October round-up

 Nothing on craft, I did get a couple of balls of yarn but hubby paid for them as I used them on the raffle prize blanket, so not recorded here, the new shed was expensive but very useful and just a few bulbs, if I had not got the shed it would have been a very cheap month. 

Household spend was higher, we got the new towels for our bathroom, and purchased a few christmas and birthday gifts, our soup maker broke and hubby found an slightly upgraded model, plus the cost of paint and new stairs lights. All our holiday cost had already been paid, our spending money was low as we had loads of euro's already. 

We picked our last crop of runner beans, we froze two bags, for two meals, we are back to eating soups at lunchtime, so any bits needing to be used are added to soups, so nothing has been wasted again. 

My fitbit was working again, I reinstalled it on my phone, no change, so I let the watch fully run out of power, something it has never done, I charged it and it started updating data to the apt, sadly this week it has started playing up, so I have given up on it. On the plus side I get to wear a wrist watch I have owned for years and love, but £12 for a battery! Nothing to say about my weight, the weight I am is where my body naturally wants to be.

Reading

 I have read this author before, I was not sure what the plot might be, it's not a thriller murder story, your child you had adopted comes back into your life, she's a teenager. I enjoyed the plot, it's clever, it did not grip me as other books have. Book 73 read this year. 

Another story involving David Raker, investigating a missing couple, this story was more involved over 400 pages, gathering pace and uncovering details from a triple murder case 30 years previous. I did not want to put this book down, book 74 read this year.

Hubby found this title on his Kindle apt, I thought I had read all his books, as with all his books they start simple and twist around a plot, well told, I guessed the guilty person, but he does then make you doubt yourself right to the end, I enjoyed every word.  Book 75 read this year

I do love the David Riker stories, so I decided to go back and read from the start of this series, this is book one, it gives insight in to why he became an missing persons investigator, a good plot, not your normal runaway, each book is a stand alone story. Book 76 read this year

The second book in the series,  another good plot, parents ask him to find their missing daughter, the police have stopped talking to them. The trail he follows leads him to a bigger case, and a few characters have come into the story, people who feature in later books, another great read, book 77 read this year.

Another new author to me, I really enjoyed this book, she killed her baby son, but does not remember any of it, she had done her time and is free again, how to live your life with the darkest of past. It was very enjoyable, again a book with a second story alongside, I guessed the plot, not the twist at the end, book 78 read this year.

This is the third book in the series, it's an involved tale of a missing husband, the wife is clueless to who he really is, I love the clever way Riker finds clues missed by the police, who are not looking too much, a cliff hanging ending, book 79 read this year.

Importantly for me my 2022 book arrived, I always ensure they looks identical on the outside just changing the year and the photo's, I now have 13 of these books, I do like to read through them, so many memories and photo's. Soon I will get 2023 ready to be published and then wait for another good deal to be offered.

I spent most of Saturday thinking it was Sunday, on Sunday I was just confused, when the alarm woke me up on Monday normal life started to return to me. I will catch up this week, and the days will settle. Spain was one hour ahead of us, so having the clocks change here a few days after returning, is messing with my body, I'm tired all the time, even though I'm sleeping really well. October is almost over, another fast month, I don't expect the final two months of this year to slow down.

We made a trip to town on Monday, hubby had an eye test, I popped into a few shops, we got just a few things, B&M had glass tree baubles for just £2 each, I got a couple. Tuesday hubby worked on our stairs, they are almost done, I worked in the garden, I used my own leaf mulch on one bed, and collected leaves to make more mulch. My onions have shoots, which make the bed look great, I want some FYM to pop on top, I will have to purchase a couple bags, the broad beans are not showing yet. I would love to use some chicken poo pellets, but with foxes in next doors garden, I worry the smell will draw them into our garden, so far we have kept them out. 

Our Spanish friends have sent videos showing huge flooding in the town, Valencia area has had heavy rain and loads of flooding, they are without electricity,  their block of flats are in the higher part of town, so they are safe. This is the first time the heavy rain has produced so much flooding. In most buildings the ground floor is garage space, so most of their processions are safe.

