Off To The City.

The country mouse went up to the big city today. Actually Exeter is a very small city but still a lot bigger than Barnstaple. It's a university town so there are lots of young people around and a lot of tourists as well. It felt very cosmopolitan as all around I could hear voices babbling in french, Spanish, German, Polish, Russian and Arabic. I spent 20 years living in central London and another 10 in Greater London so I'm used to cities but for most of that time I dreamt of escaping to the country and now that I'm there a little dose of the city is enough.

Everywhere there were tempting cafes offering a range of delicious looking foods (not greasy fast foods) but being ever frugal I settled for some nuts and a creamy dessert from Sainsbury's which I ate sitting on the steps of a statue on Cathedral Green.
After the recent spell of wet weather is was good to feel the sun. The temperature was a pleasant 22-25C. Perfect for me.

Much of the City Wall still stands. It was built by the Romans in 200 AD and though since repaired by others some of it is still the original Roman workmanship.

The centre of Exeter is a pedestrianised shopping area which has had a lot of renovations in the last few years. All around are interesting views of the old mixed with the new.

I was in Exeter for an appointment at the hospital. That went well with many apologies being given for the delays. They aren't talking about an operation yet but I made my feelings known about how much my life is being affected. The consultant arranged, there and then, for me to come in next week to have nerve blocking injections into the spine which will be diagnostic even if they don't cure the problem. I've never had treatment offered so quickly before.

I wasn't going to miss a chance for some shopping and took an earlier train so that I could check out the shops. There were sales everywhere, signs of the times I suppose. I bought a new walking jacket, bright magenta with a brown fluffy liner jacket that can be worn on its own. That was reduced from £99 to £30. I also bought a black fluffy hooded top and some mad fleece lounging bottoms for the winter. They are way too big but I can take them in at the sides and they will be nice and cosy.

The Rain Continues.

The clouds were down low and it was generally wet as I left home this morning for a few hours in town, meeting up with a friend and then wandering around the shops. It was dry in town and though overcast, fairly warm. As I returned home however I hit the cloud layer once more and found the garden rather damp. So even if I had stayed home I wouldn't have been too tempted to get outside and garden. I didn't buy very much in town but I checked out the prices of feather duvets, super-king size, as the double duvet we currently have is a little lost on the new bed and if we didn't have a snugly throw as well there might be a few disagreements about who ends up with the duvet in the night. It turns out that the Internet is the best place and I've already ordered a new duvet and I am also checking out new covers which we need to get as well.

I am now about to start filling in the official end of year school reports through our on-line pupil tracker which is supposed to make everything easier. Listening to colleagues who have started using it, that doesn't seem to be the case. I've worked on the personal statements first on a word document on a pen drive so that I wasn't dependent on the Internet but I nearly had a heart attack earlier today when my lap top informed me that there were no files on my pen drive !!!!! Luckily my good old PC can read the pen drive and now I've copied everything onto my hard drive just in case the pen drive goes squit. Now I've got to copy the statements onto the report documents which are 7 pages long. Hmm, I better get started right now if I don't want to have to work through the nights in the week before the deadline.

Market Day.

I took myself into town today. Friday is traditionally market day and although the cattle market closed some years ago on Fridays there is a general produce market in our covered Pannier Market with quite a few farmers' stalls selling small amounts of eggs, plants, vegetables, flowers and baking. This is the place where you can still hear the true North Devon accent with plenty of indrawn breaths and words like tis & dreckly. I enjoy shopping especially when I get plenty of bargains and today was a good day. In Primark which is cheap enough anyway I got some less than half-price fleece throws, good for keeping out the winter cold, and then I put an extra one in my basket to cut up to put on the chairs that the cats to sleep on in the conservatory. Easily washed and total cost £2. I also bought some imitation ugg type boots to use as next winter's slippers, £1 a pair and some short pjs for Pete which he had asked for and also happened to be in sale. I had a good wander around the charity shops but didn't buy any clothes for myself. However I did get this lovely gravy boat. I have been looking for a gravy boat or a jug ever since our old utilitarian white jug developed a crack and had to be thrown out. The only possibilities I had found were in the 'normal' shops but one was ugly and both were expensive. Then today I came across this gravy boat which was being sold with a big lidded tureen and a stack of plates which I didn't want. Luckily this wasn't one of the main charity shops some of which are run like businesses and very inflexible. This was a shop run by the Rotary club and when I asked the nice lady sold me just the gravy boat for £1.50. It wasn't until I got home that I realised how gorgeous this piece of Royal Doulton was. After a good trail in and out of all the shops I drove to Tescos to stock up on basics and then to B&Q and bought compost and all the plants I needed for my hanging baskets. Normally I would check out several garden centres for the best prices but I was just too tired and the prices are not a lot different. I have got more or less the same plants as last year, pink, purple and burgundy surfinias and some mixed blue trailing lobelia. Planting up the baskets was my afternoon job and I also topped up the stone wall with extra compost and planted some clumps of sedum and aubretia to replace that poor old lavender plant.

