oh my what a different garden I saw then - more like a jungle! But then grass and weeds only grow so high, so it'll be no worse when I finally can tackle it! Meanwhile, I'll carry on enjoying it from my comfy chair -'the climbing roses are particularly gorgeous.
No, no - fret not! You've created a wild-life nature reserve! This is like the Goodest Thing ever to come out of the Good Things Department at Good Thing Town University! Enjoy indeed!
Alas, our wild grassland patch along two sides of the hall at Our Place has had to be mown/strimmed lately (it was getting a bit out of hand), but the careful gardener has left some nice patches of red clover, which attract bees.
The hedgehog site CK links to has some good ideas - we have a log pile and some dead leaf piles at Our Place (at the other end of the site, next to the east wall of the church), which I guard and protect jealously, in the hope of encouraging beasties of all sorts.
A couple I once knew had a long garden, surrounded by lovely high red-brick walls (think The Secret Garden ), and divided laterally by another brick wall (about 30 feet away from the back of the house).
The wall across the garden was pierced by two arches. The part of the garden nearest the house was IIRC mostly paved, with pots and tubs etc., whilst the further part ( a good 100 feet long) was wild meadow, with all sorts of lovely flowers, and a couple of mature trees (oaks, I think). They scythed it twice a year, I believe.
This, in a largely mediaeval/Tudor street, was actually only a stone's throw from the town centre, not far from the site of an Abbey suppressed by Henry VIII...
Mrs. BF and I possessed, for a short time, a similar, but smaller, house a bit further along the street, but our walled garden was also much smaller (and mostly given over to trees and honeysuckle!).
If anyone likes to guess at the street concerned, PM me!
I'm afraid our horticultural activities are limited to keeping the grass cut and free of dandelions, as it's part of the agreement that allows us to live where we do. Grass-cutting is unequivocally D's department: my only input is holding open the paper bag for the cuttings.
I do, however, look after the rosemary plant, which has very obligingly not yet died. I love the idea of growing our own herbs (and maybe even tomatoes), but I really have no talent for it at all.
BTW, you'll be glad to know that (a) the temperature has plummeted to a much more acceptable 16°; and (b) we had the beef casserole for lunch today, and it was very good.
CK, those zoo nights look really interesting. When I used to go to London on more regular basis, my favourite bits were always the late night openings of museums and galleries. There's a different atmosphere and often weird and unusual things going on.
ION, I still haven't managed to get the lawnmower out as I seem to schedule cutting to coincide with rainfall. I did go out and lop some overhanging branches and pull some weeds. Very therapeutic.
Thankfully my predicament embraces my usual gardening style which is pretty wildlife friendly - currently I'm enjoying the blackbirds raiding the mahonia berries - their babies must be thriving. And I have a feeling that frogs are enjoying the lawn - I'm going to have to be careful when i cut it, and plan to do the first cut with small shears, very very slowly. The honeysuckle flowers opened yesterday for the first time this year, and their scent is mingling deliciously with the roses, all carefully chosen for bee friendliness and scent. Although I get good reports of a local NT garden (not the most accessible at the moment due to gravel paths) with magnificent roses from friends, I feel content with both my tiny front and back gardens.
I have just prepared the Poor Cats' dinner. These are the feral cats in the village, generally looked after by me, and a couple of other people. Depending on who's " on duty" they get tinned cat food, or leftovers from the old people's home, or (from me) cooked up bits from the butcher. He gave me 2kg of fatty bits, scraps of meat, bones etc. I also bought and cooked a couple of brains (eew) and a bit of liver. Mixed with some cat food and biscuits, this should give them a good meal. There are about 15 of them, mostly all sterilised.
I'm making Spanish chicken and rice for our dinner, later on, if I'm not too exhausted. I can't really ask MrD to make it, as he's spent 2 hours doing all the ironing. So let's hope I find some energy from somewhere!!
