Bicester Garden City in Bloom

My first drive of any length for ten weeks, to come to Bicester, yesterday, bringing tents and camping stoves.
A lovely day, quiet roads and a visit to the Sobell House Warehouse to source a large saucepan/ casserole for B to use on the scout camp.
Failed.
I did the charity shops of Bicester today and failed in all of them as well, but did buy some interesting bits and pieces and enjoy the search - always good music playing and friendly staff.
Perhaps it,s just a sign of my age!

T and KP had poached eggs on thick white buttered toast for breakfast.
We did the school walk and then I drove to town rather than the usual speed walk, due to the twisted right knee.
K, a mine of medical information, said that I should keep my knee straight, so I did try to walk with one straight leg.
No mean feat!
Back in time for a cup of coffee before the school runs, one hour apart, and a very evil doughnut a piece with a drink to recharge the batteries.
KP's dozen or so Beaver badges sown onto her new camping blanket a and chicken, bean and chorizo casserole made for dinner and eaten, with B, before off to football for KP halfway to Buckingham.
Just watched QT.
Boring!!

Wintertons in Lichfield.

A dealers, day today with a trip to Wintertons Auction Room in Lichfield for the first day of the sale.
The main city car park is all closed for resurfacing, so parking was difficult.
Why couldn't it be done half at a time?
Anyway, well worth the effort - very different from Hansons - three big scruffy room with stuff piled high and tables full of boxes of glass, china, etc.
Some bids left and Tim Wanacott was there as Bargain Hunt is being recorded there tomorrow.
Hansons seem to put photos of the BH lots on the cover of the catalogue, Wintertons don't have photos.

We went on to Etwall to The Buckle and Hawk(?) for a very good, very cheap lunch - 241 on main courses - then on to Hansons to collect some
It's bought last week, then home.
Some fascinating bits bought, to be researched later, even a rather cheeky glass frog who had obviously not seen water for a while.
Home for tea and a rock cake, made early this morning, early, whilst making a B'day cake for a friend.
Sermon to write for Sunday - Rogation Day, and a service to put together for after the Rogation Walk around the parishes on Monday.
I'm serving Ploughmans' Lunches at Shustoke Church - cheese, butter and pickle bought.
Bread to be ordered and tomatoes sourced.
Should I add anything else?
Catering for 100, no chance of a walk then.
Praying for sunshine.

Women's Hour had an election special - the best interviews yet due to the lack of aggression by the interviewer.
Put a woman on the job!

*Rogation means "asking" or "beseeching" - asking for a blessing on the crops.

Bob the Butcher......

....in Rhayader - visited on the way home from Llandridod Wells on Friday and bought the best rump steak I have ever tasted.
I have a leg of lamb pending for dinner with friends this evening and hope that it will be as good.
K and I spent Thurs night in the Metropole in LW, having sauntered our way there by way of Leominster and Kington, visiting the Antique Centres and a few chosen charity shops and drinking coffee.
We swam in their lovely pool before having a brilliant dinner, peaceful night with. A good book, early morning swim and a full Welsh breakfast before "doing the town".
It takes little doing really as it's in a sad state commercially with so many empty shops and other premises- such a pity as it has some beautiful, interesting architecture and a wonderful setting.
We worked our way home by way of The Red Lion in Llanfawr, the oldest pub in Powys and where we used to visit on holidays, staying at the little cottage along the road, in our teens and early twenties.
In those days the pub was the front room of the farm, opening only in the evenings as a pub.
We'd walk there in the mornings with the milk can to collect milk straight from the cows.
Brilliant, but sour by cocoa time.
Now the road is wider and straighter, the pub has three rooms. And the cottage is a three bedroomed house.
We have booked the holiday cottage which is the end of the farm/pub, for a few days later in the year, to repeat some of the walks done many years ago.

The sun's shining, washing on the line, lawns tidy.
I've been to church, home for breakfast and back to NW for the Parish AGM, so the rest of the day - until time to cook the lamb, is my own - garden or clear China from the dining table so that we can eat in there this evening?
This  e baying lark needs space! 

Visiting the Harpur Crewes......"

