Last day of the year.

I got up at 5.20 and put on a load of washing. I had egg 🥚 on toast for breakfast with a mug of tea. I hung out the washing when it was done and H and I went to Asda . I unpacked as soon as I got home and read my tele magazine. We had a small coffee and I made the bed while H got the bikes out of the  garage. As around 9.40 we all got ready to go out on our bikes. We did 48 and a bit miles off road. We went from ours to Reepham, just doing a short road bit from Whitwell. Then to Aylsham railway station for a coffee and then on to Wroxham station. We turned round and went back to Aylsham station where we had another drink and H had a toasted tea cake and I had a bowl of cheesy chips.  After that it was the 16 miles home from there . It was a nice day to do it, the track was in fair condition, only muddy in a few places and we had a lot of sun. When we got home I made a pot of tea and got the washing in. Now I am cooking dinner, we are having sirloin steaks with mushrooms, tomatoes, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower and leeks. I am going up for my soaps when I have finished my dinner.
           HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Back to work, Monday

 I got up at 5.50, put on a load of washing and had a duck egg on toast for breakfast with a cup of tea. I packed my lunch, made my bed, dressed etc, hung out the washing and got ready to go to work. H went out front while I was hanging out the washing to scrape the ice off the car and turn it round for me but when I went out he said we had a problem. There was a light on on the dash. We got the book out to see what the light meant and it would have been one of three things! He tried the easy thing first while I was ringing my boss to tell him I would be late. Anyway we struck it lucky and solved the problem. I went off straight away and arrived at work at 8.03. The boss was pleased to see me because we were very busy. He said if I couldn’t have got the car started he would have sent his wife to pick me up! I had to go straight to leeks . I trimmed 4 boxes before the men joined me and we had to have 5 for the first delivery so we all filled another and went to celeriac for 20 kgs of them. We had our break and then washed and packed parsnips, carrots 🥕 ( bunched and loose, orange and purple) leeks and celeriac. As soon as we had loaded the 2 vans so the boss and his wife could deliver them we all went back to leeks and trimmed them for the rest of the morning. When I got home H made me a coffee and I had a mince pie and a load of chocolate, nuts etc. Our son went out for a walk and when he came back he got ready and went climbing. When he got home at 6 o’clock we had dinner. It was chicken, potatoes, cabbage cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, leeks and swede with gravy. It was all very nice. I don’t have to go to work again till Thursday so tomorrow we are going on a long bike ride.

Sunday

I got up at 10 past 6 and made a bowl of porridge for breakfast. For some reason it was far too thick!! I could almost have cut it up and eaten it with a knife and fork! It was horrible. I also had a mug of tea . I just sat and read my book after that till everyone else was up then I did a bit of clearing up. We had a coffee and I made the bed. H got ready to ride his normal 100 km upstairs and I got sons and my bike out of the garage ready for us to go for a bike ride. We decided that as it’s been dry for a couple of days we would try the railway line. It was pretty good, a bit muddy in places but we enjoyed it. We did 19 and a half miles. As soon as we got home I made son a salad, H some turkey sandwiches and then sent no 1 son a message to tell him we were home because he said he was coming round. I had a turkey sandwich and made more for son and daughter in law. When they arrived I made a pot of tea we all had a chat and they were here for a while. When they left I had to cook dinner, cottage pie. I fried an onion, then added the mince and cooked it with a chopped carrot and some peas. Added the stock and then cooked some veg. The potatoes for the top. Son is off potatoes so I also cooked a cauliflower. My daughter suggested it and it worked well. I also cooked carrots and sprouts.when it was all cooked I mashed the potatoes and spread them over half, then mashed the cauliflower and spread it on the other end, covered it all in grated cheese and popped it under the grill to brown off, it was nice and son said his end of the pie was very nice. We had yogurt for pudding. Tomorrow I have to go to work.

Saturday

I got up at 6.15 and put on a load of washing. I made a pot of tea but waited till H got up before having my breakfast because I wanted toast. I hung the first load of washing out and then did a second load. I hung that out too. We had a coffee and I got the bins in and H and I got our bikes out of the garage. At 9.30 we got ready to go out on our bikes with our daughter and son in law. We met them at 10. We did a road ride.25. 22 miles. It was very enjoyable. My bike suddenly seized up with about 8 miles to go.we struggled to see what the problem was but it turned out to be a little “ pin” that links your chain together. It was coming out and catching on my pedal. H, who is brilliant had a link remover in his backpack and a spare link so he was able to repair it! When we got home we had cheese and biscuits for lunch (son was out climbing) with some Christmas chutney. I got my washing in but it was still quite damp, there wasn’t much dry out. Son had a salad when he came home and I made a turkey stew for dinner. I had 2 tangerine’s and an apple for my pudding. H poured me a glass of wine. I will be glad when all the Christmas stuff has gone and I can get back on my diet. My will power is nil! Son says he and I are going to try Marriotts Way tomorrow as we have had a couple of days with no rain it might have dried out a bit.

