Shortish walk today including coffee in a very traditional bar where it was so much cheaper than the UK.
The wind here is blowing a gale so I’m not looking forward to the 14k cliff top walk to our final hotel, which is the same one we started in on Tuesday.
Blustery today in Arkland the Dusty, but there has been some Sun-Shine from time to time.
I need to go Shopp Ing - only to the village Co-Op - but I'm nursing what feels like an attack of Man-Flu a slight cold. Sore throat, a bit sniffy, a dry cough now and then, and feeling generally meh. Unusual for me, but Vitamin C and CHEESE should sort it out.
Much as I'm in favour of CHEESE, what you really need for your man-flu cold is a HOT TODDY - Lem-sip or other proprietary cold remedy, extra lemon and honey and a wee drop of cooking WHISKY. Hope you feel better soon!
Many happy returns, Quinie! I love the idea of the North East Man keeping out of the way and doing the crossword!
After a bonny start to the day, it got a bit blustrous by the afternoon; I decided snoozage was more important than shopping.
There was a classical guitar recital at St Pete's this evening: a young gentleman who's just about to sit his finals at Edinburgh University, and giving his degree recital a sort of dry run. It was absolutely delightful - a bit of Bach, a more modern piece and some very hummable French Romantic music to finish off. I'm glad I went.
STEAK with spuds and veggies and a nice glass of Malbec for supper.
I I heard Claire Gilbert talk about Julian a couple of years ago at Greenbelt and recently read her ‘I, Julian’.
I've read that too. What did you think of it?
That's lovely to read, @North East Quine . Mr Nen was clearly trying to treat the days our children were born as perfectly normal as well. When I got out of the car at the hospital, in full-on labour with Nenlet2, he realised he was going to have to pay for parking and asked me how long I was going to take.
We were out all day yesterday which was a welcome break from boxes and sorting. A lot of our stuff is still in boxes and we're starting to need some important stuff that's still packed away somewhere. The "Do you know where X is?" "Yes, it's in a box" exchange has stopped being funny.
Here in the Wilds of Wiltshire there is mizzly rain and a biting wind. We went to Breakfast Church at our New Place and are holing up here for the rest of the day. Roast chicken later for tea.
Still a wee bit blustrous in West Lothian, with sunshine interspersed with showers. I suppose it's to be expected in April ... ☔🌧
Church has been attended (and will be again later as we have Evensong), and laundry has been laundered.
Supper will be pasta with Romesco sauce (from the stash in the freezer) as it'll only need the pasta to be cooked and the sauce reheated when I get home.
I enjoyed ‘I, Julian’. I don’t usually like historical fiction as the historian in me is pained by the inaccuracies but ‘I, Julian’ is almost all fiction anyway so that didn’t matter. I found it quite touching.
(Some of the story discusses the impact of the plague on cities. My favourite book about plague is Keith Wrightson’s ‘Ralph Tailor’s Summer’, which is based on the historic accounts of a scrivener who wrote wills during the 1636 plague in Newcastle. A bit niche and very much not a novel)
Blustery but sunny in Arkland the Dusty - after some light Rain during the night, my car looks positively disgraceful...but the next really heavy shower should soon sort that.
Still feeling a bit meh, because Man-Flu Cold, but Lem-Sip has been bought. No WHISKEY, though, as I'm trying to cut down on my alcohol intake, and a bottle of WHISKEY on the Ark is a temptation too far...
The walk today to Cabo Sao Vincente was one of the nicest I’ve ever done, despite the wind being so strong I very nearly got blown over a few times.
We’re now back in the hotel we started in. It’s rather nice and I’m looking forward to my dinner.
We have a cab ordered for 8.00 tomorrow morning for our journey home. Not having much in the way of council business before Easter I’ve been sending out lots of ‘I’ll deal with this when I’m back home’ messages. That’s tomorrow evening taken care of.
Hope you feel bettter soon @bishops Finger.
Yes @Baptist Trainfan , we’re in a cliff top hotel in Sagres now. We haven’t had time to really explore the area, but I’d like to come back. We have a taxi booked for eight to take us to Faro airport and our UK flight.
Thank you @Baptist Trainfan , we are now back safely. I recommend the walks around Sagres, a rather lovely area. Our taxi picked us up on time, ad got us to the airport with two hours to spare. There was a very long queue to have our passports stamped, and we got to the plane about five minutes before the gate closed. The joys of Brexit. I had hoped that we'd have our fingerprints done on the way out, but the queue for that was also very long so they just let us through.
Mixed weather in Arkland the Dirty, where this aftenoon's Rain has simply spread the Dust around even more.
My attack of Man-Flu cold has reached the nasty messy stage of sniffs, rheumy eyes, running nose, sneezes etc., so I've cancelled my Pilates session tomorrow. It must be years since I last had a cold, and I wonder where I picked it up? Living a very solitary life must surely reduce the chances of infection...
