A miscellany

Here's some photos from September and October that I wanted to post about but that didn't merit their own post

We had a Mandevilla plant 2 years ago that didn't survive the Winter so in Winter 2022, CBC decided to bring the replacement one inside for the season. It survived but looked decidedly peaky by Spring time. It took it all Summer to finally start to grow but eventually, in September, it started to flower again! We were happy to see its jolly pink flowers again!

I ended up being asked to play 2nd flute for a concert with the Highbury Players in September by a lady called Emma who I used to play with when I first joined my regular orchestra (which I've been playing with for 20 years this year!). We played Brahms' 4th symphony which is a DELIGHT to play as a flautist. It was really nice to play with Emma and actually realise how similar we are as players personality wise and how well we blended. We also had a delightful fish and chips in Drayton Park road.

I picked many blackberries from round the corner from my house in September and made lots of fruit amber!

When I went to Highbury for the aforementioned concert, I visited a charity shop I used to go to when my ex-boyfriend lived there when I was in my final year at university.  I found a beautiful Ukele in a case in their half-price sale! 

I found some excellent books for the school library too! The Piers Torday books were FANTASTIC!

My sunflowers FINALLY flowered in September!

When I went to my Dad and Stepmum's, they'd bought me some Chilli rice-crackers and Shittake crunch from their local refill room.  They'd got them in their own containers but I used the empty Cornflake bag to take them home in! It worked well!

Dad's Cobnut tree was covered in nuts and the squirrels hadn't got them so I picked lots to take home for CBC's porridge!

My orchestra was rehearsing in the Paddington area and there is an excellent Indonesian restaurant nearby called Bonda Kitchen. I ordered their Mie Goreng Mamak and it was superb!

I was still picking raspberries into October! Had an excellent harvest this year into the thousands!

Saw a jolly Red Admiral Butterfly on my trips to the Blackberry bushes.

At the end of September, CBC and I made a trip to the Chilterns to do a reccie for Duke of Edinburgh for his school. We stayed in a rather grim High Wycombe Travel Lodge (breakfast was good though!) but had a great walk and we saw the church that they used as the church in the Vicar of Dibley.

Lots of Midsomer Murders were filmed at pubs we passed.

What a strange and wibbly-wobbly (timey-wimey) house in the village!

The church was really lovely inside.

I enjoyed looking at the organ! Such fascinating instruments!

I adore it when the light hits just right and reflects on the floor!

Beautiful embroidery.

The shiniest ceramic teapot!

My gamelan group played for Indonesia Night at the Methodist central hall in London. It was a huge spectacle!

It's been fun playing gamelan regularly again!

I was given a cutting of a purple house plant from a friend's mum in August. I am happy it has thrived in our bathroom in the vacated Aloe pot! It has even flowered in the last week.

We were given Harrods goodie bags from the Indonesian embassy! The Neuhaus chocolate was delicious. I'd tried this brand in Belgium!

 What would be in your miscellany?