2025 Diary - Page 62

30 August

I got up early to move the rest of Oli's stuff around, empty the bins etc. to make time to go to the gym for a little while and get some exercise before sitting down for most of the day.

Jonathon's birthday holiday this year was at Riu Palace La Mola, Formentera. Our transport started with a taxi picking us up at 10 a.m., flight to Ibiza (departure time 13.55), coach to ferry terminal, ferry to Formentera (19.30) and coach to the hotel. It was after 9 p.m. by the time we got there but we saw a lovely sunset on the trip from the ferry to the hotel. Our first view of Ibiza from the plane was a strange colour - we think there must have been a coating on the window at the side of us.

We had a quick snack for dinner as soon as we'd checked in, got unpacked and called it a day.

31 August

I decided to go for a walk after breakfast. I turned right out of the hotel for a while to stroll along the boardwalk and admire the dunes and the amazingly coloured sea.

I then went left along the craggy cliff path - both lovely walks but it was very hot (not acclimatised yet) so I wasn't out too long.

I went to try the gym out to finish my steps etc. It's well fitted out but some of the kit looks in better condition than in reality. It is definitely more than adequate for the week.

Jonathon and I went to find a snack at the hotel cafe near the beach. To get to it, you walk through this lovely tunnel.

Dinner was really tasty then Jonathon went to do some sunset hunting with his camera.

1 September

Monday and today's main job was moving to a different room (one with a better view of the sea).

Before that, I went for a sunrise walk. The sunrise looked lovely from our "old" room and it was cool enough to enjoy a slightly inland walk before breakfast.

I had intended to venture up to a supermarket to find a few snacky bits for us but the road looked very busy and there was a no cyclists sign - which I also took to mean no pedestrians - so I stayed off it, turned around and went along a different road instead.

I walked along a country-type lane but everything was very dry - like scrubland in a way. How the plants manage to survive I don't know.

With the scrub on my left, it was surprising to see how close I'd returned to the sea.

Our room move was successful and we unpacked and found new homes for everything. The room is a bit smaller than the other one but the view is definitely better and, as it was slightly cooler today, I sat out and enjoyed it for a while.

Jonathon went sunset spotting again after dinner - I enjoyed a spectacular sunset from our "new" balcony.

2 September

Tuesday arrived and it was cloudy so much more bearable from a heat point of view. I went for a walk after our initial cup of tea admiring the sunrise from our "new" balcony. The sun rises behind us but turns the sky over the sea a lovely pink colour.

I made it to the other side of the island this morning. It was relatively easy once I'd got my head round the route. Not many of the roads are paved in this area (the main ones are) but when you realise that they are the road and not someone's drive it's quite straightforward.

This was my first view of the sea on the other side of the island.

With the weather being kind (as in not quite as hot) I went for another walk after breakfast to explore more routes. Not many photos from this one because I'm going to do it again tomorrow morning!

I'm not sure I'll do paddling again on tomorrow's early walk but the sea was lovely and warm. I was surprised to see red flags out but I guess there must be undercurrents that the experts know about.

It was quite hard at times to work out where the sea finished and the dark, cloudy sky started.

I went to the gym to do some exercise in the afternoon. Surpringly, it was quite busy but I did everything I needed to do. As I'd already done my steps for the day it was more about burning calories.

Jonathon was debating whether to take his camera to dinner for the sunset - cloudy most of the day etc. In the end, he was glad he did because it was spectacular.

3 September

Wednesday and the sunshine was back so it felt very hot again. Strange that we've had higher temperatures in the UK this Summer than here this week but the sun is so strong it feels a lot hotter / more burning here.

Today's walk was along the boardwalk, on the beach and along country roads, wending my way a longer way round to the other coast.

I had a wander round the hotel and local area to finish my steps - no gym today - having a rest.

Yet another lovely sunset to finish off the day.

4 September

Thursday and we decided we would visit the capital today so only a short walk this morning, made even shorter because the road I was going to walk along was closed so I walked there and back rather than round followed by there and back to Calo des Mort. The overhang was quite noticeable on the way back so I was glad I'd kept to the land side of the path.

