Cancelled plans

 Back again. How that fortnight flies. OH is still off work having been signed off for a further 4 weeks from the end of January. And now we're in February! He has finally got his appointment for the MRI scan at Papworth so by the time I publish my next post he will have been AND received the results - I hope.

It was a beautiful day on the Wednesday after my last post. Sunny, with bright blue skies but quite windy; the remnants of Storm Jocelyn making her presence felt. The people in the north of the country and in Northern Ireland were the most affected by the storm. All was well at the caravan site in Co. Donegal; one of our fellow visitors checked with the caravan site owner who assured her all the vans were fine. Whew! It's always a worry when the weather is bad; how will the caravan cope. It's not been unknown for a storm to rip one of the roofs off!

OH and I went out for a walk to enjoy the beautiful day even further . I wore this outfit and didn't even change my boots for walking boots as I thought we'd be walking on hard paths all the way. I was wrong.

Trousers found in the Asda sale; boots, plaid top and green shirt all pre-loved. All jewellery pre-loved.

We walked here:

One of the joys of walking in the countryside is the amount of interesting churches and buildings one comes across. It's one of the reasons why I like the Friday group walk so much; we have time to stop and look at things and on today's walk OH and I made our way inside the church. Luckily it was open; quite often churches are locked although often one can retrieve the key from the vicarage or other places. I liked the simplicity of this church; one stained glass window; a very humble organ and altar; plain pews; walls and floors. I also loved the displays of greenery on the window sills.

With its lovely brown cobbled walls, small leaded spire and its blend of Decorated and Perpendicular styles of architecture, All Saints’ Church has served the Parish of Renhold for over 800 years. It is a Grade 1 listed building and contains a Norman font which I didn't photograph. The Parish register dates back to 1564.

In the porch of the church were chutneys and jellies for sale. We bought Quince jelly which was delicious. My go to comfort food is toast and jam and I like to have a variety of jams and jellies to choose from. There are quince trees (Cydonia oblonga) in our community orchard; I might try and pick some when they are next ripe and make my own quince jelly.

Renhold, which is on the far side of Bedford about 2.5 miles away from where we live is  a very attractive village with plenty of lovely thatched cottages. 

Then we came to this quite ordinary albeit large house below:

Which had these extraordinary life sized playful zebras  in their front garden!

Some of our 5 mile walk from Renhold took us through part of the Howbury Hall estate. We had to walk through several field paths to get back to where we had parked the car but at least the paths weren't muddy. This is Howbury Hall today; originally a Jacobean house and inhabited by the Becher family in the 16th century and the Polhill family in the 17th century; it's still in their possession today.

Howbury Hall as painted by Thomas Fisher in 1815.

Howbury Hall as occupied by the Polhill family, but notice there is only one wing.  The Hall was seriously damaged by a fire in 1847 leaving only one wing and was rebuilt by James Horsford for Frederick Charles Polhill-Turner (1826-1821) in 1849 to restore the destroyed wing. SOURCE.

Once we were home we had a very chilled out afternoon and evening with no cooking - fish and chips for dinner.

Thursday continued with dry and mild weather of 12 degrees. I woke up too late to go on the Thursday amble but will make up for it on Saturday. I set off for the weekly shop at 11 am and on the way back visited the Castle Road charity shops which I like to check out every week. I bought a book and yet another pendant!

Everything I wore was pre-loved. Wide legged crop trousers; Bershka top; and coatigan found in the Donkey Sanctuary charity shop in Ballyboffey Co. Donegal. Boots found in the Cat's Protection League in Kempston. Both charity shops have both since closed down; it's such a shame they were both great places for a rummage...

All jewellery pre-loved.

I made dinner for both grandsons and took youngest to basket ball practice. He asked if on Saturday I could take him and a couple of friends to a basket ball match in Stevenage as his mum is working; at last I'd get a chance to watch him play but I'd be hard pressed to squeeze in a walk unless I went very early - and that would depend on the weather.  

Middle grandson informed me his mum had named the cat - 'Coco'. I'm hoping it's after Coco Chanel; that doyenne of fashion and a favourite of his mum...I'm so glad the cat has finally been named. I was getting tired of asking him how the cat was...

On Friday I was expecting to go to London to visit the latest exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum in Bermondsey. Unfortunately, cousin Marian fell in the street last week and was feeling bruised and battered so we've postponed it for another day. I suspect she has cracked some ribs. However, it gave me the perfect opportunity to walk with the unofficial bus walk group as they were walking somewhere I'd never walked before; in the county of Buckinghamshire and only 14 miles from home...

Weston Underwood - a very pretty village.  Cobblestone pavements; lots of lovely houses:

Made of limestone from the local quarry in Weston. We stopped and chatted to a couple of men who were rebuilding a wall and they told us about the stone and where it came from.

