Random Jottings

Great British Bake Off - week 2

As in my last post about the GBBO and all others I may write, I point you in the direction of Simon on Stuck in a Book at his wonderful take on the show.   As I have a busy few weeks coming up I am not sure I will post on each week but we shall see.

Well first up, the Winsome Weeper aka Ruby, stopped shedding tears this week and came up trumps with her Peacock loaf. Not sure that I could be bothered with faffing about with it as much as she did but then she is on the show and I am not so be quiet Elaine.   The loser this week, Lucy, was clear from the start. She wanted to keep everything 'simple' and that is not the right attitude for GBBO. You have to show a bit of flair and go for broke - 'simple' is fine at home but not in The Tent. And Paul's comment when he saw her loaf which just looked like one of mine with tomatoes plonked on top of it, that she had had four hours and all she could produce was this, was a killer. I knew then that she was doomed.

I felt for the contestants as they made English muffins. I tried them once and they were burnt on the outside and raw on the inside and I also suffered the same fate when I once tried to make donuts.  I thought they all did pretty well considering.   One contestant, this year's Brendon, put his face down to the hotplate to see if it was warming up and I got a bit twitchy in case Sue elbowed him in the back and he went splat face down. She made up for this later by sticking an elbow on one of his muffins and squashing it flat. He took it well, but then he had to, though a contestant going beserk and chasing Sue around the tent with a frying pan would have added to the gaiety of the nation.

I have yet to develop a particular liking for any contestant, that usually happens in a few weeks time when they are whittled down a bit, but I am already finding one acutely irritating and that is Frances. She turned up with a match stick box to put her breadsticks in and was smirking and looking so pleased with herself.  Last week she made a sandwich cake like a sandwich which I thought was a tad too clever and I gather from the VT they show in between, that she loves a good 'concept'. My heart sank at this and I remembered an earlier series with Holly (think it was her) who was just too clever and just a little too self satisfied.   The viewers began to find her a pain and I fear that Frances will suffer the same fate.   I think the producers were somewhat swayed in their choice by the fact that she is a military wife and sings in the military wives choir which has had so much publicity over the last few years and pics of her husband's mates dressed in fatigues and knocking back her creations drove the point home.    I don't like being led down a certain path by the producer's slant and was quite pleased when Paul and Mary were fairly indifferent to the bread sticks in a match box.   Gimmicks will only get you so far.

Was rather startled by the array of hardware that Rob had brought along. Looked as if his entire tool set was on display and was slightly disappointed not to see a chainsaw amongst all his collection. Whatever happened to a wooden spoon and a bowl?   When you get to this stage of baking I do begin to wonder where the fun and the enjoyment goes.  And his signature bread was really pretty messy after all that.

Loved Glenn kneeling by the cooker and watching his breadsticks intently and then saying Look at me. I said I would never be one of those lunatics watching and here I am.  He has a great warmth and sense of fun about him and hoping he will stay in for a bit longer. Also very fond of Ali who is a sweetie and loved the expression on Mary Berry's face when he said the idea for his Ying and Yang bread came to him in a dream.

So no great dramas this week, no slicing of bodily parts though some tension arose when Mel spotted that Deborah was wearing the same top as the Berry.   She always has a huge scarf round her neck as well (deborah that is not Mary) and I cannot help but feel it must be incredibly hot working in that though it probably comes in handy as an extra tea towel or to soak up panic stricken sweat.

I am meandering a bit in this post as relying on my memory as to who did what but know that Simon will have it right so you can double check on his post.  Found this week lacking in incident apart from the elbow in the muffins, but sure more will occur as the series goes on though it seems a bit mean to hope for a disaster.

Sadly, I still find myself deeply in lust with Paul Hollywood.....

Slightly Foxed and the Carey Family

Slightly Foxed is one of life's most wonderful pleasures.  Their quarterly is always full of fascinating and interesting articles on books past and present and their own published books are also quirky and lovely to hold and to own.

