I met up with Gary today and we had a good long chat over brunch and then took a walk up to the manor house at Rivington, after two hours of scheming we still had so much more to talk about, but unfortunately he had to get back to the...
Wow what a fantastic, hectic day it’s been today. I’m finally sitting down at nine thirty, for the first time on my own, with little enthusiasm for diary writing. But just look at this photo, the stunning view of the brightly lit West Pennine moors, that existed for just a...
Every day I’m confronted by a dozen little annoyances, lights being left on, fighting my way through the under stairs cupboard to read the meters, clothes left on the floor, washing up not done during the day, and on and on. I used to let it get to me but...
Another good nights sleep last night, albeit a late night (midnight) but also a late morning. I slept through despite reducing my cocodamol dose to 38mg and I will keep reducing it gradually until the restless leg stops me sleeping. The weather was horrible again, but I decided to embrace...
This the outline plan for my fruit and veg garden at home, if I manage to get an allotment in time then I will be expanding on the berries, root vegetables and beans. As it is this selection should keep me and Debbie well fed through much of the year....
I’ve always enjoyed family meals, but now that I’m doing the cooking I find them even more rewarding. Today I spent a good couple of hours making a fantastic roast chicken with Yorkshire puddings and veg, the vegetarians has herby Yorkshires instead of meat and I made extra puddings to...
I’m gradually extending the range of foods that I make myself, getting closer to the raw ingredients and more in control of the quality of the meals that we eat. I’m also lowering the cost of the meals and I hope everyone is enjoying them as much, or better than...
Dad died eight years ago today so I’ve been looking at photographs, re-reading my diary from that time and reading the blog post that I wrote at the time. I’m so pleased that I have those memory aids to keep his memories alive in my mind, to make sure that...
Today was the kind of day that I really hoped to be enjoying during retirement, one of those rare days when my body is working, the weather is fine and I have the time to hike, retirement makes two of these variables more likely and it’s working out that way. ...
Every year we write a family newsletter that get’s included with the Christmas cards. I’m not a huge fan of swapping cards, but I do love it when we receive newsletters, even in the Facebook era they are richer and more personal. For the last few years I’ve been writing...