The Social Whirl

Life has been very busy and lots of fun this last week or so! I seem to have acquired a social life all of a sudden. Well, no, that's not quite true, it has been building up since we moved here, but everything happened at once, or so it appeared at the time.
Last Saturday (the 5th) I took the friend that I now call HeatherA to meet my mum. H wanted to go to a shop in Felixstowe that sells zips in every colour you can think of so that she could make some little quilted bags (more details HERE ) We had talked about her (she?) and mum meeting up so the opportunity was taken. Of course, all those horrid people on Twitter made comments about when to buy a hat, did mum ask her about her prospects etc, but we ignored them. We are just good friends. And our husbands will confirm that. After coffee at mum's and shopping we went to the Spa Pavilion and had a bacon sarnie for lunch and then a walk along the front where we got cold and wet because it rained. The Spa is a bit basic but the bacon is especially good and you can sit in a window and people watch, and see the sea. I still haven't got the necessary to download photos from my phone so HERE is a photo someone else took
On Monday my cousin Christine came to visit. She is the eldest daughter of my mum's sister JOAN
who passed away nearly 18 months ago. We also went to visit mum and did lots and lots of talking. This is us

Then in the evening I rang my friend Marion, who I have known for 45 years (!) and we talked for over an hour
On Tuesday I went for coffee in the morning to the friend I now call HeatherB. I met her at the service I took at the Seaton Road Methodist Church a couple of weeks ago. We have a lot in common and I hope our friendship will grow.
Then in the evening I made pancakes for me and hubby and two friends who both live on their own. They had both commented that it wasn't (in their opinions) worth making them for yourself only so I have invited them both each year to share with us, but this was the first time they were both free to come.
On Wednesday I didn't do much.
What it is to be popular!

Worth asking

I am a law abiding citizen. I was a lawyer. Not that the two are necessarily always mutually inclusive (LOL) Now I love to crochet and I find it a lot easier than knitting but I can (sort of ) knit too. So I was delighted with a book that I recently bought (not saying which one yet as am in negotiation with the publisher for a freebie to use as a giveaway) I thought that the patterns, which are for something small and cute, would be great for making and selling locally, but I was aware that there might be a copyright issue. I contacted the publisher and explained my dilemma and, amzingly, they said that, yes, I would have to pay a royalty one each item sold UNLESS I could make a label that credited the book, with a picture of the front cover and the publisher's website, then they would accept that in lieu. I am so glad I asked.

New Friends

I have had a really lovely morning.
For various and complicated reasons I haven't been taking services for a couple of years but at the end of last year I was transferred to my local Methodist Circuit and went back "on plan"
This morning I went to Seaton Road Methodist Church for the first time. Now I am one of those weird people who actually relishes going into new situations where I don't know anybody, so I was not nervous about that, but there is always that little bit of doubt about whether the service and sermon have come from the right place. There was a very warm welcome, everything went well and I even managed not to over run the hour (well almost) But I was quite overwhelmed by the reaction that I got afterwards. At least four people said that it had been very relevant to them, one gave me a great big hug and many people seemed genuinely uplifted. It is always so good when that happens because it tells me that God has been getting through - make no mistake, I know that I do not do this on my own, but it is so nice when there is a little bit extra confirmation.
And I made some new friends, Micheala, Liz and Heather, who will have to be known as Heather B, so you (and I) don't get mixed up with Heather A
I think the time has come for me to do a bit more so I am thinking I will offer one service a month from now on and see how it goes.

Ladies (and Gents) who lunch

Two posts for the price of one here. I have only just realised that I didn't tell you all about my little trip to Framlingham with Heather. I used to work there some years ago and was sorry to see one or two of my favourite shops are no longer in business, but we had a jolly good wander round and a long chat with the lady in the quilting/wool shop, whose name I have forgotten for the moment. We lunched HERE - The Crown. Heather had a wonderful looking scotch egg with a beautifully bright yellow yolk and I had hummus and flat bread. And then I had cheesecake while H watched and felt virtuous!

Then today me and hubby went HERE - Milsoms/Kesgrave Hall as it was our 19th wedding anniversary. I had done a reccy the day before and it scored pretty high on wheelchair friendliness. You can't book, but it wasn't crowded when we got there. I had Peking duck spring rolls with cucumber noodles and a spinach salad and himself had a hangar steak, which took a bit of chewing. This is no reflection on the chef, I hasten to add, but on his less than perfect dentures. For dessert he had spotted dick and ice cream and I had a dark chocolate fondant with blood orange sorbet. It lived up to expectations - several Twitter friends have been and recommended it. If I have one criticism it is that it was very noisy

It's his 80th birthday next month and we shall go again, if I can save up enough out of the housekeeping!

