Yawn Yawn Wakey Wakey 2025

My new glasses, which I mostly need for driving now my long distance view is a bit fuzzy, come with magnetic sunglasses and headlight glow attachments. That has made a huge difference for night driving, especially now that it's dark when we head off to dancing and I'm driving home from patch club. I even put on the glare ones when I'm the passenger - OH does return journeys.

I hope you have a lovely festive dinner @lizzie27. Happy birthday to your OH.

I now have 4 roses flowering in my new rose bed which is reassuring. I have potted on 4 teeny cuttings od salvia Amistad given be my a patch friend who never knew you could till I told her about mine. Turns out well as my Amistad died in last winter's wet. Two more sets of salvia cuttings done - Royal Bumble and a bright blue one - but 3 more to do. Heavy rain has stopped play but I don't mind.

Good that you've managed an appointment for that wrist @Ergates

 

Good afternoon everyone. That was such a kindness you showed to your Bestie @Busy-Lizzie. I share @lizzie27's dislike of dark driving. I do have the special specs that fit over my own to reduce the glare driving at night - or even in bright sunshine but if I can avoid it I do.
Sorry to read about your wrist still being problematic @Ergates but great news that you have managed to get an early appointment. Fingers crossed you get some positive help/advice.
By the way, my sister who is a gin afficionado has tried the 0% alcohol gin and likes it. I am not sure what brand she tried but it may have been Tanqueray.
Happy birthday to your OH @lizzie27. I'm sure he will be delighted with his meal and the surprise visitor too.

 

We had an incredible lunch time today and 4 of us were stunned as the chief barmaid and waitress recognised us as we used to teach her! This led to lots of chat. She told us she was the mother to 4 chidren now and her oldest girl also worked at the pub we were in. It was incredible how she remembered all our names and the subjects we taught. One of us had been her Form Tutor for the 5 years she was at school. Pupils only need to remember a small number of staff whereas we had to remember thousands. She was so lovely and only looked about 16 though she took delight in telling us she was now 43! So nice.

 

Happy birthday to your OH, @lizzie27.
I’m just wondering what else I can try to organise, as I am on a winning streak here!
I sent off the photos to the council this morning, and got an e mail back this afternoon, confirming that we have permission to get the tree taken down without having to go through the full planning process.
I also have a small plumbing job that OH can’t do, and has been hanging around waiting to organise. I sent off a photo and email to a local plumbing firm this morning, reply this afternoon, and they can come on Monday!
I’m going to check our to do list, and see what else I can chase up!

 

Cheers @Ergates - go for it!

 

We've had a busy, but lovely day with 3 of our dear friends.
Most of the prep was done yesterday, so just assembly and plating up, tidying and table setting. We started with my home made chicken liver pate, followed by a lamb shepherd's pie & veg (not very sophisticated, but Mary said it was pure comfort food!), then a bought roulade.
Plates were cleared, satisfyingly.
We'd talked about going to the caravan next week, but we've seen the forecast...so we're staying home!
You're on a roll, @Ergates

 

Buy a lottery ticket @Ergates!

 

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Good morning everyone. Just realised I forgot to say goodnight to you all! Senior moment!! I have a gluten free chocolate cake to make for tea/coffee morning first thing today and then around lunch time I will be off to the Church hall to help set it up for our special Remembrance Day Sunday. I have only stuck my head outside the front door when I went to bring in my milk so I'm not sure what is happening weather wise. I had hung out some washing yesterday and left it out over night as it was drizzling when I went out to see how it was doing and I couldn't be bothered to bring it in! Whatever you have planned for this weekend I hope you achieve all your goals.

 

Well, the lottery ticket didn’t produce any results, but it’s a lovely sunny morning, so we are heading out for a walk! OH wants to be back for an afternoon of rugby and motor racing, so I might get out in the garden, wrist permitting.
Have you tried alcohol free beer, @AuntyRach? I’m not a fan of beer at all, but for some reason, really enjoy Erdinger alcohol free version.
I have to laugh at myself though. I would have confidently said that virtually all the tv adverts I’ve seen have resulted in me adding the product to my ‘definitely won’t buy’ list.
However, I was enchanted by an advert for Poretti beer, featuring foxes on a speedboat on one of the Italian Lakes! I have even bought a couple of bottles to try, and it was actually quite pleasant. Whoever the advertising agency are, they obviously have me identified as a possible target market!

 

Clear skies and bright, overhead moon at midnight but heavy mists this morning when I woke up so back to bed for a read and a doze. Brilliant sunshine now so hoping to get lots of gardening done this pm. Bulbs to plant and perennials to check.

The forecast says next week will end wet and stay that way for days so I need to get a move on and transplant some irises. It was too dry at normal splitting time but they should be OK as the soil is warm and so is the air. Possum's coat will have to wait a week.

