Day out..sort of!

 Housework in the morning...or it doesn't get done!! It is starting to be a good warm up to the day. 

Off on the 10.37 bus to town then the next to Prestwick..to the travel agents...I'd realised that I had my boarding passes, but not on my phone...which apparently you don't get automatically when you book through them...email with download sent...so now I have them both ways...all bases covered... hopefully...then back to town for a Waterstones café lunch....checking that my phone will be ok in France...and that my contact details are correct with the bank..and back to Waterstones for an up-to-date French dictionary! It says pocket dictionary on it... must be quite a large pocket!

I had to exchange a small natural sponge at a chemists next..it had just started disintegrating as I got it wet !! I think the other will do the same..but at least they know. This was in an older street across between the two main streets. There is talk of renovating and restoring the buildings and older shop fronts...I hope so.

They aren't all as grand but they are worth caring for.

Then the French conversation group..great fun as it was our teacher's birthday!! Different ways of saying happy birthday....and listening to a birthday song...and talking about different phrases...and what chatgpt sounds like when you say it in French 😳 and what the slang for Facebook is 😆😎. Plus coffee or tisane and cake and biscuits!!

Completing steps and planning

 The patchwork makes progress!

One more corner to do..and I pinned the strips for the two triangles that make the last corner before supper..and started sewing after...to a programme about the river Test this time!

This afternoon's clay work was finishing off the glaze test bowls..these are not just to check colours and fluidity, but to see how they go on a "piecrust" rim..

And to try some different shapes as well!!

I've done a test bag pack for Wednesday....I'll see if there is a small enough vacuum bag that will work inside the bag..But no worries if it won't.  Every time I review the contents they reduce. No bad thing!

Harvest begins

 

From a tree just over the road...not by a house, on the verge by the telephone exchange! It looks very much like one grown from a discarded apple core. It is a late season bloomer, so missed early cold then dry weather...and the cold and wet..

Last year's crop was mediocre...this year it is covered!!  They are ready to pick before being ripe, and ripen slowly very nicely after picking...they also will keep until early spring..I held a few back on a windowsill a couple of years ago.

Now I need to check the other trees to see how they are faring!!

This afternoon's work was throwing glaze test bowls. I threw them off the hump for a change and was pleasantly pleased..I haven't used that technique for a very long time indeed!!

Cleaning and tidying after a work session...just as important!

Then after a late lunch, the latest batch of cards needed finishing and packing.

A quick supper, and watching a programme about the River Derwent...while sewing!!

Still indoors.. mainly!

 The storm has mainly moved on towards Scandinavia, but the wind is still more than a stiff breeze! And wet this morning as well...but warmish...we reached the heady heights of the mid teens ⁰C....my friend in France still has had no rain...but at least the temperature has come down from 32⁰ to 26⁰....

A bit battered..but still growing.

Can anyone identify the owner...

I saw the fluff at first and thought it was from a long haired black cat that prowls around here....it was on ea squash plant's stem....

Not such a good day today...one of those days when you have something to share..but the one you want to share it with is no longer here...

On a good note, corner #3 of Our Shirts is pinned on ready to sew.

Storm Floris

 Today has been definitely an indoors day..rain started at 4am and the wind arrived by 7...most of the day had been dry, but 60mph gusts have been the order of the day, and winds not less than 30mph...and the sideways rain returned just before 10pm as the wind growled down the chimney!!

Sewing this morning...

And printing more cards in the afternoon 

Followed by more sewing after supper..I finished half a patchwork corner and started sewing the two triangles together. One corner to go!!

An odd day

 I'm not the best of sleepers, so today, although starting at a decent time, started rather slow...but Nectarine conserve got finished...there was half a pint of water on the recipe that didn't get added...but so much juice came out overnight I don't think that it was needed!

After lunch I went round the garden aiming to make sure that there was nothing lying around that storm winds could have fun with!!

Bug!!

Tomato jungle 

Yellow courgettes/zucchini 

Oregano/Marjoram

Runner beans

At last!

Kale seeds...the Blackbirds are enjoying them

Comte de Chambord...I brought this one indoors 

And fragrant Munstead Wood..two blooms on the bush, but about to drop their petals.

My sinuses and eyes are reacting to something..it isn't a "cold" as it isn't constant...I know what one of those is like although I haven't had one for a very long time. It is most tiresome.

And tomorrow we can say good morning to a storm....

Moth!!

 Yesterday when I did some garden tidying I found this on the onions....and plenty of onion leaves with holes...

You'd expect it to be the leek moth that goes for alliums...but no brown head or obvious legs on the caterpillar.

With a friend's help, we think it could be an Angle Shades moth. What it is doing on onions I don't know....the moth itself is a beauty, camouflaged brown.....

Today I bought red wine vinegar to make onion marmalade...and there will be onions in the freezer...as I doubt that they will store after this attack...but I'll leave some in...for the moth..and to see if they will keep.

Tickets collected today...and I found an easyjet sized bag...I've managed to pack the bare  essentials in a ryanair sized bag...so now I can be a little more relaxed and fit in a drawing book...and some books that my friend in France would like.

Last night's sunset...at 9.45....and 10.30...

Tonight's sunset at just after 10...