H1 has not left the sofa for what seems like eons.
I love tennis, I have been to Wimbledon Court No.1 , I have seen the Williams girls singly and doubly and I enjoyed the Men's final.
We had 4 days watching bikes fly up and down the Yorkshire Dales while the crowds were so deep and appreciative- so British!
Now the World Cup is occupying the screen - it seems all night , every night, 24/7. Admittedly even I had to sit down and watch the beating Brazil took from Germany but tonight the Netherlands has had to play Argentina without me because I have had a sickener....
I have just seen a trailer giving the dates of The Open- you know and I know H1 is an addict to the hitting of little, white balls with sticks
Oscar Wilde said 'golf is a good walk spoiled' and I have to agree with him.
It is no good! I have had enough sport to last me through 2014. I may have to take up knitting.
Wednesday, 9 July 2014
Monday, 7 July 2014
Jungle fever
Once again I am thwarted! I am back after two weeks away 'nursing' a relative and enjoying looking after a toddler 24/7 (Heck! Exhaustion!) The garden is like a rain forest.
Meanwhile at home H1 doesn't know the difference between a rose and a redwood so everything has just taken off..... but we keep getting torrential downpours (back in the Tropics again!) so I cannot get out there with my machete- well secateurs- and hack everything back.
On Saturday I came in soaked and we gave up and went to the Tyneside Cinema to see 'Belle'. I have always wondered about that painting- Two richly dressed girls in the 1700s but one black and one white- at a time when slavery happened in Britain; I had looked up some research but when I read reviews for a film I was determined to view it. We learned more about the details of 'the Zong' case and recommend the film (though do take into account dramatic licence).
We went to eat at La Vina- Spanish style , pleasant ambience but raw pork which was sent back- & was recompensed with a recook, being taken off bill and a free drink but I couldn't stomach any more.
Yesterday part way through hammering back the Montana clematis the heavens opened again. A dash inside meant we watched some television. I found 'Common' really disquieting; I imagine joint inclusion means less research- but how when even solicitors can hear who actually has committed the crime (in the group), how can they say it was a joint enterprise- and how can the law not abandon the red tape protocol ?
Meanwhile at home H1 doesn't know the difference between a rose and a redwood so everything has just taken off..... but we keep getting torrential downpours (back in the Tropics again!) so I cannot get out there with my machete- well secateurs- and hack everything back.
On Saturday I came in soaked and we gave up and went to the Tyneside Cinema to see 'Belle'. I have always wondered about that painting- Two richly dressed girls in the 1700s but one black and one white- at a time when slavery happened in Britain; I had looked up some research but when I read reviews for a film I was determined to view it. We learned more about the details of 'the Zong' case and recommend the film (though do take into account dramatic licence).
We went to eat at La Vina- Spanish style , pleasant ambience but raw pork which was sent back- & was recompensed with a recook, being taken off bill and a free drink but I couldn't stomach any more.
Yesterday part way through hammering back the Montana clematis the heavens opened again. A dash inside meant we watched some television. I found 'Common' really disquieting; I imagine joint inclusion means less research- but how when even solicitors can hear who actually has committed the crime (in the group), how can they say it was a joint enterprise- and how can the law not abandon the red tape protocol ?
Tuesday, 10 June 2014
Grumpy Old Woman
Am I turning into a grumpy old woman? Yes! lack of sleep and a trip to Tynemouth convinces me I am.
What do I think is rude or what do I dislike?
CATS- someone else's on my garden /car. I do not have a pet pooing in my garden or scratching my car again so I do not want anyone else's! I am allergic to cats- they make me/us all ill.
DRIVERS on slip roads who think they can just come straight onto the main carriageway without stopping
CYCLISTS who just go through red lights.
PEOPLE who do not say thank you- eg when you move a pushchair for them or move over to let them pass you on the pavement or open a door for them.
SINKS full of dirty dishes in water so you have to empty the bowl to start washing up
OWNERS who let their dogs perform/&leave dog muck on beach, grass, countryside- I do not let members of my family leave their excrement why should owners leave theirs? or those that put the poo in a plastic bag then dump the bag on the path , fence or hedge.
