A bit of this, a bit of that...

Hello everyone, well, it’s been a fairly uneventful week for me here in Devon. The weather has been glorious, so the washing has been drying on the line in what seems minutes!

I did pop up to one of the garden centres, stocked up on more bird food (they’re eating me out of house and home at the moment!) and I also bought some more plants for the back garden. I had some bare patches to fill up. The first patch was on the left hand side of my garden. Even thought they’re planted up now, it still looks quite sparse. But one they fill out a bit, it will be better. I’m hoping the foxglove will self seed over the years and that the french lavender plant that was lurking in a pot on the patio, will pick itself up and flourish. Unfortunately, there is no other place for the hideous composter, however next year I’m thinking I’ll put a bit of trellis around it for the summer and grow sweet peas up. I’ll still have access to it from the side. So, that said this is what it looks like now, all are popular with bees.......

The wildflower patch for the bees etc. is going a bit wild but the bees and butterflies love it.......

In between the two raised beds, I bought some more pinks to join the one that was already there. There is a perennial wallflower which has appeared this year, love it when nature gives you freebies! It’s all very pink and purple, but the bees love them. There will be a smattering of other colours when the Gazanias in front of the raised bed come into flower......

The larger raised bed will be planted up with leeks this weekend. I’ve also got parsnip seeds to sow. They’re a bit late, but do have a long growing season, so should be ok. I’m also going to stick in a couple of dahlia tubers.

I also bought a new planter to put next to the front door. I bought it in honour of Bumble, my daughter’s dog, who is still going on strong, despite her illness. I’ve filled it with white geraniums......

There has been no baking done this week. I know, I can’t quite believe it! But that will change this weekend. I’ll make just a few scones and then something else, not sure what yet though. One thing I’m weirdly quite excited about, is my herbs and spices collection! Up until now, all the little jars have been put in a storage tray in my larder cupboard and have become more and more cluttered. So I  bought several of these zip bags that look like Kilner jars and decanted all my herbs/spices. Now they all fit in the storage tray, including new ones which were standing on the work top.........

Yesterday, I drove up to the Blue Cross to drop off a huge bag of old fleece blankets and throws. I checked with my daughter first, that I could do this. But it was a very weird feeling driving up there and waiting to be let into the car park, to drop the bag off. I don’t know when we’ll be allowed to volunteer again. But I have a horrible feeling they are going to be inundated once fully open, with pets people can no longer afford, older puppies which were bought during lockdown and turned out to be more work than anticipated and of course kitten season!  Time will only tell.

Anyway, enough of doom and gloom. The sun is out and I’m hoping to have a bit of time in my deckchair either reading or knitting some more neo natal blankets and clothes. So I hope you all have a lovely restful weekend, thanks for popping by, cheerio for now, Ann x

...and then we went to the Moor!

Good morning all! It’s another sunny one here again which is lovely, no lacking of vit. D here, but there’s also no sign of any rain forecast in the next seven days. My poor garden!

Our road’s WhatsApp group has been very quiet for the last few days. I just wonder if everyone is feeling just a bit ‘bleugh’ and fed up by now. I know I went through a couple of down days during the past week. I’m feeling better now and it’s not as if I want to do lots of different things. I think it’s because I see so many people on the news, on the beaches etc. in huge groups or not social distancing and I’m wondering if the figures are going to rise again when we’ve been seeing them come down consistently.

Anyway, back to nice things. We’ve had a couple of birthdays in the road which were broadcast on our WhatsApp group. Our next door neighbour and a little boy who lives five doors down from us. So I  made a couple of cards for them and a 21st card for my niece, whose birthday is today.........

Our house is in chaos. We started a declutter of our loft several weeks ago, it needs to be done as there is far too much up there. But we have a smallish house and there are piles of ‘stuff’ everywhere! Our recycling centre ( where you can also take rubbish) is open, but they are saying that you should only go if you cannot safely store at home. It might get to that point! Charity shops are not going to be open for a while and I have so much for them too. No doubt I’ll be up the ladder again today and bring down another couple of bags/boxes for hubby to go through ( the majority is his stuff!) Unfortunately he hasn’t got the same outlook on getting rid of things as I have! Hey ho!

I snucked some more baking in this week. Just a few scones, plain and sultana.......

