Handing In ....................... my filled in form to enter things in a village produce show.
Searching ................................... for my 100 treasures in 100 churches book and not finding it (must have got left in daughters car)
Church Visit .......................on the way home from swimming - without the book- post about that next week.
Organizing .....................the man who is doing the kitchen refurb (not yet and not all at once) came to sort out final details.
Finding........................................................... Half a big tin of white emulsion in the garage which I will water down a bit and use as a first coat over the strange cinnamon colour that's in the bedroom.
Shopping ......... Bought a big ol' tin of silk emulsion for the top coat in the bedroom and had to buy a new sander too as the other one fell to bits while son was doing his kitchen cupboard doors.
Reading ......................... George Bellairs - The Night They Killed Joss Varran. Crime Fiction.(Originally Published 1970) Another well written story by this prolific author featuring Chief Inspector Littlejohn and set on the Isle of Man
Watering ............................ as much as possible in my garden and about 1000 pots in next doors garden as they are away- luckily I can use a hose with a sprayer nozzle on her pots.
Killing ......................... Flies and wasps - far too many of both coming indoors despite my chain fly screen at the back door. The wasps ignore the screen and get in and the flies come in the windows. We had a proper door screen like they have in Australia at the smallholding and often stuck mesh over the windows too.
Baking................an entry for a show ( more about that next week) and thank goodness it was just the one cake - the kitchen was too hot - and the cake looked awful - not a prize winner.
Picking..................veg, also to enter the show ( and things to eat too of course)
Making ............. a few jars of marrow and apricot chutney as an entry for the show and then deciding it didn't look good enough and entering a jar from the cupboard instead.
Sleeping..................... in the wrong room!.........son and daughter helped me move everything into the other double room last weekend ready for decorating, it's a bit disconcerting and no cooler.
Visiting........................someone I hadn't sat and chatted to for 32 years! They were our neighbours between 1980 and 84 and godparents to our son and we had kept in touch with notes in Christmas cards but being back in Mid Suffolk meant I could go and visit easily. From the time we were neighbours they moved just once to where they live now, but we moved 6 times!
Wondering ..................... what a strange noise was, a roaring sort of sound and then realising it was the burners on a hot air balloon. So I grabbed the camera and rushed out. A rare sight around here so it needed a photo.
Hope they got where they wanted and landed safely.
(Tiptree are a company who make posh jams and marmalade in Essex, although they were heading North into Norfolk, obviously lost!)
Hopefully a good weekend ahead, hope you all have a good one too.
Back Monday
Sue
I have never seen the Tiptree balloon over Norfolk. It must turn back at the border. Balloons are not popular here so Norfolk is probably marked off as a no go area on their maps in any case.
ReplyDeleteProbably too many air bases?
DeleteWe sometimes saw one at the smallholding and I was always worried because of the huge pylons from Sizewell.
Basically the farmers don't like them. They are unpopular with livestock, followers vehicles going on private land, their audacity on landing wherever they like without permission etc. I once went to check on my mother late in the evening and found our farm invaded by balloonists and a balloon down in a sugar beet field. I was told by the pilot that it was nothing. I won't go on. I later received apologies from some of the people who had been on the balloon trip who said that nobody had explained to them that they could easily be landing without permission. They were told in advance that it "was all arranged", Arranged, my foot.
DeleteI live just in Norfolk, on the border with Suffolk, and we see a lot of hot air balloons. Some weeks in the Summer it seems like we see one every evening.
DeleteI eat only Tiptree marmalade - superb - but never seen the balloon. We get a lot of hot air balloons up here - I gave the farmer a ride in one for his birthday once. He loved it.
ReplyDeleteA friend goes there to the tearooms for her birthday treat each year.
DeleteI'm not sure I would want to go up in a hot air balloon.
Our local 'tea rooms' use Tiptree Jam and at Cressing Temple they sell a wide variety of their jars. Lovely stuff.
ReplyDeletexx
. . . and I hope you find the book.
DeleteMust text daughter to see if she has remembered to look for it in the car.
DeleteYou'd miss it . . . fingers crossed.
DeleteI can't remember the last time I saw a hot air balloon around here. They used to be a regular thing. I often saw them on my way to work early in a morning. X
ReplyDeleteSomewhere in Southern England- can't remember where, there is a a huge Balloon Festival, that would be a sight to see.
DeleteThere's a balloon festival in Bristol every year. It's an anazing sight to see all the balloons in the air at the same time. A balloon ride is on my wish list.
DeleteThanks for your book comment. I have ordered it from our mobile library. It never ceases to amaze me that it holds such a large stock of books. As I have often read similar, or the same , books that you like I thought I’d give it a go especially as you said it was well written.