A Little Gardening.

My poor PC definitely is on a go slow so I've backed up all my reports which have been completed though I need to give them a read through in a day or two. I expect I'll think they're awful but they've taken 4 days and I've had enough for the moment. I had to go into town to visit the dental hygienist so I dropped in at a few shops on the way. One place was BJ's which is an offshoot of Brian Ford's. It is a big warehouse type of place like a hardware store with a surprisingly good garden centre and like Brian Ford's you can sometimes find some odd bargains. The first things that caught my eye were these little fluorescent jackets and leads in the pet dept. The bigger one is for a rabbit and the smaller one for a ferret. What can I say?
I went out to the plant area to buy a plant for my class and saw a big bin of these sweet little terracotta saucers going for 1p each. Mmm I thought, I'm sure my children could do something with them and as Mothering Sunday is coming up in a few weeks they would make ideal presents after being decorated with some acrylic paints. At that price I bought 80 of them, enough for the other class as well. There were also some very sad looking ferns in pots for 10p that someone had obviously forgotten to water so I bought 4 and have put them in a damp and shady corner of the garden.
Back home as it wasn't actually raining I abandoned my plans to get on with next week's school planning as the forecast is for rain, rain and more rain for the rest of the week and went out and did a bit of gardening. I dug up some nettle roots in the hen run which was quite hard work so I took myself off to the scree garden. To lie back in a garden chair, close my eyes and simply listen to the sounds of the valley was utter bliss. I could hear the buzz of a quad bike (my neighbour's preferred mode of transport around his land), but mainly it was the sound of the birds tweeting away in the trees. There was the whirr of tiny wings near my head as a pair of small birds flew under the shelter and out again, they may be nesting up on one of the beams there. One of the little birds got in such a state it flew into one of the many wind chimes that hang up there, that made me smile. After a break I got on with some weeding until drizzle and lack of light sent me indoors.

PS. Looking closely at the first picture I can see an even smaller size vest and lead, presumably for a pet rat (or a skinny guinea pig).

Report Day.

It's report writing day so I have ....... not been writing reports, apart from a bit of preparatory work in the morning. Instead I went into town, had a good browse around the shops, met a friend for coffee and did a few town jobs. I try and save up my jobs for one trip because apart from the cost of fuel it takes a big chunk of time. One thing I did was go to my medical centre and ask to be taken off my doctor's list and put on another doctor at the same practice. My old doctor hadn't done anything wrong but you don't feel she's that bothered (she sounds concerned but then gives you a prescription for something you are already taking and then when you point that out simply doubles the dose!) One funny thing there, while I was talking to the receptionist I glanced into the large open plan office to see a very large black cat sleeping on one of the office chairs. Apparently he's there every day. I didn't find out if he's actually theirs or someones house cat that has found himself a good day job.

Another of my tasks today was to drive up to the local college to see if the woodworking dept had any bags of wood shavings for my hen house. There weren't any today but I'll try again earlier in the week. Sometimes I get a good car load all bagged up and ready to go. It all depends when their dustmen have been or if anyone else has taken the free wood shavings.

