Waiting

 Well I’ve caved in this afternoon and lit the woodburner.

Yes it’s August, and not even raining today, but the cottage had just begun to feel damp. Damp washing, damp in the air, damp walls, Not pleasant, and I think I may be getting a cold so was in need of a little bit of comfort.

Aside from looking at all things pumpkin I think I am almost ready to embrace the new Season when it arrives, and this morning it certainly felt chilly.

Now do I really need a pumpkin mug, or a witchy one, no but they would be quite nice to hold on cold Autumn mornings, and would help me start the working day with a smile. I’m as yet undecided, however they are in a certain shops cart for now.

Hubby has managed to resurrect our ailing tumble dryer and I’ve loaded it up with a motley assortment of damp feeling items.

I’ve been listening to music more, a sure sign that things are a changing, during the Summer I couldn’t give a fig for music during the day, but now…well a little Spotify never did hurt anyone did it?

We have some upcoming plans for my week off which I have started today, hubby hopes to have some time off in the next few days…exciting…I hope!

Last evening my journey which should take about half an hour ended up taking an hour and a half. Roads, closed, due to roadworks, roads closed due to accidents, and fires. I thought I could escape the queues once I’d left the big town however things never do go quite to plan. I travelled on lanes I had not been on for years and witnessed the biker behind me come over the front of his motorcycle after skidding on some mud. He said he was OK but his bike didn’t look too clever. Having fallen down a step at the weekend and doing my shoulder a mischief there was no way I could help him lift the thing. A car had reversed up around the corner for us though, just out of sight, so I drove up to tell him what had happened, and then a Sainsbury’s van was behind him and he said he had a first aid kit. I hope all was well, but aside from making sure he was OK there wasn’t anything apart from getting the additional help I could do.

Between us and the family next door we have been looking after youngest daughters’ beagle this week. beagle meaning hound, meaning little wotsit on occasions. She’s very tolerant of the children though which is I suppose the main thing.

OK so now I’m roasting, quite literally, I think the damp should soon be driven off quite successfully!

Wilbur here looking quite accusatory I feed!

The buddleia has been attracting plenty of butterflies 

  This clever moon helped youngest grandson off to sleep the other day.

Hopefully the weather can cheer up a little for the next few days, I may even have something of interest to impart instead of mere ramblings.

Blessings, J. x

Loveliness

 And so Summer is drawing to a close, not quite ready to relinquish her reign, but still we can feel Autumn is ready in the wings, waiting for her turn to encourage leaves to drop, Summers’ flowers to fade and fruit to ripen. A time to continue to harvest and store what we are able to help see us through the uncertainties of Winter.

This morning found me pottering around with a pair of secateurs, snipping here and there. Deadheading to prolong the blooming…beginning to trim the fruit trees, and a little weeding.

I keep thinking life will slow down a little, but as soon as it does something fills the space. We entered a float in a local carnival at the weekend on behalf of the ploughing association hubby has an hand in helping, and yesterday spent a few hours down at Bucks Mills. I didn’t take a single photo, but did paddle in rock pools, dip my feet the sea, and generally nothing. But it was good to go. Even taking into consideration the very steep decent and climb back up to the car. I have awoken muscles in my legs that have long since been forgotten.

The weekend before this we went to a heavy horse working event which wasn’t too far away in Chittlehampton. Glad we looked ahead at the weather forecast and went on the Saturday as I don’t think they were able to combine on the Sunday.

Hoping to cook over a campfire this evening, though we may get a few spots of rain, I’ve invited the tribe from next door. I need to find the tripod and set it up as I’m doing a strange invention which was a happy accident some time ago. Stewing beef marinaded in mint sauce, a few bits of Smokey bacon added, onion, puréed tomatoes, possibly some green beans. Delicious, strange but true. That will bubble away in a hanging pot over the fire, whilst jacket potatoes bake in the embers. And not a pointy hat in sight!!

Just a couple of pics, feels like I could nod off sitting here.

Blesssings J. x

Reasons

 Just a few reasons why I’ve been rather absent from these parts of late..

Picking

Preparing

Proving

Party planning

Patio finishing

Plotting a surprise

Pottering

Paddling

Panicking about the extreme heat

Phew it was done

Finally a night to remember!

