Saturday, 7 October 2023

This Week

The week has whizzed by again - 

Sunday............... Last spring only a couple of tulips appeared in the big pot by the front door. There should have been lots more as it was their second year. I'd planted crocuses too and only a few of those appeared.
 I fished all the compost out so I could refill and replant and found just 2 tulip bulbs and 3 teeny crocus and the compost was bone dry.
So I bought 10 tulip bulbs for £2.50 from the Saturday car boot sale and a tray of 9 viola or mini pansies for £2 and used some of my home made compost and the last from a bag and refilled the pot. There were enough pansies to put some in another little planter too.


 I must remember to water everything more often, there's no excuse really as I've got a water butt out the front and a watering can.

Monday........... Dentist check up - No problems and he just painted a back tooth with fluoride, at least I think that's what he said it was. It might break one day he said as it's got a very old filling - most of my teeth have very old fillings! He doesn't like them but while they are OK we are agreed on doing nothing. In and out in 15 minutes and all I had to do was pay the bill!
Then I did a big shop at Aldi and Morrisons, as I was in Ipswich, topping up things that had got low last month and finding a couple of  items for the two Christmas hampers. 

Tuesday........... One of the people at the Keep Moving Group had been on a Western Mediterranean cruise and was talking about the 19 storey high ship with 6,000 people on board - I said it sounded awful! and got lots of funny looks from all the others who had also been to Morocco, Madeira ("so many times, we wouldn't go again" one person said) and various other places, when I said I'd not been out of the country since 1977. I 've always been out of step with the majority in so many ways, even people 15 years older than me! (I didn't mention the School Cruise I was on in 1968 or 9 - we were on the S.S. Nevasa and it was it's almost last trip - a very old Steam Ship - definitely not as plush as cruise ships now!)

Wednesday....... I ordered heating oil, birthday presents for two Grandchildren and Son and some Christmas things, all without leaving the house. Spent a fortune but saved on car diesel! 
Finally got round to cleaning windows inside, I try and do it as soon as the window cleaner has been and done the outsides and he was here over a week ago.

Thursday .......Met my school friend again in the church café in Stowmarket for a coffee, we are still catching up on 35 + years of news. 
On the way home I was following a big motorhome, until it turned off. It had the symbols  +   x  ÷   =  and  − painted on the back. Was the driver an Ed Sheeran fan? or perhaps it was Ed Sheeran himself on his way home to near Framlingham!
The news said it was the worlds hottest year since records began   - not in Suffolk .
While I was out the heating oil was delivered, one day after ordering even though it was supposed to be sometime next week and I don't know how he got in the gate! The tank wasn't as empty as I thought so the fill up was £100 less than quoted. Altogether odd.

Friday........... Swimming and not a lot else. 



A few people this week have written about blogging and it's future and Sue in Lancs has paused her two blogs- which is sad as I was enjoying her go at modern WWII rationing - hope she will come back like she did before. 
Here in Suffolk I just keep rambling on, because I enjoy writing and don't take it too seriously and even though less people are reading-  no huge revelations to reveal or exciting adventures to write about -  I'll just keep turning out posts.

Have a good weekend - temperatures rising in Suffolk the lady on TV said

I'll be back Monday with something about something I'm sure.
Sue


65 comments:

  1. I enjoy your blog and have for years, also a widow and live in a tiny village in Dorset and enjoy my garden. However, I have decided not to spend any money at all on the garden next year and just see what survives/ self seeds. A lot of bloggers have moved to Instagram which is not the same at all, I much prefer your lovely blog, thamk you. Sarah Browne

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    1. I just enjoy writing so will carry on the blog as long as I'm able.
      I've never really understood instagram - thought it was just pictures.

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  2. Like you I thought I would hate cruising until someone paid for me to go as carer. I would never have forked out otherwise. I loved it and have been again!

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    1. I know some ships are much smaller which sounds better than 6,000 people

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  3. Hope you keep rambling on! Enjoy reading your blog. Laura's mum, Marilyn.

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  4. Like you I will keep blogging. Some really nice blogs are gone now.
    You are certainally ahead on your Christmas shopping.
    Cathy

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    1. With 5 grandchildren, 3 children, 2 partners, 2 hampers and Brother in law as well as a couple of small things for friends I have to strat early

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  5. Your blog is a great antidote to much elsewhere: no hype, no “dumbing down”, no adverts, just an honest description of an ordinary life we can all relate to. It’s still the first thing I read every morning. Don’t stop unless it becomes an onerous chore for you. Anne (living a new Lancashire life)

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    1. No it's never a chore as I like writing and thank you for reading every day

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    2. I love what you wrote, and agree wholeheartedly.

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  6. Yes, I too was enjoying Sue's WW2 ration blog & her regular one. But sustaining one blog can be a challenge, two must be draining sometimes! The thought of being on a huge boat, which contains nearly three times the number of people who live in my village is bizarre.
    And I couldn't justify doing so much damage to the planet just for my own pleasure. Cruises are worse than planes in their contribution to global warming, and treble a person's daily carbon footprint.
    I am sure Morocco is utterly beautiful - but I can enjoy reading about it, and watching it on TV - and cook the traditional recipes in my own kitchen, now ras el hangout is in the supermarket!
    And East Anglia is a fabulous place to live!