LAMINATE floors- cold, noisy, unwelcoming, dateable
POSITIVE DISCRIMINATION- I am a feminist and have always been a feminist; and believe I/we women can do things equally- I do not want your help to get me where I want to go . Do not patronise women.
LABELS in clothes especially bras which are irritatingly scratchy.
USERS of 'a' in front of a vowel when it should be 'an'. Say an hotel, an icicle etc
WASPS
HEARTBURN, reflux and indigestion- makes you worry that you are having a month long coronary
WOMEN who do not wash their hands when they have been to the toilet- well men too.
MOBILE PHONE users- in cafes, restaurants, public transport, the quiet carriage- usually loudly! I am with some places in USA which are banning them in public places. Folk who cannot enjoy their own company so have to get their mob out to occupy themselves.
DRIVERS who do not signal
PARENTS who quote their kids exam results; do you really believe kids who got 2:1s or firsts did a lot of work?- many do not but get them given. University grades mean nothing.
PARENTS who live their dreams through their kids.
LITTERBUGS who just hoy chewing gum on the pavement.
SPITTERS who hockle- eg footballers
SMOKERS who stand outside doorways so one has to fight a way through their smoke to get into a building.
LEYLANDII the most boring, overgrown, dark, allergic, lazy boundaries which take up half your garden and kill off neighbours' and your daylight. They grow beyond many owners height and care.
LAZY people.
BARBECUES- how to get charred sausages which are pink inside and give you food poisoning; me cooking inside while H1 is out by the bbq with a can of beer in the sunshine and with my guests
Yep! Grumpy all right!
What annoys you?
What do I think is rude or what do I dislike?
CATS- someone else's on my garden /car. I do not have a pet pooing in my garden or scratching my car again so I do not want anyone else's! I am allergic to cats- they make me/us all ill.
DRIVERS on slip roads who think they can just come straight onto the main carriageway without stopping
CYCLISTS who just go through red lights.
PEOPLE who do not say thank you- eg when you move a pushchair for them or move over to let them pass you on the pavement or open a door for them.
SINKS full of dirty dishes in water so you have to empty the bowl to start washing up
OWNERS who let their dogs perform/&leave dog muck on beach, grass, countryside- I do not let members of my family leave their excrement why should owners leave theirs? or those that put the poo in a plastic bag then dump the bag on the path , fence or hedge.
LAMINATE floors- cold, noisy, unwelcoming, dateable
POSITIVE DISCRIMINATION- I am a feminist and have always been a feminist; and believe I/we women can do things equally- I do not want your help to get me where I want to go . Do not patronise women.
LABELS in clothes especially bras which are irritatingly scratchy.
USERS of 'a' in front of a vowel when it should be 'an'. Say an hotel, an icicle etc
WASPS
HEARTBURN, reflux and indigestion- makes you worry that you are having a month long coronary
WOMEN who do not wash their hands when they have been to the toilet- well men too.
MOBILE PHONE users- in cafes, restaurants, public transport, the quiet carriage- usually loudly! I am with some places in USA which are banning them in public places. Folk who cannot enjoy their own company so have to get their mob out to occupy themselves.
DRIVERS who do not signal
PARENTS who quote their kids exam results; do you really believe kids who got 2:1s or firsts did a lot of work?- many do not but get them given. University grades mean nothing.
PARENTS who live their dreams through their kids.
LITTERBUGS who just hoy chewing gum on the pavement.
SPITTERS who hockle- eg footballers
SMOKERS who stand outside doorways so one has to fight a way through their smoke to get into a building.
LEYLANDII the most boring, overgrown, dark, allergic, lazy boundaries which take up half your garden and kill off neighbours' and your daylight. They grow beyond many owners height and care.
LAZY people.
BARBECUES- how to get charred sausages which are pink inside and give you food poisoning; me cooking inside while H1 is out by the bbq with a can of beer in the sunshine and with my guests
Yep! Grumpy all right!
What annoys you?
Monday, 26 May 2014
Afternoon tea
While D1 is off work we have been trying to take her to places she has not been to before. Mainly for afternoon tea! This phenomenon used to be common in Britain- but faded out only to enjoy a revival in the last few years.