Well, Calke Abbey anyway.
An amazing Grade 1 listed house acquired by the National Trust in 1981, in lieu of Inheritance Tax.
It was bought by Henry Harpur in 1722 and passed down through the family since then, the family becoming more and more reclusive as the years went by.
They were all passionate collectors of natural history specimens until the house was pretty well full and nothing touched since 1880!
No electricity until 1961!
The NT have conserved it, just as it stood - pretty shabby looking but preserved.
Amazing, vast array of outbuildings, all red brick (from the estate brickyard), including a longs tunnel from the house to the brewery.

I did visit some years ago, today was more relaxed - another visit planned in May.

Hansons' viewed this morning - so many lots of mixed China and glass to peruse.
I've left bids on a few lots so live in hope.

A tiring day so relaxing before bed.

A nice little Rioja........

Down my dressing gown - White and just laundered.
The moral is....don't nod off with a glass of wine in your hand.
I didn't really even want a glass of wine, but it was open and I thought it may complement my omelet and salad.
My dressing gown is drying on a radiator and the settee well scrubbed.

A glorious sunny day, spent mainly in the garden - four loads of leaves and detritus from the side border taken up the field and four wheelbarrow loads of lovely soil excavated by the Badgers, brought down and put on the border.
Another three barrow loads off the front borders, under the windows, then in to collapse in a hot bath, before dinner.

I ironed early this morning, then vacuumed through downstairs, in readiness for a few days off - Hansons viewing day at Etwall tomorrow followed by a sortie to Llandridod Wells for a five course taster menu.
Talking of food, I have been very good for three days, Paleo, I think, and have lost 2lb of unsightly fat from somewhere.
Wherever it was, I didn't want it.

Up the Villa!

Fantastic match - I've learnt everything I know about football from Th, aged 8.9yr.
He is ecstatic!

To get back to reality, summer has arrived!
Forget the temperatures, the swallows arrived on Friday and have been swooping above the top lawn and checking out the nest in the stable.
Time to move the bikes moved to the outside walls and put some paper on the floor.
I thought I heard the cuckoo today, but not sure

A busy few days, an indulgent day on Friday, pottering around Solihull for a few hours before picking up J and Th from school, tea etc.
Saturday was spent in the garden, which is looking quite good, plenty of work still to do on the borders. A suggested trip to the cinema with a friend was put off due to tiredness and aching limbs - I should have had a hot bath  to ward off the latter!
Sunday, walked to church then aimed to walk to Furnace End, to the car boot sale, but gave up and just enjoyed the walk home across the fields.
An afternoon in the garden then friends for a scrummy dinner of roast chicken followed by lemon sponge pudding - the one that separates into a lemon curd base and sponge above.
Today, I delivered mini sponge cakes to friends around about before picking J and Th from school....
I had to shop at JS on the way home, having a "Spend £20 save £3" voucher -salad for dinner and some bottles of "Taste the Difference" wine - always a good bet.

Hot again tomorrow, a day in the garden.
Brill!

Political Shouting Match..........

Started as a debate but getting nasty.
Fiasco time.
It was headlined as a "get at Ed" event, but More of a "needle Nige"
He's easily needled!
Ed has spurned Nicola's advances - how ungallant.
He has thrown down the gauntlet to "call me Dave" to have a one to one debate!
Wow!,

Heavy stuff.

This is relaxing after a few hours of hard work in the garden - I'm not very fit after nine weeks of limited activity and my leg muscles are feeling the strain of bending  and pulling.
However, the garden is not looking too bad as long as you overlook the untended beds.
I'll get there eventually!

A brown bath this morning due to a pump just down the road to make up for a leak in the village.
All well now.
Vacuuming done and Jan round for coffee and a natter, all before lunch.
Bed and Melvyn Bragg beckon.

