The Weekend

On Saturday I worked from home at the virtual call centre :)  it was freezing cold so we decided it was curry night.  Youngest son cooked chicken curry for the men while I went for my daily walk after work, then  I made myself a lentil dahl on my return.

The walk is through a large estate that has been landscaped from what used to be woodland, when we first arrived here 27 years ago  it was just woods, fields and flowers and a lot of birds and wildlife, it has been really well landscaped and although a lot of wildlife has moved away, we do still see owls, roe deer, there is evidence of badgers and plenty of foxes, a good selection of wild birds.

I have extended  now to twice daily walks round the estate and woodland circuit and am aiming to total 10,000 steps a day doing so. The 2nd walk is a nice end to the day and less people around.  Lockdown does have some pleasant aspects, I could hear dads playing with their kids in their gardens, lots of family laughter and chatter over fences and think with pubs closed people really are using their own resources and enjoying their homes more.

I stopped off at a friends to pick up some more tomato plants she had been given by her neighbour, I took some extra for two of my neighbours.  I left  my friend some mixed flower seedlings and coriander seedlings I have grown.  Everything was ready on the doorstep so no contact, just a wave from the window.

The garden table is full of coriander, lettuce and flower seedlings that need potting, I will do that later in the week.

All my citrus , ficus  and swiss cheese plants are having a few days out on the patio to get some sun.

Hubby karchered the patio, since the floods in the winter the bricks were filthy with mud but he has now got the red showing and they are nicer on bare feet.

I had been waiting for a satin slip to wear under the blue silk kaftan hubby bought me for my birthday, it arrived at the weekend.  I get my undies from  Miss Discreet,   The right undies make all the difference to the way a dress hangs.  I have been buying slips and French knickers from this lady by mail  for about 20 years, her goods are always exquisite, with generous amounts of lace and delivered beautifully packaged in tissue, she is also a very nice person :)

I painted my nails with under the sea in a light moonstone type blue this week by Barry M.  Its so nice to have time to do things like this regularly with the new slower pace of life.

 I spent some time in the sun on Sunday afternoon  reading my Bohemians Handbook.  I have had it for a year or so and dip into it but never made time to read it properly, just look at the pictures..  There is plenty of inspiration for home décorating plans but lots more.....  I was reading a section at the back I hadn't bothered with before which tells the origins of the various ethnic cloths from Africa and Asia such as ikat print weaves, Berber rugs and Turkish kilims.  There is a useful index of what the symbols in patterns mean such as hand of Fatima, wicked eye, protective talisman., etc.

On Sunday evening we had a few beers and cider while hubby dug out our old camcorder discs from the garage loft - something we have been meaning to sort out for years ... and not all, but a few, still work.  We watched old film from 2006 of Florida when the boys were little.  We had the bbq going all evening, it's really nice to have my sons cook as it's not my thing.

I forgot to mention the source for Amber's urn is Pets Remembered they sell online but I was able to nip over and see them at the pretty village of Charlwood where there is the most beautiful 13th century church with a section of painted wall that is even older and well preserved (and in my opinion looks more like aliens than anyting else!) - I blogged about it in 2015.

The churchyard has this spectacular yew tree, churches were often built on pagan sites and a yew tree was often present.  I will have to do a post about my mothers pagan past, fortune telling career, etc., some time as this has reminded me...

The baby tomatos are looking a bit traumatised - hope they survive.  I talk to my plants.

How was your weekend?