Under the Weather...............

....................is, when you think about, a very strange saying . Most weather comes from above so we are always under it.

Anyway, I've been under it all week. Just feeling bleurgh...........not seasick (or any sort of sick!) like the original meaning................

The expression has maritime roots. In 19th-century sailing terminology, sailors or passengers who felt seasick or ill during rough, stormy conditions would go below deck to hide from the elements. By doing this, they were literally going "under" to escape the bad weather, which eventually transformed into the idiom we use today.

I even missed Keep Moving Group, which is complicated because at the moment I take the attendance chart, take the money and pass it to the Village Hall treasurer, buy/take the milk for coffees, find the meditation thing on the phone and lead half the exercises. I seem to be the only person who doesn't have holidays or Tuesday doctor/hospital appointments and goes regularly to the Group, so  have been lumbered with all the jobs. I took everything to the hall, apologised, and left it to everyone else to sort out and went home again!

Last weekend I mentioned hoping  the weather would be fine for the men's tennis at Queens club so it was on TV to watch  and it was fine and due to feeling grotty I was able to spend all afternoons watching it - which wasn't really as planned........................ I should be careful what I hope for!

Plenty of reading has been done too. I've now read all of the Inspector Ramsey books that Ann Cleeves wrote in the 90's before she wrote the Vera and Shetland series and read this...........

In this book the author does five walks around different areas of Suffolk and writes about the authors who've also walked/written/lived in those areas, from the C17 right up to date................

"...nor had I made allowance for the endless switchbacks and the roads reduced to single file and the mess being made of this part of Suffolk by the building of the Sizewell C nuclear power station.............the thousands of trees that have been felled............how to restore the generations of creatures that would have lived in them " Did they at least allow the archaeologists to have a look round?" I asked our taxi driver as we went past more skinned earth, more red and white tape curving in the breeze, and he said yes, they did, and very glad he was of it, the archaeologists being the only ones who drank, who needed lifts to and from the local pubs. Those building Sizewell C, he said put not a penny into the local economy:not in the shops, the pubs, or the restaurants. They sit in their block-booked holiday cottages all week then disappeared at the weekends..................."

 (it's the archaeologists who've kept YD in work and partly Son too of course! Local people have had a love/hate relationship with the Sizewell Power Stations since the 1960's. The only new shop to open in Leiston is one selling Hi Viz and work gear - while many others have closed.)

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Anyway, I'm fine again now but still doing nothing because the much, much warmer weather that had been predicted for a week arrived yesterday. Positively HOT. I got the grass cut early and then stayed inside with the doors and windows wide and curtains closed. I watched young Arthur Fery get knocked out of the tennis. If I go out over the weekend it will be early - to an Art Exhibition in Debenham Church  and car boot sales too of course. The  semis and finals of the tennis to watch and I'm looking forward to seeing some of the Wimbledon qualifying and the Eastbourne tournament on BBC red button next week .................by choice rather than necessity.

The June Horse Chestnut Photo

 A month on from my last photo of the Horse Chestnut tree and the flowers have become conkers, very small still of course.

Sadly there are early signs of the disease which now affects the leaves each year - brown splodges starting to appear. In another month they will be even more widespread. The odd thing about this disease which is relatively new here (last 30 years maybe) is that it doesn't have any effect on the actual tree.....thankfully. Having lost Elm trees and Ash trees to disease we don't want to lose Horse Chestnut trees as well.

Guignardia Leaf Blotch (Guignardia aesculi): A fungus-driven disease.

• Symptoms: Irregular dull brown or reddish blotches, often surrounded by a conspicuous yellow band, typically concentrated at the leaf tips and edges.
• Impact: Mostly an aesthetic issue, though severe attacks cause the leaves to shrivel entirely. Raking up and destroying fallen leaves in autumn helps limit the spread for the following spring

The fungus was introduced accidentally into the UK from North America in the last century and has gradually spread around the country. 

 

Here's a reminder of how the tree looked a month ago

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Dunnock

 Years ago when we saw one of these in the garden it would have been called a Hedge Sparrow but it's properly named 'Dunnock'. (Prunella modularis).The only British member of this family.

They are common and widespread except for the very North of Scotland. Seen in woodland, hedges and gardens. They build a nest close to the ground somewhere really well hidden in thick hedges, evergreens or bramble thickets, so don't normally use nest-boxes.

Quite shy little birds I don't often see them here but that might be because they are usually at ground level, hopping about under the feeders rather than up on the feeders or in the shrubs that I would see from the window more easily.

