I'm not a huge eater of pies, but your goat cheese/shallot combo sounds rather nice.
It was very warm (22°) at lunchtime, but by the time I was coming home it had cooled to a very pleasant 18°, with just a wee bit of a breeze.
I succumbed to my desire to cook something, and did pasta with prawns, mushrooms, tomatoes and creme fraiche for supper, washed down with a nice glass of WINE.
Last full day of my Summer School. Usual morning of rehearsals. Free afternoon when I chose just a short stroll then read my book. Late afternoon rehearsal 5-6.30. Each group gave a rendition of one song ( there are two courses running, one Early Music, the other songs from musicals) just before the meal which was a barbecue of sorts. The dining room has a lovely acoustic, especially as our group sang from a balcony.
Tomorrow we give a “performance” of sorts, in a church, which will be basically each group singing to the other group., followed by afternoon tea. Home, trains permitting, in time for church choir practice.
That sounds like a very nice Summer School @puzzler.
Being Wednesday I was out with the Ramblers. A very nice walk but several miles longer than advertised. Then this evening I was out at Planning committee which went pretty well considering the potential for disagreement about one application. I came home and unwound by watching The Great British Sewing Bee. Unlike @Heavenlyannie I can't sew but I do enjoy the programme.
Day off today and no yoga over the summer. I’ve done the laundry and would like to get in my studio to do some sewing but Royal Mail will apparently be delivering a parcel and have given me a rather unhelpful 6 hour window of 10-4pm for this. I expect they will turn up around 1pm as usual but in the meanwhile I am waiting around the house and reading. I might start measuring and cutting up the dress that needs re-working on the kitchen floor. I’ll have surreptitiously nip in to the studio to get scissors etc as Mochi gets excited if she heard me heading out there; it is her favourite place to sleep in the morning but I keep it locked when not in use. She is currently crying for me to go outside with her.
Very variable Royal Mail. I ordered an item last week and it took them 8 days to get it from Cornwall to Edinburgh (by stagecoach?). I ordered another thing (from the West Midlands) yesterday and they're delivering it tomorrow.
My lip reading class doesn't meet over the summer so I'm having a lazy morning catching up with emails before heading off for my bookshop shift. Tonight we're going to a favourite pub for the summer social of a local society I belong to. I hope the weather remains as nice as it is now as there is a very nice balcony with views over our town's lock. @Heavenlyannie , we have a very useful log box in our front garden and any parcels get put there if we aren't around.
Yes, I have a large black box in the open porch, it used to be the paper recycling box before we got proper bins. Most posties leave stuff in it but not all, and some Amazon drivers leave parcels leaning against the door despite there being an obvious box to put them inside.
The milkman puts the milk in the black box but we still had a few weeks a couple of years back where someone nicked it regularly, presumably having seen the milkman deliver it in the early hours (the delivery now usually happens around midnight to 1pm, we often take it in at bedtime!). The stealing stopped when we put a very obvious webcam up in our front window.
The Royal Mail missed out on me working for them when they took so long getting back to me that I'd find something else. Does that sound like a pattern to anyone else,
I learned yesterday that my esteemed Cousin R has been able to arrange early retirement - he is, by profession, a very skilled joiner, but for the past 15 years or so has worked as a school caretaker. He's 63, but his wife is a few years younger, and their two daughters are now both independent, so the sums worked out in their favour.
I can only make sympathetic noises at those for whom things don't work out as well. My Sister and B-in-L, who live in France, are in their late 60s, and they also took early retirement.
ION, Arkland the Sultry awaits the threatened Thunderystrums this afternoon, although so far only some light Rain has occurred. I'm hoping that we don't get too much heavy Rain, as the irritating leak from the deckhead into the fore cabin of the Ark has not so far been conquered. Some magic Paint was applied to the offending spot on Monday, so I have yet to find out whether the latest attempt was successful! The water (not a lot - half-an-inch in a Bucket over 6 hours) was coming in close to the old light fitting which I removed over the weekend - I'm hoping that the small amount of redundant wiring I've had to leave in situ will not be affected by any Drips...
Lunch is CHICKEN in Mushroom Sauce, with New Potatoes, and a Watercress side-salad.
I'm new to the "getting milk delivered" malarkey, and having finally worked out that I can just about use a pint over the course of a week (to be delivered on Thursdays, as that's one of the days when they're in my area), and informed MacQueen's that this is the most satisfactory arrangement, did I remember to put the empty bottles out last night? No, dear reader, I did not. <brainless piglet>
Another pleasant day here: 18° and intermittently sunny (although it looked decidedly dark and menacing around 6 o'clock).
