A Cooler Week - W/E 4th July 2026

This week, I was so grateful for some cooler weather. I'm not a hot weather person at the best of times, but super hot temperatures strip me of all motivation, so I was grateful to be able to just do things again, be it sewing, walking, just going outside generally, etc.

Monday was still hot, but only 25 ish degrees, which was much more bearable. I was super happy to get out of town, after being couped up at home for the past week, although I wasn't so happy with regard to the amount of traffic, which I was adding to. 

I had a couple of vouchers to use this week, another £4.50 off a £30 shop at Sainsbury's and a £5 off voucher at Lidl that I'd accummulated using the loyalty points system they have now. Inspite of this, I did still go over budget a little and had to use some of next month's budget, but only £15.

I debated whether or not to visit the charity shop, but ended up going anyway, which cost me £10 (not from the grocery budget). I did, however buy a leopard print sundress/skirt and a pair of new Toms pumps, both of which I really like. I needed a decent pair of pumps, as they are essential in the summer months and the ones I had are getting very loose and scruffy and I tend to only wear them to the allotment these days. I'll post photos of the purchases in the monthly clothing purchase post.

In the evening, I did some financial reckoning for the month. It was quite a low spend month really, considering we went on holiday and I went out for a meal with friends, which involved buying a small birthday gift too.

On Tuesday, there was no Zumba class to go to. I'm not sure why, but it just wasn't on the timetable, so I couldn't book it, which was a bit disappointing. As a consequence, I decided to have a lie in. I've been waking very early lately with the heat and all and I just needed to catch up on sleep.

I didn't have any plans for the day, save that I wanted to do some sewing, as I had a skirt to create from a dress. I'd had to order some elastic online in order to complete the transformation and it had arrived, so I could get on with it. Other than that, I had nothing that I particularly wanted to do, other than maybe a visit to the allotment. 

The sewing session went okay and didn't take long.  The dress was altered to a skirt and I also had one other small repair to do on my machine which got done too, so two items of clothing were ready to return to the wardrobe, which feels very satisfying. Both were summery items, which means more choice in the hot weather we're having.

Later, I potted on my sunflowers into separate pots, for them to grow on before planting out and pottered a bit deadheading the hanging basket. The cooler weather meant that it was a pleasure to be outside, in comparison to the previous week when it was hellish. I also headed down to the allotment before supper and harvested as much produce as was ready. OH joined me a bit later. It then took an hour or so to process the harvest, but such is life when your grow your own food.

Wednesday, was another day in which I didn't have any particular plans. I had a bit of a lie in reading another small thin book, this time Voltaire's Candide, which is quite gruesome in a humourous kind of way. Once up and dressed, I decided to head out for a walk, which I hadn't done in a while.

I took a bag with me in order to look out for ripe blackberries en route and was surprised to almost fill it on my walk, from bushes in full sunshine. Here's a picture of my free foraged fruit haul:

These have now been washed, bagged up and put in the freezer, which is now chock full of homegrown and foraged fruit. These will be great for apple and blackberry crumbles and for combining with gooseberries to make jam. In total I picked 1.4kg, so I don't think I'll need to go foraging for any more this season.

On my way home through our local park, I passed a quite well known actor, who is one of my all time favourites. I love some of the work he's done on TV, as he's starred in quite a few historical drama series. Who knew that he lived locally, although I shouldn't be surprised living in London. 

I was super hot by the time I got home, despite it being a bit cooler this week, so I spent most of the afternoon chilling and cooling down. LB was working all day in the local pet shop and OH had gone out to a meeting, so I had the house to myself for the afternoon.

In the evening, I started a new scrappy project that I haven't tried before. I was inspired by a video on You Tube and I think I have all the fabrics I need for, it save a dark backing fabric, which I could easily use a sheet for, if I've got an old one kicking around. If not new or second hand flat or fitted sheets can be bought quite inexpensively.

I spent the evening going through my fabric scraps and using as many small pieces as I could for this project, which is always satisfying. I'll post about it on the Monthly Makes video at the end of this month.

