Random Warminster.

 

We called in at Frome.  You could say a river runs through it.



We spent quite a lot of time in Costa's ( not sure about the apostrophe - it's in the sense of Costa's shop) watching the world go by.  This is the quiet before the deluge of mini- skirted school girls;.  How can they afford it?  In my day it was two pen'orth of chips with salt and vinegar.

Three generations.  On the right Betty the day before her 92nd birthday.  In the centre her daughter Jane and on the left her grand-daughter Natasha.  The service was VERY slow - we were the only customers but Betty didn't suffer in silence so all was well in the end.

A very old Warminster church.  Next time I'll enter.

Jane decided the fence needed a fresh coat and colour.  I suggested we did a Tom Sawyer and tried to engage passers-by and allowing them to help.  No charge.

This little lot have all been knitted by Jane - all with their own characters.  No wonder her grand-daughters think she's smashing. 

 

One of the treats was a film: 'My old Lady' with Maggie Smith. Kristin Scott Thomas and Kevin Kline.  How apt I thought.  It was even apter.  In a nutshell ' he's in the will - she's in the way.'

 

Mathias quickly learns that the apartment is a "viager" — an ancient French system for buying and selling apartments — and that he will not actually get possession of the apartment until Mathilde dies, and that he, in addition to that, owes her a life annuity of € 2400 a month. All this is a surprise to him, since his father never told him and he had language problems with the French lawyer. 

As a life tenant myself there are similarities except in my case - happily - the heirs are caring family.

Worth seeing with that cast.  A bit drawn out towards the end but I got the ending I wanted and Paris is always a joy.  The film was held in a sort of town hall with tea and biscuits and a jolly chatty audience.



The Week in Warminster.

 There was music

 Cats - this is Sid who thinks he owns the joint.

 Good food.

 Facing west.

 Cat 2 - Zoot - a gentler character

 My DIL has an appreciative grand-daughter

 Lunch at The Royal Oak Corsley

 I know I have just had a birthday but don't rub it in.  A brilliant idea but I really wanted venison faggots with caramelised onions in red wine and it wasn't on this menu.  However the sweet waitress had a word with the chef.

 and I got my venison.

It might not look very pretty but golly it was good.

 

More later.

 

 



Another Birthday

I was going to ignore it on line but there are no secrets on F.B.
My old friend Parsnip remembered and sent me this beautiful photo so I had to share it with you.

I must say I am slightly miffed to have to share a birthday with Mother's Day.  Now I can appreciate what it must be like to have birthdays  at Christmas - for EVER.

Tomorrow I'm off to the Wiltshire family - sans tablet so will be silent for a few days.  K.T.F.xox

Saturday Afternoons





Unless there is a blizzard or I'm at death's door it has become a ritual to visit my old friend  Joy on  Saturday afternoon.

 

Last Saturday was bright and sunny but still chilly.

 

 Someone has their bedroom window open - a presage of Spring?

 On the last lap

 Here a spot of colour in her front garden.

 A chat, a cup of tea and a ginger and dark chocolate cookie and I'm in the back garden.  Since a fall in this part of the garden Joy has been virtually house bound and suffers greatly with back pain.

Happily she can see most of the back garden from the kitchen and the flat path outside

I ventured up the steps but had to really concentrate taking shots - not only is the ground on a steep slope it is wildly uneven and I had a few staggers.  Joy and her husband moved from a very large house with a magnificent garden - again on a steep slope.  I now appreciate why Alastair had certain requirements when we were choosing a house way back in the eighties; a flat garden was a must.

 

 The birds love this garden and Robert the gardener keeps their feeders replenished regularly.

 Is this heather?  A Mackay favourite.

 There's the kitchen window.  doesn't really show the steepness.

This is quite an unusual clematis.

Not focussed but I wasn't either by this time

This was on the way up with the tree a real Spring-like sign.

It's so much easier coming back down the hill.

 

The holy passion of Friendship is of so sweet   and steady and loyal and enduring a nature that it will last through a whole lifetime, if not asked to lend money.

 

Mark Twain 1835-1910

Burnt plums and painful poppings.

I do love stewed plums at this time of year, but twice during the last week I'm ashamed to say I have popped a panful on the Aga and thought :
'Ah! Just time to pop up stairs - my office is on the first floor- an improvement on the attic where it used to be but far enough to keep me fit.  I'll just pop upstairs and see if there are any exciting comments or emails.

Just when I am getting engaged in an interesting discussion on line my nostrils are assailed by a pungent burnt plum smell.  The first time I managed to salvage the top layer but yesterday by the time I had emptied what still moved I was left with an inch thick, burnt black bottom on my normally silver bright pan - my most useful size now its just me.

