Here's another photo of an old Christmas card, this one is in a book called Christmas Fare which I think I picked up in a charity shop last Christmas.
My week began making another batch of ricotta cheese and then using it to make some ricotta and spinach lasagna - 9 portions in total and 8 went in the freezer. I'm right out of storage boxes now but have enough pizza topping and lasagnas to last me weeks!
I started reading Richard Osman's second book this week, whilst reading I kept thinking "blimey, this is rubbish" - the first one was pretty unbelievable but ' The Man Who Died Twice' is just bad. I may give up. ............ STOP PRESS.....I did give up! and read the most recent Donna Leon instead - 100% better writing and much more readable and believable. (Sorry Mr Osman but your celebrity status doesn't make you a great writer!) The library van is around next Thursday with several books for me but a worrying shortage of crime fiction for Christmas reading.
Wednesday morning I had a minor panic as the oil-fired boiler stopped working.
After leaving a message on Ian's phone - the man who has looked after
the boilers since we moved back to Mid Suffolk - he phoned me back and
talked me through resetting the darn thing and Phew - thank goodness it
worked. The boiler here is a combi-boiler whereas the one at Clay Cottage wasn't, so it's a bit different. (I'm a Learner when it comes to boilers anyway as we never had one anywhere until 2016) At least I now know something to try if it goes off again.
On Wednesday afternoon I went to my first village Over 60's Club meeting - I might have been the youngest there by 10 years but - hey ho. Before Covid they had a membership of 75 people now less than 30 turn up - the others haven't all died I'm sure. The speaker did a presentation about all the Christmas legends that I've been writing about through December. There were a couple of things he mentioned that I'd not read about but by the time we'd had coffee, mince pie and the raffle (didn't win - never do!) I'd forgotten what they were!
Friday and a coffee morning and raffle (again didn't win - never do) with Christmas Carols 🎵 , all in aid of the United Reformed Church.
Today I'm off to another coffee morning with my sister in the church in the village where she lives- hope they have carols playing 🎵. On the way back I will drop off a Christmas card to Col's Auntie and Uncle who will be at the village hall at another regular coffee/breakfast thing in their village.
I seem to be attending an awful lot of coffee and cake things!........ making the most of all the local events to attend - just in case THEY lock us down in January, although after this weeks "party-gate" and "obvious lie" revelations who's going to obey anything!
Back Tomorrow
Sue
I got halfway through Osman #2, then went off to Essex without it. When I returned, I realised I really didn't care whodunit. So I never finished it either. I suspect there will be lots of these volumes in Charity Shops, come February....
ReplyDeleteI think he could have done better as the idea of the retirement village and the people who live there solving mysteries is a good one
DeleteI'm not a fan of Richard Osman so I've never read either one of his books. You've had a busy week with lots of cake involved.
ReplyDeleteI've been very good and had coffee without the cakes most of the time
DeleteI’m not sure why so many seem to enjoy the Osman books, I’m another that isn’t a fan. Sounds like a busy time for you.
ReplyDeleteI'm enjoying getting out and about to local events
DeleteI read the first Richard Osman book and thought it was dire too. Glad it's not just me!
ReplyDeleteLove that little card with the podgy toddlers! Well done with the Ricotta cheese making and batch cooking for the freezer. With Keith not at his best I have lost the urge to do anything much and am starting to get like his mum, when she decided what to eat for tea 5 minutes before she ate it! I MUST make some jam to take round the neighbours with a C/card but need to kick myself up the behind first to get some momentum :)
Sure you'll manage with fewer books and there's the hope you will get some for Christmas to keep you quiet :)
I do hope Keith feels better soon.
DeleteI usually only decide what to eat for my dinner the same morning and it's good not to plan after 40 years!
P.S. There was a piece in the paper yesterday which wondered whether BoJo's new baby HAD actually arrived or was another imaginative figment to distract everyone from all the big fat LIES.