Finished up the current crop of salads in the fridge for supper (except the lettuce; I had run out of mushrooms to add to it. Sliced raw mushrooms with lettuce and a good vinaigrette make for a Very Nice Thing).
Re: early retirement (something of which I could only dream) - my bridesmaid (who's four years younger than me) has just retired as a physiotherapist. Much as I love my job (working for her husband), I couldn't suppress a wee bit of envy ...
Cutting and sewing was done and I might even finish the dress tomorrow. Tea was fresh sardines with pan fried garlicky peppers and a green salad with lemon dressing.
Doing some outside work last week, we found 6x 750ml bottles of fruit cider in the outhouse that I made a decade ago. I thought after such a long time that we were looking at some fruit vinegar for salad dressing but Mr Heavenly has just (carefully) opened a bottle and it is a perfectly fine lightly sparkling cider, though a bit mature.
Plan for this evening was to bus up to favourite pub, then go to favourite Italian restaurant just across the road. But Mr F feeling especially tottery, so scrub that. Instead I whipped up a linguine carbonara with pancetta.
Home from summer school, and almost straight out to choir practice, so unpacking can wait until morning. Hoping for a quieter night than the last few, which were disrupted by trains, traffic especially police sirens and early arrival of children being dropped off at nursery.
Whilst I was away a branch of my heavily-laden pear tree broke off. My daughter has dealt with it but left me about 30 unripe pears. There are about another 200 on the tree. This house and its neighbours were built on a former orchard. I think this is a very old tree, no doubt dehydrated.
Is there anything you can do with unripe pears other than add them to the compost bin @Puzzler ?
This evening was very nice, even if the pub rather failed to cater for vegans/vegetarians or those on a gluten free diet. The person that organised the event appeared not to be able to find anything at all to eat, and my husband and I had a couple of random sandwiches, chips and some cake. We met some very pleasant people and I managed to convince a few of them that Labour party members can be nice and I discovered Reform members can be the same. I'm sure we both came away thinking the others were woefully misguided.
My 80th birthday today. Had a celebration lunch at a very good Italian restaurant, with all the immediate family, (two sons, daughters-in-law & five grandchildren). Also my brother, SiL, two of their sons and 2 of their granddaughters none of whom have I seen for five years.
They all live about 5hrs away, and my brother is in pretty poor health, so I was particularly touched that they brought him all this way. There have been occasions that I wondered if we would get to see each other again, as we both have difficulty with travelling and with being away from our familiar surroundings for long.
All have reported having arrived safely home, in spite of setting off in a thunderstorm, leaving us still with about 1/3 of my12" diameter sachertorte birthday cake in the fridge.
Will Mr RoS and I manage to finish that off between just the two of us?
I've spent some time this morning happily compiling a small album of photographs from Nenlet2's recent wedding, which I will be carrying around in my bag for the foreseeable future and showing off to anyone who's (even vaguely) interested. I know the usual way these days is to show people pictures on one's phone but I'm old school.
We had some Proper Rain yesterday, for which the gardens are grateful. I was out and about and managed to keep pretty dry. I had to shelter in a local shop at one point, watching while the high street ran like a river and a drain cover lifted and water flooded up and out like a fountain .
Overcast today and I guess I need to go out this afternoon prepared for Showers.
Spaghetti bolognese for tea. Also garlic bread and Wine.
Usual morning of emails and admin. I submitted a suggested tutorial schedule for my final module and planned my workload into my diary for the next 6 months; which weeks/days I expect to be filled with marking, days off, holidays, etc. November is horrendous, as usual.
I have the afternoon off (the joys of a flexible workload, I am only paid to teach my modules so the summer is reduced hours doing occasional admin and queries). It started pouring down as I packed my work up in the office and Mochi was not impressed to have to leave her bed there. I need to do some reading for my studies. If the rain clears I might go for another stroll.
I headed for my philosophy class this morning which was interesting as we were discussing 'what is philosophy?'. We're trying to go back to basics as a bit of a reset after the person who set the group up died. On the way back I called into the new independent bookshop and ordered a copy of a book someone recommended this morning.
Dinner tonight will be an aubergine and red pesto dish accompanied by a Rioja from our local independent wine shop.
Cloudy again in Arkland the Apprehensive, with Storm and Teapot Tempest on the way next week...
Meanwhile, the daily threat of Rain means that Paint Ing will have to be deferred until later in the month, when more settled (and warmer) weather might be expected.
Pottering about below decks is this afternoon's Exciting Programme, after Lunch, which is FISH PIE.
Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north of England are apparently going to get a Proper Storm™ called Floris on Monday* but it didn't look from the maps I saw that it would reach as far south as Arkland. It was still quite nice here today though; I hope it stays that way for the Artisans' Market tomorrow.
Very quiet day at work today - nearly all the bosses were either on holiday or playing golf.
Fish & chips for supper, because Friday.
* "yellow wind warning" - how do you tell what colour wind is?
I have been very lazy since lunchtime and despite sleeping well last night, I dozed off this afternoon. Most unusual.
Part One of the removal of bookcases from Mr Puzzler’s study took place this morning. Part Two will take place on Sunday. They are going with the departing Methodist minister into his next Manse.
Mr Heavenly and I have indulged in one of our favourite hobbies this evening; looking at houses for sale on websites. We can dream.
I wish I enjoyed doing that. At Casa Nen we have the ongoing (I'm talking years) situation that Mr Nen wants to move house and I don't so discussions related thereto are far from pleasurable.
A bright sunny morning and I'm off for coffee. Stir fry for tea because Saturday.
I too like looking at houses online. I still get notifications of places in this area that we set up when we were in the process of moving from London. The good thing is I rarely see anything I like better than this house, and if I do it's usually in a location I don't like. Why are you against moving @nenya? I always like the looking bit, its all the rest I find a pain.
Today is the first day of our town 'on sea'. We have a giant sandpit in the Market Square and lots of seaside type activities on for the next fortnight. The idea is to give children round here whose parents can't afford to go away a bit of holiday. This year we're also have a food festival and its also our monthly Artisan market. The upshot of that is we're going to mooch into town shortly to have a look. I also want to introduce my husband to the man who has done lots of stuff to promote the town so they can discuss things to their own mutual advantage as my husband has a Facebook page of what's on in town.
Mr Heavenly has painted another layer on the sill in the new spare room and is now cutting and fitting new skirting boards and outer door frame, before painting them. I think he’s hoping to get a carpet fitter in for a quote next week. The room wont be fitted out in time for Master Heavenly and his girlfriend staying in a couple of weeks time so they may have to sleep in the old spare room surrounded by everything being stored there. When this room is completed we will be doing up that room.
I have been for a walk and then done some weeding and deadheading. I might make a lentil and goats cheese salad for lunch.
So I'm not alone in my love of looking at property on RightMove? (along with binge watching property shows featuring Kirsty and Phil). If I know anyone who is looking to move I sometimes have to restrain myself for volunteering to look for properties for them, and sending them daily updates of new ones on the market. I'd make a rubbish estate agent though as I probably have zero negotiation skills.
I've rushed around this morning getting all the weekly household chores completed in record time, because I'm leaving early afternoon for an exciting road trip (not an overnighter, I should be back in the wee small hours). I'm off to Faversham to see the Marsh Family in concert! I've been a fan since they started producing videos during COVID, and couldn't resist the idea of going along ... even though its over 100 miles away and my electric car has a range of 160 miles, so I will have to have my first attempt at charging it away from home! I've had the car since April but until now have never travelled far enough by car to need to do this.
So I'm not alone in my love of looking at property on RightMove? (along with binge watching property shows featuring Kirsty and Phil). If I know anyone who is looking to move I sometimes have to restrain myself for volunteering to look for properties for them, and sending them daily updates of new ones on the market. I'd make a rubbish estate agent though as I probably have zero negotiation skills.
I've rushed around this morning getting all the weekly household chores completed in record time, because I'm leaving early afternoon for an exciting road trip (not an overnighter, I should be back in the wee small hours). I'm off to Faversham to see the Marsh Family in concert! I've been a fan since they started producing videos during COVID, and couldn't resist the idea of going along ... even though its over 100 miles away and my electric car has a range of 160 miles, so I will have to have my first attempt at charging it away from home! I've had the car since April but until now have never travelled far enough by car to need to do this.
I used to enjoy looking online at properties for sale in France, dreaming the while of being the eccentric Englishman (complete with Panama Hat) sitting drinking WINE, and eating CHEESE, at the local bar/bistro...
There was a time when moving abroad might have been feasible, but, alas! not now. Dreams are inexpensive, though.
Enjoy the Marsh Family concert! They may not be around as a complete unit IYSWIM for much longer, as the children grow up, but they've certainly made their mark on British satire...
Another mostly cloudy day in Arkland the Relieved, as They say the worst of Storm Floris will possibly pass us by. Meanwhile, a little bit of Paint Ing may be essayed after Lunch, which is Italian - probably Lasagne, because use-by date.
