2024 Diary - Page 43

25 April

Got up early to go for a walk before breakfast. One of my jobs for this visit was to check out where the Pure Gym is in Knaresborough - easy to find. I now need to check with Orpington Pure Gym if I join them can I also use the one in Knaresborough. I went past King James's on the way and spotted the plaque.

Went to see Mum after breakfast, caught up with the filing, took her blood pressure (quite high but not too awful) and had a bit of a chat.

Jonathon and I went to Rohan and then The Quirky Farm for lunch. He dropped me off at Dad's and I spent a lovely two hours with him (even if he doesn't really know who I am). We had fun messing about with selfies and photos.

26 April

I had a friend with me for part of my walk this morning. This lovely, friendly cat came across the road to say hello on the way to Jacob Smith Park and definitely wanted some attention. After a lovely snuggle, he tried to follow me for a while but soon found something more interesting to focus on and stayed to deal with that.

I popped up to Mum's after breakfast, as much to see Pauline as Mum because I hadn't seen her for a while. The front garden is looking very colourful (Carole does a good job looking after it).

I walked back via the River Nidd (can't come to Knaresborough without a photo of the viaduct, especially on a sunny day).

Jonathon and I went to RHS Harlow Carr Gardens in the afternoon. The rhododendrons are looking lovely (very early this year) and there were plenty of other plants for me to admire as I walked around. I called into the RHS Bramall Learning Centre to ask them if they'd like some wild flower books that Mum would like to find a home for. The lady in charge of their book collection will call me back.

Jonathon spent the time in the bird hide, enjoying various species, including nuthatches feeding each other.

We tried a new restuarant in the evening - the Tannin Levels in Harrogate. Very nice and I'm sure we'll go there again.

Carole messaged while we were there so Jonathon dropped me off at her house. After a cuppa, Carole and I walked back to the hotel and had a good chat.

27 April

Up and out early to get a walk in before breakfast. I went to Conyngham Hall today (almost next door to the hotel) and had a good wander around their grounds before crossing over the River Nidd and exploring the other side, finding paths I'd not been on before.

I had fun with my camera / phone trying a couple of different "buttons" to see what they did. The portrait setting seemed to work well on some of the plants and I've always enjoyed taking panoramas.

Breakfast was better today because there was a choice of fruit.

Went to Christine's where we met up with Angela. Her heifers were very interested in what we were doing / who we were etc. - typical of cows.

Jonathon drove the three of us to Burnby Hall Garden to walk round and enjoy the tulips (and the rest of the garden). It looked really pretty with loads of colour and the greenery was looking very fresh after all the rain they've had.

Jonathon had a successful forage around the various charity shops in Pocklington and bought cheese for Peter and Jenny (officially from Oli for looking after him on our absence). He met us for lunch at Wolds, a local cafe. My salad was lovely and both Jonathon and Angela enjoyed their food but Christine's sausage sandwich looked (and, apparently, tasted) yuck. A visit to Swirlz was called for to help her recover!

Went round to see the three-cornered field (totally bare) and drove through Whixley (hardly recognisable since I left) then popped into Mum's on the way back because she said her new Solitaire game wasn't working but it was when we got there so we had a cuppa and went back to the hotel.

28 April

Today is Carole and Gareth's 40th (Ruby) Wedding Anniversary - they've gone to Scotland for a few days to celebrate.

I got very wet on my walk this morning to the point of being drenched!

I didn't wander far and stayed on non-muddy paths - walked along Waterside and Abbey Road then back through the Aspins and the Market Place.

This lovely Kestrel art work is on the end of a new build house - it's very striking!

We left Knaresborough straight after breakfast to drive home. The M11 was closed between Junctions 8 and 10 so we used the Waze app to find a way round it - it worked a treat and it directed us back to the M11 once it was cleared.

We got everything unpacked, a load of washing done and I popped to Jo's to check on her flat. I couldn't get the front door to her block to lock so let her know so she could contact the caretaker.

I finished my steps by wandering around Priory Gardens.

29 April

Back to normal today with Ela's class but none of the other Flamingos were there so not quite normal.

