What did you do today ?

Regular working day here.

Work until 4:15, exercise right away, fix dinner while chatting with DH over glass of wine, walk the dog afterwards, then TV or book. Not too much excitement here, but that's ok.

Trisha & Grammabatty, I love peanut butter cookies, especially with a glass or milk. Seems like a childish treat.

Enjoy your bank holiday, and for those of you that are retired, enjoy your regular Monday!

Trisha Google Paul Rankin peanut butter cookies. You measure most of the ingredients in tablespoonfuls. The recipe makes about eight or nine. They are easy and quick and very moreish.

Hopefully you will be a new woman after your op ladyleftfieldlover ? good luck with it, and to anyone else with a hospital stay coming up.
It’s rained all day here, and feels really chilly, we turned the heating up and enjoyed very hot carrot and coriander soup just now, DH has gone to find a fleecy throw as he really feels the cold these days.Hoping for better things tomorrow.

Best wishes for tomorrow Ladyleftfieldlover.

Went to Morrisons then cut the grass and weeded and tidied the garden until the rain came on . Perfectly timed !

Ladyleftfieldlover Good luck with the knee op tomorrow , no more pain soon ! My left knee is 2 years old next week ! Still amazed by it !

My last day of a three night stay at my holiday home on a site overlooking Dartmoor where the wind and rain has kept me indoors all day. Cosy but induces guilt not to waste the day so a few cleaning jobs indoors, including the Venetian blinds in the bathrooms and kitchen.
Good luck tomorrow, Ladyleftfieldlover. ?

Went for a walk in a local nature reserve, went early 9.30ish in the hope of missing rain expected, luckily we did.

Came home put a wash on did some ironing.

Read some of my book and finished reading Sunday newspapers.

Made lunch Frittata and salad.

Faffed around on lap top, read some more. Watched 4 in a Bed and later on the News.

Made dinner, fusilli pasta, with smoked salmon, broccoli and cream.

Changed out of daytime clothes into slob out on the sofa evening attire. Will spend the next half hour or so trying to find something to watch on Netflix or Prime.

That's it!

The weather has been horrendous here so we stayed in. DH did lots of family tree stuff and I did endless corrections to a book I have just finished writing. The time flew past.

Blowing a hoolie on my dog walk. Watched a pair of hovering kesterels and disturbed a muntjac.
Cooked Bubble and Squeak, sausage, egg and beans for supper.
Early night now in preparation for girls walk around Mersea Island tomorrow.

Thanks for all the kind messages,

We went to West Wittering and did a long walk along the beach. It was extremely windy, but stayed fine. We had a picnic lunch and drove up to Wittering village to buy ice creams for the children. Came home and made a chicken roast dinner and a banoffee pie. It was a good day.

Slept in till 10.45, then had freshly baked croissants for breakfast. Put two loads of washing through the machine, then did the menu for the week, and from that wrote a shopping list. Did the shopping at Sainsbury’s.

When I got home I then spent the afternoon and evening making supper for today and tomorrow, plus eight single portions for the freezer - moussaka, bolognaise ragu, and curry. Along with the chilli, paneer curry, rabbit in mustard sauce, and sausages with puy lentils and prunes, all already in the freezer, I now have meals for fourteen days sorted out. I do cook fresh meals as well, but on a busy day, it’s nice just to pull something out of the freezer that is home cooked with good ingredients, and bulk cooking like this is much cheaper than ready meals.

I used to have a big family. They are all grown and flown the nest now, but it’s hard to cook for one after feeding a lot of teenagers for years, so I quite enjoy getting out the big pans and cooking up a big potful of something nice.

I made a chocolate and black bean torte this morning then sat in the sun room knitting and reading and listening to the rain and wind. This afternoon I've made mushroom soup, then more knitting and reading and it's still raining!

I cleaned the bathroom. Nowt else apart from preparing food.
OK, I know, I`m a lazy so and so!

