The New Kitchen

After several busy months of planning and preparation, our new kitchen is being fitted and nearing completion.  Our last kitchen lasted 25 years but became dated and a bit battered so my semi-retirement became an excuse to have a refresh.  Here are a couple of photos that give a flavour of what we did have (these were taken at Christmas many years ago):

I am sure I took some before the refurbishment started but seem to have lost them....a senior moment perhaps?

I won't bore you all with the pictures of an empty kitchen or one with half plastered walls etc......I am sure you'd rather see the (almost) final result.  This is how it looked last night before the replacement floor was started today:

Not bad, eh?  For anyone that is interested it's a Cooke and Lewis kitchen in gloss cream fitted by B&Q contracted fitters.  They have done a good job with a few very minor snags to come back and sort.  The cooker is a Rangemaster Toledo in champagne.  It's a cracker!  We even managed to get a glass splashback in a matching colour so are chuffed to bits with the overall look.

Let's hope we can keep it as clean and tidy as it looks at the moment.

Holiday in North Wales

We have just spent a week in North Wales in a querky cottage on the outskirts of Caernarfon.  

We have stayed here twice before and came back again as the cottage is great and it's location is superb.  It has a beautiful river running through the back garden just a few feet from the patio doors so we can sit and watch the wildlife any time of the day.

Some lucky visitors have spotted otters - which I would love to see.  We saw some red faced mergansers swimming down the river on one occasion which we had not seen before.  The heron we have seen in other years was nowhere to be seen.

The weather was typical of Wales - cool, mainly cloudy and, at times, wet.  Nevertheless we managed a nice walk on huge sandy beaches each morning (when the tide was low so there was a huge expanse of sand for Lucy to run on).  We were treated to helicopter and (red arrow) hawk jet pilot training (from RAF Valley) a few times to amuse us on the nearby beach.  From the cottage we could walk along the river and alongside a railway line for 20 mins and then arrive to a splendid view of Caernarfon castle and the harbour.  

The railway line is the Wales Highland Railway at this point so runs with rather quaint steam trains.

Another place we visited was the Copper Mine in north east Anglesey.  It was both fascinating and beautiful.

New wild flower meadow

A new wild flower meadow has been planted near us.  This used to be farmland and the council have now taken it over.  Using it as a wild flower meadow for us to all enjoy seems like a wonderful idea but the council,has plans to turn it into a football field in due course.   That woud be a shame as we need fields like this for the wildlife and also so we can have some fields in this area that are not football fields.  Sometimes I think councils lose sight of the fact that not everyone has children and not everyone wants to play football!

This morning Rod, Lucy and I walked around an adjoining corn field which we think the council also now own.  It will be interesting to see what happens to that over time.  Guesses anyone?

Where does the time go?

Who would have believed before I semi-retired that I would be so busy that I would hardly have time to write this blog?  My feet have not touched the ground in the last few weeks as we have been trying to decide who will fit our new kitchen for us.  We finally decided on B&Q.  Only time will tell if that is a good decision or not.  Over the last week we have had our friendly bathroom fitter, Phil, come and refurbish our cloakroom and utility room.  Interestingly, we used B&Q cabinets in the utility room and were somewhat astounded that all 3 base units were damaged when taken out of the box.  They all had minor nicks on various edges.  One of the units would not go together properly but there was no time to have it replaced.  As it won't fall apart and looks OK from the outside I said we'd just have to live with it.  As you can imagine, I am now a little nervous about the quality of cabinets we will get for the kitchen but will send them back if they are as bad.

Added to all that excitement we have done a fair bit of entertaining lately.  I love cooking and did an almost splendid meal for my cousin that came to see us at weekend.  I cooked all day on the Saturday but that made me realise how much I am looking forward to getting my new range cooker in September as I could have done the cooking in half the time with two ovens.  My fruit jelly made with rose wine was delicious but my chocolate and hazelnut cheesecake was less good as I did not spot that the recipe said to turn the oven down from 200 degrees to 130 degrees!!  I had thought it was far, far too hot and read the recipe several times.....obviously I need to go to Specsavers for some new glasses!!

The hot weather continues but it is possible we might have rain and cooler temperatures tomorrow......we'll see.

Phew, it ain't half hot!

