So this was Sunday.

I went for a morning walk today as afternoons, especially in the weekend, really are not good.  

The pond is lower than ever!

Through the woods the sunlight dapples the greenery.

An old brick building.

Usually I would have gone closer to explore, but for some reason I didn't this morning, will have to do so another time.

Sunlight glittering on the sea, so beautiful.

Honeysuckle along the track, smelt gorgeous.

Ships - giants compared to the tiny boat in the right foreground

Calf feeding.

Looking down on one of the bays, the water was so clear.

A Cruise ship.

The rose bush in my front garden is just looking more spectacular each day.

A slow worm in my greenhouse.

Berries

Pretty flower.

The gooseberries are getting big - so much earlier than in Hertfordshire.

I planted out some more plants today and cut back and dug out some of the giant parsley type plant... the guinea pigs aren't overly fond of it, and I decided it was taking up valuable growing space in the raised bed.  

I did a bit of sewing in the morning after my walk, making another little top and skirt for the Mix and Match wardrobe I am making.

I also stitched another bear and stuffed him this evening and sewed him together.

Tomorrow I think I am going to do nothing!  I feel a bit in the wars tonight.  I've been sick - I don't think my dinner agreed with me this evening, it wasn't particularly nice.  My body hurts all over, and my left hip in particular is giving me grief.  Goodness knows what has set that off.

My right eye is also giving me a bit of bother, so I have had to start using the night drops again, but I think I am going to have to use the day ones as well, as it isn't getting any better.  

So time to rest!  Difficult when I know there is so much to be done.

Sunday the Sixth!

My youngest boy's birthday today!  How did he get to be twenty three already?  I wrapped up his gifts, all practical -  jogger bottoms, hoodie top, jacket and a tee-shirt I bought him while in NZ.  His Nan gave him some money and a hoodie top, and his brother and sister in law, a pair of trainers and a jogging bottom and top set.  We also pay for his gym membership  which is his lifeline and his phone contract.  We took him out for a meal.  I thought it would be nice to take him out for the meal on his actual birthday but wish now we had left it until tomorrow as it was horrendously busy and noisy.  Thank goodness we had booked.  I am amazed he coped with it as well as he did as he has ASD.  I think I coped with it less well and couldn't wait to leave.  He unwrapped his presents in the car and we took him back home to his little room in a house he shares with others.  It is silly really as my husband sees him every Monday so it would have made far more sense to have had the meal tomorrow.  Obviously I hadn't really engaged my brain properly when I was asked what day would be best to take him out.

It rained heavily during the night, but this morning was dry.  We have had mostly a mixed day of it being overcast with a bit of sun, but that all changed just over an hour ago.  Not long after we got home.  It is looking pretty gloomy out there.  I better go and top up the guinea pigs hay, food etc...and then I can settle in for the evening and not have to go outside again. 

I haven't got any photos for today!  So just words I'm afraid, and pretty uninspiring ones at that. So will finish this now and wish everyone a good week.

Sunday Summary

Thursday 2nd August.  So today I worked on the least favourite of rooms and jobs - the bathroom.  It really had been neglected for some time, so was well overdue for a deep clean.  Because of my ongoing pain issues I can only do a little at a time so have to pace myself.  It will be a two day job.  Today I cleaned the toilet, window sills, sink and top of drawers.  Tomorrow I will tackle the bath and inside the actual drawer unit and hopefully finish with the walls and floor.

I also finished the end bedroom and dusted and polished a couple of cabinets in the hallway - gosh the dust from decorating the windows has certainly spread round the house!

The weather is warming up again and I did a little bit outside before it got too warm, dead heading the roses and cleaning out some of the old leaves that were in the wildlife pond.  It seems the newts and frogs aren't around at the moment, so I took advantage of their absence.

The last two days I have got back into my clarinet practice, having not done any for quite some time, partly due to the very hot spell we had been having and well also due to the pain...sigh...

Friday 3rd August.  Hot again, over 30 degrees.  This weather we are having really is quite incredible.  I didn't do much today around the house, a bit of an upset disturbed my fragile emotional equilibrium.