The occasion…our youngest recently turned 30. 

She had no idea until she arrived and everyone was already here!

Including Gran & Grandad (hers) who we somehow managed to winch up a total of 9 steps in their wheelchairs on ramps.

The getting back down was fun…Grandad saw the error of his request to descend forward facing quite quickly.

So along with the usual work, and some inside mess…rather a lot actually from Son in Law re lime-mortar pointing our fireplace it’s’ been quite a hectic time.

Bit more chilled this weekend and right now it is thunder raining & Grandma roast is about to go in the Aga. Blessings, J. x

And Springing Into Summer

The sun has returned, possibly just for the day, and the wind is rather blustery, ideal for drying washing…believe me my day has not been wasted. 

Much has been happening since my last little tale on here…it all started with me mentioning that the logs we had used to edge the flower beds had ceased to be useful, indeed most had begun to powder up when pressed upon. We always knew it wouldn’t be a long term solution. Anyway I happened to mention to he who is strong and can do, whether we should use stones or bricks to edge our many and winding flowerbeds, Apparently he’d been thinking…uh oh! Well he thought we’d better take up the slab path and concrete under, then re-lay the slabs on top to save weeding the things all Summer long (otherwise known as ignoring the problem and running the mover over occasionally),then decide what edging to use…OK…but wait a minute, when hubby thinks, he does rather a good job, and little did he know I’ve been hankering after a level space in our garden for the table and chairs, we never levelled or seeded or anything so it was very rough and ready. As more plants and trees have come into our lives so the size of the grass area had diminished. Anyway, the question he put to me next was quite unexpected…what do we need that little bit of grass for? Steady girl, don’t show your excitement too much, this sounds expensive and a lot of hard work, and I’m not that strong! 

Out came the tape measure, the really long one! We plotted and planned, had a morning looking around builders merchants, and decided that everything was really pricey, so…plan to level and concrete this year, edge and slab next year…of course I nodded not wishing to push my luck too far. Of course this wasn’t going to even begin until mid May as we had a few things planned for our free time. Of course I nodded again, I can be patient…but hubby can’t. That very Sunday he started to dig,  very soon the grass was gone. I had to bite my tongue a few times as soil and stones and old slabs began to decorate the flower beds…really bite it! But I managed. Over two weekends with help we concreted two levels and the path. And that was all we were going to do this year. Despite the piles of earth all around, several bits of plants hanging limply after some big boots had trodden on them and some old paving slabs dumped just so I nodded grateful for the new level area. Did I mention my first estimation when asking for a paving slab quote was woefully inadequate? About 20-25mt square…err not quite, actually not much shy of 70mt sq. As I said paving next year.

It was a beautiful Sunday evening, we had eaten outside  when hubby said in a very serous manner, I know it’s going to cost us a bit but I think we really need to edge the beds this year so you can move the soil. Oh I said, I suppose so…we duly chose what we liked, and ordered, only for hubby to then say, trouble is I really want to put a slab up against the edging and before I can do that we need a little wall around some parts. I didn’t even ask for a quote for the cobbled bricks, they are now here, along with 2 patio packs of slabs, another has been ordered this month, the edging has begun to be cemented into place, we are waiting for someone to do the walling. Oh and we are doing our best to eat out the freezers and garden!

Have I mentioned extending the pergola, re-painting it plus the grill shed, doing out the shed with left over bits of parlour board, and an upgrade for the grill from the cardboard box it came in to a stainless steel lid. Once nabbed at a sale with a view to using it as a sink splash back. That never happened thankfully!

So a few piccies, taken before the space was converted in mounds of slabs edging and cobbles…

And the work continues…my goal of weeding a meter of flower bed today has been surpassed many times thankfully, but with two days of thundery rain predicated and yours truly at work I can foresee it needing attention again soon!                                                                                                                        Until next time, Blessings J. x

Be Careful What You Wish For

Time has runnith away once more. Life is full and good. Days have been filled with lots of family entertaining, work (of course), birthday celebrations, child caring, sorting the never ending stuff that finds it’s way to our home…however today I learned a very valuable lesson…BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR…

I took a day’s annual leave so basically because of my working pattern ended up with six days off in a row, which I much enjoyed, so much so that yesterday I was heard saying I didn’t want to go back to work today. Oh how I came to regret that telling for during the night when I rolled over in bed a great dizziness overcame me. Forgotten by morning until you guessed it, when trying to get up I veered across the floor into the en suite door frame in a most undignified manner.