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I Was Duped .....................

 I picked this craft box of card making bits at a boot sale a few weeks ago and when the lady selling said she wanted £10 for it I quickly put it down again. 

Then last weekend I saw it again and asked the price and got it for £5. I thought £5 for the makings of 24 cards wasn't too bad and they looked quite unusual to make. The lady said it was new - never been opened and it was certainly sealed and looked new.

You can guess what I'm going to say..........BUT when I got  home and found a way into the box, I discovered it HAD been opened and the only things inside were three lots of different sized card blanks and envelopes - six of each and some coloured paper and card. There should have been a whole lot more - I'm so cross with myself.

I wasn't even meant to be buying anymore card making bits anyway!

Ho Hum!

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Stinking Rose!

 What a wonderful name for a cheese!

Here's another from Croome Cheeses - a company based in Worcestershire, that I wrote about earlier this month .

150 grams for £3.65

The Co-op had 10 of their cheeses (I counted!) but I  passed on all the fruit/cheese combos and avoided that Hop one tried last time and landed on this 'Mature Cheddar with Garlic and Parsley'.

It's rather good, a lovely creamy texture with good strong garlic flavour. 

I ate the first piece with the Aldi multi-grain crackers plus cucumber and fresh cooked beetroot. Both of those were good too as I'd not bought either for months........... Not a massive salad fan through the cold months. The next cucumber I eat will - hopefully- be from the greenhouse.

I was glad I'd not bought either beetroot or strawberries from the car boot sale on Saturday as both were much, much cheaper at Aldi half an hour later. It pays to sometimes be wary of car-boot 'bargains'.

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Halfway Through June

 Well, the weather didn't warm up much for the weekend, which was the promise earlier in the week, there was  a really cold wind on Saturday. Maybe by the end of the this week it will be better.

 I hoped for a fairly low spend June and at  half way through, how's it going?. 

The garden waste bin had gone up £2 for the year but thankfully the Car Tax was still £20 - I had visions of them moving more goalposts from it being free two years ago to anything they fancied charging!

So all the main expenses have been paid and the total spend including charity donations, dentist, garden waste bin, phones and broadband, car tax, one lot of diesel for the car, incidentals including multi surface cleaner for floors, sunflower hearts for the birds and a new stool for the hallway (for sitting on for all ages to put on shoes) plus the one big food shop (and the two fancy cheeses and taking YD and EGD out for our regular Sunday lunch).And that totals just over £600. There will be more odds and ends of course and Electric bill at the end of the month.

Then I did  the second food shop of the month at Aldi on Saturday after a quick tour round the car boot sale where all I found were some Maltesers. (There are some Eastern European guys who somehow seem to have a stock of cheap chocolate every week!?)

After the big shop at the start of June I didn't need much. From left to right...........Salad Leaves 65p; Strawberries £1.99; 4 Nectarines £1.39; Bunch Beetroot £1.39; Cucumber 99p; Pack 6 Mini Apples 59p; Pack Fruit and Nut mix 59p; 2 x  Peanuts @ 59p = £1.18; 1 Kg Onions 99p; 6 Eggs £1.49; Tin Peach Slices  45p; 4 Pints milk £1.65.

Total £13.35

During the rainy weather last week I got around to looking at some of the 'Frugal' youtubers again. I really can't understand why some people go food shopping every couple of days - and it's not because they don't have a car to use. It's mid month and I've only food shopped twice - apart from buying the special cheese last week.

And some people picked up on one frugal blogger who seemed to have a real muddle in the kitchen cupboards so had no idea of what was there, but reckoned she was a 'prepper'! The comments recommending she sort her cupboards and write a list were soon deleted. 

Of course I have no right to criticise - as I haven't the patience to be a you tuber myself! Better shut-up!

At least the weather was fine for the women's tennis final at Queens Club yesterday. Emma Raducanu played well - but only in the second set, but she still lost out. I've looked at the weather forecast for the week ahead and there shouldn't be rain which is good as I'd really like a few afternoons of watching the Men's matches. There will definitely be one Brit in the second round because Arthur Fery  has drawn fellow Brit Toby Samuel for the first round. Cam Norrie has the hardest first round match against the  4th seed.

Back Tomorrow.

Saturday 13th

It's been week of dreary weather, the heating clicked on most  mornings - which means it was very chilly. It soon went off again and wasn't needed for evenings - thank goodness.  I turned on the Queens Club Tennis on Monday but it was raining down in London so no play and a fair bit of rain there and here too on and off for much of the week. The water butts are all full and everything has had a good watering. Yesterday afternoon the sun came out at last and things warmed up to a proper June temperature.