Manifestos galore

By some failure in routine, the chicks were left in the laying box all day yesterday until I arrived home at 7.00pm. The y dashed out for food, not water, to my surprise.
To make up for this, I let them out as soon as it was light today, before 6.00am.
I hung out the washing and took a cup of tea back to bed and read - I'm re-reading "Bring up the Bodies" by Hilary Mantel, the sequel to "Wolf Hall".
Two of the most gripping, well-written books I've ever read.
Unfortunately, I lost track of time and wasn't up until nearly 11.00am - not a good start to an intended gardening day.
E mails, e bay and meter reading took up the rest of the morning, then lunch, phone calls............
By the time I'd ironed and put the lovely fresh linen back on the bed, it was 8.00pm and time for supper.
A culinary revelation - scrambled eggs on toast buttered with proper Yeo organic butter, bought by W in Wales.
It was delicious.
Forget the spreadable Lurpak - it's not in the same league and only has the benefit of spreading straight from the fridge or in a cold kitchen in the winter.
I opened a large pack of smoked salmon two days ago and have been eating it for every meal since.
Not complaining.

Only Nick Clegg made any sense today.
What is the point of a manifesto of a party unlikely to get more than a handful of seats.
Anything can be included as it will never come to pass.
What is the name of the UKIP party leader in waiting as Nige may not win Thanet South?

Tomorrow I will garden - I should be in bed finishing my book but "The Last Days of Ann Boleyn" is on "Yesterday" with HM, David Starkey and a ll other TV historians.
Gripping!

Retail therapy......

The first day out and about without a chauffeur.

Brilliant.

I took Kris to college for an exam at 8.00am and picked him up at 4.00pm, as Jan is ill.

It seemed a shame to drive home in between, with all those shops to explore - I was in Pret heving a cappuccino by 8.40am, then did the shops for a couple of hours, when my free parking ran out at Morrisons.

I went to Knowle and had a potter around the charity shops (bought a lovely, new Black Radley handbag for £15), then back to Solihull to meet Barbara for lunch.......at Pret - salads and coffee, excellent as usual.

We had a potter in MandS then went our separate ways.

I food shopped in JS (£6.47 cheaper today than the same branded products at Asda), cakes from 

MandS for Jan then picked up Kris and discussed the election/Ukip all the way home.

 Had coffee and tried the cakes with Jan, who was feeling much better but hungry as she had only fancied soup, and couldn't remember how to use the can opener.

Well, we've all been there - worse when it's the bottle opener!!

Home by 7.00pm for smoked salmon and salad and some TV.

Who could think of voting for boiled suet pudding Farage's party - rumour has it that he won't even get in as he 's neglecting the voters of S Thanet in favour of celebs.

If "call me Dave" doesn't get a majority the Two Ed's will coalesce with the SNP, who will then rule this country.
What a prospect.

I think that we shall have all heard more than enough arguments long before polling day.

Coleshill was the hottest place in the country today - that's what leaving the light on does!

Eye bubble has divided so I now have a black penny farthing in my right eye!

One Starling.......q

Makes a heck of a mess when resident in church.
We found this out when we visited church on Wednesday - bird droppings everywhere, on everything.
Their removal took us nearly three hours on Saturday morning, with several buckets of soapy water and the vacuum.
Some flowers on the altar and all set to go again.
The bird is still there, in the bell tower, I guess, and visited the vestry, briefly.

On Sunday K and I did a car boot sale at Furnace End - on the field by 5.30am, finished by 1.30pm, largely due to a cold, vicious wind, having taken about £200.
K did most of the work as I had to leave to take the services at Sh and OW.
Parking at OW was limited/ on the field as it was "the Cavy Club"Meeting in the Parish Hall, next door.

We went to the Bull at Meriden for Sunday lunch - a little disappointing and very slow.
Home by 2.00pm to light a fire and sleep until tea time, then again for an hour before bed.

Walked to church this morning to vacuum crumbs, visited Jan on the way home who has been ill all week, then off to Solihull to collect J and Th from school, tea....
Home in time for a quick tea then up to The Griffin for the monthly quiz.
Didn't know the answers to any of the music questions!

Crossword done.

Yesterday's quick one, to be honest- AJ  polishes it off before breakfast.
I finished it before breakfast the next day - brains seem to work better in the mornings!
"Bewilder" flummoxed me, I'm ashamed to say.
I have sharpened my wits by writing tomorrow's sermon - Easter 2, Doubting Thomas.
Why do we celebrate Christmas with much more gusto than Easter when we are "A Resurrection People", as Desmond Tutu puts it, so movingly?
Why don't we have an image if the Risen Christ alongside the cross?