Gilda came over a bit earlier and we went to Beckenham Place Park. She wanted to check if it would be suitable for her KFA people who live in this area for a picnic (it is). It was quite a bit muddier than last time I was there (a lot of rain last week) but the sunshine made it look stunningly pretty.

Jonathon joined us at The Big Catch for lunch - I had a yummy salad (and a few of Jonathon's chips).

Alma was here when I got back. She was feeling very pleased with herself because she's passed her driving test and got a car - it should save her a lot of time moving between one client and another.

I spent the afternoon in the garden with my trusty assistant who decided to sit just where I was intending to plant the peas. At least I managed to get the pea frames in place before he chose that exact place to flop.

I moved the potatoes out of the shed (no frost forecast for the foreseeable future but I've put a frame round them in case I need to net them in the next few weeks) and potted the runner beans on. I have a few too many so have offered some to Brendan (he was out when I sent the message). Marcia is having some of my spare carrots so that leaves me with two pots of them so I've also offered Brendan some of those.

30 April

Gym, work and theatre today.

The St. Mungo's pocket garden near the Thames is looking very well established now and adds a welcome splash of colour to my walk to work.

Jonathon used to really enjoy "Drop the Dead Donkey" when it was on the TV many years ago so we went to see the stage show at Bromley. It was quite funny in parts but went on a bit too long.

1 May

I wandered round the garden before the gym and work today, watered the veg and generally checked on my shed. This month's fitness challenge is 901 active calories 14 days this month. I did the first one today because I went for a nice, long walk in the spring sunshine at lunchtime.

When I got to Tower Bridge on the way to work the gates were shut but the bridge was already back down so I didn't get delayed for too long.

Jacky posted this week's local paper's photo page and I was surprised to see my wet tulips included. I thought some of my other photos were better / prettier but that's the one they chose.

I managed to keep myself occupied at work until about 4.30 p.m., including a phone call to Alex, our financial advisor, then came home, checked on the veg etc. again and watched some TV.

2 May

Ela's class to start the day then treadmill so I could ensure I'd hit my stretch target again today. I popped in to Jo's to make sure all OK (it was). As it had rained last night I didn't have to try and open her balcony door to water her plants (it sticks quite badly!).

I finally got round to cutting the cornus (dogwood) back in the front garden - it looks a lot tidier now and we can see the lovely colours of the Spiraea.

I delivered the runner beans and carrots to Jenny and Brendan and admired their pretty garden while I was there. They live on top of a ridge and you can see for miles in their back garden. Their apple blossom was lovely.

I walked back home via Darrick and Newstead Woods. Brendan had been there in the morning and only heard bird song. My timing clashed with school leaving time so I heard a lot of schoolgirl chatter!

I wandered round the garden, looking for dark pink, red and purple today. The Tamarisk and Judas tree are looking very colourful, as are the acers.

3 May

Yoga to start the day then over to BR6 for Lisa's birthday breakfast. Sharon had decorated the table in a 1980s theme so everything was bright and disco-esque. We even had a glitter ball necklace each to wear.

Janet had made some of her delicious cupcakes - raspberry and lemon this time.

It rained all morning so I did the ironing while I was waiting for the rain to stop.

The rain did stop eventually so I did some weeding around the patio. The grass beds and the patio beds definitely look tidier now.

Went to Tai Chi later in the afternoon and finished my steps by going home via Tesco!

4 May

Did a few jobs then went to the gym, mainly weights today.

Met Michael and we went to Pauls Cray Hill Park for a lovely walk in the sunshine. We were testing / measuring a route for next weekend's Knoll Active walk and definitely had the best part of the day because it rained in the afternoon.

Jonathon collected some CDs that a neighbour was getting rid of and I collected some dog magazines for Jessica from another neighbour.

We went to Xi'an for tea (yummy as always) then watched television. Jonathon treated my poorly foot (we think it's a verruca and it's quite sore!)

5 May

What a treat for us this morning when I looked out of the kitchen door - a fox cub!

Mum had brought it with her then Dad went and brought a second one. So lovely to see them. I decided it was exciting enough to wake Jonathon up so he could see them as well!

Once they'd left the garden I went off to the gym to burn off some calories.