Yesterday, our son suggested we all went for a walk somewhere different. We decided on a drive to Haytor in Dartmoor which only takes a 25/30 min drive. The car park wasn’t too busy and being a moor, people were far apart. We walked up to the tor, chatting as we were walking. I did have to stop a couple of times for a breather. I’d already done Joe Wicks workout first thing in the morning! The weather was sunny with a very light breeze, wonderful. Once at the top, we climbed up on to the rock itself and soaked in the view. Simple gorgeous.........

Coming down was so much easier. When we were at the top, we spied an ice cream van in another car park. So after standing in a very orderly social distancing queue, we indulged in some well deserved ice creams. During our walk, the ponies had moved down to our car park for a bit of grazing, or in the foal’s case a bit of sunbathing...........

We finished the day with another treat. Fish and chips, delivered from the shop in the village, and eaten in our deck chairs in the garden, bliss!

Today, I’m about to pop up to a garden centre. I want to be there for opening time, before the droves turn up. I’ll be doing an SAS job. Go in, get the job done and get out again. Then, back home to the normal chores of the days.

Hope you have a lovely day, cheerio for now, Ann x

A busy few days....... and I got to the beach!

It’s been a busy few days, down here in a very hot south west! As you know, I do love to bake, but there’s only the three of us here, so I’ve had to curb my yearnings to churn out scones, cupcakes, muffins etc. However one bake a week is ok, surely? So a chocolate cake, it was!........

And funnily enough, I didn’t hear anyone say, ‘oh no, not another cake!’. Friday was my food delivery day from local producers. Although I know what I’ve ordered, I still get mildly excited waiting for the delivery of fresh and local fruit, veg and meat and putting it all away.......

I had hoped to drive to Budleigh beach after delivery, but it was later this week, so I left it until the day after. Saturday saw me up bright and early, so off I hopped in the car and drove to the beach ( at last!) During all the lockdown, apart from obviously missing my family, the main thing I’ve missed is not being able to drive to the beach. I was born and bred in Plymouth and there, the sea was only a short bus journey away. Since moving to Exeter, (with my job in my late teens) I’m still only a short car journey away from several beaches. So lockdown is the only time in my life, I’ve not been able to get my sea ‘fix’.

Anyway, not wanting to sound maudling, I arrived at Budleigh beach, parked up for a couple of hours, picked up my book and wandered along the beach path for a little walk first. There weren’t many people about and those that were, were very sensible and keeping clear of each other.....

 The same flora as any other time I’ve been here, but seemed extra lovely to me this time........

At the end of the banking, there is a little kiosk, which in normal times, serves the most delicious crab sandwiches. This time, of course, it was shut. Beside the kiosk there was a host of painted ‘Lockdown‘ pebbles. They looked so bright and cheerful!........

One sad sight though, was the empty spaces where all the colourful beach huts normally stand during the spring/summer seasons.......

Never mind, hopefully next year people will be able to put them up. After my little wander, I plonked myself down on the pebbles and settled down to read my book, listen to the very tiny waves breaking (the sea was very calm) and breathe in the sea air, bliss! And hardly a soul in sight. Just a couple of anglers trying their luck......

Sunday, the three of us went for a walk at Dawlish Warren beach. What a difference! Huge family groups. What about the ‘ you can meet one person outside of your household rule’? We actually sat on a bench on the walkway, overlooking the beach. People distanced themselves from us, but we only saw a couple of instances where people were obeying the slightly relaxed rules. We left long before our car park ticket ran out. I won’t rush back there again in a hurry, while we are still social distancing. There are plenty of other beaches to choose from.

Yesterday was our son’s 21st birthday. The obligatory ‘little boy’ photos were posted on Facebook by me (he would’ve been disappointed if I hadn’t, haha!) It wasn’t the birthday he had planned, but he had a good time nevertheless. A walk with our daughter and Bumble in the morning in our local park, a walk along the Quay with his girlfriend in the afternoon and a evening by the chiminea (after a takeaway was delivered) with toasted marshmallows, of course! Just the three of us.....

Today it’s back to normal, whatever that is at the the moment. We have started decluttering our loft, so there are bags and boxes of stuff everywhere. I’m trying to find a home for all these........

but nobody wants videos anymore (including charity shops) It seems that we’ll have to take them to the recycling centre, which is such a shame. Tomorrow, I’ve got peppers to pot up and another 21st birthday card to make amongst other things.