A lovely day

I have had a great time over the last couple of days. One of the very nice people I have met via Twitter and Facebook is Karen and, without boring you with the details, it was arranged for her to come to visit me and have a crochet lesson - which meant we were meeting in person for the very first time. Another friend called Pat who lives near me had also asked about learning to crochet so I asked her too. Then my cousin (actually I think she is first cousin once removed, anyway she is my cousin's daughter) Erica rang to say she had a free day and could she come to visit on that day.

So yesterday OH and I tidied the "public" rooms of our stately home and I cooked a big saucepan of vegetable soup (lots of peeling and chopping) brown rolls, white rolls and OH's white loaf (lots of kneading) stewed apple ( more chopping and peeling) stewed plums ( more chopping and stoning) and 2 cakes ( mixing, stirring, weighing) I slept well

Pat and Karen were here at 10:30 and after tea and cake the crochet lesson commenced They were both good students and we all got to know each other as we crocheted. Pat's husband arrived at 12.45 and I heated up the soup and was just serving up when Erica arrived so we all sat down to our lunch of soup, hand knitted rolls and stewed fruit and cream for afters. Then we discovered that Karen and Erica had both been to the same University only a year apart and probably lived in the same road while there!

Karen had to get away at 2, and almost did.

Pat and her OH left soon after - oh yes, he had brought their cute little dog Toby, another coincidence as one of Erica's sons is called Toby.

Then Erica and I bored my poor OH with family reminiscences and photos. She had brought a memory stick with some photos for me to look at but my PC is upstairs so I asked her to close her eyes as she made her way through the mess caused by me tidying downstairs. More tea, more cake and she left at 6.

PHEW!

So I made one new friend, got to know another newish friend better and caught up with an old friend. It was such fun!

Resolutions #3

As we approach the end of January I thought I would consider how well my New Year Resolutions have been going. Er - um- well.......
Following the slight hiatus with my tummy problems I have had to choose my moment when it comes to going out for a walk. My original resolution, linked to the fact that London is hosting the Olympics in 2012, was to walk at least 201.2 minutes a week. The weather hasn't helped. And I walk quite a lot in my day to day routine and I haven't always remembered to time it, so I have given up on that, on the basis that when I did manage to time it I found that I probably do more than that anyway, so I shall just try to keep on with that.
On the being greener front I have made a controversial decision. I shall be glad to know what you think but it probably won't change my mind. Neither myself, my husband nor my mother go on holiday. the last time I was on a plane was in 1985. Mum hasn't flown since 1982 and hubby has never flown. So I am balancing that against the fact that for all three of us, our food is one of the highlights of the day and I am going to look for local alternatives but if I can't get them I am going to buy stuff that has come from abroad. Particularly at this time of year. I am going to grow some things in the summer - that is what I can do in pots. Last year I grew mange tout successfully and I am going to give peppers a go this year. My dodgy back stops me from doing a great deal of gardening but I do my bit for the local wild life that way (That is my excuse for the state of the flower beds and I am sticking to it !)
I am getting quite good at planning the cooking so I use the oven for more than one thing once it has gone on. We have just had a letter to tell us that our gas and electricity charges are going up so that will concentrate my mind even more. Heating has to stay as it is as hubby, being disabled and therefore not able to move around to keep warm, feels the cold quite badly.
I don't always say no to plastic bags because I need them to wrap the rubbish sometimes. Getting free Tesco carriers sometimes means I don't have to buy bin bags so much. There is no way round this that I know of. The recycled rubbish is dry and it is a requirement that things are not wrapped for that bin. The food waste that goes into the brown bin is wrapped in newspaper. The dry other rubbish goes in unwrapped but when it comes to the smelly stuff, like the plastic bag the fish or meat has been in I'm afraid that needs to be wrapped up, especially in the summer. I am thinking about it though so I hope I don't lose too many Brownie points.
The water is another problem I haven't quite solved. I have to run a tap to get the hot water through and that water is not "potable" so the only solution that anyone has come up with is to use it to flush the loo. That however is not easy because the dodgy back means I cannot heave buckets of water out of the sink and up the stairs and hubby is quite unable to do it even for the downstairs loo. In the summer I can probably siphon it outside to water the garden.
Oh dear, I'm not doing very well am I. But I am going to blog more. Watch this space!