Friday. (Dip day)

I got up at 7.15 after a pretty good sleep, put on a load of washing and made a pot of tea and a bowl of porridge for breakfast. When the washing was done and son was up I put it all in the tumble drier and dried it. We all had a coffee and I made the bed, took the rubbish out then I took the bin to the front ready for tomorrow. I took 3 fillet steaks out of the freezer for dinner tonight and cut the rest of the meat off the turkey carcass and froze it. As 12 o’clock we all got ready to go to Cromer. I put my swimsuit on under my clothes and we were all ready at 12.15 so off we went. After we had parked we went to Mary Janes for chips and went to sit overlooking the sea to eat them. Our daughter, son in law and youngest granddaughter plus their 2 dogs joined us. When we had finished our chips we went onto the beach and walked along for a bit till we were away from the where most of the people were and then we took our top clothes off and 3 of us ran into the sea. It was really strange, by the time we got up to our hips none of us could feel our legs! Daughter and I dipped right in up to our ears but son dived over backwards and went right under.! I am so pleased with myself, it’s something  I’ve always wanted to do  but it’s all to organised now with hundreds turning up and we didn’t want to be on tv. So we waited a day and did it on our own. We all enjoyed it and plan to do it again next year. When we got home we had a cup of tea and a glass of Christmas wine. I had a bath and washed my hair. Next I cooked dinner, fillet steaks ( which were delicious) jacket potatoes, peas and salad. My back is so much better than yesterday but not right. I am now going to watch Corrie.

Boxing Day ( Thursday)

.I got up at 6.15 and made a pot of tea. I couldn’t face porridge so H cut me off a slice of bread and I had toast. I have done very little all day apart from eat, because my back is so painful. I tried doing a bit of clearing up in the garden because that normally helps but it poured with rain so I had to go in. I wasn’t able to garden long enough. For lunch I made vegetable soup. Son is now not eating potatoes so I couldn’t put any in. It seemed a very smooth soup. I sat all afternoon doing nothing H had his exercise on the turbo. For dinner tonight we had turkey 🦃 again, with veg and gravy. For dessert we had cold Christmas pudding with ice cream and cream. Tomorrow we are going to the seaside!

Christmas Day

I got up at 3.30 to put the turkey in the oven but went back to bed till 6 o’clock. I put on a load of washing and had porridge for breakfast. When everyone else got up we opened our presents and all had a glass of Buck’s Fizz. Our daughter, son in law and youngest granddaughter all came round baring gifts. Our dinner was good and everything came together at the right time. Our grandson and his partner came round this afternoon so that was great, they were just off for a walk when they left us. Normally I would have gone with them but my back is playing up a bit so I rested. I think it’s feeling better already. For tea H had a turkey sandwich and son and I had salad with sliced turkey. I was too full for a slice of Christmas cake. Oh at dinner time we had Christmas pudding, H and son had cream on theirs but I had gravy as usual. Sons pudding was gluten free. I am watching Emmerdale but I am going down when it’s over to watch Gavin and Stacey with the others.
Merry Christmas.

Tuesday, Christmas Eve.

I got up at 6.15.! It was nice to sleep a bit longer than I usually do but I really wanted to get up earlier today because I had to go to the butchers. I put on a load of washing.I was almost ready when H got up, I told him I was just off and he insisted on going with me. So then I had to wait for him to get ready etc. Anyway when we got home he had his breakfast and made us a coffee. It had stopped raining and the sun came out so I hung out the washing. I had checked my phone and no more rain was forecast. I got my bike out of the garage ready to go for a ride with no 2 son, the sky turned a bit dark but it was very windy so I thought it would blow over. WRONG! The next minute it poured and my washing got soaked. We waited another hour and everywhere was very wet so we had our lunch before riding. H was riding upstairs. Son and I just did 15.5 miles on the road but is was so wet and muddy we were filthy when we got back. The bikes had to be hosed down! When we got back we had just missed no 1 son and his wife who had been round with our Christmas presents. We didn’t know they were coming, it’s a good job H stayed at home. I had a shower and watched a bit of tv before getting dinner. We had sausages, bacon, eggs with roast carrots,sweet potato, mushrooms, cauliflower and sprouts. We had a magnum classic for dessert and a cup of tea. I am now going to watch Eastenders.

