Last day of the holidays

 And just like that, it's the last night before we go back to school. The 5 weeks and 4 days (you can tell I'm resentful about that one missing day!) holiday is over and we return to the throng in the morning. Bright and early!  I'm trying not to feel anxious and in the doldrums about it but it is looming in a lugubrious manner!

I wrote a little poem to amuse my little sister who is also a teacher who is also feeling the gloom and sent it to her:

First Day back

We come sulking and snivelling,

Dragged reluctantly and quivering,

Into school gates yawning

When the day's barely dawning, 

Kicking and screaming,

Cos the sun is beaming,

Whilst we’re imprisoned inside,

We've been sentenced and tried, 

Made to share facts about our holiday

Cringing when it's our time to say,

Brains trying to kick-start,

Whilst trying to look smart,

Studying maths strategies,

But dreaming of beach breezes, 

Wishing we were still home,

Suppressing a groan,

Whilst trying to name fiction text features. 

And that's just the teachers! 

• CBC and I have had a great holiday in so many respects.  
• I had 10days at music camp, CBC had 12 days in France.
• I got to play 1st flute in Shostakovitch's beautiful 6th symphony.
• Played fiddle in a ceilidh band
• Swam in a lido
• Explored a new public transport route back from said lido- felt adventurous
• Made a lovely new flute friend who is curiously similar to me in many ways.
• Wrote lots of poems.
• We had 4 days in Hexham
• 4 days in Hebdon Bridge
• 3 days at my Dad's in Kent
• Stayed over at my Mum's
• Saw quite a few friends.
• The pond is finished in our garden.
• Went twice to the localish beach and and once up north.
• Hoovered and cleaned the floors many times (and they still look dirty!)
• Performed a flute recital
• Eaten lots of nice meals not cooked by ourselves including Thai, Indonesian, Malaysian, Persian, Mexican, Lebanese, Italian cuisines.
• Picked lots of nice fruit and veg from the garden AND foraged
• Eaten lots of fresh fruit and veg
• Seen interesting fungi
• Had some delightful walks
• Relaxed
• Slept
• Cycled
• Played Games

It's been a joy in many respects and I am grateful for this time.

Fascination of the canopy

 On Friday, we drove to Tony's Patch near Haydon Bridge, Northumberland. This is a Wildlife Trust-owned piece of land. We went in search of Red Squirrels.

We saw three fleeting squirrel glimpses as they dashed up trees but could not say of they were red or grey. 

However, there was a sublime sense of serenity in the woods as we sat waiting for our bushy-tailed friends and enjoyed the canopy of trees

Such a calming sight. 

We sat a while and ate some snacks. 

I spotted an interesting fungus. It looked most intriguing like it was a bleeding Beefsteak fungus but I couldn't get close... 

We walked on and I saw these tiny ones which might be Honey Fungus. 

We walked through the gate into a meadow and I spotted these enormous Mahogany-looking Fungi.  (updated: this is Giant Polypore) 

CBC's hand for scale... 

I spotted this tiny toadstool as we continued on. 

We climbed a big mound where some boys were filming on bikes and saw a gorgeous view. They came over and told us we had gone too far and this was their uncle 's farmland so we apologised and walked back 

Here we are on the mound. 

Saw some more Fungi. 

As we walked back to Tony' s patch, I spotted a tree with what I suspected was Chicken of the Woods fungus. 

I was wearing 3/4 length trousers and got stung all over by Nettles and a Bramble round the ankle. 

But managed to reach it and it WAS Chicken of the Woods! 

It has a sulphorous yellow base and orange top. When it's fresh, it is very desirable edible and when cooked can be a great Chicken substitute, hence the name. If older, it's a bit more rubbery. I didn't take it... 

As we came back, we saw a monument to Tony Clissord who the place is named after. 

It was a lovely little walk and we weren't finished with adventures yet before we went home... 

