Better late than never

I've been trying to catch up over the last few weeks on some of the jobs I had planned for the summer, which got scuppered for one reason or another. With the Autumn coming (my favourite time of the year) and a new study year looming I knew if I didn't get this one job out of the way, it would be next summer before I could reap the benefit.

So I went about turning this fabric into

these cushions

 

 

 

 

 

 

and this bunting

 

 

 

 

 

and Mr M set about painting the inside of this

 

 

 

 

Ta dah

 

And now my long awaited beach-hut/summerhouse is complete 

 

 

 

 

And filled with all the paraphernalia I've been buying all summer

 

 

 

 

 

This is the nearest I'm ever going to get to owning a beach-hut so looking forward to relaxing with a good book, a cup of tea (or wine in the evening) and listening to my favourite music with maybe a seagull or two in the background - well a girl can dream can't she!

 

 

Bye for now

Date and walnut loaf

A baking morning yesterday - and this is all that's left of my favourite Date and Walnut loaf, adapted from my 1960s Dairy Book of Home Cookery which I thought I'd share with you.

My late mum gave me this book when I got engaged in 1969 and it has really done me proud. It never lets me down and comes out on numerous occasions. No matter what I want to cook/bake, there is always something I can find.

Here's the recipe:

250g self raising flour
1 teas mixed spice
125g margarine
125g caster sugar
100g chopped dates
50g chopped walnuts
l egg
5 tablespoons milk


1. Heat the oven to 180 c or gas mark 4. Grease and line base of a 2lb loaf tin

2. Sift flour and mixed spice into bowl and rub in margarine finely and add sugar

3. Mix together with egg and milk

4. Stir in the choppd nuts and dates.

5. Place mixture evenly in the tin. Bake for about one and a quarter hours

Sometimes, like today I bake it in a small square tin, slice it and add an orange flavoured butter cream just for a change and add a few walnuts on the top.

Happy baking!

A lovely day all round...

On Saturday afternoon we went to The Globe Theatre in London with friends to see one of Shakespeare 's most outrageous comedies The Taming of the Shrew. We went last year to see Anne Boleyn and loved the experience of outdoor theatre so decided to book another play.

A wonderful performance by actors under the most searing heat in very heavy costumes. I don't know how they survived the temperature which was well into the mid thirties and being an open air theatre there was no getting away from the sun. We, the audience had a slight respite as the balconies were just under cover but boy was it hot!!

The story is about two wealthy sisters in Padua who must be married off. The modest demure Bianca has no shortage of suitors but who on earth will take the wild, ungovernable, shrewdish Katherina? Only the gold-digging Petruchio, a man as maddeningly strong-willed and perverse as Katherina herself, is equal to the task of bullying her to the altar.........   A brilliant performance which had us rocking with laughter. Shakespeare certainly had a wonderful sense of humour and not a rude joke or swearing to be heard.

The Globe  put on some wonderful plays during the season which lasts from early June to mid October. We booked our tickets back in February but they do sell, on the day up to 700 standing room tickets for £5 each, which is a fantastic way to see Shakespeare on the cheap if you are in London for the day.

When we got home that evening my neighbour knocked at the door with a parcel that the post van couldn't deliver. It was my course books from the OU for next year's study. Well I was like a child at Christmas - didn't know what to look at first - so exciting.  It's always overwhelming to receive these lovely shiny books in pristine condition and begging to be read  but as I'm only just beginning to catch up with my summer projects and chores after my recent eye surgery and holidays etc, I'm going to have to wait a few weeks before I get stuck in.  A lovely day all round!

Bye for now

Patricia

The Olympics are coming to town!

I don't know about anyone else but I've simply not had the time nor the inclination to write anything for the past couple of weeks and get the feeling from other bloggers that they also feel the same.  I think the holiday season as well as the lovely weather we are now enjoying plus, of course the Olympics (which I for one have been glued to), have given us a reason to take stock and slow down a bit.

Speaking of the Olympics, they are coming to our neck of the woods this weekend to Hadleigh Farm where they will be holding the Mountain Biking events. You might remember I wrote about Hadleigh Farm back in April.  It seems that the whole area is going to come to a standstill for two days, but even so the tension and excitement is mounting. Many cyclists have been spotted, cruising around town, doing a bit of sight-seeing and making themselves known to their awaiting audience.

There are flags and bunting everywhere and a general sense of camaraderie amongst locals and visitors alike.

Hadleigh has been getting ready for some time now and it's all looking
very patriotic and welcoming for the contestants.

This sculpture has been put in the middle of our local large roundabout as you enter the area which has been planted with some beautiful plants and flowers

This is the nearest we could get to the grounds as, like Stratford, security is paramount.

Looking forward to the Closing Ceremony on Sunday - if it's anything like the Opening Ceremony then we're in for a treat. Happy viewing and have a fabulous weekend.

See you soon

Patricia



Birthday treat and an unexpected surprise

Yesterday was my birthday and I had such a lovely day. John took the day off work and we headed up to Suffolk to a National Trust property - Ickworth House and Rotunda, a Georgian Italianate palace set in the idyllic English landscape of East Anglia.

The eccentric first Earl of Bristol was passionate about Italy and envisioned building a stupendous monument to folly which led to the creation of this remarkable Rotunda.

We've been before and seen the wonderful collection of paintings, portraits, fine sculptures and furniture. But it was the newly established "Ickworth Lives" project which took our fancy. The Rotunda basement has been restored as it would have been at the turn of the century and gave us a sense of what life was like for servants and estate workers up until the 1930s.