PS, my daughters cat had her kittens tonight, so out Lilly has been born.

It's that time

 I am later making my christmas cakes this year, again I have three to make, as yet I have not decided what size to make for our daughter, I need to chat to her and find out if the little ones still eat it, they did last year. I have all the ingredients, so it's a case of find a few days at home.

I have purchased a new orchid, I did walk past it, and then went back, I do love these plants, sadly they do not thrive in our home, once the flowers have all finished, I struggle to get them to bloom again.

I am pleased to see this cactus coming back into flower, it's in our downstairs bathroom, the window let's in loads of sunshine, it's cool there and this plant loves it. I've done nothing to it since it bloomed last year.

Daughter shared this with us, we are so proud of George, he is smashing loads of his targets, we know he is intelligent, he loves his school. Having his photo taken looking at the lens, looking happy and confident is a huge change in him.

Sunday hubby was out, so I spent part of the day with daughter, Will had a party, afterwards he went with grandma for a sleepover, so I played with Molly and George and chatted with mummy, they both loved their Spanish fans. We walked to Dunelm for lunch and popped into B&M to look at toys, it was a lovely sunny day.

Now I have gotten over the shock of coming back to colder UK, I am thinking it's much milder, most days start grey and dull, later we are seeing some sunshine, we have noticed the radiators are cold when they should be hot, but when we check the house is warmer and the heating is not clicking on. 

I did get a few bits for christmas in our recent shop mainly for stocking fillers, we don't go mad, there is very little we want, I have a birthday in November so hubby has that to think about, BUT I have had my tablet early to use in Spain.

Grey days,

I have done my walk around the garden, it's too wet to do anything outside, this acer is looking good, it has alot of wind damage, but still the autumnal colours are shinning, this small tree gives us so much. 

My trio of acers have already started to lose their leaves, still enough colour to enjoy, this little spot works hard almost all of the year, the azalea below stays green all year. 

I don't often show this corner, I have a rose growing in the gap between the fence and the garage, in front is my pomegranate plant, it's leaves are turning colour and soon will drop, this was grown from a pip many years ago. I've never had a fruit, which is OK as I love the plant.

My begonias in the greenhouse are blooming again, I adore this plant, the ones in the black pot by my shed are still blooming, which they will do until the frost gets to them.  

I popped my pepper plant into the plastic greenhouse inside my big glass greenhouse, and in the past week more peppers are growing, I am hoping I get these to a size worth harvesting, I also have some herbs growing well.

I do love to see the trees without leaves, I love their shape, the trunks different colours and textures, our Magnolia becomes a perch for tiny birds going to the feeders, the different heights gives interest all through the cooler months. Now it's all about collecting the leaves to make my own mulch, I have used mine made last year on my veg beds.

I think I may have post holiday blues, or grey as the sky every day, we haven't done much, the laundry is done, we did a big shop at Lidl, the heating is now on everyday. The rain is back, not heavy but enough to keep me out of the garden, I do have a few jobs to do, I hope to get a dry morning sometime soon. On the positive side, I did not put on any weight when away, we averaged over 10,000 steps everyday, something we fail to do when home. 

We did not bring much back from Spain, just a few treats which we can't get here, I was taken to the biggest fabric shop I have ever seen, packed with materials over two huge floors, and again to the round square, where there are haberdashery stalls packed with everything you could wish for. 

Last of the sunshine

Just a few final photo's of our trip, here we had lunch in a new restaurant in Valencia, all the planting including the ceiling were fake plants, but all done with a woodland effect, so it felt cool and shady, tables were in coves, which made it even better, and the food brilliant, Begin, Secret garden.

To watch the fireworks, we went to our friends friend's house, 

on the roof, best view, always they have fireworks and big displays, every towns displays are on different dates and they do compete with each other to have the best. This is a small town and no building can be above three floors, the tallest building is the church.

On our walking tour in Valencia, which I would always recommend, our guide spoke very good english, we stopped at this house, one mans dream, so very ornate, we had not seen this before. 

