The Trivial Round, The Common Task - the British thread 2026

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  • SarasaSarasa All Saints Host
    I stuck to zero alcohol beer last night so no hangover, though I do have a rather achy hip from last nights dancing. It sounds like you had a lovely time @piglet. We turned last night not sure if anyone we'd knew would be there to find three friends already there and then someone turned up who is new to my husband's Quaker meeting and joined our table. It made for a fun sociable evening.
    I've just hung the washing out. One app says it will rain, one says it won't. Hopefully if it does rain it'll be after we're back from our respective churches so we can dash out to take it in. I need to come home from Mass via the supermarket as I've promised to make mushroom orzotto for tea and we don't have any mushrooms.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    Ooh - that sounds lovely (assuming you acquire some mushrooms). :mrgreen:
    Tired but otherwise unharmed this morning, and I got lots of nice comments about my rendition of Genesis chapter one!
    A restorative BACON ROLL has been had for brunch, and laundry and snoozage will ensue forthwith.
  • la vie en rougela vie en rouge Purgatory Host, Circus Host
    Happy French Mothers' Day. I had my breakfast made for me this morning, and was presented with a card and a little dish for putting things in that Captain Pyjamas made at school. Husband en rouge had helped him to buy some nice tea as well. At church they had a bag of small gifts the kids could choose for their Mum, and he picked a little bracelet.

    The weather has finally cooled down, so this afternoon I shall continue with some sewing. Pulled pork for lunch.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    That sounds lovely, La Vie.

    In between snoozage, I have accomplished Wash Ing, Iron Ing, Putt Ing Away, and even a spot of Mend Ing. How domesticated is that? :innocent:

    Supper will be fishcakes which I'll have with rocket leaves and a few tomatoes because (a) use-by date; and (b) absence of other veggies.

    I think I'll have to take the Trusty Trolley to work tomorrow and have a forage round Tessie's at lunchtime.
  • SarasaSarasa All Saints Host
    It sounds like a very nice French Mother's Day @la vie en rouge . Did you get a nice dinner as well?
    We went to an Open Garden's event in minster town to the north of here this afternoon. The most interesting thing was the stroll between the different gardens as the gardens themselves weren't as amazing as the one we went to last weekend.
    The orzotto went down well. We were watching Masterchef last week and Anna Hough said that lovage went well with mushrooms. We have lovage in our herb bed so I thought I'd give it a try. It works really well, but I guess it depends on whether you like lovage or not, which we do.
  • KarlLBKarlLB Shipmate
    To Plymouth and back to drop KarlLBLet#1 at Devonport. About 550mile round trip.

    This is considered a very long drive by most Brits.
  • KarlLB wrote: »
    To Plymouth and back to drop KarlLBLet#1 at Devonport. About 550mile round trip.

    This is considered a very long drive by most Brits.

    Indeed - I doubt if I could manage to cope with 55 miles, let alone ten times that!
    :flushed:
  • PuzzlerPuzzler Shipmate
    Last night’s concert went very well and meant a late bedtime but I was awake far too early this morning.
    Church was duly attended at 11am, though I almost wished I hadn’t, then a friend and I went out for lunch. Good food, reasonably priced and excellent customer service especially from the owner. No wonder the place is fully booked.
    We spent our time making plans for next weekend away- a fairly sudden decision on my part to go away and then to invite her. I realised I have no commitments for four consecutive days, so couldn’t waste the opportunity, and also I felt the need to undertake a longer drive than any I have done for about a year, and it will be nice to have company for it. The journey will take about 2 and a bit hours, but my usual distances are no more than 45 minutes. I’m building in some stops at places of interest en route as my back will not let me drive for too long without a break.
  • SarasaSarasa All Saints Host
    That sounds really nice @puzzler, I like spontaneous decisions like that.
    My lovely neighbour S is making me a Regency frock for an Eve of Waterloo ball in a couple of weeks. I thought when I got the pattern it would be very straightforward, it isn't. Her husband came round with a toile(sp?) of the top to check it fitted this evening. I think it will look good in the end, but I feel slightly guilty about giving her so much work.
    While I was writing this, I looked out and saw my neighbour opposite pruning her grapevine so popped over the road to say hello. I saw her briefly at Mass this morning, but haven't had a chat for a while. Her grapevine grows through her front wall and later in the year people stop to try out the grapes as they pass.
    I really love living here.
  • RoseofsharonRoseofsharon Shipmate
    It's the time of year when I wake at 5am, so I made a reluctant start to the day by hanging out a line of tea towels I had put in the machine before I went to bed, watered Mr RoS's recently planted chard, french beans, and butternut squash and then my tomato plants.