I tidied up the front garden when I got back then treated us with steak and chips for dinner (we ate outside because the weather was nice enough).

I weeded one of the strawberry beds (and half the other) in the afternoon.

A few of the gym girls (and a couple of others) came for a walk. We tested out the charity clue walk and raised £40 which will be going to Smile International because that was the charity that was pulled out of the "hat".

The cat was very popular on the way round but not so much with Coco.

We finished our walk at The Cricketers, had a drink, sorted out the charity draw and finally went home!

6 May

There were three cubs this morning! I wonder how many we'll end up with.

Went to the gym then messaged Gilda to see if she wanted to walk in the pouring rain. She didn't so I had a free morning.

Jonathon and I tried Second Home for lunch. It's a cafe in Orpington High Street. My jacket potato was very nice (much better than Jonathon's omelette) but we might well go there again if we want something cheap and cheerful.

With no Gilda walk today, I'd not done my steps so I went to Priory Gardens for a wander after dinner. It wasn't raining when I set off but the heaven's opened and I got drenched . The wisteria was looking lovely and it was good to see various baby birds.

Alma was here when I got back so the house is nice and clean again.

Finished weeding the strawberry beds and tidied up the fruit cage.

Caught up with Christine then watched TV for the evening.

7 May

Didn't have long at the gym today because I needed to get to the station for the 8.16 a.m. train. ASLEF were on strike again but Southeastern put on trains every half an hour, stopping everywhere to Charing Cross. I arrived there at 8.03 a.m. to be told (along with others) that the allocation of 300 passengers for that train had already been filled so we had to queue and wait for the next train. Thankfully, it was a nice morning so I read my paper while we waited. There was plenty of room on the train (I sat at the back as normal) but I understand that the front of the train was jam packed.

Work was OK with enough to do. I left at 4 p.m. to make sure I could get a train home.

I spotted tbe Silent Book Club note on Facebook. It definitely appealed other than I'd shorten the chat bit to 10 minutes max to allow for more reading time.

8 May

Gym then work. Ela caught me unawares and decided today would be a good day for my health assessment as we both had time. Not great because I've gone backwards rather than forwards in most of the measurements!

9 May

Today was a day of jobs and errands.

Ela's class first followed by treadmill to make sure I got my steps done.

First job was to collect a whole load of jam jars from someone local to take to Christine when we go north in June. Second job - deliver Jo's runner bean plants. I thought she'd be out but she surprised me - her rambling group weren't meeting until after lunch - so we sat and had a chat for a while.

Will came to clean out the gutters. He can talk for England so it took me ages to feed the birds because he kept wanting a chat.

We were just about to sit down for lunch when a delivery of compost arrived and then a load of bird food came. At least our view was lovely when we sat down to eat!

We also had our tea outside (much later) with the same view and different lighting!

When I'd got all the deliveries put away, I did a load of gardening (general tidying up). Whenever I sat down, Oli came to join me. He joined us both when while we had our tea. He enjoyed the warm weather but soon moved if he thought he was getting over-heated.

We set up the irrigation system for the veg etc. It seemed easier this year which was a big relief.

Carole took Mum to a National Trust property today and hired a mobility scooter. Mum looks like she was having a fabulous time on the photos!

10 May

Went to Yoga then joined some of the flamingos to celebrate Irene's birthday at BR6. Today's theme was "tea party" - Sharon has such a vivid imagination! Irene had Margaret, a friend from New Zealand, staying with her so she joined us as well.

I spent most of the rest of the day in the garden and got quite a bit of weeding done. The foxes brought two cubs out to visit both morning and afternoon which was lovely to see.

Good to see the Californian Poppies in flower and really providing a splash of colour in that part of the garden.

Today's main joint task was putting up the big umbrella for the summer. Again, it seemed easier this year - thing we might have got the hang of it now (and Jonathon had bought a longer bolt so that probably helped as well).

11 May

Gym as usual then to St. John's for a music group rehearsal - the first we've had since Lockdown. There were seven singers and three instrumentalists so it went pretty well.

Jonathon's main job was to clear all the garden rubbish. He managed to fit all the bags in in two runs so I've got plenty fill up again again now.

