Your day (apart from gardening) what took place ? 2025

OH does h'work - clearing the kitchen after meals (we do have 2 dishwashers), hanging up the washing and ironing it (whilst watching golf), dusting (tho never skirting boards), vaccing or sending round the robot. He even cleans loos now!

Having been a kept woman since we moved to Belgium on 1991, I do the DIY and all the painting plus sewing my own clothes, some of his and any curtains, cushions covers etc. I also do all the cooking cos I enjoy it and he's messy.

I used to do all the gardening and lawn mowing but now he's retired he does the mowing and strimming and weeds under supervision. Not good at identifying plant villains and beauties and can't plant as he has black thumbs. He's not even allowed to admire a beauty within its hearing as that has been fatal in the past.

@Michael Hewett you are clearly a very loving and supportive man. Bless you.

I consider most men to be in training for life.

 

I believe that's what life is all about

 

I'll be off to my art group later on, I'm opening the door this week because the usual opener can't come. Even though there are other key holders she plonks the key on the table in front of me and says "You'll open up next week won't you, I can rely on you, you see" ... I suppose that's nice to know.
She asked me not long ago if I would like a key permanently but I declined.

 

I would take that as a big compliment @Michael Hewett . Someone trusts you and finds you dependable.

 

Paris. Got up early to drive to a spot south of the city to avoid congestion charges and then trained and metro'd to the Belgian embassy so Possum could get her new passport. Last time we cam - Jan 2017 - it was cold and wet and grey all over - skies, buildings, shutters, roads, pavements, Seine - and the rive was flooded so high up the lampposts on the river bank promenades only just had their heads above water and only a rubber police dinghy could pass under the bridges.

This time it is grey again but warmer and the trains are clean but the streets are still dirty and littered and it's not pretty. Finished today with a raid on the fabrics market and it was heaving with tourists coming down from Montmartre. Goodness knows what they make of the scruffies and tat at the bottom.

I'm hoping the area round the Rodin Museum and Notre Dame will be cleaner and greener tomorrow.

 

Well Notre Dame should certainly be in pristine condition for you

 

A day trip to Murder Path (aka Morpeth) which is just 40 mins by bus from us. They have a delightful park hosting William Turner's garden where the plants are labelled with their English, Latin and medieval names.

Wild Garlic was absolutely wild, covering the steep slopes and smelling like Turkish kitchen at it's best, which inspired a lunch at a Turkish restaurant. Very nice indeed and reasonably priced.



Spotted a Great Cormorant too, a graceful large diver apparently common to the region but very exotic to me.

This time we didn't make any discoveries in the antique market apart from a very large carved duck which was totally out of our budget and impossible to carry and wouldn't have fitted in with our "decor", let alone through the front door, but it was wonderful.

Visited Mr Simms Sweets Shop which has the good grace not to spell its name "Shoppe" and stocked up on salty liquorice. They are quite pro on the subject and label the variants on degrees of saltiness. I'm afraid their Herrings were overrated, next time we visit I might bring this to their attention. But the Salmiakkitoukat are spot on. My kidneys are making beeping noises.

 

I love salt liquorice, but have to be careful with it as my heart has a definite antipathy towards it.
It rained overnight so I gave the car a much needed wash; the rain loosened the seagull droppings.

 

Indeed salty liquorice (salmiakki) is known to be harmful to most human organs, and my knowledge of the aforementioned organs is largely based on the warnings I was given after having been gifted a bag of the stuff by loving relatives

Funnily enough, the best salmiakki of my childhood was sold in pharmacies- basically just Ammonium Chloride and sugar. Whooa that was good!

The modern version: Apteekin Salmiakki - Wikipedia

 

Lovely coach trip to Liverpool yesterday and, my word, it was very windy. Five hours spent mainly walking around so today has been designated as a rest day

 

.

 

Yes it's the ammonium chloride that can upset the heart rhythm although not widely known among the medics.
Sal ammoniac was the old term for ammonium chloride over here.

 

Salmiakki, never heard of it, neither has my spell check, what's it used for?

 

Cough drops

 

Cough candy?
I used to like Victory V but dont think you can get them anymore.