2025 Diary - Page 57

17 April

Went to Tabata then walked the dogs - quite a normal Thursday.

I did a Boots shop and gardening in the afternoon. The hostas are starting to grow so I thought I'd take a photo of the first two before the slugs and snails feast on them.

I transferred the tomatoes into their grow bags so hope they survive then thrive.

I called Margaret to wish her happy birthday. Her cancer has got worse and she couldn't have her operation because of her stroke so will now have to have radiotherapy.

I was concerned about the pond - it's become very murky. Jonathon checked and, for some reason, the UV filter wasn't plugged in, didn't even have a plug attached. He sorted that out but I think it will take a few days before it settles down. In the meantime, I hope the fish are OK - very hard to see in such dark water.

I joined some of the Knoll team to discuss VE80 at The Cricketers but didn't say long because my bit is about ready. Tony had brought some WW2 bits and pieces and Steve just couldn't resist trying the uniform on.

18 April

I went to Ela's 9.30 a.m. circuits class today - it was fully booked so there were 50 of us - very busy so no running around. We stayed in our places but still worked very hard.

Our first clematis is now in flower - very pretty - it's called a Guernsey Cream.

I went to the Good Friday service in the Market Place. It was well attended. I only knew one of the songs but the tunes for the others were easy to pick up so I could sing along. The speaker was very evangelical - good job we don't have that type of sermon at church every week - I'd come home exhausted!

19 April

Went to the gym for a little while - no class today, just treadmill.

I took the Knoll walkers to Grove Park, Chinbrook Meadows and Elmstead Woods. The blossom looked amazing, the totem poles and tree carving were much admired and the weather was a lot better than forecast. We werereally pleased to see the Speckled Wood butterfly and it posed very nicely.

20 April

Gym then church for the Easter service. It was slightly chaotic but all turned out OK in the end. It was good to see the church quite full with a few new faces.

I had a chat with Sohail after the service about the VE80 service - we agreed to have a longer chat next Sunday to try and work out what needs to be done by who. Chris, our publicity elder, offered to put a poster up about the service and other "activities" going on that evening so I'm waiting for the committee to get back to me about that.

Our main job for today was trying to sort out the pond. It's getting worse and the fish have all disappeared. We have no idea if they are simply hibernating / hiding at the bottom or it's something more serious. We emptied about half the water out and refilled it by emptying the largest water butts and topping up with tap water. We found some Cristal Clear in the shed so put that in as well in the hope that that will help clear the water up. We can only check tomorrow and see.

Caught up with both Mum and Christine - both OK and no real news from either of them.

21 April

No gym today because I took some old newspapers to Orpington Cat Rescue. I found out recently that they then transport them to Greenwich Wildlife Network along with other stuff they are given but don't need.

Gilda and Mark came over today and we had a lovely Spring walk through meadows, woodland and alleyways.

We met Jonathon at The Smokey Kitchen in the High Street. It's recently changed hands (again) but this time the food was excellent and the service really friendly so I'm sure we'll be going again.

Work on the pond continued. We were surprised to see a load of scum on the top of the water but hoped that meant that, whatever was causing the problem, had been released and things were improving. I spent quite a while scooping it off the top. I was delighted when I went to check later in the evening to find the fish had reappeared. So happy!

We had a reasonable turnout for tennis this evening and I think everyone enjoyed it. Courts are booked for next week but we'll be in Yorkshire so Ravi will be in charge.

22 April

Went to Matt's class then a quick change and we went to the Excel Centre in London to visit the Immersive Tutankhamun exhibition. There was a lot of information to read and exhibits to admire along with an Immerisve experience (very good), two virtual reality sessions (one good, one less good) and a hologram of mummifucation (gave that one a miss!). It was definitely worth visiting but not something we'd want to see twice.

We spoke to Workwear Durham because there was an entry from them on our credit card statement that we didn't recognise It appears that they have been defrauded as ours was one of fourteen transactions on that day by a fictitious company, possibly Swedish as it had AB at the end of its name. We therefore spoke to HSBC who were less than helpful and made us feel like criminals. We got there in the end and they cancelled my credit card and will send me another in the next few days. They will also refund the £14.49. The helpful lady at Workwear went off to talk to her manager and thanked us for helping her to identify a possible scam on their company.