Iron Ing is a mythical pixie who lives in the wardrobe, and very occasionally removes the creases from your clothes (with much swearing). Shortly before you go on holiday, he/she (the one chez Piglet is a she ) enlists the help of a colleague called Fold Ing whose services are called upon before the garments are passed on to a third pixie, Pack Ing.
As is quite often our wont on a Sunday, D. is going to do a fry-up* for lunch, followed by the rhubarb crumble I mentioned up the page a bit. I cooked the rhubarb with sugar and ginger last night, and put it in a pie-dish where it'll be joined by some of the crumble mixture and baked. Virtual tasting portions should be available at about your supper-time.
* as we only do it at the most once a week, I refuse to feel guilty
I saw something on the dreaded Social Media to the effect that ironing boards were just surf boards which had decided to settle down and get a Proper Job. I think that it is only right for us to liberate ours back into the wild, where they can once more follow their dreams!
I wish I could, Mrs. W., but I have a couple of linen tops which positively insist on being ironed if they're not going to look as if they've been slept in.
I saw something on the dreaded Social Media to the effect that ironing boards were just surf boards which had decided to settle down and get a Proper Job. I think that it is only right for us to liberate ours back into the wild, where they can once more follow their dreams!
But surely they can only do that if they first become totally legless. Should that really be encouraged?
Mmm ... that sounds good. I'd always avoided cauliflower/broccoli and stilton SOUP as I'm not a huge fan of the Stilton bit, and D. doesn't like the cauliflower/broccoli bit, but when we were house-sitting the owners had told us to use up anything in the fridge we could, and that included a couple of heads of broccoli and a piece of left-over Stilton. I decided to turn it into SOUP and it was really nice: it passed D's "turning veggies I don't like into SOUP that I do" test with flying colours ...
After lunch (left-over potato curry with some chopped chicken added to bulk it out) I decided it was good ambling weather (15° and mostly cloudy), so went for a little amble, passing the time of day as I went with a robin who was hopping around merrily in someone's front garden.
We seem to have added a few chipping sparrows to the clientele of the birdie bistro, which is nice, as they're such cute little birds (and they eat the seeds from the deck that have been chucked about by the grackles).
I like broccoli and stilton soup and my mother in law (ace soup maker) used to make rather a nice one.
I've had a lovely day meeting up with a dear friend in Newark which is half way between where we both live. Found a brilliant dress shop which she says she wishes we'd found earlier rather than just before we had to go and get our trains home. Well maybe, but I bought one dress and if I'd been in there much longer would have probably bought several more - nearly everything was very much to my taste. There was also a cafe with some rather good coffee and walnut cake which is my favourite sort of cake, so all in all a rather jolly day.
Talking of CAKE, I made a lemon one last night, and there's still some left, so help yourselves.
Today the temperature took a bit of a plummet - it didn't get above 11°, and it's been raining off and on - so it's been a sort of indoor kind of day. I made a batch of loaves in the morning, did some laundry and when D. came back from rehearsing with the band we collectively* made a chicken casserole, so a not unproductive day.
* This is the first kitchen we've had that we can cook in together - there's a lovely, big angled counter that has plenty of space for one person to work at each side.
The first Mrs. BF and I had a modern (well, 1980s) kitchen with a sort of central island worktop, so, in theory, we could have happily laboured together at the Cook Ing (another of those pixies - see previous posts re the various tribes of Ings).
Somehow, it never seemed to quite work out like that....why are pots, pans, cutlery, ingredients etc. always exactly in the wrong place?
Happily, we settled on a division of labour - herself coping with most of the Cook Ing, myself dealing with the Wash Ing. Of utensils etc. Up.
We actually both quite enjoy Cook Ing, so we don't really need a pixie for that. As for Wash Ing (up), we have a Machine, which you'd have to prise from my cold, dead trotter.
We sang for a funeral this morning, and despite the deceased having been in his mid-80s, the church was well-filled.