Monday.

I got up at 5.30, had tea and toast for breakfast, packed my lunch, put on a load of washing and a load in the tumble dryer. I sorted my work bag etc and got ready to go to work.   It was a great journey into work because there was hardly any traffic on the road. When I got there the boss said we were busy. I was pleased because the time goes so quickly then. I had to get 36 bunches of carrots and 3 boxes of leeks before the men reached me and I was on the last leek as they drove up. We went to the wash pit and washed and packed my carrots and leeks, their celeriac, swedes and parsnips then had our break. After break we packed it all put it in the 2 vans, one for the boss to the deliver and the other for his wife to do the honour ‘s. We went back to the top of the field for 3 boxes of purple beetroot, 1 box of golden beetroot and 5 boxes of swedes. We took it all back to the yard, washed and packed it and it was almost time to go home. The homeward journey was awful, so busy. First I couldn’t get out of the works gate, then I couldn’t get over the Cromer road it was so busy. It was the same at all my junctions and it took me over twice as long as usual to get home.When I got home son had gone to the City. H made me a coffee and we had some lunch. I sat and read most of the afternoon, we had a glass of wine. At 4 I made a pot of tea. I had a bath and then cooked dinner. We had gammon steaks, potato wedges, sweet potato wedges, peas, mushrooms and eggs. It was stewed blackberry and apple with cream for dessert. I don’t have to work any more till next Monday.

Sunday.

I got up at 5.30 and put on a load of washing. I had porridge and a mug of tea for breakfast. I then just sat and read my book till he others got up . H made me a coffee and I emptied the dishwasher and put everything away. As 10 o’clock we popped to the shop because we didn’t have enough dishwasher tablets to last over Christmas. When we got home H and son had a coffee but I didn’t because son and I were going for a walk. H didn’t want to come because he’s not keen on walking. He had an hour on the turbo instead. We had a very nice walk around Ringland hills. It was pretty windy but we were sheltered in the woods. It was very wet and muddy underfoot. On the way there we had to drive through a huge flood and we passed loads of fields that were underwater. We saw no other walkers while we were out. When we got home I got son a salad for lunch and H and I had a bagel. Later on we all had a glass of wine and I put the meat in the oven and prepared the vegetables. I had a chat with our daughter about a few upcoming events. She Hasán nasty flu like thing at the moment so I hope it’s gone for Christmas. For dinner tonight we had roast pork with mashed and roast potatoes, sprouts, carrots,broccoli and leeks with gravy. Pineapple for pudding. We also had a pot of tea. I just went downstairs and caught H and son eating chocolates off the Christmas tree! Tomorrow I have to go to work.

Saturday.

I got up at 5.50 and so did H. We both had porridge and tea for breakfast. He also had 2 slices of toast. I put on a load of washing and the tumble dryer. As soon as I had cleaned my teeth I dressed and went to Tesco’s to get the things I forgot to buy yesterday.I got home and I unpacked and put everything away and H made us a coffee. He then went up to ride 50 miles! While he was up there I vacuumed all upstairs, then all downstairs. I made a beef stew for dinner tonight and washed the kitchen and toilet floors. I sorted our bins out and folded the dry washing and put it in the airing cupboard. I dusted and put up the cards the postman brought. I had a text from no 2 son to say he was on his way and a phone call from no 1 son to say he was going to cycle round as the sun was shining. H finished his ride and we had a coffee. No 2 son arrived, looking well. I made him a salad and H and I had liver pate on French toast. When son had finished his, he got changed ready to go for a run 🏃‍♀️ but before he left no 1 son arrived. He said it was very muddy! His bike and boots were covered in mud. H made us all a drink and I cut the Christmas cake. When no 1 left no 2 went for his run and I went upstairs for a bike ride. I did 12.5 miles in 37 minutes so my average was 20.3 mph. I had a shower and son came back from his run, he had done 3.5 miles in 28 minutes. So we have all had some exercise today. H and I had a glass of wine, H opened the crisps! He thinks it’s already Christmas! The beef stew was delicious, it was pineapple for pudding.

Last Friday before Christmas 🎄.