Thank you for popping by, cheerio for now, Ann x

A post...........at last!!

Good morning all! This post may well be photo heavy, mainly because apart from Hubby’s 50th birthday and VE Day celebrations, my days have been very similar and seemingly rolling into one another. As I touched on very quickly, when I briefly popped in the other day, with hubby and son working from home and on the phone an awful lot, I’ve found it difficult at times to get on with my ordinary chores. Although my son is working from home, he has to stick to shift times. So yesterday for instance, I hoovered the whole of the house before 9am. Even with the office door shut, his work phone/comms picks up noise very easily. It’s a nightmare if a neighbour decides to cut their lawns!

So, apart from juggling noisy chores, my days have consisted of indoor exercise (mainly PE with Joe Wicks), normal housework, baking, gardening, feeding the homeworkers at their various lunch breaks, fitting in a bit crafting and evening walks.

We have been generally going for a walk after our evening meal, just so our son got some exercise in the fresh air. When weather has been warm enough, his 15 min coffee and tea breaks have been taken in the garden. We’re lucky that there are still some rural areas to have walks locally.......

I haven’t done as much cardmaking as I would like, as I’ve been busier than normal in the house. But I rustled up two 50th birthday cards. A golf themed one for hubby and a car themed one for my cousin-in-law, who has a car valeting business..........

I managed to get a local garden centre delivery. They were offering a summer planting mystery bundle, including two massive bags of compost, a grow bag, summer bulbs and some tomato plants for a reduced price. They told you what type of plants you would be getting, but apart from that, it was a lucky dip. Free delivery too. I was really happy with what I got and it gets you thinking where the best places would be for each plant. There was a gorgeous Azalea which is now living in the front garden between us and our neighbours........

It is now surrounded by Busy Lizzies, also from the mystery bundle. I’ve also planted Carnations, Lupins, Senetti and Gazanias. The white Geraniums have yet to be potted up and I’ve also got to plant the Dahlia tubers. My tomato and pumpkin seeds have done done brilliantly well and have now been potted up...........

Hubby’s 50th birthday was not quite as we planned, obviously. We were going out for a meal with extended family members, but instead we had a zoom party with about 15 people! He also decided to have two party games with prizes. Virtual Pass the Parcel and Musical Hands on your Heads, absolute chaos! I personally thought he was mad, but it was his party! Anyway, he had a great day, which is that mattered.

There’s been a lot of baking going on. My hubby has moaned about all the cakes and his waistline, but it hasn’t stopped him eating them, haha! A simple Victoria sandwich filled with jam.....

Lemon drizzle tray bake.....

Apple slice.....

Cheese scones......

Homemade bread to go with homemade spicy parsnip soup.....

Plain scones for VE Day celebrations.........

We decorated our house with bunting made from a Union Jack pvc tablecloth.......

Many neighbours decorated their houses and we all came out at 11am for the two minutes silence. At 3pm, Winston Churchill’s speech, we came out to support our next door neighbour. He’s young and was in the Marines (he was medically discharged due to a fractured spine). He put his uniform on, stood to attention during the speech and afterwards toasted a Marine friend of his who had died a couple of weeks ago in training. It was incredibly moving, and we also toasted the end of the speech and his friend. At 4pm, we all sat out, at safe distances, listening to 1940s music, scoffed lots of scones, jam and cream. The odd gin and tonic, in my case, was partaken too (it was the sun making me squint, not the gin!).......

After our evening walks, my evenings have consisted of hubby and I doing lots of live quizzes on YouTube, we’ve been catching up with some of our favourite series too. Whilst we’ve been watching tv, I’ve been knitting for the neo natal department at my daughter’s friend’s hospital. These are the sets so far, they’re so tiny!......

Our road’s WhatsApp community group is going from strength to strength. Shopping is being left on different doorsteps, as is wool ( I have a huge stash!) and several neighbours will be hopefully growing lots of tomatoes from the plants I’ve dropped off too.

So the epic post is over and I hope you’re still with me! I’ll now catch up with reading all your blogs!  Hope you’re all keeping well, thank you for popping by, cheerio for now, Ann x