Really windy Tuesday

I managed to stay in bed till 6.20 H was already up. We had our breakfast, tea and toast,watched a cycle race and had a coffee. We then got ready to go out on our bikes. The wind was horrific, the worst I have ever ridden in. We saw several trees down,one right across the road. All the roads were covered in debris and I wore my helmet for fear of falling branches. The side winds were the scariest because they knocked you either into the road or into the ditch. When we got home I was exhausted. My garden seems to have come awake all at once. I have so many flowers out now it's beginning to look lovely, and it smells great when the sun is out. We had cheese and biscuits for lunch and dinner was quiche with new potatoes,mushrooms,peas and sweetcorn. 

A few photos of my garden.

Monday

Work today so I packed 2 corned beef sandwiches,some sticks of celery and cucumber, my bottle of water and off I went. I had to trim leeks again but I went down to the wash pit at 12, washed them and we had our lunch. I then packed all the leeks and two of us went back up the field to plant Broard beans. When they were done we both went back to the leeks and trimmed a few more boxes, we went back to the yard, washed them and I only had time to pack a few before it was time for me to go home. There are now only 16 rows of leeks left. When I got home there was a nice cup of tea waiting for me.

Yesterday no 2 son rang, he didn't know it is Easter this coming weekend!!! No work tomorrow but I have to go again on Wednesday. I expect H will want to go out on bikes tomorrow.

Wetter Sunday

We both got up at 6 and alterd our clocks to 7 so we didn't loose any sleep. I did another load of washing but couldn't hang it out. We gave up on the idea of going out and sat and watched a film H recorded last night. ( loopers ) it was good. We had a corned beef sandwich for lunch with brown sauce. This afternoon our daughter, son in law and Grandaughter no 2 all came round to see us so that was nice. We watched a cycle race on tv and a Mr Bean film. We had a massive thunderstorm this afternoon with loads of rain. For our evening meal we had a chicken pie, potato wedges and peas. I have had a huge piece break off one of my teeth today so I will have to make an appointment at the dentist. My daughter noticed my hair is a different colour!!

Wet Saturday

I came down this morning to find everywhere wet. It was not supposed to rain until much later so I was disappointed because it meant that H didn't go out on his bike and used his rollers in the kitchen instead. I managed to make a dozen buns and put on a loaf before he began and then I got myself ready and cycled down to a house that sells crabs in the next village to ours. I bought 2 nice whole crabs,came home and cleaned them and we had lovely Cromer crab sandwiches for lunch. ( they also sell dressed crabs if you don't know how to do it.)  It was only 6 .5 miles so I was back in half an hour. This afternoon we watched a cycle race in Spain,it was really great because a few years ago we biked up one of the mountains that they used today and we were able to follow the road they were on and know what landmark was coming next. We had chops and veg for our evening meal and I watched Doc Martin . H says his back is a bit better today but he still struggles to get up out of a chair. He says he likes the colour of my hair but I am not used to it yet. 

Shopping day

Up at 6 and toast for breakfast, H made a malt loaf and it's lovely toasted. We then got ready and went to Asda,I offered to go on my own as H has a bad back but he insisted on coming with me. I spent £103 but I had to buy 4 Easter eggs which put up the bill, and I still have 2 more to get. After I had unpacked and put everything away,we had a coffee before getting ready to go out on our bikes. We went along the track for a short ride because I had a hair appointment this afternoon and we had to get back,shower and have our lunch. I have had it done a slightly different colour but I don't think anyone will notice. I like it, its not as yellow. We got back home at 4.30, had a wine and I cooked dinner, paella with prawns,chicken and chorizo .H is going out tomorrow with our son in law so I will be able to get stuck into some housework, they are leaving early so hopefully they will be back before the rain which is forecast.

Wet work day

It was work for me again so after I had put on a load of washing,had my breakfast and packed my lunch I got ready to go.when I left home it was 5 degrees it went down to 4 quite quickly and by the time I got to work it was only 3 1/2  and I only have to drive 7 1/2 miles!! I had to trim leeks till coffee break and then fill 5 boxes with loose carrots. After that I pulled up a few parsnips and was taken down to the yard to wash and pack them. After lunch I had to go to the greenhouse and prick out little plants for the rest of the day. When I got home H was waiting on the doorstep, ( he normally reverses the car in for me) he motioned for me to drive it in and it turns out he has put his back out!! He was only emptying the dishwasher. We had pizzas for dinner tonight,the first time this year.

