Welcoming Autumn

 While I appreciate that we have had a good Summer this year I'm ready to move on to Autumn.  I love that it's dark earlier and the ritual of closing the blinds early and settling in for a cosy evening of crafting, although, it would be even better without all this rain!

(We're never happy with the weather are we)

I have boxes in the garage to store my seasonal things and I couldn't wait to bring the one labeled Autumn in and sort through.

I kept telling myself that I really didn't need any more Autumn decorations, but who can resist a pumpkin or something as cute as these little mice I found in The Range.

I wish now that I'd done more Autumn stitching, (and I know that come Christmas I'll be wishing I stitched more Christmas 😒), but I've not been in the mood for stitching much at all this year, perhaps the stitchy bug will find me again in the new year, I hope so anyway. Still, I do have some Autumn stitching though.

These are another couple of new additions which I found when I visited Beaumaris recently.  I do love these little ceramic houses and just couldn't leave this acorn one behind, or the little toadstool.

And a couple oldies but goodies, I think the drum is my favourite finish ever, and easier than it looks to do, I don't know why I haven't finished more like this.

I think I love decorating for Autumn as much as I do for Christmas, how about you?

🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂

-X-

This week

 The week started with an expense, something tripped out all the electrics in the laundry room last Sunday and it was traced back to the tumble dryer, so that's tumbled it's last load, ugh.    I had considered doing without one because I never dry things straight out of the washing machine, but I do like to finish things things off for ten minutes or so after they have been line dried as it softens things up and makes for easier ironing, so I sucked up the expense and a new one should be here in a few days.

It's been a bit of a nothing week, just catching up on the washing and ironing after being away, all the boring things.  I managed to get the garden tidy again just before the rain started on Wednesday and popped to the allotment on Thursday afternoon to collect any pickings.  Of course I ended up staying to clear a few things that have gone over, but, I did good with time management and only stayed just over an hour.

 Lots of tomatoes and still plenty more to pick, I might end up just clearing the lot next week and let them finish ripening at home.  I made a couple jars of tomato, basil and garlic sauce for the freezer with this lot on Saturday morning.

I really haven't taken a lot of notice of the pepper plants but when I looked last week there were quite a lot. Google tells me that they should ripen off the plant if they were big enough so I've taken a chance and picked them.  There should be a mixture of yellow, red and orange, at least I hope there will be because we don't really like green peppers 😒 I pulled the few carrots as they were poking out the ground, plenty more to come and we should have some for Christmas too.

Still picking runner beans although there won't be many more now, I have a freezer full and they should last well into next year as I'm the only one that eats them.

While I was cleaning the conservatory this week I had to move all my TBR books and while putting them back I arranged them by colour.  I think they look easier on the eye but when Mark called and I told him what I'd been up to I could hear him rolling his eyes, lol.  That's the trouble with being at home all the time, you do find these little slightly mad things to do, (all my CD's are alphabetised too, yes I do still own CD's which I do still play along with my records).   

I should perhaps stop buying books to add to this shelf, lol.

I also enrolled in a new Pilates class this week that started on Tuesday morning.  The lady who does it actually lives in my street, although I didn't know that until I got to the class.  When I finished my physio Pilates was recommended, so I thought I give it a go.  I've paid for seven weeks and enjoyed the first class, I could tell I'd worked some underused muscles the next morning, even after one session, so hopefully it will strengthen those hip and glutes over time so that I don't have a repeat of bursitis and tendinitis. 

Remember my little visitor?  

I finally found out the he does have a home a few streets away.  A couple weeks ago I put a note on his collar with my phone number and someone called me the next day.  His name is Kovu, (from a character in the Lion King, so his owner said).  The next time he turned up he was sporting a new red collar with a tag saying he was microchipped and a contact number.  I was so glad to find out that he wasn't lost or had been abandoned, I don't feel guilty about not feeding him now I know he is looked after, lol.  

He still comes, has a fuss and a walk around the house then usually goes again, but on Wednesday he made himself comfortable and slept here all afternoon, that's the longest he's ever stayed.  I did tell his owner that he comes in but I don't encourage him by feeding him, and nor would I do that.  He doesn't come every day, I might not see him again for a week but he obviously feels this is a safe place to be and I haven't got the heart to shoo him off.