In town I bought a new seed bird feeder which I have now hung over the stream. I also got some more solar powered lamps to put alongside the path for those dark evenings. Next to the bird seed is a bag of oat bran which I buy from a health store partly because I like to support small businesses and partly because I enjoy being able to fill up my bag from a big tub. The plastic eggs are to hang from some twigs in class. The heart shaped candles, in glass dishes and heart shaped silicone cup cake cases were 70% off at Tescos. I had finally made it to the new Tescos that has been built on the site of my beloved Brian Fords. It is quite big with a long sloping escalator so you can take your trolley to the upper level, which was a new experience. (There are only 2 other escalators in Barnstaple.) There was an automated voice saying over and over again ' Please push your trolley off the escalator.' which must have been highly annoying for any staff working near there. Perhaps they'll be able to turn it off when everyone has got over the novelty of the escalator. I didn't buy that much as we are trying to work our way through the stock pile of food we still have. There was a small section of Polish foods and I couldn't resist a packet of bortsch (beetroot soup) and some chocolate. They also have a section with ingredients for Asian cooking with a bit more than your usual curry sauces and powders, some interesting things to try one day. Highly reduced were cherry tomatoes, mushrooms and rice noodles so it will be a noodle dish of some sort tomorrow. I am very pleased to say that even though some fresh cream cakes were being reduced by 50% (banoffee cake, chocolate eclairs, profiteroles etc) I resisted, (after a little deliberation). As they were all family sized boxes I couldn't kid myself that it would be a little treat, and I had eaten a very nice slice of raspberry cheesecake when I met my friend earlier.
I just needed to check out the chocolate to see if it is better than the continental chocolate I buy at Lidlls. I did stock up on strong flour as Tescos value strong flour is still the cheapest around here (50p for 1.5 kg of white & £1.19 for wholemeal). Too late now to think about reports and I have got some library books waiting to be read.

First Flowers.

A quick stroll around the garden revealed the first flowers on the winter flowering jasmine that grows by the kitchen window. Soon the bare green stems will be covered with small yellow flowers that will brighten up the grey wall.

The countryside was back to being damp and green as I headed off to the dentist in the morning. He's put a temporary filling over the broken one but the whole filling will have to be taken out and replaced, I fear for the little tooth that is left. No signs of the mysterious bump in my mouth now but I moaned on about the various aches that I still have after he 'dealt' with them 6 months ago so he took some x-rays. Being only the poor people's NHS dentist you don't get the results of the x-rays straight away. Instead they phone you if you need treatment or as in my case let you know at your next appointment. Naturally they don't do week-end appointments so the first appointment they could find to fit in with my work is in 2 weeks' time and that is only because I can leave school early on one of my planning afternoons. Otherwise it wouldn't have been until the end of January.

I then dropped into the High Street to check out a few more sales and in Millets I bought a light fleece hoody for work reduced from £20 to £6, a fluffy fleece for Peter (£35 to £16) and a compass for Vytas (£13 to £4).

After a robust evening meal of sausage & mash we spent the evening playing Balderdash, a word bluffing game which at times had us in tears of laughter.

Bye-Bye Snow.

Last night's rain has washed away all the snow and not surprisingly it is so much warmer. Linas and I escaped to town, a relief to drive along ice-free roads, to do some shopping. The River Taw looked very dirty with all the ice , mud and branches being swept downstream as the thaw continues. Town was heaving with eager shoppers but despite all the publicity about the bargains I only bought a diary (to record each day's photographs as I down (up?)load them onto my pc. and a pretty child's necklace and bracelet half-price at Monsoon. I intend to re-make the bracelet into some long dangly earrings and the necklace will be fun for school.

Back home via the Co-op, lots of bargains, and the carpet warehouse to pick up some off-cuts to replace our downstairs hall carpet. It was quite old when we moved in 17 years ago and has become totally threadbare (and had a few cat mis-haps). To get a single piece to fit the L-shaped space would have cost £70-£150 even at remnant prices so instead I bought 2 pieces of the same carpet, one to cover the main section and another piece to fit the bit that goes under the stairs. The price of those 2 pieces was £23 and with a bit of sweet-talking I bargained them down to £20 for cash. Much more reasonable.

Once home it was a bit of a rush to swap bedrooms over (with a really bad headache) and do a quick tidy up before our friends arrived to spend a few days in sunny Devon. Luckily Peter has taken charge of cooking tonight's supper- roast pork, mm.

Escape From Colditz.

I made a break for freedom today. The persistent low temperatures have kept us trapped by the snow and ice and there are no signs of a thaw yet. We are just unused to these sorts of conditions. It looked like my only way out would be to walk (6 miles). On my way up the hill I met Paul who gaily informed me that I would be able to drive my little micra on the road but when I saw the covering of ice I knew that wouldn't be a possibility. Walking seemed like a much safer option to me.
It was only another mile of ice before the road became clear and easy to walk on. I was wearing my new walking boots, a bit of a risk as this was the first time I'd worn them so I did put plasters on my heels just in case and they were fine.