Breezy Wednesday

We both had a lie in this morning and didn't get up till 6.30. Toast for breakfast, I put on a load of washing and when it was done I hung it out. We decided to go out on our bikes and went to Aylsham then round to Blickling and home. A chicken crossed the road in front of us !!! I guess it wanted to get to the other side! Also a partridge flew across in front of us almost hitting H in the head. We got rained on once but it was only a few spots. There was a very strong wind, head wind out and tail wind home. When we got back I checked my times on " strava " and discovered that for my age group ( 65plus ) I am fastest woman on almost every segment that I have ridden. As I am over 10 years older than that I guess there aren't many old women riding bikes in my area, if there are they must all be slow. It's great exercise and I recommend it.when I began i suffered with my knees but I carried on and now my knees are in perfect condition and I am as fit as a fiddle.

For lunch we had a cheese sandwich with a packet of crisps and for dinner tonight we have got a sausage,a burger,a fried egg, chips,mushrooms, peas and bread and butter.

Tuesday

Today I have not done much of anything,I did all my ironing,made the bed,took a pie out of the freezer for dinner tonight and then we were going to get ready to go out on our bikes but it began to rain. I wanted my camera which I have not used since the first of January but couldn't remember where I had put it. I searched the whole house and got rid of so much rubbish in the process I will have to loose things more often. I was pleased to find it in the end. We had beans on toast for lunch and steak and Guinness pie with mashed potato,cabbage,peas and gravy for dinner. Tomorrow we hope to cycle to Aylsham, the forecast is ok.

Monday 23rd

Today is our daughters birthday,she is 48.she went to London for the day with her husband. They spent a lot of time in Highgate cemetery.!! I have been to work and I had to trim leeks for most of the day again, just leaving time at the end of the day to wash and pack them. It was a better day weather wise and the first time I have worked without my coat this year. I am off till Thursday and then I expect it will be yet more leeks. I think there are only 20 more rows left, so as I am trimming at least 4 rows a week they should be finished in 5 weeks time. By then there should be radishes,spring onions and rhubarb for me to harvest.

Off to the seaside

I was up at 6 as usual and had toast for breakfast. H got our bikes out and I made made the bed, swept and washed the kitchen floor and bathed and replasted my lump.we then got ready to go out on our bikes. I did say to H before we left "we won't be doing over 60 miles will we?" Oh no was the answer,far less.Well 67.82 miles later we arrived home!!! However I have to say I really enjoyed the ride and will do it again. Daughter and son in law came part of the way with us but had to turn back because of the time. We stopped at a cafe in Walcott for a coffee and I took a photo of the sea. It looked beautiful with all the seagulls on the beach and the sun shining on the sea. We had a roast for dinner ( lamb) with new potatoes,cauliflower,peas,batter puds and gravy. Daughter and son in law were waiting for us when we got home,they came to measure our worktops because we are having granite ones fitted. It's daughters birthday tomorrow, she will be 48.

21 st

Today was really windy,and damp to begin with as well. I put on a load of washing and had porridge for breakfast. After we had washed and dressed we went to our local garden centre so I could buy H a new lawn mower for his birthday. It's not till the end of April but the grass needs cutting now and our old lawn mower has had it. I hung the washing out when we got home but there wasn't much dry out. We didn't go out on our bikes,H worked out on his rollers and we are having a long ride tomorrow. We are going to Walcott and having a coffee before heading home again. Our daughter and son in law are coming with us so that will be nice. My second camellia is beginning to come out at last, the first one has been out for ages. 

Eclipse day

Up at 6 breakfast and then shopping. We put on a load of washing and a load of dishes before we left. I spent £88.22 but it included 2 Easter eggs and part of our daughters birthday present, so not too bad. We hung about till 9.35 so we would see the solar eclipse but the cloud was too thick so we got ready to go out on our bikes. We went along the track on out mountain bikes. We just got to our gate, there was a break in the cloud and there was the sun and moon!! It was great and there was enough cloud cover for us to look at it. Our daughter took a photo which is just what we saw. I spent a couple of hours weeding the garden this afternoon and this evening my " lump " burst. It feels much better. Cheese and crackers for lunch, paella for dinner with chocolate cheesecake for pudding.

Work day.

I got up at 5.45,put on a load of washing,had my breakfast,packed my cucumber sandwiches and my bottle of water,dressed and went to work. I had to pick a basket of sprouts first and then trim 8 boxes of leeks, all of which took me till 12.15,we just had time to wash them all before lunch. I then had to help pack them all plus a load of carrots the men had done. It was all finished by 2.15 and one of the men and I went back to the top of the field to harvest a box of beetroot,4 boxes of parsnips and a couple more boxes of carrots. We took them down to the washing area and washed everything, I began to help with the packing when my boss said it was time for me to go home.