Caz, a neighbour, kindly said we could have some oxygenating pond weed so we went to collect that. We finally found the leak - in, possibly, the most inaccessible place on the filter. Definitely a job for Terry when we get back from Yorkshire.

Jonathon returned Ravi's tennis racquets while I did a bit more tidying up in the garden and cleaned the bathrooms (Alma's away this week). We finally put our feet up and watched a bit of TV before bed.

23 April

It rained quite a lot over night so the pond is looking a bit fuller today. No sign of the fish this morning (but a few of them appeared later in the afternoon when I went down again). They are really skittish so not suire what's been going on down there.

My next appointment was lunch at Janet's with some of the other flamingos. There were 8 of us and she served up a three course lunch - all delicious and it was really good to catch up with everyone.

My final meeting was with Jacky to hand over my Nikon camera to her so she can play with it while we're away and then decide if she'd like to buy it from me. While I was in Priory Gardens I prowled round to keep an eye on things. Unfortunately, three known teenage thugs came into the park. They know who I am and they know I watch them so they ran out of the park, not thinking I'd realise they'd come in through another gate. As soon as they saw me at that end of the park they scarpered so, hopefully, the birds will be safe for a while.

In the middle of everything, I heard from Sohail who told me he has shingles (no wonder he wasn't 100% on Sunday). He hopes to be better by the VE80 service but Tina is on standby if needed.

24 April

Ela was at the dentist this morning so Vicky led her class instead - hard work but fun.

I took the dogs for a walk. They were in trouble because they'd stolen and eaten Carol's fruit jellies.

A repair came to mend my chair so I can now charge my phone while I'm sitting there now and Will came to clean the windows.l

I did quite a bit of gardening, suitably monitored by Oli. It was good to see the golden rose in bloom at the front (it's always earlier then the others) and lovely to see one of the acers lit up by the evening sunshine.

25 April

Went for a short walk before breakfast to pick up my paper and few other bits from Tesco.

Our group walk today was in Hastings. Jonathon came with us on the train then went his own way when we got to St. Leonard's Warrior Square. He met us for lunch at Master Fish Bar. We walked back to SLWS while Jonathon scoured the charity shops and wandered the streets in Hastings and then we all caught the same train back to Orpington. I think we tired Jonathon out because he slept most of the way!

I went round to Gill's to collect a load of jam jars for Christine then planted a few more veg seeds - hopefully, these will grow!

I carried a load of garden rubbish sacks to the front drive ready for Jonathon to take to the tip tomorrow. I was thinking what to do next when I realised it was after 6.30 p.m. so time for tea and TV for the rest of the day.

26 April

We had all sorts of jobs to do today. First up was the gym while Jonathon went to the Post Office to collect our new UV lamp for the pond and then to Sainsbury's for our grocery order.

Next was a trip to the green tip for Jonathon. The queue was really long so he delivered the seven bags he had with him and I put the others back in the back garden to try again next weekend.

I tidied up the bed underneath the big tree so we can see the wallflowers better and cut the grass.

Jonathon went to the cinema to see The Accountant 2 (very good apparently) and I had my hair cut - it feels really short!

I did some housework and then weeded the worst part of the gravel path so it looks a bit better now.

Caught up with Mum - she'd made an Easter bonnet at Messy Vintage this month so wants to show it to me when I'm in Yorkshire next week.

27 April

Gym then church this morning. In Sohail's absence, Jackie led the service and talked about her experience as a street pastor - very interesting. It was good to see the poster in the notice board - hopefully a few people will come along.

28 April

Not a very nice surprise when I got up this morning. It seems the foxes thought I needed feeding so they'd brought me a rat. A large rat it was as well! At least it was dead. I put my thickest gardening gloves on, scooped it into a bucket and threw it into the back of the hedge. Hopefully, they'll eat it within the next couple of days.

I went for a shortish walk and collected my paper; finished the packing and put all Oli's kit where it needs to be while we're away.

One of the local gardeners asked our group what was growing in back gardens so that gave me a good excuse to wander round with my camera. The Paeony seems to have come out overnight and the Cotinus was glowing beautifully in the morning light. I hope the strawberries don't all get eaten by the birds and squirrels - I'll need to net them when we get home on Friday.

