Monday Morning, Writing About Last week

 Some weeks I only get to chat to people at the Keep Moving Exercise group - it doesn't bother me, I'm happy at home alone anyway. But last week I had a visit from my Essex friends on Thursday and BiL called in on Friday on his way back from an eye test  to pick up some cheese scones I'd made for him as a thank you for cleaning the patio. He stayed for a cuppa. A 'busy' talking week!

The Christmas Fairs I visited on Saturday were not very exciting. The first one had a beautiful dolls house as a Big Raffle prize so I bought some tickets but no phone call came and the only other thing I got there was this old book for 50p.

What's left of The Middy is at the museum across the field from where I was at Clay Cottage. The railway ran out of money and closed in the 50's way before Dr Beeching shut down so many other branch railways in the 1960's. I don't think I've seen this book before and I can donate it to the Middy Railway Shop after I've looked at it.

The second Fayre, in Stowmarket town centre was smaller than usual and I found nothing and got cross with myself for going as there's a road closed in town that means a detour 'round the houses' to get to the Asda carpark. 

 I'd taken the cold-box to get a nice frozen dessert for Sunday visitors and being at Asda means having to buy £5 worth of shopping to get car-park charges back, so I got some of the Chinese/Indian party food bits while I was there. These go, a few at a time, with my veggie curries and veggie stir fries.

In the afternoon I dithered about going out again but went anyway in the hope of visiting a church in the same village.....  

This third Christmas Fayre of the day was a very 'posh'  craft fair held at a Huge nursing home. Some of the items for sale were lovely but very expensive, however I did find another jigsaw and bought it as it was £2.50 which is much less than charity shop prices. I've now got three to do, one each for December, January and February and that is ENOUGH!

Despite the village Church website telling me it was open on Saturdays, I found it locked but called in at another that was open on my way home.

Once home again I caught up with the final of  Taskmaster and of course Strictly was on later. Then I turned over to see the second semi final of the Champion of Champions Snooker which I'd been following on and off all week. 

Yesterday Son, DiL and the grandchildren came over bringing most of the makings of a roast dinner for us all which is always lovely. 

That was another week gone and much more talking than usual - this week it will probably be back to just the Keep Moving Group!

Back Tomorrow

Sue

It's Half Past November

 I thought the nearest car-boot sale had finished a few weeks ago when the ground was really soggy but the dry weather over the last two weeks meant they kept going and the last one was last Sunday.  Of course I had to go and look and broke Low Spend November by............50p!.

They are to replace a couple of my herb/spice jars that have pull off lids which are really hard to open -it's  an age and weakness thing!

Then I did the big garden job I'd been dreading and it was hard work just as I knew it would be. The job was to empty last years compost bin- it made 4 wheelbarrows full for the veg beds and for the fruit trees. The compost looked good which I was pleased about. Then I turned this year's bin into last years - that lets in some air and makes it rot down better. The bin was absolutely full of lovely worms - not earthworms but the proper compost sort - red or brandling - exactly what's needed in a compost bin. Happy gardener!

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As well as the NYT Wordle I usually try their mini crossword and the connections every day, many fails due to lots of US words, baseball teams etc etc. 

On Wednesday I managed the connections puzzle but  the connection in the 4 words left seemed  very tenuous......................

What do you think the connection is between Colonel, Pharaoh, Worcestershire and Wednesday. I wouldn't have guessed, so it's a good job it told me the connection was that they were words that seem longer written than spoken! 

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How's it going with  No Low Spend November? 

Brought Forward £286.80

I did say I'd only be buying buy fresh food or anything I didn't want to run out of but that only puts off buying things for a month which seems pointless so I've been doing the normal shop of fresh stuff and replacing things used.

This week just gone - Saturday to Friday.

Last Saturday's Christmas Fayre and church morning total of £6.50. All for  charity and churches.
Car boot-sale, Window Cleaner, Exercise Group, Bin Bags =£14.80 +Asda, Tesco and Aldi Food £23.65  

(I discovered Tesco are the only place to find Lemon Meringue Pie Filling  which I wanted after using the packet that was 2 years past it's BB date ......it was absolutely fine and a nice treat.)

£286.80 + £44.95 =     £331.75.

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If you watched Antique Road Trip this week then on Wednesdays programme they were in Suffolk and Hettie went to Sarah's Attic in Monks Eleigh which is where I was last Saturday and Raj was at the Antique place at Stonham Barns where my nearest car boot sale is held. Always good to see Suffolk on TV. 

More Christmas Fayres this weekend - I shall look without spending too much and then there is colder weather forecast from Sunday onwards so I'll be settling into read my library books.

Have a good weekend and I'll be back Monday

Sue

The November Library Book Photo

Very pleased to pick up my reserved library books this month as I'd run out and read a British Library Crime Classic from my shelves while I was waiting.

There were 12 waiting for me, 10 are below and the other two have winter in the title ready for the Reading The Seasons 'challenge', so I'll do a post about them when we get into December.

Six crime fiction including a British Library Crime Classic short story collection, three non fiction and the new Persephone on the end 'Waters Under The Earth' that I mentioned the other day.

Hopefully enough to last me 4 weeks as the crime fiction  are all by authors I've read before so should be readable.

Below are the books brought home last month. I only read four, flicked through 3 and the rest went back unread. Details of those I read are on the Books Read 2024 page.

Back Soon

Sue