Last Day of the Month

 The last day of the month has always been my round up of frugal things, ways of saving money on the mundane and boring  to be able to spend on things more exciting and I'll get back to that eventually.

 

In the meantime March spending was mostly related to moving.......not cheap..... and the car full service and MOT test - it passed with no problems. 

There were two electric bills, the regular quarterly and the final meter reading and I had one pair of my living-room curtains cleaned. The initial plan was to get all three pairs cleaned until I found out how much it was going to cost - almost cheaper to buy new curtains. When the others are unpacked they'll get washed very gently on a cool wash without spin dry.

I spent out on a cycle helmet and some fleece ear warmer  bands to wear under it as it's impossible to wear a hat under the helmet and when my ears get cold in windy weather I always end up with a headache.

Usual expenses of direct debits for phones - Home phone and broadband D/D will start again £5 cheaper when I move. I've only been buying food to eat straight away and eating the frozen stuff I brought with me so not much spent there.

 

Then I bought a book - don't know what came over me as I never buy cookery books - maybe it was all due to the frustration about the hold up with the bungalow purchase. It kept coming up on my recommended list is my only excuse! I'll let you know in due course if it was worth the purchase

 

How lovely the sun was yesterday and luckily I discovered a pair of shorts tucked away with the clothes I'd brought so was able to enjoy the mini March heatwave (and forecast today too). There is one of those tables with the rattan chairs tucked underneath on the patio here which was handy.  What a shame the Easter weekend is forecast cold again.

 

Don't forget to leave a comment on yesterdays post if you would like to go in the hat for a chance to get sent the Richard Osman book The Thursday Murder Club.

Back Tomorrow

Sue

A Good Read and a Giveaway

Thank you to everyone for comments about the remaining Debenham photos. Interesting to hear about another area called The Butts in Brentford.

***************

 It's a strange but true happening that sometimes I read a book about a certain subject and then the same subject pops up in another book only a little while later.

I wrote about Richard Osman's book, The Thursday Murder Club just over a week ago HERE  It's about a group of friends in a Retirement Village who set out to solve old murders. 

Next up was The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths.

 

It's the second of a series featuring DS Harbinder Kaur who sees nothing to concern her when an elderly lady dies in a block of retirement flats in Shoreham-on-Sea. But Peggy's carer Natalka tells Harbider that Peggy was sure someone had been following her and how is it that Peggy has business cards that refer to her as a 'Murder Consultant' and so many crime novels that thank her in the acknowledgements? Soon Harbinder, Natalka and two more of Peggy's friends are involved with several of the crime writers and end up travelling to Scotland for a Crime Book Festival.

Now here's a paragraph from the end of the book 

" Actually" says Harbinder, "Pippa Sinclair Lewis told me that Seventh Seal are publishing Lance Foster's posthumous novel. It's called 'The Bow Window Set' and it's about a group of old ladies in a care home who solve crimes"

 

There you go - coincidence or what!

I've now got a cardboard posting  folder so I can send off the copy of Richard Osman's  "The Thursday Murder Club". I promised to pass it on to someone else as it was so kindly donated to me by a blog reader.

Leave a comment if you would like it. I'll do a draw and then sort out address later. It would be nice if whoever gets it could also pass it on. 

(Just editing to say UK only please as anywhere else is just very expensive nowadays - sorry)

Back Tomorrow

Sue

More of Debenham

Lots of lovely comments after my first post of Debenham photos - Thank you. 

So here are a few more photos of this old picturesque village

 Another very old property with an interesting frontage. It always looks empty, not sure if anyone lives there. Going by the size of the windows it was probably once a shop

 

Who knew there was a website called WET ROADS  which has details of all the fords in the country.

This ford in Debenham is part of the Deben

The River Deben is a river in Suffolk rising to the west of Debenham. The river passes through Woodbridge, turning into a tidal estuary before entering the North Sea at Felixstowe Ferry 34 miles from it's source.  Both the river-name and the name of the village of Debenham are of uncertain origin and relationship, but one theory (of several on offer) is that the river's name was originally Dēope meaning 'the deep one'.The river-name, however, is not recorded in the form Deben before 1735, when it appears thus in Kirby's Suffolk Traveller. The river, though still little more than a stream, is forded twice in the village, with one ford claimed to be among the longest in England

A few weeks ago, after all the heavy rain we had, the water here was a couple of feet deep. 

 

And from the other end showing the ford is nearly 100+ yards long when the water is high.

