Mum’s birthday

Yesterday was my Mum’s 81st birthday. She came up from Plymouth this morning, so that I could take her out for the day.

We went to Killerton House, as she hadn’t been before. The weather was atrocious at times, but as we were going inside the house today and not the gardens, it didn’t matter too much.

There is always an exhibition at Killerton. At the moment, it is Seeing the Woods for the Trees, which is celebrating 100 years of the Forestry Commission. Francis Acland was instrumental in establishing this  in 1919. Killerton also has an extensive clothing collection and also showed an exhibition of dresses/coats which had been inspired by trees, flowers etc.

We explored the ground floor rooms. As with most Nat Trust properties, there were volunteers in each room who readily gave information of the family, whose home this was until 1944 in the case.

By the time we had finished the ground floor, we were a bit peckish. So we had lunch in the restaurant, the Killerton Kitchen. I had a Ploughman’s with ham and cheese, it was delicious! Mum had a posh Sausages and Mash which looked scrumptious too. Killerton has 18 tenant farmers and the food comes from these farms. We were so full, we couldn’t manage a dessert. A neighbouring table had crumble with custard, which looked wonderful.

After lunch, we did the upstairs of the house where the clothing exhibition was held. It always amazes me what women had to wear and how uncomfortable it must have been. Their feet, too, were so small and narrow!

Once we had seen the rest of the house, we walked back to the courtyard, to the shop, cafe and second hand book shop. Due to the weather and the fact that Mum had already done a fair bit of walking, we didn’t do the gardens. We’ll do that another day when she is up to us.

I saw Mum back on the Falcon bus back to Plymouth, did a bit of food shopping and early evening went to my Aqua aerobic class. It was a full, but very enjoyable day and I slept like a log last night.

I’ll leave you with a photo of me and the birthday girl, taken at Killerton. Thanks for popping by, cheerio for now, Ann x

This past week

I can’t believe a week has almost gone by since my last post!

To be honest as it has been so hot, I’ve been mainly doing jobs at home with the fan on.

On Monday there was the normal beginning of week chores. Here, that is more washing on and pegging out. It was sweltering in the garden, so I was pretty speedy at the washing line, haha! Late afternoon, I went to the gym to use the equipment I was shown the day before. It was lovely and cool with air conditioning, until I started to exercise!

Tuesday it was flying ant day here. I know timings vary throughout the country for this day. At first I only noticed a couple flying around as I was taking in some washing. But by the time I started to peg out the last of the washing, the grass looked as if it was moving. Thousands of flying ants and millions of ordinary ones. They began to crawl up my legs or landing on my back (I was wearing a vest top!) so quickly retreated into the house.
In the evening I went to Aqua (aerobics in the pool). It was actually held in the outdoor pool, as it was such nice weather.

Nice weather until about 11pm when we had a fantastic lightening show and about 20 mins of torrential rain. I felt a bit cheated really, as the only thunder was in the distance and the rain was very short lived. I love a good storm and was also looking forward to having a substantial amount of rain in the water butt. Other areas of Devon had the thunderstorm on and off all night.

On Wednesday I went into town to get a few bit and pieces in the morning. Off to the gym in the afternoon to do a Bodybalance class. This is a mixture of Yoga, Pilates and Tai Chi. I really enjoyed it. I haven’t done Yoga for about 4 years and it felt like it too!

Thursday, a quick visit to the docs, well actually the nurse and then I met my friend for our weekly meet-up. We decided to go to Otter Nurseries, a lovely big garden centre, which sells all sorts of other things too. Brunch first, in the air conditioned restaurant... lovely! Browsing in the shop, no air conditioning.....not so lovely. We were melting! Still, we battled on and I bought a few birthday presents for my Mum.

Blue Cross as normal on Friday. No baking done, as it was too hot, so I took them up mini Cornettos in my freezer bag. It was quiet in the main cattery, so I made up some empty pens, making the beds nice and comfy for the next occupants and putting new toys in each one. The Maternity and Isolation blocks were busy with another influx of kittens. It’s been very busy this year!

On Saturday, we took our daughter and son to our gym/pool, as our guests for this month. We spent time in the outside pool and laid in the sun for a while, before going into the spa area. They have a hydro pool, sauna, steam room and hot stone beds, so it was a nice treat for them. We topped the treat off with a meal there too. We’re not often all together, so it was lovely time.

