A ‘please myself what I do’ day

Yesterday I spent 5 hours clearing some of my daughter’s garden. She and her other half rent a house with a steep front garden. The previous tenants had done the bare minimum to the shrubs with no real pruning and not tackled the brambles growing amongst them. So with the rain and sun we’ve had you can imagine what it was like.
First, at the very top of the garden, by the pavement, I cut back what I could, so it looks a lot tidier. Then my daughter and I tidied up some of the front garden. It is so steep, at one point I climbed up to the shrubs, my feet slipped and I slid down to the bottom on my belly! Fortunately no one saw, otherwise I’d never hear the end to it. Anyway before & after pics and the dumpy bag full of vegetation to go to the council garden tip....

I’ll be back there for part two of garden tidy, once the bag has been emptied and my daughter’s other half is getting hold of a strimmer  to do the grass, as he has also come a cropper on the incline when trying to mow it.

Today, as hubby is away working until late Saturday, I’m having a day doing what I want, as I’m starting to ache a bit from yesterday. It’s very hot here but with a lovely breeze. So I popped down to Topsham for brekkie and had a catch up over coffee with one of my friends. Then had a mooch around the Devon Air Ambulance Vintage shop. They also have an ordinary shop too, but I adore the vintage shop. Ended up buying some hankies (vintage ones are made of much better cotton) and these bowls....

I bought the rest of my shopping, made my way home and am now flicking between watching the tennis and the cricket. It’s a bit too hot in the garden at the moment, but I will probably have my evening meal out there later on.

So it’s a bit of a lazy day for me today, but I don’t have many of them, so it won’t hurt. I’m up to Blue Cross tomorrow and it will be back to being busy. Hope you’re all able to enjoy some of this lovely sunshine, cheerio for now, Ann x

Marie Curie Tea Party

This past week, apart from a day trip to Birmingham for hubby’s back treatment and catching up with holiday washing, it has been a week of baking. On Saturday, I held my 3rd Marie Curie Blooming Tea Party. I started doing them after my Dad passed away from pancreatic cancer. His first birthday, not being with us, actually fell on the Tea Party weekend, so it was a lovely and happy way to remember him on what was a difficult day. He loved cake, so it also seemed very apt, as well as raising money for the charity which cared for him at night time, in his last week with us. This meant my stepmum could have some much needed sleep herself.

The past two tea parties, I’ve had two very dear friends helping me on the day, providing cake, teapots and raffle ticket selling skills! However, in January this year, we lost one on those dear friends to cancer, so I was even more determined that this years Tea Party would be a good one...

Loads of baking and tea pot buying! My friend who passed away was also the provider of tea pots. So thanks to charity shops and the Dunelm sale, I now have my own supply of tea pots to go with a large array of vintage china I have collected for this annual event. 

The weather was glorious, so the garden was set up with quite a few seats and tables.....

The dining table was laden with baked goodies. Orange and Fruit cake, Vanilla Traybake with Buttercream icing, Orange and Chocolate Marble cake, Toffee cake with Salted Caramel drizzle, Coffee cupcakes, Lemon Drizzle cake, Victoria Sandwich, Chocolate Brownies, Chocolate Guinness cake, Banana Bread and Carrot cake....

The raffle table was pretty full too (this was taken before the guests arrived and donated more prizes!)...

We had more guests than ever this year, some unexpectedly, which was lovely. So more chairs and blankets were brought out. It was exhausting, but a lot of fun and so lovely to see a garden full of neighbours, family and friends enjoying themselves. 

The best part of all, the Tea Party raised £318, with a bit more to come. So happy! 

This coming week will be a more quiet and relaxing one with, if the forecast is right, a bit more sunshine. Until next time, cheerio for now, Ann x

Cornish Week Part 2

Our cottage was only about 2 mins drive from Sr Erth train station. The fact that they had increased the parking there since we were last there was a very pleasant surprise. So Thursday, we decided to go to hubby’s favourite place in Cornwall, St Ives. The parking is awful in St Ives, so it’s far better to go in by train and its a nice little journey too! You have to have your wits about you with the seagulls in St Ives when you have food on the beach or along the seafront, they are relentless, but they have become like this because somewhere down the line people fed them. It is now inherent in them. However while walking around the narrow streets,  I saw these little chaps, little fluffy bundles who will grow into pasty/ice cream ninja thieves.....