Have you tried Nigella's sunken amaretto chocolate cake @Ladybird4? It is beautifully squidgy as well as gluten free. Makes a great dessert too if srved with cream.

Happy Saturday everyone.

 

Evening folks. You must all be busy today.

Felt a bit meh today so maybe the Flu jab yesterday?? Doing a Chinese tray bake for dinner tonight - can’t wait! Still haven’t sorted my bulbs - but most just need moving from the sacks they live in after removing from pots late Spring back into pots.

I hope everyone has had a good day. Take care.

 

Evening everybody, thanks for all OH's birthday wishes. We had a lovely meal last night in the pub, nothing special (sirloin steak and chips) but nicely cooked and good meat. The pud though was something else - Disaronno pear and date sponge, sticky toffee sauce and vanilla icecream.
To die for!

Sunken amaretto chocolate cakes sounds yummy.

Son had arrived while we were out after a long drive in torrential rain - so good to see him. This morning he gave us a lift to the surgery for our covid and flu jabs. I had the two in my right arm as we were given the choice - I'm a side sleeper so thought I'd give it a go, time will tell. OH had one jab in each arm so we're going to compare notes tomorrow. I had time before a late lunch to pot up the clematis roots, nerines and irises I'd dug up yesterday but decided that was it for the day.

Hope the setting up for Sunday goes well @Ladybird4.

My daughter has just sent me a very amusing photo of herself dressed in a pirate costume. She has volunteered to help out at a community lunch next week and the theme for all the helpers is pirates.

 

Good evening all.

I'm glad that @lizzie27 and @Ladybird4 enjoyed their meals out yesterday. Lizzie I have my jabs in one arm too as I'm also a side sleeper. It's been fine.

I thought I'd mentioned yesterday the party that we are going to next week but on looking back it seems I didn't. I realised yesterday that I have left my 2 party dresses in France and we are going to a friend's 80th birthday party on Saturday. He was a barrister and then a judge. I can't turn up in jeans and a jumper or a summer dress! I have scrolled through the Net and ordered a green velvet dress with long sleeves. Hope it comes in time. I also hope it will be warm enough as the party will be in a marquee in their garden in Kent. It will be heated.

Today I was going to do the washing and some gardening and ring my son who had a knee replacement a week ago. He damaged it years ago playing rugby. I rang him but he didn't answer, then Cedric said he was going to Thetford to buy a jacket for the party on Saturday as he'd left his jacket in France so I went with him. No jackets anywhere, not even the charity shops or Sainsbury's which is where he bought a jacket years ago. We had a small lunch in Wetherspoons.

We gave up on jackets but we bought some decorations for the first Christmas tree we will have here in Norfolk. We went to a cheap shop for the basic baubles then a GC for a few prettier ones.

We'll go to M&S in Bury St Edmunds on Monday to look for jackets.

 

Good evening all. It has been the loveliest of days today - Springlike in fact. Washing dried too. Setting up went well and then a friend and I went to the local GC for a coffee. It turned out to be a very pleasing day for the strangest of reasons. I have an enormous empty aquarium taking up a large part of my living room. As my little fish passed away I did not replace them as I was finding the maintenance and water changing more and more problematic and eventually I ended up with an empty tank and several attempts at finding a home for it seemed nigh on impossible. My friend wanted to go to the aquarium section for food for her fish and as we were chatting at the checkout about my tank, the young man said he would be interested in my tank. When I got home I sent a couple of pictures to him and he said it was perfect for what he wanted. To cut a long story short, he and I have made a tentative arrangement for him to pick up the tank on the 18th. I am delighted.
I must say that sunken amaretto chocolate cake sounds lush @Obelix-Vendée. Thanks for the heads up. I will look up the recipe. I hope you are lucky with your jacket hunt on Monday @Busy-Lizzie. I do have to say it sounds odd that you couldn't find any. Do men not wear jackets very much these days? When I think about it, a lot of the guys I see are usually wearing gilets or fleeces so smart jackets must be in short supply.

 

Here it is @Ladybird4 Sunken chocolate amaretto cake recipe
A green velvet dress sounds dab @Busy-Lizzie. I hope you find a suitable jacket for Cedric.

I got distracted today so no quarrying or bulb planting but more cuttings taken, seedlings nurtured and the polytunnel sorted ready for taking the citrus pots and fuchsias in before it gets cold. Pots of bulbs moved to the rose bed for planting along with new purchases so I'm already to go tomorrow.

Pesto made with the last of the basil and chilli oil made and others frozen whole so busy, but not as planned.

Glad you both enjoyed OH's birthday meal @lizzie27. That pud sounds luscious.

Hope you feel better tomorrow @AuntyRach