Today, I actually had a lie-in! Hubby got up, fed Karma and gave her her insulin. His back is a bit better now, so he can bend over and inject her (we do it while she’s eating). Later in the morning I had to pop out to get a bit of shopping, before having an early lunch. It was our last PT session at the gym in the afternoon. We were both given advice on further equipment. Now we’re out there on our own!

This evening, we’ve been catching up on Agatha Raisin. We really are enjoying this lighthearted crime series.

All week, with exception of Tuesday night, we have had beautiful weather and heat. I know from other blogs that rain has been elsewhere and I have to say I am ready for some here too. This week we are apparently going to have some precipitation..... we will see.

Sorry this post is very wordy, I won’t leave it so long next time!
Thanks for popping by, cheerio for now, Ann

The weekend

So, after the Collared Dove casualty on Friday,  I tiptoed into the garage on Saturday morning to see if it was still with us. It looked quite bright considering. But seeing it’s injuries, there was no way I could care for it and it was likely to get infections.

 So after a couple of telephone calls, hubby and I were bombing up the M5, with cat box containing said bird on my lap. Our destination was RSPCA West Hatch in Taunton. They have a wildlife section. The staff were brilliant and whisked the bird away for antibiotics etc. They did say it would need a very long time with them before it would be able to be released. They also thanked us for making the journey, but I felt it was the least we could do, as it was our bloomin’ cat that did the damage!

So it was back down the M5 to home again. We decided to go to the gym and use the pool and spa. Just what we needed after our little trip.  The rest of the day I just pottered about, cleaned out the cat box, did some food shopping and watched a lot of the Open golf. I also kept a very beady eye on Karma’s whereabouts!

I spent Sunday morning feeding the washing machine and ironing. We had quite an early lunch, as we both had a PT instructor booked at the gym. I felt a bit apprehensive, being a overnight 55year old woman, but our instructor is also a friend of our son’s and he is lovely. We targeted my leg muscles this time. I used muscles that I haven’t used in years! So I’ve now got sets of exercises on the equipment I can do at any time.

After showering there, we went straight to a 30th birthday party. Lots of catching up with friends, lots of delicious buffet (well, we had been to the gym!) and a little cider. It was a lovely afternoon, most of it was outdoors and the weather was back to being sunny. Back home in the evening, we watched the rest of the Open. Thoroughly enjoyed the day and felt very relaxed.

What will this week bring? Well, one thing I know is a certainty. Lots of dirty washing..... our son is back from holiday today, haha!

Cheerio for now, Ann x

Feeling unsettled

Yesterday was a strange day and I felt quite unsettled. That is the only way to describe it. I can only put it down to the fact that all my family were scattered. My daughter and boyfriend in Barcelona, my son flew to Amsterdam and my hubby had to go up to Leeds. Only little old me left in Devon.

I went through the day doing my normal household chores, but I had no enthusiasm for anything. Isn’t it strange how things affect you? So I went to bed early with my book and Karma snuggled up against me. Sleeping with her cuddled in was lovely, until 5.40, when she decided to throw up a fur ball on the carpet, urgh!

So today I woke up feeling much better........until I found a Collared Dove that Karma had had a go at. It was in a bit of a state and  not capable of flying (for the time being). So I lined Karma’s cat box with newspaper ( oh, the irony!) and put the bird in it with water, bird seed and mealworms. It looked a bit shut down, but I left it in peace and quiet in the garage and went off to the Blue Cross for the day.

This evening when I got back, it was looking brighter, had had some food and water. If it keeps going for the next few days, I’ll then look for somewhere that take birds in, as it will need some time for the wounds to heal and a cat box is not the place for long term recuperation.

I’m cross with Karma, but she is a cat and it’s their nature to hunt. I have a strict routine with feeding the birds. I don’t put any food down until Karma has come in and settled down for her four hour nap. The birds then come down in their droves and it’s gone in two seconds! But I think she crept into the back garden through the hedgehog hole in the fence and caught the bird scratching around. So I’m putting a breeze block across half the hole. Plenty of room for the hedgehog, but not a cat. If she has to climb up the fence, it give the birds some warning. It’s either that or put a cow bell on her collar!

Tonight I’ve been watching The Open golf. I really felt for Rory McIlroy not making the cut, in his own country. He was almost in tears in the interview afterwards. I wonder who will end up winning?

