A Roundup of 2024

National Portrait Gallery    Rain Stops Play    Australia

We Bought A Pub    The National Gallery    Anyone For Cake?

Hever Castle    Swanage    A Wet Day Out

Brentwood Mac    The Poppy Factory    Game Set & Match

∼ Be safe and well∼ 

Polly x

Lunchtime Concert

Friday's concert in the Cathedral was not enjoyable. If I had been on my own I would have left, but my dear friend M, although she didn't enjoy it, is more polite, so we stuck with it to the end! The young pianist, Max Pemberton was hugely talented, all the pieces he played were written for the left hand alone, which was amazing as it sounded like two hands were covering multiple notes.

   

    

But the programme was just not to our liking, it was disjointed and didn't resemble anything that could be called a tune. To our ears it was just an assortment of jumbled notes.

  

∼ Be safe and well∼ 

Polly x

A Lovely Read

Dreaming of Flight by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Eleven year old Stewie never knew his parents, he was a baby when they died, he and his brother Theo have been raised by their older sister Stacey. Stewie steadfastly and lovingly tends the chickens left by his beloved late grandmother. Every day he collects the freshly laid eggs and goes door to door selling them from his wagon. One of his new customers, Marilyn, is prickly and guarded, but he finds her company comfortable, she reminds the grieving Stewie so much of his grandmother, and the connection between them becomes the saving grace for both of them.

There is sadness but overall this is a beautiful, soothing story with lovely characters. Stewie is an  adorable, sweet little boy.

   

∼ Happy Reading∼ 

Polly x

Rufus

The vet who treated Rufus sent this hand signed card and a packet of Forget Me Not seeds. The practice did the same when Buster died, I think it might be something most vets do nowadays. It's nice.

Rufus is always in my head, lots of memories and there will always be a "first time" memory. A few days ago I came home with some shopping bags. he used to be behind the door to greet me and would dive his head into the bags to sniff anything good in them, then follow me, nudging me all the way into the kitchen. I shed a few tears. I know it will get easier with time.

Polly

x

It's Cold Outside

Brrr! It has turned cold here in my part of the UK. This morning in the church cafe I was wearing 8 layers of clothes - bra, knickers, tights, socks, trousers, vest, long sleeve t-shirt, a fleece and fur lined boots! with gloves, hat and a warm coat for walking down and back. If I'm out walking I get quite warm but in the cafe we're only moving to the coffee machine, the air fryer or taking food and drinks to tables. The heating is good but the cold came in every time the door opened when people came in.

At home the central heating is turned right up and soup is regularly on the menu. 

Greggs tomato soup is absolutely delicious with one of their vegan sausage rolls.

I quite like being outside when I'm well wrapped up, but otherwise I don't like winter. I have a few ways of keeping warm though.

I have some lovely blankets and a fleece I made. A blanket over my lap makes me feel warm and cosy

candles help warm the room, and smell nice

 

and a good old fashioned hot water bottle. This lovely one was a gift from a very dear friend years ago. It says "Grumpy and Irrational do not approach unless you have chocolate"  She knew me well, I wasn't often irrational, I was occasionally grumpy when hungry or cold, and I have always loved chocolate.

Dear reader I hope you are keeping warm, or cool depending on where you are.

Polly

x

2025

🥂 Happy New Year 🥂

  

Dear reader, wishing you good health

 and happiness in 2025

  

Thank you for reading and commenting on my posts.

    

Polly

x

Rufus

We are in a state of shock and unbearable sadness. We had to have our beloved Rufus put to sleep on Boxing Day morning.
On Christmas Day we went out for dinner and arrived home expecting to find him excited to see us, and eager for his dinner. Instead he didn't get out of his bed. He got up a bit later for a drink but he was confused, he didn't know us, then his back legs gave way, we helped him stand and he managed to get back to his bed. His breathing was laboured but he calmed down a bit and slept a bit. My daughter and son-in-law took it in turns to stay up with him. The following morning he seemed better, he had a drink and went into the garden but he didn't want to eat and he still seemed confused.
After examination and test his heart rate was 200. There was blood in his abdomen which the vet thought could be a tumour that had burst, and there was a shadow on his heart. The vet could have operated to see what was happening inside, but at nearly 13, and with the shadow on his heart it wasn't what was best for him.
My grandson and I stayed with him to the end. Before administering the final injection I asked the vet if we were doing the right thing, she said yes, but it didn't make it any easier. It all happened so quickly. I’m struggling to process it and I can’t stop crying. He's not at the bottom of the stairs waiting for breakfast and/or a walk, there's no 5 o/clock dinner to prepare, the doorbell rang earlier, he wasn't there to run to the hall to see who it was, it's strange locking the back door last thing at night without calling him to go out for a wee.