ReplyDeleteApparently they call it the "dead cat on the table" - if you throw in something shocking it stops all previous conversations and I didn't even know she was pregnant again!
DeleteI'm glad I'm not the only one who didn't even know she was pregnant!! I think they hoped this news would drown out everything else ... but nope, it didn't work this time.
DeleteThats the great thing about little villages and towns they have plenty of community events going on. 🎄Enjoy your day.
ReplyDeleteSo different to living in the village just across the A140 where they had a village hall but nothing happened in it!
DeleteI'm glad I'm not the only person who did not enjoy The Thursday Murder Club, I have no intention of picking up his 2nd book. Now I've officially retired we are looking for a couple of clubs in our village.
ReplyDeleteI finished the first one and thought it was a bit rubbishy but the second one is just plain silly!
DeleteWell it's another sunny day here I am going to wrap up a few present, takes me ages my cards are posted except for a few neighbors who don't go out the others I will see.
ReplyDeleteLove your card at the top.
Nice that you are seeing the people in the village your turn will get a raffle prize I never win either.
Enjoy the weekend and I am pleased you got the boiler sorted.
Hazel 🌈🌈☃️☃️
I was VERY glad about the boiler. This is the first place I've lived with no alternative.... like a woodburner. Just one small electric convector if the boiler fails and Nothing if the electric goes off
DeleteJust goes to show, my husband loved his first book but then, we watch quite a few of his programmes so are attuned to him?
ReplyDeleteI watch and enjoy House of Games but it's the far-fetched stories that I don't get on with
DeleteThe cult of celebrity. Publishers think they can sell their books simply because of who they are, denying opportunities to others.
ReplyDeleteThe library waiting list for his second book was So Long - Hope others will enjoy it more than I did
DeleteI have felt that way about several authors lately maybe it's me. You are getting out and being social good for you. Covid is raging here they will never shut us down again. There would be a revolt I think but really people need to be more cautious.
ReplyDeletehave a lovely day
cathy
I really really don't want another lockdown now that things have got going again
DeleteOh, dear, that book is my first Twelve Days of Christmas presents. Ohm well, maybe I will be the first to enjoy it. Maybe . . .
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you were able to sort the boiler. I hate it when things I don't understand go wrong!
xx
Oops sorry. Perhaps you will enjoy it more than me. maybe I gave up too easily!
DeleteLet me just say that any morning with coffee and cake sounds like a very GOOD morning! --Elise
ReplyDeleteVery True
Delete"I've been very good and had coffee without the cakes most of the time" Not in accord with your latest entry - mince pie! Roderick
ReplyDeleteEveryone needs an "Ian" when boiler problems appear. You got good advise and solved the problem beautifully. UK churches and villages seem to have a lot of lovely events for the community. Bringing people together is always enjoyable. Add homemade cake and it's even nicer. Having your new freezer full with homemade meals is a great accomplishment. The meals sound delicious. All together, you've had a great week.
ReplyDeleteSounds quite busy! Glad you managed to get the boiler working. Phew.
ReplyDeleteI've seen those Richard Osman books and thought about them and then passed them by. If I shall try them it will be borrowed from the library lol. All the clubs you attend sound interesting. I wish there were more of them here. I feel like the only clubs I participate in are online ones. There is a lovely Facebook group I'm a member of. There are a couple of hundred of us. We are all from Ipswich but now live in the US. So interesting and very supportive. Maybe someday I'll be able to meet with some of them in person.
You have a lot of community events! Here everything has been cancelled or is only for people who are veccinated twice AND have a negative test.I wonder wether our priest will like last year, anounce that "there will be a midnight mass but I advise everybody not to attend".
ReplyDeleteHilde in Germany
I was hoping to be throwing myself into all the town activities this year, coffee mornings, exhibitions and Fayres etc but hopefully next year will be the year for that. Enjoy all the coffee mornings, and keep buying the raffle tickets you've got to win one day surely.
ReplyDelete