Nothing planned for this week, although perhaps if I'm desperate for something to do I could always colour code the rest of my books  🤪

-X-

A week away

Mark took a weeks holiday last week so we had another lovely break away in our caravan.  The weather forecast for the week didn't look very promising but in the end we only had one day when It rained, quite heavily almost constantly, we stayed put that day and I have to say there is something comforting about sitting in a cosy caravan watching the rain.  We passed the time reading and I did quite a bit of knitting that day too, it was nice to not have anything that really needed doing.

We stayed for the weekend in Upton again, our van is stored on site there so it made sense to have a couple days there first and then move on to Malvern on the Monday.  The Malvern site was really lovely, nicely laid out and the facilities were very clean and well maintained.  It was a bit remote though, no shop or pub within walking distance, but a good place for some down-time and relaxation, just a bit of a pain if you realised you've forgotten to buy something.

Apart from the day it rained all day we went somewhere different every day, Ross on Wye, Ledbury, Symonds Yat and Malvern are all worth a visit, and I managed to pick up quite a few books to add to my 'to be read' shelf from charity shops while we were out and about.  Ross on Wye and Malvern both have great record shops and I couldn't believe my luck in finding two LP's that I have been on the look out for for years.  

The weather was lovely on Friday so we decide to do one of the Malvern walks, we chose one that had a decent pathway and was only a gradual climb but when we came to the end instead of turning back I suggested we carry on a bit further and we ended up in a valley between two hills.  Mark was reluctant to climb at first but I managed to persuade him that the view at the top would be great, and I wasn't wrong.

I really wanted to climb the other hill, which looked steeper but Mark was having none of it so we headed back to the car along the way we'd come.  Perhaps next time I can persuade him to go further.

We also had a ride out to Symonds Yat Rock in the Forest of Dean.  From the car park it was only a short walk to the Rock and the wonderful view over the river Wye and surrounding area.  There are other walks which you can download maps for but as we had gone late in the afternoon we didn't explore, definitely somewhere go another time though.

Despite the change in the weather we still had a lovely week away.  I doubt we'll get another whole week away again this year but we will be back at the van for the weekend in a couple weeks and perhaps be able to fit in another couple weekends before the weather starts to turn too cold.

-X-

What I'm reading

 My personal challenge was to read 60 books this year, I've fallen behind a little the last two months, just haven't been in the mood to pick anything up, having said that I have read two physical books and listened to two audio books.  

 The two books I read were quite emotional reads and they deserved to be given time to be absorbed.

My Friends by Fredrik Backman is beautifully written, one of those books that your reading and something suddenly makes you stop and think about what you just read.  If you've read A Man Called Ove I think you would also enjoy this book.

Blue Sisters - Coco Mellors - Three estranged sisters return to to their family home in New York a year after their fourth sister's death.  The chapters flip between the sisters so we get to know each of their stories. 

The three Blue sisters are exceptional—and exceptionally different. Avery, the eldest and a recovering heroin addict turned strait-laced lawyer, lives with her wife in London; Bonnie, a former boxer, works as a bouncer in Los Angeles following a devastating defeat; and Lucky, the youngest, models in Paris while trying to outrun her hard-partying ways. They also had a fourth sister, Nicky, whose unexpected death left Avery, Bonnie, and Lucky reeling. A year later, as they each navigate grief, addiction, and ambition, they find they must return to New York to stop the sale of the apartment they were raised in.

But coming home is never as easy as it seems. As the sisters reckon with the disappointments of their childhood and the loss of the only person who held them together, they realize the greatest secrets they've been keeping might not have been from each other, but from themselves.

 The Day I fell off my Island - Yvonne Bailey-Smith  This was my library book club choice for August.

I chose to listen to this on audible, turns out that was a good decision, the local dialect would have put me off reading otherwise.  All apart from two of us really enjoyed it, I thought it was ok, one member gave up after the third chapter, so nearly but not quite a full house, ha ha.

Narrated by Sara Powell who did an excellent job but even listening to the Jamaican accent it was still hard to decipher at times. 

The Day I Fell Off My Island tells the story of Erna Mullings, a teenage Jamaican girl uprooted from her island following the sudden death of her beloved grandmother. When Erna is sent to England to be reunited with her siblings, she dreads leaving behind her elderly grandfather, and the only life she has ever known. A new future unfolds, in a strange country and with a mother she barely knows. The next decade will be a complex journey of estrangement and arrival, new beginnings, and the uncovering of long-buried secrets.