Thursday, I was back at the gym, thank goodness, for Aerobics. I was annoyed to find out that Tuesday's class did go ahead at 10am, but wasn't put on the timetable until 9.45 am, which is useless to anyone. Apparently, there were only 4 participants. The incompetence irritates me and it's not only not fair on customers who are paying for a service, but it isn't fair on the teacher either.

Anyway, I was feeling tired after lunch, so had a nap and then late afternoon OH and I headed down to the allotment to water mainly. There were a few bits to harvest, but not much. The summer fruiting raspberries and blueberries are now all but finished. We should get more raspberries in the autumn as we have some autumn fruiting bushes too. A few of the tomatoes are now ripening and we're gettting a few cucumbers too, which is all good.

On Friday, OH and I were back at the allotment for a couple of hours late morning. He went to dig up the last two rows of potatoes and feed everything with homemade plant food, and I went because I needed to pick up a prescription from the chemist nearby. I then brought all the garden waste bins in, as they'd been emptied that morning by the council and then I went around the outside of the site snipping overgrowing branches from the grape vine and other plants that block the way of pedestrians on the footpaths. Someone needed to do it.

When we got back, I hung some laundry out on the washing line outside, then did a couple of small jobs in the garden before walking into our local town centre to visit Boots, as my usual mouthwash was on a good offer and I needed some Bongela gel for a mouth ulcer. It was a bit hot for walking around, but I tried to keep in the shade as much as I could. It got my daily steps up to 8,000+ which was good.

Saturday, I woke up to a broken fan. I have a small USB fan that I leave on overnight and when I got up it had stopped. I think it must have burnt itself out though overuse. It wasn't great timing with another heatwave on the way. I'm hoping I can find another one before the really hot weather hits.

Late morning, OH and I headed to the gym. He was going off on his cycling holiday later in the day, and LB and I were heading to Norwich for a couple of nights, so it was a day of packing, doing last minute jobs, tidying up before we left, etc.

I spent an hour in the garden, finally planting out some of the plants that I'd bought in recent months and tidying around. There's still more to plant out, but I'm planning on doing that when I get back next week.

I then moved inside and did the washing up, emptied the dishwasher, cleaned out the fridge and generally got everything together that I was taking with me to Norwich, before getting a shower and finishing off the packing. I didn't want to come back to a messy house, so I tried to leave everything tidy.

Monthly Clothing Purchases - June 2026

This month, I was supposed to be trying to be restrained in terms of buying clothing. The main reason for this, being that I had overspent a little in May and needed to try to stay within budget, and it was a five week month in terms of grocery shopping. However, during our week's holiday in Lincolnshire, LB and I did quite a bit of thrifting whilst there. I don't feel guilty though, as we enjoy doing this together and the prices we paid for things were very reasonable, plus I bought some nice items.

Firstly, whilst shopping in Boston, I found this blue Seasalt sweater vest for £5.  This was probably the best purchase of the week, as it is 80% Merino wool, so it was a steal. To be honest, I needed a new sweater vest, as some of the ones I wear regularly, are becoming very scruffy and bobbled, despite de-bobbling them on numerous occasions. I've worn this once already and like how it looks on. I know I'll get a lot of wear out of it, if I can keep the moths at bay. I'm currently keeping it sealed it in a plastic storage bag, to prevent them getting to it.

We had a great morning thrifting one day in Spalding and the prices in the charity shops there were particularly inexpensive. I ended up buying this pretty cotton(?) maxi dress for £5. I didn't try it on, which with hindsight was a mistake, as I didn't like how the top half looked on, but I didn't want to return it, so I've decided that I'm going to cut it down to a maxi skirt, as I think the fabric is pretty. 

I also bought these two loose cotton tops to wear over the summer, which both cost £2.50.  I liked the lacy sleeves of the maroon one, which should go well with the skirt I make from the dress above. I may remove the ties from the blue one, but I'm not sure yet.

These 3 uncut sewing patterns also found their way home with me, for a total cost of £1.70, which I'm hoping will encourage me to make some clothing myself. I'm particularly excited about the McCall's dress/jumpsuit pattern, as I love the style of both the dresses and the jumpsuit in this pattern. I'm always happy to find good sewing patterns for one tenth or less of their original cost, as they are getting much pricier these days.

