Blog Archives

Digging in the Dirt

24/9/2023

Above: A squash or possibly a pumpkin!
These cucurbit seem to morph into each other. Cucurbits include courgettes, melons and cucumbers. I've never grown these before, nor cooked any but welcomed the seedling originally proffered by a neighbour.

It has been a horrible three weeks. I have been incredibly stressed and generally wound-up and unhappy. This is predominantly because of my main job. I shan’t write any details because it would not be professional or diplomatic, but needless to say, and with an eye on keeping my sanity as much as my general health in the mid-term, I have even approached people about citing them as referees if I should come across any vacancies that I feel might be sufferable…(!). BUT, that’s the thing, I don’t seem to be particularly enamoured with anything! Or is it a case of I really can’t be bothered? Perhaps this is the problem? It is somewhat a vicious circle (grrr…) feeling unhappy and disillusioned creates an apathy, which in turn creates dissatisfaction and lack of enthusiasm, which in turn…. Ad finitum.

It makes me smile when I hear people say that they would be bored if they had to retire; I have PLENTY to keep me occupied and cannot wait to finish work so I can get on to do the things that enjoy. Whilst my job is certainly not dull or very demanding, working absolutely gets in the way of those things that are preferable!

Actually, I haven’t heard many people say they don’t want to retire, it’s more that to afford to do so would be unviable and then one couldn’t do a number of those things we dream about anyway. Hey ho. So, it’s down to balancing it all out, isn’t it?

On a practical and logistic note, there have also been a catalogue of irritations – and mainly expensive ones recently too. First off there has been the cracked-tooth-looks-like-a-witch scenario- which is now fixed (as of Thursday) at the cost of just under £1000 . Gulp! On top of that, both of our cars had MOTs… and the extra ‘bits’ like windscreen-wipers, tyre treads, balancing-whatchamacallits and a standard service (on my car) costing an additional £500 or thereabouts. And on top of that, last weekend whilst at the supermarket, a car backed into mine…. and then drove off!! Initially it seemed to be a small bump but on getting home and opening the boot it transpired that the latch has been damaged and subsequently doesn’t do its job (i.e. latch). Because the car is quite old the garage cannot source a new lock mechanism and that means we will have to see if there is anything available via ebay or second-hand websites. It’s not a difficult job – says Paul because he will do it, not me! (ha! can you imagine!?) – but it is an irritation. Also, it’s so disappointing that the person just drove off and couldn’t ‘own up’. This is half of the problem with work to be honest, in the past year or so I just don’t want to deal much with ‘other people’…. and that’s not really a very good outlook on life, is it?

Oh – and on top of that, I had a puncture yesterday too…. in a different car-park! You couldn’t make it up could you?

It's a good thing, therefore, after an expensive few weeks that this little household doesn’t particularly focus on having ‘stuff’ (there’s nowhere to put it anyway!) and as we usually lurch from one month to another, we are not overly panicked. It’ll all come out in the wash, as they say.

Who are ‘they’ though?

Also, where have all these references to “back in the day” come from? It appears to be “phrase du jour” - repeated on the radio, TV, social media, general conversations…

Maybe people always said these phrases - or is it that I am only hearing them now that I’m officially middle-aged? It’s all very disconcerting.

So having waffled on far too much already, you’ll be pleased to hear that as often as possible, it has been a case of “When the going gets tough, the tough go to the garden”[anon] and it is there that I have sought therapeutic solace!

It’s been a weird month or so though, hasn’t it? Three weeks ago it was 30+ degrees, followed by torrential rain and wind and then, over the past few days, autumn is bedding in. I’m generally confused, and so are my plants!

I continue to have success with produce from the veg patch and in greenhouse No2, but some plants just couldn’t cope with the cold snap in the Spring and then the very hot period in June. Blossom was devastated on the apple trees, for example, as we have had hardly any fruit this year. The peas were disappointing (and I love fresh peas from the pod) and even some of the herbs (parsley, coriander, basil) have either bolted or have been somewhat ‘reticent’. Whilst I also sowed carrots and various green-leaf vegetables, the weird up-and-down weather wasn’t helpful and very few seedlings survived.
However, let’s focus on the abundance that has been harvested…. Here goes:

Tomatoes: fabulous – two varieties and akin to picking sweets off a vine,
Cucumbers: two or three varieties, with some cucumbers so well hidden behind their wide, rough and scratchy leaves, that they grew to be rather large as well as prolific – but good for gazpacho and smoothies),
French beans: these were incredibly prolific and very crunchy, perfect in stir-fries or raw in salads, but done and dusted by mid-July,
Beetroot: pretty good roasted, pickled, souped…. Lots about!
Runner beans: still growing, still tender and still particularly tasty,
Sweetcorn: as above. Even better when picked and cooked within half-an-hour because (apparently) the sugars have not yet had chance to turn into starch,
Peppers: as above, and for the first time ever, there are plenty on each plant and some of them are even ripening to red!