I am simply delighted that they are reprinting Ronald Welch's Carey Novels. These were written between 1954 and 1972 and cover the fortunes of the same family from their involvement in the Crusades to the First World War.  I remember reading every single one of them in my junior library days and as I grew into teenagerhood I still read them as they are all so beautifully written they can be enjoyed by any age.   They have long been out of print and difficult to track down and I remember very well the covers of those I used to borrow again and again from the library.

These books will be published with their original illustrations and each title will be available in a limited and numbered cloth-bound edition of 2,000 copies. The first one Knight Crusader has just arrived and it is simply beautiful. I opened it up to find the family tree of the Careys and then through to the title page and the first of the wonderful illustrations. Printed on paper which is smooth to the touch and a clear font. I simply cannot stop picking it up and stroking it.   How wonderful of Slightly Foxed to give us a chance to rediscover these marvellous stories and to introduce them to a new generation.   History was, and is, one of my favourite subjects and I have lost count of the number of times I used to take my teachers by surprise by some esoteric or unusual piece of historical information which I produced. I use to smile beatifically at them when they looked astonished at my knowledge and an awful lot of it was gained from books such as these.

Do check these out at https://foxedquarterly.com and place your orders now.

Knight Crusader was published in 1954 and was the winner of the Carnegie Medal for children' s literature.  We are introduced to Philip d'Aubigny, a young knight living with his father in the kingdom of Outremer. He is a fine fighter and swordsman but impulsive and eager to prove his worth.   His chance comes when he rides into battle to defend his home from attack by the Saracen leader, Saladin. The quarrelsome barons and Crusaders cannot agree on a strategy for battle and suffer a bitter defeat with Philip being taken prisoner by the Turks. During his four years of servitude he learns patience and guile and when the opportunity comes to escape, he siezes it and makes his way to the army of Richard the Lionheart in his Third Crusade.   Here he finds his reputation from his earlier battle accomplishments has preceded him and he is regarded as one of the finest fighters in the kingdom

Philip is tired of the unbearable heat, the infighting and politicking of those surrounding the King and determines to make his way to Britain to claim his family's estate, but when he gets there finds it has been usurped by another claimant and, once again, has to battle for his inheritance

This is one of my favourites of the series and I think this is because before I became interested or at all knowledgeable about history, the Crusades and Richard the Lionheart sounded so glamorous and noble when, in fact, they were anything but.   The descriptions of the battle, the background and the impeccable historical research make this a book worth reading by adults as well as so called Junior readers. Pretty sure that reading standards and taste in children's literature have changed over the years, but Knight Crusader is beautifully written in a straightforward and masterly fashion it is as clear and easy to read today as it was some sixty years ago when it was first published.

I simply cannot wait for the entire series to be produced and am determined that I shall collect all of them and later on place them before my grandchildren and tell that that these are among Grandma's most favourite books.

Thank you Sightly Foxed.

Holiday Weekend - visit to Long Melford Hall

It is a holiday weekend here in the UK, but nowadays I forget all about them as they no longer loom so large on my horizon as when I was at work and was desperate for a break.  And, as usual, we had some pretty awful weather to contend with. Saturday morning grey and close and heavy rain and the cricket was washed out for the day much to my annoyance, but a shine on the horizon as I met up with Helen, James, Florence and Beatrice in the afternoon. They had taken a little cottage in Lavenham for the weekend and we decided to meet up at Long Melford Hall in the village of the same name. They had a holiday there a couple of years ago and it really is a delightful place boasting Kentwell Hall which is well known for its Elizabethan recreation days (remember going with Helen there on a school day when she was about ten), and the aforementioned Melford Hall which belongs to the National Trust.

So drove there, parked and wended my way up the long drive to the main entrance and Florence spotted me from the gardens and jumped up and down yelling 'Grandma' and getting all excited which was most heartwarming. The house has a connection with Beatrix Potter and some of her original paintings were on the wall and there was a children's hunt to see how many Peter Rabbits could be spotted in the house. Florence found two, one on a shelf in the nursery and one lying in a nonchalent manner on a sofa in one of the main rooms upstairs so she got a sticker and was delighted.