    The planned service for this morning was postponed as our pastor's mother died on Friday, just a few weeks before her 102nd birthday, so our usual stand-in speaker took the pulpit and preached a quickly prepared sermon.

    Mr RoS & I have been married for 53 years today, which was listed in the notices. Not sure he'd known before he heard his name mentioned.

    After the service we took ourselves off to the garden centre to buy two more tomato plants and a pack of lettuce seedlings as we seemed to have some spaces to fill in the garden.
    Surprisingly it was not very busy so, with no queue in the restaurant, we decided to have lunch there - then home, where we each had a long nap.

    Tomatoes & lettuces have been planted.
  • NenyaNenya All Saints Host, Ecclesiantics & MW Host
    Congratulations to you and Mr RoS, @Roseofsharon .

    We had a very lovely afternoon out yesterday at an open gardens event in Another Pretty Nearby Village: Pimms, Cake, and some beautiful gardens which gave me lots of ideas about what I could do in my own. Over the weekend we also acquired a new (to us) TV unit for our lounge which Mr Nen has assembled and which looks very good.

    All this excitement - plus a reasonable amount of wine with our meal because Sunday Evening And No Work Tomorrow - meant that I was tired yesterday evening and the kitchen needed Much Sorting and Clearing this morning. I've also done some Baking and been on a Zoom call :smile: .

    Much cooler here today, which is lovely.
  • SarasaSarasa All Saints Host
    I'm glad someone else enjoys going to visit gardens in the Open gardens scheme @Nenya. We nicked someone's idea from a garden we visited last year for growing runner beans this season.
    I managed to get to my Pilates class for the first time in over a month this morning. Our instructor did a bit of a different routine, and I really enjoyed it. The walk to and from the class was nice as my husband came with me to go and use the gym so it didn't feel as long as usual as we were chatting. We both went prepared to be rained on, but so far we've had very little precipitation.
    I may or may not have an on-line book group this evening. One member's internet is playing up and another is stuck in A&E with a relative.

  • mrs whibleymrs whibley Shipmate
    You've made me search for our Open Gardens - on 14th and 21st of this month. I enjoy them very much although Mr W hasn’t made it in the past due to rampant hay fever.
  • NenyaNenya All Saints Host, Ecclesiantics & MW Host
    Here in the Wilds of Wiltshire we have some steady and most welcome rain. I keep looking out of the window and telling it to "Keep going, keep going."

    After a very productive morning it's been a funny sort of afternoon as I was expecting someone to drop by for a cup of tea and they didn't; no reason given. Can't get hold of them. So it's been a bit of hanging round slightly aimlessly wondering what's going on.

    This evening I need to read a couple of chapters of a book the local house group are reading; we're going to the meeting tomorrow, only the second since we've been here for a number of double-booked-type reasons.

    Easy pasta for tea.
  • Congratulations Mrs and Mr RoS.

    Usual Monday morning of emails and admin, though most of my students have now finished their modules. This afternoon I marked some sample exam essays ready for a meeting later in the week (we all mark the same sample and compare scores so we can standardise our marking).
    I also had a talk with a colleague about OU/BBC productions in death and dying, and was reminded of an amazing series on AIDS using first person stories https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0018t19/aids-the-unheard-tapes-series-1-1-ignorance I worked in HIV in the mid-90s and found it an emotional watch. I’m going to watch it again now.

    Mr Heavenly has clients visiting so he is out for the evening. I am having spicy green chicken in a creamy spinach sauce, followed by a strawberry and rhubarb smoothie.
  • Tree BeeTree Bee Shipmate
    Congratulations from me too @Roseofsharon .