ReplyDeleteIt will make a change to read a book that's not set in Cornwall, Cambridge or London!
Sue
If you like the George Bellairs books you will have lots more to read as a publisher called Ipso have re-printed about 18 so far dating from the late 40's 50's, 60's and early 70's and \I think he wrote more than that so may be more later
DeletePhew! I feel so lazy reading this post, you certainly have been busy, good for you. Have a lovely weekend
ReplyDeleteBriony
x
I didn't think I was busy but it makes a good list!
Deletewhat a gorgeous sight. x
ReplyDeleteTook me a couple of minutes to work out what the noise was then I grabbed my camera and zoomed in
DeleteWhat a busy time you have been having, Sue, and such a good way of presenting it on your post, too. I hope the decorating goes well, and it's always a good idea to paint white over a colour before changing it to a colour you like.
ReplyDeleteOh, what a magnificent Tiptree balloon! We don't see many hot air balloons in these parts, being the edge of a town (suburbia, ha ha, which I've recently written about on my own blog) but we love Tiptree jams and marmalades. Indeed, an uncle and aunt and their family of my husband, lived in Tiptree Villa in Whitham, perhaps named after Tiptree in Essex. On a recent prog (and I can't recall which one) where people were asked, at a blind tasting, which marmalade they preferred, among which were cheapies from Aldi and expensive ones from Fortnum & Mason (if my memory serves me rightly) the one which came top was the Wilkin & Son's Tiptree Orange marmalade (which is the one we like the best, followed by Wilkin & Son's Tiptree Old Times.
I hope you will cease all your work and enjoy a relaxing weekend, Sue. I wish I knew how to add your blog to my own list of blogs I read … I've not a clue how to do these things, I had my blog set up for me, I just write posts and reply to comments.
All good wishes from Torbay,
Margaret P
I've never bought marmalade as I always make it with one of those cheats tins of prepared oranges or lemons and then add other things to customise it
DeleteMy Mum always made her own maramalde, Sue, each January when the Seville oranges were in the shops. She made 100 jars (yes, that's right, 100 jars), 50 for herself (some of which she gave away to friends and neighbours) and 50 for us. She said that would keep us going at almost a jar a week for a year. It was wonderful marmalde, she cut it all up by hand, no machine was involved, and it was crystal clear and sparkling like jewels. Never had marmalade since like it, so I buy the Tiptree marmalade, and also Roses Lemon & Lime marmalade, and also a ginger one when I remember to get some. Mum's marmalade had Sevilles, a lemon, a grapefruit and a sweet orange to each boiling (there were several boilings for 100 jars!)
DeleteMargaret P
Isn't it funny to sleep in a different room of your own house? It is a bit disconcerting. Good luck with the decorating.
ReplyDeleteAs for balloons, I went to the international balloon festival in Albuquerque a couple of years ago (my in-laws live there). Over 500 balloons participate in various events over a nine day period. Think it is one of the largest balloon festivals in the world. Interesting to be on the ground next to them when there is a mass rising.
Wow Thats a LOT of balloons, must be amazing to see all the colours and designs
DeleteAnother full week, Sue, and how nice to reconnect with some old friends. Good luck with you produce entries-I’m always a azed at the quality and presentation of entries when we visit shows. I read that the Festival of Quilts is almost sold out so we won’t be motorhoming to there as we thought we might! Our bedroom was completely gutted at the end of last year and I was so glad to get back to sleeping at the front of the house again, even with the new carpet smell.
ReplyDeleteI thought the spare room that I'm in now was going to be a bit cooler - but no, still hot
DeleteYou've been keeping yourself busy! I didn't realize you were going to have your kitchen redone. I hope that all goes well for you. That must have been a strange sound to identify - and then the surprise of seeing the hot air balloon! We never see them randomly here, although sometimes there are hot air balloon festivals for special occasions. I imagine it's too difficult to navigate around power lines? -Jenn
ReplyDeleteThe kitchen units are all very old and beginning to fall to pieces. It was one of the things we knew we would have to do sometime but I want to get it sorted just in case I decide in the spring that living here through the winter on my own is too lonely
Deleteyou have been busy! every house around here has window screens. why not in England?
ReplyDeleteI wish screen doors and window screens were the norm here - have no idea why they are not
DeleteOh the flies and wasps are such a nuisance here too. So many this year. We have even had to buy and fit a mesh screen to the guinea pig cage to stop them bothering them.
ReplyDeleteWe used to have lots of hot air balloons passing over our house from Shugborough Hall and a couple of other sites but we don't seem to have seen many for the last couple of years or so. I used to love watching them.
Good luck with your decorating.
