Drawing June

Yesterday it was the monthly on-line drawing club with the WI.  Irises this time.    

I did a mindfulness session (also with the on-line WI) in the morning but I think this was probably more mindful than the mindfulness session.

Scams

 I go down a lot of rabbit holes on t'interweb.  Most are useless but I found one yesterday that I'd like to share with you.  

Take Five to Stop Fraud is (obviously) about protecting ourselves from scams.  They list over twenty different scams and give helpful advice on protecting ourselves.   They include three written-for-them Whodunnits, short stories inviting the reader to solve the crime by watching out for Red Flags.  

I've also been listening to some podcasts on BBC Sounds called "Scam Secrets".  Some scams are funny (well, not for the victim, obviously): try The Great Knitted Cardigan Scam!  All are serious and I'm getting better informed.  

Scams aren't funny and it's all too easy to fall for them.  Time spent informing myself is time well spent.

Hello June!

 

A favourite month for so many people, especially those who like to watch Wimbledon (not me).

I haven't much planned for June, really just a few meals out.  I'm writing that down so I can look back at the end of the month and probably say, "Well, that didn't go as planned!"

And that's the sort of diary I like.  It means that, if a lovely day is forecast, I can go to a nature reserve, or the seaside, or a country house with its gardens or whatever I like.  Or I can sit in my garden and listen to the birds.  

And if the weather doesn't make those happen I can undertake a project indoors.  

An empty diary month?  Nearly!  A lazy month?  Probably not!

(Just after I wrote that I read Kirsten's post for Saturday.  She has been inspired by Rustic Pumpkin  walking to raise money for a charity and she (Kirsten) has increased her step count.  My average in May was just 2188.  I want it to be 2500 in June.)

Goodbye May

 

Well, that was a hot one, wasn't it!  Last Monday it hit 33C/ 91F here, hotter than July in most years.   So I've not been doing a lot.

My "salad days" have started.  Not many 74 year old ladies can say that!  My salads this week have included asparagus, banana, beetroot, blueberry, broad beans, carrot, cornichons, cucumber, haricot beans, lettuce, mangosteen, olives, peas, peppers, pineapple, potatoes, radishes, raspberries, red cabbage, red onions, seeds, rice, strawberry, sultanas, sweetcorn, tomatoes.  I make that twenty two different ingredients.  And  haven't started with fruit salads!

A lot of fabric has found its way out of the house to be used by someone else.  

I've had several meals out with friends.  We are all definitely Ladies Wot Lunch.  It's my best way of socialising.  Sometimes it's just coffee but lunches save me cooking.  Hurrah!  I've also cooked a couple of meals for friends at home.

I treated myself to a made-to-measure riser/recliner chair.  It was an arm-and-a-leg job financially as well as design wise but I spend a lot of time in my chair.  

Jack has been twice to sort out my garden.  He's a busy chap!

I've done a new fix for my energy.  I don't know how I've done it but my new direct debit (£70) is £15 less than last year (£85).  Which was £19 less than the previous year £104).  Don't spit at your computer - it would make a mess.  All three years are from the same supplier.  And I don't understand it but I'm happy!  Although this is a "fix", it is linked to the price cap charge, (just lower) so I expect it to rise during the year.  And I've had a £113 refund on last year's payments.

We had our annual Open Churches Weekend, although the church I was involved with is actually open every day.  Our jigsaw project was very successful.

I've done some doggy day care.  

On the other hand, blogger is still doing strange things with my reading list so sorry, I haven't commented as much as usual.  Sorry.

Salad Days

 It has been a little warm these last few days!  

G, Holly's regular staff, went to London on Monday to fetch her daughter's dog so Holly Dog summoned the relief staff - me!  On Sunday Holly and G  visited me and poor Holly was panting so badly that I gave her frozen gel packs, (often needed by my knees), for her to lie on.  G and I just collapsed like sweaty puddles.  