Remember:
"You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt.” (Anon)

0 Comments

Bill Bailey and Winston's Wish

13/9/2023

0 Comments

Of course, we haven't been anywhere or done anything for weeks and then the last ten days have been full-on! So, on Wednesday Paul and I saw the comedian [and musician] Bill Bailey at The Centaur at Cheltenham Racecourse. It was a charity gig for Winston'ss Wish which is based in Cheltenham:"Winston’s Wish is a charity that helps children, teenagers and young adults find their feet when their worlds are turned upside down by grief".

We have seen BB live twice before (in Oz) and he is excellent - very funny and very clever!

This is from the charity's website:

We are delighted that beloved British comedian, actor, writer and Strictly icon Bill Bailey will be performing exclusively for Winston’s Wish.

Bringing his musical virtuosity, surreal tangents and trademark intelligence, Bill will perform at The Centaur, Cheltenham on Wednesday 13th September with the aim of raising funds to help us ensure no child or young person has to face the devastation of grief alone.

Paul Moore, Director of Fundraising & Marketing for Winston’s Wish said: “We are delighted that Bill has chosen to continue his support in such an incredible way, not only raising vital funds but also helping us to raise awareness of our work so that we have an even greater chance of reaching the thousands of grieving children and young people who are still sadly unaware of the support available to them from Winston’s Wish.

Mr Moore added “Thanks to Bill’s generosity, we have an opportunity to raise awareness while he brings laughter and joy to his audience. So many young grieving people feel like they’re never going to smile, let alone laugh again. This is an important reminder that even in the darkest of moments, there is hope and we’re incredibly grateful to get to work alongside him and his team on this special event.”

0 Comments

Very Local Cotswold Attractions

10/9/2023

0 Comments

See:

www.northcotswoldsteamshow.co.uk/

This morning, we enjoyed a couple of hours wandering around The North Cotswold Steam and Vintage Show at the Notgrove estate on the way to Bourton-on-the-Water. A perfection landscape for such an event.

Paul reminisced about the annual shows he used to attend with his Dad in Hampshire in the '70s... and we treated ourselves to freshly cooked ring-donuts too. Very retro.

What's not to like?!

0 Comments

Cycling - Tour of Britain

10/9/2023

0 Comments

Yesterday the Tour of Britain passed through Winchcombe as part of stage seven, Tewkesbury - Gloucester (see: Race of Britain ). It was incredibly hot and the majority of us were struggling with heat of 30+ degrees and high humidity.... surely not suitable weather for lycra-clad men on bikes - but hey!? Still the occasion did register and I staggered down from the shade in the garden to take a couple of photos as they whizzed past.... it was over and done with in seconds - literally!

Mum was able to get a bird's eye view from her new home as the cyclists started from Church Street and The Cross (photo left) in Tewkesbury.

Leaving Winchcombe the cyclists rode up what the BBC and other websites called Winchcombe Hill but is an actual fact called Sudeley Hill (get it right!) and this is a Category 2 climb.

There are five grades of category climbs in cycling, but there are no hard and fast rules defining them. The easiest category is 5 and gets tougher until reaching number one. Apparently, races like the Tour de France have King of the Mountain points linked to different category grades. As you can tell, I’m not particularly bothered about the nuts and bolts of it all! However, having said that, Sudeley Hill is Category 2 and according to an cycling enthusiast’s website:

“Category 2 climbs will get you seriously out of puff. They’re usually among the biggest climbs outside of the mountainous terrain of the Alps of the Pyrenees – though you’ll find plenty of Category 2 climbs there as well. A short Category 2 climb could be 5 km at 8%, while a longer one could average 4% for 15 km or more”.

OR “A category 2 hill in cycling is a climb that is usually longer than 5 km and has a gradient of around 5% to 7%”.

Yep… a good indication that Winchcombe is definitely nestled in a valley within the Cotswold Hills!!

See the BBC link for an excellent picture of Winchcombe's Gloucester Street:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-66764741

The view from the steps of the cottage.

The leaders after cycling down Cleeve Hill and entering Winchcombe.

0 Comments

Pizza Night

10/9/2023

1 Comment

It might have been 30 degrees and humid but that wasn't as hot as a neighbour's new pizza-oven that we christened yesterday!

