Catching up!

The sun is shining (unusual for this summer!) and the washing is blowing dry on the line. It's been an age since I last blogged, so here goes... though I shall have to do it in stages or you'll give up before you begin!

Phil has successfully completed his TEFL course and is back home now, awaiting final accreditation, and applying for jobs. He's decided against Indonesia for the moment, but is still planning to head out Far East. The course was very intensive and, as he hasn't really had a holiday this year, he's taken up an invite to go to New York with some mates.They are travelling up to Montreal and Back to Boston, and have two weeks altogether. He certainly deserves a good holiday.


Jobs are scarce over here, so Tim has been working in our garden to earn some cash, Bridgie seems to have nurtured her finances a little more shrewdly and has had some to spend. She's applying for some work while at uni which is a great idea... Costa Coffee or the like.


Meriel came to stay for a week in August and we went to visit Boughton House. En route, we stopped at Geddington to see the Eleanor Cross,




this is where the body of Eleanor the wife of Edward I laid on its journey to Westminster Abbey. Wherever they stopped he built a cross - I think there are only a couple left. The village itself was beautiful and had this pretty ford.

the house itself wasn't really my cup of tea, but the gardens were lovely. There was a beautiful walled garden,

with a wonderful sensory section. The garden had many water features, including this...

which if you can enlarge shows what it looked like before it was restored! There was also a raised mound - a bit like a pyramid with the top lopped off, and next to it a modern 'sculpture?' called Orpheus which I loved. We weren't allowed to walk on it as the grass had only just taken, but basically you can walk down the slopes to the pool at the bottom... and look into the Underworld. An amazing space :-)

home

Thought it was time to post again!


Today was Phil's final day at Lincroft and the students and staff gave him some lovely things. Some took such time and care... this cake was made by one of the girls he taught...

He is starting a 'Teaching English as a Foreign Language' course in two weeks, which lasts all of August. He's then hoping to go abroad - probably Indonesia, to work.

Some of you know about The Ashes tour...

...well the women play too, and Katy and I went to watch their fourth one day match which was very exciting. England won on the last ball of the match! :-) I will say no more!

Thought you maight like to see the progress in Katy's garden too...

She is very pleased with it - it is looking really lovely.

At home

Since I got back from Wales I've thrown myself into the gardening, I took this picture a while back but you can see what's going on... and I've begun digging next to the fence because I have no room for the runner beans otherwise!

Mangetout, red onions, potatoes,leeks and sweetcorn seem to be doing well :-).

The only problem I've had is with the raspberry canes... only 5 have sprouted, I need to talk to them at the garden centre as that's poor return on 20 canes!

Other than the garden, I've been playing a lot of golf, still nowhere near my old handicap but it's lovely to be playing.

Also helped Katy with her back garden, she had a weird gravel 'patio-square' that was just awful so we took it out...

.. there was masses of small gravel, then a barrier matting underneath.The ground beneath was as smooth as concrete. We began filling up a huge builder's bag with the pebbles - then realised we wouldn't be able to shift it! Instead we used little bags to transfer it to the pathway at the side of the house and laid it along the edge of the path and around the herbs.

Laying the turf was great fun as more helpers were on hand - Paula and Alan offered to help - not sure they realised quite what was in store! Alan dug over the 'concrete' soil, we all picked out stones...

then came the turf laying...

... only to find that someone hadn't done their Maths correctly(!!!!) and we were one turf short.

Anyway - we put that right the following day. I'll put in a pic of the completed grass at some point.

However, all the golf and gardening has taken its toll, I began to feel extra tired at the beginning of half-term week, and by this Thursday was aching all over again. So I've spent the last two days resting completely in the hope that I can catch it before it gets too bad.