At the top of the field is a caravan that my boss bought for me to sit and have my lunch in but a few weeks ago some mindless yobs smashed the windows. I had a bath when I got home and then cooked dinner, jacket potatoes,mushrooms,peas,sweetcorn,salmon and bread and butter H got my washing in for me, all dry. No more work till Monday.

Bike day

Today has been nice,I had no washing for a chance so after marmalade on toast for breakfast and a cup of coffee I sat for a while watching the peregrine on Norwich Cathedral on " hawk and owl" on my iPad. I find it fascinating. At 9.30 we got dressed in our cycle gear and went for a ride. We did almost 44 miles, our speed was 15.7 miles an hour and we had to go up some horrible hills ( Hunworth hill ) being the hardest. I burnt over 1.400 calories so we had a glass of chocolate milk, a fried egg sandwich and a glass of wine.after that I did nothing much except have a bath and cook dinner. Quiche Lorraine,potato wedges and cheesy tomatoes. It was very tasty. It's work for me tomorrow.

Tues

I managed to lay in bed till 6.30 this morning!! I put on a load of washing and had porridge for breakfast. We had a coffee and H got ready to go out on his bike. I decided not to go because of my "lump". It's very painful and inflamed but is itching like crazy. I wish it would come up and burst, at least that would relieve the pressure. I did go out into the garden and plant all my lovely new plants I was given on Mother's Day. While I was out there H came back, he had cut his ride short because he got rained on. It didn't rain at home at all. Our garden is so dry I used a whole water butt watering it. We had cheese on toast for lunch and lasagna and baked beans for dinner. Every weekday we just have yogurt for desert but I make something " proper "at weekends.

Monday 16 th

I got up at 5.50,had my breakfast,did a load of washing, packed my lunch hung the washing out,made the bed,dressed and went to work. Once again I had to trim leeks for most of the day with just enough time to wash and pack them before home time. My boss said he wants me to work on Thursday this week too. My cyst is painful, I keep waiting for the pills to start working. My cup of tea was waiting for me when I came home and after a soak in the bath my aches and pains all eased. I cooked dinner and after we had eaten I went upstairs to watch my soaps.

Mother's Day

I was up before 6.30 and had tea and toast for breakfast. I put on a load of washing and a load of dishes. H left to join his cycle club for a " club run " and when he left I made no2 sons flapjack for him to take home this evening and also some chocolate brownies. He brought a kilner jar home with a " brownie" kit in it. I just had to beat 3 eggs and melt some butter,then beat in the stuff in the jar, pour into a tin and bake. It's very nice. I then made some raspberry rocks and a load of cheese biscuits. I had only just begun baking when H came back! He had felt unwell and come home again. I had just finished when the door bell rang and daughter and 2 Grandaughters arrived. She gave me a lovely card which I stood beside the one that no2 son gave me. They also gave me an enormous bunch of tulips,they are lovely and there must be at least 40, also bubble bath and a beautiful candle with a bamboo wick which crackles when it's lit. When they left no 2 son took me to the garden centre and bought me a rose bush and 4 other garden plants. We had home made soup for lunch and then no 1 son came round,another lovely card and more plants. I am a lucky mother. Our daughter in law has grown the plants and they are just what I wanted. She said if I write her a list of what else I would like she will get them for me. H had a very small meal because he is still not feeling right, but no2 son and I had a huge Sunday roast and blackberry,apple and custard for pudding. He is getting ready to leave so I must finish this and make sure he has everything.

Lazy day

When I woke up this morning I felt unwell, quite sick,I think it's due to the antibióticos. So I told H I wouldn't be going out on my bike. He then didn't bother to go either.i couldn't eat any breakfast but  I had a couple of cream crackers later on and felt a bit better. By lunch I was fine and had a bacon sandwich. I think my cyst is already a bit less painful.no2 son arrived just before midnight last night and he looks well after his climbing holiday in Spain.( he has come home for Mother's Day) no1 son rang this afternoon and he is coming round tomorrow afternoon. Daughter and our 2 granddaughter's are coming round in the morning. I will have to do a bit of baking first thing. We had steak and onion pie for dinner with cauliflour,sugar snap peas mashed potatoes and gravy. We had a really nice bottle of wine which our son brought home from his holiday with our meal but I probably should not have had any with my medication. 