 

 

No surprise on the name of the road here

The Angel pub was still open a few years ago but now closed

Before Covid there were signs on the front wanting support for it to become a community owned pub

Does this road name below date from 100's of years ago, when The Butts was the area on the edge of a village or town where archery was practiced? Archery practice was compulsory for village men back in around the 15C. They could be called up anytime to go to war.

The Derrybrook is one of the small streams that joins to make the Deben

 

I think this large building was turned into a house a few years ago.

I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't even know this area of woodland was here. It's further along the lane where the ford is, somewhere you wouldn't know about without actually going along the road. Wish I'd known about it for my Tree Alphabet photos. It looks very well used by village dog walkers

And finally a view up the village street, catching it for a moment without it jammed with traffic trying to get passed all the parked cars.

Back Tomorrow

Sue

Saturday 27th

It's the last Saturday in March and completion on the bungalow  purchase isn't going to happen next week after all. My solicitor has been offered a "tentative" date of 7th April. This is pushing things toward the last day I can be here on the 12th - 😟. I've contacted the removal company with this "tentative" date and they only have the 8th available  until the following week...... yikes......It's been "tentatively" booked. The hold up now is caused by the equity release company's (who are lenders to the bungalow owners) solicitors having to look through all the legal searches of the place they are buying in Kent.

So what have I been doing to fill yet another week pretending to be on holiday? 

Brother in Law brought my bike round for me once the weather was fine, hadn't cycled for 3 weeks so did the smallest loop for practice which is about 2½ miles. Then a bigger loop of 4½ miles which involved some up-hill bits and walks, just as I got about halfway it started to rain - which wasn't in the weather forecast - soaked me through! Glad the holiday let has effective heating and radiators to dry things. I've bought a cycle helmet as the roads are busier around here......been cycling for 55 years and have never bothered before ...but age is creeping up! I've only ever fell off a few times as far as I can remember. Once braking on a downhill black ice morning - nasty, once when out with family cycling and one of them touched my back wheel and once - unexplained - while just stopping and getting off!

 

On Thursday, seeings as there is loads of time to kill, I did a wander round Lidl in Stowmarket - I'd not been there for ages as it's not my favourite shop, before doing the same around the usual Asda - filled most of the morning!  

It's quite good to be able to walk to  a small shop from the holiday let although their fruit and veg is abysmal and their other things expensive - but I've been treating myself to a copy of the Radio Times each week. There's quite a lot of reading in it as well as all the TV schedules. Once I'm settled it will be a plan to take out a subscription to get it cheaper. That makes 3 treats to enjoy in my new smaller and cheaper home.............A regular bunch of flowers, a Radio Times and book purchasing without guilt! I'll probably share some of the house sale profits with the children too! 

 

Another benefit of walking in a village is spotting things out for sale at peoples gates - like this rhubarb at 50p a bundle.

 It was only after getting back with it I realised I don't have custard powder to make a Rhubarb fool or an oven dish and flour etc to make a crumble (In boxes somewhere in store!) I'll see what an egg custard is like without cornflour or vanilla!

There's a Silver Birch tree here, just over back fence by the road. I've been watching it slowly coming into leaf and there's often a couple of Blue Tits or a Robin sitting in it. I'm still thinking about some Silver Birch out the front of the bungalow even though my cousin said "don't do it!" due to the mess they make with their pollen and catkins later in the year.........Lovely bark set against the grey sky yesterday morning.

This week I've been grateful for

• Getting out on my bike
• Seeing the two nearest grandchildren
• Being warm and comfortable while waiting for my new home

Have a good weekend, I'll be back Monday

Sue

 

Debenham

Last week after picking up my library books I walked up and down the village street to take some photos of several of the old houses in Debenham. I've lived 4 miles from Debenham for the last 3 years but haven't mentioned it much on the blog so some photos before I move a wee bit further away (only a couple of miles further but on the other side of the main A road).

 Debenham calls itself  "a rural idyll in the heart of Mid Suffolk" . It's a large village now - population around 2,400 and had 69 households back in1086 which was large for then too.

It's on a B road and busy with traffic (not so idyllic when you are trying to drive through and everywhere is jammed up with parked cars)  but in the past still a busy place as it's on the old road that goes from Ipswich to Diss, several of the pubs would have been coaching Inns. 

I've not included photos of the church as that can be seen here when I visited HERE    back in July 2018 (and looking back to find Debenham Church I realised how much I'm looking forward to visiting some of the other 50 Suffolk Churches that were featured in Treasures In Suffolk Churches book , my last church visit was just before lock-down in March 2020)

This is in the side window of the Pharmacy and chemist shop. The sign looks very old but the shop is still up and running.