It took me about an hour to walk the 3 miles to the main road during which time I was passed by 4 vehicles all going in the opposite direction. As I got to the main road a landrover came up behind me so I stuck my thumb out for a lift. Nearly got myself run over by another car on the main road but when I jumped in the landrover I recognised the driver and his passenger- Rob & Laura. They were the owners of our Rav (before Alice) and they had given me a lift in similar snowy conditions about 4 years ago (in the Rav). Small world! Another 15 minutes to drive the final 3 miles into town. Excellent.

Town was busy, busy, busy. There was no post at the Post Office because as I had already found out the postman was leaving it (and Paul & Sarah's post) inside the micra at the top of the drive. Then I went to my old dentist to find out what sort of insurance scheme they have as they only do private work (my NHS dentist is not very good) . Not a good deal really, you pay £13 a month for which you get you check-ups and hygienist's visits but you still have to pay 90% of any treatment. I had 4 1/2 hours in town to buy the last few presents etc before Peter picked me up on his way home. We called in at the Co-op to stock up on veg and other groceries. Most of that is now sitting in my car waiting for the boys to bring it down tomorrow on the sled. We finished off the evening with a 'kebab feast' which Peter had promised the boys. Highly unhealthy but a great treat and we had lots of salad with it.

On A Cold And Frosty Morning.

We have oil, HOORAY !! I'm trying not to think about the cost, 2 weeks ago it would have been £500, now it's nearly £800. We'll just have to be a bit more sparing with the heating. At least we know that the house will be warm for the next cold spell which is forecast for this Friday. Then we'll be back to snowy roads but as school finishes on Friday there is no great pressure to get into town (at least for me). I can hibernate indoors and try and make the place look festive for Christmas. This morning there was yet another heavy frost. (Photo from yesterday.) My poor little micra barely dragged itself up the hill. My wheels were spinning and we were mostly moving sideways. I didn't fancy having to slide backwards down the hill so I grimly hung on and somehow we juddered our way to the top. Needless to say the micra will be parked at the top of the hill for the rest of the week.
I shot out of school this evening to get to the Post office before it shut. I was too scared of the traffic wardens to park in the car park without paying (but didn't want to pay for an hour when I only needed 10 mins), so I parked on the school side of town in a 1hour free parking bay and walked in. This did give me the chance to enjoy the Christmas lights and visit a few shops which were relatively empty. As it was the time for cheap pasties I bought 2 for our supper. They only had pork and apple which was interesting and filling.

The last of the tables were being packed away in the Pannier market giving me a chance to appreciate the architecture. The far wall is actually part of the Queen's Theatre to which we are taking the whole school to see the panto - Aladdin, tomorrow.

Things are running on schedule at school though we've had to relocate the Reception class' Nativity from the church to the school hall due to the church heating having broken down. We had a rehearsal today where we tried out different seating arrangements and I muddled my way through Little Donkey & We're on our way to Bethlehem ... on a cold and frosty morning, as well as sight reading Come and join the celebration and picking out another carol by ear. Lets hope the children sing loudly and cover the dodgy notes.

HEAT.

We have HEAT. No oil delivery as yet, hopefully Monday, but Peter went out today and bought back some containers of oil and in a fit of extravagance has turned the heating on. Bliss - our bedroom is lovely and warm. The last remnants of snow lie by the side of our drive but the roads are completely clear.
Only a few strips of snow remain in the countryside. It has been quite warm today but temperatures are set to drop later in the week. If not snow it will mean icy roads again. School continues for one more week and then we can hibernate at home for a while.

You see all sorts in town. I didn't enjoy my shopping trip as much as usual because I was feeling so tired and it was quite crowded. Also I missed the Post Office by 15 mins. Fancy closing at midday on a Saturday. Some of my Christmas card might be a bit late. Sorry.

One of the nice things about Barnstaple is that unlike many other towns there are a lot of small independent shops alongside the big chains that make most towns clones of each other. Butchers' Row is a row of tiny shops that once were stables and then converted into butchers' shops. Now there are butchers, fishmongers, delicatessens and bakers. Lovely smells waft out as you walk along the road. Having dodged the crowds of bustling shoppers I added insult to injury and drove out to Tescos to stock up should we get marooned in our valley again.

Now we've treated ourselves to a pizza while watching Strictly and will soon be heading up to our toasty room to watch Casualty. I think I'll be asleep once my head hits the pillow unlike last night when I gave up trying to sleep and sat writing an email to our MP at 2 in the morning. (Complaining about the oil companies' profiteering.)

Detours.