BiL kindly came over to refix one of the curtain pole fixings that was pulling out of the wall. Glad to get that done - it was a two person job. If it had pulled right out it would have landed on my head while I was sitting in my armchair...........I might not have been found for weeks!

I finished reading this book of short crime stories - over 20 authors of crime fiction wrote new short stories in honour of Simon Brett's 80th birthday. He was president of The Detection Club between 2000 and 2015.

 The cold and wet weather means that as well as the baby Blue Tits on the header photo, who are now feeding themselves- I've seen Great Tits feeding their young and there are Goldfinches on the feeders almost all the time. I couldn't be bothered to go into Stowmarket  for market day to get sunflower hearts to refill so just popped to Debenham for the hardware shop (won't do that again - the sunflower hearts were a lot more expensive) and  returned the five library books I'd  finished as some had waiting lists. I also went in the Co-op and got another of the cheeses from the  Croome cheese company to taste test too. (They didn't have the Charcoal flavour........ maybe rural  Suffolk isn't ready for something that weird yet!) 

Hope to get to one or the other of the car boot sales at the weekend - it should be dryer and warmer.

With luck  I'll find something to write about for Monday.

Nothing to Write About

 Sometimes finding something to write about is easy, but today I can't think of anything! 

Yesterday was wet and cold nearly all day - not conducive for anything interesting.

Tennis was rained off most of the week  so I'm now watching my way through 'Elementary' - quite an old US series now, back to 2012 - it's a bit odd.

Next week is looking rather empty for excitement too.

But I will come back tomorrow and round up the week, I'll probably talk about the weather!

A Bridleway

  Having a cycle again means I can go a bit further than I can walking and recently I biked to the entrance of a Bridleway that I'd never been down before.

If I'd got a suitable off-road tyres and was 40 years younger I could have cycled down it as Bridleways are OK for horse riders, cyclists and walkers of course. But it was too bumpy and strewn with small branches from the hedges so I pushed the bike. I didn't go all the way down the track as after a mile it turns into a small road with houses that are accessed off the main A road - and there's no way I'm cycling on an A road with so much fast traffic!

We are so lucky to have so many footpaths and bridleways in the countryside of Suffolk and on the whole they are kept clear.

Haven't been far on my new bike in the last week - the on/off rain is hopeless for getting washing dry, cutting grass and getting out and about on foot or by bike. More thunder storms - with and without rain -than we've had for years. I haven't even been to a boot sale for nearly two weeks - I shall be getting withdrawal symptoms  at this rate!

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We Are Gathered Here Today....................

...............to make a Thai red fish curry

 2 tins coconut milk, 1 tin of plum tomatoes, 1 green pepper, 1½ onions, few small potatoes, ¾ pack mangetout. Most of the jar of Thai red curry paste and a pack of Basa fish fillets.

Approx costs £1.50 + 43p + 36p +12p + 25p + 80p + £1 + £1.75 = £6.21 ÷ 8 = 78p each portion

Another choice in the freezer.

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British Library Crime Classics

 One of BLCC recent reprints was a new author for them - Leo Bruce.

It's always interesting to read Martin Edwards introductions to these books and their authors. Leo Bruce was the pen-name of Rupert Croft-Cooke (1903 - 1979) who also wrote poetry, plays, novels and non-fiction including 27 volumes of memoirs. Apparently in his obituary in The Times there is no mention at all of his crime fiction which is odd as there 23 titles featuring his school teacher/detective/criminologist Carolus Deene and before that he'd had a successful series featuring Sergeant Beef.

Edwards says that Croft's  Deene series (1955-1974) seem to have never been published in paperback and some  had been out of print for decades. Maybe because they were written in Golden Age style at a time when other authors were writing grittier and more psychological stories.

In Jack on the Gallows Tree (originally published in 1960) Carolus Deene is recovering from a bout of jaundice and is sent off to a health spa type hotel at Buddington. No sooner has he arrived and settled in and there are two murders only linked by a lily being left on the bodies. Deene has been told by the headmaster of his school Not to get involved with any murders again as it will give the school a bad name. But as usual Carolus Deene does get involved and manages to work out the who and the why before the police.

I wonder if BLCC will publish more of this authors books - hopefully they will as it was a good read.

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Forgive Me for Boasting!