 

So many half timbered houses in this large village

 

This house is fascinating. Difficult to get a good photo as the road junction is busy. It has herringbone brickwork between the timber frame and is 3 stories as well as an area underneath.

An interesting passageway passing underneath another timber frame house

 

The Woolpack is now the only pub in the village, there were two open just a couple of years ago and three in the not very distant past. The pub called The Cherry Tree is now occupied by the vets.

The Grade II Listed, late 14C house below was for sale for £400,000 , The description says "The property is situated in the historic part of the village and is of timber frame with rendered elevations and exposed studding to the front. This Wealden house has a later addition with an early-mid C16 wing to the rear, and is located in a prominent position overlooking the medieval Cross Green and former village pump."

And this is the former village pump mentioned above

Below is the large United Reformed Church in the centre of the village Another Grade II Listed building

 I've got some more photos to share on Monday.

Back Tomorrow

Sue

25th Lady Day

Last year on the 25th my blog post featured some photos of the flowers on the meadow to cheer us up after just starting the Strange Times of lockdown - never thinking that a year later we would still be  stuck at home and I'd have sold the house! It is a relief to know I've not got to take care of so much garden this year but worrying to note that I've not labelled any posts "Strange Times" since 20th February - no longer strange just a resigned sort of normal now.

And once again it's Lady Day, the Christian festival remembering the Annunciation of Mary and the Immaculate Conception and my sister is another year older again!

 Lady Day was the day when servants and farm workers made an agreement with their employers that they wouldn't change their jobs in the next year and until the mid 18C it was the first day of the year for official purposes.

According to Chambers Book of Days it was once thought to be unlucky for Easter Day to fall on 25th March

                     "When Our Lord falls in Our Lady's lap, then let England beware a rap"

The book then goes on to say that over history this has been proved to be false (bit like most of the weather sayings!)

Two paintings of The Annunciation from my book of Saints Days. The top is by Roger A d'Hulst and the bottom one by Leonardo da Vinci.

Back Tomorrow

Sue

Even More Answers to Fill Another Blog Post

Susan asked ........................ I'm coming in late with a question but I wondered what you thought of "The Dig" Netflix film. I was nervous about how the Suffolk dialect would be presented. I thought Ralph Fiennes managed well.

ANSWER - Don't have Netflix so haven't seen it although I didn't rate the book at all. RF had tuition from a real Suffolk speaker for this film. I've been to Sutton Hoo a few times as we lived not far away.

Betty asked ............which room in any/all of your homes (past or future) will be the most important to you and make you feel the most that it is 'home'.

ANSWER - Once I get my things into the kitchen and living room then I soon feel at home everywhere I've lived

 Jeannie and Pauline asked.........If one was coming to visit Suffolk, what would be some of the places or things we'd be sure to see? 

ANSWER - Bury St Edmunds for the Cathedral and remains of the Abbey. The large church at Blythburgh- one of the favourites I've visited so far along with the tiny church at Thornham Parva. Framlingham Castle. RSPB reserve at Minsmere. Thorpeness for the quirky houses and the mere. Christchurch Mansion and park in Ipswich........ that's just for a start!

FB asked.......I have some questions, hope it’s OK to ask. 1. What are you most looking forward to in your new home?  2. Do you have any plans for changes/alterations to the new place? 3. Will you have time to grow some fruit and veg for the new season?

ANSWERS

1. Just getting in and getting unpacked to start with, I seem to have been twiddling my thumbs for weeks.

2.Probably yes - There are some patio doors that would be better as a window. And perhaps a door put in somewhere else. Might have a new kitchen too at some time 

3.The first thing I want to do is to get a greenhouse, then find someone to make me some vegetable beds, so not sure about this year. But anyway I need to work out the best places for the veg.beds.

EM Griffith asked .........Will I have a cutting garden?  

Quick Answer- No..........No spare room........... but I've decided to treat myself to a bunch of flowers much more often.

Back Tomorrow if I can think of something to write now all the questions are answered

Sue

Library Book Photo

 This was a nice surprise. When I transferred my book pick up point to Debenham library I wasn't expecting so many to arrive all at once.

From the top

Solo - a cooking-for-one book.....but a bit fancy and faffy for me and it includes how to roast a chicken - which didn't really seem like something that ought to feature in a solo cooking book.