Something I haven’t had to do this evening, for the first time in weeks and weeks, is water the garden! We’ve had a fair bit of rain in the last 24 hours, with more to come tonight. The lovely weather is coming back afterwards apparently,

Hubby is due back later tonight. He’s no idea what time, as the motorways are chocka. So in the meantime, I’m going to settle down to watch a Midsomer Murders. Enjoy the rest of your evenings, cheerio for now, Ann x

Vintage Car Show and Gym

If you don’t like cars, this probably isn’t the post for you, but how can you resist a peek at some of these gorgeous cars with so much character!

Last Saturday my hubby, son & I went to the Crashbox Historic Vehicle Show at Powderham Castle. We got there at lunchtime and arrived starving, so first stop was to one of the various food tents. An enormous hog roast bap, which set me up for the afternoon.

There were thousands of cars. I scampered from one to the other, peering inside a lot of them. My hubby & son sauntered after me, they’re not so into cars, but I really appreciated them coming with me. My Dad and I shared a love of cars and when I found out about the long-standing show summer 2016,  I thought it would be a lovely to take my Dad to it. Sadly a bit later he was diagnosed with cancer and passed away December 2016. This year I felt ready to go there and I’m so glad I did!

It was great to see the same model cars that were drive by Dad......

This model Austin was my Dad’s first car, he drove down to Penzance from Plymouth with out knowing where reverse was!!

Mum and Dad had one of these Hillman Imps in the early 60s....

Fast forward to the 70s and they had the saloon version of this Ford Cortina in this Daytona Yellow....

There was a vintage Fiat 500, so tiny compared to my Fiat 500.....

Then there were the cars I love, Morris Minors and Travellers.....

VW Camper vans....

Some other random models which took my fancy...

And some American cars, certainly not made for our narrow lanes....

It was a lovely day and I enjoyed myself, but I came home feeling a bit sad, Dad would’ve so loved it too.

Next subject., the gym. After years of avoiding gyms with a barge pole, I have joined one in my quest to get fitter. My hubby has joined too, to build his fitness back up to help his back. So we will do certain fitness classes together and our own things in the actual gym and swimming pool. There is also a spa too, so I can relax in the jacuzzi or hot stone bed after all that exertion!! I’ve managed to lose half a stone through eating sensibly, so it will be interesting what happens when exercise is put into the mix. But to be honest I really want to feel a lot fitter.

So that’s the exciting bits I’ve been up to, in between the normal day to day chores. Until next time, cheerio for now, Ann x

This past week

This week has been a mixed bag of nice things and not so nice.

Sunday, we went to a Car Show held in a big field at the Donkey Sanctuary at Sidmouth. I love cars and my dear hubby accompanied me, even though it’s not really his ‘thing’. The weather was beautiful again, so it was a nice wander round. If I’m honest, there wasn’t really enough vintage cars for my liking. Over half were what I call, ‘zooped-up’ cars. Nevertheless, we had a good time. You could sit on hay bales and listen to a live band, which hubby did, while I queued by one of the many food tents. We then walked down to the actual Donkey Sanctuary in search of a cold drink. All the donks were out in the fields, or their many paddocks, which you can wander to. There are some lovely walks and you are allowed dogs (on a lead) so it is well worth a visit, no admission but there is a shop where you can buy some momentos. They do a fantastic job saving donkeys from all over the world and have several sanctuaries in the uk, but Sidmouth is the main one.

A very dear friend of ours, my hubby’s best friend who he’s known from school, has been in hospital, after being taken ill. He’s having lots of tests/scans. So we have been visiting him often, to relieve the boredom of being in there, as well as keeping his spirits up and supporting him.

For the most part the earlier part of the week has been normal housework type jobs, shopping and the like, whilst keeping half an eye on Wimbledon. Then there’s been watering, watering and more watering! I can remember the last line we had rain!

Thursday, I met my friend for our weekly catch-up. I hadn’t seen her for a while, as she’s been on holiday in Kefalonia, so we had plenty to chat about. We took a drive down the Exmouth, found a nice cafe and had a look around our favourite shops.

Yesterday, I picked up some new glasses from Specsavers. My vision has actually improved! A quick hospital visit and on to Blue Cross. I didn’t have time to bake this week, so I bought doughnuts which went down well. Lots of the kittens have gone to their new homes, along with a couple of older cats and a couple of dogs, so a good week all round. In the evening, we went out for a meal with some good friends and had a lovely time. Good food, good company, we chatted about everything and anything! It was slightly cooler last night, so I slept better too.