Hugs-x-
I'm putting off the decorating until it cools down a bit - end of next week should be better they say
DeleteWhat a wonderful productive week you had. It's exciting entering things in a local show, there's no chance to do it in our village, sadly. Good luck! I love hot air balloons and we often have two or three at once going over our home. I am never close to my camera though ....lol...
ReplyDeleteI think I must be very competitive because \I've been entering things on and off whenever I can since the 1980's
DeleteNo wasps but loads of flies keep coming into the kitchen even through the strip curtain. DD's dog is scared of them so keeps getting up and standing on the patio. Sounds like you had a very busy week. I like the balloon photos.
ReplyDeleteThere are wasps everywhere outside but I'm not sure where their nest is although I wouldn't want to get close to it if I did know where it was!
DeleteI love this post Sue, and the manner in which you have presented it. You certainly have been busy this week and have accomplished a lot. Although I don't go swimming I understand your remark on the crowded pool. We go to a senior exercise class twice a week and it has gotten so popular it is almost too crowded.
ReplyDeleteThe balloon must have been a real surprise for you! You got some great pictures of it. Hot air balloons always remind me of when I was on the way to the hospital to have my second child. I did not know the sex (this was before it could be confirmed in advance) and since I had a boy already I was hoping for a girl. On the drive to the hospital we suddenly saw a baby blue hot air balloon ahead of us and I immediately said we are having a boy. We did have a second boy and I've never been disappointed!
It was a surprise and took me a few minutes to work out what the noise was. I'm glad you were not too disappointed by a second boy!
DeleteI love seeing hot air balloons. We used to have see them fairly regularly here but not for quite a few years now. Lovely that you are entering things into your village show, every year I think I'll do this and then promptly forget about it until its too late! Meg:)
ReplyDeleteThe show isn't in the village where I live - NOTHING happens here at all! but in a village not far away where I lived through the 1980's and where I go to W.I.
Delete(news on prizes won next week!)
What a busy time.
ReplyDeletePlease consider all drawers for the kitchen, waaaay more storage and easy to access and keep organised.I even have a 1 unit Fisher and Pykel Dishdrawer dishwasher, so great when you are just cooking 3 meals for 1.
I had a hot air balloon ride for my 50th, it wasn't scary at all.
Have fun with your painting, if the colour to be covered is dark it is best to cover with a grey undercoat not white.
I hope you enjoy the show, so much to see when you have varied interests and always the chance for a catch up chat with friends or like minded people.
Kitchen design is sorted, not all drawers, I'm happy with cupboards.
DeleteI have white for free so that will do, the colour to cover isn't too dark
You certainly had a busy week.
ReplyDeleteGood luck at the village produce show.
I had a good show
DeleteWe haven't seen hot air balloons for years. When we did our dog, at the time, would go crazy and bark until they were far enough away he couldn't here them anymore. You are certainly keeping yourself busy with all your activities. I don't understand why there are no screen doors and screens on the windows over there. It would make life far more comfortable in the summer, having your windows and doors wide open but no 'critters', big or small, can get in.
ReplyDeleteI like to keep busy
DeleteYou had a busy and productive week. What color did you choose to go over the cinnamon paint in the bedroom? I checked and our library only carries 2 George Bellairs books :( I can't imagine living where window screens are not necessary and I live in the high desert where we have far fewer bugs than other places here in the U.S.
ReplyDeleteI'm going neutral so an off-white.
DeleteWindow screens would be good
What a busy week, bits of everything. Good luck with your competition entries.
ReplyDeleteWe once heard that strange roaring/whooshing noise when we lived in the middle of nowhere at Jointers Farm in the middle of the Oxfordshire countryside. Rosy the Jack Russedd ran out and went absolutely ballistic, a huge bright red 'Virgin' logo hot air balloon was literally inches above our chimney pot. The poor people in it were looking rather worried ... we were just amazed, luckily they managed to get it properly airborne again without any damage and with a wave and a few relieved smiles flew off above the fields at a slightly greater altitude.
Prize winning news tomorrow!
DeleteMy dear Sue. Re your comment on my blog today. It is only a short time since you lost your darling Col. Take each day as it comes and wake up in the morning trying to put the bad day out of your head. I promise you the time will come when there will be more good days than bad. Rome wasn't built in a day. x
ReplyDeleteI'm no longer getting so worried about the down days because I know they are just one day and tomorrow will be OK again.Thank you for your good post
DeleteWent up in a balloon once. Very quiet except for the times they lit the burners. A different perspective from flying in a jet. Don't think I'd do it again.
ReplyDeleteYou certainly are keeping busy. I hope you can find your church book, I always look forward to your descriptions and stories about your adventures.