O well. Time for the evening dose of Lem-Sip. Deep Joy!
Sorry to hear you're still poorly @Bishops Finger , I hope the Lemsips are helping and that you feel much better very soon. Mr Nen has had two Nasty Colds recently which I've managed to avoid. However, we had friends over today from a group we used to belong to and meet regularly with; they came for coffee and to see Le Chateau Nouveau de Nen and then we all went out for lunch. One of them had a cold so we avoided hugging each other and I'm hoping very much that neither of us goes down with it.
Lunch out has meant a No Cooking for Nen evening which has been nice. The glass of wine at lunchtime (I needed something to wash down the fish and chips, though rather wish I'd gone for cider) has meant I've felt a bit dozy and have been shambling about not achieving anything.
Glad you are back safely @Sarasa ; the long queue sounds very stressful.
Not a cold, but I have been suffering from hay fever- it must be tree pollen. I used to get it in the summer when I was younger but I grew out of it. I got through a lot of tissues being outside a lot last week and had very sore eyes.
Nice to get back to choir this evening.
Tomorrow apart from a hair appointment I have a free day, but after that, lots of singing, including a full day joint rehearsal of Elijah on Saturday and Choral Evensong on Sunday, if I have any voice left.
Ladies and gentlemen, please see our travel plans in Heaven, as we have embarked on our big adventure and would love to meet anyone who happens to be in the right place at the right time.
Much the same principle applies to CHOCOLATE, which is made from Beans, which are Vegetables, and is therefore required as part of your 5-a-day intake.
So a Jaffa Cake with its orangey bit is two of your five a day. Or do you need several to make a proper portion?
Last night we said goodbye to our cat, Jemima. She had already used up about twenty of her nine lives and I suppose the arithmetic caught up with her in the end. For some reason this affected us all far more than when the other pets (including her brother Merlin a year or so ago) died.
So sorry to hear about your cat, The Rogue. Pets can be a big part of our lives and it hurts to when you have to say goodbye.
Of course, sugar is also a vegetable, and more obviously so in the UK where it is a root vegetable.
I have had the usual morning of comms and then I wrote a tutorial on mental health and technology, and mental health in law and society. Now I’m having lunch (hot cross bun) and deciding whether to start writing my dissertation conclusion or do some sewing for a change.
Sorry to hear about Jemima @The Rogue.
We have a lot of sugar beet round here and a factory that turns them into sugar. When the factory is steaming the town is often covered in a smell not dissimilar to that of baked potatoes.
I headed to the cafe next to the leisure centre today for a coffee and catch up with friends. As I had a meeting in town later I stayed on for some lunch and then headed back to town for a meeting in another cafe. On the way I met rather a lot of people I know from various areas of my life. I do like living here.
I vividly remember driving along the A14 past the Bury St Edmunds sugar factory when it was working "full steam ahead". Bury, which is a lovely place, must be quite fragrant at times as it also has the Greene King brewery!
Bury St Eds is indeed a lovely town, with an interesting cathedral. It’s only been a cathedral for 100 years or so, it was a parish church before, and its tower is brand new, finished in 2005. And there’s the priory ruins and lovely gardens.
Indeed so. I remember when the Cathedral tower was finished, both outside and in - a Millennium project, I believe.
Much of the £££ needed to build the very impressive tower was provided in the will of Stephen Dykes Bower, the architect responsible for much previous work in the Cathedral.
ION, my Elf is much improved, though I'm still not fit to be with other Humming Beans, on account of The Cold™.
Another gusty, warm day in Arkland the Dishevelled, but Rain is promised for tomorrow. I managed to devour STEAK n'CHIPS for lunch, and I have some nice CHEESE (Brie and Emmental) for later.
I'm on a train home from lunch with a friend in a city half way between our homes. We met at university 50 years ago and our friendship flourished for many years, then we lost touch for a long time and finally reconnected last year. The bond is still strong and I'm grateful for it 😍
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The wind here is blowing a gale so I’m not looking forward to the 14k cliff top walk to our final hotel, which is the same one we started in on Tuesday.
I need to go Shopp Ing - only to the village Co-Op - but I'm nursing what feels like an attack of Man-Flu a slight cold. Sore throat, a bit sniffy, a dry cough now and then, and feeling generally meh. Unusual for me, but Vitamin C and CHEESE should sort it out.
Many happy returns, Quinie! I love the idea of the North East Man keeping out of the way and doing the crossword!
After a bonny start to the day, it got a bit blustrous by the afternoon; I decided snoozage was more important than shopping.
There was a classical guitar recital at St Pete's this evening: a young gentleman who's just about to sit his finals at Edinburgh University, and giving his degree recital a sort of dry run. It was absolutely delightful - a bit of Bach, a more modern piece and some very hummable French Romantic music to finish off. I'm glad I went.
STEAK with spuds and veggies and a nice glass of Malbec for supper.
