A later good morning Mick and all GN's on a still , dry morning with a hint of sunshine coming out but definitely much cooler day. Good and bad reasons for being slow this morning. Not a good night and to add to usual aches and pains somewhat of a sniffle and probably getting a cold. However I did manage to go back to sleep after about 5.30am, which means that at least I have had more sleep and hopefully this can mean I am getting out of this horrible pattern of rotten nights, but it was at the cost of missing Bach before 7.
So up and just about ready to sally forth to get some basics, and remember to get a little pork pie from the good shop, and check the fruit I have, ready for my trip tomorrow to meet my family. Hope the weather is dry and good then, but we are meeting at the service station, which is convenient for us, but we just buy a drink there, never eat their expensive food, which is rarely to our liking anyway, but it does make a sensible and practical meeting up point for us all. So we just have a drink and a catch up of news and views, and then they have to be off, so I shall hopefully have some good weather where I can choose , to either carry on to the Lake district for the afternoon, as havent been across there for a while , cost of fuel etc, or go to Kirby Lonsdale for a wander around, see if the army/navy kind of shop has been rebuilt, and then if my back is kind I can walk along the path through from the church above the river Lune, where hopefully there will be some lovely autumn colours to enjoy. Well, will enjoy any of the countryside in its lovely autumn colours.
Yesterday my plans for planting little pots out didnt come to fruition, so perhaps this afternoon I might get a chance to do a bit. However I did have quite a successful day with some planned things sorted out. I am afraid that I still make lists of things to do thinking the timetable would be from when I could rush about, and dont allow the slow snail pace that I travel at now to be given extra timing. However, I took all 4 pairs of glasses and went on the yellow peril, got the bread, and then looked over at the opticians, looked busy so went off to a couple of charity shops in search of a pepper mill. No luck , annoyingly it fell off the counter and broke the bottom bit and I cant mend it , but have just recently bought a new container of peppercorns, and hence charity shop hunting for another one. So another little plan completed but did spend an extravagetn £1.50 on a hard back copy of Levy Roots cookery book in pristine condition. So it looks in such a good condition with not a stain on any page, that I guess it was a present to someone who never used it. I shall save it for a time when my back is bad, when I shall be able to browse through it and see what I fancy trying out. Now I am on my own and dont really do any dinner parties etc I find that I am getting rather boring and too likely to fall back on tried and tested recipes, but of course I also have to think what I can stand up and do and my lack of freezer space is frustrating.
So then went back to the opticions , which was quite empty, so parked the yellow peril and went in with all the 4 pairs of glasses and explained how the reading glasses didnt seem to be correct in the right eye etc, and could they look and check the prescription etc. Fortunately for me, a customer had not turned up on time and the young lady checked up on the prescription, pronouncing it correct and then did various other checks and eventually slightly altered the angle and shape of the glasses. I tried them on and they were still warm, a good idea for cold winter mornings on the buggy!! Anyway I am now trying them out for a week and will go back if necessary.
I then rewarded myself with a coffee at Cafe Nero's where I met two very pleasant Polish young women , who have lived here for nearly 20 years and were meeting up. One of them is an engineer in Leeming bar and has an injury so not at work so they were making the most of a catch up. So we chatted and the engineer was keen to ask my views on the political situation. She is worried, because she has lived here, worked all the time, claimed no benefits, pays her taxes and has a house here, but with the appalling posturing from the politicians, worries that they will say she has to leave etc etc.
I did my best to reassure her that a lot of it is just posturing, and that the tory party thinks that our memories are very short, and they can say what they will do next time in a jam tomorrow and jam yesterday but never jam today, and we wont look at the last 14 years where all these promises were not kept. Anyway, in my view, what politicians say is far more about how to get into power than what they actually do if and when they get there. Personally, although sadly those who shout loudest get more attention, the majority of people I know and speak to , are not against people who live and work and are part of the community. I was able to tell them about Upfront and the womens groups and one that is in the evening, which was something they did not know about and so hope that was helpful to them. We talked about countries and places we have visited and they told me of a good quality polish deli, that I shall go and visit soon, and we said we would look out for each other , and of course with the yellow peril just outside I could tell them that wherever they saw that I would be nearby. Then had to dash off as needed milk and it was time when the cleaner would be coming.
I am happy to fit in with Jessy and sometimes she puts me in before someone and sometimes after so not a rigid timing, but suits us both. I got home and shot down to the washing line to grab my now dry washing before I came inside. Then it was sorting and folding and adding to the ironing pile, which I really am going to be tackling this pm at some point, and then she came and so now I am proud to be sitting in clean clothes in a clean and tidy(ish) flat. She turned the mattress over for me and made the bed up and then the job for the day that I really needed doing was to get all my store cupboard out and sorted with newer dates put to the back and older stuff brought to be used first. Things put together so now I can see exactly how many of this and that I have and it ranges from a need to get a new jar of beetroot - other one has disappeared somewhere - to finding that I have four bottles of oil and probably no need for a new one until half way through next year!! So it is cheering to see a little order coming about, even though I have had to ask someone else to do the actual sorting. Now I need to look for a sort of puller /grabber thing that I can have at an angle, to be able to grab something from the back of the shelf. Think I shall have to look for something suitable in a charity shop, or look in a catalogue to think what will work for me. As it is below the counter level a straight grabber wont work for this. Well some inspiration will arrive at some point. So by the time Jess went , I was pleased but very weary and although it was still quite nice and I could have had a go at some planting, just too weary to begin and so did very little after that, studiously ignoring the ironing pile .
Today I need the D@S to see what the weekend holds for us, one or two bits, and then back and into scruff to hopefully do a bit in the garden, as it was very chilly this morning and it is quite likely that we shall get a morning or evening frost soon. Cannot let the weather take away plants I have paid for!! Have a quite large salvia in a pot that I need to look up about and see if it is safe to either split in two and plant or plant as one decent one, and not stress it out. If it is near the house wall I think I can risk planting it out. Do wish I had a cold frame to overwinter things. Anyway it has been a week of getting a bit done and that is very cheering and boosting to look back on when I have a rotten day and dont get anything done. So long as I can remember having a good week I can manage. When all I can look back on is frustration and painful times it can be very depressing. So onward and upward (I hope!)
Mick by now you are probably on your way to Bicester and hope you have a good day. I have never done fish and chips in my airfrier, need to look it up and see how to do it! GrandMattie, hope you have had a good trip to the airport and are now winging your way to Malta for a lovely holiday.
Bellasnana, it is a sad day remembering, especially as sisters know us more than anyone else, but you have good memories of her to look back on and her son to treasure. Pantglas, I never see myself as someone who does a lot, on the contrary, am constantly frustrated by my slowness and lack of getting things done!! RoseandLilac you have my sympathies and do hope that things improve soon. If you have a good old hot water bottle, I find putting them to warm you as you sit down is a help. Or a more modern thing would be these little pillow things that you can heat in the microwave and smell of lavendar to cheer you a little. Congratulations Kittylester on your anniversary and thanks for the photo, so now have an idea of what you look like, though accept you might have changed a little by now! Susan56, hope you get good news and that the doctors is just a check up on something. Georgesgran, hope you are able to get the house sold quickly and at least it will take a lot of constant thoughts and worries from you. Hope you are successful finding a suitable car too at a reasonable price.
Hoping the day goes well for everyone, here promised sunshine seems to have left and a bit grey now but still dry