The sweet smell of success

I'm not 100% sure of this poem. Sort of makes me think of those sickly sweet plaques and framed quotes that you see in gift shops but I wrote this poem for the prompt word of 'Sweet' yesterday. I was aware of this as teenagers boasted of their 8's and 9's on GCSE day TV reports and remembered that sometimes, it can be hard when others around us seem to achieve better than us, that what we worked hard for is still of value. 

A relative of mine was told that no matter how many times they retook GCSE maths, that they would only ever get an E. That relative worked really hard and achieved a C first time. I was so proud of them and that C, to this day, is probably the grade I am most proud of. More than my own A. 

Xx
 

TARDIS Tuesday and kitties

Hello there! Greetings from my Mum's garden! CBC and I went over there for lunch today.  We had our usual customary walk around her beautiful garden to admire her prowess at growing food and flowers and then we walked to the marina to try out a new cafe called Shell's cafe.  It was really really nice with a good selection of food and nice shady tables with amusing paraphernalia on the walls of the garden.  We then walked back to her house but sadly, the sole of one of my shoes completely came off so we had to make it a shorter walk than intended.  RIP these shoes- I love them so much- so comfortable. I bought them from Primark at least 19 years ago so they have had a good innings- going to see if I can glue it back on though. We played with her kitties, drank an intriguing glass of Black lace elder and rose cordial and then headed home via the garden centre where I felt sorry for a manky-looking Erysimum Bowles plant which I bought for £2 and CBC bought some extra stones for the pond, the main reason we went there.

Onto my TARDIS Tuesday outfit. Last posted in June 2024, I am featuring Sarah Jane Smith's final outfit from her days as Tom Baker's companion in the episode, The Hand of Fear, which the wonderful Ang Almond adapted for me 2 years ago or so! (See here the post where I debuted them with explanations of what adaptations she did)

Images borrowed from:
https://theultimateguidetothefashionofdoctorwho.wordpress.com/2017/10/25/sarah-jane-smith-the-hand-of-fear/

https://bradleybasement.wordpress.com/sci-fi/doctor-who/doctor-who-timelines/the-doctors-timelines-index/the-fourth-doctors-timeline/the-hand-of-fear-tv/

And here's my 2025 iteration of these in Mum's garden!

I wore my same Joe Browns red top which I found in a charity top last year and was pleased as it was the perfect top for this outfit (AND others!). My beautiful dungarees which Ang customised and the aforementioned spotty pumps- not really screen accurate but I saw them in my cupboard as I was dressing and fancied wearing them...

Can you see someone poking out my pocket?

It's Mini-Owl! Sarah Jane holds a stuffed owl with this outfit as she leaves the TARDIS and CBC told me I looked like a Children's TV presenter in this outfit as I dressed and said I needed to fill those pockets so I obliged with Owl...who I knew I could get out easily for photos! We also have Mini Squirrel!

Here in the customary pose! Can you see the sole flapping on my shoe.  That's the one that STILL has its sole!

Had to have a play with darling Bramble

She has a thing about shoes. Has to put her feet into them and then have a rub and sniff around them.

Rowan has a thing about bags...

He had a lovely time playing with my rucksack after investigation.

Until she decided to get involved...

She then attacked the side ties on my dungarees and sunk a claw into my derriere as she attempted to vanquish the dastardly bow!

We had a fun weekend before this with a day spent with CBC's brother and then the Sunday spent with our friend Nath at the beach and out at the pub for dinner after a trip to a garden centre. More on the weekend anon.

Yesterday was largely spent at home.  I peeled, chopped and cooked 5 large containers of apple, blackberries and raspberries for the freezer and then watched Wednesday after an omelette and vegetables.

I ADORE a me-cooked cheese-omelette!!! It's the ONE thing where I prefer to cook it myself!

xx

 

The lost Summer outfits of 2024 (rainbow remix)

Last week, I shared a lost outfit from last Summer featuring the rainbow dress and so here's another one I also missed. It's actually almost identical to the one from last week but that I folded the dress top down and made it into a skirt. I also tied my hair into a side bun. I think I prefer this to the dress version. 