5 September

Our last full day in Formentera. It seemed to have come round really quickly.

I went for a nice, long walk before breakfast, finding new paths alongside those I'd walked earlier in the week.

I started to walk a little way along the cliff path but when it narrowed from an already skinny 9 inches to approx. 6 inches I decided that was too hard, turned round (very gingerly) and headed back the way I'd come.

I let my phone suggest a way back to the hotel and found yet more little tracks I hadn't been aware of.

I persuaded Jonathon to join me in another trip to the opposite coast after breakfast.

I told him to either cover up in clothes or plaster plenty of sun cream on - he chose clothes!

We enjoyed a drink with a view at Rafalet's restaurant then spent quite a bit of time watching the waves, made more dramatic by the stronger winds today.

I finally got a photo of wildlife - a lovely Cicada!

The label was a house sign - I hope their dogs aren't as skinny as the picture.

The end of our holiday - coach (good), ferry (good but choppy), coach (should have been but it was nowhere to be found so we endedup using a service bus instead), plane (more than 3 hour delay), taxi (erratic) to get home. We finally arrived home just before 1 a.m.

Formentera was a very pretty island but I don't feel the need to go back.

7 September

Despite being late to bed, I slept really well and got up about 7 a.m. I did the unpacking and 4 loads of washing - 2 on the inside airers, 2 outside to take advantage of the nice weather.

A wander round the garden confirmed everything was OK - even the rose was in flower to welcome us home.

Oli just about forgave us for being away for a few days rather than here to pander to his every whim. He seems to be quite wheezy and snuffly so we'll need to keep an eye on him.

I caught up with Mum on Facetime, delivered quince to Carol B, apples and beans to Diane and collected a load of biros from Lucy so everything feels like it's back to normal.

Caught up with Christine as well then watched some TV before bed.

8 September

Gym first then dog walking. Gilda was busy doing KFA stuff so no walk with her. As the dogs had missed out on a walk with me last week I took them out today.

Alma came early today so was here when I got back from the dogs.

Had a wander round the garden, admiring the autumn colours - so much variety and loads of berries.

Jonathon and I tried out a new restaurant - Indiya for lunch. Very tasty food but Jonathon says the coffee could have been stronger. I think Masala Dabbas is still my favourite Indian restaurant in Orpington but I've booked Indiya for the October Chit Chat gathering.

Tennis was fun. There were four of us so we played mixed doubles - my team lost.

Worship Team meeting at church went OK with plenty of discussion and a full attendance.

9 September

I got a space in the Tuesday circuits class so did a bit of work on the treadmill then joined that.

Ben came round at 10 a.m. and we spent most of the day inthe "dirty" end of the garden, working with the compost bins. We cleared one of the daleks and the big leaf mould bin so a very satisfying few hours. The tubs that I used to grow veg in are now all empty, either into the fruit cage or to top one of the daleks and form a base for the one we cleared today. The compost we took out of the bins is all on the veg beds.

I wrote the minutes from last night's Worship Team meeting and sent them round to the team for comments then put my feet up for the rest of the evening.

10 September

This morning's first activity was collecting the croissants and pains au chocolat for Jo because the Flamingos were having breakfast at her flat. Our excuse was Dawn's birthday which is this weekend. Janet made a caterpillar cake for her with lots of candles (she also provided a couple of non-chocolate fairy cakes for the likes of me).

Jo has replanted her balcony - looks very colourful and pretty.

From there I went for a walk to make sure I knew where the Gnome House was ready for Saturday's walk. I had a good look in lots of gardens as I passed. I even managed to get home without getting too wet from the rain.

11 September

Cancelled my space at Ela's class because I couldn't work out how I'd fit everything in with that timing. Still went to the gym and did my own stuff instead.

Walked the dogs and managed to avoid the rain (the forecast was worse than reality but when it rained it was quite hard).

I think our clematis have appreciated the rain we've had recently because some of them are starting to flower again and looking very pretty.

12 September

I had a lovely surprise this morning when I opened my curtains and Nickety Nick was waiting for me. He pops in now and then for a snack.