I got up at 5.50 and put yesterday’s washing into the tumble dryer. I had toast and marmite with a mug of tea. As soon as I had done I got ready to go to Asda. It was busy and I was in there ages. It was pouring with rain and H came looking for me with an umbrella ☔️ to shelter me on the way back to the car. When we got home we unpacked and put everything away. We had a coffee, I read my magazine and then wrote a list with all the things I should have bought today but forgot. I wrapped my last 3 presents and we had another coffee. Next I stripped the bed and unwrapped the new duvet set. I made the bed up again and struggled putting the duvet cover on but it looks nice. I hung up some more cards that we received in the post, one was from New Zealand. For lunch we had French stick with butter, ham, cheese and mustard, and a cup of soup. H went up for a ride on zwift and I iced the Christmas cake. When he finished his ride I changed to have a ride. I did 21.4 miles. When I finished I had a bath, washed my hair and we had a glass of wine. Next we watched tipping point and I cooked dinner. We had fish and chips with buttered French stick. No 1 son rang to say he will pop round tomorrow with our Christmas card and no2 son is coming home tomorrow morning, he was coming this evening but it’s still raining where he is so he thought it would be better in the light. I have just seen a picture of our daughter and it looks as if she has sprouted antlers for Christmas 🎄 I guess she must be helping Santa pull his sleigh!!!

Thursday. .

I got up at 5.30 and put on a load of washing and yesterday’s into the tumble dryer. I had my breakfast and packed my lunch, sorted my work bag, made the bed, dressed and got ready to go to work. I took Christie, James and Nova’s Christmas presents with me because I was calling in at theirs on my way home. When I got to work there was already a list laying on my chair of what I had to do.
168 bunches of carrots, 65 bunches of purple ones and 8 boxes of leeks! I got on well with the orange carrots and had done 144 bunches when the men came up to join me. I was pleased when I found out they were going to stay and help. It took ages to do the purple ones because they were all twisted and full of fangs.  We went down for our break because it was 10.25. I had to walk to the leeks after that and I had done 2 boxes when Andy joined me, Andrew was left in the yard to wash everything. When we finished the 8 boxes of leeks it was 12.30 so we had time to lift and trim 70 celeriac. When I left off the boss gave me my wage packet with my 4 days pay which is handy, that extra days pay at Christmas. Then he gave me my Christmas card and inside was £120 Christmas box. Next I went to our granddaughters where our daughter, both granddaughters and our great granddaughter were. I had a cup of tea and a cake and a cuddle with the most gorgeous baby 👶🏻. When I got home H made me a cup of coffee and I had a bath. We watched tipping point and I cooked dinner. We had liver, fried leeks and potatoes. I have tomorrow off but I have to work Monday.

Wednesday.

I got up at 4 because I had a dreadful stomach ache. I didn’t bother to go back to bed because I knew I wouldn’t get back to sleep. I put on a load of washing and had a slice of toast. I had to pack my lunch etc. for work but I wasn’t sure I would be able to stay. The boss sent me to trim leeks on my own. I had to walk back for break and then walk back again afterwards. I had to smile, it was like being made to sit on the naughty step for the carrots I did wrong yesterday. Then he told me he would have me in to work on Monday! I was hoping to have that off. When I got home H made me a coffee and I had a slice of corned beef and a mince pie with it. I just sat all afternoon doing nothing because I feel so tired. After tipping point I had a bath and cooked dinner, chicken curry. I am watching my soaps next but I don’t hold out much hope of staying awake. I have to work again tomorrow.

Tuesday.

I got up at 5 o’clock and put yesterday’s washing in the tumble dryer. I had tea and toast for breakfast, packed cheese and tomato with a bottle of water for lunch. I just sat and read my book till 7 and then I dressed, made the bed and went to work. I had to do bunched carrots, the boss had lifted 4 rows on a new bed ant I had to do them. Well it was a nightmare! They were so thick with mud I couldn’t see what they looked like. I found hundreds of marked and blemished ones which I left behind. I only did 108 bunches in 2 hours which is slow for me. The trouble is the boss went up on his tractor, lifted them and drove off again, he didn’t check what what they were like. When I got back to the yard I told him I wasn’t happy with them and he said I should have gone back to the old ones! I said I hoped de would come to see me and what they were like, and he said he couldn’t be everywhere at once, but he had been sitting in the bungalow. Anyway I laid some of them out to be washed and then we all had our break while we were having it the boss washed my bunches I had laid out and they are awful! I think we will have to throw them all away!! We all went back to carrots where the men picked 11 boxes of loose carrots and I picked 132 bunches of carrots off the old bed and a box and a half of loose ones. We went down and washed everything, packed a few up and it was time for me to leave off. When I did I want to meet my sister in law to exchange Christmas gifts. I was cold and muddy so I didn’t hand about but came straight home. I had a splitting headache too. H made me a coffee and I sat and read my book. I had a slice of corned beef and a mince pie. We watched tipping point and I had a bath. I cooked dinner , we had jacket potatoes, cauliflower and carrots with smoked cod. I have to work again tomorrow.