Then out into the garden for tea and Florence went off to have a game of croquet with her dad and Helen and I sat with Beatrice and fed her and yakked.   When they left I decided to have another look around the house and this time as I wasn't looking for rabbits I was able to wander from room to room and take my time. Very knowledgeable guides there and very friendly who were keen to impart info and answer questions and after a chat with one of the ladies there she suggested I might like to become a volunteer as she thought I would be very good at it.   So I ended up coming home with a form to fill in and, I must say, there are many duties one could do, including helping with events etc and it all sounds really interesting.   I am dithering because I have so much on as it is but I am tipping towards applying. Anybody out there who does something similar  who can advise me?

Drove home in a deluge which started just as I pulled out onto the road and the sky went dark and the rain was crashing off the roof and windows of my car so that I had to put my headlights on full and wipers going beserk trying to keep my vision clear.   Driving through fairly narrow roads awash with water and spraying up fountains as I went through, aqua plaining and skidding, it was a tad hairy and was very glad when after fifteen minutes it suddenly stopped and the sky lightened up.

Quiet day today just watching the cricket which I will not bore you with, read a couple of Ngaio Marsh books. Have not read them for a few years and I can feel a re-read coming on. Simply love her stylised, slightly stagey and mannered chat which falls beautifully on the ear and gives me enormous pleasure to read.  Tied up in Tinsel is a murder set in a house on the moors at Christmas time with the snow wuthering about and is a classic setting for a mystery and the other, Clutch of Constables, is set on a river trip, forged paintings, an international thief and all sorts of intricacies and is one of my favourites.

And, finally, to end this exciting day I made a Madeira cake.   Ideal Home magazine had a free little booklet with this month's mag of baking recipes from the twenties up to date and as I had some lemons lurking in the fridge and ingredients to hand I decided to give it a go.   And in true Great British Bake Off style I managed to slice my fingers while grating a lemon and had recourse to Elastoplast.   No blue plasters here  I am afraid. Then when taking the cake out of the oven and placing it onto the cake rack my elbow caught a carton of milk, tipped it over and half the cake became soaked in same and the rest went over this recipe book which is now stuck together and is a mess. Managed to salvage the cake but when I surveyed the wreckage and then noticed I had bled all over the kitchen floor I began to wonder why I had bothered.

Still I have just had a cup of tea and a slice of cake and it was ok and I am off to bed now. All this excitement is too much for me....

Great British Bake Off is back

Before I go any further with this post may I point you in the direction of Simon of Stuck in a Book fame who has promised to write about the Great British Bake Off every week and has started off in hilarious fashion.   I am planning on doing something similar - and I know Simon that I seem to follow your brilliant ideas but was thinking of  this I promise - but will limit mine to occasional posts and will follow Simon with breathless interest.

This show has been one of the biggest surprise hits that the BBC has produced. When the idea of Strictly Come Dancing was mooted noses were turned up and thoughts were expressed along the lines of Rubbish, It will never Catch On blah blah blah.   Now a worldwide phenomenom.   I expect similar remarks were made about the GBBO. Can you imagine the producer meetings. Baking? Cakes? Mary Berry? Who is she and she is over forty so we cannot have her on TV blah blah blah.    So they did the obvious and put in on BBC2 hoping nobody would notice it and lo and behold we now have another worldwide phenomenom as it has been sold abroad and the Beeb are making a packet (mix). Sorry could not resist putting that in.   It all proves to me once again that the BBC have no idea what their viewers like.   They know the demographic for watching TV is 35 upward and yet they are determined to cater for 'yoof' who are far too busy out on the town or downloading like crazy to sit in and watch TV.  Anyway mini rant over.

So it starts and for the next ten weeks we will be watching mixing, kneading, pulverising, screaming, crying and slicing of bodily parts. The most noticeable part of the first programme was the numer of contestants sporting blue plasters on various parts of their anatomy.    Not sure how many of my readers will have watched the latest series of Luther on the Beeb in which a blender took a prominent part...

