Bit of a Headache........

 
A less chaotic start to this week as R wasn't working all weekend and she'd learnt all her lines so she was just relaxing. Hubby wasn't put out by the light showers as there was England v Australia Ashes cricket, super bikes, 9 ball pool and plenty more sport on TV. The dog was happy curled up beside me and I had the last paid for day to use on our family tree stuff. 

The beautiful mallow had turned itself into a huge rug over the lawn, so before it killed off more of the grass than the dry weather had already I cut lots of it to enjoy inside. 

R had moved onto this larger back-pack bag for work as she is permanently carrying her script. She mentioned that lack of internal pockets or dividers was making it tricky to keep hunting in the bottom for the smaller things and she had a large very insulated water bottle which would be better standing up. 

So after getting all the measurements, a lot of thought, sketching ideas and hunting through my fabrics, I came up with black denim from jeans plus the sleeve and two pockets from an old jacket of mine

When machined up became a large pocket for her script and a place for her bottle with two small bits tidy pockets. 

It fitted into the big bag easily and R loved it. 

Daughter and O got back late Sunday and unloaded her tent and top box back into our garage. They both had some of my rhubarb crumble and custard then went home shortly followed by Hubby taking R and the dog home. Very quiet here again now. 

Daughter came over with O, and the dog of course. She came to open out and clean off her ground sheet and waterproof from under the tent. Her and Hubby got it all done and packed away before it started raining. I wasn't the best company unfortunately as I've had a mild migraine headache on and off for a few days. Hopefully it will disappear very soon. 

It didn't disappear and after four days I decided to get it checked out. 35 mins in the queue on the phone for the doctor's surgery and was put on the list for a clinician to call me back. Received a call but my landlines handset wouldn't let me answer. I rang back to tell them to call my mobile, that took another 25 mins in the phone queue. Got the call then got a face-to-face appointment with the Advance Nurse Practitioner. She asked me to have a blood test then I'll be referred to Neurology at the hospital. Hope it's nothing urgent as the first blood test appointment available is 18 days away. 

Theatre with FriendA and FriendV was brilliant. FriendA's two granddaughters are part of the Ipswich Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Theatre Company (that's why they shorten it to IODS) and I was really keen to join them for Fiddler on the Roof. I'd seen the original film about five times, I'm Jewish and the story is part of my heritage and all the songs make it truly meaningful as well as entertaining. 

The actors all did a great job as their characters and all their singing voices and dance routines were brilliant. I think I was most moved when right at the very end when Tevye pushed his cart as the last to be driven out of their Ukrainian village by the Russians at the turn of the 19th century, he was followed by a family with cases and having the yellow stars stitched to their clothes as they would have walked in WW2, and they were followed by a young family in modern clothes carrying bags walking, escaping as they have been now during this Ukrainian/Russian War. Powerful. 

Friday Son and Fiancé went to Greenwich for a concert and their little dog stayed with us. 

They had a great evening but a dreadful journey home due to road works and diversions and didn't get back here till 2:15am guess I'll sleep through most of Saturday.

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Revolving Doors.....

 
A week ago Daughter needed to research something and paid for two weeks on her Ancestry account, then she went off to be a Tudor and of course Tudors know nothing of such things. I have full access as we do our family stuff together so not wanting to waste what she'd paid for I've added, followed hints, searched and cross referenced...... it's so easy to get in a muddle and I did, so had to undo and redo a few!

Dog with us Friday, Saturday and Sunday with M dropping off and picking up as R had a friend staying for the weekend then R moved in here Sunday night and they'll both sleep over till 2nd July. 

Hubby is signed up to the British Gas energy saving scheme and they are now running "peak save summer Sundays" until September where we get half price electricity between 10am and 4pm. So we cleared all the laundry and at a very sunny breezy 28°C it all dried on the line very quickly. 

Monday coffee morning outside again, definitely chillier than the weekend but still lovely and the dog was very well behaved with everyone. Lunchtime a change to our grandparent hotel bookings as O wanted a break from being a Tudor and as Daughter had to be back just for her afternoon choir job she brought him here. He took up his usual space in the lounge, creating his techy work station, and his usual bedroom to sleep. We always get such lovely debates at the dinner table when R and O are both here, quite an argument about the definition of 'world' this time.

