#coffeemorning

Cake glorious cake.  Must remember to add fruit!  It’s that time of year when a budding group of volunteers in the UK, some who’ve been planning for months, move into the final week’s anticipation.  The event?  Friday 28 Sept 2012 is the WORLD’S BIGGEST COFFEE MORNING.  It’s not always on the same day and it’s not always in the morning but it’s all for charity, Macmillan cancer support.

I’ve been part of these coffee mornings for around 10 years and love them.  I used to be on a local committee and would attend many local ones throughout the day.  Nowadays, I hold one at work.  Pretty low key, but we have a good time and donate for charity at the same time.  We chat, laugh, bake, eat and donate.

If you’re in the UK, why not see if there’s a coffee morning going on local to you and join in.   It might help take some of the weight off your shoulders (I can’t promise it will help take the weight off anywhere else..you could always walk there..), have a drink and a chatter in these odd days of ours.

The official day is Friday 28 September 2012.  Check it out, take a break and help others while you do.  Now, where’s my recipe book?  Hmm..  What shall I bake this year?   Coconut; hazelnut; lemon drizzle; strawberry… I wonder….

ps  Yes, I am covered in paint while writing this and yes there is paint and paper all over my living room floor… What is it?  (note to self.. I must work out why my flash has stopped working..) I’m making cardboard bunting before going to work.  As you do..  Indulging my creative bent?  Too right I am!

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plane writing

I don’t understand my interest in planes.  I don’t like wars and hope no-one does.  I do like to feel ‘safe’, whatever that means.

That aside, I absolutely love air shows and watching planes flying and seeing men who work on them and fly them.. erm.. enough of that. I love being in beautiful landscapes on sunny days.

I recently blogged about beerfest, food and writing and here’s a similar one of how to combine two hobbies into one event.  I managed to join my love of airshows and writing at duxford airshow last week.  Basically, I don’t seem to have many (physical as opposed to virtual) friends who share my love of airshows.

Another of my hobbies, besides airshows is writing and I have a lot of editing to do on my latest Work in Progress WIP..  One thing about airshows is the urge to get there early.. very early.. to avoid the queues, have time to wander and get a nice ‘spot’ to see from.  This usually includes many hours of sitting and waiting once there.

This time I linked:

• my love of airshows,
• lack of friends who also love airshows and
• my need to edit said WIP

they, all together =

• blissful productive day.

I don’t multi task well but I think this was as near as I’ll ever get.

Do you ever manage to link your favourite things?

Jeremy’s Gardening update 15Sept2012

Update 15.09.12 Sorry it’s been a while since I last updated you. I don’t write as often as Lynne does. What a year. Lynne’s completely neglected me.  I’m not complaining and have quite enjoyed it.  I’ve grown my hair, gone a bit feral and haven’t had to be so productive in the vegetable department.

The greenhouse has had the whole year off which was amazing. Trees are getting rather out of hand and I’ve told Lynne she’s got to do something about them this year.  It’s like she thinks I’m a forest in the middle of Peterborough, I’m too small and if she wants to be able to get to the shed at the end of me she’ll have to tackle them, they’re growing above their status and that won’t do.

The female garden orb web spiders have set up home everywhere this year.  They do this each Autumn but there seem more of them just now.  Lynne won’t break their webs.  That’s environmentalist for you.. they’re so.. how shall I put it.. environmental.. that’s the word.. she’s noticed they have fresh webs each morning and then she feels like she’s depriving them of their main meal of the day if she so much as walks through one.  I’ve told her she can do some gardening in the afternoons when they’ve eaten.  Personally, I think it’s just an excuse but she can’t be told.

Ooh this September sun’s been lovely hasn’t it?  The flowers have been a bit poorly but I don’t like as much flowery stuff as Lynne does so it’s just fine by me.  I’m sure they’ll feel better next year, and they will soon be resting for the winter.

One day I’ll have to teach her how to add this to my own pages under gardening news..  for now I hope you’ve enjoyed my update and I’ll be in touch again later in the year.  Here’s hoping you produced more veg than I did but I’m well relaxed and should be busy again next year.

Tootle pip

Jeremy, the garden.

Many pencil sharpeners..

No analogies.  I really mean, many pencil sharpeners…

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve needed a pencil sharpener over the past few years.  Loads.  My paintings need a lot of quick sketching and I’m hard on pencils.  It felt like there was never a pencil sharpener, or pencil, come to think of it, in this house when I needed one.  Till now.

In case you’re in need when you visit me they’re lined up next to the cook books in the kitchen.  Yes, did you notice the ‘they’.  I lost my new debit card recently and went on the hunt, clutter clearing along the way, only to find all my pencils (I lose those too) and pencil sharpeners.

Finding many things is what happens when I get stuck into clutter clearing.  At least now the house has a much better feel and when I need to sketch next I know exactly where all my pencils and pencil sharpeners are (I only laid them on the floor for effect in the pic.. they’re not really kept on the floor, they do have their own homes now).

Ahh, no, I didn’t find the card and had to cancel it only for it to fall out a week later when I picked a couple of magazines up from the kitchen table.  It must have arrived and I put it under one out of sight and promptly forgot.. oops..

How often do you go looking for one thing and find many others, only to find the thing you were originally looking for, later when you weren’t looking for it?

Sounds like the story of my life when said like that!

clippity clop and we’re off to Burghley

Ooh I can hear.. I can go to an event with lots of weird noises and hey presto, a few hours later, I’m at Burghley horse trials.. clippity clop clappity hop and a skip and a jump and we’re off..

As a child growing up my dad had to put up with me watching horse jumping whenever it was on.  Looking back I dream that it might have been from Burghley, making my annual pilgrimage more meaningful.

The sun shone and we got the obligatory showers for the Sunday.

After the Olympic success of Team GB the horse trials were bound to be well attended and they were.  Lots of people who’d never been before made the scenery for those of us who are regulars a bit different (yes I consider myself a regular.. been 3 times at least).

I do love mingling with the rich..  I consider anyone who has horses rich as I grew up working most weekends on a stud farm and know the dedication needed and how wonderful it is to be blessed with knowing horses.

Drat!  I knew I forgot something..  No pics of the food.  I always take extra money as a treat so I can eat what I fancy.  Usually crepes for brekkie and this year we finished with a rare breed hot dog..  I know..  Can’t help it.  I love eating from the food courts when I go to events like this.

It was so exciting, watching the horses try the Olympic jumps.  We decided any horse that managed the penny black without knocking it over deserves extra points.  Seeing if they went clean over that one added to the tension.  Whilst I have strong views on hunts..  don’t get me started..  I did love watching the hounds, particularly those which did their own thing and appeared well after the main group had left.  Independent souls!

What events are near you that you love to go to annually?