I spied another Thatcher's signature - a fox.

The church in the adjoining village of Ravenstone

 was rather lovely but unfortunately not open. Grade 1 listed and dating from the 12th century.

You can see it was a beautiful day; a bit breezy but temperatures between 8-9 degrees and in the sun it was warm.

We stopped for a break in the church yard with this lovely view.

This is a mausoleum inside the church with four pillars and what looks like a marble curtain - a four poster bed? It's the resting place of Heneage Finch 1st Earl of Nottingham and the Lord Chancellor of England between 1675 and 1682. I took this photo through the lead-paned church window...

This is Cowper's Alcove. We stopped here  where the poet William Cowper (1731-1800) composed a lot of his poetry. He lived for a while in the nearby town of Olney. Below; on the last leg of our 4.5 mile walk:

We stopped in 'The Cowper Oak' for lunch after the walk and sat beside this lovely open fire.

I started out with wine coloured trousers but they were so mud splattered from the walk I changed into these pre-loved East jeans; pre-loved tunic top and pre-loved vintage Wolsey polo neck. Boots retail. Pre-loved M&S jacket.

Earrings and pendant pre-loved.

I finally went into town to get my eyebrows down and ran a couple of errands whilst I was there. Once home I lit the fire and we chilled out all evening. I finished the last book on the last TBR pile I showed you before and which also included the addition of two Christmas present books. 

This is my latest TBR pile which in future I'm going to extend to 7 to included a detective or crime novel. The two non-fiction books in this pile both biographies; were inspired by listening to a 'Slightly Foxed' podcast about the author Dodie Smith; ('I Capture the Castle' (one of my all time favourite books) '101 Dalmations' etc) whose biography was written by Valerie Grove. Valerie Grove had also written a biography of Kaye Webb who was the publisher of the Puffin children's book series and founder of the 'Puffin Club'. I found both books quite cheaply online, but I'm starting with 'The Hare and the Tortoise' by Elizabeth Jenkins which is one of two modern Virago books; I'll have to remember include a green (classic) Virago as well in my next TBR pile...

I never expected to enjoy myself as much as I did on Saturday afternoon. I took youngest grandson and two team mates to play a basketball match in Stevenage. I know nothing about basketball, not even the rules and have never watched a game before. My goodness it was exciting and very fast moving! I took quite a few photos but because he (No.10) was moving they were mostly blurry. The one below is from the warm up. Grandson's team won by  a healthy margin, I'm pleased to say.

I didn't have time for outfit photos in the morning and waited until I got home from the match by which time the light was fading fast.The photos are a bit rubbish, I'm afraid. Latest pendant find and all jewellery pre-loved. Pre-loved dress by Zara and pre-loved boots and suede jacket. Floral tights gift from daughter. I wore a mustard cross body bag to match the dress but forgot to include it in the photo.

OH cooked dinner so I caught up with blogging. We began watching a French series called 'A French Case' about the unsolved murder of a 4 year old boy in France in 1980. I couldn't warm to any of the characters but it was a shocking indictment of how the media can distort the truth and ruin individual's lives.

 I was a bit late for swimming in the morning and only managed 40 laps but that's better than nothing. As a woman I was talking to in the pool said; 'you feel so much better after the swim' - she was put off by the overnight frost; having to scrape the windscreen etc but I have no excuse as it's a six minute walk from my house...

We took advantage of the free 'open day' at the Shuttleworth Estate in Old Warden on Sunday afternoon.

In 1872, Joseph Shuttleworth bought Old Warden Estate. The original red brick manor house, which was built by the Ongley family, was pulled down, the architect Henry Clutton, a prominent Victorian architect, was commissioned to design the House you see below. SOURCE

 

A modest entrance.

The entrance hall.

This bookcase was beautifully enclosed within the wall of one of the rooms and jutted out only a few inches into the room. The house was panelled throughout in oak panelling; with oak doors, pediments and surrounds. The staircase was also made of oak and there were lots of dark gloomy paintings everywhere. The overall impression was one of gloom despite it being quite a bright day outside!

Lots of very intricate carving over doors and around fire places.

Shame about the heater but the volunteers need to keep warm...

This fireplace was an example of Victorian recycling; above the mantel the panel is constructed from a 17th century chest in three sections. There's even a keyhole in the middle panel...

Pet's portrait corner.

 I loved the painted panel over the door.

Only the downstairs rooms were open to the public and once once we'd looked around we then went for a walk around some of the estate. This is the summer house quite close to the house and there is also a lake; a sculpture garden;a play ground and a Swiss garden. We never found the entrance to the sculpture garden and it may have been part of the Swiss garden which required paid entry and was only accessible from the Visitors Centre. We will come back and visit the Swiss garden, but want to wait a few more weeks to see the spring flowers and we'd like to revisit the Shuttleworth Collection of vehicles - well, OH does!