At the north gate we decided to walk along the parks just outside, Paula when her phone beeps, she takes a photo of what she is doing and sends it in, so here we are just after the beep. It is very popular with the young Spanish, we have not heard of it before.

Whilst we were taking our photo a street vender took a photo of us and set it into this sheet, which was fun, they are everywhere, but not to pushy, if we said no they just moved away. You choose how much you want to pay, it's another level of fun.

The bulls run in the streets twice a day for five days, the town put up barriers to ensure they run just where they should, it is a tradition, but kinder to the animals, as you see the bulls only run, no one makes any attempt to interact with them, all along the route there are men to ensure the bulls are OK. We hear a loud firecracker to say it is starting and then another when the bulls are secure.  

As always this part of Spain is very family orientated, families together and often really loud, we had lunch at a younger bar, which was just too loud to talk to each other, but for us different and enjoyable. Everyone in the family, except the elder father speaks fluent english, so most of the time it was the mainly spoken, both daughters and our friends sister took it as a huge practice, hubby spoke some Spanish, he is able to order in bars and cafes, sadly I struggle with speech, but can understand some written words. 

Valancia as a city has an airport, but it is smaller than most cites, the departure lounge was very different, in the centre was a soft seating area, with big padded loungers, we managed to find two together, so our wait was very comfortable. We used the underground from the city to the airport, we were with one of the daughters, but the signs were so good, she allowed us to find our way, clean and fast journey. We had a taxi waiting for us at Gatwick, it was about 90 minutes drive home, we were both happy to sit back and relax.

Now it's warm jumpers and laundry, sadly I have packed away my sandals and sunglasses, I have yet to check the garden, and I need to check the calendar to see what is happening in the next few days. We also need to pop to Lidls for fresh food. I can also comment again on your post. 

Valencia

 We visited the town hall, it's public building free to enter, here we are on the first floor, taking a selfie, our friends caught us, making a better photo thans ours.

I really love this view of the chandelier, taken from underneath, this building is so opulent, everywhere you look, is beautiful. 

Most people visit here to view the city from the balcony, it is stunning, a mixture of building styles and heights, the streets below were full of people, Tuesday is a market day, loads of streets full of clothes, shoes, sewing and household wares, none of which you want to buy, but interesting to see.

The rail station is stunning, they have major works inside, but the front is beautiful, I have more photos on older post, if you check my label Spain on my sidebar, I'm not able to add links using my tablet. 

The north gate has been restored, on our walking tour we were informed this gate and one other ( there was many more) survived when the city walls were removed to allow the city to grow, this gate was for male prisoners and the other for women.

Valencia is a stunning city, plenty of places to see, it has a huge food market near the cathedral, always worth a visit, loads of places for coffee and cakes and places for meals. The city has a huge dry riverbed, they moved the river from the city centre, it is now a green space and perfect for walks, closeby is the science park, which I have blogged about, you would need a day to visit, very modern, well worth the visit. There is a huge bullring which I have never entered.

 

Jaycee, I'm hoping I am selling the city to you, it's beautiful, most places we find someone who can speak English which helps with our limited Spanish.

Fiesta

In this small town of Cheste, it's a fiesta weekend, so much going on, loads we don't understand, these ladies have all recently turned 18, this parade happens every year. They help celebratethe finish of the grape harvest, in one parade they carry small baskets of grapes to barrel for 2 young men to tread in the old-fashioned way.

The costumes are very heavyweight and have many layers, the embroidery on the skirts beautiful, some items pass along the generations, here is our friend's daughter when she participated. Her hair, jewellery are styled the same as all the others.

The next morning the tractors came, some of the prade pass our flat, all the trailer are full of young people having fun, load music. Everyone stops to watch and chat, very relaxed atmosphere. 

The bulls here are walked through parts of the town, it's all very controlled, at the end of the rides was a vet, who always attends the parade. It went by at walking pace, not at all what we expected, a modern way for their traditions.