Elly Griffiths - The Postscript Murders. This is the second of a new series and I can't remember a thing about the first so will need to look up the blurb to remind myself.

William Shaw - Salt Lane. A new to me author, mentioned on someones blog I think. I've had a quick flip through and it looks pretty violent - not sure I'll get into it.

Alexander McCall Smith - How to Raise an Elephant. A quick read - I've finished it already. This is the 21st in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series set in sunny Botswana. A lovely gentle read - no violent crime and in this one no crime at all.

Robert Harris- V2. I've read a few of his books - always a meaty read.

Cora Harrison - Death of a Prominent Citizen. The 7th in a series set in Ireland in the 1920's during the first troubles.

These should see me through a week or two before moving and after I got home there were emails for two more that must have been in the bottom of the crate the library lady was unpacking.

 

 Speaking of moving ......the last of the legal searches for the place that the people in 'my' bungalow are buying in Kent was due to be with their solicitor last Friday. So as long as there aren't too many queries and questions and with fingers tightly crossed exchange and completion should happen during the last week of March. AND thank goodness I've been able to pay for the week after Easter here so I can stay a bit longer in case the removal company are too busy to move me on the day I get the key. All extra expense but better than being homeless and it should make moving in less stressful.

 

Back Tomorrow

Sue

More Answers

 More answers to questions from blog readers to fill a blog post

Judyk  asked.........If you could choose one place to visit in the world, where would it be and why?
What era would you like to be a part of if you could go back in time?

 I always fancied traveling the length of the USA and Canada in a motor home as I'd love to pop in on Desarae in  Alanson and Peggy in Kelowna, see the wide open spaces that we don't have here and I want to go shopping for things the Amish make and sell and see their horse drawn- buggys.

Which era? I would like to pop back to Medieval England. This is the time when people first lived in a way recognisable to our way of life now but much more simply. I wouldn't stay long as I like my modern home comforts!

Bonnie asked ....How, why and when did you get started blogging and what helpful hints do you have for new bloggers?

Coincidentally I have something in drafts about my blog anniversary coming up next month. I started because a penny-pincher penfriend told me about some frugal blogs that she had started reading. I liked writing and had just stopped writing regularly for the Suffolk Smallholders Society newsletter so thought I could do frugal ideas too. Eldest Daughter set up a blog for me on Wordpress when she was home at Christmas 2012 but I just couldn't work out how to do things that were available on Blogger so I set up Frugal in Suffolk in 2013 and haven't stopped since. 

Helpful hints - just start and see if you enjoy it.

Joy asked.......What is the holiday let like?

ANSWER

A bungalow squeezed into the corner in a small close of bungalows built in the 80's on land that once belonged to an engineering works in the village. The village is one that I know well having lived near it for the most years of my life.

I wouldn't want to live here permanently! but it's perfect for between proper homes

 Out the front

Below is the view from main bedroom window of the back garden(?) over the fence is a road - quite busy at "rush hours" but quiet at night thank heavens. To the right of the photo is a paved patio area for sitting out accessed through patio doors from the living room.

The front

Here's the "view" from the other bedroom window - a garage wall!

Back Tomorrow

Sue

Saturday Round-Up and the Spring Equinox

 As well as a tree for each of the months in the Ogham Tree Alphabet Book, there are also shrubs or trees that represent other points in the wheel of the year and the other letters of the alphabet.

The Spring or Vernal equinox (meaning equal night) can happen on the 20th, 21st or 22nd March. This year its today.

Represented by Gorse

This photo below dates from January 2019 and was taken a couple of miles from the Cottage at the end of the lane.

The spring equinox  still determines when  Easter will be....the first Sunday after the first Full Moon after the spring equinox. Hope the weather improves before then as it's been a dreary week weather wise in Suffolk until at last yesterday we got some sunshine. I've been mainly reading and watching too much TV again. I'm in Sicily now with Inspector Montalbano - haven't quite decided if they are meant to be a bit funny in places or if that's how the police work there!

I've been doing a short walk each day....I am so unfit it's frightening..... although there really isn't anywhere to go in this village, there are footpaths beside the roads in some places but in others just grass verges or high banks and a surprising amount of traffic. My bike is still a few miles away in BiLs garage as I didn't want to bother him to bring it then have to move it again if I wasn't going to be here long but no sign of completion yet so I'll get him to bring it when he has time.

Thank you to everyone for comments and more questions for me to answer when I'm short of ideas for posts.