The Ladies' Midnight Swimming Club - Faith Hogan

This one was a bit of a wild card, I was looking for something easy to listen to while I was knocking about the house, It was surprisingly good, yes it was predictable but the characters were all just so lovely that I really didn't mind that.  Narrated by Flora Montgomery who's voice with it's soft Irish lilt was very easy on the ears.

 

** When Elizabeth's husband dies, leaving her with crippling debt, the only person she can turn to is her friend, Jo. Soon Jo has called in her daughter, Lucy, to help save Elizabeth from bankruptcy. Leaving her old life behind, Lucy is determined to make the most of her fresh start. As life slowly begins to return to normal, these three women, thrown together by circumstance, become fast friends. But then Jo's world is turned upside down when she receives some shocking news. In search of solace, Jo and Elizabeth find themselves enjoying midnight dips in the freezing Irish Sea. Here they can laugh, cry and wash away all their fears. As well as conjure a fundraising plan for the local hospice that will bring the whole community together.

 pNot a bad months reading in the end, perhaps I'll be able to catch up on my book number as the nights get longer, I do have a lot of titles on my tbr shelf to choose from.

-X-

**The synopsis for each book was taken from Goodreads

Happy birthday mum

 Tomorrow would have been my mums 97th birthday.

I like this photo of her, it was taken at Oliver's Christening in 2013, she would have been 85 here.

She never did looked her age and always had beautiful skin, never needed to wear any make up.

She had funny sayings that we used to laugh about, and a dry sense of humour and a knack of always being right about things.

Also this coming Monday, 1st September, it will be 38 years since my dad died.  

He died just four days after my mum turned 59, they were away in their caravan for the Bank Holiday weekend at the time, he was only 61, far to young to leave us.

I think about them both often.

-X-

Still no rain here

Its been another warm and sunny day, we certainly can't moan about the British Summer this year but all the heat has taken it's toll on the garden.  My garden soil is mostly clay and there are big cracks all over, It hasn't been the best for weather for hydrangeas either, mine are already quite faded and the leaves are very dry and of course the grass in not green anymore, it's a lovely shade of brown.

We still have some lovely colour though.

The aster seeds I sowed were a couple years out of date but they still produced some lovely flowers

The climbing rose by my back door was attacked by saw fly in June, I thought it was a goner so cut it right back, It survived my hacking and has come back lovely and healthy and is almost as high as the back door again.

Not all things have done well.  I planted three raspberry canes but only one has survived.

I popped to the allotment this afternoon to water, I didn't expect there to be much to bring back but there were loads of runner beans and quite a few tomato's both of which I've given to my sister, also picked the last few courgettes and a few more beetroot which I'll have a go at pickling tomorrow.

I was surprised to see so many peppers on my pepper plants.  I didn't do well with peppers last year so apart from watering I haven't really paid any attention to these.

Joanne is taking the kids on holiday tomorrow so I have a lodger for the week.

Her name is Pickle, she's so cute and really friendly, I don't usually like rodent type pets but I'm ok with hamsters, lol.

It's Bank Holiday tomorrow.  Mark Is still in Scotland so I'm going to have a day sorting through my craft supplies in the hope of being able to clear out some things that I know I won't use, wish me luck on that one, ha ha.

-X-

Anglesey, a few days away

 We live in the middle of England so a jaunt to the seaside is a good two or three hours away but as I was still feeling a bit meh and Mark is away in Scotland for a couple weeks I decided to take myself off to one of my favourite part of Wales for a few days.

I'd made a quick stop at Beaumaris the last time I went away, so I settled on booking a room there for two nights.  I made a pit stop at Menai Bridge on the way to stretch my legs - the original Welsh name of the town standing on the Menai Straits was Porthaethwy, but after the construction of the bridge in 1826 it became common to use the English name.  Standing at 98 feet the views from the bridge across the Menai Strait are stunning.

Beaumaris is such a pretty town, there is a small pier, lots of independent shops and lovely streets with colourful houses.  I'm glad I chose to stay there, it was such a peaceful place, and I could just about see the sea from my window.

Holyhead was 45 minutes drive away so on Tuesday I visited South Stack Lighthouse.

