well - I'm sure that it'll be alright on the night.

Missing.

home late so watching a recording of tonight's episode - I do hope that they find young Ollie, now 8 years older, before too long.
It's a bit miserable.

I managed to do some housework today - upstairs and the top half of the stairs are gleaming, the rest to do tomorrow, if tennis is off again.
Russ, from Hearns is coming to measure the "Winter Palace" (back bedroom) for  a carpet after lunch - a soft grey to pick up the colour of the willow stems in the paper.
Dinner at The Cock in the evening with the rest of "The Dream team" - the management team from Kingsbury School for a few years in the 1990s - the most fun years of my teaching career when we achieved so much.
The most improved school in the country one year, invaded by the press and great celebrations.

I've been to The Great chapter dinner at St Clements, Chelmsley Wood - which was very nice - to meet the new Archdeacon of Aston -  an RAF pilot before entering the church and has come from inner city London, so lots of experience.

No nap today as I didn't sit down so about to nod off - bedtime first!

Thank you Morrisons!

I think that the "Clothes Shwap" preparations are well under way - 18 rails booked and quite a few tables, wine bought, glasses ordered and folk on hand to help out - door and bar.
We don't have access to the hall until 5.30pm on Fri, which gives me the day to sort out and label things to sell.
I gave a lot of clothes to the charity shop in Coleshill a while ago so I may not have much; I do have a rail - full from aj anyway.
Anyone else want a rail?

I've praying for Xmas tree sponsorship in every post.
So far Morrisons, Bloor Homes (Whitacre Gardens) and The Wedding Barns have confirmed, along with 3 churches, 2 pubs with and 4 families - 14 in total, so half sold.

I shopped in Solihull on the way to collect J and Th from school.
I bought nothing - must be a record.
I did stop at the Monkspath M&S Food on the way home this evening to buy a basil plant.
They were all dead, which I did point out to the assistant.
Remains of yesterday's cottage pie for dinner - scrummy.

I've just watched a programme on the history of dance, with "Len" - the Assembly rooms in York was the first public dance venue  and I've danced there - a student ball when I was at St Johns.
They moved on to Sion House - I've been there as well, to a wedding reception, which was memorable.
I'd been to some of the other venues as well - I've forgotten where now, too busy with e mails.
Time for bed - linen to put on it first but worth the effort  - one of life's simple pleasures, getting into a bed with clean white cotton sheets.

A quiet Sunday

a lie in then a rush to church, coffee, home for breakfast/lunch - bacon, egg and tomatoes - then to Blyth Mill.
The water mill is intact and was working until 1972 and housed in a rather dilapidated red brick building.
There is a move to renovate ,clear the mill ponds, etc - very wet and muddy down there and a bit of a shambles.
A visit to J and C to catch up, then home to cook - cottage pie for dinner and cakes for friends for tomorrow.
Dinner eaten and a nap instead of watching pretty second-rate TV.

Chickens have found that they can play around by the stables and keep the 1000w security light on, which saves going to bed.
Whatever next - chickens with brains the size of a soya bean!

Car Wash.

Having had a day out yesterday, I determined to catch up on some of the outside jobs today, whilst the weather was so good - mild, eleven degrees and even some sunshine.
As usual, I was waylaid - cleaned the scullery entirely, sorted e mails, posted the meter readings for Scottish Power and made some sense of the heap of letters from Santander.
After a cappuccino to celebrate, I emptied the stable of children's bikes, cleaned them all, cleaned the stable in the aftermath of the 2014 swallows and put them all back.
I cleaned the toy jeep, which the chickens have taken a liking to and parked that up along with the bikes - they will have to find another roost!
A friend came to help chop some logs and start a log pile to dry out for Christmas and I washed and collapsed the tent that has been erected for about two years now.
Wild bird feeders filled , two with nuts, two with fat balls - they cost about five times as much to feed as the chickens, but are very rewarding.
The pleasure of making order out of chaos!
The chickens kept me company throughout - no egg today, but two in the last few days so things are looking up.

Steak and jacket potato for dinner followed by "Strictly" and a nap on the settee.
A pretty good day all in all.
Time for bed.

Seven shades of grey.

That's the number of carpet samples I have spread out on the "second bedroom" floor - decorated in Laura Ashley "Willow",  a soft pinkish shade of grey seems to fit the bill, but how many shades of grey are there?
I'm sure that I have the right one there, somewhere and will make a final choice tomorrow, in daylight.
The only thing left to do then, is to buy a double bed, to complete the transformation from study to "Winter Palace" - my bedroom for the winter months (the wallpaper in my present bedroom is Laura Ashley "Summer Palace")
Quite exciting really - the first time I have actually designed a room. - photos when it's completed.

I had a nice day in Kenilworth, having planned a day in the garden, tidying and moving logs, but finding the wind a bit too cold.
I visited Hearns, the carpet shop again, Coffee, a potter around then a visit to Waitrose before driving home in the dark.

I'm excited about the promised metamorphosis of "Ed" into a possible PM - is there a miracle worker out there?

 

Brrrrrrrrrrrr

The November weather has arrived, which is a shock after such a long mild spell.
I had difficulty in getting going this morning and was still working on my laptop, in my snuggly, warm dressing gown, when the postwoman arrived and I had to run around to the front door, to be told that there wasn't a parcel but the chickens were across the road.
Tennis cancelled due to rain so a day to spend, at last, doing housework.
I haven't started yet!
I have sent out 70 Clothes Shwap posters, done the final Xmas festival letters and delivered them and put up some posters.