Have a super-douper weekend

Back Monday

Sue

Finally Reading

 At last 4 months after P, a lovely blog reader from Wales, sent me a copy of the Richard Osman book

 

I finally got around to reading it. I kept putting it off because some people said it was rubbish yet it has had a lot written about it. Did I read it's going to be turned into a TV series?

So what did I think?.................well, if you want a serious police procedural story then don't bother but if you're prepared to suspend reality of how the police work then it's just a bit of fun.

I have no idea if retirement villages like the one in this book actually exist (swimming pool, umpteen clubs, sports facilities, posh restaurant and a murder on the doorstep) but it does sound like a fun place to live. The four residents of various ages and backgrounds who meet on Thursdays in the Jigsaw Room, in a two hour free slot between  Art History and Conversational French, bring different areas of expertise when looking at old unsolved crimes. 

When a murder happens right there in the Coopers Chase the club soon acquire a couple of tame police officers to help them solve the crime and when a second murder happens it all gets very complicated.

I enjoyed reading but have to say there are many other crime authors with better written meatier stories out there. 

I promised to pass this on to someone else but all my packaging materials are in storage at the moment so I'll offer it to another blogger once I get settled again.

Back Tomorrow

Sue

Answers

Continuing from Tuesdays post ..............

Answers to my questions - Seems the TV sound problem on ITV catch up is a Freeview  problem  and quite common. Annoying  but only for a few weeks. My own TV watching through Freesat didn't have the same problem

The oven heating problem.... I tried various positions of the right hand dial and the temp. dial, going away and leaving it each time and eventually I found how it works - just takes forever to heat up -  seems even more slow as I've cooked with speedy gas for more years than electric.

And answers to some of your questions.........

 Betty Asked .............. I have a question for you on moving house: if you could only take 3 non essential items on your house move, i.e. beautiful, loved, with memories, what would be your three most treasured possessions?

ANSWER Oh  my goodness, I haven't a clue. After lots of thinking - I still don't know. Need to be at home with my things around to choose I think.

 Rachel asked  where is Polly? 

ANSWER Sadly Polly had to go to the Small Animal Rescue place with a donation for her care. I knew it would be impossible to have her at the new bungalow as the only door that would take a cat-flap was  the front door - which wouldn't be suitable due to the road. I couldn't keep her in as she used the litter tray standing up so peed everywhere. (Tried one with a lid years ago but she wouldn't go into it).

This was OK at the cottage as there was a hard floor I could clean each morning after she was kept in at night. Then when I had to rent due to the hold up in the purchase I knew it wouldn't be possible to have her in a holiday let. Polly was never very settled after Colin died - she used to sit on him all the time and slept on his bed - I was always a poor substitute!

You're welcome to judge me or hate me if you like!

 No more pets for me now.

Aril asked If you could have done anything as a job/career what would it have been?

ANSWER - I enjoyed working in various libraries as a library assistant when I left school but was very happy not to go back to work after having Eldest Daughter. I liked being my own boss running the campsite and growing things for sale. I guess I wasn't cut out for being told what to do! 

Sue asked ... Of each of the properties that you have lived in which suited you best style-wise and which one holds the happiest memories?

ANSWER - Each of the umpteen places I've lived have served their purpose for the time we were there but of course the 23 years at the smallholding have the happiest memories although as traffic increased I liked it less, so the years up the end of the lane in the quiet were a treat but just too much work for  me once Colin died.

More answers next time I'm short of ideas for blog posts.........probably tomorrow!

Sue

Two Saints

 Many countries are better than England at celebrating their Saints days and Irish people around the world will know that today is St. Patrick's Day.

This is what my book 'Calendar of Saints' says about him

Saint Patrick was born in Britain, of Roman stock, probably with the name Patricious Magonus Sucatus When is was about 14 in the year 403, Irish raiders carried him away to their country as a slave. Here he learned to pray while looking after his master's herds.

He escaped in a ship taking dogs to Gaul and there he became a disciple of saint Germanus of Auxerre and studied at the monastery of Lerins. After 15 years he dreamed of Ireland and determined to return as a missionary. Saint Germanus consecrated him Bishop and he returned to Ireland in 432 . He confronted King Laoghaire with the Christain Gospel and converted his daughters. The Saint wrote that he daily expected to be killed or enslaved.

In 444 he established the bishopric of Armagh and the organization of the Irish Church became secure.

 

This hymn and prayer is called St Patricks Breastplate

 

 

 

According to my book the 17th March is also the day for remembering Joseph Of Arimathea. Nothing is known about Joseph except what's written in the gospels.