 I grew up in a home where we weren't praised for anything. I don't remember anyone saying "Well done" when I passed the eleven -plus and O levels and found myself a job in a library and  Mum often moaned about her sister and brother who liked to tell her how well their children were doing. "Always boasting" she would say. 'Showing off' in any way was also discouraged.

The problem with that upbringing is it then becomes hard to praise your own children.

So sorry about this showing off and boasting! but I'm putting that right..................

I'm so proud of my eldest daughter. After working as a Textile Print designer for Monsoon, Phase Eight and other fashion designers she had just become a freelance textile print designer so as to be at home with her small son when covid struck and that put an end to that but she decided to start her own business and it's doing rather well. Artful Kids UK is her children's party and workshop business based in Surrey and roundabout encouraging children to create and enjoy making and doing. And as well as doing that she's also working lots of hours a week for a friends garden and landscaping business, doing their publicity and organising all sorts of admin. A wonderful Mum to my eldest and youngest grandsons too.

I'm so proud of my Son. Lots of people do an Archaeology degree but not so many end up with a full time and permanent job in the sector. At one time every County had it's own Archaeology department but now almost all work is contracted out and son worked for a couple of companies, including moving round the country, before getting his job, based in Suffolk, at Oxford Cotswold Archaeology  He doesn't dig anymore now he's in management. Such a good Dad to middle grandson and youngest granddaughter.

I'm so proud of my youngest daughter who decided not to follow her siblings to university and went out and got herself a job at age 17. Working at an Opticians as a receptionist and then optical assistant for many years until covid and a new owner downsized his staff and she found herself out of a permanent job with a 5 year old. She'd also fought through cancer before EGD was born and wasn't sure if she would be able to have children. She did several part time jobs before getting a job on short term contracts also working for Oxford Cotswold Archaeology in the site offices organising all the accommodation and logistics for the people working on the digs at Sizewell C power station sites. The end is in sight for those contracts but now she has a permanent admin job with them which is really good news. Coping so well and being the Best Mum on her own now to my eldest Granddaughter.

Three wonderful children - their Dad was and would have been proud too!

[This post came about because Aril at Eccentric Amblings and Ramblings blog mentioned the Tunsgate Centre in Guildford. ED had been running workshops there regularly but the new centre manager hadn't booked her for a while. ED thought they'd had a change of plan for family events there. I looked on her website to see if she'd been booked there for the summer hols, they hadn't but she is busy, busy elsewhere and that made me very proud!]

First Week of June

 I went to the dentist during the week (check up and Xray only - thankfully). I go to Ipswich as that's where they moved to during covid. While I was on the right edge of town I decided to pop along to Dreams and see about a new mattress, something I keep putting off as it's such a faff.

I drive into the carpark and all the lights were off in all the big warehouse stores but the doors were open and it turned out they'd all been flooded out on Tuesday with huge downpours and hailstones - Dreams and Bensons for Beds are both there - both shut. Back in my village on Tuesday we didn't even have enough rain to fill the water butts. Now I'll have to go back specially sometime - no doubt I'll put it off a bit longer.

The first handful of raspberries were ready this week - the seeds in them seem a bit hard again - like last year - lack of rain I think. . 

From the few old strawberry plants in two tubs I've had about a dozen strawberries and they've quickly finished and I'll empty the tubs now and start again next year.

Disappointed to see that the Commonwealth Games won't be on free TV in the summer - only available on a pay to view channel. Channel 5 will have a highlights catch up in the evening. They weren't even supposed to be in Scotland anyway but Australia backed out. So with a reduced games and no free exposure to the public it could be the end for them.

BUT Queens Club tennis - the start of the grass court season and the build up to Wimbledon - is still on BBC and starts next week , with Nottingham on BBC iplayer the week after and Eastbourne the following week and the first of six Cricket Test Matches for England's men has also started and there's still an hour of highlights each evening on the Beeb. But if England and NZ were both as hopeless at batting but as brilliant at bowling as they were on day one then there won't be many 5 day tests - It was almost a one day thing!

On Thursday there was a thunderstorm - it rained a bit! I tried again with the camera and you-tube. I'm sure the way I get it loaded to the blog is probably the long/wrong way.

Have a good weekend - a very wet Saturday is forecast here - I'll be back Monday

Big Shop

 Filling a post with food shopping again!

Two weeks after my last proper food shop and the first one for June was a big shop. Restocking cupboards, buying lots of lovely summer fruit and all the ingredients for making a big batch of Thai red fish curry as most of the 12 portions of Quorn Korma curry made way back in January have been eaten.