It's quite often the habit here to have the reception for funerals in the Cathedral hall (catered by the ACW), and to invite everyone. I always feel a bit of a fraud going to the reception when I didn't know the deceased*, but a free lunch is a free lunch ...
* I understand he'd been a fairly regular attender until shortly before his death, but because of the way the services are arranged here the choir doesn't really get the chance to socialise with the congregation; there's less than half an hour between the end of the choral service and the start of the praise-band one, so no post-service coffee as there is after the other two services. This probably explains why some people still refer to D. as the "new" organist, although we've been here nearly two years!
I too have a Machine for the Wash Up Ing to use, and never want to be without it.
My devotion to Smooth Ing and Fold Ing have rendered Iron Ing redundant and the Iron Ing Board has been released back into the wild to enjoy its Surf Board Ing freedom.
I do need a Cook Ing, Clean Ing and Garden Ing. My life would then run without a hitch.
I have had a dishwashing Ing for many years, around thirty plus. Till here where there is just no space available. Am so looking forward to meeting a new Ing when I move.
Mr Boogs does all shop Ing and cook Ing. I do all wash Ing and clean Ing. We share the garden Ing. Iron Ing - we do our own, each doing about three things a week. Nothing is ironed unless it is Best Wear - which is rarely needed round here!
Because the Iron Ing failed I am not wearing the grey linen trousers I meant to wear today and wore my Guide uniform unironed last night. I really couldn't get away with the linen trousers unitoned.
I also keep forgetting to tell @balaam about the Balaam Leisure centre on Balaam Road.
Mr Boogs does all shop Ing and cook Ing. I do all wash Ing and clean Ing. We share the garden Ing. Iron Ing - we do our own, each doing about three things a week. Nothing is ironed unless it is Best Wear - which is rarely needed round here!
So who in your house does the DIY Ing, paperwork Ing (including sort Ing of Holidays, Tax return Ing and Be Ing aware of when the family cars need Service Ing) and financial plan Ing? Mr Nen does all those and reckons it lets him off any share in the shop Ing, cook Ing, load Ing of dishwasher, clothes wash Ing, house clean Ing, sort Ing and tidy Ing.
He does the DIY Ing and I keep on top of the Declutter Ing. I do everything dog related apart from Tatze’s walks. My jobs, in those respects, take much more time than his, not much DIY needed here at all.
We share the rest. I tend to be the one keeping the paperwork in order but finances and car stuff are shared. For our cottage industry he does the craftmanship, I do the design, admin and marketing.
Such a happy division of labour is much to be desired.
Alas, these days, I have to manage all the Ings myself, which sometimes leads to the necessity to employ the Drink Ing of ALE....a benevolent Ing, but not to be over-worked.
We have our Ings reasonably well divided (at least in a way that suits us). We both cook (although I do most of the bread baking), I load and unload the dishwasher, do general cleaning (bathrooms*, dusting and so on), laundry, ironing and packing. He cuts the grass and does most of the snow-clearing, about which I sometimes feel guilty because they're far more knackering than most of the other household chores.
* except for the bath (his has a bath, mine has a shower), because I'm too short to reach into the corners.
I don't feel so bad about that though, as I never use it.
Well until recently, I did all of those as I am by myself herre. Occasionally there was something beyond me and I would have to call on a son or tall DIL. I have always done all the glaz Ing, but am thankful that has not been needed three floors up.
I have made a wonderful discovery. In preparation for selling, I have employed someone to do the clean Ing. What bliss. He is very efficient and does a very thorough job. The place sparkles when he is finished.
I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one who outsources clean Ing and iron Ing. I have a nice lady who comes round once a week and takes care of it all. This results in me getting a clean apartment AND a tax break. Result!