As hubby can’t walk for very long at present, we seemed to be eating a lot more while out. Walking a bit, resting for brunch, walking a bit, resting for coffee and cake. You see the pattern? No wonder I have put on a few pounds! Anyway we had a lovely day there, a nice trip on the train and a sunny evening in the cottage garden.

On Friday, our son came down to spend the day with us, after he had seen to Karma. He was at our cottage by 10. We went back to St Ives again, by train. It was cheaper for the three of us than it was for two (group ticket).We had brunch in one of our favourite places and then wandered through to Porthmeor beach. There are several beaches in St Ives, but this is the one for bodyboarding, if the surf is up....

 There were a few people in the sea with their boards, but the conditions weren’t really good enough. After ‘people watching’ for a bit, we looked around some of the lovely little independent shops and stopped for tea and cake before making our way back to the train station and then to the cottage.
Our son left late afternoon to get back to Exeter, to feed Karma and go to 5-a-side. It was great he was able to pop down to see us and do something different on his day off.

Saturday was our last day in the cottage and weather wise, probably the best. We went back to Gwithian, had lunch in Sunset Cafe and then settled down to watch the world go by. Loads of dog walkers, with every type of canine imaginable! I did take a pic of Godrevy lighthouse from where we were, but it wasn’t the ‘crashing waves against the lighthouse’ photo I wanted to take on Tuesday....

So that was our summer holiday in Cornwall! We were up bright and breezy on Sunday to make the shortish trip home. It wasn’t the holiday we had perhaps planned there, due to hubby’s current back problems, but it was a lovely break.

Thanks for popping by, cheerio for now, Ann x

Our Cornish week part 1

Last week, we had a week in Cornwall. We stayed in a lovely cottage in Canons Town, just outside of Hayle. The cottage owner lives next door with her Dogue de Bordeaux called Rico (who was gorgeous, a real gentle giant!)

The holiday wasn’t quite as we had planned when we booked ages ago, as hubby’s back was still excruciatingly painful at times. But we did go somewhere everyday and as Cornwall is like a second home, there wasn’t any pressure to go to lots of different places etc.

The weather wasn’t doing us a lot of favours either, but Monday was bright, if a bit windy. We toddled over to Gwithian Towans. It’s a lovely beach, but for us, the fact it had a car park overlooking the beach and a lovely cafe, was ideal.....

We managed to park right at the front, which gave us the option of sitting out in front of the car later. But first brunch, followed by a cream tea!....

The cafe is called the Sunset Surf Cafe and Bar, the staff are lovely and so is the food.Well worth a visit, especially if you are walking your dogs. They are very dog friendly. We did sit in our deckchairs by our car for a while, but the northerly wind was a bit chilly, so we retreated to the sheltered garden at our cottage.

Tuesday, we had absolutely awful weather! But I do like stormy weather, so we headed out to see the waves crashing around Godrevy lighthouse. I was hoping to take some photos of it, but the I had to face into the wind and rain, so I took one in the other direction, before taking refuge in the car again. Hubby’s back was particular bad today, so after stopping off for something to eat in Godrevy cafe, we went back to our cosy cottage.This pic doesn’t do the waves justice...

Wednesday, we went in to Penzance for a mooch around. I spent my childhood holidays staying at my great auntie’s house in Penzance, so know the area well. We then had lunch in a great seafood place in Newlyn called Mackerel Sky, where you could but taster plates, a great idea! Very delicious! We had a little walk around the harbour, a few trawlers not out to sea......

Part 2 will be along tomorrow later. While we were away, hubby had a call for epidural treatment Monday in Birmingham this week. So we drove up, he’s had it and we will have to wait to see if it has worked. I do so hope so!

So cheerio for now, Ann x

Peonies

It’s only been in the last couple of years, that I’ve discovered and fallen in love with peonies. In the garden I love all flowers that attract the wildlife, I don’t have a favourite. Throughout the year, I have cut flowers in the house most weeks, whatever is in season and doesn’t cost the earth.
But in June ( especially for my Marie Curie Tea party ) peonies are in the house. I love old fashioned blooms and they compliment the vintage china. I normally buy them from Aldi at a very reasonable price.
So I bought myself a peony plant about a month ago. I haven’t potted it up into its large pot yet, but it has given me my very first home grown peony. I’m so excited! We are forecast stormy weather with thunderstorms, so I have cut it and put it in pride of place on the mantelpiece....