Resolutions #2

I've not been well! But this is a positive thinking zone so I will just elicit some sympathy by telling you that I got some sort of stomach bug that saw me spending a day in hospital dosed up to the eyeballs with painkillers, including morphine, and having a very uncomfortable time of it.
The reason I mention this is because it has, of course, mucked up all my good intentions for the new year, not least the "walking 201.2 minutes every week" one and the "getting myself organised and into a routine" one
Are we downhearted comrades? No, of course not! This is a challenge. And so in this household, 2011 has been officially postponed for a fortnight and I shall start again on the 14th.
So Happy New New Year

Resolutions

Happy New Year!
Now is the time when many of us decide to have a look at our lives and make a few promises about how we are going to change them for the better. For many these promises will involve
a) Food - less of the eating of
b) Exercise - more of the taking of
c) Personal skill - a new one, the developing of.
All of these things are very worthy and I have all of them on my list, but this year I also want to make a promise to the planet and I hope you might join me.
If you look to your right - no, not in your room, on the page, silly, you will see I have acquired a new button. I have adopted Baglady. Underneath you will find a link to her site and the pledge she is asking us to make. It would be great if you could join in. Tell her who you are and that you are willing to offer her a virtual bed for the night and we can see how far she manages to travel over the year. I was introduced to her by Karen at The Rubbish Diet and thoroughly recommend her blog too for more inspiration
If you look back at my post near the beginning of December, "Suggestions please" you will see the problem I have had in coming up with a suitable pledge. Unfortunately my dodgy back precludes serious gardening, or heaving buckets of water out of the sink which knocks some of the suggestions on the head but one thing that was suggested and which I am going to look into and will report on in due course is solar battery chargers.
It seems to me that it can be very difficult sometimes weighing up the extra miles I drive in order to get to a shop that sells unpackaged or more eco-friendly goods. One person suggested freecycle but we did use that when we moved and had some problems with people, plus the fact that what I mean when I say we save things to take to the dump is things like old batteries, and those flippin' low energy light bulbs (and can anyone give me the definitive answer about whether the low energy use really outweighs the poisons used in their manufacture?) By the way, the other problem with the light bulbs is that we found we have to have more burning to give us any decent light in the evening so that's another impossible calculation. So I am going to have to research all that as well. Now I know I am sounding negative and I didn't mean to, but I can't help feeling it isn't all as simple as it seems.
So my rather vague pledges were to start looking properly at where foods come from and to go local or East Anglian first, English second, UK third and Europe fourth and to replace bulbs as and when with low energy (subject to still being able to see my way round the house and read) Read my earlier post HERE More thoughts and suggestions welcome!

Surprise!

I had a proper Christmas present this year - from my friend Heather at Random Ramblings.
We, that is my husband, my mother and myself, gave up doing presents a few years ago because they both started to find it difficult to go shopping in the cold weather. So I buy 2 or 3 little things each and then we each have one thing that is from the other two, but I'm the one that doesn't get any surprises. Mum and hubby did, however, ask me if there was anything I really wanted and between them paid for me to get all seven series of Star Trek DS9 on DVD which I shall be watching over the coming months. Oh dear, my terrible secret is now out!
Anyway, it was lovely to open a package when I genuinely did not know what was inside it. It was a large diary with such a very cheerful cover and it has made me think that maybe 2011is going to be the year I get myself organised.

Every morning I shall look at all those pretty flowers and it will make me feel cheerful too, which is always a good way to start the day. I shall make a book mark with my daily jobs written on it and then check them off on each day as I do them - things like doing my exercises, checking to see if there's a birthday card to send, making sure hubby has taken his tablets (you wouldn't believe how many times there is a cry of anguish at bedtime when he realises he's forgotten them all day - AGAIN!) And although some of you may be shocked that I have to be reminded, I do also need to make sure that I have said my morning prayers and read my Bible every day too.
Of course I shall be trying to lose a bit of weight after a small excess of eating over the Christmas holiday so I will be keeping a check on the calorie intake and the exercise out put and my diary will be the perfect place to record that.
I shall try to have a slightly more ordered routine for the week. Mum's shopping will be much easier now that I have started doing an online order for her to have delivered so I want to have one day in the week when I do her cooking for the freezer and one day in the week when I do our cooking for the freezer and one day in the week when I go over to hers and spend some time with her. I see her on Sundays too when I call in on her before and after church. Mostly I can get all the washing done one day a week, probably when I am cooking too. Housework will get done, probably. Maybe three half days? Which should leave me with some time to do the garden (subject to the weather) and sometime to pay proper attention to hubby other than all the usual things and hopefully a bit of time to go out and do my own thing occasionally and make the effort to keep in better touch with friends and relatives. And blog a bit more regularly. And do a bit of painting and crafting. Oh and maybe I'll get a bit of sleep sometime too!
Happy New Year