I bake, not with the intensity and talent of many of the contestants, but I was slightly disappointed with some of the offerings produced last night. Perhaps after three seasons I am getting a bit picky but then told myself not to be so daft Elaine as to think those taking part are picked only for their culinary skills. There has to be a mix which is inclusive and will make good telly. So we therefore have a mother/grandmotherly type who calms down other contestants and helps them; a pretty young thing who dissolves into tears on a regular basis and has to be comforted; a pedant; a slightly eccentric sling it all together and see what happens kind of guy/woman; somebody gay; somebody from India/China/ethnic minority.   Put in large pot, stir and see what comes out and in case you think I am being cynical this has already been discussed all over the websites and blogs which have arisen re GBBO.

First show a tad rushed but with so many bakers at the starting line there was obviously a problem slotting  them all in and as we lose one or two a week, then we will have more time to get to know those remaining.   We have already had the winsome weeper who I predict will soon become very irritating and the mad professor and I think I have spotted the pedant, we shall see.   NIne weeks of joy lie ahead.

I have already said how disappointed I am in Paul Hollywood's all to predictible mid life crisis behavior which has led to him baking his sausage rolls elsewhere and I gather there has been quite a backlash about this on Twitter and other social media, in some cases calling for the BBC to get shot of him. OK it does rather dim the image of a nice family cosy series but really when you consider some of the arseholes presenting on television with dubious morals and lack of moral fibre (yes Simon Cowell you know I am talking about you), if we got rid of all of those we would be left with precious few people left.  We are all flawed and can behave stupidly. 

I, therefore, came to the show with a slight feeling of trepidation regarding all this which is plain daft when you think about it.   Also, I have no strength of will at all - one glance at Paul's piercing blue eyes and then his smile when he said Good Bake and I went all of a doo dah and collapsed like an undercooked meringue.   And if he ever gets tired of that skinny bony cupcake he seems to be consorting with, then I am here Paul and I am the full Swiss Roll, the luscious layered cake, the whipped cream of womenhood and I am getting totally carried away and am going to have a lie down.

Strictly Come Dancing back in a month or so as well. My cup runneth over.....

The Secrets Women Keep - Fanny Blake

This is the third book Fanny has written and the third I have read and when she writes number four it will become the fourth I have read and so on and so on as long as she continues writing.   From this you will take that I like her writing very much and you would be correct.

Fanny writes books with a mature heroine. No skinny high heeled size 10 supermodel who shops until she drops, but real people. Women who have raised a family, are now older and who have wisdom and strength and can face what life throws at them. Always reassuring to us ladies who know what is what and don't really want to read about a stick insect with problems.

This book opens in Tuscany where Rose and her husband Daniel are awaiting the arrival of their family for their annual get together and holiday.   They have two daughters and Daniel is at loggerhead with both of them; one is married to somebody of whom he disapproves and her sister is unrelaible and scatty with her stop start schemes which she assumes her father will continue to fund.   The sisters are not always on the best of terms to it is not a propitious start to the visit and Rose is anxious.

Daniel is charismatic and charming but he and Rose have had a long and secure marriage and she sees no clouds on the horizon. Then a casual glance at her husband's phone when a text arrives and she is stricken. "Miss you. Love you. Come back soon"  It seems her husband is having an affair and Rose feels the foundation of her life quiver and shake. As she sits and thinks and wonders what to do, she wonders how well she really knows her husband, has he kept secret from her before, does he really love her and what is she to do with this knowledge. 

And then tragedy strikes and the family is ripped apart and Rose finds herself having to cope with grief and desolation and all the time lurking in the background is the question Who is Daniels Lover?

The Secrets Women Keep was published by Orion in July and with its beautiful cover (a delightful watercolour) and setting this is the perfect holiday/beach read.   In fact I read it, or part of it, overlooking a bay in Cornwall while enjoying a cup of tea and a scone (could not finish the rest of it till got home on account of grandchildren) and the sun was shining and the sky and the sea were blue and all was beautiful, and this book fitted my mood perfectly.