After dinner, J went to see Ravi to talk about some photography. He can't help with the photos but had a good chat and gave Ravi some ideas to think about for marketing his new computer product etc.

I spent quite a lot of the afternoon in the garden (more weeding!).

The potatoes are coming along nicely, the weigela is looking the best it's ever been and the red roses at the front are starting to flower.

There's a lot of colour around the garden from the shrubs - I love this time of year.

I had a Skype call with mum - she's feeling a bit off colour but is better than she was on Friday so going in the right direction.

12 May

Our garden is full of starlings! We forget how noisy they are until they remind us every year. There are quite a few youngsters but I''m sure there will be a whole load more before the summer is done.

The alstromaerias also think summer has arrived and are starting to flower and enjoy the sunshine.

As to my day ...gym and church in the morning as usual.

13 May

Vixie brought one of her cubs to the back door this morning but it didn't stay more than a few seconds.

Ela's class then Gilda came and we did a walk round four parks in Beckenham. Jonathon joined us for lunch at Aqua in Petts Wood. By the end my foot was quite sore so I soaked it and it felt a bit better.

Alma came and did the cleaning. I watered the pots but didn't do any other watering because rain was forecast before morning.

Caught up with Christine - she went to bed early yesterday because she wasn't feeling well. She's full of cold but otherwise not too bad.

Jonathon and I went to see Kate Rusby at the Churchill Theatre in the evening - lovely concert and J blagged his way into photoshooting the first three songs!

14 May

Didn't do much in the gym becasuse my foot is quite sore. My usual route to work along the river was closed today so I ended up walking through Hay's Galleria and saw this new statue of Tina Turner, advertising the musical of the same name.

Work was busy enough for me not to get bored!

Met Mark at Thai Square for dinner. He'd had a lovely holiday and was looking very tan.

15 May

Did some rowing at the gym this morning (rather than treadmill to help protect my foot). It seemed to work quite well.

Lovely surprise on the way back to learn that I had a photo (Alstromaerias) in the local paper this week.

Work was quite busy until about 4.30 p.m. so not too bad.

Went to the theatre with Gilda in the evening. As the show was in Marylebone and didn't start until 8 p.m. I had time to have a short wander around Regent's Park (and get some tea in the cafe).

It was a lovely evening and the rose gardens were at the most beautiful best.

Carol (tennis pal) had let me know her sister was acting in the play hence we tried it. It was a farce, well acted and pretty funny.

16 May

Despite being out late last night, I still woke up early so went to Ela's class. There were some exercises that were too hard for my foot (but it was feeling a bit better today) so I did the others and made sure I burned plenty of calories! I didn't go into the gym itself as well today because I knew we'd be walking about quite a bit later.

17 May

Vixie brought a couple of her cubs up to say hello this morning. One stayed close to her while the other scoffed its way through whatever was left in one of the food bowls. They are already turning a more red-brown colour - amazing how fast they grow up.

I haven't seen cub number three for a day or two but Vixie is still taking food back to the den so perhaps that one prefers to have "room service".

I got loads of washing done and on the line before I went to the gym (making the most of the lovely weather before the rain comes back tomorrow).

Treadmill is still too hard for my foot but I did plenty of weights and rowing so it's not a problem.

I went to the gym via Priory Gardens. Sad news from yesterday in that a yob had catapulted one of the Egyptian goslings and it had died, about tea time. The remaining family were altogether on the daisy-strewn grass this morning.

There was quite a bit of other birdlife around, including lots of babies and the gardens looked lovely.

We are starting the "Park Watch" again so I'll be doing my Monday late afternoon slot.

I planted the runner beans out when I got back from the gym. This year I'm trying to protect them from slugs with, so-called, slug halos and sheep's wool. I planted them out a bit later this year because I lost the whole crop of climbing beans last year. Hopefully, this year will be better.

Irene, Veronica, Jo, Lisa and I went to a local charity tea party in the afternoon which was good fun with very nice cake (Jonathon was treated to a take-out of coffee and walnut cake!).

Carol, Sindhu, Jo and I met at Ephesus for dinner (a very sociable day for me). With it being a Friday, there was a belly dancer to entertain us as well as the usual singer. I wish I could be that supple!

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