Hope it goes well with the car @Gracious Rebel . We took our new electric car on a journey on Monday to make sure we could do longish distances in it and are off again on Thursday for a bit of a road trip. Our car is advertised at doing 250 miles, but I think it is probably nearer 190.
We had a very nice time in town. The Market Place was very busy, including a van doing cookery demos. I bought a new necklace and my husband bought a panama hat, which looks very dapper. We then headed to one of our favourite places for lunch. My husband went to do the ordering and, as he was hungry, ended up adding chips to my order. They were very nice too, specially with a load of garlic mayonnaise and he did help me eat them!
I've rushed around this morning getting all the weekly household chores completed in record time, because I'm leaving early afternoon for an exciting road trip (not an overnighter, I should be back in the wee small hours). I'm off to Faversham to see the Marsh Family in concert! I've been a fan since they started producing videos during COVID, and couldn't resist the idea of going along ...
Oooh! Have a fantastic time! I really enjoy their songs, both parodies and original, and have to confess some of their parody words have completely overwritten the original words of some songs for me.
Comments
It was very warm (22°) at lunchtime, but by the time I was coming home it had cooled to a very pleasant 18°, with just a wee bit of a breeze.
I succumbed to my desire to cook something, and did pasta with prawns, mushrooms, tomatoes and creme fraiche for supper, washed down with a nice glass of WINE.
Tomorrow we give a “performance” of sorts, in a church, which will be basically each group singing to the other group., followed by afternoon tea. Home, trains permitting, in time for church choir practice.
Being Wednesday I was out with the Ramblers. A very nice walk but several miles longer than advertised. Then this evening I was out at Planning committee which went pretty well considering the potential for disagreement about one application. I came home and unwound by watching The Great British Sewing Bee. Unlike @Heavenlyannie I can't sew but I do enjoy the programme.
@Heavenlyannie , we have a very useful log box in our front garden and any parcels get put there if we aren't around.
The milkman puts the milk in the black box but we still had a few weeks a couple of years back where someone nicked it regularly, presumably having seen the milkman deliver it in the early hours (the delivery now usually happens around midnight to 1pm, we often take it in at bedtime!). The stealing stopped when we put a very obvious webcam up in our front window.
All done online, or over the phone...
I can only make sympathetic noises at those for whom things don't work out as well. My Sister and B-in-L, who live in France, are in their late 60s, and they also took early retirement.
ION, Arkland the Sultry awaits the threatened Thunderystrums this afternoon, although so far only some light Rain has occurred. I'm hoping that we don't get too much heavy Rain, as the irritating leak from the deckhead into the fore cabin of the Ark has not so far been conquered. Some magic Paint was applied to the offending spot on Monday, so I have yet to find out whether the latest attempt was successful! The water (not a lot - half-an-inch in a Bucket over 6 hours) was coming in close to the old light fitting which I removed over the weekend - I'm hoping that the small amount of redundant wiring I've had to leave in situ will not be affected by any Drips...
Lunch is CHICKEN in Mushroom Sauce, with New Potatoes, and a Watercress side-salad.
I'm new to the "getting milk delivered" malarkey, and having finally worked out that I can just about use a pint over the course of a week (to be delivered on Thursdays, as that's one of the days when they're in my area), and informed MacQueen's that this is the most satisfactory arrangement, did I remember to put the empty bottles out last night? No, dear reader, I did not. <brainless piglet>
Another pleasant day here: 18° and intermittently sunny (although it looked decidedly dark and menacing around 6 o'clock).
Finished up the current crop of salads in the fridge for supper (except the lettuce; I had run out of mushrooms to add to it. Sliced raw mushrooms with lettuce and a good vinaigrette make for a Very Nice Thing).
Re: early retirement (something of which I could only dream) - my bridesmaid (who's four years younger than me) has just retired as a physiotherapist. Much as I love my job (working for her husband), I couldn't suppress a wee bit of envy ...
Doing some outside work last week, we found 6x 750ml bottles of fruit cider in the outhouse that I made a decade ago. I thought after such a long time that we were looking at some fruit vinegar for salad dressing but Mr Heavenly has just (carefully) opened a bottle and it is a perfectly fine lightly sparkling cider, though a bit mature.
Whilst I was away a branch of my heavily-laden pear tree broke off. My daughter has dealt with it but left me about 30 unripe pears. There are about another 200 on the tree. This house and its neighbours were built on a former orchard. I think this is a very old tree, no doubt dehydrated.
This evening was very nice, even if the pub rather failed to cater for vegans/vegetarians or those on a gluten free diet. The person that organised the event appeared not to be able to find anything at all to eat, and my husband and I had a couple of random sandwiches, chips and some cake. We met some very pleasant people and I managed to convince a few of them that Labour party members can be nice and I discovered Reform members can be the same. I'm sure we both came away thinking the others were woefully misguided.