I managed to get my front door key stuck in the lock. Luckily it is on the inside as it is still there! So I then searched for the local locksmith’s phone number, ready to ring tomorrow.
I then defrosted the freezer which was well overdue.
Had a nap, then made some scones, one of which I ate warm with a cup of tea. DH had a bit of fruit cake with his.
Made dinner, fish pie. Then watched t.v. until now, nearly bedtime and time for the Archers, our bedtime story!

Grandmajet, I hope the door is locked

Locked and jammed! There is an inner door too which is locked, but we shall alarm the downstairs just in case! Thanks for the concern, Hellogirl

Awakened by DH in shower , decided to read good morning thread on GN.

Dh out if shower, but thought
stay in bed read bit more
GN stuff and news.
No rush after all it's Sunday.

Eventually hopped into shower and just as shampooing hair
a light bulb went off!?

S**t its bank holiday Monday and I am booked in for swimming at 11pm!!!!

Hair now soaking wet, but
luckily gym bag packed.

Managed to get through bank holiday traffic ( yep manic, its raining and new designer retail park has just opened ) only missed first 5 minutes . Whew

Back home for my late breakfast and first cuppa of the day.

WhatsApp from our two grandson's and baby Guinea pigs ?

Next week we are on holiday in Scotland and I am meeting up with a long lost cousin (a other story)

Whilst DH was busily working out the itinerary for the week,
I decided sort out and print off some old family photos of our great grandparents, grandparents etc.
Also the family hatch match and despatch (birth, marriage and death ) info to pass on to my 'new' cousin.

Settled down to watch an interesting programme about extraordinary hotels around the world.

This particular episode was set in the Scottish highlands.
Torridan 5 star luxuryhotel situated on a beautiful loch.
The hotel has its own whisky 'library'.
The walls were shelved top to bottom with Bottles of whisky amazing collection.
£202 for just one dram was their most expensive.

Hotel has just been added to my bucket list.
As has the star gazing, due to the remoteness of the hotel, the skies are beautifully clear (no light pollution)
The wild swimming however, in the freezing cold loch is not my list.

Storm, rain stotting down.
Lasted about half an hour, sun came out and beautiful rainbow arc right in front of our house.

Now DH watching rugby and I'm now back where I started, on GN.
Well you did ask ?

Ps just wondering if any GNers have visited the Torridan hotel ?

I drafted up a long message wanting some help and feedback on here.
I'm currently testing if I can access the forums here..

MarkJohnnsen

I drafted up a long message wanting some help and feedback on here.
I'm currently testing if I can access the forums here..

It worked!

Today I went for a drive............to get my second COVID vaccination! Yippee! My husband was supposed to drive me, but he completely forgot about it and went windsurfing instead! Fortunately my lovely father-in-law responded to my SOS and drove me there. As it’s rare that I get him to myself I was very happy with the arrangement.

* I wrote an email to a dear GN friend
* listened to some music with my husband
* had a FaceTime call with my nearly 4 year grandson who wanted to tell me he saw the Stick Man in the forest
* had a FaceTime call from my 2 year old granddaughter, from her bath (she really wanted her adored grandpa)
* took a call from a new client who is living in a condemned caravan and is anxious about the process of being declared homeless
* crafted a standard ‘letter of introduction’ for potential clients (husband just started a new consultancy business)
* watched the second episode of LoD, series three

I also did some housework and stuck to my healthy eating plan. It’s been a good day.

Today I did one load of washing then persuaded DH to come out geocaching with me before it rained.

Dropped him back home at lunchtime then went food shopping. Home for lunch then spent an hour or so on the pc before making some fairy cakes for tomorrow and a salmon and leek dish for dinner.

This evening I was in a 90 mins Zoom music session, playing folk tunes and then wrapped a couple of birthday presents. Off to bed now!

Not a lot. A spot of litterpicking, some jigsawing, watched two episodes of The Killing, wrote up some of the family history in the book I’ve just bought for that very purpose, successfully put off doing my planned exercise session. Managed to force open a drawer jammed shut by an errant roll of kitchen foil. Texted back and forth with the mum of a poorly DGS. And so to bed to read a bit of my latest book (The Gran Tour by Ben Aitken, very droll).