Wednesday was the day for our friendL and former colleague's funeral. Son and fiancé had offered to come here to dog sit so Hubby and I could both go (didn't know O would be here when that was arranged). They arrived early enough for Son to set himself up for his 9am meeting and he mostly worked all day. Hubby took R to work and we left home about 11:30am. The service was at Ipswich crematorium and the hall was more than full with most of our group having to stand, I managed to perch with others on a window sill. It was a true celebration of her life beautifully done. We all moved onto the quey at Woodbridge where we must have been a crowd of more than 100 people! Lots of food and lots of chat and we've now arranged our next lunch together for the x-work team including partners and friendL's husband D. At work FriendL had been an absolute stickler for correct punctuation when proof reading so as well as wearing a purple striped shirt friendBB, our team boss, carried a red pen in his shirt pocket, brilliant.  

Back home and Son and fiancé were out on a walk with both dogs. They stayed to have dinner with us and O (R was eating at work).  They left soon after Hubby got R from work at 8pm. Lovely how both dogs get on well together. A busy day all round. 

Thursday another change to the accommodation here as O wanted to be back at Kentwell before the evening and M (his dad) said he'd take him, picking him up lunchtime so they and D could have lunch together at Felixstowe first. Meanwhile R had told us that after work they were all going to the directors (husband and wife are both directors and I don't know where to put the apostrophe) house for a dinner party and it probably wouldn't finish till the early hours, so she had arranged a lift home (to her house not ours) so at the end of M's day he collected the dog to sleep at home too! 

Having had the funeral of a friend on Wednesday, Thursday a friend of 40 years phoned to say her husband had died. With this family we were more like family than friends with our children growing up together. Very sad. 

Friday and Hubby collected R and the dog from their house and took R to work picking up another work mate on the way. 

Apologies for a very wordy post this week. 

Just two pictures in memory of two friends, one who loved pinks, purples and roses

and the other an incredibly talented modeler sculptor (sadly I don't have any photos of his main art creations at the moment) but he molded my granddaughters hands as a gift, much to our one year old girls annoyance. 

Many years before that he made me this village gifting one each birthday and Christmas. Hopefully you can zoom in and see some of the detail. 

I actually based my whole art 'A level' project on my friend the artist. 

So June went out and July came in and half this year has whizzed by. Note to all and especially to myself to take some time to do absolutely nothing!

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Wanting It To Rain.......

 
I forgot to take the before photo of the two garments I needed to transform. The deep pink t-shirt had never been worn, I'd bought it online and although a quality item it was quite long for me and a little bit clingy. The pastel striped blouse had been well worn in my 'smart' pre-retirment days.

For my friend's funeral at the end of the month we have been asked to wear pink or purple as they were her favourite colours. These two items are now just one layer so should be cool enough if the weather stays like it is now and smart enough. I will iron it of course. 

The mallow is now blooming well. Always a reminder of my mum who gave me the original plant from her little back garden about 20 years ago. 

On Saturday for the King's official birthday and Trooping the Colour they had included the fly past that had been cancelled because of the bad weather on coronation day. Hubby and two of the neighbours are really into aircraft and here in East Anglia is the usual flight path when they gather over the sea to get into their formations and head to London. From the end of the drive we can see them in the distance while Hubby tells us what's coming as he sees them on the app. 

Straight after the planes had flown by Hubby and I drove to Daughter's, she had invited us to join them for a trip to Perrywood Garden Centre in Sudbury as R, who now has a great collection of exotic house plants, had a shopping list. We started in their tea shop and I had an enormous wedge of cake. Mmmmm.

Sunday, Father's Day, Son and fiancé came over for lunch with a card and printed t-shirt for Hubby. They left about 4pm-ish heading to London for a gig on the South Bank. Their little dog stayed with us. After Hubby went to bed I caught up on all the rubbish TV I had recorded and then had to search for more as they didn't get back until after 1:30am. They did say it was a great concert. 

Monday afternoon my car finally returned, having spent 20 days with our car doctor (it wasn't cheap). Hubby was going out so took my car to give it a run and check it all out. Soon after he got back daughter arrived to leave her car as it's booked for a service on Tuesday and she left with my car. Not sure why we still call it my car hahaha. 