LVER, I am seriously considering getting cleaner for at least bathrooms and kitchen when we move. Possibly also periodic cleaning of the windows which have small square panes of glass. All floors are either polished timber or large tiles so relatively easy to keep clean. Six bedrooms and bathrooms, large kitchen and tiled verandah and sunroom. Besides paying someone else gives someone a job. A young friend who spent sometime in an African village did not want cleaner and cook. Then she was told tha oh her families depended on this. I have just about persuaded myself. LOL
Any how, LVER, tax breaks may be useful but you will need to cuddle your little bundle of joy
You and Mr B seem to have found a winning formula, Boogie.
Indeed, LVER. When I had my first child someone gave me a lovely poem about how there would be years for cleaning and cooking, children grow up while you're not looking - "So quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep; I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep." Baby cuddles are one of life's top priorities.
We were at the local organists' association's annual get-together this evening - quite a nice do in a rather dated hotel restaurant with a buffet. The food was OK, but not really any better than that (apart from prawns and scallops in a creamy sauce which was rather nice) and although it was a reasonable price ($20), the wine wasn't (nearly $11 for a fairly standard-sized glass and it was Pinot Grigio although I ordered Sauvignon Blanc, albeit a nice, crisp PG). Quite an enjoyable evening all the same.
Years ago one of the other mothers I knew from the PreSchool Learning Alliance turned up to some do we were running with a tea cloth bearing a slogan along the lines of:
"A tidy house is the sign of a boring woman".
Digging around to try to track the source of the quotation I've come across a few signs, I think my favourite is:
"Dull women have immaculate houses.
And, honey, I come from a long line of fascinating women."
I look around at what needs to be done around the house & in the garden and tell myself it'll still be there when I am mobile again, and that if I do something about it before that time it'll have come back again. So why do it twice? Apart from Wash Ing - clean clothes and dishes are my nod to civilisation.
Near normality has almost been reached - I've now had 2 trips to town on the bus, using my knee scooter and feel very pleased with my new found (relative) independence. Plus I was given a lift to orchestra where we rehearsed for next Saturdys gig at Bournemouth Bandstand and I've worked out how I can get there by bus, train & lift. Someone has been found to work my allotment while she waits for her own to become available, and she wants to bring me harvests of (to start with) rhubarb. I still have to brace myself to counter negativity from some seemingly sympathetic well wishers who keep reminding me of the lost summer, cancelled holidays, overgrown garden etc etc - I find that harder work than getting on with things. I'm more than a 3rd of the way through now - only another 7 weeks and 4 days so I'd better get on with all those projects that I've planned. I think everyone is getting hand crafted gifts this Christmas!
Near normality has almost been reached - I've now had 2 trips to town on the bus, using my knee scooter and feel very pleased with my new found (relative) independence. Plus I was given a lift to orchestra where we rehearsed for next Saturday's gig at Bournemouth Bandstand and I've worked out how I can get there by bus, train & lift.
Congratulations - that sounds very positive. And good news about the allotment.
I still have to brace myself to counter negativity from some seemingly sympathetic well wishers who keep reminding me of the lost summer, cancelled holidays, overgrown garden etc etc - I find that harder work than getting on with things.
I'm finding the list of things that I can't do really frustrating and am trying to find things I can do. It's not helped by really wanting to get out for a walk with my camera, which is what I'd do based at home. Current things on are the Unamplifire festival today, Barking Folk Festival tomorrow or Folk by the Oak - but I burn so easily, none of these are realistic things to do. (Sunburnt three times this week: after a walk at 8pm on Sunday, sitting in a meeting with someone too near a window on Tuesday and 5 minutes outside with a student on Thursday after his GCSE, plus burnt my shoulder and neck yesterday, through clothes, hat and sunblock - that stuff only lasts 2-3 hours.)
We went to Cambridge for the afternoon yesterday - no punts or sightseeing, just the insides of Addenbrookes.
Lost summer - rubbish, it'll still be summer (whether wet or dry); Cancelled holidays - think of all that time not being wasted in airport 'lounges', traffic jams etc.; Overgrown garden - as I pointed out earlier, think 'wild life reserve'
CHOCOLATE is bound to help. There's some CAKE left here too, if you'd like a virtual slice ...