Monday.

I got up at 5.30 and put on a load of washing. I had tea and toast for breakfast and packed celery and cheese for my lunch. I was going to hang the washing out but it was too dark for me to see up the garden path. I made the bed, dressed etc and got ready to go to work. I had to walk to carrots first but only needed 24 bunches of orange ones and 12 bunches of purple ones. As soon as they were done I had to walk to leeks and trim them till the men came to collect me. I had trimmed 2 and a half boxes. We all went down to the yard and washed the turnips and celeriac the men had trimmed and my leeks. I laid out the bunched carrots for washing and we had our break. After that I had to walk back to leeks and trim them for the rest of the morning. The men joined me and we had done 16 boxes by home time. When I got home H made me a drink ( soup) and I had a mince pie. H had rubbish u tube on tv so I sat and read my book. We watched tipping point, I had a bath and cooked dinner. We had Cornish pasties, corn 🌽 on the cob and grilled tomatoes. Tomorrow I have to go to work again. I can’t remember the last time I worked on a Tuesday. I don’t think I will be able to ride my bike at all this week! H hung the washing out for me and I got it in at 2 o’clock. It was still very wet so I will tumble it in the morning.

Sunday.

I got up at 6.30 and made porridge for breakfast with a cup of tea. H got up at 8 o’clock. I went to the garage for the stepladder so H could get our Christmas tree out of the loft. As soon as he had had done it I put it all together, untangled the lights and decorated the tree. When it was done ( it took over an hour) I carried the vacuum cleaner downstairs and vacuumed everywhere. It took ages to get all the little bits of tinsel cleaned up. H was on the turbo. When he finished we had our lunch , coffee cheese straws and a mince pie. This afternoon our daughter and son in law came round, we had a cup of tea and a chat. We won’t see them again till Christmas morning. When they left H and I watched a Columbo, I had a shower and cooked dinner. We had ribeye steaks chips and peas. Tomorrow I have to work.

Saturday

I got up at 6.20 and put on a load of washing. I had toast for breakfast with a cuppa. I hung the washing out when it was done and I also hung out yesterday’s. We had a coffee and H got the bikes out of the garage. He gave them a bit of a wipe down and checked the tyres etc. We had to leave home at 9.15 because we were meeting Hs Spanish teacher because she wanted to go for a bike ride. She said she hadn’t been on her bike for ages. We did 16 miles altogether but only 7 with her. Because H and I cycle such a lot we are quite fit, but we were happy to ride along slowly with her. The trouble was it was a cold morning and going so slowly I got really cold. She was boiling! We had to walk up 2 hills! I was freewheeling up some. When we left her we were able to go faster and I warmed up a bit. When we got home I made us a coffee and we had cheese straws and a mince pie for lunch. After that we put the bikes away and I did a bit of clearing up in the garden. I got the washing in, had a bath and washed my hair. I cooked dinner , chicken and leek pie with cabbage, carrots and potatoes. I forgot to say that on our way home a sparrow hawk shot across the road in front of us with a blackbird clutched in its claws. I think we took it by surprise because it almost dropped it’s prey, landed on the floor in front of us, let it slip and then both flew away. So the lucky blackbird was safe, but the poor hawk went hungry. Now I am watching the final of S C D. Soon it will be dancing on ice.

Thursday.

I got up at 5.30 and had tea and toast for breakfast. I packed my lunch, dressed, made the bed and then watched tv till it was time for me to go to work. Before I had my breakfast I weighed myself and was pleased to find I had lost over a pound. Last week I was 135.4 lbs and this week I am 133.8 lbs. when I got to work I had to pick48 bunches of carrots and 16 bunches of purple ones. Luckily Andy joined me as I got to the purple ones so he forked them up for me. We were both so cold 🥶 my hands were freezing and I struggled to tie the string. Next we were supposed to pick 10 boxes of kale but when we got to it it was frozen and full of ice so we dragged the fleece off the turnips and trimmed 2 boxes of them. We went back to the kale and it had melted enough for us to shake it off. But because of that it took us longer to harvest. We went back to the yard and it was coffee time. Next  we had to pull up 3 boxes of parsnips, 6 boxes of loose carrots, 2 more bunches of carrots and 3 boxes of leeks. We just got it all done and it was my home time. When I got home I walked in and the first thing I smelled was popcorn! H had made a bowl full. He made me a coffee and we had it with the popcorn which was still warm ( and yummy). We watched tele and I slowly warmed up. We watched tipping point, I had a bath and cooked dinner. We had chicken curry. I don’t have to work again till Monday, but I will be working 4 days next week.