After a rubbish weather during the winter and spring, summer is here at last.  Today is a scorcher - the hottest day of the year so far for us.  At 4pm, in the garden, I have just registered 88 degrees in the shade and 105 degrees in the sun.   I bet a few people will get serious sun burn today!  Me?  I am staying indoors where it is cooler and will come out tonight when the temperature drops a bit.

Pembrey, South Wales

We have recently returned from a week staying in a beautiful cottage on the outskirts of Pembrey, South Wales.

It was wonderful even though the weather was a little 'Welsh'....dull, windy and damp at times.  There were several fantastic beaches to explore within a short distance of the cottage.  The best for us was the beach at Pembrey Country Park.  It was 7 miles long, with a huge expanse of clean, flat sand when the tide was out and a small strip of fine sand when the tide was in.   Lucy loved running up and down the beach searching for bits of seaweed to chew!

Richard, a long time friend, spent the first 2 nights with us.  He had travelled all the way down from Skye to see us and other friends and family.  It was great to catch up with him.

One day we went to see Dylan Thomas' house and stopped for a cream tea on the terrace.  Lovely (and sod the diet that day!).  On the subject of the diet, I have now lost 1 stone.  I have deliberately done this very slowly as I am not a fan of crash diets (in fact, I am not a fan of diets, full stop).

BBQ weather

Although it is raining today, I thought I would record the fact that we had a second BBQ of the year at the weekend. The main reason was that we had invited my step-mum over for lunch and she does like a BBQ.  It was warm enough when the sun was out but a little chilly when the clouds came over - hence the need for the cardigan.

Christine was looking forward to her feast but Lucy was looking on in eager anticipation!

The blackbirds are still nesting in the foliage behind Christine.  For the record, it is Euonymous that is growing up the fence.  It has been there for about 24 years and has made a brilliant covering for the fence.  Last year I put some manure under it and it has really taken off this year!

Garden wildlife

For the first time in a couple of years, we spotted a hedgehog in our back garden tonight.  
Nice to see it as they are so much in decline these days.  Also, our blackbirds are busy with their nest again so we are hoping to see a second brood of birds in the coming weeks.

Bird nest beside patio

A few weeks ago we noticed blackbirds flying in and out of the euonymus that grows up the fence beside our patio.

We suspected that a nest was being built so kept clear of the area in the hope that some eggs would be laid and new birds would fledge.  Success!  I saw one blackbird fledge but, unfortunately, do not know how many birds fledged in total.

A few days after the blackbirds had left the nest we tried to see the nest.  That was so difficult!  After several attempts to locate the nest, I spotted it behind the trellis and up against the arris rail.

Not the tidiest of nests!

The blackbird breeding season lasts from early March to late July.  During this period, blackbirds rear 2-3 broods.  In a good year a fourth breed may be attempted.  It has now been almost a week since the birds left the nest but, over the last few days, I have seen adult blackbirds returning to the nest and wonder if they might be going to breed again.  I will watch, from the comfort of my sofa, with interest!

Bluebells

Today we went to Micheldever Woods to see the bluebells.  The last time we went was a few years ago, very early in the morning, when the sun was just up.  The bluebells then were fantastic.  This year we arrived mid-morning, could not get parked in the car park and arrived just as the sun was disappearing behind some clouds - not a great start.   The sun made occasional brief appearances from then on but this made the photography rather tricky.

Apparently there is a good display of bluebells in the woods a few hundred yards from my house so, weather permitting, I might take Lucy for a walk in that area in the next few days and see if I can get some better photos.

12 little ducklings

A few days ago, Rod and I walked Lucy around the back of Botleigh Grange hotel.  On the way we crossed a small bridge over a stream.  Much to our surprise, we saw a 'mummy' duck with 12 ducklings in tow.  Unfortunately, we did not have a camera with us. They were swimming against the tide so the stronger ducklings were OK but some of the others had to navigate their way across a few pebbles to make progress.  It was fun watching them learn and watching the mother duck waiting for them to make sure they were alright.   

Next time I do that walk I will have to take a camera with me and see if I can spot them again.  

April activities

At last we have had some better weather....much drier and sunnier but still with lower than usual temperatures.   The garden has had a bit of a tidy up, the patio, path and garden seat has been cleaned with my new Karcher machine - absolutely brilliant.  Took about an hour and a half as opposed to the best part of a day before with the old machine!  Might do the front driveway one day.

I have made my first batch of sourdough bread and very tasty it was too.  I now have a starter which I will have to nurture so I can make some more soon.