I also bought a black oversized Yours t-shirt for the gym for £1 and a lovely navy cotton turtleneck top for layering in the winter months for £1.

Finally, we also paid a visit to a car boot sale whilst on holiday, and although I didn't find any clothing that I liked, I did find this new pair of sandals for £5, which I really like. I've worn them a few times since and they are very comfortable and seem to be holding up. I'm hoping that they last a bit longer than some of the other sandals that I've purchased lately. Only time will tell.

I also made a few purchases this month from my favourite out of town charity shop. One was this loose white viscose top for £3. It should go with quite a few items in my wardrobe and looks nice and cool to wear in the hot weather. I don't own any white tops currently, mainly because of the risk of spillages and staining, but it is nice to have something lighter coloured in my wardrobe.

On a second visit, I purchased this leopard print sundress that I intend to wear as a skirt (as it's way too short to wear as a dress) and this new, unworn pair of khaki Toms pumps, which together cost me £10. The shoes were a steal, as they cost £40-£60 new on the website. I also like the fact that they are an ethical brand.

In total, I spent £36.70 this month, on thrifted clothing, shoes and sewing patterns. Despite this being unintended expenditure, I was super happy with everything I bought and I am looking forward to wearing most of the items over the summer months.

Monthly Financial Round Up - June 2026

I entered June, worrying that I was going to struggle to keep within budget, as I'd overspent a little in May. I promised myself that I wouldn't buy any clothes, but our holiday put paid to that and I did spend some money on them whilst thrifting and at the car boot sale. It didn't, however, really set me back too much and I managed to keep somewhere near the budget for most things.

I thought that by the 5th grocery shop of the month, that I might have to use some money from July's budget, which I did, but thankfully only £15. It could have been a whole lot worse, but wasn't, mainly on account of a few vouchers used during the month and some savvy shopping.

To be honest, every month it a bit of a squeeze at the moment now I'm not working. I just have to be disciplined and stick to the weekly shopping list. The visits to the charity shop and carboots, using my thrifting budget, do help to keep me sane and entertained. There's always the garden and allotment to keep me busy too and as the allotment is now producing food, it is saving me a bit of money on some groceries. 

I sowed some sunflowers this month, both dark red and yellow ones. I bought four packets of various seeds for £1 from a charity shop, when we were on holiday in Lincolnshire. I've now got 10 sunflowers seedlings to grow on and plant out for very little money, providing they all survive.

I did have some positive news this month, in that I got an update on one of my pensions, which is due to be paid to me later this year. It had gone up a little bit, which was good news, but I won't be rich by any means and it may take up to 6 weeks to receive it after turning 60. 

Also I found out that the free London travel pass for over 60's, that I can apply for later this year, is not actually free. A friend who is also turning 60 this year had done her research and it actually costs £60 for the first year you apply and then £18 per year thereafter. I will probably still apply for it, but I'll just have to make sure I get my money's worth and do a lot of travelling around using it, especially for the first year. I should be able to travel for free after 9.30 am, as far as Reading in one direction, so I could visit lots of different places around the edges of London, if I put my mind to it.

Some other good news, that I found about about whilst doing the month end finances, was that I'd unexpectedly received £155 in dividends from some shares I hold. This was timely, as it went straight into the account that I am using to give myself £250 spending money each month and should help to stretch these savings out until my pensions kick in.

Going into July, OH is going to be away for 10 days this month on a cycling trip, which will mean that I won't have to buy quite as much food, so this should save me a little money. In addition, I will be on harvesting and watering duties at the allotment and in the garden whilst he is away, so this will keep me very busy.

In addition, I'm hoping to do some more cleaning and decluttering in the house this month and possibly weave another rug, which should also help to keep me busy. There's work to do in the garden too, washing pots and replanting a border. I'm also hoping, if the weather is cooler, to do a bit more walking, as I've fallen out of the habit completely this month and the extra exercise will do me good.

I will be going away for a couple of days with LB to Norwich this month too. I've wanted to visit this city for a while and OH has treated us to a two night stay whilst he is away, so that is something to look forward to. It will probably include some thrifting and a car boot sale, but I'll tell you all about it.