Happy Christmas

A virtual Christmas card for all my readers. Watch this space, I hope to be a better blogger next year X

Suggestions please

I am going to accept a challenge - if I can get a few ideas. The challenge is to try to be a little more green and to stop doing something and to start doing something in order to achieve this. My problem is that I am struggling to come up with anything. Now I am not claiming to have a zero carbon footprint so let me explain my dilemma.
We are very fortunate to have a Local Authority who provide us with a recycling bin into which we can put all food waste, both cooked and uncooked, plus cardboard and shredded paper and garden waste and which they then turn into compost which can be bought back at a very reasonable price. We have another bin for the paper waste like magazines thick cardboard, plastic bottles and tins and which they also recycle. I usually buy my fruit and veg from shops where they sell it to you loose in a paper bag. I buy my meat from a proper butcher so the packaging is minimal but necessary. I make my own "ready" meals and freeze them in re-usable plastic containers. I take my glass to the bottle bank.
I walk to the local shops if I can and if I don't have too much to carry back. If I go into Ipswich I use the Park and Ride. Otherwise there is no proper public transport so I have to use my car. I can't turn the heating down because my husband is disabled and feels the cold terribly. In the summer I try to collect the water that I wash veg in, or have to run to get the hot water come through but I don't know what to do with that in the winter. I also think that you need to be careful that you don't forget that the drain needs a good flush of water through it fairly regularly. We don't have a bath in our house (yes, we do have showers!) so we don't get the flush through the drain from that. I wash almost everything at 30 degrees and don't use biological products. If I do a hot wash I make sure I have a full load in the machine. In the summer I hang the washing out but do use the dryer for sheets etc in the winter.
I turn the tap off when I am brushing my teeth. I don't leave things on standby. I am replacing bulbs with low energy as and when I can afford them (although it seems there may be issues about how they are recycled) I have been told that it isn't a good idea to turn them on and off all the time so I am a bit unsure about that. I use the mains rather than batteries where feasible. We even live within a five minute drive of the Municipal Dump and we save things up to take there.
I try to bake in batches so that I use the whole oven, and then freeze some. I foraged blackberries in the autumn and made them into seedless jam. Veg that is getting a bit tired is made into soup.
So, what else could I do, or stop doing, to be that bit greener? As my nana used to say, I am not as green as I am cabbage looking, although that was a different sort of green!

Christmas present and past

I went to a lovely big family party yesterday, without leaving the comfort of my own armchair. Through the magic of the internet and the presence of a small built in webcam on my laptop I was able to talk face to face to several of my relatives who I have not seen for years (and in some cases years and years) I stay in touch with some of them by phone, more or less, and there's always the Christmas card, but, due to circumstances beyond my control, I don't manage to get to the December get together and haven't done for quite a long time. I saw about 15 people over about 45 minutes and it was great to see them. I don't know if they realised just how much it meant to me. We seem to have got a bit isolated out here in the wilds of Suffolk over recent years, every body is getting older and has more immediate family commitments.
We used to have such lovely Christmases when I was little, at least that's what I remember. However, I suspect that, in part at least, that is because I wasn't involved in the preparation. All you do as a child is open the presents and eat the chocolates and play the games. You do not have to cook the turkey and time the dinner and do all the washing up.
We , including the grown ups, used to play a lot of games, like charades and any new member, girlfriend, spouse etc was submitted to the test of certain games where only those in the know knew what was going on. Do "Boots Without Spurs" or "Black Magic" or "Passing the Scissors Crossed" mean anything to anyone?
My Aunt's house was full of people, there were Christmases when people slept on any available bit of floor, that happened at our house too sometimes. And I still have my teddy that my mum and dad gave me when I was about 3 and which was almost as big as me then.

Fruity Mellowness

Now that the summer is officially over and the weather seems to agree with that, I may find a bit more blogging time, in between trying to tidy up the garden and all that other stuff I should have been doing. But I have been blackberrying again and took some photos and did a couple of little montages for your delectation and delight.
It is amazing how much there is along the old farm track that leads from our lane to the new estate and Tesco's I have to admit to feeling rather smug when I see little punnets of blackberries for over £1 for about 4 ozs when I have picked 3 lbs for free
The last lot of bramble jelly didn't last long as it was too lovely with yogurt, or on top of the stewed apple, so this time I will put it in proper jars and hide it until Christmas. One or two favoured people might even get a dollop for a present - now won't that be something to look forward to!
The photos are HERE at Not Cute and Not Funny as they show up better on the wide format.

A Mystery Solved!