Sheila found me massaging one of those horrid wiry pads, impregnated with pink soap which create lots of debris but leave the thick scab of burn untouched.

'Try bicarb of soda', she suggested.  I knew I had an ancient pack as we used to be taught to clean the fridge with it.

Just cast your eyes on the pan above.  It works!  But how am I going to make myself stand over the pan with my next lot of plums?.

This week I have had reason to be grateful for helpful info on line.  Although my recent wrist / arm fracture is almost back to normal with 'excellent movement' it has all taken its toll on my left shoulder which was - I now realise - badly wrenched.
This last week on occasion it has popped out and brought me - literally to my knees.  In desperation I googled and got a helpful video by a doc and his daughter who acted as a model.
He illustrated three ways of dealing with it and they made sense.  I certainly don't want anyone else fiddling with it and he warned that forcing anything could actually break the bone.

Meanwhile I am being extra careful dressing and undressing.  As I found massaging my arm and wrist very helpful I'm doing the same with my shoulder.  It brings fresh blood to the area and hopefully sweeps the gubbins away.

Any helpful comment gratefully received.

Ahoy there!

Dylan always says:

"When you stay in a hotel people say 'Good morning ' at breakfast and 'Good evening at dinner' and that's it.'
That 's why he is such a fan of cruising.  For a start it is never obvious that you are travelling alone.
On my first cruise there was a drinks party for single people and there were over a hundred there - all ages - none of whom had seemed to be alone.

Each night the ship's newspaper is put through your cabin door with the next day's highlights for you to peruse and plan your day - or not - if you are feeling idle and just want to go with the flow.

There'll be a choice of - say - a guest speaker in the Neptune lounge describing the origins of WW1
up to the Armistice in 1918, an Intermediate Bridge Class as well as Absolute Beginners Bridge Class, a Drinks party to hear about the other ships of the line and their various cruises, Beginner's Dance Class (I'm saying nothing!) Craft Class , Classical Concerts etc, etc, etc.

The paper is very handy to have on one's person because it reminds you on which deck the seven bars are situated as well as the four restaurants and their times.  I made a point of using the stairs rather than the lift and didn't put on weight on either cruise.  The ready availability of all kinds of food makes it easy to make the right choices and still relish the cuisine.  You are consigned to a particular restaurant for dinner but for lunch and breakfast the choice is yours and should you not feel like dressing up on a formal night you can get  a perfectly good meal in the Café.

One night there was a formal protest from a man who insisted on appearing for the formal night tieless and in an anorak.  He refused the waiter's offer of a jacket and tie but it  was all a bit silly as he could have eaten in the less formal café without changing.

When the ship is docked there are usually at least four different excursions which you are told about and book before the holiday.  If people just want to wander ashore but would like some company they muster in one of the named public rooms and everybody is taken care of.

When you join the ship initially you are given what looks like a credit card made out with your details and this is a vital piece of equipment.  It identifies you and pays for everything you may need on board.  It's so nice whilst on the ship not to have to use filthy lucre and it is very easy to check what you are spending by looking at your cabin details on the TV.

Apart from the various evening entertainments there is always very pleasant music in the various lounges and bars.  A particular favourite was the Rosario String Trio and we were delighted to see them again on the last cruise.

One lunch time I was eating alone because the 'boys' had gone ashore in the tender  and I didn't want to risk banging my arm so I decided to be adventurous and try the restaurant on the top deck.  It was beautifully lit from the large windows and I saw a woman alone with a brave, bright smile on her face which reminded me of myself - the first time dining alone.  I was all set to keep her company but the head waiter had other ideas and I was whisked to another table.
The boys liked this restaurant as they discovered they could get Eggs Bendict for breakfast there and  when Dylan and I meet again in October we have chosen it for our main restaurant.

A great bonus of cruise life is the charming waiters and waitresses - predominantly Filipino.  They are kind and loving to the elderly and frail.  It is no rare sight to see a tiny waitress kneeling at the feet of an elderly person as if with a beloved grandparent whilst taking their drink order.  Whilst I found it difficult to remember precisely the drink I had chosen as a regular aperitif- my waitress would remind  me - or Lady Patricia as she insisted on addressing me.

A very sad moment on the plane from Tenerife was when  I was eavesdropping on two really old ladies.  One of them had still a beauty about her with loose tendrils of silver hair straying from the ancient hairpins.
In her gentle quavery voice she said:

"And then my little girl gave me such a lovely hug.  Such a lovely hug."

A few moments reflexion and then she said:

"Then she went through the door and I never saw her again.  Never saw her again."


P.S.  It's just dawned on me that my recent reluctance to do a post was probably because typing - although my arm is very much better - uses quite different muscles and tendons and is subsequently not quite back to normal.