Friday is the start of Daughter's Kentwell week for midsummer. She brought the dog over and while her humans were outside fixing the roof box onto the car she wouldn't leave the window. 

A long time ago I was gifted a small chilli plant. As each chilli grew the small crop was picked and frozen then the plant died. I've looked at the little pot of about 20 something tiny chilies wondering what to do with them. I'm not good at cooking with fresh, I find it easier to gauge quantity with powdered as we don't like food too spicy. Then when I was just about to reluctantly put them in the compost bin I found a very easy sweet chilli sauce recipe. (Again I forgot to take the before photo so you've just got the during).

The recipe said 20 medium sized milder chillies, deseeded. I had those tiny ones and counted 29, so tiny it would be impossible to deseed them. 

Recipe said fresh garlic and fresh ginger and I had to substitute both with dry stuff. 

And in the place of the required white wine vinegar or cider vinegar I only had white vinegar. 

Tastes good but quite hot so I'll use it very sparingly. 

We've had two very short storms here this week unlike many other parts of the country so I wouldn't be surprised if there's an East Anglia hose pipe ban soon. 

Don't forget to keep yourselves hydrated too while it's hot weather.

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Been a Hot Week.......

 
Summer has definitely arrived in Suffolk with Saturday reaching 27°C and Sunday 28°C.
And this hottest weekend Hubby and Son fixed the shed roof. Phew.

It's been so dry here, no rain for weeks, so Hubby waters the garden almost every night after the sun has gone. He was out Sunday evening so Monday morning he got up at 6am to water and give his car a wash. Coffee morning was outside and half way through we felt the start of a tiny little shower. Two of the neighbours rushed home to get dry washing off of the line and we moved our table, chairs and guests under the patio roof by which time it had stopped raining anyway. 

I'm still smiling every time I look at the New rose bed. 

So here's another photo. 

And we've had a few cherries from our cherry tree, only about 14 or 15 in total. A bonus as we thought we wouldn't get any, like last year. 

When we have warm weather and Hubby carries on working hard on maintenance or gardening etc he finds relaxing on our leather furniture a bit sticky, so I've normally thrown an old duvet cover over the back, but it does keep slipping around. Now I've finally used that fabric to make a fitted slip cover. 

Also too hot for the dog to have daytime walks,  which Daughter would normally do when she has driven O to a venue and has time to kill before he needs a lift home. So Friday the dog came here and chooses to go out and have a wander round the garden when she wants to but mostly likes her favourite windowsill. 

Just had a little memory jog when someone mentioned on Facebook that the American actor Treat Williams had died and they remembered him for his part in the movie Hair. I had to comment that I'd seen Hair as a stage musical in London when I was about 15.

I included this bit I'd found on wiki....
Hair opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London on September 27, 1968, led by the same creative team as the Broadway production. The opening night was delayed until the abolition of theatre censorship in England under the Theatres Act 1968 so that the show could include nudity and profanity.

I hope you've enjoyed good weather and you don't suffer if you get the forecast storms that may be coming. I hope it happens because actually the gardens really need lots of rain to look healthy again.

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Feasting, Friends and Family.......

 
Now the tree is cut back Hubby could see how damp and rotten some of the shed roof is. So after emptying its contents into the garage (only can because my car isn't back yet) off came the top board and felt. 

And he's bought the new felt and will wait for Son at the weekend as he can get discount at Wicks for the board and be here to help.  

Daughter has been working really hard as a period musician lately, two full days at the Suffolk Show and two full days at the Colchester Medieval Oyster Fayre amongst other things. Lovely picture of her in this local paper. 

Monday morning and our usual coffee morning. Our neighbours are so generous bringing biscuits or cakes but this week unfortunately neighbourA, who likes to bake, brought cheese and marmite pin wheels to which all but two admitted to not liking marmite. She assured everyone they wouldn't go to waste. 

In the evening five of us ladies ate out to celebrate friendHM's birthday. I'd booked Miller and Carter which is a great steak restaurant and had my favourite rack of ribs mmmmmmm. I also bumped into friendsG&M in there celebrating their wedding anniversary, so lots of hugs and kisses when I arrived and then again before they left. 

Tuesday during the day we had Daughter's dog while they were out. Unfortunately she rolled in something horrid so needed a shampoo and hose down, she was not happy.