 

From Mark 15.

"Joseph of  Arimathea,an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the Kingdom of God, came, and went boldly unto Pilate and craved the body of Jesus.....and he brought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre".

 

400 years later a legend said that Joseph had later travelled as a missionary to Britain and founded a church at Glastonbury in Somerset.

 

HERE is the story of the Glastonbury Thorn.

 

Such nasty weather here in Mid Suffolk yesterday, wet and windy, hope today is better.

Back Tomorrow (with answers to some questions)

Sue

An Idea

 

No idea what to blog about while I'm in between homes but there was a comment from Judyk  who said...........

 

"Why don't you have everyone ask a question and then you could Blog answers. You could maybe get several posts as you just answer so many questions each time. Just a thought and also I'd love to see some photos of where you are and the cost of the Holiday let. What does the area have to offer and photos of the area. Thanks"

 

So there you go..........ask me a question and I'll answer as long as it's not too personal! and I have no plans to tell anyone how much the holiday let is costing me for 4 weeks but it's more than a few pence!

 

 

And on the subject of questions.............

1. Did anyone else watch the last of the crime TV drama "Bloodlands" on Sunday evening and think "?"

2. Why does the TV here lose sound through the ads and for a few seconds before, when I'm watching ITV on the catch-up channel(Its a smart TV watching via Freeview)?

3. And why can't I seem to get much heat in the oven here whichever dials I twiddle?

 

It is on at the main switch as eventually the hot plates heat up

 

 

I'm assuming dial below is for light, fan oven or grill, So I turned it round to fan

This one below must be the temperature, and I turned it right round to 250 and the oven was barely warm

I know this one below is the timer clock

 

 So questions and answers needed please

Back Tomorrow

Sue

 

 

The Ides of March

 Did you know that the 15th of March is a day that we need to beware of...... according to Shakespeare in his play.

The Romans didn't number the days of the month as we do now but used points in the month to divide each month into groups. The Ides were the 15th of the month in March, May, July and October and the 13th in the other months. The Kalends were at the beginning of the month.

 The Ides of March was the day when debts had to be settled and became so well known by us now after Julius Caeser was killed by a group of conspirators led by Marcus Junius Brutus  on this day in 44BC.

When you think about it  how amazing we know something that happened on a specific day over 2,000 years ago............... providing the Roman historians and Shakespeare got the date right.

***********

I was pondering, while hanging on the phone, how difficult it is to do some things when moving yet how easy it is to do others. BT took 3 phone calls to find out why they'd sent me an email telling me to ring them about my order. TIP - ring at 8am exactly on a Saturday morning. Then there was the hour spent trying to ring Eon last week to give them my final meter reading and sort out a query- No tips for getting through - just have to hang on.

Essex and Suffolk Water company was easy, all done online and the bill to pay the final amount came just a day after moving. The Post redirection was also simple. Fill in forms, take ID and form to any Post Office and pay and hey presto the post is straightaway transferred to the new address on the right day. Of course it will need to be done all over again in a few weeks time.

I'm avoiding changing some addresses twice which  hopefully won't cause problems or get me into trouble....guess I'll find out! 

Taking the car for it's annual service and MOT today, I expect my mates at the repair place will lend me my old car for the day as I'm a few miles further away. 

Back Tomorrow

Sue

Two Weeks Into March

Maybe I've brought too much stuff to the holiday let. It was difficult to know what would be needed as I've never had a 4 week "holiday" before. After finishing the cleaning at the cottage on Wednesday I brought another car load......some things were left for me to use for cleaning, other items brought because I didn't know what was here and one or two things found that had  missed being packed. So, knowing my car is in for it's MOT on Monday and needing it cleared,  yesterday I took everything to BiL's garage - thank goodness he has spare space after doing a big tidy-up.

It's a good thing that having a clean car isn't part of the MOT as it's muddy on the outside and dusty on the inside. A spotless car has never been high on my priorities list!

How's this for going above and beyond...............................I had a phone call from Andrew the Library Man who had got permission from his boss to hand deliver all the requested books that had been stuck in crates in storage since December directly to each persons home. The mobile will be up and running again in April but as it runs on a four week cycle it will be May before it gets to some villages.  I'd changed pick up point for later requests to Debenham Library but there were 3 books that had already arrived at the mobile depot.

So for the first time since December here's a library book photo 

Andrew said he has 300 books to deliver, I said I hope he was getting money for petrol for his car and he is. He's just pleased to get out and about after nearly 3 months at home and this will get all the books back into circulation.