Yesterday J and Th came to play - last day of the holiday and the first "Granny Day" since the eye operation as I couldn't get to Solihull without driving.
We walked to the playground for a workout, the village shop for calories and home for lunch.
Th helped mow some of the lawn - preparation for later as the mower is very heavy to handle, despite working better than ever.
The bins even empty as intended rather than needing to be lifted off.
J made some brilliant cupcakes - pink, chocolate, lemon and orange- we sampled them with tea at 4.00pm, cake forks, of course.

The lawn is mown and looks not too bad for the first mowing.
The field is being re-planned to reduce mowing, leaving the grass under the oak trees, one of which will house an amazing tree house before too long, I hope.
The contract has been signed!

"Antiques for Everyone" at the NEC, if time allows - the church needs a good clean to remove all traces of the bird that has been there, not too many traces of human usage, I must admit, but flowers needed!

One swallow..........

does not a summer make, so said Aristotle
I'm not sure, but I think that The bird that swooped across the drive this morning was a swallow.
Convinced enough to open the top stable door to give access to their usual nesting site.
It has certainly been another lovely day but cooling down now.
M and M came to lunch - baked gammon, mashed potato, broad beans and cauliflower cheese, followed by lemon sponge and creme fraiche.
K arrived earlier with eggs as the chicks only managed one; I made a fruit cake as a reward, whilst the oven was hot.
We spent much of the afternoon drinking coffee in the conservatory and putting the world to rights.
Lots of birds in and out too the hedges so nests galore, I hope.

A very peaceful day, but little ticked off the list.
I shall start on Sunday's sermon - Doubting Thomas, I believe.
He refused to accept what he had not seen, but could it have been partly truculence because he hadn't been there with the other disciples to witness the Risen Christ?
Who knows?

Macular Hole repaired!

So I was told this afternoon when I had a check up at The Walsgrave! But forgot to ask the relevant questions, such as:
*when can I drive again?
*can I swim now?
*do I still need to use the eye drops?
I did go back to the Eye Clinic and ask but only know that I can decide when to drive or have an eye test to see if "I have 6,6 vision or a total of 12.
Perhaps I should understand this, but I don't.
I still have a wobbly black bubble occupying about a third of my eye.

The drops to dilate and for the pressure check upset my equilibrium today, perhaps because they were all in quite quick succession.
I stopped for coffee for about an hour in the Coffee Bar whilst I acclimatised as the bright sunshine was hard to cope with with fully dilated pupils.

Two mishaps this morning - a newly made cappuccino knocked flying, requiring a lott of clearing up, and liquid shoe wax everywhere in the vicinity of my shoes, when the applicator rubber disintegrated.
I shall go to bed shortly before number three materialises.

B provided a taxi service, I caught a bus to Pool Meadow and met him later - my first visit to Coventry centre since we took T and J to see "The Tiger Who Came to Tea", about four years ago.
Hasn't improved!

I've just watched "Secret Places" on BBC - The Brecon Beacons.
It was brilliant, wonderful photography, which has made we want to go there soon.

m and M for lunch tomorrow- baked gammon with parsley sauce and vegetables followed by lemon pudding (the one that separates into two layers, sponge and lemon curd.
I hope the chicks lay early!

If I write to the Telegraph to say that I think that the Two Eds will damage the economy, will it be published on the front page?

Pleasantly warm......

or hot and sunny, depending on your view.
The cars were valeted this morning, whilst AJ and I enjoyed the sunshine from the conservatory, AJ then set off for home whilst I went for a long walk with K, hoping to burn off some of the pounds piled on last week in Wales.
We covered lots of fields between Maxstoke and Shawbury and a walk through Shawbury Wood, getting home bt tea time, a little weary and sun burnt around the edges - the sunniest day of the year so far.
Not a lot done since, apart from dinner.

Great fun catching up since we returned from Wales, simple pleasures such as using the phone.
Time for bed!

Making the most of the last day.

An excellent breakfast this morning - scrambled egg, grilled tomatoes and bacon as well as the toast and hot cross buns.