Almost everything was from Aldi but then I popped into Morrisons to get a couple of things that Aldi don't have.

From left to right.............. Salad leaves 65p; Large pack of nectarines 1kg £2.39; strawberries £2.15; 2 x packs of 6 mini apples @ 59p = £1.18; carrots 500g 44p; mini potatoes 75p; head of calabrese 79p; Large bag wonky peppers £1.69; mangetout 200g £1.19; pack of 7 mini cheese biscuits 99p; 2 x peanuts @ 59p = £1.18; 2 x tins plum tomatoes @ 43p= 86p; tin peaches 45p; spaghetti 500g 33p; pack 6 cheese/onion rolls £1.75; 4 wholemeal burger baps 69p; 1.5kg plain flour 70p; 2 x tins coconut milk @75p = £1.50; 400g extra mature cheese £2.49. 1 decaf ground coffee £2.49; 2 x ground coffee @ £2.49 = £4.98; shortbread biscuits 95p; fig roll biscuits 59p; 2 x Dried prunes @ £2.79 =   £5.58; Thai red curry paste £1.29; 2 x Lemon meringue pie mix @ 85p = £1.70; Flora  cholesterol lowering Proactive spread  £3.75; 2 x Frozen Sweet potato fries @ £1.99= £3.98;  Icecream £1.35; Basa fish fillets £1.75.

Total spend was £50.42  blimey! hopefully not a lot else will be needed for the rest of June except eggs and fresh stuff. 

As the photo didn't really show all the shopping very well I decided to video it  then took me an age to remember/find out how to upload to youtube and now I've no idea if it works or not. I'd forgotten I even had a you-tube channel! It's just a couple of short bits from the meadow at Clay Cottage, a tour round the garden there in 2019 which is only 7 years ago but I must have aged since then ( errrr yes Susan you are 7 years older!) as I doubt I'd manage all that gardening now. The most recent video -  an even shorter bit of the view over the village is from 2024 and I don't even remember making it.

I would never have the patience to have a youtube channel that's for sure.

Back Tomorrow

Hummingbird Hawk Moth

 The problem with Hummingbird Hawkmoths is that they don't sit still for photos.

The hummingbird hawk-moth migrates to the UK from Southern Europe each year. It can be seen hovering over flowers, feeding with its long proboscis; its wings move so quickly that it 'hums'.

This is only the third time in all my years of having a garden that I've seen one. It was on the Valerian which is one of those plants that just arrives and spreads.

Red valerian was introduced in the 1600s from Europe, but is now naturalised in the UK. Its pinky-red flowers grow from old walls, roadside verges, railway cuttings and cliffs, and provide nectar for insects.

Hooray for patches of garden where anything is left to grow and to being in the right place at the right moment to spot this intriguing creature.

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A New Cheese to Try

 I found this interesting cheese in Debenham Co-op. Never seen this company before but the co-op had about a dozen different cheeses from them [not all those pictured below]

It's been a while since I tried a new cheese, this looked the most unusual . What I failed to remember was that hops are in beer to make it bitter! Nuff said. I ate it so it wasn't wasted and it had a good creamy texture  but won't be trying again.

Here's the company details.................................

Croome Cheese are a family run business based on the outskirts of Worcester passionate about creating award winning cheeses. We source local ingredients (where we can) introducing a wide range of flavours to cheese and smoking traditionally over Oak logs.

From horse power to solar power and eco-friendly packaging at the forefront of food innovation, those impressionable days still inspire our cheese making ethos, working with only the finest quality cheese paired with local and iconic ingredients.

Although I'd not have the Worcestershire Hop cheese again I'm willing to try another from this company.

Which one ?...............maybe Not the Charcoal!

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  Ginger Blossom

  £3.00
• 

  Prosecco Cheddar

  £3.00
• 

  Stinking Rose

  £3.00
• 

  The Bramble

  £3.00
• 

  The Brunswick

  £3.00
• 

  The Colonel Mustard

  £3.00
• 

  The Faithful Baron

  £3.00
• 

  The Festive

  £3.40
• 

  The Jubilee Fig

  £3.00
• 

  The Lazy Mule

  £3.00
• 

  The Musketeer

  £3.00
• 

  The Scrumpy Crunch

  £3.00
• 

  The Talisman

  £3.00
• 

  Whittington Oak

  £3.00
• 

  Worcestershire Gold

  £3.00
• 

  Worcestershire Hop

  £3.00
• 

Back Soon