No idea why I ordered the London book and the book about snow is a month too late but I'm really looking forward to reading "I Saw Him Die" it's another by this author featuring Agatha Christie solving a crime in her spare time between writing her own crime stories......a clever concept. This is the 4th he's written in this series. The mobile library is next due in my new village in early May so hopefully I'll just be able to walk up the road which will be a treat.

 

This week I've been grateful for

• Getting settled in my temporary home
• Not having to go far in the very cold windy weather 

Thank you to everyone for comments yesterday.

Hope you all have a good weekend, I'll be back Monday

Sue

What to Write About?

Thank you to everyone for comments and sympathy. I promise not to moan about house move hassles ever again!.............unless................

I still haven't come up with any bright ideas for blog post topics so just a little local news gleaned from the local facebook page who took it from the East Anglian Daily Times who got it from the last  District Council meeting.

"A sum of £239,000 was granted to  **********  Health Centre for an extension that will accommodate new clinical space, improved car parking and a new waiting room.

The centre, which serves around 8,000 people in the nearby communities, will allow additional services to be carried out such as ultrasound, physiotherapy, clinical pharmacists, phlebotomy, chiropody clinics and mental health support services.

It is hoped hospital outpatient clinics can also be carried out there." 

This is good news as it's in the village that I'm about to move to and the doctors I've been registered with for the last 4 years .............

 Although they are already short of Doctors/ Nurses/Pharmacists, so it might be all talk and good intentions.

Back Tomorrow

Sue

" On Holiday?"

 I shall never ever again try and do all the business of moving by myself!

I'm knackered.

 It didn't help that just as the removal men were finishing loading on Tuesday, the postman brought me a letter from my solicitor requiring me to go and swear a declaration at a solicitors in town to say that I've never had any problem with using the lane to the house. (I've mentioned before that the track that serves the 4 houses isn't owned by anyone ). So instead of doing some hoovering and cleaning and then a relaxed 15 minute journey to the holiday let, I had to find a phone number, ring for an appointment and dash to Stowmarket for a solicitor, swear the declaration (£5 charge) and then get the signed thing in the post by special delivery (£6+ postage) so it got back to my solicitor for completion midday yesterday..... No idea who to blame for it being left to the last minute!

That meant that I had to go back earlier and for longer  yesterday morning to finish cleaning and read the electric meter before completion. 

It then took me an 52 minutes to get through to Eon to give them my final meter reading. I couldn't do it on line because I needed to query a couple of emails telling me I'd not paid my last quarterly bill 10 days ago.....even though I'd got a confirmation reference number. ( Is this all a sly plan to get me to have a smart meter?)

So after all that I'm now on "holiday" in a small bungalow in a small close of similar small bungalows in a small village 8 miles from where I was,  1¼ miles from Son, DiL and my bubble grandchildren and 4 miles back to where I will be. It's comfortable and warm and has everything I need for a months stay although the weather isn't exactly holiday weather ....with gales forecast and plenty of rain. But I finally got connected to t'internet, the TV is a smart TV so I can carry on watching all the crime dramas and I have books to read and puzzle pages to do but what on earth can I blog about?

Oh, nearly forgot...........Thank you to everyone who clicked me past that frightening 666 number! Hope you know I wasn't being that serious although I have to admit I love to see the numbers going up! 😃

Now to think of a topic for tomorrow.

Maybe Back Tomorrow

Sue

 

The Wrong Number

When I looked at the blog yesterday I noticed the number of followers is 666 - someone please press the follower button as I don't want to be stuck on that number for too long!

 Thanks for comments, I decided to take some things to the holiday let yesterday and the key to the Estate Agents, that will give me more time today and tomorrow.

Sue

First and Last Rhubarb

 Just a quick post scheduled today............

After taking the topless and bottomless old rusty dustbin to the tip, there was then nothing to force the rhubarb this year so I wasn't expecting to eat any before moving . But it looked nice and pink so I pulled a few bits and made a Lazy Fool in a Jug. ...Twice......Delicious.

A small clump of rhubarb is sitting in a bucket at BiL's house ready to plant out at the new bungalow as soon as possible. I don't want to be without the first-crop-of-the-year treat.

Today is my last full day here, lots of last minute stuff to pack and load into the car. Tomorrow the removal men come to take everything to storage and on Wednesday I hand over the keys. I'll be back after settling into the holiday let - provided I can get the internet to connect!