As a consequence of the above, July is going to be a little different. I'm looking forward to it and getting the house and garden in better order, weather allowing. Do you have any plans for July?

Monthly Makes - June 2026

This month has been a very unproductive month in terms of making anything. I managed to make half a dozen Suffolk puffs on holiday in Lincolnshire, and a few more once home, which hardly bears a mention, but with all the comings and goings of the holiday, travelling to attend OH's brother's funeral in Yorkshire and a heatwave, I just didn't settle back into making anything much.

I did start the month with a new small sewing project using more of the denim, from some jeans that I had deconstructed. This time I made a gardening apron, to hold the bits and pieces I need when out in the garden, i.e. secateurs, gloves, string, etc. It's nothing special, but it was fun to make and used up some more fabric that I probably won't use for much else now. I also added a few patches for decoration. I'm pretty happy with the result. Here's a couple of pictures of the finished item:

I attached a separate little pouch to the waistband on the side, for my secateurs to go in. This prevents them digging into my legs when I bend or crouch down. I've worn it in the garden and it seems to work well for what I need.

I did also successfully transform a dress I'd bought on holiday into a maxi skirt. Here's a before picture:

I really didn't like the way the top part looked on, so I cut it down to a maxi skirt. The fabric from the top was cut up and will be used for quilting or other small projects. I'm pretty happy with the result and I am much more likely to wear it as a skirt. Here's the after picture:

If you are a maker, I do hope that you've managed to be much more productive than I have this month. Hopefully, next month I'll have more to post about.

A Super Hot Lost Week - W/E 28th June 2026

This week, was forecast to be super hot here in London and the South East of the UK, with red weather warnings being issued by the Met Office. Monday was relatively hot at 29 degrees celcius. I was doing my usual thing of heading out of town to do the weekly shop. It was hot, but there was a breeze, which made it bearable.

The shopping went okay. I did most of it at Lidl, but I did have a £4.50 voucher off a £30 shop at Sainsbury's, so I did most of the rest of the shop there. I no longer have loyalty to one shop. I go wherever I can use a voucher or buy discounted items. I made sure that everything I bought at Sainsburys didn't cost more than I'd get it for elsewhere, so it didn't eat into the voucher saving. I was issued with another voucher at the till, so I'll be shopping there again next week. I treated LB and I to some summer punch (i.e. supermarket branded Pimms type drink). It isn't actually as nice as the real branded drink though, but is a refreshing drink during hot weather.

I also treated myself to a mooch around my favourite out of town charity shop. I hadn't been there for 3 or 4 weeks. I tried a few things on, but came away with just one item, a white viscose loose fitting top, which will be very comfortable to wear on hot days. 

The only thing that marred my day, was the atrocious driving of numerous people on the roads. It seems to be getting worse. On the way home, one guy aggressively cut in front of the car in front of me and then whilst stopped in traffic, got out of his car and did a little victory dance. Madness. The heat seems to make people turn crazy.

When I got home, OH had got out the air conditioning unit, in readiness for the heatwave, so we were  all set. I planned on staying very close to home for the duration. I was lucky that I could do so.

After supper, I persuaded OH to come with me to the allotment to do some harvesting, but after about 10 minutes picking gooseberries, I had to come home. I was being eaten alive by midges or gnats. Poor OH was left to harvest on his own. I promised to go back during the daytime and make sure I was appropriately dressed. (My ankles were bare!)

Tuesday morning, I was awoken at 3am by a loud clap of thunder and then stayed awake for an hour or so listening to the continuous thunder and lightning outside. It was a mega thunderstorm, but the garden got a good water, so all was good. It was a little hotter than Monday. 

I had booked to go to Zumba in the morning, so took myself off there. I enjoyed the class. I didn't do a whole lot for the rest of the day. It was pretty hot, reaching 33 degrees celcius, so I stayed indoors. I ended up binge watching a Harlen Coben series called Lazarus on Amazon Prime, which took care of the afternoon and part of the evening. OH was watching England play football in the evening, so I took myself off upstairs to read. It stayed hot well into the evening, it still being 27 degrees at 9pm.

