Thistledown and Ice Cream

 Schools are finished for the long summer holiday so I expected the weather to turn wet and horrible this weekend. And sure enough,  thunderstorms are forecast for Monday and showers all next week - I'll get those cards made that were on yesterdays post! Thank you for the comments about them and to the many comments on my post about the Commonwealth war graves. Please go back and read them from around the world if you didn't see them all.

So what's been happening this week (After tennis) promised not to mention it again so it's whispered in small letters.

Last Monday was quite breezy and all day the garden was filled with thistledown and as it was hot doors and windows were open so very  soon there was nearly as many inside. The hedges, shrubs and cobwebs  caught so many and indoors they also found all the cobwebs that I miss - like under the wood-burner!

Here are a few caught on the cobwebs on the whirly washing line

On Tuesday a butterfly that hadn't visited so far this summer popped in. A lovely Comma and then  there was rain in the evening - not a lot but every little helps.

 

Great British Sewing Bee is back on TV. I watch in envy at what they can whip up in 30 minutes - it would take me that long to set up the thread!

On Wednesday I had the last of six in the arthritis management and exercise course. My knee is definitely feeling less painful - especially at night - but stairs will still be a problem - if I had any to use here. Starting in six weeks time I'm going to do another more general exercise thing for another six week course called something like 'move and thrive?' Free again and run by the same young physio fella and same exercises as the eight we've been doing but with a few extras thrown in - cycle and treadmill. I forgot to ask how long it lasts each time - much less than an hour I hope - not sure how I'll get on either. 

Friends from Essex visited on Thursday for a couple of hours. I don't see them as often as when Col was alive and we were at the smallholding- we had a good catch up as they hadn't been up since November.

Friday I decided on a trip down to the sea before the weather changes- hadn't been this year at all. I underestimated just how hot it was so after a walk along the prom - the big wheel was shut - I'm still waiting to go on it sometime, and  a whippy ice cream  I went into town where it was even hotter and popped into the huge second-hand bookshop where I found an old Nevil Shute book.

Then home again through the horrible roadworks over the Orwell Bridge - which have been holding people up for weeks.

No plans to go to Felixstowe again this year - it's not worth the hassle. The A14 has become a real problem - as busy as any motorway but only two lanes and numerous junctions, frequent accidents and incidents.

At home the garden was once again full of thistledown - I reckon it's coming from the huge field down the road that's going to be a building site sometime next year - unless the company that own it sell it on again. I know of two new new housing estates nearby where building work has stopped -money problems with both is supposedly the reason. The government say how many houses are needed and have to be built but when 100s are built at the same time there's not enough people to buy them! 

Whoop Whoop, new series of Karen Pirie starts on ITV Sunday evening!  based on a book by Val McDermid (I've never been able to get into her books for some reason) . Better re-watch the first series as it was on in 2022 which seems an age ago now.

Back Next Week

Monday Morning, Writing About Last week

 Some weeks I only get to chat to people at the Keep Moving Exercise group - it doesn't bother me, I'm happy at home alone anyway. But last week I had a visit from my Essex friends on Thursday and BiL called in on Friday on his way back from an eye test  to pick up some cheese scones I'd made for him as a thank you for cleaning the patio. He stayed for a cuppa. A 'busy' talking week!

The Christmas Fairs I visited on Saturday were not very exciting. The first one had a beautiful dolls house as a Big Raffle prize so I bought some tickets but no phone call came and the only other thing I got there was this old book for 50p.

What's left of The Middy is at the museum across the field from where I was at Clay Cottage. The railway ran out of money and closed in the 50's way before Dr Beeching shut down so many other branch railways in the 1960's. I don't think I've seen this book before and I can donate it to the Middy Railway Shop after I've looked at it.

The second Fayre, in Stowmarket town centre was smaller than usual and I found nothing and got cross with myself for going as there's a road closed in town that means a detour 'round the houses' to get to the Asda carpark. 

 I'd taken the cold-box to get a nice frozen dessert for Sunday visitors and being at Asda means having to buy £5 worth of shopping to get car-park charges back, so I got some of the Chinese/Indian party food bits while I was there. These go, a few at a time, with my veggie curries and veggie stir fries.

In the afternoon I dithered about going out again but went anyway in the hope of visiting a church in the same village.....  

This third Christmas Fayre of the day was a very 'posh'  craft fair held at a Huge nursing home. Some of the items for sale were lovely but very expensive, however I did find another jigsaw and bought it as it was £2.50 which is much less than charity shop prices. I've now got three to do, one each for December, January and February and that is ENOUGH!

Despite the village Church website telling me it was open on Saturdays, I found it locked but called in at another that was open on my way home.

Once home again I caught up with the final of  Taskmaster and of course Strictly was on later. Then I turned over to see the second semi final of the Champion of Champions Snooker which I'd been following on and off all week. 

Yesterday Son, DiL and the grandchildren came over bringing most of the makings of a roast dinner for us all which is always lovely. 

That was another week gone and much more talking than usual - this week it will probably be back to just the Keep Moving Group!