    The rain has just started here, very welcome on my newly planted flowers.

    Still on a high as the Hawkstone Farmers’ Choir conducted by our local choir leader Lizzie only went and won Britain’s Got Talent!
  • HeavenlyannieHeavenlyannie Shipmate
    edited June 1
    Having just started watching it, I think I should possibly have added a warning about some of the language and content…
  • sionisaissionisais Shipmate
    A day minding our youngest grandson, who slept a fair bit and was happy when he was awake (except when he was being changed). Not nice outside so no Pimms, almost Hot Toddy weather.
  • Congratulations from me as well @Roseofsharon . Just to make you feel old, you've been married over a month longer than I've been alive 😁

    It was grey all day here, but the rain didn't show up till early evening as we drove back from the Parental Knotweeds abode. We'd dropped over when I finished work to deliver a spare pot of clotted cream left from preparing a cricket tea yesterday, and spent some time chatting. Now hoping it keeps raining for a while!
  • SarasaSarasa All Saints Host
    Congratulations @Roseofsharon for yesterday.
    A disappointing amount of rain so far and also the disappointing no-show of something that EVRI claim is out for delivery today. To be fair I wasn't expecting it this soon, but I hope it turns up by Wednesday as its a frock to wear for an event that evening.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    Congratulations to the Roses of Sharon from up here too! :heart:

    There was intermittent rain here, mostly seemingly falling while I was out in it.

    Moderately busy for a Monday, not helped by my printer deciding it didn't like the paper we use for printing deeds, and manifesting its dislike by peppering them with ink "shadows" on the reverse sides.

    It's never done that in the three years I've been using it, and a colleague thinks it's because they've sent us "remanufactured"* cartridges. Complaints have been lodged with the supplier.

    * no - I don't know what it means either. 🤔

    Risi e bisi for supper.
  • sionisaissionisais Shipmate
    “Remanufactured” is basically a used cartridge, cleaned, reconditioned and refilled. They are a bit cheaper and have the advantage of using the original manufacturer’s cartridges, instead of an aftermarket one.
  • RoseofsharonRoseofsharon Shipmate
    Congratulations from me as well @Roseofsharon . Just to make you feel old, you've been married over a month longer than I've been alive 😁
    In my teens & twenties I was always the youngest in any group I mixed with. Nowadays I find that I am usually the oldest (not counting our Pastor's mother), so I'm already feeling old - but the congratulations are very welcome CK, and thanks go to others for theirs.

    More work in the garden done today. Mr RoS mowed the front and back 'lawns' of their NoMowMay growth, and I planted the last of the veg & herb plants I had bought on our last two outings. Both of us anticipating the rain that is supposed to fall tonight.
    No sign of it yet, 'though
  • PuzzlerPuzzler Shipmate
    Yesterday at the garden centre I bought a new dress and also a trellis for a clematis, which I am hoping my son will deal with today, if it is not raining when he gets here later. The trellis, not the dress.

    I also took the car to be washed and was about to buy petrol at an exorbitant price when I remembered I needed to collect something from my daughter. En route I passed another petrol station which was a whole 5p cheaper! Glad I waited- but why such a discrepancy?

    After all that activity I achieved less for the rest of the day which was spent planning for my weekend away. I like to know what I’m doing when, and my research showed me useful information eg one place we wanted to visit on our last day won’t be open that day, and on Sunday will be packed out for a special event, so that is now earmarked for our outward journey. My friend isn’t a great planner, preferring to go with the flow, but she appreciates my efforts.
    Tidying, sorting finances and filing needed today.
  • Puzzler wrote: »
    Yesterday at the garden centre I bought a new dress ...

    As one does! (To be more serious, our garden centre - Blue Diamond - sells a lot of clothes, many of them its own brand).



  • sionisaissionisais Shipmate
    Puzzler wrote: »
    Yesterday at the garden centre I bought a new dress ...

    As one does! (To be more serious, our garden centre - Blue Diamond - sells a lot of clothes, many of them its own brand).



    We have a couple of these “Garden Centres”. They have a modicum mof horticultural stuff, plus non-horticultural goods but we are sure their cafe and food department make most of the money: they should, with their prices.