Friday 13 th !!!

Up, breakfast and shopping, I spent almost £112 in Asda and then went to my butchers where I spent shed loads more money. We unpacked all our shopping,put it away,had a coffee and got ready to meet our daughter for a bike ride. We rode on Marriotts way to Reepham station where we had a coffee and a cake. We then rode home again.H made a loaf of bread and I did a load of washing. We had sausage rolls for lunch and paella for our evening meal. No 2 son is coming home tonight ( hence the large shopping bill) . However I did buy 2 Easter eggs and a box of wine. This is a photo of my orchids, they are all over 3 years old and still blooming really well.

Windy Thursday

I had toast again this morning, put on another load of washing and we watched a cycle race on u tube. I have a cyst on my forehead which has been slowly getting bigger for the last year or so. For the last few days it has become very painful so this morning I went to the Doctors.They gave me some antibiotics because it has become infected,hopefully it will burst and release the pressure. When I came back i changed and we went out on our bikes. We rode 30 miles in under 2 hours so we were happy with that but the wind was awful. We had salmon sandwiches with celery for lunch and scrambled eggs for tea. I had a dreadful sleep last night because I was worried about my head,but I expect it will be better tonight.

11th

I managed to stay in bed till 6.50, quite good for me. I put on a load of washing and had my breakfast,( porridge)  we had a coffee and I hung out the washing.H got ready for a bike ride and when he left I got on with the housework. He did  over 34 miles at over 20 miles an hour. After his shower and some lunch we went to look for a new coffee table and a standard lamp. The table we have is a huge square thing and helps our lounge to look small so we thought we would get something smaller. We also bought a new lamp. The lamp is an " up lighter " and also has a bendy reading lamp. Our evening meal was scampi,fish cakes,mushrooms,sweetcorn,peas and chips. But I cooked the whole lot in the oven so they were not at all greasy. My violets are out now so it's yet more colour in the garden.

Tuesday 10th

Toast and marmite for breakfast,the toast was nice,when I made the loaf I used half wholemeal flour,half white and also added 3 tablespoons of mixed seeds. It was nutty and went well with the marmite. ( it was also nice with cheese and pickle for lunch.) H and I put our cycle gear on and went out on our bikes. We rode 41& 3/4 miles.we went out into a head wind and we're looking forward to getting to the half way point so the wind would be helpful. However the wind dropped and was no help to us at all. At least the sun was lovely. We had curry for dinner. No 2 son rang, and he is coming home Friday evening for the weekend,so that will be nice.

Work day

Up at 6 am, a slice of toast and marmite with a cup of tea for breakfast and 2 cheese and pickle sandwiches for work. I also took 3 small tomatoes and a bottle of water. As usual I had to trim leeks till 12.30 and then we washed and packed them which took till 2.40. I had to go into the greenhouse for the rest of the day where I filled 2 trays with peat and pricked out 616 parsley seedlings. I watered them and left off at 4.05.(late again). There was a welcome cup of tea waiting for me when I came home. We had steak pie, wedges and mushy peas for dinner, H had wine I had water, yogurt for pud, and also an orange. I don't have to work again until next Monday, my boss is on holiday this week in Cornwall.

Sunday 8th

Up at 6.10, porridge for breakfast and a load of washing on.H got ready and left home at 7.30 to meet with his cycling club. After he left I hung the washing out, made the bed,dressed,etc. and did a bit of cleaning. I had a coffee,made some chocolate chip buns and put on a loaf of bread. I then went outside and pruned all our roses. There are about 15 of them so it took a while. I also cleared the plants and weeds from round them and gave them all some rose food. H came home around 12.40, he had done 74 miles. We had a fried egg sandwiches for lunch and a Sunday roast this evening. We have had some rain and it was just enough to water in the rose food. We also had our water cut off for a couple of hours this afternoon.

I have several Camellia's along our north facing fence and the first one has come out,it's a red double flower and this afternoon I saw the first butterfly of the year on them. I went out to take a photo of it but it flew away. So I took a picture of the flowers anyway.

Breezy Saturday

I managed to stay in bed till 6.20 this morning. Toast for breakfast. I did a load of washing and also a load in the dishwasher. I hung the washing out when it was done and H got our bikes out of the garage. He gave them a wipe over and we got ready to go out for a ride.H used his road bike today. We rode 30 miles and it took us 2 hours. It was really too windy. This week I have ridden 96 miles. I would have liked it to have been 100 but I am not going out tomorrow just to ride 4 miles, I am going to spend the morning pruning and feeding my roses. We had cheese and biscuits for lunch and spaghetti Bolognese for our evening meal.