The drive to Yorkshire was relatively trouble free. We called into Mum's before checking in to the hotel so Jonathon could sort out her new Humax machine for her. We left it all set up so she could test it out overnight and make sure it was doing what she needed. I popped to Sainsbury's while he was doing that so we have provisions for our hotel room.

We'd treated ourselve to a camping fridge / cooler that runs off either the cigarette lighter in the car or the mains. It kept my Benecol nice and cool all the way up and seems to be working as expected so Jonathon's milk should last more than a day in the hotel.

The hotel room is pretty spacious and has what we need in it so it should be a good four night stay.

29 April

I went for a walk after breakfast - Jacob Smith Park, Hazelheads Lane and Bar Lane then into Knaresborough town centre to get a chicken salad for lunch. Jonathon went to Harrogate to collect a coat from Cancer Research. I met him going into Knaresborough (to check out those charity shops) as I was going back to the hotel.

We went to see Mum in the afternoon. She had a dentist appointment so Jonathon drove her there and back while I caught up on some finance admin.

We had a lovely dinner at Vivido. We chose something different from the menu for a change. Jonathon couldn't understand why he didn't get a ticket when he went into the car park but the car was registered from last time we parked in there so it automatically triggered on the app on my phone - spooky!

Good to see the War of the Roses has been overcome in this house.

Christine had bought a sourdough loaf to go with the cheese and fruit - yummy, especially with the butter she gets from the dairy.

Bertie is stayng with Christine and Gordon to recover from his snip (Percy was bothering him at home) so I got to take him out for a couple of walks. The cows were very interested in him when we walked round the foldyard path.

We popped into Mum's to connect her new Humax to an ethernet cable and give her a practice on Facetime - let's see if that works on Saturday or it will be back to phone calls until we're up next.

1 May

I went for an early morning walk and was surprised to see it was a bit misty. The sun soon burned it off and it turned into another warm, sunny day.

Jonathon dropped me off to see Dad but he didn't really want visitors today. I thanked Jakub for his help with NYC and the funding and said thanks and goodbye to Laura who is leaving soon so it wasn't a wasted journey. At least Dad was up and dressed even if he was really tired.

I waslked into Harrogate to meet Jonathon. We had a quick drink in Harrogate and did some shopping at Rohan before heading off to RHS Harlow Carr. The bird feeders were very quiet (not many of them were filled with the weather having warmed up) so Jonathon didn't get many photos. I had a lovely walk around, admiring hte rhododendrons and other flowering plants along with the spring green colours.

We went to The Tannin Level for dinner - really yummy. We then popped into the Crowne Plaza hotel in Harrogate because that's where we are booked to stay in July. The car park was really tight - not particularly suitable for Jonathon's car - and the girl on the reception desk was unable to help us to secure a room with a walk in shower (rather than a bath) so Jonathon will need to phone them when we get home.

The car park at the Knaresborough Inn was overflowing when we got back - there was at least one party underway but I'm not sure what it was for. We found somewhere to park the car (not a real space) but will be pleased to go home to normality tomorrow.

2 May

I got up quite early and went for a walk. I thought I'd walked all the local paths but I found a new one today which was a nice surprise.

3 May

I went to the gym and did a variety of exercises to make up for the last few days. Jo was there so I caught up with her briefly.

Our garden is looking lovely at the moment so I'm enjoying spending time there, even if it is weeding and cutting the grass. Particular stars at the moment are the Judas Tree, Tamarisk, Roses and Ceanothus.

I spotted a Burrowing Bee - it seems to have found a small hole in the ground outside the shed. It's fine down there but I hope his friends don't move nearer the house.

The pond still looks awful and the fish are very reluctant to come up (if they appear at all). Can't wait for Terry to come on Tuesday so it can be sorted out.

I went to see the crowning of the May Queen in Priory Gardens then had a wander round the ponds to check on things. All was fine after Alicia, Lizzie and I worked out that the cage on the peninsula belonged to Lauren from The Fox Project / GWN. She didn't manage to catch the fox because he hid himself in the middle of the very wide bramble hedge.

Had a Facetime call with Mum that went well so a good alternative to Skype.

While I was doing all that, Jonathon was doing a photo shoot at the Royal Albert Hall.