I always feel slightly guilty describing a book as a beach read as I think it seems a rather slighting thing to say but it is not.  Indeed, this book could be read and enjoyed at any time of the year and you don't need the sun to shine or a pina colada to hand to do so.   But I will admit it fits better in the warmth of the sun.

Well written, engaging and full of real people with joys and sorrows, I enjoyed this immensely and when I returned home, tired after my six hour drive, I settled down with another cup of tea to finish it. No sun this time and no scone, but that did not matter.  I loved it.

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Here are the links to the posts in which I wrote about Fanny's previous novels. Loved both of them as well.

http://randomjottings.typepad.com/random_jottings_of_an_ope/2012/04/two-lady-writers-eleanor-prescott-and-fanny-blake.html

http://randomjottings.typepad.com/random_jottings_of_an_ope/2011/06/tuesday-roundup.html

 

Weekend Rambles

Got up this morning and looked at the last three drawers in my chest which need painting and forced myself to do them. Sat drinking tea for ages and putting it off for as long as poss but then told myself to Get a  Grip and get on with it.  Once I get going I am OK and gave them their second coat of white silk finish in half an hour and then decided to paint one of those little wooden drawer sets that IKEA used to sell  - probably still do. Have had this for yonks and on a yearly basis I have thought about painting it but now I have finally done it. Of course now I had the bit between my teeth and the brush in my hand and started prowling round the flat to see what else needed a lick of paint and knew that was the Road to Perdition and I ought to stop so did.

Now I don't know about you, but when I paint, no matter how covered up I am it gets all over me and this was the case as usual. Into the shower and scrubbed paint off with sponge and liberal amount of white spirit and then lashings of lemon shower gel to try and rid me of the Eau de Turps which was lurking.  Hoping to finish the drawers tomorrow and have new knobs on way and then it will be down to me and my trusty screwdriver to get them fitted.   It is all go here at Schloss Random I can tell you.

In between all this have been watching tennis on SKY and lolling on sofa awash with antiobiotics and cups of tea and though the tonsolitis is certainly on its way out, the pills I am taking are making me feel slightly odd so will be glad when they, too, are done.

But hey I have to be fit and well as Kathryn home in a few weeks and cannot wait to see her.   I have ended up sorting out everyone's emails and dates and suggestions and put an itinerary together and it is going to be a mad two weeks as far as I can see and I will be up and down the A12 like a fiddler's elbow for most of the time. Never mind, it will be worth it to have my darling daughters together again and I am going to take loads of pics to sustain me in the winter ahead.

Managing to get through a few books as well and yesterday finished off another new mystery writer, set in Germany this time, very good though a tad complicated and feeling a bit awash with teckery at mo so re-read a few of Richmal Crompton's adult novels, all written in the thirties and forties and wonderfully dated and stylish with husbands and wives who light each other's cigarettes and call each other Darling all the time and say things like I shall miss you Frightfully. All rather Marvellous are they (I just wrote all rather marvellous they are and then realised I was slipping into Yoda speak - catching it is...)

Exciting news as well, the Great British Bake Off is back next week with the lovely Mary Berry and the handsome Paul Hollywood though he has rather blotted his copybook in my eyes. I know if I say What is it with Men who find themselves unexpectedly Sex Gods in their middle age and then bugger up their marriage and go off with some skinny wreck, I will be accused of being sexist.  I can only pontificate from my own knowledge of the male sex and, as I have not had the best of luck with them, you can say I am a tad bitter, but I am not. Cynical yes.   And his behaviour is sooooooooooo predictable and I think it is such a pity, but what do I know. Nobody has inner knowledge of anybody else's marriage so I will try and put this to one side and concentrate on the kneading, baking and panicking which will be unfurled before us over the next few months. There is usually a blog on the Guardian online and after a few weeks this can get quite fierce as we all have our favourites and defend their flapjacks and banana bread to the hilt. Can't wait.   Simple pleasures..