It started to rain last night turning a lot of the snow to slush. I did go out (in my dressing gown & pjs) to brush the slush from the path but by morning it had frozen turning the path into a skating rink so maybe that wasn't a good idea. These pictures were taken at 10.30 as we left for a day in town.

Already the snow was becoming rather patchy though our north facing fields can hang onto their snow for quite a while. Going up the hill, ice all the way, we talked to someone on their way down who told us the main road was blocked just after the Muddiford turn-off so we went via Whitefield Hill. After driving over snowy back roads it was a relief to find hardly a scrap in town, just some rain. The High Street was filled with shoppers, a brass band was playing Christmas carols and everything was very festive. In Green Lanes (our small mall off the High Street ) there was a very cute Santa's grotto with these animatronic figures outside. The ponies tossed their heads and opened their mouths as the elves shook the reins or danced about.

Peter and I took the opportunity to visit a new Gurkha restaurant as we had been planning to have a meal there ever since it opened. We both had Gurkha dishes, I had a mild chicken curry like a tikka and Peter had sherpa lamb which was spicier. Peter had a bottle of Gurkha beer while I had a cup of tea first. I wouldn't normally have tea with a meal but it was quite cold outside and I needed to warm up. We both enjoyed our meal and wouldn't mind trying some of the other dishes. I dragged Peter into a furniture store to look at 2 wooden super-king (US queen) beds which I've been eying up. Seeing the real thing does give you a much better idea though I did feel a bit mean looking at them in a shop while considering buying them on the Internet. I called in at the camera shop to see what was happening with my big camera and lo and behold there it was. Apparently it came in yesterday. I couldn't try it out there as my card and battery were at home but I'll be glad to do some proper photography. The baby Nikon is fine but I don't feel I have so much control over the picture. More point and shoot than carefully compose, but it has kept me going and it is small enough to be slipped into a pocket. I decided to pay for 3 years' warranty as I do drag the camera with me everywhere and it does get the odd knock. Now that the 1 year warranty has run out it would cost me the same as the warranty just to have it looked at.

It was raining steadily on the way home with no snow until Okewill when we were back to ridges of snow along and across the road. And the rain turned into hail. We were able to drive all the way up to Shirwell but there the police signs were still across the road. Luckily we were able to go down by the village school and round that way. Couldn't see anything on the road but Sarah (when she came round with some post) said that the air ambulance had been called out. Sadly they usually only close the road when they need to gather evidence so it must have been serious.

We've got a good wood fire burning to keep us cosy this evening as we watch Strictly followed by Casualty. Don't need any supper after that lovely lunch.

Baby Pics.

I maligned the seller of my baby Nikon yesterday when I said the lead for the charger was missing as I had already taken it out of the box. I think that I've made a good choice in getting another Nikon as the leads and the software are the same which saves a lot of bother. I haven't done more than point and shoot and the pictures are OK. I took this photo of the children's Taj Mahal pictures after I had covered up the pcs for the night. I really enjoy looking across the classroom at these lovely silhouettes and each one is different.
After work I went across town to pick up some prescriptions from the pharmacy. (For overseas readers - Peter, being over 60 gets free prescriptions and I pay £7 per item per month.) I took the opportunity to call in at Lidls. This supermarket fits into the cheaper range but for me the attraction is the vast range of continental foods. This time of year it's like a German Christmas market with many kinds of gingerbread, stollen, marzipan bars, nuts, chocolates and other Christmas treats. There are also German decorations and lights. Something new to me was a range of Greek specialities and I couldn't resist buying some Halva though it took a while to decide between almond or chocolate. I also bought some Loukoumia (Turkish Delight) and a few other treats which are hard to find even in the big chain supermarkets. (The florentines are to take to school as a contribution towards a hamper for the Christmas Fair.) I much prefer continental chocolate to the British variety which is made with a much lower cocoa content and lots of sugar and other stuff and luckily Lidls stocks a good range.

No Camera!

I took my camera back to the shop today. They're sending it back for repair. Supposedly it should only take 2 weeks but maybe they were just saying that. I did think about buying something small for the moment but nothing cheap caught my eye and £70 was too much to spend on a back-up. I was in town to meet my friend for coffee & cake which is always nice. Lime cheesecake today. I found one top in a charity shop but also bought a soft fluffy hooded top in sale in Millets (a camping shop), it was so me I couldn't not buy it. The teeming crowds were out buying for Christmas and the town lights are being switched on tomorrow.