Something slightly spooky happened yesterday.
Do you have clear memories of places or events which you cannot place? I have a few and one of them is walking along a badly lit, very long, corridor in a basement, with lots of wires and pipes running along the length of the ceiling and a room where people were sitting a drinking coffee. It is such a clear picture in my mind but until yesterday I wasn't even sure if it was somewhere I had really been or something I had dreamt. Then I watched a programme about the history of The Battle of Britain. It was on a few nights ago but I had taped it. The commentator was talking about a place where German pilots who had been shot down were taken, prior to being placed in camps. The name of the place was Trent Park which is where my father went to Teacher Training College in the early 1960s. I had been with my father several times, when he had to be at college and I was on half term holiday. I recognised the big staircase and entrance hall. And then, on the screen I saw my corridor, as the presenter of the programme walked along it. It did exist! The room had been a student's common room. It was a very odd feeling.
HERE is a photo of the building

Now if only I could pin down when and where and why I helped someone paint an old merry-go-round horse!

What a bad blogger

I'm sorry - I know - I haven't been doing very well, have I?
I am afraid I decided I couldn't keep up with the commitment to Alphabe-Thursday for another 26 weeks but I did promise myself I would try and witter on about something every week and I have failed already. Dismally. As for the arty blog, I haven't done anything for ages. Life has been getting in the way, if you know what I mean. But I will. Promise.

Alphabe-Thursday Summer Purple

It's the last week of Jenny's summer school and the colour is purple. At least I hope it is, I haven't checked, maybe it is mauve, or lilac, or amethyst. Anyway, I decided to spare you my purple prose and send you a couple of purple pictures instead. Oops, it's violet, oh well they still qualify


See what others were inspired to do HERE

Alphabe-Thursday Mood Indigo

A rather short post from me this week as it has been one of THOSE weeks. I have joined up to Spotify and thought I would have a look to see how many recordings of Mood Indigo there are and there are loads. I can't choose which one to suggest. Sinatra, Ellington, Fitzgerald, Mingus, Day, Lyttleton, I could go on. They all have their merits. So I had a look at YouTube as well and decided on This one

Or this one if you want to know the words

More indigo HERE

Alphabe-Thursday Summer Blue

Jenny's summer school is more than half way through now. It is beginning to feel like autumn here already, our summer has been too short this year and I hope it is going to give us a second chance before it gives up altogether. This week we have reached the colour blue
I love the blue of the sky in high summer, I love the blue of cobalt glass, I love the blue of cornflowers. But I don't wear blue very often, and here's the reason why

Something like this little chart hung on the wall of the Art Room when I was in the Sixth Form at school. (Sixth Form is the last two years, aged 16/17 and 17/18) When I started there the uniform rules were very strict. White shirt, navy with a thin blue diagonal stripe tie, navy gored skirt which should touch the floor when kneeling, navy blazer etc etc and the most unflattering pale blue cotton dress for summer. I can't even bring myself to talk about the hat. Anyway, the uniform changed when I was about 15 and then the rules eased off even more and we were told that, within reason, we could wear anything blue or white in our last term. This was the term when we would be doing our final school exams so we were no longer prefects at that stage. And of course, girls being girls, we all pushed the limits of what could or could not be described as blue and so the art mistress put a chart up on the wall and if there was any doubt you had to go and get her to match your clothing against the chart and got into trouble if you didn't coincide with the top line (blues that were blue) but had strayed too close to the next two lines (blues that were greeny blue or mauvey blue) The colours haven't quite come out as I intended but you get the idea. So when I left school I avoided blue because I was just too fed up with it and here I am nearly 40 years later and I still don't choose it!

Maybe I will find something to change my mind HERE

Alphabe-Thursday Summer Green

Jenny's Summer School has reached the colour green. I went out for a walk with the camera and thought and thought of all the things I could say about the colour green. But a picture is worth more than a thousand words. How lucky am I to have this less than 100 yards from my front door!








Now see what other people were inspired to say for the colour green HERE

Alphabe-Thursday Summer Yellow

I'm sorry. I've been sitting here trying to think of something nice and yellow. I've been looking around my house for something nice and yellow. I looked in my wardrobe, I looked at my ornaments, I looked in the sitting room and the bedroom and the kitchen and tried to find something nice and yellow.

I came to the conclusion that I don't like yellow. Then I had to deal with a wasp that came in the window. He was black and yellow. I went shopping and couldn't park where I wanted to because of the double yellow lines on the road that mean I can't park. I looked in my garden. The only yellow there is the grass that is dying because it has been so dry.

Gosh I am looking forward to next week

In the meantime maybe another post will convince me otherwise. Find them HERE