    Fortunately, we have some independent cafes that deserve our trade to keep them in business.

  • PriscillaPriscilla Shipmate
    Our preferred cafe in Abergavenny has closed and so we went to a new garden centre which has opened in the town centre and which has a nice cafe
  • Our local garden centre is an independent one that started as a nursery but has sections of gifts, pet products and tropical fish, alongside the huge selection of plants. They have recently updated the cafe so it no longer looks like a canteen and they’ve done a great job of it; the food was really good on our last outing. They also do charitable work, such as providing land and funding to build a cancer support centre in their grounds.

    A slow day here, with just checking on emails and student progress. I’m hoping the drizzle will stop soon so I can go for a walk.
  • SarasaSarasa All Saints Host
    edited June 2
    We once visited one of those sorts of garden centres, only to find, that though we could buy scented candles and cake, they didn't have any garden forks which is what we wanted. The one we go to now is at the back of a farm shop. The two businesses complement each other really well and we can usually get what we want in the garden centre and pick up some veg or a tea towel as well.
    Very sensible to plan ahead @puzzler. We went to Saltaire last year only to find it is closed on a Monday which was annoying.
  • Much cooler (63F) today in Arkland the Relieved, after heavy rain last night, and showers on-and-off this afternoon.

    Pilates has been suffered - my right hip flexor is misbehaving itself egregiously - but homework exercises over the next week should help.

    Lunch was LAMB CHOPS with CHIPS and PICKLED RED CABBAGE :yum: and there are Hot Cross Buns for later...
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    Dobbies, the local garden centres (I'm assuming they're a chain) have quite a large clothing section - I think it's Edinburgh Woollen Mill or Seasalt.

    I too have HCBs for later; for now I'm pootling over the road for Night Church.
  • CaissaCaissa Shipmate
    Do they justify having clothing in a garden centre with the argument this clothing is meant to be worn in the garden?
  • It may be that the clothing people pay less for using space in the garden centre than they would do if they rented their own separate unit.

    There is a Dobbies in Our Town - yes, I think they're a chain - and their restaurant is very popular (and not over-priced).
  • Dobbies is a chain. I believe that it was owned by Tesco for a while.
  • Which no doubt explains why it's right next to Our Town's biggest Tesco...
  • FirenzeFirenze Shipmate, Host Emeritus
    Caissa wrote: »
    Do they justify having clothing in a garden centre with the argument this clothing is meant to be worn in the garden?

    My guess is that the demographic that's into gardening is also attracted to sensible skirts, fleece gilets, chintzy blouses, check shirts, corduroy trousers etc. And likes coffee and a nice array of cakes. And has the spare change for scented candles and artisanal mustard.

  • SarasaSarasa All Saints Host
    A fairly lazy day today. I had a meeting this morning about various upcoming events and went for a walk with my husband this evening. Between the two I didn't do much, though I did manage a nap.
    Much cooler today and a mix a quite warm sunshine and very heavy showers.
  • PuzzlerPuzzler Shipmate
    Firenze wrote: »
    Caissa wrote: »
    Do they justify having clothing in a garden centre with the argument this clothing is meant to be worn in the garden?

    My guess is that the demographic that's into gardening is also attracted to sensible skirts, fleece gilets, chintzy blouses, check shirts, corduroy trousers etc. And likes coffee and a nice array of cakes. And has the spare change for scented candles and artisanal mustard.

    The clothing in my nearest garden centre is nothing like that. It is also very reasonably priced, unlike most other things there. But you do have to walk through vast areas of all sorts of expensive stuff to get to it, and then to the actual plants.

    My son was late getting to me and then had to get to another meeting but he made a start on some gardening. It is all so overgrown but he doesn’t want me to get anyone else in to help. Meanwhile I have still not finished my filing and financial sort out. The predicted rain didn’t last long today but will surely arrive tomorrow so I might get more done.
  • RoseofsharonRoseofsharon Shipmate
    Rain over night, but more or less finished by 07:00. We managed our early trip to Lidl without getting rained on.
    Did a quick tour of the garden when we got home, just to check whether or not the snails had found the newly planted veg. All looked OK. At least, everything had the same number of leaves as yesterday.
    The wind was rather strong in the afternoon, and is supposed to be even stronger tomorrow afternoon, along with quite lot of rain. Will probably stay indoors.

