Winter suddenly arrived on Tuesday when the windchill factor brought the temperatures down to near freezing all day. Although there actually hasn't been a frost here yet, unlike other parts of the country.The leaves had all come down at once over the weekend, the roads are caked with mud from the tractors and lorries doing the sugar beet and everywhere is suddenly looking very dismal.
Swimming was nice and quiet, only 7 people in for most of the time I was swimming. Six months ago I could just about do 8 x 20m lengths, two weeks ago I managed 20 lengths and this week I did 26 x 20m, with only a couple of pauses. On the way there a Barn Owl flew towards and then across the road in front of me which reminded me to look for any signs of one roosting in the wood shed this year, but nothing...........sadly.
It's the food storage and the baking equipment cupboards in the kitchen being replaced next week, so a big job of emptying everything onto the dining room table. I seem to have a good lot of food in tins, nothing too out of date except a tin of cheap custard BBE Aug 2016, which I ate with a banana for two days, it was fine.
Did my stint at the charity shop, the books were in a right old muddle as I hadn't been there the week before. So my job was to tidy them all back into alphabetical order and bring more down. There is one problem with this shop - it's very old and only the shop is on the ground floor . Everything else is up steep winding stairs - 3 more floors! So when people bring in donations it all has to go up and then sorted and back down again. The lady who is the manager says she loses two pound in weight every week, but then puts it back on at the weekend. I can see this might be a problem if they get any very elderly volunteers, they'll never make it up and down....I struggle and I'm fairly fit - ish!
Interesting things learned this week
1. We might be getting an Aldi in Stowmarket. There was one in town many years ago before the brand really took off but they closed down. The building then became a Poundland but blow-me-down that closed down too.............just before we moved back this way. If Aldi returns it will be in a different building just out of town but within walking distance and closer to the centre than Lidl is. There isn't much parking at the proposed site so it might get turned down by the council as it involves change of use from offices to retail. I'll keep you updated!
2. The Wyevale Garden Centre in Woodbridge has turned into a Dobbies. Wonder if they all have.
Here's a teaser from somewhere I went this week. More photos will appear in my Advent 2018 posts during December (or before if I run out of ideas for the rest of this month!)
Welcome to new followers, hope you enjoy reading.
Have a lovely weekend, enjoy whatever you do despite the weather forecast, which is a bit dreary.
Back Monday
Sue
It's chilly and dismal here too and we had a hard frost on Thursday (or was it Wednesday, I forget). I'm trying to keep moving to stay warmer.
ReplyDeleteIt's been a beautifully colourful Autumn so the sudden contrast is very noticeable. Muddy dullness all round. Thomas Hood got it right!
xx
It seemed to go from colourful and bright to brown and dull over just two days
DeleteTotally agree with that biting wind making it feel so much colder. Autumn has definitely gone now, always too short a season.
ReplyDeleteBill went into the Woodbridge Dobbies on Wednesday. There was a chap at the door pushing their loyalty card thing or something, he said to Bill 'are you interested in a Dobbies card?' To which Bill replied 'no, sorry, I have a cat'. Cue stunned look from bloke.
Bill has slight hearing issues, so he thought the blog was asking something about a doggy. The bloke must have thought Bill was being funny.
Well, at least he was left alone after that! :O) x
It looked the same as usual, although I was only there for 2 minutes. A doggie loyalty card would be interesting!
DeleteWe’ve had “scrape the car level of frost” , so it goes away each night now into the garage. Our local garden centre was taken over by Dobbies a few years ago when the owner wanted to retire. It was quickly Dobbified and the food not so great. Tesco bought Dobbies a while back but it has now been sold by them and I’m not sure who owned it. It’s a shame when smaller businesses are bought out but everyone has to make their own choices about who they support. Interestingly, other smaller barden centres have flourished and expanded in the last few years but I suspect plants are the smallest part of their business now with the coffee shops and retail parts being the main reason for the expansion. Intrigued by the photo-an auction item??
ReplyDeleteI try to avoid garden centres except for compost - they are so much more expensive than car boot sales!
Deleteand no, not and auction
DeleteWe've had a chilly week here, too - was still in minus temperatures when I did the school runs on Wednesday.
ReplyDeleteOur local Wyevale (previously a Blooms of Bressingham - and before that Jardinerie) has just changed into a Cobbles earlier this month. As Wyevale had been taking lots of Christmas bookings and then suddenly announced the change with around 10 days' notice meant that a lot of locals were concerned. I haven't been since it's been Dobbied- am planning to visit this coming week.
I also wondered whether the item was at an auction..
Did Blooms of Bressingham have garden centres in other parts of the country? or do you live close to the actual Bressingham which is not far from here just over the Norfolk border.
DeleteDobbies looked the same as Wyevale did!
No not an auction
Wyevales was listed on the stockmarket, then de-listed, and then sold on again with lots of debt. The present owners are selling it off and it is going pretty much piece meal with no buyer wanting to take on the whole lot, over 100 garden centres. Dobbies have bought about 6.