The g/c then did the Easter Egg Hunt in the garden, set by B and E earlier - eggs in a bowl and then shared, sort of!

We then went for a great walk - all but AJ - along the road, past the Fairy Glen and  Conway Falls then back through the woods.

A bit more complicated than that, about 6 miles through beautiful scenery, most of the way.

Home for lunch, eating up the meat, cheese, pork pie.......and last night's toad in the hole (made by W and B, two enormous roasting tins full, eleven eggs and Forty sausages)

After a period for digestion, during which T set up the smaller lounge as "The tropical Relaxion Suite", MK manfully manned the house and prepared dinner, whilst two breakaway groups went to Cotswold Outlet in BC, buying boots, shoes and shorts.

Home to delicious smells and cups of tea.

Brill holiday, wish we had another week.

Tidy half of the bunk room.

DK descending.

Shower for ten!

Strong winds on the Great Orme.

Llandudno yesterday.
AJ and I travelled independently yesterday, as no room in the Fiesta apart from the boot.
We missed the Great Orme Tramway Terminal and thought that the road was becoming rather steep.
We then thought that we were at the top.
I got out and had a chat to the chap in GOT regalia/Arctic clothing, and was informed that we could only buy tickets at the top and bottom, not mid-way.
This interaction was fortunate, as he could then keep the family updated about our movements when they made the compulsory "change" there, shortly afterwards - we had been spotted at intervals, in the town, seemingly dotting around randomly.
We did all meet at the top.
The family all said that it had been much worse on Snowdon the previous day, confirming that we certainly should not have enjoyed that adventure.
We looked out in all directions, visited the shop to thaw out, the G/c played on the adventure playground and then we descended in a warm car, the family in an open tramcar!!!!

We met up at the bottom and did the town, taking in fish and chips for lunch, ice cream for the g/cthe lady gave them enormous cornets at base rates, being the first she had sold this year.
I wasn't surprised.

Home via The Welsh Food Centre -lovely, but expensive - and Llanwryst, which we like.
We dined on home made chicken pie and Devina's lime cheese cake, made by T.
As is customary, the amount of wine consumed each evening increases during the week.
Yesterday. It was sufficient to see us through a game of Scrabble, won by AJ, thank goodness.

Today, who knows?
Activity, I suspect.
There is a lot going on - a film in the larger lounge, g/c wrapped in duvets, cutlery clattering in the kitchen and a body in the shower.........
(The downstairs bathroom has only a bath, which cuts off all other water supplies when run and has a non-functioning heater, so only used once, by me. I have yet to live it down/recover)

A lovely day again, at least at this moment in time.

Triumphant!

The family climbed Snowdon using the Pyg Track yesterday, in pretty unpleasant conditions- wet and windy going up, hail and snow descending.

I am very proud of them all, especially DK, who is only small - apparently, he used 99% of hie energy on the ascent and needed W's help for a while to cope coming down.

They were all in fine fettle last night, very tired but no sore feet.

The wonders of modern boots, not needing to break your feet in.

We ate the leg of lamb fron Rhud? Farm Shop, which was the best lamb ever- need another to take home, after arranging the bank loan!

AJ and I went to Conwy, walked around the town twice, had coffee at Costa and did the Antique Centre, then back to BC via Bethesda, which boasted little but a small charity shop.

Finding BC bereft of grocers - the Co op only really sells convenience foods and enormous cakes - we went back to Llanwrst, which has a sizeable Co op and tiny fresh food market on Tuesday's.

Home to put the joint in the oven and a nice cup of tea.

To our delight, the tanker was here delivering oil - the tank was empty within two hours of arriving and we have survived three days of arctic conditions by keeping the woodburner going and staying in that room.

We were told there was a calorie gas heater available, which we have used in one lounge, for the g/c.

Bedrooms have been very cold.

I have a list of suggestions for the owners!

Everyone is breakfasted and getting ready for the day, except me (all using the one bathroom as the second has a bath which stops water to every other tap and heated towel rail won't work, so v cold)

AJ brought tea at 5.30am, I read for a bit and fell asleep again.

Must be all of the fresh air on "Bring up the Bodies", which I am rereading, following "Wolf Hall" on TV.