Lilac By Sergey Khamalyan
Gosh what a weekend of weather.
Friday was scorchingly hot, luckily I was indoors and able to hide from the heat for most of it, although Alan downed tools early, we went out for lunch and then he had a sunbathe in the garden. Yes, he's a worshipper and I'm an avoider.
Saturday it was slightly cooler so we went out to Williamson Park early in the morning to take Mavis for a nice doggy walk, there are always so many other dogs there. She loved it, although I usually still struggle a bit on the walk up to the café, which is situated way up the biggest hill and behind the Ashton Memorial, this is the big building that you can see when you drive along the M6 near Lancaster. But these days I am doing it a bit better each time, of course it helps that I know there's a cup of coffee at the top. 😄
Mum's little bungalow on a slightly sunnier day back in June.
Then yesterday it was torrential rain and dark grey skies from first light right until after I fell asleep at the end of the day. Luckily we had already planned to visit Mum to take some needed things, do a few jobs and have our lunches together ... this time a packed lunch made by me ... so we were safely ensconced in the car through a lot of the bad weather, even if some drivers did make the motorway seem like a very dangerous place to be.
Once we got home we relaxed in front of our respective televisions and relaxed the evening away ... and still the rain fell.
I hope you had a good weekend, what was your highlight?
Sue xx
Surprising you are having such hot weather. Here it's been cool. In fact my husband put on the heat today as it was 62º F inside this morning.
ReplyDeleteThe rain of yesterday has really made the temperatures plummet now, it's much chillier today. It's just 14 degrees, which on the conversion chart is 57F. I'll be brave and not put the heating on though. 😄
DeleteWe have booked a lunch out at the local college. A special treat, silver service, three courses with lots of fancy trimmings, £16.50. It is the only meal that I don’t look at and think, I could have cooked that at half the price. I couldn’t. Blood orange posset with a pistachio biscotti. Delicious.
ReplyDeleteThe students try so very hard to make the whole experience perfect.
I did think about booking a haircut at the college on the same day.
Now that sounds like a really special treat, and at a very good price too. ❤️
DeleteI went for lunch at the weekend with old colleagues. We went to a decent place but nowt fancy or posh. I had fish and chips and 2 diet cokes. £27!!! When they said we must do this more often I was thinking no way. 27 quid would feed me for at least a week!!! :-) xxx
ReplyDeleteIt's a whole different mentality isn't it. I'm really lucky as Alan pays for all our meals out using his Navy pension, I do treat him to homemade cakes and scones occasionally to say thank you, and I always make the pack-up to take to Mum's. 😀
DeleteOur weekend highlight (well, Friday & Saturday - does that count) was two gloriously hot and sunny days in the garden finally making a little progress on tidying up. You'd not recognise the garden these days - it is doing its best to become somewhat feral.
ReplyDeleteI have the same problem as you with the cost of eating out. I know businesses have to pay for their premises, and staff, and make a profit, but I spend half my time trying to find something on the menu that is not going to make me feel ill and the other half resenting how much we pay for it.
Oh yes Friday and Saturday count after all that was Summer!!
DeleteI'm exactly the same with menu's, if I give up eating fish again there would be very little except side salads and chips that I could eat. I get so frustrated, which is why I often just have a coffee when we go out while Alan has a meal or cake. I just tell him that I have already eaten. 🙂
I too love eating out but dislike the price. I’m glad you had a nice weekend.
ReplyDeletewww.rsrue.blogspot.com
You obviously have a Blogger profile, so you could comment here under that name, then you wouldn't have to share your link. 🙂
DeleteThe cost of eating out seems to have rocketed since covid. The other day at a garden centre I had a very ordinary cheese toasty , ( came with a bit of limp salad which I didn't eat ) cup of tea, £ 9. 90 - I was a bit horrified tbh and wished I'd opted for the soup and roll which was quite a bit cheaper!
ReplyDeleteAlison in Wales x
I know what you mean. Tam asked for one of the special sausages from the Sausage Stand at the Antiques Fair, saying she knew they were dear but they were really good (and large) sausages. She had a spicy Dragon sausage - in a roll, with onions, £7. Seemed dear at the time but perhaps good value in retrospect!
DeleteAlison - It's not good when a treat of a meal out turns out to be so disappointing is it. My go-to is often soup and a roll as I object to paying £7 or £8 for a baked potato. I can't help it, I sit there thinking of ALL the potatoes I could get for that price.
DeleteBovey Belle - Yes perhaps that was relatively good value, especially at a fair where the charge for having a catering van or stand can be very expensive. It makes you think though doesn't it, for a family of four that would have been £28 just for a posh 'hotdog' each.
