Another year older........

Friday already - where did the last week go?
I think that Mon and Tues were lazy days, recovering from the weekend - work on the church fundraising events and collecting J and TH from school.
By Wed I did get around to some housework, upstairs all ready for the family visiting next week, more still to do.
Yesterday was a day out - Newbold Percy, to see the lovely church, Warwick to potter around the Antiques Centre,  then Kenilworth to visit Waitrose.
In the evening I went to The Albany Theatre in Coventry to listen to a concert of barbers shop choruses, which was brilliant.
Today was baking followed by a trip to Bicester where I've spent a lovely evening with T and KP and have learnt one rule about adding"ing" to the end of a verb.
ie repeat the final consonant for words that have a short vowel and end in a consonant.
beat that.
Sunday's sermon to complete, but I've left my notes at home.

I've bought Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's new cookery book - "Light and Easy", sort of Paleo.
Really good and useful next week, I hope - off to bed to make a shopping list.
 

Charles Hanson Valuation Lunch ready to be served...............

Well, not quite, but I have spent a good few hours on advertising and contacting people who may be interested in coming to the lunch, item to be valued, under their arm, on 5 November.
Shall I cook cottage pie or lasagne?
Latter is more time consuming to make but only requires salad and ciabbata to accompany.

The last few weeks have been rather hectic - organising JR's funeral and sorting, cleaning and arranging Shardelows for the wake, though not in any particular order as I had to wait for the paperwork.
The whole thing went off very well, a short service followed by a trip to the crematorium in Cambridge then home for a lovely afternoon tea prepared by local caterers.
Burial of ashes to organise.

In between organising the funeral and it happening, aj and I spent three days in Richmond at her son, P and N's wedding - a glittering family occasion at Pembroke Lodge in Richmond Park.
N looked fantastic in a ballerina type dress and brother Dick gave a memorable Best Man presentation.

As a reward I spent the rest of the week relaxing in Wales, with a friend - Portmadoc and Cricceth, which were as lovely as when we visited with the grandchildren five years ago.
This included a seaweed wrap and massage at the Spa in Portmeirion - brilliant!

Having a lazy day whilst waiting for the washing to finish - catching up on e mails and the like and trying not to eat as I've put on too much weight this summer.

Smile renewed.

I've had yet another self-indulgent day.
Washing in then off to Solihull to the dentist for a check up and a polish, but mainly to have half a tooth rebuilt that fell off last week.
A brilliant job and I didn't feel a thing.
On to Dorridge, where a new JS store is being built, making parking worse than ever, for a facial and a visit to sister in law, Ann.
Shopping in Knowle and Solihull between and after , for odds and ends, including mascara and eye-liner from Boots (buy two No 7 products and get a gift of make-up that you really don't want, worth £26, but you still have to go for it)
Half an hour at home then a PCC meeting at church - all problems boil down to lack of numbers.

Dinner at The Bull at Furnace End, last night was brilliant - great food, charming service and really reasonable (main courses, 241)
Highly recommended - you'll need to book, even mid week.

A visit to Hansons Auction tomorrow to collect a jug that I left last time - part of a mixed lot.
Perhaps it will be beautiful/priceless?
It's the first day of a three day general sale, so should be interesting.

The Tv's on the blink - flashing and going off from time to time - all of the time at the moment.
Do they mend nowadays?
 

Lazy Days.............

The purists amongst you will note that yesterday's post - Monday - was a day late.
I seem to recall that I arrived home late, having stopped at my most loathed supermarket - Tesco (trying to take over the world, now failed) - as I had a "spend £30 save £4" voucher, and needed fuel.
Big, horrible shop with a most unpleasant first floor, full of horrible tat.
After my tomato (and Jarlsberg) salad I fell asleep, woke up and did e mails and a blog, after midnight, went to bed and couldn't sleep (W right, as usual), so read Chaucer until 2.00am.
I must have forgotten to push the "publish" button, so blog only in draft until now.

Today was to be frenetic housework - still glass on the conservatory floor from the birthday party 3 weeks ago!!
What a slut!!!
I haven't started yet - showered then tried on clothes to find outfits for Saturday's wedding and Tuesday's funeral - successful, then pottered up to Coleshill in the Lotus because the sun was shining and I was desperate for mustard, salad and home made salmon mousse for lunch, watching Bargain Hunt, had a nap and have only moved to make coffee/tea.
Out to dinner tonight with a friend - The Bull's Head, Meriden, for old time's sake - at least I'll stay awake.

Some brill photos on William's little World - I've forgotten how to post photos!
Come to think, I haven't taken any.

Happy Birthday Jessie.

We had a grand birthday tea party for Jessie after school this afternoon, - chocolate cake made last night, filled this morning and candles added by Jessie.

Apart from today, the last two weeks have been hectic and hard work, both physically and emotionally.
The paperwork enabling me to organise JR's funeral did not materialise until last Tuesday - Addenbrooke's Hospital could not have been more supportive and helpful, but there is no short circuit available.
The delay left time to put the house straight, having been at the mercy of carers for the last three or four years, energy having been put into removing furniture to odd places, but little into cleaning!
Ceilings, walls as well as floors are all vacuumed, furniture polished and all back in the right place, bathrooms scoured and bleached and Home sweet Home restored, ready to welcome the locals for the final time, after the funeral next Tuesday.
The funeral  service is planned, orders of services done, eulogist and reader organised and caterers sorted - afternoon tea at 5.15pm, on our return from the Crematorium.
Just the flowers to be finalised now and some of the many photos I've found, to be displayed around the house - I was delighted to find JR's OTC uniform to display alongside his school scarf, cap, reports and prospectus for the Leys School, circa 1935.

On a brighter note, we have a family wedding to go to in Richmond on Saturday, so a couple of nights in The Richmond Gate Hotel, which is within walking distance of the venue in Richmond Park.

Onto the next job........

Which, sadly, is arranging JR's funeral.
He had a second stroke on Monday evening and didn't recover.
The positives are that he had a long and fulfilling life, some good friends and remained in his beloved Shardelows Farm until the end.
The last three days have flown by with sorting things out, meetings and making the house welcoming ready for the wake - we did fit in a lovely walk around Bartlow and a visit to the church - it is built of flint, has a round tower and some beautiful Medieval wall paintings, recently restored.
We've just returned from The Dog and Duck in Linton, having not really eaten since breakfast and little food here - brilliant meal, lots of fresh fish on the menu and home made desserts.
Certificate to collect in Cambridge tomorrow, then home.

Back on the job!

Summer has officially come to an end and school summer holidays have ended, so life will return to normal, if I can remember what that is.
I've spent some wonderful days with the grandchildren over the last month, including ten days in Denmark _ DK is now at St Joseph's with J - they are back at school by August, so that was doing school runs and  playing after school.
Friends mowed the lawns and cleaned the windows when I was away whilst P the P painted the outside doors
AJ and I had a birthday party last Monday, which was good fun - 40 of us in all, family and friends for lunch - I still have to run the vacuum round - tomorrow!
Not tomorrow as I've just had a call to say that JR is in Addenbrookes, so a trip to Cambs instead.
A thought or a prayer for him and his carers  - a 90 year old with dementia.