Here was another list outfit featuring my Laura Ashley cotton jumpsuit (charity shopped at £6) worn with Mallorcan belt and my Tom's Huaraches. 

Added white cardie and sun visor (both charity shopped) 

Here was another outfit. The circle skirt and belt were second hand and the top with its little boats from Sainsbury's. 

Plus my Scrabble necklace and Lorelai LQ earrings. 

 

The Song of the Tumble Dryer and other holiday stories

The weeks are passing quickly!

I left you in my last post on our Anniversary meal on Saturday.

I discovered I had won an Instagram competition from The Emma Press to win a poetry book for me AND my work colleague John called 'Mates Arias' by Lewis Buxton.

The next day, I got up to go to church and was there for 9.10 and played flute for the service. It was really lovely to see Richard, the pastor from the Baptist church I used to go to when I first moved to the area.  He likes to come to our Anglican church for services when he is on holiday but not away.  The funny thing is, as I was cycling to church, I wondered if he might be there!

We had a nice service with some visitors.

I headed off swiftly after gulping down a cup of tea to head home. I finished off packing when I got home as well as eating some breakfast.

Finally, after pestering CBC, we headed off to my Dad's house in Kent where we were to stay for three days.  We enjoyed a lunch of bruschetta with mozzarella and then my sister and I headed into the garden to pick some apples from their lovely trees - there are these amazing modern variety ones which have pink flesh and are so sweet and delicious!   

In the evening, we enjoyed a barbecue.

The next morning, I woke up at 7.30am and went out into their beautiful garden for a wander and a wonder at the beauty of creation!  Went to chat to my sister in her bedroom and then we had breakfast. CBC was going to help my dad in the garden with some work and A and I went to process apples.  A gardener was in to heavily prune back their two beautiful cobnut trees which I was extremely upset about as these are beautiful and provide much shade as well as sustenance for the squirrels (and me!) .  I decided to try and collect as many of the cobnuts as I could to dry out in a box and probably collected several hundred!

We went out to go and pick blackberries from the brambles at the end of the garden to join our apples and then we went to the kitchen to peel and chop and cook apples - they smell so sweet. A and I  managed to stew about 7 large containers of apple and blackberries to go in the freezer.  We had a delicious lunch of picky bits including an amazing antipasti platter they had from Costco that only cost £6.  We started to build a new shed for their garden (well, I didn't do much!) and then we headed out to dinner at a lovely pub by the river called The Lion. It was really relaxing and I had  delicious Katsu chicken curry and a Chocolate orange mousse bombe for dinner! CBC and my Dad were really pleased with their progress in the garden.

The next morning, having not slept so well, I woke a little later but went in for my customary chat with my sister in her room. Monty the dog was hilarious as he took up half her bed!

We had bacon sandwiches for breakfast- my stepmum KNOWS how to cook it properly and then my Dad and Chris headed off to the Dump with a lot of cob tree foliage and then A, T and I headed off to the Eco Pantry at Chart Farm.  The Eco Pantry is a brilliant Refill shop and I really recommend it if you are ever in that East Kent area.

I came out with red lentils, farfalle pasta, jasmine rice, chocolate covered pretzels,  Thai green curry rice crackers, Sesame Oil, Rape Seed oil, some Magnesium butter (supposed to help you sleep if Perimenopausal!) and some other stuff.

When we got home,we had some lunch and then continued with apple processing.  I peeled about 50 apples- the sweet ones for juicing and Bramleys for an Apple Crumble AND an Apple and Cinnamon Upside Down cake.  The juice was PINK- it was so delicious and the Apple Crumble too. 

As we worked, my Stepmum's tumble dryer was working industriously.  It has SUCH a musical sound which I can't help humming along to.  Appropriately, The Toy Press's word of the week was Tumble so this inspired my poem. I would have liked the word to go in a spiral around the circle but I wasn't sure how to do this.

Some games of Qwirkle were had

We had a barbecue after some MORE shed work and another dump visit by C and my Dad. 

