Reflecting on my week #83

The week started with a visit to Grand Designs Live over at Excel and a few purchases along the way. At every show I go to there always seems to be one item that everyone’s buying. This year we joined in. The item ‘de jour’ was a telescopic mop, which supposedly extends so you can clean your upstairs windows. I’m doubtful that it would work for us, but we had it in mind for another reason, well MOH does as it looks ideal for cleaning our conservatory roof, which is essentially, a glass flat roof.

But that wasn’t our only purchase - maybe it was the show’s proximity to home, but we also brought home a small folding teak table for the garden, and what looks like a high-tech garden hose that’s lightweight and automatically retracts. We’ve already been warned to stand well clear, as it takes no prisoners, but haven’t yet had a chance to try it for ourselves.

I also left with an unintended consequence of bumping into a large plastic bucket on one of the stands - a whopping bruise. It took a while to come out but spectacularly rivals the one I had the other week from that trip down the stairs.

Like most members of my family I’ve been on weather-watch this week ahead of a family wedding this weekend. And hasn’t it been a mixed bag?

On Wednesday it was so wet that walking to and from work, or rather the thought of walking to and from work was less than favourable, but when I got going it wasn’t so bad, until the deluge arrived. Squelching feet until lunchtime is never the best is it? It did mean quite an empty Greenwich Park though, so it wasn’t all bad.

And throughout the week there has been much prepping, those hems got pressed, MOH tried his suit on with no ill effects, and he narrowed his shirt and tie combo down to just two. Despite it being a four day working week, it was one with days that were overfull with work, so as ever it felt far from a short week. But Friday evening with everything packed and double checked we headed off to Peterborough to join my niece and her husband-to-be and their wedding celebrations, meeting up with family and friends but somehow managing to arrive two minutes after last orders for food. It had been that sort of week, and so ending it with a KFC was not such a bad thing.

We were already aware of the itinerary for Saturday, which started with bacon rolls at 8am before heading off to the reception venue to ready that. Many hands really do make light work, and many minds help overcome the obstacles on our path. Thankfully though they were just small ones, like not being able to get the hire van under the height restriction barrier initially, until the correct key was delivered.

With everything set up it was time for the most important part of the day. Lunch. Sorry, no, the ceremony and getting ready for that, which did include lunch and then off to the church.

NORMANTON CHURCH AT RUTLAND WATER

I’d seen pictures of the venue, but it was even more beautiful first-hand. Even on a cloudy day, in fact the clouds looked more moody than they actually were. It was dry - and stayed dry, many of the guests keeping the rain at bay by carrying umbrellas. We had some fun with selfies in a hat, trying to get the church in too. Poor MOH, he has a lot to contend with any way, let alone when a hat gets in on the act too.

We did manage a decent picture in the end, but this one is much more fun.

All in all a great day, and one full of emotion. There were quite a few of us that found something in our eye during the ceremony. There were speeches, good company, plenty of dancing - and my shoes lasted on my feet the whole day, which was very good news. They fared better than one of the buttons on my jump suit, which popped off on a post-ceremony toilet visit. A lady outside noticed saying “come on husband you haven’t spotted the button’s not done up” at which point he checked, only to discover it was missing. So back to the loo - not photo worthy! - and there it was on the floor.

What a great feeling to find a lost button that belongs to you! Had that lady not commented and complimented my outfit, my button would have remained at Rutland Water. I’m sure I’ve a spare, but, you know, I’m glad I found it.

We had an absolutely fabulous day celebrating with family and friends of the bride and groom and clearly wish them a lifetime of happiness. Their timing is impeccable though, just as we’d finished clearing the venue on Sunday morning they arrived. But not one of us minded.

After a busy weekend, back home we were glad to make use of the sun loungers in our garden - once MOH had dug them out from the back of the shed. We should have been gardening, but snoozing won hands down!

'Get Set Grow' this May

Gardening is good for you, and so is growing your own food. But growing anything yourself gives an inordinate amount of pleasure, doesn’t it? Whether it’s runner beans or sunflowers with the kids, flowers to brighten up your space or fruit and veg to eat, the process is enthralling each time.