This weekend we had our friends Marian and Roy to stay.  They like historical things so we took them to a diving museum at Stokes Bay near Gosport.  The verdict was that it was quite interesting, especially as they got talking to an 'old boy' that was an ex-diver which brought it all to life.  Whilst they were all in the museum I was walking Lucy along the seafront and into a nearby park.

We also visited Farley Mount, near Winchester:

Cookie and trouser making

Last weekend we met up with some of my cousins at Hilliers Arboretum in Romsey and then went back to Daphne's house for a superb late lunch.   There were not many flowers out this year - mainly daffodils.

As ever, I wanted to take a little something with a bottle of wine so decided to make some yummy oat and cherry cookies.

I wrapped them up in red tissue paper covered in transparent polka dot paper to make them look extra good.  Very nice they looked too.

Today I am going to start making a pair of trousers.  Not because I want to but because I just cannot find trousers that are a good fit for me. After trying on endless numbers of trousers in various shops and ordering some online, I have given up.   I even wrote to M&S to vent my frustrations but doubt that will make them change their sizes or styles.  Speaking to other ladies of around my age I know I am not alone in my views but we just don't think the people who run these organisations are hearing what we are saying.  It is very difficult to buy material with a little stretch in in that is suitable for making ladies trousers.  The colour choice is extremely limited and I have ended up with khaki - the lightest colour I could find.  Not ideal but it will have to do.  Whether what I produce will be wearable we will have to wait and see!

Will winter ever end?

It has been the coldest March in the UK since 1962.  Normally, by now, I would have dug and tidied the garden, seen all the spring flowers bloom and started cleaning the patio ready for the summer BBQs.  My daffodils have finally bloomed but there is no sign of my tulips.  I think they have drowned.  I have been thinking what to plant in my minute vegetable patch this year.  It needs to be things that won't get eaten by the slugs and can compete with nearby trees and bushes.  I am considering a rhubarb crown - not that I eat a lot of rhubarb but I am sure I can make a few things with it and freeze the rest.  That would half fill the plot, the other half of which currently contains a blueberry bush and a handful of winter cabbage plants that are, at last, coming to life.  I think I will see what happens to the the weather over the next week or two before I decide.

Today I made a sour dough starter as I have wanted to make a sour dough bread for ages.  By pure coincidence, Paul Hollywood was on TV yesterday evening demonstrating his version of such bread. Maybe that has spurred me on to do it at last.  I am quite intrigued by what the bread will taste like.

Today the news is full of the life of Margaret Thatcher who died yesterday.  She was quite a character and, whatever you thought of her politics, she must have been very determined and strong to have become prime minister and stayed in office for 12 years.

Since my semi-retirement last November I have been remarkably busy.  I think my work is likely to quieten down for the next few months so I might have time to try a few new things and think about the rest of my life....who knows?

Bathroom is finished

Phil, who has been doing our en-suite and bathroom refurbishment is juts packing up as the job is done...apart from any finishing touches we might want to add such as new bathroom cabinet or some 'bling' to finish it off.

The time has gone pretty quickly....mainly because Phil has been so easy to get along with and have in the house each day.  I now know I would never have a contractor in the house that I did not have a good rapport with as they are there every day for weeks.

Over the next few days we have a few neighbours that want to come and see the finished product.  I hope they are duly impressed!  Apart from that I intend to enjoy a few days of having the house back to myself and will do a lot of cleaning and tidying up.  Then I have some work (bah!) to do at the weekend....but hope that won't take too long as I have done as much preparation as I can.  Notice my reaction to work now that I have been semi-retired for a few months!

En-Suite is finished

Wow!  What a difference a refurbishment makes?  The room looks half as big again and we are delighted with the results.  Of course, all these things are down to personal taste, current trends etc etc but we have tried to choose styles we like and that will last a reasonable time. Three months ago I had never heard of click-clack plugs or fast flow wastes and had no idea how all this was going to be put together.  It has been fascinating seeing 'behind the scenes' to see what goes where and how it all connects together. Anyway, here is the result....

The bathroom is now well in progress and we are seeing huge changes each day.  If the results are anything like the en-suite we will be extremely happy people.  Here's the current state of play...

... and a close up of the mosaic...

Now this project is coming to an end I will need to get myself another project to do.  I suspect that will start with me repainting a room or two in the house....we'll see.

