I Surrender

 

Hercules aircraft flying across our valley (as they regularly do).

Another busy day.  First thing Keith and I braved the weather and had a walk along by the river, which was speeding merrily towards Carmarthen Bay. The leaves were spinning off the beech trees, all the colour of good bay horses and shining with rain.  I noticed that the Betony was still in bloom on the riverbank - little purple notes of summer joy.

    I managed to delay my breakfast until gone 10.30 today (it helps with weight loss to eat in a restricted time period), then I cooked up more windfall apples and pears, and made a Lemon Drizzle Cake.  Then just when that came out of the oven I put the temperature up and 10 mins later put in a tray of Cheese scone wedges.  Oh my!  These are SO tasty.  I also baked an extra large loaf of Granary bread, but that was in the breadmaker so just a case of putting the ingredients on and setting the menu. 

     This afternoon Tam and I went back to the top of the house to finish sorting out what is to keep, what is for charity and what is rubbish.  From now on in I just have to surrender to whatever has to be gotten rid of (but I have squirrelled away the other half of my West Country books - Shhhhhhhhhh!)

     Danny's DVD's are all in a box for him to collect when he is able, and his books in a box on one side too.  Tam and I finished sorting in the sleepover room - there was a LOT more in there than I remember.  I went through another box of fabrics and have shed another black bin liner full which will be going to Alex, who teaches us patchwork, along with the patchwork magazines I am shedding, and several boxes of GOOD books for the charity shelf in our community-run shop/PO at Court Henry.  When I went out for the paper this morning (hoping to catch Alex) I dropped off two bags of patchwork and knitting books and another bag of apples to Mair, who is another patchwork group member and she was delighted.  She makes lots of jams, chutneys and cakes with the apples.

      So now we have two rooms done up there now, which is very pleasing.  Yet more things to go to the charity shop or bin, but we have an awful lot of bedding which we need to sort through.  There is a limit to how many duvets and pillows and bed quilts you need.  I stripped the spare bed, now that no-one is viewing, and downsizing the super kingsize duvet cover will be a job for when we have moved.

    Dusk seemed to come very early tonight - by 5 p.m. it was quite gloomy outside.  Ah well, another day nearer to the shortest day - let's think positive!

    Tomorrow morning first thing I have to take Ghengis to the vet's as he has cystitis again- I am finding it hard to get the specific Urinary care biscuits, so he has been on the Senior Cat ones instead.  I've just checked Amazon and ordered some from there to give me time to source them locally.  He also has a sore eye - it looked weepy this morning, then better this afternoon, and now worse again, so that will get sorted too.  Poor chap.

    

       .

Plodding on

Although I am feeling a bit brighter, I still haven't shaken this nasty bug off.  I'm still on anti-biotics, but I think the bug is still in my body causing problems as when I went to one of the Units today to have a change around of stock, I broke into a real sweat walking backwards and forwards with various bits of furniture and boxes of china.  It was the same this afternoon when we loaded the car for the first of three back-to-back Fairs.  I wish we didn't have to do them as my husband is unwell too (same bug) only he's about 3 or 4 days behind me and standing around in the cold for the next three days isn't going to bring any health benefits!  Ah well, needs must, and if tomorrow turns out to be quiet, we shall pack up early and at least we will be packed for the next couple of days so don't have to start over.

This afternoon was my last opportunity to do some baking for the Fairs (I always take cake to share round amongst friends).  The top cake is a simple Lemon Drizzle, but it's Lemon and Lime as I had both to use up.  It turned out well, though it got forgotten for 20 minutes beyond it's allotted span in the oven as I was watching Bargain Hunt on tv.  (One of our vices).

It was one of those days for baking mishaps, and this was a rather dismal failure as it got overbeaten (the mixer turned itself on when I was out of the room!) and the cracks are probably due to the mixture being too wet.  This was because when I was heating up the fat and syrup/treacle, I got distracted and it boiled over (BAD), and I added more fat to make up for what I had lost all over the stove, so I guess I got the balance wrong.  Ah well, let's hope it tastes OK.  It is a Chocolate Fruited Gingerbread.

I have the dates for Tricia's cremation, and then funeral.  I can only do one, so will be going to her funeral/spreading of her ashes.  I forgot to ask whether it was family flowers only, donations to charity, or what - my mind was thinking about the funeral and so I suppose I have been distracted all day long.

Doh, just gone to check my emails and got an order confirmation from My Hermes for the parcel I'm having picked up tomorrow, and I suddenly realized I'd not printed off their labels.  I think I need an early night.