They all live about 5hrs away, and my brother is in pretty poor health, so I was particularly touched that they brought him all this way. There have been occasions that I wondered if we would get to see each other again, as we both have difficulty with travelling and with being away from our familiar surroundings for long.
All have reported having arrived safely home, in spite of setting off in a thunderstorm, leaving us still with about 1/3 of my12" diameter sachertorte birthday cake in the fridge.
Will Mr RoS and I manage to finish that off between just the two of us?
With difficulty - and a couple of heat exchangers in the house and air-con in the car! 😳
I found the muggy heat very uncomfortable - I'm not designed for temperatures in the 30s.
We had some Proper Rain yesterday, for which the gardens are grateful. I was out and about and managed to keep pretty dry. I had to shelter in a local shop at one point, watching while the high street ran like a river and a drain cover lifted and water flooded up and out like a fountain
Overcast today and I guess I need to go out this afternoon prepared for Showers.
Spaghetti bolognese for tea. Also garlic bread and Wine.
I have the afternoon off (the joys of a flexible workload, I am only paid to teach my modules so the summer is reduced hours doing occasional admin and queries). It started pouring down as I packed my work up in the office and Mochi was not impressed to have to leave her bed there. I need to do some reading for my studies. If the rain clears I might go for another stroll.
Dinner tonight will be an aubergine and red pesto dish accompanied by a Rioja from our local independent wine shop.
Meanwhile, the daily threat of Rain means that Paint Ing will have to be deferred until later in the month, when more settled (and warmer) weather might be expected.
Pottering about below decks is this afternoon's Exciting Programme, after Lunch, which is FISH PIE.
Very quiet day at work today - nearly all the bosses were either on holiday or playing golf.
Fish & chips for supper, because Friday.
* "yellow wind warning" - how do you tell what colour wind is?
Part One of the removal of bookcases from Mr Puzzler’s study took place this morning. Part Two will take place on Sunday. They are going with the departing Methodist minister into his next Manse.
Dinner was salmon baked in coconut milk with ginger, garlic, cardamom and a chilli harvested from the plant in the front room.
Tea was chick frick with garlic bread.
A bright sunny morning and I'm off for coffee. Stir fry for tea because Saturday.
Today is the first day of our town 'on sea'. We have a giant sandpit in the Market Square and lots of seaside type activities on for the next fortnight. The idea is to give children round here whose parents can't afford to go away a bit of holiday. This year we're also have a food festival and its also our monthly Artisan market. The upshot of that is we're going to mooch into town shortly to have a look. I also want to introduce my husband to the man who has done lots of stuff to promote the town so they can discuss things to their own mutual advantage as my husband has a Facebook page of what's on in town.
I have been for a walk and then done some weeding and deadheading. I might make a lentil and goats cheese salad for lunch.
I've rushed around this morning getting all the weekly household chores completed in record time, because I'm leaving early afternoon for an exciting road trip (not an overnighter, I should be back in the wee small hours). I'm off to Faversham to see the Marsh Family in concert! I've been a fan since they started producing videos during COVID, and couldn't resist the idea of going along ... even though its over 100 miles away and my electric car has a range of 160 miles, so I will have to have my first attempt at charging it away from home! I've had the car since April but until now have never travelled far enough by car to need to do this.
I used to enjoy looking online at properties for sale in France, dreaming the while of being the eccentric Englishman (complete with Panama Hat) sitting drinking WINE, and eating CHEESE, at the local bar/bistro...
There was a time when moving abroad might have been feasible, but, alas! not now. Dreams are inexpensive, though.
Enjoy the Marsh Family concert! They may not be around as a complete unit IYSWIM for much longer, as the children grow up, but they've certainly made their mark on British satire...
Another mostly cloudy day in Arkland the Relieved, as They say the worst of Storm Floris will possibly pass us by. Meanwhile, a little bit of Paint Ing may be essayed after Lunch, which is Italian - probably Lasagne, because use-by date.
We had a very nice time in town. The Market Place was very busy, including a van doing cookery demos. I bought a new necklace and my husband bought a panama hat, which looks very dapper. We then headed to one of our favourite places for lunch. My husband went to do the ordering and, as he was hungry, ended up adding chips to my order. They were very nice too, specially with a load of garlic mayonnaise and he did help me eat them!
Oooh! Have a fantastic time! I really enjoy their songs, both parodies and original, and have to confess some of their parody words have completely overwritten the original words of some songs for me.