There are 400 steps down to the lighthouse, I have to say that walking down them is much easier than walking back them up, ha ha.

Again the views and the area in general was stunning, so glad I went.

Of course I couldn't come home without a trip to my favourite sea side place, Llandudno, I had to pass right by on my way home anyway so I thought I might as well make the most of my time away and spend the day there.

I'd been lucky with the weather for two days but Wednesday was definitely cooler, you can tell now the change the change in the air.

To round off my few days away I treated myself to fish and chips, they taste so much better when you're by the sea don't they 😁 

I really enjoyed my few days away, a change of scenery can do wonders.

-X-

Money for old rope

 Well not old rope but for things you would put in your household recycling bin.

Did you know that Boots have a recycling app?  I've been using it for just over twelve months and every time I've mentioned it to someone they haven't been aware of it, It's seems like a closely guarded secret but inside Boots there is a recycling bin, and if you take your empties you get rewarded with £5 worth of points on your advantage card.

Of course there are conditions, firstly you so have to have a Boots Advantage card, you can only deposit five items at one time, (although I think you can deposit a couple times a week, haven't tried so not sure).  Secondly, you have to spend £10 in store to get your £5 in points.  Once you have deposited your empties you get a voucher in your app which you open when you go to the till with whatever you have decided to buy.   In effect if you just spend £10 you are getting £5 back.  Plus if you are over sixty and buy certain boots branded products you still get your eight points for every £1 spent 😁

Boots isn't always the cheapest place to buy toiletries but if you look out for whats on offer or just treat yourself to some nice smellies occasionally then it's a win win, just save your empties until you need something.

As you can see I haven't taken any in for a while, I keep a bag in the pantry and once I've scanned an empty to the app I chuck it in the bag.  They accept a variety of items, the only things that don't seem to scan are shampoo and conditioner, but I know that they accept empty nappy packets and baby wipes packets.  I just try everything to see what if it's accepted.

I believe there is also a separate app where you can recycle your medication blister packs, I don't get many of those so don't use that one but it might be of use to some.

I've been leaving my points add up for a while and have £72 now and really I only buy from Boots when I have some recycling to take in and with Christmas fast approaching that extra will come in handy.

The app is easy to find on you phones app store, it's called Recycle at Boots.

-X-

Is this week over yet?

This week is dragging on and I've felt meh, everything I've tried to do has gone wrong starting on Monday when I popped to the supermarket while the washing was on thinking I would get ahead of myself, only when I pulled on the drive I realised I'd locked myself out!

Luckily my son in law was at home and came up with a spare key, only we couldn't get it in the lock as my key was in the other side.  After trying various pointy things to push the key out on the inside, and failing we borrowed a ladder from a neighbour and he climbed in through the bedroom window. At least it gave me a giggle seeing him hanging half in half out the window.  But, so much for getting ahead of myself.

Tuesday was Bonnies 8th birthday, how can she be eight already! and I got her presents ready to wrap, but I couldn't find the roll of wrapping paper I'd bought the day before, not anywhere in the house, not left it in the car either.  Thinking about it, I couldn't remember bringing It in the house and convinced myself I'd left it on the checkout, so off I went on another trip to Tesco.   I asked on the customer service desk, nothing had been left there so I bought a second roll of wrapping paper.   Walked back in home and there was the first roll I'd bought the day, before standing In the stair basket in the hall staring at me and laughing.  I must have walked past it a dozen times that morning, I swear It wasn't there!!

Bonnie, by the way, had a lovely birthday, they went to Conkers, (an outdoor adventure park) for the day and had a great time.

But my bad week continued.  I was vacuuming on Wednesday and a strand of wool from a little cardigan I'd just finished knitting was hanging out of the basket, you can guess what happened can't you?  

Yes the hover ate it, and now there is a hole 😢

I do have enough yarn to knit the back of the cardigan again so all is not lost, just my time, and I will knit it again when I've stopped sulking.

The knitting woes continued when I discovered that I was going to run out of yarn for the second Salty Air Tee I've been knitting.  I thought I had another ball in the box in the garage but no I don't, the sensible thing would have been to make sure before I started knitting, but apparently I'm not that sensible 🤪 and to make matters worse I've discovered that Hayfield Sundance is now discontinued, you can still buy other colours online in places but the white is nowhere to be found.  I probably need less that 50g to finish it, so annoying, but I have only myself to blame.

