Glad you are feeling better in the gob department @punkdoc. Glad too that everyone's wet weather walking gear is doing the job. We didn't meet our friends after all today - we have the plumber here all day fitting the new boiler. So the living room (the boiler is in a cupboard there) is out of bounds, we have stacks of stuff from the cupboard below the boiler piled around on all available surfaces and I am confined to the dining room and my laptop with the convector heater on in here. OH is in bed in his clothes reading! It's a filthy day out, otherwise we could have gone for a walk. No hot water but we can use the loo as Philip (our lovely plumber) has isolated the water to the boiler there. Really looking forward to being properly warm again. Having no heating in winter reminded us both of what it was like growing up in the 50's - ice on the inside of the windows etc.
The forecast today was sunshine and showers. The proportions weren’t specified but I can confirm it was about 10-to-1 on the showers! We even had hail at one point.
I’m a day off today so I have just made: veg casserole, a pasta bake and a sponge cake. Feeling smug at being economical with the oven. My Nan always used to make a few extra things when the oven was on - a tray of jam tarts or some shortbread etc as a little bonus.
Good afternoon, very wet start again. It did brighten up for a couple of hours but we've just had another short burst of rain with high winds. We had a man in to do the final measurements for new sliding door wardrobes. The old ones are very rickety and can't be fixed (company no longer trading). It will be new year before we get them tho.
Good afternoon - just! Feels more like evening as I've just drawn the curtains.
We've had a lovely day out, decided on the spur of the moment to drive to the village near Didcot where my Mum's buried, as it would have been her 99th birthday today. Took enough flowers for all 4 family graves there (ancestral village) and fortunately had brilliant sunshine nearly all day. After doing that, we had a very good pub lunch (in a French run pub @Busy-Lizzie). I had a scrumptious crispy duck baguette with salad and OH a Brie & Bacon one. They do the best duck baguettes I've ever eaten. Absolutely stuffed, we staggered out and opted to pick up the M4 at Hungerford for an easier trip home (140 miles round trip) but very worth it.
A nice warm home will be lovely when it's done @Didyw, worth the inconvenience. We will have to move the washing machine out and park it right in the middle of our kitchen when we have our boiler done - going to be bit tight! I'm not looking forward to moving all the junk out of the laundry cupboard either but it's a good opportunity to have a clear out. Our chap is going to move the boiler to the facing wall rather than on the side wall and I think it's a more compact one as well.
I went on the walk that I mentioned with the walking club. It was fun, people took their dogs but I don't have a dog anymore. Much hillier than walking in Norfolk! I have posted photos on the new Walk thread here https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/1069742/world-wide-walks/p4
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
Busy few days, and a few emotional wobbles for me too. Bizarrely, people being kind to me upsets me. Not that I'm not grateful, but I'm afraid they feel sorry for me. A friend, a very kind widower offered me the use of his 'granny flat' until I get my new house, he knows my little attic apartment is very tiny and is aware living on top of the shop is tricky. I declined, actually, I'm very happy on top of the shop, I thanked him of course, for his kindness, but I don't like the thought of him feeling sorry for me. I wish I could just fast forward to about 3 months time when all will be well again.
Charlie (back at school) has started training for the Paris marathon, we're doing it together, his 1st, my last, I couldn't face going out in the wet though, so he's already ahead of me. I'll get there.
I spent this afternoon doing a cookery demonstration for a local kids club, we made a Christmas Pudding, they get to eat it on the 15th of December, all went very well, although there were only supposed to be 15 of them and in actual fact 22 arrived. They all loved stirring up the pudding and making a wish. I hope it turns out ok, I wasn't allowed to use any alcohol, sparkling apple juice instead. We'll see.
Anyway, goodnight all, very wet here too, hoping for better weather at the weekend when we have our Christmas Craft Market, I do hope wellies won't be required! 😱😅
“Coffee. Garden. Coffee. Does a good morning need anything else?” —Betsy Cañas Garmon
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We didn't meet our friends after all today - we have the plumber here all day fitting the new boiler. So the living room (the boiler is in a cupboard there) is out of bounds, we have stacks of stuff from the cupboard below the boiler piled around on all available surfaces and I am confined to the dining room and my laptop with the convector heater on in here. OH is in bed in his clothes reading! It's a filthy day out, otherwise we could have gone for a walk.
No hot water but we can use the loo as Philip (our lovely plumber) has isolated the water to the boiler there.
Really looking forward to being properly warm again. Having no heating in winter reminded us both of what it was like growing up in the 50's - ice on the inside of the windows etc.
Keep cosy all.
We had a man in to do the final measurements for new sliding door wardrobes. The old ones are very rickety and can't be fixed (company no longer trading). It will be new year before we get them tho.
We've had a lovely day out, decided on the spur of the moment to drive to the village near Didcot where my Mum's buried, as it would have been her 99th birthday today. Took enough flowers for all 4 family graves there (ancestral village) and fortunately had brilliant sunshine nearly all day. After doing that, we had a very good pub lunch (in a French run pub @Busy-Lizzie). I had a scrumptious crispy duck baguette with salad and OH a Brie & Bacon one. They do the best duck baguettes I've ever eaten. Absolutely stuffed, we staggered out and opted to pick up the M4 at Hungerford for an easier trip home (140 miles round trip) but very worth it.
A nice warm home will be lovely when it's done @Didyw, worth the inconvenience. We will have to move the washing machine out and park it right in the middle of our kitchen when we have our boiler done - going to be bit tight! I'm not looking forward to moving all the junk out of the laundry cupboard either but it's a good opportunity to have a clear out. Our chap is going to move the boiler to the facing wall rather than on the side wall and I think it's a more compact one as well.
Nice bit of cooking there @AuntyRach.
Busy few days, and a few emotional wobbles for me too. Bizarrely, people being kind to me upsets me. Not that I'm not grateful, but I'm afraid they feel sorry for me. A friend, a very kind widower offered me the use of his 'granny flat' until I get my new house, he knows my little attic apartment is very tiny and is aware living on top of the shop is tricky. I declined, actually, I'm very happy on top of the shop, I thanked him of course, for his kindness, but I don't like the thought of him feeling sorry for me. I wish I could just fast forward to about 3 months time when all will be well again.
Charlie (back at school) has started training for the Paris marathon, we're doing it together, his 1st, my last, I couldn't face going out in the wet though, so he's already ahead of me. I'll get there.
I spent this afternoon doing a cookery demonstration for a local kids club, we made a Christmas Pudding, they get to eat it on the 15th of December, all went very well, although there were only supposed to be 15 of them and in actual fact 22 arrived. They all loved stirring up the pudding and making a wish. I hope it turns out ok, I wasn't allowed to use any alcohol, sparkling apple juice instead. We'll see.
Anyway, goodnight all, very wet here too, hoping for better weather at the weekend when we have our Christmas Craft Market, I do hope wellies won't be required! 😱😅
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border