Fun and games as three of us took instruction from a YouTube video on how to prepare the dough ball into a thin pizza base - following four stages entitled: Finger Press, The DJ Deck, The Steering Wheel and The Parachute.
See: Top 10 Tips for the Perfect Pizza Launch Into Your Pizza Oven - Bing video

Lots of toppings - homegrown tomato paste, artichoke hearts, spring onion, bacon, ham, mozzarella, truffle and artichoke condiment-oil (whatever - posh though!), peppers, mushrooms, parmesan,...and more that I cannot recall!

We struggled with getting a very thin and crispy base and were uncertain of the temperature of the oven itself - but for a first attempt the five pizzas created were absolutely YUMMY!!

1 Comment

Hectic!

8/9/2023

1 Comment

Maureen and I by the river in Stratford-upon-Avon (see down the page for details)

Well, it has been a bit manic over the past fortnight and, in actual fact, I'll need another holiday to recover after the upcoming week too!
These are some of the activities that have been going on:

House(s) Move
School Move – new building for classrooms and Office (ongoing)
Start of new academic year (nightmare)
Emergency / aka expensive, dental treatment(s)

But some nice stuff too….

Wedding attendance
Meeting up with friends – local and international

It’s that adage, isn’t it? Everything happens at once and ‘ask a busy person’….!

So, it’s all very complicated and I can’t remember who I have told but, suffice to say, my Mum has sold her house and she and my nieces have moved into another place in Tewkesbury. It is only about 500 yards down the road, and it is VERY old – parts of it are grade 1 listed and I think the whole house is grade 2 listed. The house is listed on the web and is fairly significant in the history of Tewkesbury and a number of local movers-and-shakers – including a chap called Thomas Collins, who was one of our distant relatives and was also mayor of Tewkesbury at some point – but I need to check about putting more details on this Blog because there is a consideration of a certain amount of personal privacy.

Anyway, it is absolutely ancient and enormously enormous.... I call it Hogwarts!

It has that many staircases and I think there are five floors – including the attic. I’m not sure, but there could be nine potential bedrooms and various ‘lounges’. GULP! The purchase was more complicated than usual insofar as the ground floor and cellar were purchased by A N OTHER as they are retail premises – so some of the legal paperwork had to be amended from commercial to domestic usage and vice versa.

The move had been happening over a few weeks but the final push was a fairly intensive two days, and then I was involved in a unexpected move at work as well! The new school building was [mainly] finished ahead of time and it was agreed that to get the two new classrooms set up for start of term on Tuesday 5th September – much more beneficial for the new starters in Reception class and the other young year groups (1,2 and 3). So all staff (and family members and friends) turned up over the days prior to the first week of term and moved in and set-up as much as possible. It is an ongoing project (and has been, as you know, since December 2022). My new office is also in the new building and I found out a day or so ago that the electricity will be cut off to my shed this week, so I have to move too! Short notice, naturally, and of course the IT guys are not available for at least another week. I also have to purchase a new desk and various items of furniture… or nothing will be happening! Hmm… not that it isn’t busy and stressful enough at the moment with the hysteria of a new academic year…. But hey!|?

I am trying to convince and remind myself at regular intervals that there is only so much I can do and ultimately, I have limited authority and am employed on a part-time (30 hours per week) contract, and paid accordingly.

The next point: The beginning of the academic year…. well, that is so horrendous that I shan’t say anymore! And the emergency dental treatment involves cast and caps and a couple of appointments over the next month and is costing £900 – but that is much better that the potential £2-3K that was originally mooted. Oh well, it’s only money.

Lou and I glammed up for our old school friend's wedding

Helping with the flowers!

However, on the nice side of busyness….
I helped (using the term loosely) in the preparation of table flowers vases and flowers ‘swags’ for a friend’s wedding, and obviously attended too. It was a beautiful occasion and not a bad location too! (see photos).

I also met up with an Australian friend from Adelaide. In actual fact, Maureen was the HR manager at an not-for-profit organisation in the city and she gave me my first job in Australia! It was lovely to catch up with her, her partner and {British] cousin and his son. We met in Stratford-upon-Avon as they were doing a combination of Cotswolds towns and sights, and really enjoyed seeing each other and catching-up with all the news and events of the past few years!

It has also been nice to meet up with local friends too…. I don’t understand why it takes weeks and weeks sometimes when we only live within a few miles of each other! This evening a few of immediate neighbours are meeting to try out a neighbour/friend’s new outside pizza oven. Should be interesting - and hopefully tasty too!
On another plus side Waitrose has had a really brilliant offer on whereby when buying six bottles of wine there is a 25% discount - what a bonus! So, we naturally purchased a few of our favourite wines – from Australia – including two varieties from Tempus Two. Check it out – it is lovely wine and has certainly helped over recent weeks!

The Fleece Inn (a National Trust property) - and wedding venue.

The Barn - at The Fleece.

1 Comment