After the barbecue, I got straight on with the washing up and then A and I headed into the hot tub. FINALLY.  We had been saying for 3 days that we would use it!

CBC and I headed home about 11pm!

The next morning, we got up and frantically began cleaning and tidying as my sister and her boyfriend were coming over to HELP US FINISH THE POND!

We managed to get tidied and cleaned in tim as they were an hour and a half later than anticipated! 

We borrowed a shredder from my neighbour Martyn and had a very merry time pruning and shredding the Laurel bush in our front garden. We then headed to the Aquatic centre to choose some plants for the pond and other items.  

When we got back, A and I made lunch for everyone and then Operation Pond continued.

I didn't contribut much to this process other than making tea and started to prune back the  Brambles behind our Bamboo- this is a den of pure devil that we can't get to as the railway line backs onto our garden so it is a constant fight against the brambles, ivy and Bindweed behind.

After this, we got changed and went out to our favourite Thai restaurant for dinner. Whilst waiting, A and I played our very own variant of Qwirkle that we devised last Summer! We still like it!

They have NEVER come over to our house without going out for Thai for dinner so Joy, the lovely waitress recognises THEM now!  A and I played lots of Categories Alphabet games in the car which I love.

The next morning, I awoke and had to console CBC over something he was upset about and I suggested we spend our day in the garden to forget about it which seemed to do the trick.  I ate a gorgeous breakfast of entirely foraged or homegrown fruit- apples from Kent, blackberries, golden plums, purple plums, homegrown blueberries and blackcurrants.  For lunch, we ate left-over Thai from last night AND five days ago. Everyone was sceptical about me eating the 5 day old stuff but I can confirm that I am fine one day on!

I spent several hours face first in the bamboo getting scratched to pieces trying to cut back the brambles and other evils- I filled the wheelie but it is still very much there!

For dinner, CBC and I made rice and lots of vegetables. Our fridge is really full of veg whether homegrown, from Riverford or from a visit to Barleylands farm shop.

This morning, I ate more fruit, CBC got some good news to console him and I am typing this. Later, we are going to a Barbecue and possibly over to our friend N's house to wish him a happy birthday!

 

The first three weeks of the holiday!

 Hello there!

Sorry for the radio silence of anything other than the most simple of posts. I was away and also fairly occupied.

School for the children finished on Friday  18th July. I spent time tidying my room at school and then headed off to the station.

CBC met me en route to drive us to Snowdonia for his friend Simon's birthday where we were joining his friends and family for a school camping trip.

We arrived around 11pm and set up camp in the Llyn Gwynant campsite, not really having any idea about where we were.

The next morning, we awoke to find we had incredible views of the mountains.  I also awoke to a cold! Grr to my colleague, the day before, who told me me had a cold 10 minutes after I sat down next to him!

CBC heated up the Jet Boil and we had some Dishoom Chai tea which he had been given the previous day as a present. I did NOT enjoy it but drank it! I also made a Hazelnut chocolate porridge!  We then met up with Simon and his lovely family and headed off for a walk to the Watkins path up Snowdonia which was home to the most incredible waterfalls and wild swimming opportunities!!!!

The camp shop didn't have any bread or sandwich filling so we didn't manage to make any lunch so we were grateful our friends shared some sandwiches with us.

We were swimming in the most wonderful natural infinity pools!  Despite my cold, the swimming felt amazing! I felt very serene.

CBC was invited to head up to scale Snowdon and then continue onto Crib Goch.  I was also invited but thank the Lord, I declined, as CBC told me I would have hated the scrambly, climby descent.

We headed back to the campsite.  I loved the company of some really imaginative children who almost made ME believe that wishing dragons were real!

Back at the campsite, I went and lay down to read as I was really tired.  CBC and Dan finally made it back around 8pm and we went and joined the others for food.  As the campsite shop hadn't got any barbecue food, I was really embarrassed to be sharing in the food of the others so kept what I ate to a minimum.  I went to go and wash up and then headed to bed feeling very tired  and snotty whilst CBC stayed up with the others.