While the cancelled holidays are a pain, at least you can save the money you would have spent, and maybe take them later - and at a less expensive time of year - win-win!
We've had a very lazy day; the Wee Bitey Things season has started, and the little buggers have positively feasted on me. This, combined with taking a (not particularly effective) antihistamine tablet, has left me feeling very sleepy, and despite having done nothing remotely strenuous, I dozed off on the sofa after lunch.
Have just had a panic moment - I suddenly remembered that I'd set a batch of loaves going and should have taken the dough out of the machine two hours ago ...
We're going to spend part of the evening making shepherd's pies: one for ourselves and one to give to an elderly gentleman in the choir whose wife has just come out of hospital after an operation, and we're all rallying round to make sure they're fed.
We are in Bristol visiting my son. This morning we were up at 5am and on the road at 5:30 for a balloon ride from Bath at 6am. Five minutes into the journey the balloon pilot texted to say it won’t be going today as the cloud base is too low. We’ll be trying again tomorrow evening.
DIL cooked a delicious meal with lamb and pomegranate yesterday evening, then we played a raucous game of cards - my son and I get very competitive!
I’m off to visit some friends and their dogs while Mr Boogs gets cracking fitting new kitchen work surfaces for son and DIL.
Comments
No, no - fret not! You've created a wild-life nature reserve! This is like the Goodest Thing ever to come out of the Good Things Department at Good Thing Town University! Enjoy indeed!
IJ
Zoo Nights
Alas, our wild grassland patch along two sides of the hall at Our Place has had to be mown/strimmed lately (it was getting a bit out of hand), but the careful gardener has left some nice patches of red clover, which attract bees.
The hedgehog site CK links to has some good ideas - we have a log pile and some dead leaf piles at Our Place (at the other end of the site, next to the east wall of the church), which I guard and protect jealously, in the hope of encouraging beasties of all sorts.
IJ
A couple I once knew had a long garden, surrounded by lovely high red-brick walls (think The Secret Garden ), and divided laterally by another brick wall (about 30 feet away from the back of the house).
The wall across the garden was pierced by two arches. The part of the garden nearest the house was IIRC mostly paved, with pots and tubs etc., whilst the further part ( a good 100 feet long) was wild meadow, with all sorts of lovely flowers, and a couple of mature trees (oaks, I think). They scythed it twice a year, I believe.
This, in a largely mediaeval/Tudor street, was actually only a stone's throw from the town centre, not far from the site of an Abbey suppressed by Henry VIII...
Mrs. BF and I possessed, for a short time, a similar, but smaller, house a bit further along the street, but our walled garden was also much smaller (and mostly given over to trees and honeysuckle!).
If anyone likes to guess at the street concerned, PM me!
IJ
Thank you for jogging that memory
I do, however, look after the rosemary plant, which has very obligingly not yet died.
BTW, you'll be glad to know that (a) the temperature has plummeted to a much more acceptable 16°; and (b) we had the beef casserole for lunch today, and it was very good.
ION, I still haven't managed to get the lawnmower out as I seem to schedule cutting to coincide with rainfall. I did go out and lop some overhanging branches and pull some weeds. Very therapeutic.
IJ
I'm making Spanish chicken and rice for our dinner, later on, if I'm not too exhausted. I can't really ask MrD to make it, as he's spent 2 hours doing all the ironing. So let's hope I find some energy from somewhere!!
IJ
People squash clothes for some reason. I almost never do
As is quite often our wont on a Sunday, D. is going to do a fry-up* for lunch, followed by the rhubarb crumble I mentioned up the page a bit. I cooked the rhubarb with sugar and ginger last night, and put it in a pie-dish where it'll be joined by some of the crumble mixture and baked. Virtual tasting portions should be available at about your supper-time.
* as we only do it at the most once a week, I refuse to feel guilty
I do entertain one of the tribe, I hasten to add - Wash Ing, who works on the episcopal person (and clothing).