After a cup of coffee I was managing to walk with my head right up, and chin slightly tilted forwards. Rather like a goose. On phoning my she who must be obeyed it was decided that I should not drive with my head positioned like a goose as it would not be safe, and besides being unable to look down is pretty useless in our clinic. And so another day at home has befallen me, though not of my dreams when wishing for a day off, things have improved, now I feel I’ve progressed to walking like a duck. Hopeful to be able to get to work tomorrow I have prepared my calorie counted snack pot. yes it’s that time of year once more.

One unexpected bonus to walking along like a goose is that I have spotted many cobwebs that are usually out of my line of sight…

Having been thinking how I came to end up with this bout of vertigo, could it have been weeding, picking toddler up from floor, then I remembered. I took a bath, and decided to wash my hair so placing my head right down and tucked in to shampoo it under the water level. Never again. It is a decidedly weak point of mine. Lesson learnt the hard way.

Luckily our neighbours saw the funny side of the Easter gift I presented them with. Bunny butt cinnamon biscuits with currants on the side!!

Anyway this typing has been a little test as to how my equilibrium is recovering, and I think I’ve done enough for now.

Until next time, blessings, J. x

Pasty Perfection

Lets just say I’ve been trying to emulate a pasty from my childhood…

This past weekend I came pretty close enough to be very happy indeed!

Yes I know there are two larger than the rest…that was on purpose to keep hubby happy with his packed lunch for a couple of days.

Enjoyed by all for Sunday tea…even the fussiest grandson!

I have tomorrow mapped out with house tidying tasks…much painting of furniture has been happening here, and there is not a lot of available table space due to half decorated doors! All worth it I hope.

Blessings J. x

A Big Finish

For anyone interested in jigsaw puzzles, here is the one son and daughter in law gifted me at Christmas…it took a while!

Been a bit of an unsettling day, Mother in law was ambulanced to hospital this morning, but after checks has returned home. It has brought it home to me the age of my in-laws, and I lost both parents many years ago. Time marches on and waits for no one as they say. Anyway, home she is for now.

Decided (wisely) not to attempt any paperwork of a financial nature whilst waiting for news. Instead we have a fresh loaf of bread and some brownies for packed lunches. Pork chops, proper butchers ones are sizzling away in the Aga at present and I think I’ll just do some more of my current jigsaw (of our very own tractor) this evening.

Blessings, J. x.

I Guss It’s Been Awhile!

Well there really are no excuses you haven’t heard before. One little thing called LIFE has been rather getting in the way. Another excuse is post viral fatigue, you know the thing, just about manage the working day then flop. So what have I been up to so much…and well might you ask…so the list…

Octavia arrived…meet Octavia everyone!

Yes I’ve upgraded from keyboard to piano…and grandson No.2 is super happy because Mummy and Daddy gave him my keyboard for his birthday, though he hasn’t twigged that it was my keyboard as I told him I had swapped my keyboard for the piano!

Also our furniture arrived, the same week as the piano actually…

We have settled to it nicely, and as ours has migrated to next door if we get a little forlorn missing the old set we just need to pop round!

Anyway, Octavia’s ivories have been well and truly tinkled. And she is being re-tuned in a couple of weeks, apparently she has had to settle into our atmospheric environment. 

I’ve been continuing my baking of all things sourdough, and I have given one of Little Dorrit’s daughters to a colleague of mine…she has called it Baby Dorrit.

The sap is rising and I have the first stirrings of not wanting to be indoors if the weather is fine, though the evenings are still chilly, and it seems we will return to frosty mornings in a day or two after having had a few milder ones. Such is a fools Spring.

After a day with lively winds yesterday, today has been calmer, the result being the wood burner has been a real pain to light. 

We were intending to be out for our Sunday tea, at youngest daughters however hubby  finished the job that was needed early and we have returned home as she forgot to buy the chicken to roast…don’t ask, anyway, having gone  to a charity big breakfast this morning we won’t need too much to eat anyway…theoretically!

