Indian summer.

It was mentioned a couple of weeks ago, but the weather had turned so cold & wet it seemed highly unlikely, but it's arrived!
Yesterday was a beautiful day with the promise of even warmer weather to come.
The day didn't go according to plan, apart from dressing in gardening clothes - it was much later than intended - payback for staying up until the early hours.
I went to Coles hill for petrol for the mower, to take a coat to the cleaners & buy parsnips for dinner.
I forgot the coat!
then for the little mower - I tried, Steve tried, but it would have none of it!
Rob came round later with a big bag of beautiful cherry tomatoes - absolutely delicious - he tried.
Anyone have any ideas for a failing little mountfield motor mower?
I accepted that I would have to brave the hedges on the ride-on - mow close to the trees & hedges, which aggravates swarms of flying insects & requires a seating position never intended  - rather like a motor cycle racer on a sharp bend - thrown to one side, away from the spiky bits & thorns.
I put the chicken in the oven then dashed back out to finish the job - looks good this morning.
The lawns, like the chickens, know that I love them & are responding well - 2 eggs a day & vibrant lawns for them to play on!

Preparing dinner (& myself) was a rush, but went well - brill roast potatoes, parsnips & carrots & a bottle of pink champagne arrived, which complimented it all beautifully.

Another day in the garden today, after church, & a friend's dog to walk this afternoon.
Perhaps I'll have time to make cakes for church if I get going now.   

Interest from Bangkok?

Strange but true facts number 1947 - a new follower joined my blog yesterday - in Thailand!
Perhaps I'll get comments from the other side of the world.
(This is actually Friday's blog - the clock has ventured past midnight - I thought I was tired)

I've had a successful day - I picked a large bowl of big, shiny blackberries this morning, ready for tomorrow's dinner party - stewed with crème caramel & Cornish ice cream, to suit all diets - following roast chicken with chipolatas, French beans, cauliflower cheese, roast potatoes & root vegetables.
Makes me hungry thinking about it.
I have smoked salmon for a starter - I think I'll make mousse as I have dill, lemon & Philadelphia cheese.

I went to Knowle then Solihull this afternoon, bought a few interesting things, some lovely food at M&S & a heap of cleaning materials, toilet & kitchen roll, in order to get a voucher for 7p/litre off fuel, at JS.
A Waitrose store is planned for Solihull (another for Knowle, if it is viable to have two).
I hope it's not too long in coming, opening whilst I enjoy food shopping.

I realised at about 4.00pm that I'd not eaten all day, so went to Pret for coffee - brill as ever, then attacked food shopping on a less than empty stomach.

Lawns to mow tomorrow - up early, old clothes & a struggle with the little mower to get it started to mow under the hedges, possibly for the last time this year. 

Wedgewood or Royal Worcester?

Jan & I have had a great day out, visiting a variety of potteries in The Potteries/Stoke, Hanley & possibly Burslem.
Apart from enjoying handling the beautiful china & glassware, we enjoyed travelling around the area  - a lesson in social history - there was so much industrial dereliction, cleared sites where potteries once stood & empty commercial premises.
On a brighter note, there were signs of regeneration, but a long way to go.
Portmerion  - our first port of call - has taken over Spode & Royal Worcester.
The signposts to Spode" are still in place 3 years after the take-over, guiding you to locked gates.
We went on to Burleigh, which makes very Victorian looking pottery.
It has taken over Leeds ware & Poole pottery, which is now made there, not in Poole.
The first crates of Poole items had just arrived but they had no prices, so dould not yet sell any
Moorcroft - beautiful pottery involving many hours of exacting decoration, all done by hand, hence the hefty price tags.
We crossed the road to Dun.... - cheap & not very nice, typical supermarket goods, then on to Wedgewood, which includes Royal Doulton, Royal Stuart, Waterford & possibly more.

I think that the Wedgewood won my vote overall - beautiful, delicate patterns in subtle colours with a clear, shiny glaze.
My favourite piece was  a pair of white candlesticks shaped like the dolphins on the Embankment - amazing.
Wedgewood also won on the café front - great coffee & home made cakes served on lovely china all at very good prices.

We were home by 6.00pm, I seem to have been on the phone & answering e mails ever since, apart from eating mackerel & salad for dinner.
Question Time is on  - great team, apart from Anthony Worrall Thompson - not in gaol then? 
I'll phone aj in a while, to wake her up to watch the end of the programme - a weekly ritual!

Thanks for the comments - I thought that there was no-one out there!

The Great Shustoke Bake Off.

.I make a pretty good banana cake - today I put walnuts, peel & a little mixed spice in it, then iced it with Philadelphia cream cheese with icing sugar then decorated with walnuts.
I've just put half in the freezer as it was the cake promised for this evening's discussion group - the attendance was low & I don't want to be tempted to eat  another slice.
I've eaten very healthily - salad, fruit, fish & rye bread - for a couple of days - & feel really good, physically & mentally.
I'm sure that W is right about the Paleo diet but I do like bread & fruit - all things in moderation!