Once a month.
Whether I need it or not.
I understand that Comb Ing is another related pixie, appertaining to Hair On One's Head, which in my case I have not got.
(BTW, is there any significance in the fact that ING is an anagram of GIN?)
IJ
Well, no, but if they still have legs, how will they walk across the beach to the sea and its waves?
It's a cool grey day here, with an easterly wind again. I think I'll go and have some SOUP. Broccoli and Stilton beckons...
IJ
After lunch (left-over potato curry with some chopped chicken added to bulk it out) I decided it was good ambling weather (15° and mostly cloudy), so went for a little amble, passing the time of day as I went with a robin who was hopping around merrily in someone's front garden.
We seem to have added a few chipping sparrows to the clientele of the birdie bistro, which is nice, as they're such cute little birds (and they eat the seeds from the deck that have been chucked about by the grackles).
I've had a lovely day meeting up with a dear friend in Newark which is half way between where we both live. Found a brilliant dress shop which she says she wishes we'd found earlier rather than just before we had to go and get our trains home. Well maybe, but I bought one dress and if I'd been in there much longer would have probably bought several more - nearly everything was very much to my taste. There was also a cafe with some rather good coffee and walnut cake which is my favourite sort of cake, so all in all a rather jolly day.
Today the temperature took a bit of a plummet - it didn't get above 11°, and it's been raining off and on - so it's been a sort of indoor kind of day. I made a batch of loaves in the morning, did some laundry and when D. came back from rehearsing with the band we collectively* made a chicken casserole, so a not unproductive day.
* This is the first kitchen we've had that we can cook in together - there's a lovely, big angled counter that has plenty of space for one person to work at each side.
Somehow, it never seemed to quite work out like that....why are pots, pans, cutlery, ingredients etc. always exactly in the wrong place?
Happily, we settled on a division of labour - herself coping with most of the Cook Ing, myself dealing with the Wash Ing. Of utensils etc. Up.
IJ
We sang for a funeral this morning, and despite the deceased having been in his mid-80s, the church was well-filled.
It's quite often the habit here to have the reception for funerals in the Cathedral hall (catered by the ACW), and to invite everyone. I always feel a bit of a fraud going to the reception when I didn't know the deceased*, but a free lunch is a free lunch ...
* I understand he'd been a fairly regular attender until shortly before his death, but because of the way the services are arranged here the choir doesn't really get the chance to socialise with the congregation; there's less than half an hour between the end of the choral service and the start of the praise-band one, so no post-service coffee as there is after the other two services. This probably explains why some people still refer to D. as the "new" organist, although we've been here nearly two years!
My devotion to Smooth Ing and Fold Ing have rendered Iron Ing redundant and the Iron Ing Board has been released back into the wild to enjoy its Surf Board Ing freedom.
I do need a Cook Ing, Clean Ing and Garden Ing. My life would then run without a hitch.
I also keep forgetting to tell @balaam about the Balaam Leisure centre on Balaam Road.
So who in your house does the DIY Ing, paperwork Ing (including sort Ing of Holidays, Tax return Ing and Be Ing aware of when the family cars need Service Ing) and financial plan Ing? Mr Nen does all those and reckons it lets him off any share in the shop Ing, cook Ing, load Ing of dishwasher, clothes wash Ing, house clean Ing, sort Ing and tidy Ing.
Maybe he's right... I dunno...
We share the rest. I tend to be the one keeping the paperwork in order but finances and car stuff are shared. For our cottage industry he does the craftmanship, I do the design, admin and marketing.
Alas, these days, I have to manage all the Ings myself, which sometimes leads to the necessity to employ the Drink Ing of ALE....a benevolent Ing, but not to be over-worked.
IJ
* except for the bath (his has a bath, mine has a shower), because I'm too short to reach into the corners.
I don't feel so bad about that though, as I never use it.