Anyway, I went to Holly's house and we spent the day avoiding the sun. Unfortunately she likes to sit as close as possible which doesn’t make keeping cool very easy.   Fortunately the house is largely stone-built with not-too-large windows so the heat isn't as uncomfortable as it would be at home.  

While I was there I photographed the tree.  It really is in a magnificent place and is now in full leaf.  I took this photo whilst standing in the porch.

My Hare Days have ended.  It should have been "Hare Today, Done tomorrow" but I did disappointingly little.  I gave away a lot of fabric and some other things but there is still a long way to go to get a tidy house.  I've had to accept that I cannot spend a long time decluttering.  Physically it is too demanding and also I am too easily distracted into looking at books, pictures, unfinished craft projects etc.  My best bet seems to be twenty minute sessions several times a week.  

My Salad Days have now started.   I was inspired by by Ang from Tracing Rainbows who wrote a brilliant post about salads.  I can't claim still to be in the "salad days" of my youth, but I can eat salad!  Over these next few weeks I want to try as many different salad ingredients as I can and to eat them in a variety of places.

And I've celebrated this new "season" by changing the decorations on my indoor tree.  I haven't got vegetables to display but I like my bees and have added daisies.

Plan B springs into action

I wasn't too surprised to get a call from my friend Rev. E on Friday afternoon (we often chat), but I was glad it was a video call as she had just about lost her voice.

This is not a good weekend for her to be rendered silent.  Well, it never is, but this is a very heavy weekend church-wise, and E is relied on heavily although she too is a "volunteer vicar".  This weekend, as I said yesterday, is our Open Churches Festival and E is very involved.  Quite apart from that and the usual Sunday worship, there is the annual  service in the memorial woodland in one of the parishes.

We had a quick discussion on the possibilities.  E feels well enough to be around and rotas of welcomers have been arranged for all the churches.  I would lead the "normal" services for Sunday and lay ministers would be roped in for the memorial but she would attend as much as she felt able.

So today Plan B swung into action.  It's good to be part of a team.

Open Churches

 It's West Lindsey Open Churches Festival this weekend.    Churches and chapels of many denominations are open and it's an opportunity many people take to go on a church crawl.

To be honest, most of the open churches are Church of England  because, although almost every village has an Anglican church, it's just the larger villages which have other buildings.  

I shall try to visit a few churches but I will be most involved at St Peter's, Normanby le Wold.  Here's what the brochure says.

"Something different for all the family…. A Jigsaw Festival. Completed jigsaws on display and available to buy.  Help us to complete jigsaws - we’ll need as much help as we can get! Children’s jigsaws - lots to see and to join in. Jigsaw ‘Bring & Buy’ - bring along any you no longer want, provided they don’t have pieces missing, and buy a new one. Local history and displays… including Parish registers information dating back to 1561. Light refreshments available."

I shall do my best to get to Thoresway and the brochure says, "St Mary’s nestles is a sleepy village among fields of sheep. It has a Romanesque arch from an original tower, 13th century arcades in the nave and seven floor stones dating from an earlier period. There is an exhibition on the history and origins of the village together with stories of local residents and their lives. A warm welcome awaits those who come to sample our homemade cakes and savouries, including our popular gluten free and vegetarian offerings."  

What the brochure doesn't tell you is that the "cakes and savouries" are produced by a celebrity chef who lives in the village and they are truly scrummy.  Not that I am going there just for the nosh, you understand!

Drawing May

Once again I joined in the monthly drawing session in Via, the on-line learning site for the Women's Institute.  No-one is pretending we produce great art but we have a quiet hour drawing something seasonal.  Personally I don't find adult colouring books help me lose myself, but following the instructor's guidance is very restful.

This month we drew rhododendrons.  Last year it was cherry blossom and bluebells. I'm building up quite a collection.

(My blog reading list still isn't working properly.  I'm trying to find other people's blogs but it ain't easy!)