Shuttleworth also has an agricultural college set into its 875 acres. OH and I walked 3 miles and stopped at the Visitor's centre for some coffee and cake. It was a very pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon and we'd do the house cleaning tomorrow.

A very mild day on Monday. Everything I wore to volunteer at Barnardo's on Monday morning was pre-loved except for the boots. Skirt by East; blouse; the second of two I bought at vintage kilo sale in the Corn Exchange in Bedford a few years back. The tank top is by F&F.

All jewellery pre-loved.

I ploughed my way through a mountain of donations and served customers. The mountain was just a little hump by the time I left so I was feeling very pleased with myself. Once home I joined OH in doing the housework and then caught up with blog land. OH cooked dinner. On Tuesday we'll be eating out with my daughter, her partner and the youngest grandson. She's graduating from her Master's degree and after the ceremony (OH and I not attending she was only allowed 2 guests) we're going to Kettering to meet up with my brothers and go out for an evening meal. I'm very proud of her. It's not easy to work full time, study, run a home and bring up children -  all at the same time. I know; I've done it!

At the food bank on Tuesday I made up 18 Kettle packs which is all I had time for. Then I went for a swim and swam 45 laps. Everything I wore was pre-loved; cropped trousers by White Stuff; top by Bershka and tank top same as yesterday's outfit. Boots retail., All jewellery pre-loved.

I stayed in the same clothes for the evening meal which was made even better as my eldest grandson managed to make it. We had a lovely evening at the Red Lion in Cranford near Kettering.

OH and I started our day on Wednesday with a 6.25 mile walk. We went back to Renhold and explored one of the bridle paths we'd passed on our previous walk there. It was a bit soggy underfoot and OH didn't want to continue exploring, but I will go by myself another time and check it out.

I saw my first snowdrops of the year but couldn't take photos as I'd left my phone in the car; they were near the church where we checked to see if they had anymore quince jelly.  They didn't. These photos were taken when I picked up some kindling at the farm shop on Thursday. They were just beside where I parked the car.

We then went to Aldi where I picked up some items for the weekly shop. We had fish and chips for dinner as we were off out again that evening to the cinema to see 'The Holdovers'. Out for 2 nights  in a row - very unusual for us!

An amusing and feel good film; we thoroughly enjoyed it.

Wednesday's outfit - all pre-loved except boots as before. Skirt by M&S; polo neck by Zara. Brown leather jacket; a pre-loved replacement recently acquired.

I wore this outfit to walk in with the addition of walking socks, walking boots and a sleeveless puffa jacket.

Thursday was a busy day as it nearly always is. I set off for the farm shop and then went to Lidl and Sainsburys. Once the shopping was put away I set off on a few errands; posting birthday cards to my son in Norfolk; buying some items in Savers and popping into a couple of charity shops; I bought a couple of small bowls. Just lately I'd managed to break almost all my small bowls.

I made dinner for both grandsons and then took youngest grandson home as there was no basket ball practice that evening. I caught up with blogging and read one of my biographies from the TBR pile. I was finally able to add a 'Books Read 2024' page to the blog; I kept trying and eventually it worked.

Thursday's outfit. Everything pre-loved except the boots a local retail buy. Velvet needle cord skirt by M&S; shirt by M&Co; jumper by Tu.

All jewellery pre-loved.

We had an early start on Friday morning catching the train to London for OH to recce a walk he'd wanted to do for a while. We started off from London Bridge station with the aim of walking to the Elephant and Castle. We ran out of time as were going to meet up with eldest grandson for a meal at his restaurant in the afternoon; so we'll come back and finish the recce another day. There was plenty to see though and here are some of the things that caught my fancy:

Views from London Bridge - HMS Belfast below.

Southwark Cathedral - this was where my Master's Degree graduation took place in 1995 only I didn't attend...

The Monument

I loved the stone carvings of camels above this record shop on Eastcheap. I worked in a building in Eastcheap in 1971 for the Three Tees Agency; an employment agency for typists, telephonists and telex operators. I couldn't have picked out the building on Friday even if my life depended on it; the area has changed so much. It was most likely demolished to make way for one of the many new buildings that have since sprung up.

St. Margaret Patten - Eastcheap

Wonderful Victorian gothic architecture.

Above and below All Hallow's by the Tower.

St. Olave's - a medieval church in Hart Lane, just off Seething Lane.

You know I love a church photo...

The Ibex building built in 1935.

The Tower of London and The Shard.

On Tower Bridge - we walked across it.

Accumulator tower and chimney to the East side of the approach to Tower Bridge. A grade II listed building. Perhaps it's always been the case but everywhere we went in London there was scaffolding up and building going on...