DeleteThat's a lovely painting.
ReplyDeleteYou did have a lot of weather over the weekend! It's just hot over here! Today (Monday) it's 104F/40C and sunny. The highlights of my weekend were picking the first moringa pods and Asian pears of the season from my garden and reading. :)
I seem to have a 'thing' for flowers and jugs just recently, as you say it's a lovely painting. Oh gosh, 40 degrees would be FAR to hot for me, I would melt into a very unattractive puddle!!
DeleteIt was a busy few days here - Friday I volunteered at my church's book sale for a few hours and then met a friend who treated me to fish & chips with a lovely glass of wine as an early birthday treat. Saturday I met my group of theatre ladies (we have a yearly group subscription) for a curry before seeing "Life of PI" - an excellent production and the Thai restaurant that we go to is very reasonable compared to most these days. Sunday was church - lunch out at a breakfast/lunch spot - again very reasonable and generous servings - don't do this very often but we were all staying around in order to attend a funeral mid-afternoon. Church was packed with hundreds and it was a real celebration of life for a lady who was a well known author, amateur chef and founder of a long running charitable organization. There was a reception afterwards but it was so packed that I decided to just head for home at that point. Weather had cooled down considerably - from mid teens to 20C with a strong wind but it will be back up to about 27C by Wednesday so Summer isn't over yet!
ReplyDeleteWow, that sounds like a full-on weekend, you'll need another one to relax and get over it. I like the sound of a book sale and then fish, chips and wine. :-)
DeleteAfter church we went to a nearby village where there was a Saturday and Sunday craft market by the old railway station. It had been recommended by a number of people. I chatted to a crafter who I'd met at the village duck race ✅ and bought a few it's (Bob treated himself to local cheese & some chutney) but much was grossly overpriced. ❎ The stall I particularly wanted to look at had closed at noon so we missed that❎ Lunch in the station cafe was very good - huge ciabattas stuffed with steak strips accompanied by a generous portion of well cooked chips, and a large fresh salad. (I struggled to clear my plate, Bob helped} and a pot of tea for two provided 6 cupsful. ✅ It cost £24 which is probably the right price for such a treat. Esp when portion size and quality is considered
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a very good day, and yes, Alan is always around to help me clear a plate that I'm struggling to finish. :-)
DeleteWe had coffee and cake in a new coffee shop in Chichester last week following an early doors hospital appointment for my husband. We both needed sustenance and the £12 bill for delicious fare in a very nice environment with good service seemed more than reasonable. The coffee shop is called 17grams if anyone is visiting Chichester. Nowadays we get free disabled car parking in Chichester (not all councils offer free disabled car parking) so I mentally deduct a £3 parking fee from any ‘courtesy’ stop we need. Are you able to take your mum out for a short local treat Sue. It was hard work for me even 10 years ago but my mum loved our wheelchair visits to Wisley and Polesden Lacey so much it was worth it. Sarah in Sussex
ReplyDeleteThe £12 bill sounds very reasonable for coffee and cake for two people. No, sadly Mum is now unable to go out at all. She can manage a few steps with her Zimmer frame if she has someone to help her. If she can gain a bit of strength it might be possible to get her back to being able to use her wheelchair but she can't travel by road anywhere, so it would be literally into the communal gardens for some fresh air.
DeleteMaking a new friend, when chatting to the lady on the stall next to mine at the Antiques Fair.
ReplyDeleteThat's a very good highlight, and to make a friend with the same interests as you is magical. Think of all the fairs you could be side by side at. :-)
DeleteThe highlight of the week so far is learning what the building is that I see from the M6 every time I come up to the Lakes!! : - ) Every time I pass I think ' I must look that up ' and every time I forget so thank you for solving that mystery : - ) Fiona x
ReplyDeleteHaha, glad to be of service. I'm the same always meaning to look things up and totally forgetting. The Ashton Memorial is beautiful close up and the weddings that we have seen being held there are always very special. Directly opposite it and next to the café and gift shop, is the butterfly house, somewhere my boys used to love going into.
DeleteLove that citadel at Williamson Park, wasn't Victorian municipal architecture wonderful? Highlights of last week, being reunited with William, swimming for the first time in a fortnight and Friday's glorious weather! xxx
ReplyDeleteI knew you'd be happy to be back with your beautiful furry friend, he's a good mood lifter after coming home from your last festival of the season. Yes, I imagine a good long swim after all that hard work and lack of facilities was invigorating.
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