The next morning, we had a slow start. I had really wanted to swim in the campsite's beautiful lake but the weather made it feel really chilly!  

We headed to Betwys-y-Coed and had amazing pizza in a super Orangutan-helping pizzeria near the station!

On Monday, I had to head to school for an INSET day whilst CBC got to stay at home. Grr.

We had some training and then I attempted to finish tidying my room before heading with very precariously packed panniers and bags swinging off my handelbars and arms for a rehearsal with my flute trio ready for our recital on Friday.

There were loads of chocolate brownies left from the Friday lunch which everyone had forgotten about/wwere too squeamish to eat 3 days after they were served so I took them home alone with lots of left-over salad (finished the last Brownies today on the 8th August and they were still fine!) .

Our rehearsal for the trio went well.

The next day, I went home and sorted out the house.

On the Wednesday, CBC headed to France in the evening. 

We were going to be spending almost two weeks apart.  He was going to France to be a check point monitor in the Pyrenes on the Col Du Tormolet  for the Transcontinental Cycling Race and I was going to my music camp.

On the Thursday, I began packing for my music camp and did some flute practice.

Friday was our recital.

I ordered a taxi to the station as I had 7 bags to travel to camp.  At Brentwood station, I met my friend T. I was incredibly lucky that T was also going to music camp and happened to live in the town where my recital was taking place. He was headed there earlier in his car so took the majority of my luggage except for my flutes and clothes to change into.

At the church, we practiced and then performed our recital which went incredibly well.

The audience had around 58 people in it which almost double the previous week. I was delighted that 19 people came who I had invited including several new and old colleagues, some church friends, CBC's colleagues, 2 of my pupils AND my cousin who crept in on her lunchbreak from work and left just before the end!

I then headed to music camp on the train! T met me at the other end to pick me up to drive me the 5 miles or so to camp from the station. He serendipitously happened to arrive at the exact same time as I did!

I had a great time at music camp!  

We played some brilliant music including Shostakovitch's 6th symphony which I was lucky enough to get to play 1st flute in. It has 3 exquisite, very exposed solos in the first movement!

The food was amazing at camp with plentiful vegetables. Usually, whenever I'm on holiday I feel starved for vegetables but we were amply supplied!

We had one afternoon where we had a massive working party to fix and mend parts of camp.

I and another lady were asked to laminate some old window panes to make them into safety glass which turned out to be surprisingly technical!

On the Thursday, a production was performed of Guys and Dolls which was hilarious.

On Friday, we had a ceilidh and I played fiddle in the band apart from Stripping the Willow at the end.

On both Thursday and Friday, I had only 1 rehearsal the whole day so I decided to go swimming and I managed to hitchhike with someone down to the Lido in town, some 5 miles away which was glorious. 

On the way back, I had to traverse public transport for the first time to get back to camp which involved 2 buses and about 2 miles walk along country lanes!

On Sunday, T gave me a lift back to Brentwood and I got trains home with my luggage.

Monday, I did some tidying and washing and then headed over to Mum's on the train and bike.

She cooked us a marvellous Spaghetti bolognese and we had an early night.

The next day, we got up, had tea and smoothies and then headed out to pick blackberries. We then bought bacon baguettes from a local sandwich shop and then we headed to a local country park where we picked absolutely stacks of different types of plums and cherries from the bountiful trees!

After this, I headed home and finished off the tidying before welcoming CBC home late in the evening.

The next day, CBC and I headed up to Holland Park, London to meet a friend who was over from Sweden.  We had dinner at a very nice Malaysian restaurant in Queensway.

Thursday, we headed to a place called Barleylands in Billericay to meet CBC's sister and his nephew to see some animals!

The next day, we spent the day at home doing gardening and largely vegging!

Today, we went for a quick trip to the beach, came home to have a new light fitting installed and then my old work colleague, her husband and daughter came over for the afternoon as they were here from the west country.

Finally, we headed to our favourite Thai restaurant for a 12th anniversary dinner!