ReplyDeleteOh that explains it all. They would have wanted the Woodbridge one as it's always very busy
DeleteSalt mining jug?
ReplyDeleteNo, here's a clue..........It's from France
DeleteHad to laugh when you mentioned clearing your cupboards and not finding too much out of date. My teenage grandchildren decided to check the top shelf of my food cupboard for expired products the other day as I cannot reach anything on that shelf unless I stand on a chair. They had a very good laugh at the number of items we had to pitch--the oldest having expired in 2012! Mostly pickles or other types of condiments. Clearly, I need to climb up on a chair more often to check the inventory.
ReplyDeleteWith moving twice in 2016 and 2017 I was surprised to find anything old, they might be other stuff, I'll look when I put it all back.
DeleteTake care on the chair!
Must be something to hold liquid - tea perhaps?
ReplyDeleteWe have a Wyevale - I only use it when I get the coupons and usually the £5 off anything one they send by email - maybe that is why they are in debt.
No, it won't hold liquid that big hole in the side shows the inside!
DeleteIt has been very cold here the past two weeks and I am never ready for it.
ReplyDeleteI would not like having to go up three flights of stairs to put books away. The going up is hard enough, but coming down could be just as dangerous.
They are narrow, winding stairs. luckily usually only have to go up one flight for most things.
DeleteI'm laughing to myself at your charity shop layout; stairs and lugging donations around seem to be a common problem. After my first few times of volunteering, I always came home with aching legs & sore feet and used to collapse on the sofa - all the standing, bending, lifting and carrying involved behind the scenes in the stockroom. Cheaper than going to a gym though!
ReplyDelete4 hours at the charity shop is plenty enough for me, I'm shattered by the time I get home!
DeleteWriting from the iPad and my husbands account is signed in here.
ReplyDeleteThat jug looks like it has a nativity scene in the opening. Did you find it at the charity shop?
Can’t comment about your store changes other than to say my daughter likes shopping at Aldi. I never had one close to go to.
Marcia of birds, blooms books etc
Not from a charity shop but yes it is a Nativity scene
DeleteYou are sure right about the weeks flying by! Time goes so fast but especially when it gets to the holiday season. Our winter weather keeps coming and going - it's nice today but a possibly heavy snow expected tomorrow. This will be our fourth snow already this season although the first three were small.
ReplyDeleteI love your teaser! I don't know what it is exactly but the detail on the Nativity is beautiful!
I hope it's a couple of months before we get snow here,brrrrr.
DeleteHi Sue. I'm about your age and live in North Carolina, US. But we love the UK, lived there for 3 years and our daughter was born there. I'm also enjoying blogging at www.ninanaomimindfulsimpleliving.blogspot.com. I'm going to settle in and enjoy as many of your posts as the waning day allows. Then pick up tomorrow. Thanks! Nina Naomi
ReplyDeleteI shall pop over to look at your blog, thank you for reading
DeleteGlad to hear that time is going quickly for you Sue = so important to keep active and by golly you sound to be doing that.
ReplyDeleteSome days are busier than others but I like having plenty to do
DeleteI
ReplyDeletecant work out if the painting is inside the broken jug or painted on the outside of it...to me it looks like painted inside!.If it is,that is amazing!.I dont buy many things,but I would have bought that,For the right price!,xx
It's a model of a nativity scene inside the jug rather than a painting. They are made in France and it wasn't anywhere for sale!
DeleteThose best before labels are usually so over-cautious. A good sniff at the contents and a bit of common sense is what I employ before deciding if something stays or goes. No botulism yet! I thought nativity scene in a jug and it looks a bit like it made like a terrarium without the dirt or plants.
ReplyDeleteIts a pottery nativity scene modelled inside the jug. They are made in France. It isn't for sale - I'll explain all in December!
DeleteChilly and dismal here as well. Mind you warmer than usual for the Canadian prairies.
ReplyDeleteLove that nativity scene!!
God bless.
I went to a church to see this Nativity scene and 199 others! More pictures in December
DeleteThe temperatures have dropped here but still no frost thankfully. Looking forward to seeing more of those Nativity scenes.
ReplyDeleteThe display of crib scenes was incredible. Photos nearer Christmas
DeleteMum's local Wyevalw changes hands this week too, I'm not sure who's taking over that one, but almost half of the staff are leaving at the changeover. It's a shame they were a good bunch and the food was excellent. Fingers crossed the food stays good as Mum likes going there.
ReplyDeleteAre you going, or have you been to a church showing lots of different kinds of Nativity?
I went during the week.....200 crib scenes - amazing.
DeleteI detest these grey days they are so depressing. Interesting teapot, like the above, are you having a nativity display, where there is different interpretations of the theme? Just like the Christmas tree one your church held a few years ago?
ReplyDeleteThis crib display was over near Woodbridge - more pictures in December and I'll be going to the annual tree festival too in Stowmarket
Delete