All seen on the blog before and pre-loved except the boots. Skirt by M&S; bought in a Belfast charity shop; top by F&F and tank top I can't remember...

All jewellery pre-loved.

From Tower Bridge we made our way towards Bermondsey and the Elephant and Castle, although we didn't get as far as the E and C. We passed wharves and warehouses...

 The Thames is a tidal river and as you can see the tide was out.

Conscious that we needed to be in Soho by a certain time; we then hopped onto the tube at Bermondsey and made our way to grandson's restaurant which is quite close to Liberty's in Regent Street (above). I was hoping to have a good browse there after the meal but we decided to get home earlier and caught a fast train home.

Carving over the entrance to Liberty's.

We passed the London Palladium. I came here in 1971/1972 to see Jerry Lee Lewis!

On Saturday OH wanted to go for a rummage and we decided on St.Ives and Huntingdon, where we hadn't been for a while; although I walked there last summer with the Unofficial bus walk group.

We had a lovely time. I found a skirt and on a 1.00 sale rail an Adini dress and a an orange striped top; I also bought a pair of earrings and a few books. In St.Ives there was a craft sale in the Free Church and I had a go on the tombola. I won 2 prizes; a set of tea, coffee and sugar canisters and a lovely leaf patterned scarf.

Jeans retail; everything else pre-loved. Jumper by Paul Costello; jacket by M&S; boots as before and all jewellery pre-loved. The pendant is by Oliver Bonas and was one of the first I found.

Both Saturday and Sunday were warm days with temperatures of 12 and 13 degrees. On Sunday I went for a swim as per usual but what chaos! It was the first operational day of the new company who had taken over the leisure contract from the council; and of course the data base hadn't transferred over...I was given a new card and booked my swim for Tuesday afternoon. I couldn't book next Sunday's swim as they only work 5 days in advance. I'll revert back to booking the week ahead's swims when I'm actually at the pool. I need to take my phone with me now as you scan an app on your phone to gain entrance. I have no idea what happens if you don't have a mobile phone!

 

I only had time to swim 36 laps (0.75 miles) due to the delay getting into the pool but I was delighted to see my first crocuses on my way home from the pool. I popped round to see Coco the cat at my grandson's house and to bring her a toy. She took one look at me and shot under the cooker. She obviously remembers me as the nasty woman who kidnapped her from my hairdresser's house...

I didn't have time to take photos on Monday morning before going to Barnardo's and by the time I did take the photos the light once again was poor. Everything pre-loved. This is the animal print skirt found on Saturday's rummage; shirt was a vintage find from my Barnardo's a few weeks ago by Chantilly. Tank top by Zara. All jewellery pre-loved.

 

Boots retail.

I spent the best part of my shift at Barnardo's cleaning the toy shelves. I had to remove every toy first; spray the shelf, wipe it and dry it; there were 8 shelves in total and I hate cleaning! Once that was done I processed donations and cleared a few bags from the huge pile of donations. I came home to bad news. I'd received a parking ticket in the post with a fine of 100.00 or 60.00 if paid within 14 days. It was from when we parked the car on our last Wednesday walk to Renhold. There was a 2 hour parking limit and we exceeded it by 28 minutes. I had absolutely no idea there were parking restrictions at 'Go Outdoors; a huge emporium devoted to outdoor activities. Ouch!

At the weekend we began watching this Belgian-Dutch collaboration about undercover cops.. There are 3 series and the first series is proving to be very gripping. We also want to watch 'True Detective' (also 3 series) with the wonderful Jodie Foster, so that's our TV viewing sorted for the next few weeks at least.

Both Monday and Tuesday were very grey and depressing days but not cold. I'd be so happy to see some sunshine and hope that Wednesday will be brighter as forecast.

This was Tuesday's outfit. All pre-loved. Dress by Adini from a 1.00 rail on Saturday's rummage; polo neck by H&M; boots as before. Tights by Snag. All jewellery pre-loved.

I like Superdrug's own brand of make up 'MUA' (Make UP Academy) and wear their lipsticks a lot. This is a new colour to me 'Heartbreaker'. I usually wear 'Agenda' or 'Razzleberry'. 

At the food bank I made up 20 kettle packs then came home and took all my make up off to go swimming. I swam 44 laps and managed to book further swimming sessions online with the new system. From the pool I walked to the chemist to pick up my 2 monthly prescription then home to clean out the fire and chill out. OH cooked dinner. I caught up with blogs and blogging and continued reading my latest Persephone book from my TBR pile.

I'm hoping to have a quieter or less busy week this week. There are no evening excursions planned and other than a walk with OH on Wednesday and a couple of group walks, that's it. See you in a fortnight when I hope there'll have been even further signs of Spring!