I decided to give the gym a miss today so just went to Tesco to get my paper and a bit of shopping.

A Miele engineer came round to sort out our washing machine. It stopped working on Monday - we wondered if it was because of all the washing I did on Sunday but, apparently, it had had a small leak for a while. It's all sorted now with a couple of new parts installed.

13 September

Gym to start the day. I had planned to do a Knoll walk but nobody else was available so I cancelled it and went for a shorter walk myself.

I was surprised to see our Spiraea in flower -very unusual for a spring flowering shrub!

Wendy asked for some hydrangea cuttings. Whilst it would probably be better to do them in Spring, I took 4 for her because the plants were still looking quite strong and healthy. She's promised to let me know how they fare.

Jonathon was doing a photo shoot for Darts, a band I really liked in the late 1970s. We were invited to the sound check as well as the show so we left home mid-afternoon and went to the 100 Club. The sound check was chaotic but they got there in the end.

We went out for something to eat between the sound check and the concert, walked through Rathbone Place (didn't even know it existed) and went to Circolo Popolare for dinner. It was a really great restaurant so I'm sure we'll go there again sometime.

Back at the Club ... the support act was Frog on the Tyne. They were brilliant. Full of energy and they had the audience in the palm of their hand from the outset.

The main act, Darts, were very slick and sang a few of their hits from the 1970s as well as other songs. Again, full of energy and I danced the night away while Joanthon struggled to get photos because the club was completely packed (sold out months ago).

A great evening.

14 September

A lot quieter today. I was late getting up so church first then gym because I didn't have time to do it the normal way round.

Music Group sang the outro at church today - it was lovely to be singing with others again.

Caught up with Mum and Christine (neither had much news).

The weather has turned noticeably cooler so we lit the fire to warm the house up a bit.

Snapshot from Youtube stream so a bit blurry!

15 September

Only a quick trip to the gym today. I didn't sleep at all well last night so was a bit late waking up and had to go via Tesco on the way there and be back in time for Gilda.

Gilda and I measured a walk for next weekend then met Jonathon at Masala Dabbas for lunch - yummy!

I cut the grass cross as soon as we got home (before the rain) and edged the grass.

Alma came and did the cleaning.

Went to tennis. There were only two of us (Angela and me) and we felt like we were playing against the strong wind most of the time. I gave four of my old tennis balls to a lady and her lovely dog in the park and the other four to Rev, a dog in our street.

16 September

Gym and gardening were today's activities. I got a space in Matt's 9 a.m. class so did some treadmill before that to get some steps done.

Jonathon borrowed the big strimmer from Pacey's and cut down the long grass. Usually I let it lie for a week or two but I'm hoping the tree team will take the garden rubbish next week so I gathered it up today.

Ben came in the afternoon and started weeding the path while I weeded the patio, did some cutting back, swept up a few leaves and potted out the wallflowers.

Jonathon went to a photo shoot while I stayed home in the evening.

17 September

A short spell at the gym. Terry was here when I got back so had a chat with him about the pond, my bathroom basin taps and other such exciting things then left him and Jonathon to get on with it.

Met mark at Greenwich and we went to Pho for lunch - my first time for Vietnamese food. It was tasty but huge.

We walked through Greenwich Park, over Blackheath and to Lewisham then caught the DLR (Mark) and train (me) home.

Quiet evening in.

18 September

Went to the gym first then round to Carol's to walk the dogs.

Carol had finished knitting some green hearts so I brought them home, sewed them up and stuffed them then added them to the ones I'd finished and took them to Francis Chappell.

Jonathon went to photograph the poppies at the Tower of London while the weather was decent. He was supposed to do a photoshoot at Toulouse Lautrec but when he got there it was a student concert so he came home.

In the meantime, I started picking the grapes. Carol B came to collect some as did Pratik so I got rid of all those I picked today but hardly made a dent in the grapes on the vine so there are lots more to pick in the next few days.

19 September

I didn't have much time for the gym this morning because I thought Charlotte and her 3 year old were coming to pick grapes but, in the end, he went back to sleep so they didn't make it.