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    1. Those cruise ships are so tall and so many floors - and I don't like lifts anyway!
      I'll manage with a cruise holiday I think

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  7. I enjoy your blog but I've given up on my own. I do use Instagram but it's just pictures. I share your horror at the huge cruise ship. I went on a cruise to Norway with a friend 5 years ago. It was a tiny ship so I coped with it. We had a good time and it was lovely being waited on but I wouldn't go on a cruise again. I like my independent travel.

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    1. I just like writing and as long as I find something even vaguely interesting to write about I shall keep going

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  8. You can seperate your days by the variety of your week, the only day which stands out for me was Thursday, which apart from being my birthday was horrendous. Enough said. The only cruise I've been on was in Egypt which was a smallish boat and like many I would never set foot on one of the big cruise ships, which to me look top heavy. Your blog is the first I go to every day and although it's just about your ordinary life that you write about it is always interesting with many topics, not just one or two. Do you still see Rachel? I miss her blog.

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    1. Sorry your birthday day was spoiled.
      Rachel is still blogging she just fell off my reading list

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  9. You are certainly keeping out of mischief! It's definitely not the warmest September in west Wales either!
    Sorry I frightened you with my last blog! I intend to keep going as long as the Parkinson's allows me to.

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    1. I'm glad your are continuing with your blog - your artwork is stunning

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  10. I always think that those huge cruise ships look like floating tower blocks.

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    1. All those corridors and lifts - not appealing at all

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  11. I still love to blog and read posts, I don't have enough to say to post every day, the garden in summer and crafting other times, gives me loads to chat about.

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    1. I sometimes think I'll have nothing to post about but then something usually turns up!

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  12. I like reading about other people's lives - one person's ordinary is another's fascinating. Blogging is to Instagram as letters are to email.

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    1. My problem is that blogging has replaces letters and I'm a Very Bad Penfriend!

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  13. Do keep writing Sue...I read a lot fewer blogs than I used to...in fairness I have a lot less spare time than I used to so that's just the way it goes...I don't feel we have had our hottest year here either...but the washing is currently out and I'm leaving a note for hubby to pick it in later as I've picked up a part shift at the hospital today. x

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    1. I just like writing and usually find something to talk about

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  14. Have a lovely weekend!I enjoy your ‘everyday’ posts, It’s like a passing,regular morning chat to a neighbour.( from the bottom of the world)

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  15. I’m sorry I don’t comment very often but I do appreciate your gentle blog. I agree wholeheartedly about cruise ships. The very thought of being on one is abhorrent. And the pollution and environmental damage! Poor Venice, poor Amsterdam and the rest. My husband and I haven’t had a holiday abroad since the 70s, or too many in the U.K. for that matter. Happy to be at home and in the garden. Best wishes, Charmaine

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    1. Reading the Donna Leon crime books set in Venice she often mentions the damage caused by so many huge ships.
      I don't fancy 6,000 people all stuck on a boat together at all

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  16. As I read about your tulips, I wonder if the wildlife ate the bulbs? I was told I would have to enclose the bulbs in chicken wire to prevent them from being removed and eaten. Large cruise ships have no appeal to me either. 6,000 people on a ship sounds dreadful; I'd rather walk on the beach. Our garden centers are having end of season sales. I bought 3 Winterberry bushes and planted them yesterday. Your pansies look lovely. They provide a nice greeting on the patio.

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    1. There was no sign that anything had got into the pot and it would only be squirrels or mice I guess.
      The two pots are by the front door to cheer up the doorstep

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  17. Something happening each day is certainly a way to make the week pass quickly. I rarely comment but do enjoy reading your daily posts
    You are right about less readers…even though I write a blog myself I’m finding I read fewer (blogs) than I did - even as short a time as a year ago. So I can’t complain about less visitors.

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    1. If I look back at an old post there are so many comments from people who used to have blogs and now don't - seems to be fading away - I shall keep going as long as possible

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  18. The weeks fly by and I often don't know where the time went! I feel I could be more productive but that doesn't seem to happen. :)
    I enjoy your blog but don't comment every time as I sometimes can't think of what to say. Thanks for posting, Sue!

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    1. Thank you for reading and commenting. It will soon be Christmas and 2024 - frightening!

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  19. Absolutely agree about the huge cruise ships - ugly and somehow defeating the object of cruising, but then as an over 60 I realise my opinions may be considered old fashioned!
    Because of tech problems I've missed a whole weeks blog reading, sorry to hear about Sue's pause from blogging, but totally understandable
    Alison in Wales. x

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    1. There seems to be a lot of people who do cruise. The man talking about it at the exercise group is 79 - so you still have time!
      You have lots to catch up on with your missing week!

