Monday Miscellany: Everyday Living

Posted on September 24, 2018 by

Happy Monday!

Today, I re-enter everyday living and the dreaded commute. 6am this morning was a bit of a shock and it’s always surprising how difficult it is to slip back into routine after only a week off.

The morning walk to the station wasn’t nearly as scenic as my walks last week!

But I do feel better for the week off and ready to tackle my inbox and my bosses diaries today, so it was worth it!

The plan for this week both at work and home is to get back to it. I have an meeting about the Halloween trail at the allotments on Wednesday and I’m volunteering at the Ealing Half marathon on Sunday morning, so a quiet homey week is on the cards!

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Sunday Music: The Darkest Place I Know

Posted on September 24, 2018 by

In my house, this song is most often referred to as ‘the cutthroat song’. Because that’s what Ma calls it (look I don’t even pretend to understand how her mind works….), I did put it on the music phone for the car journey to Northumberland last week.

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Recommendations: Barter Books

Posted on September 22, 2018 by

This week’s recommendation is geographically tricky for most of the world and for me, most days of the year, but Barter Books is one of my favourite places.There are books and lights and a model train and proper fireplaces and a cake shop.

If that wasn’t enough, you can take the books you don’t want into them and trade them for credit, they then keep the information on a card and you can come back whenever.

It’s in Alnwick in the old railway station building and it feels like a shop that could exist in any decade of the last 50 years, it’s polite and lovely and did I mention full of books.

It’s also the place where the ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ poster that has spawned a thousand copycats was found.It’s just book heaven, we visit whenever we’re in Amble and if you can, you should go and visit.

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Friday Links

Posted on September 21, 2018 by

Happy Friday! I hope that you’ve had a lovely week, for the first time ever, I’m not looking forward to the weekend because it means that it’s time to head back to London. On the one hand it’ll be lovely to be back in my lovely flat, it’ll be sad to leave, despite the gales of Storm Ali.

Here are this week’s links…

She reported her raped and the town turned on her.

The undersea and the ecstasy: MDMA leaves octopuses loved up. This is fascinating but the idea of loved up octopuses make me ridiculously happy..

The EU couldn’t help May at Salzburg because she’s seeking the impossible

Ultimately the EU cannot give May what she really needs, which is a Brexit model that will simultaneously satisfy the whole Tory party and win support from a majority in the Commons, without inflicting harm on the country. They cannot give her that because it doesn’t exist, never did, never will

Whoops – there go the railways, says Westminster’s answer to Mr Bean

London only has one home on sale for £100,000 or less.

 

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Allotment Adventures: Bulbs

Posted on September 19, 2018 by

We headed to the allotment on Friday to collect feed and work.

We had so much, we took a bunch of stuff to Sarah and Justin and a lot has come up with us to Northumberland.

Then we finally got the bulbs in and I planted some of the tiny lavender plants. The bulbs were crocuses, tulips (queen of the night) and snakes head fritillaries. All around the shed.I am trying to make sure we have more flowers on the plot. And next up will be finding space to plant snowdrops and daffodils. I have two more lavender plants looking for a home but my plan is that they’re go into terracotta pots. The front of the allotment is looking very different nowadays but the californian poppies are making a comeback

We nearly at the point where beds need to be cleared but for the moment are hanging on to let the fruit ripen a bit more.

Next month we’ll be planting shallots, garlic and broad beans and closing up some of the beds. We’ll have lots of kale to feed us through the winter though!

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Notes from a Holiday

Posted on September 18, 2018 by

So far we have walked on the beach, bought books (although I traded in some books so I didn’t technically buy books) and generally taken life slowly with some napping on the sofa.

Today we are headed into Newcastle and the Baltic, tomorrow we’re planning on Cragside.

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Monday Miscellany: Amble

Posted on September 17, 2018 by

Happy Monday! I’m completely in holiday mode. We’ve had fish and chips, walked by the sea, eaten ice cream at Spurelli’s and today we’re going into Alnwick, so I get to go to Barter Books. Life is very good!There is something about being by the sea.

Other plans for this week are Newcastle for the day, Cragside and generally arsing about.

Also Christina went to Italy and sent me this….

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