Little Percy had to go to the vet to have his yearly vaccination - I do sometimes wonder whether these are absolutely necessary and how much they contributed to his immune disorder that destroyed the retinas in his eyes and caused him to go blind.  He does however do a lot sniffing, licking and hunting of various gross items in the garden, so I guess best to protect him against the nasty bugs that might be lurking as a result of rat and mouse droppings.

In the afternoon I have come up to stay with my son and daughter in law again for the weekend.  Just gives me a bit of time away from the house and other things.

Saturday 4th August:  Today we went to a Vintage/Antique Emporium.  It was okay but nothing really grabbed us and a lot of stuff seemed to be rather overpriced.  Afterwards we went to Bishop Stortford and did some of the charity shops.  DS and his wife bought a lovely second hand lounge suite.  It gets delivered on Wednesday, so once it is in situ I will take some photos of it.  It is really pretty and I wouldn't have minded it myself!  I bought some more books, 50 p each, three of which were brand new.  I am building up a collection of the Michael Morpurgo books, so was pleased to get these three.

The afternoon was spent in the garden and I helped the Sailor do some weeding so he could plant out some more potatoes.  We also dug some up for dinner.

Sunday 5th August:  Another glorious day and one spent in a very lazy relaxed way on a sun lounger in the shade overlooking the garden reading one of the books I bought yesterday.  I have already finished one so am now on the second of the Tess Gerritsen that I bought.

I love the way the light reflected through these pretty red leaves.

Watching the starlings provided much amusement.

All our meals have been eaten outside from breakfast through to dinner as it has just been so nice.  What an amazing summer we are having, long may it continue! 

I guess tomorrow I will have to return home and continue with my cleaning up after the decorating - there is still the lounge to tackle, and that was very dusty when I left on Friday - the decorator having only just finished the windows on Thursday afternoon.  Hopefully the paint will have started to harden properly.  As they are metal window frames, we are leaving the windows open so that the pain hardens as much as possible before closing them.  Thank goodness for the good weather!  Hopefully I will have some after photos to show soon.

Sunday Summary on Monday plus a Yummy Cake!

I stayed with my son and his wife for a couple of days over the weekend as I needed a break away from home, so my post for Sunday is a day late.

Earlier in the week the gladioli just started flowering and by Friday was looking fabulous

Of course the rain then gave it a bit of a battering.

My roses are looking as lovely as ever and give me much enjoyment.

Just love Rhapsody in Blue.  

Wednesday evening we went to my son's for dinner and were delighted to spot this hedgehog in his garden.

The maple leaves in our garden look so pretty with the sun shining through them.

Hover fly.

These beans are coming along nicely and are very tasty.  In fact I put some in our dinner tonight,

I made a cauliflower, kale and pasta bake with added green beans and tomatoes.  

On Friday an air ambulance was circling over a road fairly near us...I fear a bad accident must have happened.  Not sure what was going on a few nights before that though when a helicopter was circling round our road and a neighbouring road for HOURS from about 2 am - 4am!

We picked up the wedding photos we had done in April in the weekend and they are fabulous.  My son chose these two to go on his wall.

This is of my gorgeous daughter in law, his wife in her fabulous Nepalese gown.

Love this photo of them both.  This is a photo of the large print they now have on their wall, the colours aren't as good as in real life.  

This afternoon I have been 'faffing' in the dining room - dusting and polishing and rearranging things after the windows have been painted.  Now need to get things tidy again!  Almost all the windows have been done, apart from those in my room and the lounge.  Hopefully they will be finished by the end of the week.

Love these tea pots and cup and saucer set.

Some bears and things.

Lastly I even made a cake today!  

I thought I would try something completely different and made a Beetroot Cake and my was it delicious.

Ingredients needed are:

Beetroot, Self-Raising Flour, Baking Powder, Soft Brown Sugar, Vegetable Oil (I used Olive Oil), 2 Eggs and Sultanas.  

All mixed up - I forgot to take photos with my proper camera so these are just some Ipad shots.

Fresh out of the oven

A slice (or two)... with a cuppa.

Very tasty indeed.  I will definitely be making this again.

The recipe I used came from here:  https://www.riverford.co.uk/recipes/view/recipe/beetroot-cake