When checking where the easily reachable grapes were, I noticed that one of the fuchsia pots had been broken so I repotted it. Hopefully it will survive.

We met Derek and Maureen at German Gymnasium for lunch. I had maple glazed backed aubergine with beetroot hummus - very tasty.

The central decoration was autumn coloured flowers and foliage. The sun moved round and caught one of the sunflowers for a few seconds - very pretty.

Sonya came and collected a few grapes but there are still loads and loads to pick and find a home for.

I cut the rest of the hydrangea heads so they are ready (with the teasels and echinops) for when Simon and Linda want them.

Simona ran her first Friday class this evening. It wasn't as much dancing as I expected but I feel like every bit of me has been stretched out. I found it quite hard and felt a bit headach-y and sick when I got home but that soon eased off when I'd had a sit down.

20 September

A very quick visit to the gym then down to Priory Gardens to set up and man the stall for Priory Gardens Wildlife Foundation. I was on duty for 1.5 hours and sold 4 calendars and got a £2 donation. Linda took over and sold no calendars at all (we could only take cash so were limited).

We shared a table with the Knoll so I looked after that as well while Steve and his youngest went for a walk around. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to visit the other stalls or open studios.

There was a drawing sheet near our stall so Steve drew our tree and I coloured it. The crochet hanging was with the Goddington Park team.

After a quick trip to Sainsbury's, I went to get my hair cut. It's very short but I dare say it will soon grow again.

Oli and I spent the rest of the afternoon in the garden but I did pop next door ans ask the estate agent to make sure Oli hadn't snuck in before she locked up. I also offered our drive to viewers if Bob's drive was full.

Had a Facetime catch up with Mum - she's had quite a quiet week but will be busy this coming week so is a bit concerned how she'll cope.

My main job for today was pruning the grapevine and gathering the grapes in. I have never seen so many!

Zoe and Halina came and collected some and Alma says she'll take as many as there are left when she's here on Monday.

22 September

I delivered The Times University Guide to Mary, a Head of Careers at a local school, then went to Sainsbury's for a few bits.

Gilda came over and we went for a walk round Crofton Woods. It was really dry underfoot so a good day to do that walk. The sunshine made lovely dappled patterns through the trees.

I spent the afternoon in the garden, harvesting some bamboo and generally tidying up the left hand side between the bench and the acers.

Jess and Michelle (YMCA) asked for a few hydrangea heads and some pampas so I got those ready for and Jonathon delivered them.

I spoke to Pauline - instructions for the weekend when we are up in Yorkshire seem to be a bit vague It will depend on Dad's state and Mum's health etc.

I caught up with Christine and let her know that the weekend is in flux so no idea which day we'll be able to visit her yet.

Played tennis with Ravi, Matthew and Daniel. Matthew and I won 6-4. It was a really enjoyable game.

23 September

I had to wait until James, George and Oliver arrived to prune the trees before I could go to the gym. They did a really good job and the garden looks a lot more open now. I did some "before and after" photos.

I delivered the last couple of boxes of grapes - they've all gone now. I caught up with the ironing and did a Boots the Chemist shop so quite a productive day.

I met up with the WestImmo crew at Thai Square in the evening. There were 7 of us, including Margarete who'd flown in from Germany just to join us. It was lovely to see everyone who turned up, especially as it was almost 1.5 years since the last time we'd been together.

I walked alongside the Thames to get there and was pleased to see that a water feature has been added to the Tower's wild flower garden in the moat.

24 September

Had a go at the second week's exercises for the Strong Woman Challenge - it seemed to go OK. As a result, I didn't need to go to the gym because Mark came over for a walk.

We went to Keston Common / Keston Ponds. It was quite dull when we set off but the sun came out when we reached the ponds making for pretty reflections.

We went to The Bank in Locksbottom for dinner - lovely food but huge portions so we were both very full.

James came and cleared all the garden rubbish so I now have lots of bags to fill up again.

Gilda and I went to see "A Decade In Motion" at Sadlers Wells in the evening. It was a mixed programme and we both agreed our order of preference! Even the one we weren't too keen on was beautifully performed so a good evening's entertainment.

That's it for this page ... onto the next ...

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