4 May

Went to the gym then took the Knoll Active group for a walk through Covet Wood, Petts Wood, St. Paul's Common, Hoblingwell Common and Poverest - quite a varied route. One of the reasons we went to Petts Wood was to check on the flowering of the rhododendrons because they were in full bloom in Harlow Carr when I was there earlier this week. It seems Petts Wood is a couple of weeks behind - there were one or two flowers with the promise of more to come. We found some bluebells for the group photo instead.

The red roses are starting to flower adding more colour to the front garden.

I did some pruning and yet more weeding, closely monitored by Patchy. It's a lot cooler today but a good temperature for gardening and walking.

5 May

No gym today because I needed to get to Chislehurst for 10 a.m. and the gym didn't open until 7.30 a.m. (Bank Holiday). I joined the Cinnamon Trust's "Big Walk", celebrating their 40th anniversary. Deborah led the walk (a lovely route) with the added bonnus of the classic car show in the High Street as we walked the final stretch back to the park.

Jonathon had gone out to a mini-festival and Alma had arrived by the time I got home.

It was too cold to garden but I had a quick walk round as there were some new flowers on show - pink and white seems to be the new dominant colour palette!

Stephanie phoned to let me know what my bonus would be from last year - nice amount that will pay for a few dinners!

6 May

I went to the gym - no space in the class so I just did my own thing.

Mark is 70 today. He was supposed to be staying with Deb but she's not well so he and I went to Royal Tunbridge Wells to do a Quiz Trail - good fun!

We met Jonathon at Smokey Kitchen for and early dinner to finish his birthday celebrations (for today).

I spent the evening with the VE80 Committee, finalising plans for Thursday then sent the finalised Order of Service to the church secretaries. I hope we haven't forgotten anything and the service and other commeration activities will run smoothly on the day.

7 May

First stop today was Jo's for breakfast (via Sainsbury's for a bit of shopping). It was good to see the others and catch up with their news. Jo's balcony is looking great with her fruit and veg - there'll be a lot for me to water next time she's away.

I took the dogs for a walk today because the common will be far too busy for them tomorrow with all the VE activity. Carol was very chatty and the dogs were happy to be our and about.

Straight after dinner I took the latest batch of knitted hearts to Francis Chappell then popped into Tesco to get a bit more shopping.

I took a load of old newspapers to Orpington Cat Rescue then went to M&S to get pies for dinner tomorrow. By then I'd done my steps for the day (and burned enough calories) so no need to go to the gym so time to read my book and have a pot of tea.

Ravi collected his tennis rackets - Durga will use the children's racket that J picked up last week so definitely a good buy!

Terry's van has broken down so he didn't come to deal with pond yesterday or today - he's due tomorrow. I saw a few fish when I went to that end of the garden so at least some of them are still alive.

8 May

I checkecd out the VE80 walk route before going to the gym for Ela's Tabata class.

Terry was at our house when I got back and he and his assistant have done some jiggery pokery with the pump to get it partly working until the new one arrives. The fish seem a bit more alert so hopefully they are OK.

Simon also came to sort out the porch roof. It now looks a lot tidier and, hopefully, will no longer let water in.

I hosted this month's Chit Chat group gathering at Orpington GPO. There were plenty of people there and Tom looked after us all very well.

The service at St. John's seemed to go really well and was well attended (including quite a few local dignitaries) so I can now relax!

We processed down to the common with our tea lights after the service and joined the rest of the proceedings. There were plenty of people there as well and everything went smoothly with tributes, prayers, singing of "I vow to thee, my country" and the lighting of the beacon.

9 May

I struggled to get up this morning but went to the gym via Tesco when I crawled out of bed.

I had a wander round our garden - the pink azalea is now in flower and the alliums are starting to open up - I love this time of year.

We met Derek and Maureen at The Ivy near Tower Bridge so had a nice walk along the Thames from the station to get there. Lunch was delicious as usual. I had tuna loin for main courses followed by Apple Tart Fine - yummy.

I sorted some photos our from yesterday and sent them to Ade (his tractor), Anjala (her in uniform) and a couple of others.

By then it was time to go back into London to see Birmingham Royal Ballet 2 at Sadlers East in Stratford. It was a lovely programme. Sadlers is opposite the Aquadome on the edge of the Queen Elizabeth (Olympic) Park. I don't think Stratford ever goes to sleep - it was buzzing when we came out.

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