Saturday, 14 June 2025

It's Half Past June Tomorrow, Things I didn't Know and Thank You

Thanks to everyone for comments all week. I often don't look at the laptop at all in the evenings so don't always catch comments from places behind us timewise until next day, by which time it seems a bit late to reply. But I do read and appreciate every comment - I'd be talking to myself without comments, and I do plenty of that anyway!
Thank you also to people who have clicked the follower button to get past the 850 which it was stuck on for months, except when it went down to 848 one day. Not sure it's accurate with ups and downs so frequently.

Racing through the month as usual, I've watched some of the Queens Club tennis women's matches but I'm looking forward more to the men's matches next week. The weather has been lovely, we've had the best of it in the East.
 BiL popped over with the huge plastic tub that I'd asked him to drill drainage holes in and helped me lift the bay tree from it's old pot into the new bigger one. I need to give it a feed of something then it should be OK for a few more years. 




In the greenhouse the cucumbers are looking the best, tomatoes are a bit lanky without many trusses as yet but I spotted the first tomato has set. Peppers showing signs of greenfly, I'm keeping a close eye on the leaves. I've netted the long raspberry bed, they are going to be early this year which is good as there'll be no strawberries from BiL, his strawberry patch is poor this year after many good years.














And the things I didn't know?

 I didn't know #1.............. that 'they' had altered the goalposts and from April the amount payable for car road tax had changed.  We bought our Fiesta, not new but nearly, in 2017 when we needed something more reliable than our very old Fiesta for getting to Addenbrooks hospital every week. It had a big advantage as it just fell into a category when cars with less than a certain amount of CO2 emissions didn't have to pay any road tax. A government thing to get people to buy smaller cars.  It's not needed any payment for re-taxing since, until this year when the reminder came and I found I had to pay £20. I don't mind paying £20 as it's much less than many cars owners have to pay but no one told me it had changed. 

I didn't know #2.......... that the new umbrella that I won in a raffle last year and hadn't seen for months was under the front passenger seat of the  car - I found it wedged into a small space against the seat runner fixings thingy. I assumed I'd left it somewhere and it was lost forever.

I didn't know #3................that my annoying knee problem is probably the start of osteoarthritis until I saw a physio during the week. Here in Suffolk we can refer ourselves to a physio without seeing a doctor. Fill in a form online and then they email helpful exercises - which I'd been doing like a 'good girl'! Then after a while they contact to see how you are and to book an actual appointment. 
 Osteoarthritis  used to be called "wear and tear" and is due to loss of cartilage around the knee joint.  He suggested joining a physio led exercise/arthritis management group. I started two days later, it's six weeks initially,  all free. Some exercises are similar to what we do at our Keep Moving Group but done for 2 minutes and then move onto the next - Oh, so That's what circuits are! 

I also don't know what the weather is going to be like this weekend but hope Sunday is fine as there are yard/garage sales in Son's village and they want to get rid of some unwanted bits.

Hope everyone has a good weekend, I'll be back next week.


38 comments:

  1. I didn’t know about the road tax, my fiesta is the same as yours so I’ll have to pay when it comes around. Oh well, I’ve had 12 years tax free. Strawbs are fantastic this year, especially the older plants, I thought you had to get rid after 3 years but these have been exceptional. Sandra.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'd not heard a word about road tax changes, but I've had 8 free years so not so bad

      Delete
  2. I was referred to an arthritis management programme by our self refer physio, such a good programme! A couple of years later I am still doing the exercises and my knees are much improved. I think the programme is to reduce the numbers of people needing joint replacements. I recommend it to anyone who will listen!
    Penny

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I want to find out if cycling is good or bad as I haven't cycled since I fell off a couple of years ago and I'm thinking about an adult electric cycle if it would help.

      Delete
    2. Joan from Dublin15 June 2025 at 08:11

      I was told by a consultant that cycling and swimming are the best forms of exercise for my knees as they are non-weight bearing.

      Delete
  3. #3. I'm wondering if my knee problem is the start of OA too. I shall have to check this out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There are lots of exercises to help - remembering to do them is the problem!

      Delete
    2. As someone who has exercised regularly for over 40 years (I'm 71 this year!) I would say it's never to late to start. The benefits outweigh the negatives and as we say in the classes I go to if you have an injury you are far likelier to recover faster than those who don't exercise. Build up those core muscles and body tissue and they will help ageing easier!