I have made a wonderful discovery. In preparation for selling, I have employed someone to do the clean Ing. What bliss. He is very efficient and does a very thorough job. The place sparkles when he is finished.
Any how, LVER, tax breaks may be useful but you will need to cuddle your little bundle of joy
You and Mr B seem to have found a winning formula, Boogie.
Indeed, LVER. When I had my first child someone gave me a lovely poem about how there would be years for cleaning and cooking, children grow up while you're not looking - "So quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep; I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep." Baby cuddles are one of life's top priorities.
We were at the local organists' association's annual get-together this evening - quite a nice do in a rather dated hotel restaurant with a buffet. The food was OK, but not really any better than that (apart from prawns and scallops in a creamy sauce which was rather nice) and although it was a reasonable price ($20), the wine wasn't (nearly $11 for a fairly standard-sized glass and it was Pinot Grigio although I ordered Sauvignon Blanc, albeit a nice, crisp PG). Quite an enjoyable evening all the same.
And, honey, I come from a long line of fascinating women."
The other justification thing to remember is that research has shown a link between too clean homes and allergies and asthma. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.
Near normality has almost been reached - I've now had 2 trips to town on the bus, using my knee scooter and feel very pleased with my new found (relative) independence. Plus I was given a lift to orchestra where we rehearsed for next Saturdys gig at Bournemouth Bandstand and I've worked out how I can get there by bus, train & lift. Someone has been found to work my allotment while she waits for her own to become available, and she wants to bring me harvests of (to start with) rhubarb. I still have to brace myself to counter negativity from some seemingly sympathetic well wishers who keep reminding me of the lost summer, cancelled holidays, overgrown garden etc etc - I find that harder work than getting on with things. I'm more than a 3rd of the way through now - only another 7 weeks and 4 days so I'd better get on with all those projects that I've planned. I think everyone is getting hand crafted gifts this Christmas!
I'm finding the list of things that I can't do really frustrating and am trying to find things I can do. It's not helped by really wanting to get out for a walk with my camera, which is what I'd do based at home. Current things on are the Unamplifire festival today, Barking Folk Festival tomorrow or Folk by the Oak - but I burn so easily, none of these are realistic things to do. (Sunburnt three times this week: after a walk at 8pm on Sunday, sitting in a meeting with someone too near a window on Tuesday and 5 minutes outside with a student on Thursday after his GCSE, plus burnt my shoulder and neck yesterday, through clothes, hat and sunblock - that stuff only lasts 2-3 hours.)
We went to Cambridge for the afternoon yesterday - no punts or sightseeing, just the insides of Addenbrookes.
Lost summer - rubbish, it'll still be summer (whether wet or dry);
Cancelled holidays - think of all that time not being wasted in airport 'lounges', traffic jams etc.;
Overgrown garden - as I pointed out earlier, think 'wild life reserve'
More power to yer Knee Scooter!
IJ
And, in so doing, helping and inspiring others.
Which is a Good Thing.
IJ
currently munching through a bar of chocolate mmmmmm
While the cancelled holidays are a pain, at least you can save the money you would have spent, and maybe take them later - and at a less expensive time of year - win-win!
We've had a very lazy day; the Wee Bitey Things season has started, and the little buggers have positively feasted on me. This, combined with taking a (not particularly effective) antihistamine tablet, has left me feeling very sleepy, and despite having done nothing remotely strenuous, I dozed off on the sofa after lunch.
Have just had a panic moment - I suddenly remembered that I'd set a batch of loaves going and should have taken the dough out of the machine two hours ago ...
We're going to spend part of the evening making shepherd's pies: one for ourselves and one to give to an elderly gentleman in the choir whose wife has just come out of hospital after an operation, and we're all rallying round to make sure they're fed.
DIL cooked a delicious meal with lamb and pomegranate yesterday evening, then we played a raucous game of cards - my son and I get very competitive!
I’m off to visit some friends and their dogs while Mr Boogs gets cracking fitting new kitchen work surfaces for son and DIL.