I collected Linas from the train station and drove him down to Ilfracombe for the opening of a skatepark there. Skateparks, especially free ones are few and far between which is silly as they provide a place where youngsters can burn off lots of energy without having to spend money. The skatepark is near the harbour so while Linas met old friends and skated a bit,( it was very crowded,) I borrowed his phone (for the camera) and walked around the harbour. Due to technical reasons I have to wait for him to email the pictures to me. They wont be brilliant because I didn't have a zoom and the light was very grey. I enjoyed the walk along the working part of the harbour where our few remaining small fishing boats are kept. These are not the shiny playthings of rich businessmen but genuine working boats. The smell of the sea and dead fish and the presence of rusty chains, pots and general fishing junk took me right back to my childhood in St Ives. When my camera is back I'll try and get down there on a sunny day for a photo walk.

Those Boots Were Made For Walking.

It's been another shopping day, the sort I like - a relaxed meander round the shops unfettered by children or heavy bags. first port of call this morning was to donate a large bag of coats to a charity shop. We had a massive collection of coats, my thinking was that there should be enough coats for everyone to (possibly) get soaking wet outside doing some vital countrified activity and still have spare coats for all. Now there are only 2 of us at home there is no reason for such a collection. As it is there are still raincoats, spare raincoats, gardening coats and extra warm coats and a couple of spares for visitors. After lightening my load I then left one of my Ugg boots at the shoe menders for a bit of stretching across the toes, £5 they charge for that small job! By then it was time to meet up with my friend for coffee, cake and chat. As my taste buds are a bit dull with this cold I had some Banofee pie. I used the same reasoning later on when I bought some yoghurt covered ginger to nibble on. I can never resist looking in the charity shops and today the Oxfam shop came up trumps. They are more expensive (£5 for tops) but posher people donate their clothes to them so you can get some good quality things. Today I ended up with a black, 100% cashmere wool cardigan, an M&S top and 2 more dressy chiffony Per Una tops, and paid less than £20. Money for the charity and very smart clothes for me. I didn't stop there but found another top in a different charity shop and double reduced in sale a pair of flowing baggy trousers like a long skirt. These come under the heading 'Dreams' as they are really holiday or very hot weather wear so did not pass my 'Will I wear it for work ?'test but sometimes you need to dream. For the last few times I've been in town I've been keeping my eyes on the sales for a pair of sensible walking boots as my running shoes which I usually walk in are nearly falling to bits. I had already looked in Millets and tried on several boots which didn't fit, (I have very wide feet) but today I thought I'd have another look. And hey presto, not 1 but 2 pairs of boots that fitted and were in sale. I settled on these as being more comfortable and they had been reduced from £80 to £24 which made it even better.

Met Linas in the afternoon at the train station. I took him up to Beats (skate board shop) where he spent some time choosing 2 new decks and doing some IT work for the owner. I kept peering out of the window to check that a traffic warden wasn't about to put a ticket on my car parked illegally outside the shop. Then we had a fruitless look for a tv ,(will try on-line) before returning home. I've just returned from taking Linas back to the train station and am now looking forward to an early night.

Hailstones !

We were woken to the sounds of a severe thunderstorm. Rumble after rumble and the electricity was cut off 6 times before finally being restored. One of the surges managed to get through the expensive surge protector, despite a lifetime guarantee there is a small sticker on the back which says it is not proof against lightening strikes! Our BT hub, phone and some of Peter's switches on his server set up have been burnt out. Luckily we have a spare phone (it was our new wireless phone that was destroyed), and due to our constant complaints about the pathetic broadband speed and phone line we were given a spare hub so Peter was able to restore the phone and internet. He's been out and bought some better surge protection too. The tv in the kitchen is also looking a bit strange so we'll have to have a go at adjusting the contrast before we can watch it. As well as heavy rain we were also bombarded with hailstones, here seen on the conservatory roof.
Looking out at the drive I could see a river flowing down but the central ditch did its job and there wasn't too much raking needed to restore the drive. Linas hadn't been able to get in touch with us in the morning so he postponed his visit until later in the week. Drat, we were counting on him to help us get the mattress up the stairs but it is blocking the way so we'll have to have a go at it ourselves. I decided to go into town anyway though it was a matter of dodging the showers. I got Peter something he has been hankering after for a long time, a hooded dressing gown. I bought myself one last year from Dorothy Perkins, it was so soft, warm and cosy that I ended up buying some for the youngsters. I didn't buy one for Peter as he does has a good dressing gown but it is not hooded or as soft and warm. I've had to wait until the shops got their winter range in but DP's still had the best. This year the colour range was limited to cream or a dark plum so I bought him the same plum one that I've got. He's most grateful for the dressing gown especially as we've both got heavy colds and need a bit of cosseting. I've made us a hearty beef casserole with lots of root vegetables for tomorrow (and a few more days after that).