First, the kitchen which was the hub of the household and where the cook would have produced meals for the upstairs household and stream of many guests as well as those living downstairs.

where shoes were meticulously cleaned for their owners in the adjoining scullery.

I do believe that is a knife sharpener on the table too.

Possibly the Butler's bedroom

and the Housekeeper's parlour

I have to own up to the fact that I learnt to type on a typewriter not dissimilar to this, way back in the 1960s - to the tune of 'William Tell'. Now that really dates me!

I learnt to sew at school on a hand sewing machine like this too.

The grounds were stunning

and the formal gardens beautiful

But all too soon it was time to leave.

We went out to dinner in the evening with our children and grandchildren to a restaurant called The Boatyard in Leigh on Sea, where we sat overlooking the local fishing boats moored in the harbour and the River Thames beyond. I was thoroughly spoiled with some wonderful pressies, cards, flowers etc and enjoyed my day tremendously.

Just when I thought that things couldn't get better - I had a wonderful surprise this morning - I passed my exams!! Woohoo! Such a lovely feeling and now can't wait to start my final year in September - studying Renaissance Art.  (Remind me of that when I'm tied to my computer this winter and complaining that I've too much to do!!).

See you soon

Patricia x

Return to blogland - return to Stratford

I just want to say thank you to all who sent such lovely messages regarding the eye surgery I had eleven days ago. Your kind thoughts and good wishes meant such a lot and helped me get through what was a very daunting and frustrating time. I won't go into details but some have asked why I had to posture 'face down'. Well at the end of the surgery I had to have a gas bubble inserted into my eye which when facing down helps to heal the hole in my macular.

Although I have finished my posturing, the gas bubble will very gradually disappear over the next 8-10 weeks during which time I am virtually blind in that eye until the bubble goes away.  Driving and trips out on my own are a definite no no for the time being.

Anyway enough of that. I have tried to keep up with all your lovely posts and apologise if I have missed anything.

I don't know if anyone remembers that in January we went on a lovely walk through the East End of London which took us to the Olympic site. A pretty walk which took us along the towpaths of the local canals which you can find here

It was lovely to view at such close quarters but as it was still a bit of a building site, I really wanted to see it now that it's been landscaped and planted with trees, plants etc. especially with the run up to tonight's Olympics Opening Ceremony.

Well,  for my first trip out Hubby took me on the same walk. We are only about 30 miles from Stratford by train and the weather was fine so anticipated getting a spectacular view.

Not so, everything in East London around the Olympic Park is closed to traffic, closed to the public, walkways were diverted, security guards and police patrolling the roads,  barbed wire fencing and electric fencing barracaded all possible areas leading up to the site!

So - this was the closest we could get to the park and not a tree or plant in sight! It was such a disappointment which left us feeling pretty disgruntled.

However, the part of the walk we did manage to do was still enjoyable. This enormous replica of the Olympic torch was a total surprise and towers over the surrounding area.

And we found some lovely old building tucked away around corners and alongside

the canals near Stratford

Including this original Custom House which dates back to the 19th century

And of course I couldn't forget about my favourite Lock keeper's cottage

Looking forward to watching the Opening Ceremony tonight - a once in a lifetime event not to be missed and if you're watching - enjoy it too.

By for now

Patricia x

France ... continued

Thank you so much for all your lovely comments on my last post about France, I really do appreciate them and apologise for not replying personally. Things are a bit hectic in my life at the moment as you will see later.

Whilst staying in the Dordogne area of France we visited the remarkable village of Rocamadour. Journeying up twisting ever-ascending lanes, the view of this eclectic almost vertical village assaults you. Hewn from the rock itself, dominating the turbulent river below.

Rocamadour is more than simply an enchanting site that provides the wild setting for greenery, nature and light. It is more about the captivating beauty of this magical place that gives the Diocesan Sanctuary at the very top of the village a very special character.

Saying goodbye to the Dordogne Valley we moved on towards the Languedoc area in the south and to a much awaited visit to the medieval walled city of Carcassonne with its fairytale-like quality of cone topped turrets and serrated cream coloured battlements.

We stayed for three nights and our hotel was within the walls of the city being
 one of three renovated medieval houses and giving us plenty of access to explore the lovely sights to be found, wandering along the ancient cobbled lanes founded by the Romans and trodden over the centuries by the Visigoths, Saracens and rich medieval merchants.

I loved this stone staircase which led us up to our room

And the gardens were wonderful where we sat for breakfast each morning

After dinner we would walk along the Ramparts around the city walls 

where we viewed the spectacular sunsets over the Bastide area of Carcassonne

All too soon it was time to return from our holiday but we have some lovely memories to look back on.

So it's back to reality and now I am preparing to go to hospital on Monday for major eye surgery to repair a macular hole in my right eye which has caused me to lose my central vision. I had this done last year on my left eye so know the procedure and although the surgery is not pleasant (I'm awake throughout) it's afterwards that is more daunting as I have to maintain a posture of face down for about 40 minutes in every hour 24/7 for about seven days which can be both draining and frustrating to say the least.

However, I haven't yet read all your lovely posts since my holiday so intend to indulge myself by reading and catching up with you all on my iPad as I can look down at it on my lap. More information can be found here if anyone is interested. I'll try and keep you updated during the next week.

Bye for now

Patricia