I have not had a good old rant about the cricket yet and probably will, but will wait until the final test match in the Ashes next week when I hope we win the series 4-0 having drawn one game. Riveting set of matches and I have watched practically every single bat and ball and it has been terrific stuff. But more another day.

Nothing of vital import to import so off to put kettle on again and ponder on painting the kitchen which I am also thinking of doing. But not just yet....

Random catch up - Crime crime crime

Tonsolitis on the run now, feeling better and about time I did a bit of book reviewing methinks.  The antibiotics I am taking are incredibly strong and I keep keeling over and falling asleep which is not conducive to clear thinking. However, the books are piling up so here I go.

I like these books. They can be a bit predictible at times and there is no wild excitement about them, but the writing and plotting are good, the narrative nicely paced and the setting and the background are described so well the reader can almost feel as if they are there, and usually, shivering...

"Route 1 crossed the Machias River............where a torrent of coffee coloured water plunged down a steep terrac of granite shelves, dropping from one swirling pool to the next. It was so cold that the waterfall had partially frozen, forming a jagged crust of ice along the edges and a coating of rim on everything else from the frozen spray. Long icicles hund from the footbridge strung across the falls"

The Frozen Dead - Bernard Minier.  And another book set in the cold and the ice and chilling.  A young female pyschiatrist takes up a new post at a secure asylum for the criminally insane. It is up in the mountains isolated in the snow and the wind and houses some of the most infamous serial killers ever known. Diane finds the brooding location and remoteness of the buildings intimidating:

"............up on the slope, two long stone buildings.....a giant's architecture. The same Cyclopean style that was everywhere in the mountains. That's what it was, the lair of a Cyclops. Except that there was not just one Polyphemus deep inside the cave - there were several.   Diane was not the type to be easily daunted.....but something about the view there before her made her stomach lurch...........a leap into the unknown"

Unknown to her a gruesome discovery is taking place not far away when the mutiliated corpse of a horse is found  near to the asylum.   The horse was a favourite of a local millionaire and businessman and he uses his influence to obtain an investigation from Commandant Servaz, a cop from Toulouse, who simply cannot believe he is there to deal with a dead animal.   However, the DNA from one of the most notorious inmates of the asylum is found on the corpse and within a few days the first murder takes place.

This is a debut novel by this author I found it pretty riveting reading.   Reader taken nicely along various blind alleys and made to feel completely lost and puzzled until the ending reveals all. An exellent addition to the crime genre and I await Minier's follow up with great interest.

The Sacrificial Man - Ruth Dugdall.    I read this author's previous book The Woman before Me and thought it very good. It introduced us to probation officer Cate Austin and had a twist at the end that totally took me by surprise.  This current title has been sitting on my shelves for some time and decided it was time I read it and when I did wondered why I had left it so long, but difficult to keep up sometimes.

Cate Austin is asked to assess Alice Mariani who is charged with assisted suicide and Cate must recommend a sentence.   Alice is beautiful and charismatic  and perfectly capable of manipulation so it is very difficult to decide whether she is telling the truth or manouevering to remain out of prison which is a fate which she finds terrifying.

"What I want to say is that suicide is my choice. No-one else is to blame. Man seeks beautiful woman for the journey of a lifetime. Will you help me to die?"

This is the advert on the internet to which Alice responds and she claims that her story is one of misinterpreted love and she was merely fulfilling the wishes of the man who died.   I should warn anybody who decides to read A Sacrificial Man that there are parts of it that you might find a bit stomach churning. I found an aspect of the death a bit hard to take, but this aspect of the story leads us into the mind of the one committing suicide and his state of mind. 

This is a very bleak book and not a fun read, but it is a compelling one. The narrative flows backwards and forwards between the thoughts of Cate and Alice so that we are privy to what they are thinking and how they view each other, a plot device I always like, and impossible to put down once started, though you may occassionally want to.

Very good indeed.  Please note that this is on offer at the moment in the Kindle summer sale at 99p. Incredible bargain.