I've eaten early - a cutlet of cod and a load of vegetables, so have no excuse re lack of energy or having to cook.
Two dinner invitations today - small dinner with our best ever school management team as the last one leaves teaching to return to the church, and a "Greater Chapter" dinner for clergy and readers to meet the new archdeacon.

Wonderful Remembrance day services today, strange to think that in the 70s and 80s discussions were held on how long "Remembrance" could continue. 

Bye bye HSBC

I have moved my accounts from HSBc after banking with them all of my life.
The final straw was realising that they were paying me the great rate of .0007% on my savings account.
The rest of the day was spent getting up after a lie in trying to finish Saturday's telegraph crossword, then visiting J and new baby Bethany for a cuddle for an hour or so whilst J caught up on some jobs.
Babies can be very tiring.

Yesterday I took two Remembrance Day services - Sh then OW - a great deal of preparation done for them as work has been done on the names on the memorials, I wanted to give a view of the lives of these individuals and how their loss affected their families and the community.
I think that they went well.
I then went out to lunch at the newly re-opened "Railway Inn" at NW - food was great but running very late and the room stark - walls and windows only!
Wet evening by a roaring fire.
I could have done with a fire tonight but was lazy, so I'm cold and have to make up the bed before I can retire.
Bother.

Lunch with Charles!!

Can it really be Saturday morning - still Friday night as far as I'm concerned!
I've spent today getting the Christmas Tree Festival at Shustoke Church, off the ground - 30 trees to sell/find sponsors for, to be decorated  to turn the church into a glittering wonderland for the Christmas season.
Four sold immediately.

On Tuesday I collected 17lb of mince from Farmers butchers - a new butchers in Coleshill - excellent local meat (at cost), then spent the rest of the day making cottage pies for seventy, cooked, ready to be reheated for lunch on Wed.
I made three different cakes and three trifles, sorted 70 sets of cutlery and packed the other necessities for the meal and aftermath.
I'd like to say that I slept well after that, but I was rather stressed about the  Charles Hanson Valuation lunch on Wed and the logistics of having all of the food hot at the right time.

On Wed I was up early to complete the preparations, decorate the cakes and whip the cream for the trifles, then round to the Parish hall to check that the men were getting the tables in the right places and lay them with cloths, cutlery and napkins.
The meal went very well and Charles was thoroughly charming and entertaining for a couple of hours.
He didn't manage to value everything there - he did do my teddy bear, Fred (a little worn) - and will come back on 16 Dec to value.
He phoned on Thurs morning to say thank you and check that we were satisfied.
Wow.
I'll start a fan club!
All that fun and we made £620 for the church.
The two K's did sterling work in the kitchen - K1 keeping the food coming as cooked and joined by K2 to do all of the washing up and heavy work.
Time for bed.
  

Where to put fat balls?

I have squashed them in the past, so they will fit into a flat metal holder.
No longer.
Today I bought two cylindrical "fat ball holders" 1/3 off at Robert Dyas, whilst in there to buy rechargeable batteries for the badger camera.
Presently the wild birds cost about ten times as much as the chickens, to keep in food - woodpeckers and jays have good appetites, not to mention the odd squirrel.
The chickens like to sit under the car - don't know if they still sit there when I'm out in the car.

Played tennis this morning, took cakes to friends, home for coffee then off to Solihull to collect J and Th from school.
We went to JS to buy a few things for tomorrow's mass cook of cottage pies for Wed's lunch.
I baked cakes when I got home - lemon, coffee and chocolate - to be tarted up for Wed's lunch.
I have to make three trifles tomorrow, so that the desserts are done - the ovens will be full of cottage pies tomorrow.
A friend from church is making apple pies so we should have sufficient, all served with ice cream - not making custard for 65!

Nice warm bed with clean sheets awaits........... 

Winter?

A busy day, still wide awake and I haven't even had 40 winks!
Beat that!!
Shustoke for communion at 9.30am then on to NW to take the All Saints day service.
Would you want to be a saint - shining with the light of JC?
Having decided against it, came home for a tomato and basil salad, then went for a walk for a couple of hours, across the fields towards Maxstoke - very glad I was wearing my wellies (Hunters, gift from W and MK and brilliant)
We did get rained on, but not too wet.
Friends for dinner, so busy with salmon mousse salad, Somerset pork (made with left over white wine), pears in red wine with rice pudding, individual lemon and buttercream Victoria sandwiches.
Olwen brought her charming uncle, a fascinating man with a lot of tales to tell and a novel to publish - I'm promised a signed copy!
Now watching a recording of "Bargain Hunt" before bed.
Lots to do tomorrow - shopping for Wed's lunch and school pick up.

All Hallows.

or "All Saints Day", as it's better known.
I survived Halloween without a single visit from "Trick or Treaters" - the benefits of being out in the sticks!
I spent the first couple of hours this morning rewriting the sermon that I wrote yesterday, before getting up and going to Solihull, shopping - the first free day for a long time.
I did a little of the shopping for Wednesday's Charles Hanson Valuation Lunch" - cooking for
nearly 70.
I have to make desserts that don't need the oven as the ovens will be full of cottage pies - gateaux (cakes) and trifles seem like a good idea at the moment.
Any other ideas?
K has organised the crockery, glasses, wine and potatoes; the new butcher in Coleshill is supplying the meat at cost, a few more things to get on Monday, then cooking all day on Tuesday.
Simple!

Tables are going well for the "Clothes Swhap" on 21 Nov - just need the shoppers to come to make it a success.

I'm watching "Strictly", which is excellent, planning to clean the cutlery ready for Wed.
I realise that this may not happen as I'd rather have a soak in the bath and paint my toe nails.
Perhaps I'll do both!