We received vouchers for afternoon teas in various places eg hotels so have started to grade them as we visit.
In the past I have been with friends to
Horton Grange- the worst afternoon tea I have imbibed in. Dry madeira cake I remember!
Hilton (Gateshead)- great view over the Tyne and Quayside; reasonable price for a pleasant tea.
More recently I have nibbled at........
Eshott Hall- Ok value with beautiful snowdrops, stained glass windows on the stairs, red squirrels, and tiny cakes (which were much of a muchness- maybe because there was a group of about 12 of us)
The Grand (Tynemouth)- currently £10.50? lovely views over the sea, good sandwiches (you choose out of selection of fillings on offer). not such good scones!
Beamish Hall Hotel- large, beautiful dining room. reasonable price; fillings and cakes change each month.
Jesmond Dene House- more costly than the others above and put an automatic 10% on your bill which I will not pay unless I choose after considering the service! However 3 good scones(plain with cream & jam, cheese, fruit), tasty sandwiches (& like Grand and Beamish, staff are helpful when it comes to allergies to ingredients) and 'different' (if rather sweet) cake selection.
We did not 'do' afternoon tea at Bayberry Hollow in Tanfield village but loved their food.
I have had mixed reports of afternoon tea at Doxford Hall;
Eslington Villa does not do such delights.
I hear I should try the White Monk's teas in Blanchland but I need to space the teas out or my waistline won't fit into my waistbands and they are tight as it is.
We received vouchers for afternoon teas in various places eg hotels so have started to grade them as we visit.
In the past I have been with friends to
Horton Grange- the worst afternoon tea I have imbibed in. Dry madeira cake I remember!
Hilton (Gateshead)- great view over the Tyne and Quayside; reasonable price for a pleasant tea.
More recently I have nibbled at........
Eshott Hall- Ok value with beautiful snowdrops, stained glass windows on the stairs, red squirrels, and tiny cakes (which were much of a muchness- maybe because there was a group of about 12 of us)
The Grand (Tynemouth)- currently £10.50? lovely views over the sea, good sandwiches (you choose out of selection of fillings on offer). not such good scones!
Beamish Hall Hotel- large, beautiful dining room. reasonable price; fillings and cakes change each month.
Jesmond Dene House- more costly than the others above and put an automatic 10% on your bill which I will not pay unless I choose after considering the service! However 3 good scones(plain with cream & jam, cheese, fruit), tasty sandwiches (& like Grand and Beamish, staff are helpful when it comes to allergies to ingredients) and 'different' (if rather sweet) cake selection.
We did not 'do' afternoon tea at Bayberry Hollow in Tanfield village but loved their food.
I have had mixed reports of afternoon tea at Doxford Hall;
Eslington Villa does not do such delights.
I hear I should try the White Monk's teas in Blanchland but I need to space the teas out or my waistline won't fit into my waistbands and they are tight as it is.
Washingwell Woods
How many times do I visit someplace and whilst wandering I think of all the things I am going to say on my blog- then time, activities, visitors take over and I forget what I was going to write about?
I remember walking up and down the same piece of path in the heat while trying to work out which way the map was showing- while the paths did not agree with the cartography!
We eventually got directed through woods which fortunately provided shade; there were not as many bluebells as in the woods along the banks of the Wansbeck but there was none of the mud either.
We circled the lake before heading to meet another friend at the Community café in Whickham; I do like the garden in which it is set ; lots of groups in the area each plant up a patch of this hillside Hermitage garden.
H1 and I dashed down to the Customs House to watch 'Get up and tie your fingers'; an excellent sung/acted tale of the lives of women who cut and packed the silver darlings as the shoal travelled down the North Sea coast of Scotland and England. I remember seeing the lights of the herring fleet off the coast when I was up in Seahouses; I don't think the herring fleet exist now. The story of the storm and subsequent impact on the fishing village reveals just how dangerous sea fishing is.
I remember walking up and down the same piece of path in the heat while trying to work out which way the map was showing- while the paths did not agree with the cartography!
We eventually got directed through woods which fortunately provided shade; there were not as many bluebells as in the woods along the banks of the Wansbeck but there was none of the mud either.
