• Other

    Conkers

    When I was a child (1970s) conkers (note for foreigners – nuts of the horse chestnut tree) were a highly valued commodity – in fact we used to risk severe adult retribution by…

  • Church

    Harvest Festival

    Today was Harvest Festival – the church was looking very festive.  Things have moved on since I was a child – then it was all giant marrows, now it is food for the…

  • Food,  Gardening

    Harvest home

    It is our church harvest festival tomorrow and I made an apple cake with yet more of the garden’s never ending bounty. In total, the Scouts picked over 200kg of apples and took…

  • Gardening

    Last mow of the lawn

    Definitely colder today, and quite a few leaves are coming off the trees.  I want to have a big push next week to “put the garden to bed for the year” – hopefully…

  • Travel

    Ballater

    A few months ago, J and I went to Balmoral and Braemar.  We had been going on to Ballater as well that day, but it was getting too late so we said we…

  • Cats,  People

    In which Saphy misses R…

    We were down in J’s basement watching some TV this evening (before it got dark because it was AHS and that is scary enough in the daylight).  I brought Saphy in as it…

  • Gardening,  Nature

    Royal Oak

    I gathered these acorns at Sandringham and am going to plant them.  Hopefully they will grow into huge oak trees which will be around long after we are all forgotten. The other things…

  • Travel

    Going Home

    We set off on the most beautiful day and travelled though the flat green fields of Norfolk and Lincolnshire. J remembered that we were entitled to use the LNER first class lounge in…

  • Travel

    Little Walsingham

    Today was the real purpose of the holiday, to go and see J’s old house which we sold 18 months ago.  He was in real trepidation because this was his childhood home, and…