So a little live Crufts before deciding what we do fancy.

Blessings, J. x.

Another Week

Hello Everyone…is it still February…I do hope so. As I begin to rise from my germ infested pit I can definitely see the stirrings of Spring, however I believe this to be a fools Spring. Winter hasn’t finished with us quite yet I fear.

Finally this morning, after various symptoms over the last three weeks I managed to speak to a Dr. Well as my Dr. who was too busy to see me yesterday kindly signed me a sick note but thought I needed to speak to the urgent care Dr. just in case. Apparently there is a nasty ‘thing’ going around which encompasses all the symptoms I’ve had, however some concern as I may have succumbed to Costchondritis like I did a couple of years ago. I have two different inhalers but only use them if I really need to. Turns out right now I do need to, so puff puff puff!

Such fun…then it got a whole lot better…last evening hubby was sick, and again during the night. I elected to sleep on the sofa…less coughing as well as hopefully avoiding the dreaded up chuck lurgy. He has risen this morning and so far has kept down four dry cream crackers and some water. I’ve been wiping over everything he could possibly have touched last evening. 

Must keep reminding myself  of the ‘in sickness and in health’ vow as he’s now snuggled on the sofa I’d already decided to sleep on again tonight, and is resting his head on the cushions. Nuff said!  

Little Dorrit has managed to grow a few more loaves of bread, in fact I’ve just knocked back the latest which will bake this evening. I’ve also started some tea-cakes, rather hoping these will be ready to toast on the fire later on.

So the day is grey, very grey, and very cold with one of those winds that cuts right through you, earlier I spotted a wren in the flower bed outside the kitchen window. I do hope she has somewhere warm to rest at night.

The tea cake recipe said to soak the fruit in boiled water for half an hour.

Made for a very sticky dough

Far too much fruit…there are clumps of it..

It was so messy I decided to only make 8 instead of 12 tea cakes.

 They are now having their second proving.

Life is only so exciting when you’ve been shut in for whatever seems like an eternity. Thinking hubby has now dozed off. 

Anyway, stay warm and well everyone.

Blessings J. x

A New Someone In Our Cottage

 No we haven’t acquired a new pet, or adopted a child…Meet Little Dorrit…my sourdough starter.

Here she was a mere infant…since then she has grown many loaves of delicious bread, some Chelsea buns, chocolate brownies, pizza bases and today I’m trying some dumplings from her excess.

The first offspring from Little Dorrit

Went something like this…

Nearly gone then the next thing we knew…

Nothing but crumbs left…we did have the family from next door in I hasten to add!!

Very chocolatey, very squidgy brownies…delicious.

And finally the pizza we ate last evening.

In other news, and apart from being three sizes bigger than I was we have succumbed to the nasty lurgy here. It started last week with a real whopper of a headache, then progressed to a sore throat which felt like I’d swallowed a pinch of tin-tacks, next to arrive were the aches and shivers, along with the old faithful fatigue…but oh the best was yet to come. Let’s just say I was up and down the stairs A LOT for three days. Finally what seems much like a head cold has emerged. Blooming knackered just looking at the housework that needs doing. Thankfully work have been very understanding and pretty quickly suggested I didn’t attempt to get back this week. It was the right call. I’m off on annual leave next week so hopefully will have a good amount of time to recover. Even better hubby started with a headache the night before last…oh so the joy continues!

Put it this way I took out some beef skirt earlier intending to make stew..I didn’t have the strength to cut it up like normal, so in it went…two great lumps…beef casserole anyone?!

Eldest popped in a short while ago and commented on the lovely smell so maybe things will turn out alright in the end.

Hoping to stay awake long enough this afternoon to do some blog catch up reading.

Until next time, blessings, J. x

A Bit of a Week

Well we’ll just have to roll with things…

The good the bad and the ugly…

The news I was previously teasing you with was partly the imminent arrival of a new to hubby van…

I know, not overly exciting…however with the same trip we called in at Thomas Lloyd’s showroom. 15 years ago we purchased a suite of leather furniture from them unseen online and have been very pleased with it. Of course it is now showing its age, and with our ageing backs we decided to try out some replacements. 