On Wednesday, I didn't need to go anywhere or do anything in particular. As it was forecast to be hotter still and actually got to 35 degrees today, I decided to stay home and do very little. Even getting showered and dressed made me feel sweaty, so I was happy to do nothing and stay cool. LB, meanwhile, was sweltering in the local pet shop again, so she was glad to get home to the air conditioning in the kitchen. I did a bit of reading today. I'm currently reading John Steinbeck's The Red Pony, which is good. It's only a very thin, small book, so it won't take me long to read. It's beginning to feel like a bit of a lost week because of the heat, but it's probably better and safer to prioritise staying cool, than risk getting overheated by trying to do too much.

Thursday, I decided that I needed to be a bit more productive, despite the heat, so I got up and ready a bit earlier whilst it was still cool and OH and I headed down to the allotment to do some harvesting and watering. There were lots of peas to harvest, and still more gooseberries. It had just been way too hot to go there during the day for the past couple of days and we were getting worried that they would go over. Within an hour we had done all the harvesting we needed to do, watered and I'd done a bit of weeding here and there, ready for inspections at the end of this month.

I then needed to head off to the gym for my Aerobics class and left the weighing and washing of the produce until I got back. It took a couple of hours to wash and weigh, top and tail and unpod most of the peas. The freezer is filling up with gooseberries, as it is just way too hot to make jam right now. but when the weather cools down a bit, I will do it. We've currently harvested over 20kg of produce, so the allotment is producing well. It will be interesting to see how much in total it has produced by the end of the growing season. I'll let you know.

On Friday, OH was feeling a bit fed up of being couped up in the house every day, so he suggested lunch in a local restaurant. LB and I were happy to oblige. We had an okay lunch, as the restaurant we visited wasn't as good as when we've been previously. I don't think we'll be visiting again. We then sauntered back home, via the local Co-op and a local charity shop, but I didn't see anything I wanted to buy. We were glad to get back into the relative coolness of the house. The thermometer almost hit 38 degrees today, which was insane. I'm definitely over this weather and can't wait for it to cool down a bit.

I did a bit of laundry and then hung it out, watered my indoor plants and read for a while. Just a very chill afternoon. OH was cycling later, so he headed out for that. Rather him than me. I stayed home and watched a movie.

Saturday, was what I think was the last of the super hot weather. It was forecast to be 32 degrees, so a little cooler. It was another day of staying put at home. I had a nap in the afternoon, as I'd woken early and then later the weather cooled quite a bit, which was a big relief. I was finally able to get out in the garden and do what I love to do, i.e. potter and prune, with a lovely accompanying breeze. It was so nice, as the heat has almost made the garden out of bounds this week. Hopefully, we're back to normal temperatures from here on in.

It was a much cooler day on Sunday, thank goodness. In the morning, I headed out to the gym for an hour or so. OH was out cycling and LB had picked up an extra shift at the local pet shop. There was a lovely breeze today and some cloud, which was much appreciated. We could at least open up the windows and doors and let some air in. I've felt a bit confined to the house this week and am so happy to have cooler weather and be able to get on with things outside and inside.

After supper, I popped to the local shops to get a few bits and called in at the allotment on the way back. I harvested a couple of things and watered and OH joined me there shortly afterwards. Our inspection is next weekend, but I think it's all tidy enough. There may be a few gaps in planting, mainly due to harvesting, but so be it.

I hope you've survived the heatwave if you're in the UK and if not, I hope you've had a good week.

A Mixed Week - W/E 21st June 2026

This week has been a mixed one. It started off with an out of town shop as usual on Monday, of which there was nothing interesting to report.

On Tuesday, after my class at the gym, we got packed up and ready to travel north for OH's brother's funeral. There were a few small issues to iron out before the day of the funeral the following day, that had been causing stress, but by the time we got to bed this had been done and everyone was in a better place.

As a consequence, the day itself went really well. The service was good and I think most people came away feeling that it had been a good day, albeit a sad one. It went as well as could be expected in any case and it was nice to meet family members I hadn't met before and catch up with others that I had.