So three down and more to come.

Thank you for your patience.

More Cornwall

Still feeling wiped out though the sore throat is receding thank the Lord so more pics in this post and will be catching up with my recent reading later on in the week when I can concentrate a bit more.

I am a huge fan of a series on UK television, Doc Martin, starring Martin Clunes, who is a lovely man and an excellent actor.   Doc Martin, an esteemed and successful surgeon, develops a blood phobia and finds he can no longer carry out operations. He decides to get away from it all and takes up a post as a local GP in a fishing village in Cornwall.  The fishing village is Port Wenn but in reality it is Port Isaac and to my delight I found it was a mere fifteen minutes walk away from Port Gaverne where we were staying. So one day I set off for a lovely walk along the headlands and into Port Isaac where I unashamedly wandered around with my camera taking pics and generally being a Doc Martin groupie. I am pleased to say I was not alone and when I stopped a young couple and asked if they would take a pic of me outside the house they used for his practice in the TV series, they were pleased to do so if I would return the compliment.

So pictures shown here for aficionados of Doc Martin who will recognise them, but on their own merits for everyone else. Delightful place with gorgeous harbour, winding streets and full of charm.

  Harbour at Port Isaac

  Me smirking outside Doc Martin's House

 

Walking down into the village and harbour

                    Tide out at the harbour - white house up on headland was used as Port Wenn school

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And, once again, we had the most glorious weather. I just wandered about beaming at everyone it was all so lovely.

Random Returns from Cornwall

...........and is immediately laid low by tonsilitis. Where did I get that from I ask myself? Thak goodness it did not make its prescence felt until I was home. Not sure I could have done the six hour drive feeling the way I did yesterday.

So this will be a brief post. I went to a NHS drop in centre this morning (first appointment with my doctor, or any doctor, was not until Friday), saw a lovely lady who diagnosed problem just by looking at me as apparently she could see swollen glands. So anti biotics and down to a local supermarket which has a pharmacy to get prescription.   Suddenly felt wobbly and went to sit down in the cafe and a lovely member of staff came up to see if I was OK and fetched me a glass of water and made me stay there until I felt better. People are so kind.

Anyway, a wonderful time was had by all. I do not put pics of Florence and Beatrice on the blog - if you are a Facebook friend you can see some there, but here are some pics of Padstow and a wonderful river trip. Will be posting more over the next few days as I feel better.

Good to be back and I had a lovely break even if the homecoming was not quite what I expected!

As you can see, we had glorious weather too. I have been to so many beautiful places in the world but there is nothing, simply nothing, that beats the English countryside or sea in the summer when the sun is shining.

Am not going to Australia next year, taking a break.   Kathryn is coming home in a few weeks to see us all which is wonderful and next year I will be staying in the UK. If there is anybody out there who lives near the sea or in a lovely location and would like a housesitter then please let me know!   I am good with cats...

Random on Holiday

Once more may I thank you all for the simply wonderful and encouraging messages and comments you have all left for me under my last post and also emails received off blog.   I certainly had no intention of stopping, but just wanted to get some feedback as I felt I was getting a bit stale and repetitive, so I now feel much better about the content of Random.

I am off to Cornwall this week.   I am going to stay with James, Helen and my gorgeous two granddaughters. We are all staying in a cottage which has no wifi or broadband connection, no landline and no guarantee of a good mobile signal.  At first I thought Blimey, but now I am looking forward to it - I will take no laptop with me, I will visit no internet cafe and I will take a complete break from blogging, tweeting and Facebooking. I think it will do me good.

I am back at the weekend and be prepared for loads of photos as I love Cornwall and am near to Port Isaac where the series Doc Martin was filmed. Wonderful series and it looked so pretty and fascinating there that I will be snapping away. 

Weather forecast looks good too.    I am driving down so that will be a haul but after checking the train times, costs and taxis the resulting amount was so prohibitive I decided just to get into my little Nissan and take off.   So wish me luck.

Have a good week everyone.

Au reservoir.