Wednesday.

I got up at 5.40, and put on a load of washing and then I had toast and tea for breakfast. I sat and watched tv till 6.50 then I packed my lunch, made my bed, dressed and hung out the washing. My eye still looks horrible! I hope it clears up soon, it actually looks worse today. H got up at 7.15 , he said he overslept! He warmed the car up for me and scraped the ice off and I went to work. I had to go with Andy and we had to pick 20 bunches of beetroot. Then 96 bunches of carrots and 12 bunches of purple ones. Oh and a box of loose beetroot.  We took them all to the yard and I laid out the bunched beet ready for washing and we had our break. After break I had to walk to leeks and trim them. I did 4 boxes before Andy joined me. At 12.20 we had to go to beetroot and pick 3 more boxes of loose beetroot. When I got home I H made me a coffee and after I had washed and changed we went to the post office to collect a parcel. When we got home we had a glass of wine and watched tipping point. I had a bath and cooked dinner. We had fish cakes jacket potatoes and baked beans, all washed down with a big mug of tea. I have to work again tomorrow.

Tuesday

I got up just before 6 and put on a load of washing. I made porridge for breakfast and a pot of tea. As soon as the washing was done I hung it out right away because it was really windy and was supposed to be raining by 11am. H got up at 7.15 and had his breakfast. When I cleaned my teeth and brushed my hair I noticed that I must have a burst blood vessel in my left eye! It’s awful, all the white of my eye looks like a red lump. It doesn’t hurt but it feels peculiar. We had a coffee and at around 10 o’clock he went up to turbo. While he was up there I did some dusting and put up the Christmas cards that we have received so far. I put the marzipan on the Christmas cake and then made some beetroot soup. It was very nice, the first time I have tried beetroot in a soup, it also had an apple, an onion and a potato plus herbs and spices. When H finished his ride he had a shower and then the soup and a coffee. At 2 o’clock I had a ride on zwift. I did 4 laps of the Greater London flat. (31.6 miles) my average speed was 19.6 mph. I had a shower when I had done and then made a pot of tea. No 1 son came round because he wanted me to print something off for him. He had a coffee and a chat  but then it was his and our dinner time so he had to go. For dinner tonight we had quiche with potatoes and cauliflower. I baked apples for pudding and we had them with ice cream. I got my washing in at 11am and 5 minutes later it was raining. Tomorrow I have to go to work.

Monday.

I got up at 5.30 and had my breakfast. I packed my lunch and sorted my bag, dressed etc and sat and read till it was time for me to leave. The boss gave me a list when I arrived and all it said was 20 bunches of beetroot, 10 bunches of purple carrots and then leeks. It was blowing a gale all morning and we had pouring rain and at one point a hail storm. It was freezing cold and such hard work just managing to stand up and walk. Because of all the rain the fields are like a bog! I was really glad to get home. H made me a coffee and I had a slice of corned beef. I just sat watching tv all afternoon trying to get warm. I felt better after a bath. We watched tipping point and then I cooked dinner. We had pasta in a beef sauce. I now have my pj’s on and I am going to watch my soaps in comfort. We wanted to go out on our bikes tomorrow but the forecast is rubbish! I think I will have to do a few miles tomorrow upstairs. I must also make my Christmas present list so I can see who else I have to buy for. I am not doing very well so far.

Sunday.

I got up at 7 after I had heard H moving around. I put on a load of washing and made porridge for breakfast with a cup of tea. I hung out the washing and we had a coffee. H went up to turbo and I vacuumed upstairs. I got out my wooden Christmas tree 🎄 and put the wreath on the wall at the front. Since we had a new door I can’t hang it there. H got my bike out of the garage and put my wheel back in for me before he went upstairs. I got ready and went out on my bike. I did 17.19 miles. To make sure I had done my 81 miles for the week. When I added it up I had done just over 84 this week. It wasn’t very nice, the wind was very strong and the sun was low making in hard to see where I was going at times . I stopped at the crab house and bought a crab for my lunch. When I got home H was still riding, I put my bike away and did some work in the garden till H tapped on the window to let me know he had finished. I put my garden tools away and by the time I got indoors he had made us a coffee. We had some soup. I haven’t done much this afternoon, just had a bath and washed my hair. For dinner tonight we had haddock, chilli potato wedges and baked beans. I put too much chilli 🌶 on the wedges!🥵 😄. We had a cup of tea and a yogurt. I am now going up to watch S C D results. Tomorrow I am going to work.