After drinks and a meal in a local pub with everyone, OH and I set off back to London mid afternoon. We've spent so much time away travelling for holidays and visits in the last few months, that OH needed to get back for work and to get back to some sort of normality. It's always strange when you come away from a funeral. It churns up lots of different emotions that take time to settle back down.

On Thursday, both OH and I went to the gym in the morning, me to my class, OH to work out with weights. We both then walked back, stopping off at my favourite mulberry bush in the park, which is currently laden with fruit. We ate a few berries before continuing the walk home.

A bit later, we headed over to the allotment to water and harvest. There was lots of lettuce, peas in pods, gooseberries, raspberries and blueberries to harvest, plus a few beetroot and one ball shaped courgette. I planted out a couple of the white borage plants that I'd grown from seed. They were getting too big for their current pots. I also weeded a little and put the bins out ready for emptying the next day. We do love spending time down on the allotment, it's very calming. 

Back at home, I had sewn some sunflower seeds last week. Two different varieties, one red, one yellow. They have both germinated well. I'm a bit late sewing these, but hopefully they'll still have time to grow fully.

Friday was a quiet, stay at home kind of day. It was hot outside and as I didn't need to go anywhere, I was very happy to stay home and just catch up on a few bits that needed doing and stay cool. OH was cycling in the evening, and LB was out at a party, so I stayed home alone and finished watching an old BBC serialisation of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Ann Bronte, followed by starting a BBC serialisation of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, which is my favourite of all the Bronte sisters' books. A lovely self indulgent evening, with no football or cricket, for a change.

On Saturday, OH suggested that we head out for the afternoon on our bikes. We cycled over to Hoxton Market, had some lunch in a cafe and then wandered through the market. This market is the opposite of many of the gentrified markets in East London. It is still a very traditional East End Market, probably one of the last ones remaining, so it wasn't too busy and we could stroll through with our bikes.

We then decided to visit the nearby Museum of the Home, which is a museum of interiors that as a family, we have visited many times over the years, although we haven't been there in a good few years. It had changed somewhat since our last visit, with some new galleries being created. We walked through the museum first and then went out into the gardens which have lots of interesting plants in them.

On our way home we had ice creams en route and then cycled via the back streets of Hackney to our local Lidl, to pick up some bits that we'd run out of and also some bits for a BBQ later in the evening. We had a nice afternoon out. I rarely go anywhere in London on Saturdays, as it can get so busy, but being out on bikes, we were able to avoid the busy areas and find parts of London that were not so crowded.

Later, we had our third BBQ of the year. It wasn't too hot today, as it clouded over at times. I was thankful for this.

Sunday, was a super chill day. OH was out cycling all day and LB was working, so I was home alone. I went to the gym and worked out late morning, and then came home, had lunch and pottered around doing jobs that didn't get done the day before. It was hot again, so I was happy to stay inside most of the day keeping cool. I did pop out later to water the allotment, but only when it had cooled off in the evening.

A chill end to a sad beginning to the week.

Back to London and Reality - W/E 14th June 2026

Having returned to London on Monday afternoon, we were excited to see how our garden and the allotment had fared in our absence. We were lucky that there had been lots of rain whilst we were away and as a consequence, we hadn't lost any plants. In fact, they were probably a bit over watered if anything. I spent a little while pottering in the garden, deadheading and checking up on all the plants and then later OH and I walked over to the allotment and harvested lots of lettuce, raspberries and strawberries. 

Everything had grown really well on the plot. The peas are growing pods and there are small fruit on the tomatoes and cucumbers. OH planted out a few more lettuce and I weeded a little. There was absolutely no need to water at all. There's nothing worse than going on holiday and coming back to dead plants, so we considered ourselves lucky that everything was okay.

On Tuesday, I got up and unpacked from the holiday. I had done my laundry the day before, but needed to unpack toiletries and other items. I had booked my usual Zumba class for 10am and I was very happy to get back to it. I got drenched in a torrential downpour on my way home. It was just as well that I was intending to have a shower and change when I got home, before heading out to do some grocery shopping out of town.