      Delete
  4. You seem to be remarkably uninformed about your vehicle. No one is going to "inform you" personally about this change in advance of it happening. If you had paid attention to the news you would have known about this change. DVLA have informed you of the change now, by way of your VED payment now being due. (Vehicle Excise Duty, not Road Tax nowadays by the way)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No wonder you chose to be anonymous, with an attitude like that.

      Delete
    2. I agree Jennie - very pompous! And I know who it is too - recognise the tone!

      Delete
  5. I have been thinking I need to put my Fig in a much bigger pot as it clearly isn't happy where it is - baby leaves on it since early May but some aren't growing and opening . . . Probably full of red ants . . . Job for this morning. Oh, and as I have a good crop of Raspberries, I will have to net them or I won't get one! I had that with a Jostaberry I grew at Ynyswen - never got to taste one as the Blackbirds beat me to it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The damage that a small creature like ants can do is frightening. They always ruined so many crops at Clay Cottage.
      It's a really good and really early year for raspberries - lovely!

      Delete
  6. My little Hyundai had £30 road tax but apparently the person who had it after me had to pay more as the goalposts had changed. I pay mine monthly now as it’s more than that. All shopping done and put away by 10 15am and as it’s still raining I may just get the sewing machine out. Catriona

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can remember when we had a big car for pulling caravan and trailers and I'm sure it was over £200 so £20 isn't too bad - if it helps to mend pot holes!

      Delete
  7. Ooh, thanks for the heads up on road tax, I bought my Fiat 500 specifically back in 2017 to take advantage of the 'Free for Life' tax that we were promised. I guess mine will be around the £20 mark from now on then. 🫤

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, according to anon above we should have been listening to the news and know all about it! Hope my £20 mends a pothole or two.

      Delete
    2. Anon above should go and lie down in a darkened room and keep her opinions to herself. I do watch the news, and I have seen or heard no mention of it. We can't all be everywhere, all at once the way that Anon obviously can.

      Delete
  8. It's a shame after all of your work if the garden doesn't produce. Hope you get some tomatoes and peppers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm hopeful I will get edibles later and definitely plenty of raspberries

      Delete
  9. Well, no. 2 was a pleasant surprise, anyway!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I'm glad I found something I thought was lost - it doesn't happen often!

      Delete
  10. Yes I didn't realise that about the car tax in fact the letter came a couple of days ago and I just put it down and didn't look at it- just looked at it after reading your post and sure enough it's £20! Husband watches and reads lots of news and he didn't know about it either!BTW think anonymous' post was uncalled for!! Quite rude really.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It took me a minute after looking at the DVLA notice to realise that I had to pay.
      As for Anon - I know who it is - I recognise the tone - they know everything about everything!! Not!

      Delete
  11. Also we have a Fiesta (2016) and have just discovered that at 9 years old service job is to change cambelt (it's an eco boost engine)and that is going to be the best part of £2000- it has only done 20000miles. Hope that yours isn't that engine.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh goodness, I hope not. Mine is a diesel no idea about the eco-boost. I shall have to find out

      Delete
  12. I can relate to your knee issues, Sue. In fact, my post today is related to my own knee problems. Great minds think alike, as they say? *ha-ha* ~Andrea xoxo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't like the way my knee goes Clunk! it's very disconcerting, luckily no problem walking ....so far - just stairs

      Delete
  13. Having no tax for many years is really wonderful. The new tax is luckily small. As you say, if it fills potholes, that's all the better for everyone.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We certainly need lots of road maintenance done on the small back roads

      Delete
  14. I didn't know about the car tax but always have to pay tax anyway.
    Your bay tree looks happy in its new home.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't want to put it in the ground in case I move!!

      Delete
  15. Oh how I wish that I had a bay tree - they are meant to symbolise "courage and strength" which we all need - apparently it was even a key ingredient in Roman mythology regards something about Daphne and Apollo!! That is my "who knew" thing that I learned today, all thanks to visiting you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've always had one wherever we have moved for many years. One in the ground at the smallholding got so big we had to remove it, so I keep in a pot now

      Delete
  16. What a lovely bay tree. I hope it grows many more years for you.

    God bless.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hopefully now it's been re- potted should be OK

      Delete
  17. Knees will betray us all as we age. They are the most poorly designed joint in our bodies. I swear they were designed to break down!

    ReplyDelete