I made a cake for Phil, an old friend, at the same time & spent an hour chatting, having woken him up.
I've cleaned & polished downstairs, prior to replacing the frogs that had been borrowed to spend a weekend in NW church as part of "the plague of frogs" flower display, cascading from the font.
A nice, relaxed day despite being busy - I should aim for more.

The log basket has disappeared - perhaps it's deserted for the sea-side!
It's a plastic bendy, large bucket thing really - much better than a basket as the bits stay in.
Whoever thought that a basket was a good way to transport logs anyway?
I must get a new one to put some logs in the lounge in readiness - someone reported that snow s forecast for next week.
I guess that they misheard, are hard of hearing or demented, still, better safe..........
A warm weekend is forecast so I hope to mow the lawns........before the snow comes.

Re the Lib Dems, could you really vote for a party that plans to swing to the right or the Left, whichever is in front?
Do we really need to feed all children in years 1 - 3 in school?
There must be many more people who could benefit from a well-balanced meal being provided daily.
Shall we feed the whole nation?
Surely feeding  children is the parents' responsibility.   

8 degrees & counting.

Today has been cold, wet & windy.
To be honest, it only rained after I had put the washing out & walked round to see Jan, without a coat.
I borrowed an umbrella to walk/run home, then went to NW church to collect my "Jesus in the Wilderness" display - it packed up quite well, with only a minor sand spillage.
I came home, replaced the stones in the garden & put the rest of the bits away.
I'd borrowed some stone ewers from Sh church which I shall return tonight, when I go bell ringing.
I'm eating very healthily today to make up for  a weekend of indulgence - fruit, salads, fish & more fruit.
I'll go to bed early before I think about supper.

I drove back from Bicester yesterday, via Kenilworth, to visit Waitrose - cardholders can download a voucher to get £5 off a £20 shop as well as getting a free daily paper if you spend £5, any day of the week & the food is wonderful, even better than M&S.

I picked J & Th up from their schools, cooked tea 7 played.
I stopped to buy paint for the conservatory, at B & Q, then had to buy paint for the other rooms as it was 3 for 2 on cans of paint - that took longer & I got home just in time to go back to Coleshill for the salsaexercise class.
A laugh a minute, as usual - my salsa is about as poor as my bellringing, but the exercises are good.

The rain's stopped & it should be warmer for the rest of the week - perhaps a day in the garden.

Happy Birthday Jessie.

It's been a fun day - up early with T & KP, eggs for breakfast, followed by a quick baking session to make some rather superior rock cakes, with large Califorian raisins, peel & glace cherries, to take to Sh, to enjoy with the coffee after the service.
We intended to arrive at the end of the service as it was communion & I didn't want to hear T reciting the communion service every time he ate or drank for the rest of the day/ it's a longer, not child-friendly service.
We were going to NW to the morning service at 11.00am so that we could try to name the flower displays, during the wordy bits!
Unfortunately, it was too late to get to Sh by the time the cakes were done & we were packed up, so they are in Bicester instead - better luck next week!
We went on from church to solihull to meet J & family for a brilliant birthday lunch at Coast to Coast.
Highly recommended - kids all loved it, as did the grandparents.
We came back to Bicester afterwards - KP asleep all the way - peace!!
Now fed & in bed - T & KP, not me, yet.

I've eaten 5,000,000 Calories in the last two days - must do better!

Busy, busy.

That's been my day - up early to clean downstairs as I realised that I'd done no housework for two weeks, since our birthday party/ since B was last here.
He was coming over with T & KP this afternoon.
I took out all of the dead birthday flowers, took down the cards, cleaned the window cells to clear away the dead flies & vacuumed through downstairs - a great improvement
I took the child seats out of the car & dropped the back seats before loading the boxes of bric \ brac - a good walk from the "factory" with each box.
I packed the bits needed to complete "JC in The Wilderness" & was at NW church by 9.40am.
I gave JC a new blue sky & large luminous sun the blew away the fingerprints in the sand - Junior Church there last night to do their display.
The church looked fantastic.
My display was the only one totally devoid of flowers & child friendly/interactive!

I carried all of the boxes a mile across the church yard & set up the stall - Jan arrived & helped from thereon in.
I packed up about 4.00pm, having taken about £45 - not too bad considering the number there & the goods available.
B, T & KP had just arrived when I gor home, bearing an M&S Indian meal to cook.
It was scrummy - better than a takeaway.

All peaceful - T 7 KP were tired, having had a busy day, as well as me.
Church tomorrow at NW so we can Bible Story spot during the sermon