More Shopping.

Peter was off today doing boys' things - gig rowing on the river and then shooting at the range so I had a girlie morning wandering the shops and meeting my friend for coffee and cheese cake. I didn't buy that much, just some stuff so that my class can make sock puppets and a few things towards Christmas. As it's an even year I'm expecting all the boys to be here for Christmas Day so there's more to get ready and I'm trying to start early. I'm still getting a massive kick out of being able to try on size 12 clothes, it was a shame that the Per Una jeans weren't long enough, they would have been a great bargain from the charity shop. I did buy a pair of Adidas shorts and a white Nike top again from a charity shop. I do look in all the shops but even then I gravitate towards the sale rails. My thrifty nature I suppose. After yesterday's warmth I was hopeful for today but the mist and wind kept the sun away and the temperature down. Once back home I decided to tackle cut back the clumps of giant crocosmia that stand like sentinels at the entrance to the yard. They are such easy plants only needing to be staked and tied back in the spring and then chopped down in the autumn. In the picture above one clump has been removed while the other side awaits my secateurs.
There is still quite a lot of colour in the garden. I plan to 'put the garden to bed for the winter' during the half-term holiday which is in 2 week's time.

As a lot of my time is spent in school I thought I'd show my precious domain, my Year 2 classroom/ hut. This is how I leave it in the evenings ready for the children to change their books in the morning. Once that is done the children put the boxes away leaving the tables clear for all their activities.

2 views from my chair in the opposite corner with a glimpse into my cupboard which caused me so much hassle at the end of last term. I'm looking at the picture wondering why on earth the children's pcs are still on. Usually I ask them to shut them down and then I cover them up with a cloth, that's so the burglars don't know there are pcs there, ha! Just looked closely at the picture and realised I took the photos at the start of the day. (The clock might have been a giveaway.)

Final thought, how amazing to be at that primary school in England where as a response to a letter from one of the children Cap'n Jack Sparrow and some crew mates turned up at morning assembly last Thursday. They're on location filming the next Pirates of the Carribean near there and it was a lovely gesture. No tv cameras or publicity, only a video shot on a teacher's phone of Johnny Depp doing that amazing drunken act (I don't know how that's been approved for a children's film) that makes the character so fascinating. Why couldn't that happen to us?

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Local Connections.

And today was SUNNY !! We've been promised a good week-end which is good as this is a Bank Holiday weekend and Romas and Vicky will be meeting up with all the others for a major muster (SK). I spent the afternoon in town and had a very civilised cappuccino and cake with my friend. I did ask to take a photo of the yummy selection of cakes but the baker/owner said no. As there are more of us at home I was able to take advantage of the end of day reductions at the pasty shop and bought 4 traditional pasties and 2 Thai chicken pasties (unusual but tasty). We have finally taken possession of our 'new' car, a Toyota Rav4. This purchase was yet another example of the web of connections that exists in our lives here. Last year we were at a party next door when the girl who works at the stables mentioned that she was thinking about selling her Rav. (She just happens to be the grand-daughter of one of my WI friends and lives in a farm visible on the other side of the valley.) Peter told her that we would be interested if & when she decided to sell. This summer we needed another car so luckily the Rav was still available and we bought it. It is a good purchase because we know that it has been looked after and has done relatively low mileage. But this isn't the end of the connections. Some years ago during a brief snowy spell our Landrover went off the road when we were all headed for school. I left Peter and the boys to sort the Landrover and hitched a lift with my neighbours who happened to be passing. Unfortunately we also went off the road at a difficult corner but I was able to cadge a lift into town with a couple driving ... you've guessed it - the same Rav, and it turned out that the driver's sister is one of my fellow teachers at school. That's one web of connections.

I'm hoping that the weather will be as nice tomorrow so that I can have a relaxing day in the garden.

Not A Diet Day.

