A Scruffy Sunday

On account of not wanting to dirty any of the clothes that I want to take away with me over Christmas, when I got dressed on Sunday morning out came some thick, baggy jersey hareem pants, and a t-shirt and hoody that I very rarely wear.

Slightly more scruffy attire than I would normally wear on a weekend, which was a good thing really, as I then decided to head to the allotment for an hour and tidy up the plot a bit.  OH  and LB were off to the cinema to see the new Star Wars film, so I took the dog with me.

I hadn't visited since September or thereabouts.  In fact, I can't actually remember when my last visit was, so I knew there'd be work to do.  It was mainly cutting back things that had died off and pulling out old dead plants and weeds that had grown up since my  last visit.

I got a fair bit done and managed to dig over one of the cleared beds, but I will need to go back after Christmas to finish digging over the rest of the plot and wheelbarrow all the weeds and dead plants to the composting bins.  It was nice to get started though.  I really just haven't found any time to go at all for weeks.

The dog was very patient with me and eventually we left and set out for a walk along the canal and over the nearby marshes.  I ended up on my knees, poking around in a water filled ditch at one point after throwing the dogs most highly favoured ball in by mistake. Luckily, I got it back, but my knees are now nettled and sore.  The things you do for your dog!  We continued on for a nice walk.  In all she spent a good 3 hours outside with me that morning, which was quite a treat for her.

When I got back, I finished up the salad in the fridge for lunch and then headed out again.  To cover up my muddy clothes I threw on a long coat and headed off to ASDA for the final bit of shopping before we leave London.  Just essentials to see us through the next day or so and a last couple of bits for presents.  After spending half an hour in traffic, I am now officially finished with the Christmas shopping and it couldn't come soon enough for me.

Once home, it was toad in the hole and veggies for dinner, once again using up what we had in the fridge and freezer. Whilst it was cooking, I blanched, cubed and froze anything else that was going to be left over when we head off up north.  It will be very simple meals from tins and the freezer between now and when we leave on Tuesday morning. It might not be the healthiest food, but I'm sure it won't kill us for just a day.

My Sunday evening was spent ironing and putting away laundry that we need to take away with us, broken only by a sit down to watch the Apprentice final.

This morning I started on the packing. I was aiming to revisit the allotment this afternoon, but rain set in and it just wasn't worth it, so I stayed home, made a last batch of mince pies to use up the mincemeat in the fridge and continued packing up bits and pieces we need to take away. I'm looking forward to a long soak in the bath tonight, before we head off in the morning.  I'm ready for a change of scenery and am now looking forward to our Christmas break.

I'm still having trouble uploading pictures, (I can only upload them on to OH's machine and not the laptop) so I may not post much over the holidays, but rest assured I will be reading and keeping up with everyone's news.

To everyone who reads this blog, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for reading and taking the time to comment over this past year and I'd like to sincerely wish you

A Very Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year.