Saturday

 I got up at 5.10 and put yesterday’s washing into the tumble dryer. When H got up  stripped the bed and put on a load of washing. I had porridge for breakfast with a cup of tea. I wrote some more Christmas cards , hung out todays washing and filled my peanut feeder. We had a coffee and I got our bikes out of the garage. We got ready to go out on our bikes. We were going to ride what we call our 26 . It’s quite hilly and we were on mountain bikes with knobbly tyres so we thought we would do well if we could do it in 2 hours and when we got home it had taken us 1 hour and57 minutes.  As we were turning into the car park at the back of our house my back tyre went down! How lucky was that, we could have been miles from home and it would have been horrible changing it on the side of the road. H took my wheel out and I put the bikes away. As soon as I had washed my hands I got lunch, we had cheese and ham rolls with a cup of coffee. A banana for dessert. I got the washing in and tumbled it for a few minutes just to air it and we made the bed up again. We had a glass of wine and I had a bath and cooked dinner we had a steak and onion pie with potatoes, carrots and cauliflower. I only just finished mine in time to go up and watch strictly come dancing. I hope the weather won’t stop me from going out on my bike tomorrow. I only have to do 17 miles to get my 81 miles for the week. If it’s wet I will have to ride indoors. H mended my puncture and it’s stayed up .

Friday.

I got up at 5.50, put on a load of washing and then had my breakfast. As soon as I had finished and cleaned my teeth I went up and dressed and we went to Asda. I bought 6 bottles of wine and got 25% off. When we got home we unpacked and put everything away and had a coffee. I read my magazine. At 9.45 we went to Aylsham so H could go to the bank. I went to the post office and posted a card to New Zealand and bought some stamps for my cards. I also went to the butchers and bought some chicken breasts in a satay sauce. We went to the greengrocers for some fruit and then home calling in at the chemist on the way for my boss pills. When we got home I made lunch which was ham and cheese in a French stick 🥖 with butter and mustard. As soon as we had done H went up to turbo. While he was up there I vacuumed all downstairs, swept and washed the kitchen and toilet floors. When that was done I went outside because it had stopped raining and I cleared a small border under the conservatory windows. It was full of bedding begonias. I put them in at the end of May and they lasted till the frost we had at the weekend. They have been a picture and so pretty for so long. When H finished I went in and had a turbo myself. I did just over 20 miles in just over an hour. When I finished I had a shower and a glass of wine. H made a pot of tea and we had a cup later.
My phone is not working! It’s a bit of a pain because our daughter is in London and one of our sons is on holiday and it’s only my phone that is connected to our printer so now we can’t print things. I cooked dinner which was chicken and chips. If my phone is not working in the morning I will have to make an appointment at the Apple store.

Thursday.

I got up at5.50 and had my breakfast. I packed my lunch, dressed, made the bed and went to work. Our car wasn’t frozen up at all but when I got to work ( 7 miles away) everything was frosty. The puddles were iced over and the grass was white. I had to pick 12 bunches of orange carrots and 32 bunches of purple carrots. Andy joined me after he had cut a few cabbages. Next we had to harvest 6 boxes of loose carrots and 6 boxes of parsnips. By the time we had done that it was five past ten so we had our break. When we had done we had to wash all the bunched and loose carrots and the parsnips. After that we went to leeks where we had to trim 8 boxes which we thought we would struggle to get but when we had done it was only 12.35 so we checked Andy list for the afternoon and it said 49 celeriac so we went there, dug them out and trimmed them. I love the smell of them. We went back to the yard and I went to the shed where I took off my wellies, plastic trousers and coat and the boss gave me my wages and I went  home. When I got home H made me a coffee and we had a slice of fruit loaf. I had a nice soak in the bath which warmed me up. For dinner tonight we had potato wedges, cauliflower, peas and cheese and onion pasties. It was just yogurt for pudding. Work on Monday again for me.

Wednesday.