Back Tomorrow

Sue

Now it's Low Spend September

 I'm now doing a very low spend September as there's plenty in the freezer and in the cupboards and no big expenses due this month.

I treated the family to the sunflower maze visit but after that its tight purse-strings! 

Sadly there are a chunk of expenses that can't be avoided and happen without me even leaving the house  - Council tax, charity, phone and broadband direct debits and electric at the end of the month and if I didn't leave the house I wouldn't need diesel for the car but I do have to drive so can't avoid it. There might be a couple of unavoidable small expenses and there's a birthday later in the month but otherwise I'm hoping for minimum spend.........although I'm getting back to the swimming pool now the children are back at school so that will be £3 a week and exercise group is £1.50 each week.

Some September savings so far...........

Three of the huge sweet pointy peppers on the one remaining pepper plant turned red so they've been chopped and gone into the freezer - there are 3 left . I put loads of green peppers in earlier before they were ruined by the slugs(?) plus the £1's worth of red sweet peppers from the market stall and as soon as the other three are red they'll go in the freezer and there will be enough to last almost to pepper season next year.

I'm planning to use my one and only butternut squash in a vegetable curry to portion up for the freezer and yesterday I got lots of the huge tomatoes skinned and into the freezer in case I want some for chutney later. I've frozen them first individually on a tray then if they are not needed for chutney they'll be usable one or two at a time for cooking instead.

There are a few beetroot left, runner beans are doing well and the sweetcorn cobs are just about  to be ready and there are plenty of leeks too. In the greenhouse the one remaining cucumber plant made a miraculous recovery with the cooler weather before this week and is looking hopeful. Plenty of tomatoes still coming and even one courgette plant has started producing again.

 I saved some fuel yesterday by not going to look at the last of 2023's Domestic and Rural Bygones Sale  at Campsea Ashe Auctions. After looking online and finding this sale was mainly 'leftovers' from an antique dealer and nothing very interesting it wasn't worth the journey although  I liked the description - 

To include from the estate of antiques dealers Richard & Miranda Goodbrey 'A Collection of Chattles from their Home, Workshops & Storerooms'

We don't use that word chattles very often nowadays. In Suffolk (maybe elsewhere too) we have a word for food left on the plate by children - 'chates' which surely must come from the same root.

I'm saving more diesel (and parking fees) today by not going to Ipswich to visit any of the buildings open especially for National Heritage Open Days. Not because I don't want to, as there are several I'd like to see inside, but walking round town in predicted temps of 29℃ doesn't really appeal. There's always next year - God willing!

On Thursday it was good to have a visit from Essex friends who I've not seen for 4 years. Before Colin died we visited them or they came to us several times a year and camped on the campsite in several summers. They are about to become Grandparents for the first time so I was able to pass on some of the baby toys that all my lot have grown out of. 

They kindly brought me some huge onions and a jar of A's proper home made marmalade and went home with some leeks as well as the toys.

So that was week one of Low Spend September.

Did anybody watch the Cycling Tour of Britain passing through my part of Suffolk on TV on Thursday? It was quite interesting to see the roads and  places I know so well from the air.

 I've gone to watch them speeding by twice in past years, when they've had a stage in Suffolk, once in Friston near the smallholding and more recently through Eye just up the road from here  so didn't bother this year. They are always gone by in a flash anyway!

I'm looking forward to World Cup Rugby Union matches on TV for the next few weeks. Is it really 20 years since England won? They have no hope this year!

Back Monday.

Sue

A Mystery Parcel

 This mystery parcel of goodies arrived on Saturday.

 It came via an etsy site but who sent it?  someone in the family? a blogger?, a mystery friend? I haven't a clue except it must be someone who knows my address and I hope they read the blog as that's the only way I can say thank you.

It was much appreciated - and the Divine chocolate was consumed quite quickly! The hug card was lovely, I may well pass that on to someone who also needs a hug.

Thank you again to who ever organised this.

Could certainly do with some hugs, it's getting harder and harder to stay up beat, feels like after Colin died when other people got back to normal quickly but I couldn't. Now other people are out doing all sorts of things they like doing but all the things I enjoy are still on hold except for one tiny ray of hope - the mobile library is starting up again from the 6th July - it was due here on the 2nd so I'll still have to wait 4 weeks until the end of July for it's next visit but at least I know the heap of reservations that are waiting will be on their way to me next month.

Back Tomorrow
Sue

Out Visiting

On Monday we visited friends who live in a village in Essex. It a village that's on the tourist trail but I'd never taken any photos there of the things which visitors go to see. So remedied that this time

The windmill in the top photo is undergoing maintenance and there were gates around the side which is usually photographed, so had to take this from the green. There are numerous picturesque cottages and then at the bottom of the hill is the pond/river with the very old road bridge. The water was  high, but not quite running over the sluice gates. After heavy rain this often floods so frequently appears on the local news. The Tour of France Cycle race  went through here in 2014.

Alamy Stock Photo from Google

 There were more people there that day than on Monday!


Back Soon
 Sue

PS welcome to several new followers, hope you enjoy reading