I've read that too. What did you think of it?
That's lovely to read, @North East Quine . Mr Nen was clearly trying to treat the days our children were born as perfectly normal as well. When I got out of the car at the hospital, in full-on labour with Nenlet2, he realised he was going to have to pay for parking and asked me how long I was going to take.
I hope the aches are better today @Firenze .
We were out all day yesterday which was a welcome break from boxes and sorting. A lot of our stuff is still in boxes and we're starting to need some important stuff that's still packed away somewhere. The "Do you know where X is?" "Yes, it's in a box" exchange has stopped being funny.
Here in the Wilds of Wiltshire there is mizzly rain and a biting wind. We went to Breakfast Church at our New Place and are holing up here for the rest of the day. Roast chicken later for tea.
Church has been attended (and will be again later as we have Evensong), and laundry has been laundered.
Supper will be pasta with Romesco sauce (from the stash in the freezer) as it'll only need the pasta to be cooked and the sauce reheated when I get home.
(Some of the story discusses the impact of the plague on cities. My favourite book about plague is Keith Wrightson’s ‘Ralph Tailor’s Summer’, which is based on the historic accounts of a scrivener who wrote wills during the 1636 plague in Newcastle. A bit niche and very much not a novel)
Still feeling a bit meh, because Man-Flu Cold, but Lem-Sip has been bought. No WHISKEY, though, as I'm trying to cut down on my alcohol intake, and a bottle of WHISKEY on the Ark is a temptation too far...
LIVER n'BACON for lunch.
We’re now back in the hotel we started in. It’s rather nice and I’m looking forward to my dinner.
We have a cab ordered for 8.00 tomorrow morning for our journey home. Not having much in the way of council business before Easter I’ve been sending out lots of ‘I’ll deal with this when I’m back home’ messages. That’s tomorrow evening taken care of.
Hope you feel bettter soon @bishops Finger.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cape_St._Vincent_(1797)
My attack of Man-Flu cold has reached the nasty messy stage of sniffs, rheumy eyes, running nose, sneezes etc., so I've cancelled my Pilates session tomorrow. It must be years since I last had a cold, and I wonder where I picked it up? Living a very solitary life must surely reduce the chances of infection...
O well. Time for the evening dose of Lem-Sip. Deep Joy!
Lunch out has meant a No Cooking for Nen evening which has been nice. The glass of wine at lunchtime (I needed something to wash down the fish and chips, though rather wish I'd gone for cider) has meant I've felt a bit dozy and have been shambling about not achieving anything.
Glad you are back safely @Sarasa ; the long queue sounds very stressful.
BF, Hope you feel better soon - I hate that snufflous stage of a cold. Plenty of rest and fluids!
Busy day today - J and B had both been in overdrive at the weekend, so I was kept out of mischief! Quite a pleasant day, although still not very warm.
Fishcakes and veggies for supper.
Nice to get back to choir this evening.
Tomorrow apart from a hair appointment I have a free day, but after that, lots of singing, including a full day joint rehearsal of Elijah on Saturday and Choral Evensong on Sunday, if I have any voice left.
Mr Heavenly and I recently had colds which were quite low grade but seemed to linger forever with chesty coughs.
Back at work today and dreading it but it was okay. I can no longer sit all day as my hips hurt so I am having to move around more.
Tea was a very healthy Greek feta salad with fresh bread. I have since relaxed with a low alcohol beer.
So a Jaffa Cake with its orangey bit is two of your five a day. Or do you need several to make a proper portion?
Last night we said goodbye to our cat, Jemima. She had already used up about twenty of her nine lives and I suppose the arithmetic caught up with her in the end. For some reason this affected us all far more than when the other pets (including her brother Merlin a year or so ago) died.
Of course, sugar is also a vegetable, and more obviously so in the UK where it is a root vegetable.
I have had the usual morning of comms and then I wrote a tutorial on mental health and technology, and mental health in law and society. Now I’m having lunch (hot cross bun) and deciding whether to start writing my dissertation conclusion or do some sewing for a change.
We have a lot of sugar beet round here and a factory that turns them into sugar. When the factory is steaming the town is often covered in a smell not dissimilar to that of baked potatoes.
I headed to the cafe next to the leisure centre today for a coffee and catch up with friends. As I had a meeting in town later I stayed on for some lunch and then headed back to town for a meeting in another cafe. On the way I met rather a lot of people I know from various areas of my life. I do like living here.
MMM
Much of the £££ needed to build the very impressive tower was provided in the will of Stephen Dykes Bower, the architect responsible for much previous work in the Cathedral.
ION, my Elf is much improved, though I'm still not fit to be with other Humming Beans, on account of The Cold™.
Another gusty, warm day in Arkland the Dishevelled, but Rain is promised for tomorrow. I managed to devour STEAK n'CHIPS for lunch, and I have some nice CHEESE (Brie and Emmental) for later.