No luck with the Perseids last night, I went out at 11.30 and saw lots of clouds rushing across the sky but the high cloud blocked out any views. I even looked out of the window in the early hours of the morning but it was no better. I'll have to wait until next year. More conservatory cleaning this morning and then I popped into town to meet up with a friend. It was the perfect excuse to try out a patisserie type place that I've had my eye on for a while. Diet forgotten we maxed out on cappuccinos and Bailey's cheesecake with maltesers in, mmm. Later I was tempted by the ringing of a handbell announcing that all the pasties at Pasty Prezzo were £1. I gave in and bought 2 standard Cornish pasties (steak and veg) for our supper but resisted the offer of 6 pasties for £5. The pasty was very tasty but the pastry is sitting a bit heavily in my stomach which is unused to any fat so I've balanced it with a mug of mint tea. Grass and stones by the scree garden.

I'm not sure why this multicoloured cow is sitting over Banbury's door but it did look fun. I went into a few shops to try on more clothes and ended up buying 4! long vests. Once I find a shape I like I buy several colours especially when they are in sale (today - black, white, light khaki & a peachy orange).

A typical side street leading off the High Street. Long ago the High Street had a street market down the length of it with 40 household pigs rootling around in the refuse. When disease hit the town (typhoid I think), a representative of the king came to assess the situation with the result being that a warren of tiny lanes was demolished to make way for the indoor Pannier market we have today.
PS An update on the bread maker. Even with value flour and old yeast the bread turned out well. Peter said it tasted like the bread I normally bake but the texture was much better. Tescos do cheap strong flour so I've bought a few bags of that for my next efforts.

Signs Of Autumn.

Right now I don't know whether to yell or cry, I'm so cross and upset at the same time. It's all to do with sorting out my back. It's a long saga which I won't bore you with but I thought I was going to cross the final hurdle today, instead I ( metaphorically ) fell flat on my face. Back in May, after 4 lots of day surgery I was told that I needed an operation on my spine. When I was finally told it would be happening in September it was the worst possible timing as I'm due to start some full-time work then and we can't afford for me to turn the work down. I spoke to a very sympathetic booking nurse explaining the situation and asking if there was any way I could have a cancellation anytime during the 6 weeks I'm home for the summer. The problem is that although one hospital doctor says I need the op his boss insists on seeing all patients for spinal ops before surgery can go ahead. The booking nurse managed to organise my pre-op visit over 2 weeks ago and I was given an appointment to see the chief consultant today. Then I would just have to keep my fingers crossed for a cancellation. I'm even prepared to go nil-by-mouth each evening so that I wouldn't miss a slot. But guess what? When I got to the hospital I found out that the chief consultant is on holiday and I can't see him for another 2 weeks. I was not pleased and asked to speak to his superior because it is ridiculous that there is no-one able to take these decisions. First I was told he doesn't have a boss so I asked for the hospital CEO, guess what? she's on holiday too and her deputy was in a meeting. I was directed to Patient Liaison and hopefully I'll be getting a phone call from a senior member of management on Monday. I hate to be making a fuss but if I hadn't expressed my views and made a nuisance of myself on several occasions with this treatment I would probably still be having the physiotherapy on my back that was offered by the very first doctor I saw. I was so upset by events that I felt like having a real chocolate binge this evening but then I would regret that so instead I made myself a prawn salad with tomatoes and onions and home-made dressing. As I walked (stomped) down the hill from the hospital I saw the first signs of autumn, horse chestnuts - conkers.
There are several of these trees along the main road into town and once conker season really starts you have to be aware of youngsters throwing sticks up into the tress to get the conkers. Don't want the car dented by child or stick!

When I was in town Peter had asked me to take a few pictures of our library for an OU assignment that he is doing. This is the ground floor where the fiction, children's section, cds and dvds are. (Books are free to borrow- unless they are overdue but cds and dvds cost).

Upstairs there are non-fiction and reference books as well as papers, journals and pcs for public use. The library building also holds archive materials - public records & that sort of thing.

To cheer myself up I wandered around the shops. I tried on some tops but didn't buy any as even I have to admit that I do have plenty of clothes. I went into Monsoon, a lovely shop where you can dream of weddings and summer parties, but very expensive. I only look in there when they are having a sale and I usually wait until, as today, many items are reduced by 70%. I was sorely tempted by a silver sequined (all over) top but resisted. What I did buy to cheer myself up was this totally pretty but impractical floral wreath.

I saw quite a few girls wearing similar at a music festival but unless I do get to Glastonbury I would never wear it in public. But is so pretty and less fattening than chocolate.