But it’s also beneficial to our health and wellbeing. It’s rewarding and productive, provides exercise, and if you’re growing edibles eating freshly picked, homegrown, organically grown produce is a way of keeping healthy and saving money too, not to mention the complete lack of air miles.

This is my new monthly linkup, where you can share your gardens and/or gardening posts (old or new) that complement the month’s theme. For May, that’s Get Set Grow.

The linkup will stay open all month, so pop back if your post isn’t published yet, and remember you can link up an old post too.

MAY: GET SET GROW

Get the harvesting high!

Researchers have found that seeing, smelling and picking fruits and berries can release dopamine from the brain’s reward centre, resulting in a feeling of mild euphoria and wellbeing. So there’s the perfect excuse to hit the PYO farms when they open later in the month!

Eat the rainbow

We know that we should be eating five a day, or up to ten a day depending on what advice is flavour of the day, but there’s also benefits to eating different coloured fruits and vegetables as they contain varying beneficial ingredients:

• Red: Tomatoes, red onions, rhubarb chard, peppers, chillies, strawberries and rhubarbs

• Orange: Carrots, squash and pumpkin

• Yellow: Golden courgettes and tomatoes, sweetcorn, yellow beans and peppers

• Green: Asparagus, spinach, peas, beans, mangetout, rocket, lettuce and salad leaves, kale, cabbage, cucumber and pak choi

• Blue: Blueberries

• Purple: Beetroot, broccoli, aubergine, purple beans and asparagus, red cabbage, radish and plums

• White: Cauliflower, celery, leeks, onions, garlic, shallots, spring onions, potatoes.

Plants of the moment for summer displays and crops

Flowers: Nemesia - I’m sure you’ll know what these look like if you google them, Poppy varieties, Pinks, shrubs including Berberis, choisya, ceanothus with its lilac blue flowers, weigela, lilac and many viburnum.

Young seedling plants: tomatoes, peppers, chillies, cucumbers, strawberries, courgettes and squash.

But there’s dozens of other crops such as salad leaves, beans, rocket, spinach, beetroot and carrots which can be grown from seed, which is even better value.

I now have some seed compost, and I’ve got plenty of seeds, all I need to do is put them together and let the magic happen, what about you?

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Tiles galore at the Social Eating House

A couple of weekends ago we were off out in town celebrating quite a major milestone. The milestone isn’t important for this post, but I’d recommend a visit to Jason Atherton’s Social Eating House if you get a chance. The food - and the cocktails in the Blind Pig bar upstairs - were sublime. As a special treat, and because I suspected the restaurant that MOH had booked as a treat was a steakhouse, I didn’t even order steak, opting instead for the pork dish. Somehow I managed to choose the dishes, for each course, that came with sauce that needed pouring out as it was served, I think MOH was quite envious.

But this post isn’t about the food either. I mean, it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t check out the loos, would it? And I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t!

I’m not sure what your reaction was to those tiles, but mine was definitely wow. I don’t think I’ve ever seen, what I would usually class as edging or topping tiles used in this way, and boy was it effective. I’m not sure it’s a cost effective way of decorating your loo, and that was borne out by the plain, and more usual, tiles on the adjacent walls. But it’s certainly a way to make an impact.

Although potentially not the most hardwearing of approaches. The chain seems to have caused some wear, and I can’t decide if that adds to or detracts from its charm.

The colour of the tiles, both plain and patterned, meant it was a darker space than we’d have in our bathrooms at home. But while it was moody, it didn’t feel dark. The lights were pretty special too, they had to be really didn’t they?

I hadn’t noticed the tiles around the sink to start with - I think I was still in awe at those edging tiles, and wondering why (apart from the price) that I’d not seen something like this before. Naturally you’d expect the splashback area by the sinks to echo the plainness of the other walls, but that’d be where you’d be wrong. As instead there was something different, but entirely in keeping, instead.

And just so you can see the whole effect, complete with dark wood, here’s a view from the basins.

And this was the top that when I put it on MOH asked why I was dressed so plainly. Charming hey? I think I’d go with understated, and classic. And it gave me the perfect opportunity to wear some nude heels, although they were later swapped for trainers on the way home.