    Dinner was a panzanella, as the menu planning was done in last week's hot weather, not that the change in the temperature made it any less delicious.
  • Rain on and off for most of the day but it cleared in time for my walk to the bible study group this evening, where we are working through a book on grace. Mr Heavenly was out again with his US colleagues.
    Tea was half of a rather nice courgette, goats cheese and lemon galette, before going out. I’m now relaxing with a glass of Prosecco.
  • Rain over night, but more or less finished by 07:00. We managed our early trip to Lidl without getting rained on.
    Our Lidl doesn't open till 08.00!

    It's dull and so cool that the heating has come on! Shopping has been accomplished. A croissant is warming in the oven.

    We seem to have a hedgehog living in our garden - we've seen him (?) twice this week in the early evening, snuffling around. We do hope thar he stays.

  • SipechSipech Shipmate
    Have been following this story over the last few months. The public now gets to vote for which animals to appear on Bank of England notes.

    I was a bit disappointed that the dormouse, red squirrel and badger weren't on the shortlist. But I don't think it's a bad list.
    You pick 2 from each category. I reckon my selection would be: hedgehog, fox, barn owl, kingfisher, emperor dragonfly and buff-tailed bumblebee.
  • I would probably choose: Hedgehog and hare, puffin and barn owl, salmon and bumblebee.

    A quiet meeting of admin this morning then a long meeting this after co-ordinating exam marking.
  • BoogieBoogie Heaven Host
    I've voted hedgehog, barn owl and bumble bee. 🦔🦉 🐝
  • SarasaSarasa All Saints Host
    I voted for hedgehog, brown hare, barn owl, kingfisher, marsh fritillary and bumble bee.
    I'm off to my neighbours this morning to start making up my Regency dress for the ball on the 13th. This evening I'm off to an event at a local RAF base. The dress I've ordered hasn't turned up yet and if it doesn't I'll have to make do with one of my smart, but definitely not cocktail dress, frocks instead. I'm sure no one will notice.
  • Rain now downtippeth ...
  • RoseofsharonRoseofsharon Shipmate
    Our Lidl doesn't open till 08.00!
    Ours doesn't either, but there were still showers around then - luckily rain not falling when we got in the car, nor on the Lidl carpark for our arrival or departure.
    Mr RoS even managed to avoid parking next to one of the big puddles.
  • NenyaNenya All Saints Host, Ecclesiantics & MW Host
    There was a Dobbie's just outside the town where we used to live and it was a nice place to go for a bit of a mooch about and a coffee and cake. The gardeners of my acquaintance didn't rate it particularly highly for the actual plants, though.

    There"s a plant nursery in a nearby village here, which is really good for plants and coffee and cake but there's a lot you can't buy there - eg, compost bins and gardening implements ("We're a nursery, not a garden centre" I was told rather crisply on our first visit). Just outside Fairly Nearby Town there is a big garden centre which has a lot of things other than garden stuff and makes for a lovely outing (also with coffee and cake).

    On the subject of Gardens and Weather it's raining here this morning and I can almost hear the garden slurping it up.

    We had a lovely day yesterday visiting Nenlet1 and the GrandNenling. The latter is at that delightful stage where she knows certain books by heart and can "read" them to herself, turning the pages at the right time and everything :heart: .

    A house-based day today with domestics and a couple of Zoom meetings later.
  • North East QuineNorth East Quine Purgatory Host
    Pedestrianisation and road works have made Aberdeen City centre inaccessible to elderly people with mobility issues, and our Dobbies fills the gap. Cafe, clothes, stuff you can buy as birthday / Christmas presents, greetings cards - and plants! Some places in Aberdeenshire run old-folks outings by bus to the Aberdeen Dobbies.
  • Baptist TrainfanBaptist Trainfan Shipmate
    edited 10:21AM
    Notcutts in Woodbridge (Suffolk) was also popular for such trips.
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