He was a rescue dog, a real character, fearless, crazy and funny with a sweet nature

very handsome, all legs, never walked, ran everywhere.

He loved his toys. The green squeaky in the middle was his favourite.

This was a doorstop but he liked putting it in his bed now and again.
He never damaged it.

He wasn't impressed with the santa costumes

We enjoyed lots of lovely walks

particularly in bluebell wood

Sometimes he got dirty

and sometimes he got disgustingly smelly!

He loved a comfortable place

even more so in the sunshine

Evidence

My favourite photo

On a lighter note.
Where's my dinner, no seriously where is it?

He had a good life with lots of love.

Dear Rufus, my heart is aching 💔 You will be sorely missed

Merry Christmas, Seasons Greetings, Happy Holidays

Dear reader, however you spend the festive season I hope it will be full of cheer.

  

🎄 Be warm and well 🎄 

Polly x

My Great Mince Pie Survey

Here we are again, my excuse to eat lots of mince pies in the disguise of a survey 😄 I would like to add that I don't eat all of them, my family eat them too.

Aldi's Holly Lane Iced Mince Pies in a shortcrust pastry topped with sweet icing.

I had one of these at a friends house, I'm not a fan of iced mince pies, but it was ok. I wouldn't buy them for myself though.

Mr Kipling Deep Filled Mince Pies in a rich buttery pastry case.

Very nice for a basic pie, and I didn't get indigestion!

Marks & Spencer spiced mincemeat encased in all butter shortcrust pastry.

Very nice

Marks & Spencer Brown Butter. Cookie dough pastry filled with spiced mincemeat. Very nice but not as nice as Waitrose ones which I managed to get this year, but that might be because the Waitrose ones have cognac in them.

Waitrose Rich Brown Butter pastry filled with glacé Amarena cherry, almond and apricot mincemeat laced with cognac. Absolutely delicious, packed full of tasty fruit.

Waitrose Frangipane with Caramelised Almonds are gorgeous

Greggs, very nice. I went in for a sausage roll and bought just one because I already had others at home. 

co-op Irresistible All Butter filled with rich spiced fruit and brandy mincemeat, delicious.

 Be safe and well 

Polly x

A Fairly Nice Day Out

Last week my U3a bus pass group had a day out to Thaxted, a small country town with a recorded history which dates back to before the Domesday Book. We boarded a bus from Chelmsford to the lovely little market town of Great Dunmow where there was just enough time for a cup of coffee before continuing on to Thaxted. The town has some very nice medieval and Georgian architecture. 

Guildhall

John Webb's Windmill

In 1804 John Webb's Windmill was built to satisfy a growing demand for flour at a time of agricultural expansion. A gallery at first floor level surrounded the mill and was used for easy loading and unloading from carts and wagons. By 1907 the mill was uneconomical and when offered for auction it failed to sell. For years it was a playground for local children until in the 1930s some repairs were carried out so that it could be used as a scout and youth centre. By the late 1950s it was again derelict and in need of repair, and so it remained until 1970 when a Trust was formed to restore the building and open it to the public as a rural museum. Restoration work has been carried out in stages, and in 1991 the sails were re-erected and turned for the first time in almost 85 years. In 1996 one set of stones were restored and once again it claimed to be a working mill capable of grinding grain into flour. The Parish took over ownership, funds were raised and a museum was created. Sadly it is now unsafe to be used.

Thaxted church

is impressive

  

The Red Vicar, so called because he was a communist.

Conrad Noel, Vicar of Thaxted 1910 - 1942.

He loved justice and hated oppression.

Bronze head by Gertrude Hermes.

 

It's said that Dick Turpin stayed at this house

  

                                                                                                                        I love the skates

"There is no town in north Essex – and very few in England – to equal in beauty, compactness and juxtaposition of medieval and Georgian architecture, the town of Thaxted". Sir John Betjeman.

Websites say "Thaxted has a variety of shops, restaurants, pubs and other businesses which serve the needs of residents and visitors alike. In spring and summer you can see colourful Morris dancers with their musicians and fools, dancing their way through the town". That may be the case, but on a damp miserable December day there weren't many interesting shops, not one cafe, a fish 'n' chip shop for takeaway only, and the same for a bakery. Two pubs were fully booked with Christmas parties. We were thinking of returning to Gt Dunmow when we found a pub that only did bar snacks, but that was fine, we just wanted somewhere warm and dry, and we found something on the menu. Despite the difficulties we all enjoyed the day out.

∼ Be safe and well∼ 

Polly x