We circled the lake before heading to meet another friend at the Community café in Whickham; I do like the garden in which it is set ; lots of groups in the area each plant up a patch of this hillside Hermitage garden.
H1 and I dashed down to the Customs House to watch 'Get up and tie your fingers'; an excellent sung/acted tale of the lives of women who cut and packed the silver darlings as the shoal travelled down the North Sea coast of Scotland and England. I remember seeing the lights of the herring fleet off the coast when I was up in Seahouses; I don't think the herring fleet exist now. The story of the storm and subsequent impact on the fishing village reveals just how dangerous sea fishing is.
Tuesday, 20 May 2014
Wandering along the banks of the river Wansbeck
 |
| R.Wansbeck |
It has been hot and gloriously sunny; normally I sleep with my windows locked on the sneck so there is a wee bit of cool air drifting in to the room; for the last few nights I have had to get up around 4 a.m. and close the windows tight as the birdsong has been so loud.
Last week the ladies plodged through the circular clarts fromHartford hall via Humford Mill (in the woods at Bedlington) swinging from branches to stay out of the mud on the footpath.
The River Wansbeck was high; the valley sides were carpeted in bluebells while the air was filled with the pungent smell of wild garlic
It is a good job I walk to accumulate my 10000 steps as I am having an 'eating out' spell; we heralded the summer sun with afternoon tea at Tynemouth's Grand Hotel (would you believe it was the former hunting lodge of the Duke of Northumberland?); we've been out to celebrate a friend's retirement with an Indian meal; the sunshine tempted us to have the family round for a barbecue- we played boules and garden quoits at which I admit to playing a thundering last round! I was as proud as this peacock which we met at North Acomb Farm when we went to buy supplies at the farm shop.
Our walk at Linz Ford raised a hot sweat which needed that glass of Fentiman's Rose Lemonade..... The buildings around the medieval fulling mill and leat have been updated yet hold their history.
It seems the weather forecast is going to be accurate- an early morning sea fret through which the sun will eventually nibble through..... I think I will go back to bed and see if I can sort out my biorhythms.
Monday, 12 May 2014
Therapy
After 9 weeks my visitors have gone; I confess to being a bit sad but I am getting my life back again. My visitors were D1, her husband and new baby- and due to having a baby who entered the world traumatically and who refused to lie down- life was hectic as we all did shifts through the night in particular to hold her up asleep. I felt privileged to watch her change, focus, smile and establish herself in the world. At last they have left us (sob) and I have cleared up the house and now what?
My garden is a tangled overgrown mess so..... I went into attack mode. I did not have the time to put in my spuds- which apparently should be in by Good Friday; I wouldn't care but organic homegrown potatoes taste so much better than shop bought veg. The daffs and tulips are over and dead headed; Bluebells fill the borders and the hedgehogs are unseen but something is gobbling up the hedgehog food I am putting out. Probably blinking horrible magpies!
We were invited to a night-time barbecue by D3 recently- and while drinking Pimms and noshing homemade burgers and salads I watched a fox running along the top of her fence; this dog or vixen was a healthy golden brown with a bushy brush- not a grey, mangy urban fox.
I filled the garden bin so much that we had to make special trips to the 'tip' and 2 days solid work by H1 and myself has tidied it up a bit- but I really wish the stotting rain would stop so I could get out there and get cracking on the borders.
My garden is a tangled overgrown mess so..... I went into attack mode. I did not have the time to put in my spuds- which apparently should be in by Good Friday; I wouldn't care but organic homegrown potatoes taste so much better than shop bought veg. The daffs and tulips are over and dead headed; Bluebells fill the borders and the hedgehogs are unseen but something is gobbling up the hedgehog food I am putting out. Probably blinking horrible magpies!
We were invited to a night-time barbecue by D3 recently- and while drinking Pimms and noshing homemade burgers and salads I watched a fox running along the top of her fence; this dog or vixen was a healthy golden brown with a bushy brush- not a grey, mangy urban fox.
I filled the garden bin so much that we had to make special trips to the 'tip' and 2 days solid work by H1 and myself has tidied it up a bit- but I really wish the stotting rain would stop so I could get out there and get cracking on the borders.
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