We have duly chosen..this time Rosewood in colour…a two seater Lincoln sofa, two grand chesterfield high backed chairs, and a couple of other pieces…quite the haul!

Pictures to follow because right now my brain won’t work quite as it should due to what else has happened this past week.

On Boxing Day hubby must have inadvertently clicked on a cloned version of Tool Station and proceeded to make an order, entering his business card details, which were declined at checkout. This is not unusual, my card from the same account will work fine but online his doesn’t always, anyway I ended up paying with my credit card. As soon as a confirmation email came through something looked a little dubious. I phoned my bank but they needed to wait and see if any goods arrive, however within 48 hours fraudulent transactions were being taken from the account. So that card stopped.

A week or so later an odd text about hubby’s bank card. A scam, not acted upon apart from referring to the number you can forward such attempts to.

Then last Thursday whilst I was in clinic, and unusually my phone not on silent as I was expecting a call from the van man my phone rang…no caller ID so I refused the call, however they immediately rang again so my colleague said must be important and to take the call outside the room. Apparently they were our bank. They knew something about hubby’s card and very insistently wouldn’t let me go even when I kept saying I had a patient to attend to. They said my husband’s details had been wiped off the system. They had allowed a transaction for several thousand pounds go through half an hour before and had just realised this was fraudulent, they then sent me through a one time passcode which they wanted me to read out in order for them to be able to credit the transaction back into the account. I wouldn’t so they sent another and another. I said they were not from half an hour ago and I shouldn’t tell anyone even from the bank the OTP. She kept saying that as she had generated the code I could tell her. Obviously they only had a few seconds to complete the scam on each attempt. For some stupid reason… actually just making it all want to stop I stupidly did tell her the final code, however did not complete the final request which thankfully they also needed. Many anxious moments passed back in clinic helping finish up with the patient before I was free to call the banks fraud line. Thankfully no transactions were cleared and the card was stopped.

I want to kick scream and cry.    

Fast forward a couple of days and eldest daughter thought she had passed some spinal fluid through her nose. Only she didn’t tell me until Sunday. This morning she called the Dr. and eventually spoke to someone in the hopefully know. On Thursday she had spilt some super glue and this may have caused the fluid that escaped to do so.

Silly thing is I see her almost every day, she is after all only next door, but what with one thing and another I didn’t see her Friday or Saturday, and her husband was away all Saturday taking children out on a Ten Tors practice. We happened to go away for the day and that was that. It was quite the shock when I saw her yesterday, white as a sheet, dizzy, and with chronic fatigue.

She’s spent this morning with me and seems to be on the mend.

Boy is life a bit stressful at times.

I need to do a few chores before sunset, not that we’ve had much in the way of sun today.

Hoping for a calmer week ahead.

Blessings, J. x

An Early Rise

My toes are cold.

I have been up since shortly after 5 o’clock.

Yesterday was an exciting day…more to follow.

Coffee has been drunk, now planning on a cup of tea.

I have a training day today…do I wear my uniform or not bother…hum decisions decisions!

Wilbur is outside in the freezing cold…the reason I was up so early.

Kitty wished to spend the night draped across my neck.

Through the night we have had ferocious hailstorms, thunder and wind.

Hoping leftover stew made on Sunday will be alright to eat for our evening meal later.

Wishing we’d kept the fire in last evening.

Planning the future aesthetic of our living room in my head, and with a tape measure.

Yesterday we travelled to Wales for two reasons…both rather exciting!

This was taken on our way to our second destination.

Anyway, off to put the kettle on again. More details to follow!

Blessings. J. x

A Saturday Tea

Happy New Year to one and all…

We enjoyed this for our tea yesterday…it was just right for a cold Wintery Saturday.

I had thought we’d eat half for tea and have the rest today for lunch…our appetites however thought otherwise!

Made with a packet of puff pastry and some fridge lurkers, with dried herbs atop, eaten in front of the blazing fire it was just what we needed.

I’m aware I haven’t been around these blogger pages much of late. Even now as I try to cobble together a post there are frustrations mounting in my addled brain. My means of computing is seemingly falling out of love with the Blogger platform and makes everything harder than it should be.

Heaven forbid my mind is toying with the idea of Instagram.

I am as yet undecided.

Anyway, stay safe out there.

Blessings, J. x