This afternoon we are going to go to another car show at Powderham Castle  (I’m being spoilt!) It is a vintage, classic car show, also has steam and traction engines. A whole day would be too much walking for hubby’s back, so I’m going to cherry pick the areas to go this afternoon. I’ll post about this visit either later today or tomorrow, depending how tired I am!

This morning I’m just going to toddle up to our library and pick up a book I’ve ordered in. I’ve already watered the raised beds and pots etc. (about 8 watering cans) and fed the birds. Now it’s time to feed myself and take some cuppas up to the two sleeping beauties having a lie-in upstairs!

I’ll leave you with a pic of one of the fab cars I saw last weekend. If you were parking in Sainsbury’s, you’d need 4 spaces, very long and wide, but fabulous none the less.

Thanks for popping by, cheerio for now, Ann x

Sunny Sidmouth

Today has been another gloriously sunny (and very hot!) day. Both my hubby or son were free for the most part of the day, so we all had a day out!

First there was brunch at Greendale Farm shop. We sat outside and scoffed scrambled  eggs and smoked salmon, while one of the free range chickens was at my feet, pecking at the raffia cherries on my bag! Once she realised, she toddled off and found a bit of food someone else had dropped.

Then it was back in the car, our son offered to drive, bless him, and on to Sidmouth. It was extremely busy, as you would expect on such a lovely day, but we managed to find a parking space.

We walked over to the seafront where there was a nice breeze and a lovely view.....

We walked along the promenade, chatting and noticing random funny things, such as a man doing a little high pitch scream, dashing out of the sea. I thought he had been stung by a jellyfish. It turns out his parasol was flying across the beach!

After our walk, we needed a drink. So we found a comfy settee in a cool bar/restaurant. I had lots of iced water......and a Pimms and lemonade. Well, it is Wimbledon fortnight! We wandered around the shops for a while and decided to make the journey home. Hubby’s back is marginally better, but he didn’t want to overdo it and the sun was beating down by this time.

We all said what a smashing time we had. It’s not often we have a day out like this. Back home, I sat in the cool of the living room and spent the rest of the afternoon watching the England ladies football. By the time we had our evening meal, it wasn’t quite so hot, so we dined al fresco.

Tomorrow is meant to be a couple of degrees cooler, so I’ll get some jobs done after my day out today. I’ll leave you with a few photos of this weeks kittens, I had the ‘chore’ of playing with yesterday at the Blue Cross.

Cheerio for now, Ann x

Where has this week gone?

I can’t believe it’s almost a week since my last post! Not sure why, other than I just feel  a bit ‘out of sorts’. I’ve been worrying about my blood pressure, as it was high during a routine check at the docs. I have to go back in a month, but in the meantime take it twice a day at home and surprise, surprise, it’s normal (or sometimes slightly elevated) at home, nothing like the reading at the docs. Anyway, it’s just made me a bit anxious, so I’ve just been plodding along this week.

However it has made me aware, just how unfit I am, in a cardio sort of way. I can garden for hours and lift all sorts, but not jog or cycle much. So on Monday, I decided to walk to Dunelm. I only needed a silicone mould, very light to carry. To drive, it’s a bit around the houses, but I can walk almost as the crow flies.

Half an hour walk there, very humid and undulating lanes, I arrived, only to find there was no silicone bakeware there! It seems they no longer stock any. So, in my head, I had a little tantrum and began the walk home again!

On the way home, I took some photos of how things change. When we first moved to our house nearly 26 years ago, the lane I was now walking along was the main road to the A30, before bigger roads took us a different route. This is it now......

Nature has taken it back......

It eventually opens up to part of the lane which is still used, but still rural. Lots of office workers from the companies nearby go for a stroll here during their lunch hours.....

Hundreds of houses have already been built here in the last year or so, who buys all of them? And they’re still building.....

But in my little lane, it still feels like when we first moved here...

I must walk along there more. An hour of walking was very enjoyable (despite not being able to buy my shopping) and the fact it is hilly at times was ideal for fitness.

It’s been very hot here in Devon, lots of watering the plants, early morning ironing and Wimbledon! Hubby has been away again this week, so it’s been just me and our son. He’s home tomorrow night, which will be lovely.

Two year eye test for me tomorrow morning and then a visit to a garden centre to stock up on bird food, my, they’re gannets! Even the little Goldfinch sized ‘Gannets’, haha!

So, sorry for the absence, I’ve given myself a C- and a ‘could do better’, thanks for popping by, cheerio for now, Ann x