I set off at about 12.30pm and visited a few shops to get everything we needed. I used a £5 off voucher at Tesco and another £5 off voucher I'd accumulated at Lidl, under their new points scheme. It was good to get some food in the house, as there was virtually nothing fresh when we got home, save for what we harvested at the allotment. We had to just manage with what was in the freezer and pantry.

On Wednesday, I didn't have to get up early for anything, so I stayed in bed late reading a bit of both of the books I'm currently reading. I didn't really do much reading on holiday, so it was good to get back to it. I eventually got up and ready, did a bit of blogging and later in the afternoon headed out to meet a couple of friends for an early supper. One friend, like me, is celebrating her 60th birthday this year.

Anyway, I stopped off at Lidl, during a torrential downpour, to pick up a bottle of wine, and a woman was having a full on melt down, due to a security guard watching her. She was screeching at the top of her voice for over 10 minutes about how she was going to lose him his job and, of course, the staff were so distracted by her it took longer to get them to authorise purchases and other people used the distraction to try to shoplift. It was chaos. This is a perfect example of why I don't like to shop locally. There is very rarely any kind of drama when I shop out of town.

I jumped back on another bus and met my friends at the restaurant. It was good to have a catchup of everyone's news. Both my friends were celebrating birthdays this month, and the birth of a new grandchild is also imminent for one of them, so we managed to work our way through two bottles of wine between us, which was unusual. Eventually, we left and headed our separate ways home.

On Thursday, I was booked into aerobics at 10am. It felt like hard work today, probably because I was a bit hungover. My body felt like a lead weight. It doesn't help that I haven't been going as regularly, due to one thing or another. I didn't do a lot in the afternoon, save some laundry and have a nap on the sofa. I was feeling tired and completely lacking in motivation. I did start a new sewing project in the evening. I've decided to make an apron for gardening in, to hold gloves, secateurs, my phone, etc. I'm using what's left of some jeans I deconstructed. I'm just not feeling like working on my ongoing projects at the moment and needed a fresh challenge.

I didn't sleep well on Thursday night, as LB was out at a concert and with friends. I never sleep until she gets home, which was gone 3am on this particular occasion, so I couldn't get myself out of bed very early on Friday morning. When I did eventually get up, I showered and then pottered around the kitchen doing odd jobs. OH went to the allotment and harvested more produce, which I weighed and washed when he got back. 

I did a bit of machine sewing on the new apron project in the afternoon. It didn't take long. I'll post a picture in my monthly makes post. It's not been a very productive week, especially knowing that we're going to Yorkshire again next week for the funeral of OH's brother. I can't seem to settle into doing anything. The weather hasn't been great either, although it did finally stop raining on Friday and we got some long overdue sunshine again.

On Saturday, it was lovely and sunny, so I spent the afternoon pottering in the garden. I potted on one of the white borage plants I grew from seed. Here it is in it's new pot:

It's growing to a good size, but should get bigger. I'm hoping the bees like it and the leaves are also useful for plant food, besides being pretty that is. I've got a few more plants and want to put some at the allotment and some in the garden.

My old cactus seems to be happy at the moment and is sending off lots of flower buds, some of which have opened. I always love seeing this plant flower.

I picked the rest of the blackcurrants from the garden bush. I picked a few before we went on holiday and froze them. I weighed them all together to add to my tally. Not a great amount, but there's another bush at the allotment, along with lots of gooseberries, which when put together make a nice jam. We've still got four jars of jam that I made last year, but I will be making more once I've harvested everything.

I also ate the ripe black mulberries from my tree in the garden. They are so sweet. Again, not a huge crop, but very tasty.

Later on Saturday, OH and I took a stroll over to the allotment, where he harvested a row of new potatoes and I did some weeding and planted out a couple of dahlias I'd bought whilst on holiday. I also harvested some of the gooseberries. The paths that I'd cleared of weeds a few weeks ago, had more weeds growing through, so I cleared them all ready for the inspection at the end of the month. I may need to do a bit more if they grow back in the next two weeks.

On Sunday, I got up, put lots of laundry away and then got ready for the gym. I'm having to virtually drag myself there these days, but I need to go really and my gym session went okay. I didn't do a lot for the rest of the day. I read just my library book, which was due back the following day, so I needed to finish it.

Hope you've had a good week.