Not having grown them before, I’m not sure how many blooms I will get in the first year. If anybody knows, I’m all ears! 

Just a bit about today. Awful weather, baked an orange and fruit cake for the BX peeps and when I got there, I had to play with these little guys.......

Life is hard sometimes isn’t it? 

And now hubby and I are going to settle down and watch Lewis. So have a lovely evening, cheerio for now, Ann x

Flitting here and there

Today has been a day of getting bits and pieces done. I’ve been on the go all day, but doesn’t seem I have much to show for it! But I got the ironing out of the way at 7.30 this morning and also pegged out some bedding to dry at that time too. Hubby had to go to Loughborough until tomorrow evening and managed thankfully to get a comfy position to drive and not hinder his back too much.

I took a bag to the charity shop and had a mooch around, but no bargains for me today. Then straight into town to buy a couple of birthday presents and treat myself to a coffee and panini in the Waterstones cafe. A bit of shopping in the supermarket on the way home and back to a few chores, whilst keeping half an eye on Sky News, who were at the D Day commemorations.

Hubby text me to say he had arrived ok and his back wasn’t too bad in the car. He had his scan results yesterday. Everyone he had seen said they thought it was a bulging disc. The scan showed he has four bulging discs! No wonder he’s been in so much pain, poor love! He’s now waiting for a call to have an epidural.

I’ve decided I’m going to have a relaxing evening, sifting through some magazines and also decide what I’m going to bake for BX this week. I’ll leave you with a photo of our feathery friends having their tea yesterday evening. I was a little late in putting out the mealworms, due to Karma sunbathing in the garden.

Cheerio for now, Ann x

Time flies.....

I can’t believe a week has passed since my last post! To be fair, nothing of great interest has happened during this time. My hubby has been in a great deal of pain with his back. Normal pain relief has not being doing too much, nor has his night time ones. But he did see a back specialist on Thursday and had a scan to confirm it’s what the chiropractor, physio and specialist all think it is. He gets the results soon.

In the meantime, I’ve been just keeping things ticking over. Grass has been mown (growing very fast at the mo!), planting up the tomatoes in their final containers. I still have the cucumber and courgette to do, as I ran out of compost. I bought some more yesterday evening, so I’ll probably do them today. I also need to dig over a little bit more of a border in the back garden, but I need more rain before I do that, as our clay soil is like rock at the moment.

As hubby cannot move in certain ways at present, I am administering Karma’s insulin. So it’s a 7 am start each morning. Once Karma has been seen to, I’ve been getting stuck in to my ironing, hanging out the washing etc. Getting some of my normal chores out of the earlier means it frees up time later in the day for other jobs. My Marie Curie Tea Party isn’t that far away and I need to declutter downstairs. I don’t have a massive house, so it can get messy quite quickly. We also have a much needed break in Cornwall before then, I’m running short on time.

So I’m feeling a little bit stressed. Problems with the clutch on my car are not helping. It will be having a holiday at the garage, being fixed, while we’re away. I also worry that Karma will behave herself. Our son will still be at home, seeing to her and our daughter sees to her insulin if his shifts mean he can’t.

But today I’m looking forward to having a sports massage. When I say looking forward to, I think it might be a painful one, but it’ll do me good in the long run. I have a slightly twingey back, so she should be able to sort that. When I get back, I’ve got to go through my summer clothes. They’ve been in vacuum bags in the loft. Any that I no longer want, I’ll bag up for our local charity shop.

I haven’t got any exciting plans for the rest of the week. It will be weather dependent really, as I’d like to get the rest of the garden sorted. Friday, of course, I’ll be at the Blue Cross, so there will be some baking going on, on Thursday. Last week I did vanilla cupcakes, buttercream icing and a slice of fresh strawberry on top. What will I do this week?.....

So, I’m off now to start some ironing, an activity I quite enjoy. Sorry this hasn’t been the most exciting post. Hope you have a good day and I’ll leave you with a couple of photos of one of my roses. Cheerio for now, Ann x