I got up at 5.35 and put on a load of washing before having tea and toast for breakfast. I packed my lunch , made my bed, dressed, hung out the washing and went to work. I had to go with Andy right away because a customer wanted 10 boxes of Kale and 20 bags of turnips. First we picked the kale while our hands were clean and next we trimmed all the turnips. We took everything down to the yard and washed it then packed it. By the time we had finished it was break time. After break I had to walk to beetroot and do 30 bunches. Then on to carrots  🥕 Andy joined me and we did we did 90 bunches. We had to take them to the yard and wash them all, by the time that was done it was time for me to go home. When I got home H made me a coffee and we had cheese and biscuits for lunch we had a glass of wine and then a cup of tea.i sat all afternoon feeling shattered, work takes it out of me. We watched tipping point, I had a bath and cooked dinner. We had bacon,eggs, potatoes and cauliflower. This was because I forgot to take anything out of the freezer this morning. But it was delicious so it didn’t matter. I also got the washing in fairly dry. I have to work again tomorrow.

My 81st birthday 🎂 😊

I have told everybody today that I can’t believe I am 81! I only feel 80! 😆 I have had a lovely day. I got up at 7 am after a really good sleep 💤, over 7 hours which it really long for me. I made porridge for breakfast and opened my cards and presents when H got up. We had a coffee and he went up to turbo. I did a bit of clearing up in the garden and then made some date scones which turned out well. When he finished we had a coffee and then I heated up yesterday’s leftover soup for our lunch. When I had eaten mine I went up to change so I could turbo. I did 10 miles when our  no1 son and his wife arrived. I had to stop. H made us a cup of tea and we had scones. They were here for quite a while so when they left I carried on with my ride and did another 11 miles. I did 21.2 miles av 19.8 mph. When I finished I had a nice soak in a bright pink bath that smelled gorgeous thanks to my youngest granddaughter and her bath bomb. Next I cooked dinner, we had lasagna and peas. No 2 son rang to wish me happy birthday 🥳 so my day is complete. We enjoyed a glass of Spanish wine thanks to our grandson and his partner. And an after dinner chocolate thanks to our daughter who is trying to fatten me up! Tomorrow I have to work.

Monday

I got up at 5.40, put on a load of washing and had my breakfast. I packed my lunch, dressed, made the bed and got ready to go to work. I bought a new work bag  on Friday because the zip had gone on my old one so I transferred all the rubbish I take with me from the old bag to the new. Rubber gloves, paracetamol, antihistamine tablets, tissues, rubber bands etc etc.
When I got to work the boss said nobody wanted much today, so I just had to pick 20 bunches of beetroot, 24 bunches of carrots and then trim leeks. I had done 2 boxes of leeks when Andy came to pick me up. We had to go to the yard cutting 10 fennel on the way down. We washed and packed everything and loaded it into the van so the boss could deliver it. We had our coffee break and both went back to the leeks and trimmed them for the rest of the morning. I think we did another 12 boxes.  When I got home H made me a coffee. Our son had gone for a walk so I got straight on with making some soup for our lunch. The soup was nice, onion and sweet potato with a bit of celery.  This afternoon son and I played crib, I won the first game! He won the second so we had to have a tie breaker and he won!😕. When we finished I prepared the veg for dinner, made a pot of tea and cooked dinner. We had sausages, ribs, mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, fried onions and potatoes. We had blackberry and apple ‘stew’ for pudding with ice cream and fresh cream. Our son is going back to London this evening so I am waiting till he’s gone before I have my shower. I have to work again on Wednesday.

Sunday.

I got up just after 7 and put on a load of washing. I had a cup of tea but nothing to eat I was still full from last night. We had a coffee and when the washing was done I hung it out.
H went up to turbo so I vacuumed all downstairs. When I had done I began to write my Christmas cards. I write letters in lots of them so it takes ages for me to write them all but I have made a start. When H finished his ride I went up and changed so I could turbo for an hour or so. I found it hard work! I had the window wide open but there was no wind at all so I was far too hot. I rode 22 miles so I have started my December miles. We were having mutton for dinner and I like to cook it slowly so I put it in the oven at 2 o’clock . I had a shower and H and I had the rest of the pork pie for our lunch. Son had gone climbing. I wrote a few more cards and then put all the roasties in the oven. I peeled potatoes for mash and apples for stewed apple with blackberries. When son got home I cooked the veg, made a pot of tea and poured the wine. So for dinner we had. Lamb with mint sauce, mashed potato with turnip, cauliflower and sprouts, roast potatoes, roast carrots and gravy. With our blackberry and apple we had ice cream and squirty cream. I am now going to watch S C D results. We were out yesterday so I missed it . Tomorrow I have to work.