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  20. Jane from Dorset7 October 2023 at 15:13

    I enjoy reading a variety of blogs every day with my morning cup of tea so thank you for continuing to write.
    Personally I would pay not to go on a cruise!

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    1. I'm glad you enjoy reading my blog and others.
      Doubt I will ever get on a cruise now - not even a small one - not a lot of holidays either

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  21. I'm glad you're still blogging as others drop away or blog so infrequently. I enjoy reading about your life there in England though I don't always comment. As to cruise ships - it's the numbers of people that put me off to going. we've done two river cruises where passenger numbers are less than 150 which is manageable. The best vacations are like the one we just finished to Spain which I've been sharing on my blog of late: one location, no schedule, and time to explore as we want. It was wonderful.

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    1. Less than 150 sounds OK - I'm glad you had a good holiday in Spain

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  22. Patricia (in West Suffolk)7 October 2023 at 16:05

    Sue, I was on a school cruise aboard SS Nevasa in 1968. Our stops were Ceuta, Crete, Istanbul, Athens, then flying home from Venice. Could it be that we were on the same cruise?!

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    1. We went to Gibraltar, Lisbon, Palma and Cadiz - one day in each I think and much sea in between and no flying.
      Our dormitory cabin(?) was right down in the bottom of the ship and a bit rough.
      What I remember is having fun at the discos every evening - can't remember much else and have no photos as Dad made me use a film for slides in my camera which then jammed up on Gibraltar!
      I had the Log Book we had to write in for years but it disappeared eventually and all I have left is a postcard of the ship.

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  23. We've been on River Cruises, small ships and a lot less people and we enjoyed them, but holiday mostly in the UK as I won't fly. Please keep up your blog, its the first one I look at when all my jobs have been done. Have a lovely weekend, its beautifully warm here in Staffordshire. Hugs Gill Xx

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    1. Thank you for reading and yes I'll keep writing

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  24. Sue,
    I really enjoy your blog. It's so interesting to follow your daily life in England.
    I'm in the US. I know your country's politics are occasionally continuous but here in the US it's far beyond that.

    Thank you for your blog.


    A daily reader

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    1. Makes life much easier avoiding politics and religion on a blog!

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  25. So glad you are continuing to blog. I am a daily reader but rarely comment.
    Jane

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    1. Thank you for reading, sad there are fewer to read than there were a few years ago

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  26. I enjoy reading your blog! I don't always comment but I hope you will continue.
    Marion

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    1. I'll keep going as long as I can - just enjoy writing

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  27. It is sad that the popularity of blogs is declining but I find mine to be a good way of recording things that I do and places I visit. Keep up the good work. I often read your blog but I don't always comment.

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    1. Your latest adventure is certainly somewhere I'll never be going in a million years!

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  28. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us-I read each day but sometimes the comment disappears! We were in Skye recently and there was an enormous cruise ship anchored offshore. The people are landed by tender and some need bussed up to the harbour in Portree. The local people say it brings little income to them so they would prefer the ships didn’t visit. Like you, I’m not good in lifts and the thought of being stuck with thousands of people on a floating village gives me nightmares. Catriona

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    1. They probably disappear into spam on the very day I forget to check!
      The ships are just so big and it's a shame the people don't spend well in the places they visit - but with everything available on board I guess they don't even eat when off the ship

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  29. Hello Sue, how do you know how many read your blog? I rarely comment but always visit most days I don't go out very often and really enjoy reading blogs. I hope you can continue - I also agree with you about the cruise ships - I think it would be a punishment for me to be on one with so many people. Elaine

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    1. In stats there are page view numbers, which had increased to over 1,000 per day, but down to 700 or even less now

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    2. Thanks for letting me know - I think it's pretty wonderful to think that "just 700" people find your day to day life so interesting that they look you up! Maybe numbers are down because people are back at work after being home during lockdown etc, also summertime many are able to be outside more. Whatever, I really think your blog is always worth a look and hope you continue to share your day for a very long time. Elaine

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  30. LIke you, I am happy to just keep churning out daily blogs and I guess I do it for myself really. It's nice when people read and nice when some comment but I think I'd keep going anyway.

    I think I would find life on those huge cruise ships very difficult. The one I'm on is small to medium in size, I gather - although I will no for sure in three months' time. It's certainly not a floating city anyway.

    I didn't know Sue had pulled out. That's the problem with being away for a week - you get left behind. I'm very sad.

    I'm glad you are keeping on blogging. I so enjoy your posts. Thanks for all the pleasure.
    xx

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    1. I hope Sue will return to blogging and hope her back problems are not the cause of her stopping

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  31. Sue I stopped dead when you mentioned the SS Nevasa!
    I’m a bit older than you but was part of a school group on the 1965 trip!
    I remember so much of it and it gave me a wanderlust that I’m only just getting over!
    Did you know it was brought back into service as a hospital ship in the Falklands War? x

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    1. It's odd that I remember so little of it, just snippets of the places we went and the things we did on board.
      I didn't know about it being a hospital ship in the Falklands war, it must have been in poor condition by then!

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