Saturday. Typically miserable British November which I quite like. Slow start actually apart from the fact that I had booked a slot at the tip for 08.15 which meant that I had to get up and showered earlier than would otherwise have made sense on a Saturday. Bought a steak from Fosters en route home. Tonight’s tea.
This morning’s loaf, a multigrain, came out a little flat. Smells ok so I’m sure the flavour will be fine but I think it was too hydrated and a bit of it stuck to the peel as I was “sliding” it into the oven. Ah well. You live but never learn.
Now sat in the shed watching the rugby build up whilst listening to Norah Jones. It’s a nice shed, mine. A shiver of relaxation has just run through my shoulders. Quite fancy a cuppa but it will wait until I go in for a spot of lunch. Outside, owl Solomon stands guard. Whilst Solomon watches over us all will be well.
Looking through the french windows the apple trees are mostly denuded of foliage. We are entering the time of the year when last preparations for winter are being made. I like the bunkered down feeling although we have had more than our fair share of it this year. There will come a time when I’ll be glad that Spring is about to arrive but we are not yet at that point.
The build up to the mid winter feast, ie Christmas, is always a good one. Even this year where the likelihood of the usual calendar of events will not happen we still have some of the build up: present buying (mostly online as usual), food planning etc. No parties or booze ups. No trefbash (Google it) in London, no Christmas Market Party or Morning Star Carol Session. Even Capacity Yorkshire is unlikely to happen. This is a very private pub crawl attended by those who run the internet from their homes in and around Yorkshire.
I suspect it will be a relatively subdued end to a year the like of which none of us has experienced before.
It is quite still out. A very gentle movement of foliage in front of the deck. A pink flower sways a little more. The sunflower shaped bird feed holder on a spike stands motionless, bereft of bird seed. I haven’t been very good at feeding the birds this year. Perhaps too preoccupied with other matters.
A well as the trip to the tip I have another job I plan to attempt this pm. Anne has a small table that she wants some tiles sticking to the top of. Will sit nicely on the deck in front of the shed and be useful to put drinks on in the summer. Her own attempt last year was with some sort of white filler type of stuff that was rated for indoor only and failed over the winter. I purchaysed some bathroom sealant which I’m hoping will do the job. I couldn’t really see anything else that might fit the bill. So the table is in the greenhouse poised and ready to be tiled on the staging. The sealant has been moved from the garage to the greenhouse. All that remains is for me to brush off some accumulated debris and stick the tiles down. Easy huh? 🙂
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Times stuck on but ran out of sealant. The other tube I have is translucent rather than white which I will need to finish the grouting. 90% there anyway. I also cut a piece of foam to size for Anne to make a cushion cover for a chair in the main guest bedroom. That, I do believe, is the jobs list done for today. Tomorrow I am making a Christmas pudding for which I went to Waitrose this morning to buy a bottle of Remy Martin VSOP. This is the minimum quality of brandy I am prepared to consume and was on offer down from £37 to £30. Good deal.
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Dusk quietly moves in on an unsuspecting Lincoln. Where did that day go? The rugby is still on the telly and the lights are on in the kitchen. More because I left them on after half time than because there is anyone in there. I popped in to chip some spuds and chop a couple of banana shallots. Tonight’s dinner will be a classic steak, chips and peas with mushrooms, caramelised onions and some home made granary sourdough bread and butter. The weather in Twickenham is atrocious.I have cracked open a can of diet coke.