 Back ASAP
Sue

Saturday 6th March

First of all I must say Hello and Welcome to the people who've clicked the follower button recently.

 

It's now 4 years and 4 days since we came to this cottage at the end of a Suffolk lane, hopeful that Colin was going to stay well. Sadly he didn't and passed away just 14 months later and now in 3 days I'll be leaving for my temporary home until the purchase of the bungalow is sorted.....exciting but with a touch of sadness as I've loved living here...... but life goes on and I'll be glad to pass on all the potential expenses and work involved with an old house and an acre of land to a much younger family (and if only the Chancellor of the Exchequer had announced the extension to the stamp duty holiday a few weeks earlier I needn't have done all the faffing about with holiday let!)

 

Youngest Daughter arranged a friend to come and collect a pine bed frame and chest of drawers for her ex partner and my final trip to the Household Recycling site didn't take long just a couple of old crates and some things from the greenhouse that I no longer need . Now everything is as tidy and empty as I can make it and all ready for the new owners.

I keep hearing good news about things starting again, the swimming pool I've already mentioned and then this week I found the first car-boot sales are due on the 18th April, mobile libraries are also starting after the 12th April. My small Suffolk world is gradually re-opening and I hardly dare believe it will happen!

This week I've been grateful for

• Finally clearing the last things from the workshop and garage
• Losing myself /filling time with a Very long Italian crime series on TV (36 x 45 minute episodes!)
  

 

Thanks to everyone for comments yesterday. If I'd been in the right frame of mind I'd planned to find out and write more about Ash trees but waiting to move has upset all my good intentions! 

 

Back Monday - Briefly.

Sue

Ogham Tree Alphabet for the 3rd Lunar Month February into March

 The tree that represents the 3rd Lunar month from February into March is the Ash.

There are just a few Ash trees on the meadow

and one still has lots of Ash seeds known as keys,  attached, hanging down in brown clumps.

Here's a word I didn't know........ "samara". It is the name of any dry fruit that has flattened wings attached so that it can be dispersed by the wind.

 

Back Tomorrow

Sue

Primroses Everywhere

 Primroses have spread like mad in the oval rose garden and have been in flower for weeks, way before the snow. 

And I'm sure there are more down the meadow than when we arrived  4 years ago.(And I hope the blur of condensation that appeared on the lens in these photos isn't permanent)

Here's  one  busy buzzy bee and if I knew where the Bee Identification chart was  I'd be able to tell you what sort of bee it is!

And finishing  with the Primrose Fairy and her song from The Complete Book of Flower Fairies by Cicely Mary Barker

 

On the sunny side of the ditches around the lanes Primroses are everywhere and I'm sure there are more than years ago when I was small. Nowadays they always seem to be a very early sign of Spring.

Back Tomorrow

Sue

Wednesday Catch-up

Thank you for comments since Saturday and  Apologies for not replying - my mind is as blank as my days and in a way I'm regretting packing so many boxes several weeks ago as now I've nothing to do except wait, in a home that doesn't feel like mine anymore.......it's very unsettling.

Consequently more TV has been watched than ever before and  my latest virtual journey with the  police has been to Italy.....mainly Turin..... with "Thou Shalt Not Kill". I wonder why the police in all these dramas always have "issues". They are never happily married or settled and so many of them seem quite unstable! I suppose like soaps.....a normal life would be boring. I've also watched the first two in a short series "22 Kids and Counting"... are they mad? - Well they certainly don't seem to be and Sue Radford, the Mum,  doesn't look like someone who's had 22 children. 22! Heck!

The owner of the holiday let asked if I wanted to go and look at what things of my own I might want to take as I'm going to be there for a few weeks. She has had to pare down the kitchen equipment due to covid and having to clean every single thing in the house between guests. I'm taking my breadmaker and will need a few other things - including (as Sue in Lancs. suggested) my own Big mugs.. I'm also taking my own bedding as normally she would come in and change sheets each week. The holiday let has a washer/dryer and no washing line which I'm not used to - I prefer to hang stuff outside whenever I can.

The 6 mile circular bike ride on Sunday was in lovely blue sky and sunshine.....and no wind.

  Despite good intentions I'd left it several weeks between cycle rides so six miles was plenty. One of the things about living in a relatively flat area is that it's easy to see the weather coming over the horizon. All the way round I was watching clouds that seemed to be building up in all directions.

 

 But thankfully the sun stayed shining for most of the day. It would have enticed me into the greenhouse for early sowing if I wasn't about to go off and live in limbo for a month!

 Back Tomorrow

Sue