When Daughter and O came back they stayed long enough for two cuppas and O and I played scrabble. O has never played it before and did really well losing to me by a very small amount. 

Tuesday evening eight of us at friendsM&P's house and M cooked a lovely three course fish meal. Lots of chat and lots of laughter. We were there to celebrate friendHB's birthday. HB's partner HS made the birthday cake.  

Wednesday evening was with the usual gang, eating at Prezzo then automatically onto The Grosvenor pub even though they've all moaned about it for ages, remember the no ice and no working coffee machine and not getting time on the pool table if football is on the big screens! I thought they'd decided to try the snooker club that we are all members of,  apparently not. When we arrived it was heaving, not only was there the Europa Conference League Final on all the screens but there was also a rare pub quiz half way through. 

Thursday morning Daughter came over so Hubby could do a booked tip run in her car. My car still isn't back and he wouldn't put bags of garden rubbish and that manky shed roofing in his car hahaha. In exchange she left the dog here for the rest of the afternoon. 

This is O and his big brother D on Thursday which was D's 21st birthday. 

The story behind this photo started two years ago when O was just 12 years old. He decided that he'd really like to experience gourmet food in a top restaurant. So he did research and found where he wanted to go, costed it all, decided who he wanted to invite and added the cost of taking them. Then he saved. It took him two years and he finally booked Hélène Darroze at The Connaught and it was all he wanted it to be and more. 

Friday I met with three girls that were neighbours when we lived in Silver End (40 years ago) and stayed firm friends (NH, VS and MS) we had booked to have afternoon tea at Parkers garden center in Frinton-on-sea. Daughter offered to drive me there so she had a different seaside to walk the dog. The food was yummy and the conversation non stop. We dragged ourselves away after two hours. 

I brought home for Hubby the cakes I couldn't manage. I bought enough cakes for Daughter's household plus friendVS who loves to bake had a wrapped lemon and orange loaf for each of us! Mmmmmmm

The rose bed is looking really healthy with strong plants all flowering. 

And we were thrilled this week to find our precious 35(ish) year old tulip tree is flowering properly for the first time. Not easy to see all the blooms as their pale green blends with the leaves, but close up we can see blooms and lots and lots of buds just about to open

Sadly the week ended with the loss of a friend. LL was one of our small xBT team and we all worked closely together for about 20 years until they closed our department down 14 years ago, and we've stayed friends since. She was only diagnosed with cancer in April and died this week. Very sad. 

Hope you've someone to feast with this weekend.

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Mostly Horticulture.......

 
It was very much an outside in the garden bank holiday weekend. There's been lots of weeding and pruning (mostly by Hubby). Also three machine loads of washing all done and line dried in a day (mostly by me). 
Hubby scrubbed the sun loungers so they are ready for the promised hot spell. 

He helped me repot our lounge plant. I hope it starts to look healthier. 

Pulling all the rhubarb I then turned it into a sponge mmmmm.

During one of our many outside tea breaks we stared at and discussed our original water feature. It's a three tier waterfall (made up of two concrete pieces). Not sure but it must have been in place for more than 20 years. Unfortunately because so many birds love to bath and splash around in it, it has been drying up far too quickly and if Hubby doesn't refill the reservoir almost daily the motor gets overheated and cuts out often tripping the house electrics...... so it's been turned off for ages. 

We are now thinking to replace it with a more basic big bowl bath that just gently bubbles over within the reservoir diameter, and the pump needs to be solar powered. Keeping the birds happy and being more eco-friendly. Hubby loves a project. 

We popped out in my car to deliver a birthday present to friendHM, unfortunately she wasn't in, so we were backing off her drive but the car sounded very odd, Hubby said he couldn't turn the steering wheel, seems the power steering had chosen that moment to die, thankfully it was a safe place. Drivable and safe enough to limp it home and then Hubby managed to drive it to our usual mechanic. We were out that same evening so used Hubby's car (which means he doesn't drink as I don't drive his car). Managed to drop off the birthday present on our way out.  

Our usual gang had our meal out then onto the pub we go to most weeks and yet again their coffee machine isn't working, which has to be about six months at least, wonder why they can't buy a jar of instant and use the kettle (non drinking friendT is furious), and they've no ice or lemons which has been at least a month now, Tesco and Iceland are actually right behind the pub (gin and tonic drinking friendM is furious too). We've stayed here as the boys play pool but think we'll move to the snooker club in future. 