En-suite refurbishment in progress

What a busy few weeks it has been?  We took delivery of the last few items ready for the refurbishment of the en-suite and bathroom just over a week ago and then Phil turned up to start work on Monday 25 Feb as planned.  He is now on the last few days of work in the en-suite so this week will be really exciting as it all comes together.  It will be nice to be able to have a shower again!!

Here's a few photos of work-in-progress so you get a sneak preview of what the final result will look like:


Phil has been absolutely brilliant and has worked like a trojan.  His attention to detail is just the job - I almost think he is more fussy than me....and that's saying something!!

The walls have been painted with 3 coats of paint already but will need another as the ceiling was skimmed a few days ago and we have a little plaster where we don't want it!  Later this week, I hope to start work on painting the ceiling but will err on the side of caution as I have read of many people painting too soon and ruining the new plasterwork.
 

Saving gas

In an earlier post I said that we were going to experiment with our central heating as I would be at home much more than in the past.  We decided to put the central heating on permanently and then use the thermostat to control the temperature.

At night time, we turn the thermostat to about 14 degrees so that, if it was an extremely cold night the heating would kick in for a short time.  During the day, we set the thermostat to about 16 or 17 degrees when we are in the house and need some extra heat.  If we are doing a lot of physical work or go out we turn the thermostat back to about 14 degrees.  In the evening when we are sitting for longer periods of time, we may push the thermostat up to 18 or 19 degrees - particularly if it is very cold. Interestingly, we have rarely put the thermostat higher than that but would have done in the past when the heating was only set to come on twice a day for a few hours.  The outcome of all this is that we have used 264kWh LESS gas this winter than last winter (Nov to Feb period) - but it cost £24 more as the price of gas has increased since last year.

If any of you reading this try a similar experiment then there are some caveats.  One is that this is not a scientific experiment and I have no idea how last winter's temperatures compared to this winter's temperatures.  Another is that you need to be very disciplined about adjusting the thermostat or you will waste gas.

Based on this limited experiment, we intend to continue in the same way for the reminder of the year and  will then compare the overall usage with last year to see how we really fared.

Work? What's that?

It has been a shock to the system to have some work over the last few weeks.  I was just enjoying not having any to do too!  What an inconvenience it is to have to fit work in around all my other activities!  I guess it will help keep the wolf from the door as I don't get any pension until the end of the year.

It has been fairly chilly of late but at least the wind has died down.  This weekend is supposed to be wet, wet, wet.   At least we are not forecast to have 3 feet of snow like parts of N.E. America.

Peter, our friendly electrician, was in during the week to do the electrics for our bathroom and en-suite refurbishment.  I now realise how much we rely on electricity as, with the power going on and off all day, I could not do anything that required electricity that I could not stop fairly quickly.  So that meant no baking, no washing and no work (good excuse, eh?).  So, what was I to do with myself?  Well, I treated it as a day of leisure and got out a huge jigsaw that my mother-in-law gave me several years ago that I have never done.  It's fiendish but I like a challenge.

Today I am chuffed to bits as my weight has gone down a pound a week since 1 January.....exactly on target. I have mainly achieved this by cutting out a lot of snacks...not all though....and always asking myself  'do I really need this?' before I stuff something in my mouth.  Recording what I eat has been very easy to do with the app I am using and gives me a huge incentive to eat little enough that I hit my end of week target.  Will I keep it up?  Who knows.  Time will tell.

A weekend in the country

This weekend we visited our friends, Marian and Roy, who live in Tutts Clump,  a lovely village in the heart of the Berkshire countryside.  This is not far from where the Middletons lived until recently...apparently they recently moved to a manor a few miles away.  

After we arrived on Saturday we went for a walk from the house along the country lanes. 

I love this walk as the village contains a huge variety of interesting properties, the countryside is beautiful and there is always something new to see from the last time we did the walk.  The sun shone, the sky was blue and the sheep were enjoying the grass in the fields.   We were all enjoying the walk....and then, just after half way round the walk, we had to stop and turn around as the road was flooded.

On Sunday morning we walked around Greenham Common which Lucy loved.  It was rather colder than we expected as the wind whistled across the old airfield.  Interestingly, some of the old hangars that were once used to store missiles were closed.  We understood that they were supposed to be left open so everyone could see they were no longer being used.....but maybe that rule is no longer valid.

Back at Tutts Clump we all enjoyed watching Lucy trying to steal some of the bird food from the feeders.  She knew it was there but just could not reach it!

She was very determined though!