Friday 6 th

Shopping this morning £73.90 this week.came back, unpacked etc. had a coffee and then got ready to go out on our bikes. We used our mountain bikes but went to Aylsham along the road and then went onto Marriotts way to come home. It was a nice ride but I think I have done something to my knee because it's quite painful at the moment. When we came back I made soup with an onion,a parsnip, a leek,a potato, some tomatoes, a couple of veggie cubes and some water. It was nice. We had duck with noodles for dinner and that was nice too.H had a glass of wine but I had water. We saw 2 buzzards when we were out and a huge dead deer on the side of the road.

Thursday

I have not done much today apart from normal housework etc. I did spend a bit of time in the front garden clearing up. The front of our house only has a small space and most of it is lawn and drive. We use the lawn to park visitors cars on, so we have a plastic membrane under the grass which works well and keeps the lawn looking good. We had an " all day breakfast " for dinner this evening, sausage,egg,mushrooms,tomatoes,chips and bread and butter. Nice.

4 th March

I was up before 5.45 again, put on a load of washing and had a bowl of porridge for my breakfast. We then sat and watched a film that H had recorded last night. He then got ready to go out on his bike. When he left I hung out the washing, washed up and then went outside and potted about in the garden till I got too cold. I came in and sat and read a book till H came home. We then had lunch and watched a cycle race. I made a fish pie for dinner which was nice, we had it with cauliflower and sprouts. No 2 Grandaughter didn't go to school today because she was sick. There must be a bug going around because she very rarely has a day off. I am now going to relax and watch my soaps. I had a text from no 2 son last night to say he was home safely from Spain and that he will ring tonight.

Tuesday cycling

I was up at 5.40 and put on a load of washing. I made a bowl of porridge for my breakfast,spot of tea and H came down. We put the dishwasher on and I swept and washed the kitchen floor. Our daughter then sent a message saying she was on her way so we went up and got into our cycle gear. We set off at a great pace and all went well for the first 11.7 miles but daughter got a puncture so we had to stop, take out her rear wheel and put in a new tube. It was hard to pump up with a small pump and we all got quite cold. We had warmed up again after around 6 miles and ended up with 33.8 miles  ( daughter did more because she cycled to and from hers as well ) when we came back we checked our phones which had tracked our rides only to find that when we stopped for the puncture something went wrong with mine and I only had the first 11 miles!!! I am most annoyed. We had a shower and cheese sandwiches for lunch. I then read till it was time to cook dinner, quiche, mushrooms, baked beans and potato wedges. 

Workday

I was up at 5.40 and after putting on a load of washing I had my breakfast, packed my lunch and hung out the washing. I was rushing back down the path and I tripped and fell over!!! I fell into a large fern which is razor sharp and it cut both my hands and sliced both my wrists, blood everywhere I only had time to quickly rinse them under the tap and stick plasters everywhere and rush to work. I had to trim leeks till 12.30 and after lunch we washed and packed them. After that there was not much else for me to do so I had to wash the greenhouse windows. It's a horrible job,the glass is so high so the water all ran down my arms and by the time I left off I was wet up to my armpits.  The Boss said he won't need me any more till next Monday, he is on holiday next week and said I will only be doing 1 day that week too. I was glad to get home and get my wet clothes off. We had chicken curry for dinner and our daughter rang to say she will come cycling with us tomorrow. It was nice in the sun but the wind was so strong it was freezing in the middle of the field.

March 1 St

Today has been better for me than yesterday,thank goodness,I was so bored. This morning H went out on a training ride with his cycle club, the first of the season. When he left I put on a loaf of bread and spent a couple of hours in the garden. I saw my first ladybird of the season. I had an email from New Zealand today,it was nice to hear all their news. They are having a very hot summer so far so I hope we follow suit. H had  a good ride. No2 son is still in Spain climbing and sent me a photo of a lizard he spotted on his climb today which I will put on the end of this blog ( it's more interesting than my ladybird) ! They also saw several wild boar running in the valley below them. We had a fried egg sandwich for lunch and pork roast for dinner tonight. I have tried not to eat so much today, I ate far too much yesterday and now I feel all bloated. Thank goodness I am going to work tomorrow and I can only eat what I take with me,there are no shops or hot chocolate machines in the middle of the field.

Yesterday

My life was so mundane yesterday I couldn't even be bothered to blog about it!!!!