You may remember I had to restring friendT's amber bracelet for her and this week she thanked me with a dahlia plant. The one open bloom broke off on its journey home but it still looks so pretty in my little jug of water.  

The plant itself now has a new home in the garden. 

Hubby has also needed to cut back the flowering cherry tree before it does damage to the shed roof. Harsh but it does grow back tall and very thick every year. 

Pleased to report results from my last CT Scan were still clear. Another scan in a year. Really grateful they still keep checking. 

Have a good weekend, think ours is more gardening.

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Tea For The Gardener.......

 
It started with Daughter saying "can you pop over with your strimmer dad please?" and of course he stayed to use it and her mower. Nice to see he had help. 

Walking round our garden I was pleased to see this yellow rose flowering as sisterS bought it for our silver wedding anniversary (25 years ago) and it had suffered behind the apple tree but seems happy to have been moved now. 

Lovely to see the first oriental poppy to open, there will be so many more in the next week or so. 

Red Rose Theatre has now announced the cast of this year's summer Shakespeare. Of course R is in it and I've already bought tickets.

Hubby and I were invited by our very good friendsN&T to join their quiz night team in support of the Great Horkesley WI. It was a good laugh and we came joint 3rd which isn't bad. 

 I'm now feeling old as I've had to renew my driving licence and cut up the current one! 

And even older now our twin granddaughters R and E have celebrated their 21st birthday (I never know if I should say birthday or birthdays?). 

Still my favourite photo of all time! 

A week mostly of gardening by Hubby and me pottering and a bit of ironing then joining him outside with regular tea supplies. He's also managed two bike rides and stopped talking about "selling his motorbike as he rarely gets to ride it" (that's winter talk I think).

Enjoy another Bank Holiday weekend.

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Sunny in May.....

 
Son and fiancé with their dog came for lunch on Sunday and they took advantage of our garden space to open their camper awning and give it a clean and we all sat outside for tea and cake. We had Daughter's dog for the day and the two hounds now get on together well. M picked up their dog and Son drove off home in plenty of time for me to get changed and head to the hospital for my annual CT Scan. It's very odd walking through a very empty part of the hospital on a Sunday evening, however a real pleasure to drive into a half empty car park. I warned the radiographer that my veins go into hiding so he didn't bother with either elbow and managed to get the cannula into the back of my hand, ouch! Glad to get that over with. 

Monday coffee morning back inside, sunny but far too windy for the garden. Such typically unpredictable May weather. 

Tuesday I spent quite a while repairing an amber bracelet for FriendT. Half the beads needed rethreading as the string had broken. Harder for me now as my right eye can't focus on tiny detail but I did it. She was thrilled to have it back fixed.

Making the most of a pleasant day Wednesday, Daughter invited us for lunch then out for a walk. We parked at Woolverstone and walked along the shore then mostly through fields with the river in view at all times, reaching The Butt and Oyster pub where I had a coffee and Hubby and Daughter had pints and the dog turned her nose up at the dog bowls of water left by the tables. 

We followed the same route back to the car and when I checked my phone the step counter showed 9,671 steps about 4.5 miles. 

Thursday was a laundry day, and it all got pegged outside and dry for the first time this year. 

Friday still a pleasant temperature and Hubby did lots of gardening. We both had a tea break by the pond and there was lots of starling noise from the trees, bushes and down on the grass. Baby starlings were very brave coming so close to us while investigating the pond, even walking over the netting to peck at the tiny bugs (I'm assuming).

Now a sad/confusing/frustrating story....... I've lost a sock (don't laugh this is serious). Before we went on holiday I cleared the laundry box and when putting it all away there was a shock without its partner! I didn't need them for Spain and knew it was in the house somewhere so thought it could wait. 

Looks lonely doesn't it? And these are my favourite, thickest, softest, fluffiest, comfiest, newest socks! Plus we are not sock losing people. I know some people always have odd socks floating around but we don't. 

I've checked in and around the washing machine. 

I've checked in and around the whole craft room where it would have been dried on the clothes horse. 

I've checked down the sleeves and inside the other clothes washed then. 

I'm baffled.  ???

So that's it for now, hope you have sunshine this weekend.

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