Apologies for the creased look, angry with myself I stuffed it in a bag where it will no doubt stay until I can face pulling it all back.

But If there is anyone reading this that happens to have 100g of Hayfield Sundance in White they would be willing to sell me please leave me a comment, I would be most grateful 😘

I tried to rescue my week by making the book pillow that I promised Stevie I would make for her classroom over twelve months ago.  She got her QTS in July so will be going back to work in September as a qualified teacher rather than just being qualified to teach early years.  Honestly that girl works so hard, she was working full time while doing uni work as well as being a part time nail technician, she puts 100% into everything she does.

I'd like to say that there were no mishaps while making this, but I can't.  

I found a tutorial on you tube that had measurements for three sizes of pillows, I already had a pillow in the largest size they gave so I cut out the fabric as per the sizes given, trusting that they were correct, again I should have realised something was off, but I can be too trusting sometimes.

It has an envelope back and everything went ok (if you don't count me having to stop to clean out all the accumulated fluff underneath the bobbin because apparently that was what was affecting the stitch tension and making it loose, who knew!).  So as instructed I laid the two back pieces on top of the front piece, making sure everything was the right way up, and the back pieces were not as wide as the front piece by a good two inches.  I double checked that I'd cut them to the size it said, and yes I had, I sat the pillow on top and as luck would have it it would still fit the pillow width ways only it was way too long!

So after a bit of jiggery pokery I sorted it out, good job it was too big and not too small else I would have given up crafting as a bad job 🤣

The tutorial I used on you tube was Sew Often, I've checked again since and I definitely wrote down and cut out the measurements she put up, so If you are thinking of making one I'd avoid that one.

I'm happy with how it came out and Stevie loves it.  If I were to make another one I wouldn't make the book pocket as deep, but as it's going in the reading corner of the classroom I suppose two or three books can be put in there. 

It's only Thursday, I wonder what other joys the week has instore for me 🙃

-X-

This and that

 It's been quite hot and humid here today although not really sunny, rain threatened this evening but then passed us by, again.  I know that other parts of the UK have experienced heavy rain and thunder storms, but here in my part Midlands we haven't had significant rain in quite a while.

I was out in the garden watering this morning and thought I take a few photos.

The dahlias are just starting to flower, those copper scouring pads seem to have deterred the slugs and snails, of course it has also helped that we have had such a dry Summer so there haven't been so many of them around.

I have fuchsias in the kitchen window boxes and two long planters, all are still doing ok with lots of flowers and buds.

I had to do a rescue job on them when I came back from holiday, Mark was supposed to water as he was here for part of that week, lets just say he didn't do a very good job!  But, they recovered well.

The sunflowers on the left are what I planted on the allotment, tall and strong, just what you expect from a sunflower, the ones on the right are in my garden, obviously they don't like the clay soil.

And the mind-your-own-business I bought in the Spring is growing better in one pot than the other, might have to put something else in the grumpy face.

I do like to have the doors open in the Summer and we have been having a visitor.

She, (i think), has been making herself comfortable, I found her curled up on the sofa in the back room the other day too, she never stays long, comes for a fuss and a sit down and then she's off again.  She has a collar on so I'm assuming she has a home somewhere nearby.  Sometimes she will appear several times a day, other times I don't see her for a few days.  I'm wondering if her owners are out at work and perhaps she can't get in and that's why she comes for a comfy seat.  I don't mind, I don't want to encourage her but at the same time I'm happy for her to come in and take a seat sometimes.

Yesterday was another stitching day retreat.  I haven't worked on any stitching for about a month and I thought It might kick start my stitching bug again but by just after lunchtime I gave up and got some knitting out.  It was a lovely day though, nice to get out the house and to catch up with people I haven't seen for a while.  I have to say though that I found it a little noisy, I'm not sure if it was that noisy or it's just the fact that I'm in the quiet on my own for most of the time, perhaps that's a sign that I should get out more 😂

I had my steroid injection last Wednesday, I had heard that it could be painful in the hip but It was just the same as having a jab in your arm.  I had to take it easy for a few days but I'm happy to say that it seems to have worked, now I just have to start up the exercises again to get the area stronger so it's less likely to return.

-X-