that was the weekend: three things

1. I've wanted to take the Young Philosopher to Hadleigh Castle for a long time, and we finally did yesterday, on the way to visit my brother and his wife. There's a photograph of the castle ruins on my last post, these Iphone pics were taken on the short walk to get there from the car. I noticed the ruined tower many times over the years when on the train to Southend and idly wondered what it was, but I never visited myself until about eight years ago with the Prof. It's a lovely peaceful place, with a wonderful view across the estuary. I can't believe I lived half an hour away from it all my life and never went there. 

2. Indian food.

3. This song in the car

 

august: ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen

yellow

green

secret

6 o'clock

love is

For the August Break

that was the weekend

Saturday was a quiet day. We got up late. I did some laundry and decluttered and organised the kitchen, where I found I have enough food in stock that we shouldn't need to do a big shop for several weeks. Famous last words, and then the Prof went out for a few essentials and managed to spend £60 anyway - although he did buy me a super pack of Sharpies, reduced to £8 from £24. Bargain! The Prof watched the archery and the shooting part of the Olympics on his laptop. The red button service doesn't work properly on our tv.....despite being a widescreen it seems it's verging on obsolete. I did a little knitting, and we caught up with the new series Containment, I'm liking it so far, it's one of those realistic breakdown-of-society things that I like to terrify myself with for some reason.



On Sunday we went out in Kent for the day. We live on the edge of East London where it converges with Essex, but Kent is very near and the Prof lived there for over twenty years. We both love Kent, and get over there as often as possible. My favourite area is around Stelling Minnis, and that's where we went this time. We stopped off at Chilham, a pretty little village where I love the shop - I came home with a book, a new peg bag and a bar of the most gorgeous honeysuckle soap. Then we drove through the lovely countryside to the Lord Whisky, an animal rescue centre with an attached restaurant that does lovely meals. We forgot to say hello to the resident pig this time.



After dinner, driving through the countryside we called in to see our friends, who were going out that afternoon to an open day at Old Bladbean Stud Gardens so we went with them and spent a happy couple of hours wandering around the garden together, and catching up.



I loved the whites, silvers and blues of this part of the garden, the photographs I took don't do it justice. I bought one of these plants with the ball shaped flower heads, they are much bluer than they look, and the bees love them.









We saw two memorials as we walked around, one to 'Abigail', and this one in front of a Roman style bench. I wonder who the rainbow chaser was?





I love the purple and white flowers behind the bench here.



I think this plant is Eryngium Giganteum, otherwise known as Miss Wilmott's Ghost, named after a 19th century horticulturist who liked to scatter the seed in other people's gardens. 

The gardens were beautiful, definitely worth a visit. They're not too huge, just large enough to spend a pleasant couple of hours, including a stop for tea and cake.







Our friends Brian and Trisha, and my Prof. No photos of me - as usual I was the one behind the camera.

Joining Karen at Pumpkin Sunrise

august: seven, eight, nine

beneath my feet

favourite taste

red

#augustbreak

august: four, five, six

There are a list of prompts that go with the August Break, the photo challenge I usually take part in each August. Sometimes I use them, sometimes not. The prompts are beneath the photos today. The top two photos were taken on our day out in Maldon yesterday, the last one today as I am looking for vegetarian inspiration. I cook meat for the Prof and often end up with something very boring for myself. Favourite vegetarian meals, anyone? 

sweetness

midday

I'm reading...

#augustbreak

august: one, two, three

#augustbreak 

today 28.7.16

Outside my window...dark. It's past 1am

Wearing... Jeans, brown top, favourite white Birkenstocks, elephant bracelet

Making me happy... chocolate milk with ice, it reminds me of a holiday abroad when I was young 

Making me think... the news


Creating... I'd like to make something with patchwork, so I'm musing on the possibilities 

Watching... nothing. Three consecutive nights without even turning the TV on. The quiet is refreshing

Reading... blogs. Down to Earth, Mr Home Maker, Small Things.


Listening... Julian Lennon 'Salt Water'

Going... to Gretna Green for my brother's wedding


Gardening... the sweet peas on the windowsill are flowering at last

Cooking...no cooking, it's too hot. Cold meals. Salads, fruit, wraps  

On my bedside table... glass of water, messy pile of make up and jewellery and a pile of books (on the floor next to the bed, large labrador)

not really knitting or reading

Knitting is a sore point as I've just finished something that took me a long time and right at the end has turned into a disaster that I can't fix. I was so fed up I stopped knitting for a week, which is unheard of!  I've started something else now, but I can't share as it's a gift. Instead, here is the blanket I finished a little while ago, my first crocheted item. I'm very pleased with it and I have made a cushion to match, though I haven't added the press studs or sew it up yet. Does anyone else have several items waiting to be sewn up? 

I've not been reading as much as usual lately. This book seems quite good so far, but hasn't really got going yet. For my book group this month we read Me Before You by Jojo Moyes, and a few of us saw the film. I'd recommend both - funny, bittersweet and thought provoking.  



Joining Ginny for Yarnalong 

fifteen months later

Glastonbury, 2016

Well, hello. Not sure what happened there, but here I am. What's new with you?

I'm currently in the throes of abandoning a knitting project that I've been working on and and off since April and now it's nearly finished I HATE IT. Does that ever happen to you? All that time wasted, argh. Ah well. I'll have to frog it and make something else - it's got millions of thin stripes though, so it will all be bits. Granny squares for it's new incarnation, maybe. (I learned to crochet! Made a blanket and everything).

I'm not reading so much, this year. I'll share my current book tomorrow, it's going ok but must only be about the fifth I've read this year. I usually read that many in a fortnight. I spend a lot of my reading time online I guess, and I'm admin on a Facebook group that takes up some time each day, some days more than others.

We've been away this year, we had 12 days in a cottage in Wiltshire in April for our fifth wedding anniversary. We try to get away on or around our anniversary every year. Last year we had a couple of days in Ely, at Peacock's Fine B and B which was lovely. We had a sitting room and bedroom, which was so much nicer in the evenings than just a bedroom with nowhere to sit except the bed. Peacock's is also a tearoom and did about a million different types of tea. The owner sent us away on our last day with complimentary packets of our favourites, Builder's for Philip and Russian Caravan for me. We combined our break with some family history research, as my great grandfather came from Ely. I loved it there. You know occasionally you visit somewhere and you think, I could live here. Maybe it was ancestral memory stirring in my genes.

My big news is that after more than six years of illness, and being housebound a lot of the time, I recovered from ME/CFS. I took a training programme called the Lightning Process, and haven't looked back! I first heard of it six years ago and how I wish I had it done it then. I'm glad I've done it now though and would recommend anyone with ME/CFS or other chronic conditions to look into it. I now know many other people who are recovered or greatly improved - and this is a condition for which the NHS has no cure, so it's wonderful that there is something out there that works.

We're away to Gretna Green soon for my brother's wedding, that will be lovely. The August Break starts next week, I might take part again, that will get me taking photos! My photo mojo seems to have waned in the last year or two. I've a baby niece due in October and I'm really looking forward to being an Auntie! We've put in an application to buy our house, and we're planning new gardens front and back before the end of the year. And then it will be Christmas. That seems like enough to be going on with.

I'll be back tomorrow for Yarnalong, with what I'm knitting/crocheting and what I'm reading. It's good to be here.