The bulls do have one run through the town, but again it's very modern, safety is always thought through. I did not think it would ever want to watch the bulls, I have always avoided the bullfighting, I've never visited the bullring in Valencia. I'm in Spain and therefore I honour their traditions, our friends are modern and also see these things as heritage. 

It's very warm here in low 20's so T shirt and sandals, it feels good to know we can wake up to blue skies. Our friend's are taking us to wonderful restaurants in Valencia, we are seeing many new places. Yesterday we did a walking tour of the historic city centre, very informative as the guide spoke English, the whole Spanish family are fluent, mum teaches English at local  academy. 

Today we are staying local in Cheste, we have walked alot in the past three days, so today is just relax. I will have more photos in my next post. I'm using my tablet and not able to make comments, it ask me to sign into Google, when I get to the directed page, it says I am signed in 🤷🤷

Finished

My first craft finish in ages, as the weather changes I am inside more, plenty of reading and craft time. This blanket is for a raffle prize, I used the yarn from the Christmas blanket I started last year, I had made some squares, I did not like how the different designs were all slightly different sizes.

This is made with Emu double knit, 100% acrylic, so it will be strong and warm, I used Tunisian crochet stitch, reels with instruction can be found on YouTube, you make each square, joining them as you go, I used 12 stitches and 20 rows, making 10 patterns up and across. I have made this design before using 4ply, for myself. The joy of this stitch is you do not have to turn your work, which is very handy when the blanket gets bigger. 

For the edging I decided to knit an e-cord design, it gives a lovely tidy edge and somewhere to hide the ends of the yarn, I was going to look for a contrast colour, then I had the bright idea of matching each square colour, which was fun, but gave me so many more ends to sew in. 

I think all the work was worth it as I am really pleased with the finished item, hopefully someone will use it and keep warm. I have plans to make another, my brother Martin has said he feels the cold in the evenings, so I suggested I make him one, I half expected him to laugh at me, but he said he would love and use it. 

For now all crafting has been set aside, we are in sunny warm Spain, without a raincloud in sight, it feels so good to wake up knowing there is no chance of rain, wear sandals and no coat. We are staying with Spanish friends, so lots of lovely food and laughter. I hope we can pop to Valencia, it's a beautiful city, so much to see.

Colour

We still have some colour around the garden, no frost yet, 

so plants are hanging in there. 

I am growing this pyracantha along my back fence behind the garage in my storage area, I have other climbers, but this is brilliant for bees in spring and birds this time of year. In the coming years I hope it covers these panels, it helps hide the building behind.

Originally I had just grasses in my sink, which I had to separate each year to keep them small. I'm hoping this tiny white flower fuchsia works, the geum is another white flower will need separating next spring, this is much prettier and will fill the back corner.

Under the rhubarb leaves, which I am tucking back over the crown, I found this hellebore coming back into bloom, the flowers are deep red, always in the garden is a cycle of renewal. 

Begonias will bloom until the frost starts, I don't have so many outside now, my two big favourites are back in the greenhouse, only one corm grew in one chimney, the black tub which is now beside my shed has two corms, they always tumble over this black tub, which has a nice mixture of plants in. 

Some more of the colour outside, the garden as a whole is looking past it's best, but pops of colour keeps it working for longer. I do love to watch everywhere closing down for the winter months, I don't cut back any more, preferring to leave everything o the spring for any wildlife.

It has been a nothing time here, days slip into each other, it's wet most mornings, sunny and cold in the evenings, I have nothing to do outside in the garden, I do walk around and check everything is OK, my wildlife pond has lovely clear water, the plants are working well, still no frogs, I hope to get local frogspawn next spring. 

Nothing doing

I got a few more packs of tulips bulbs, these 3 for £5 at B&M, I wanted the mixed pack of mini bulbs, hubby chose the other two packs. I do really have enough tulip bulbs for next spring, I won't plant them until next month, tulips should be planted in November, all mine will go in pots.

I have my early combined birthday and Christmas present, it's going to be handy on our forthcoming trip to Spain, the promise of an easy transfer of data from my phone to the tablet, was not as easy as they promised, the verification code was sent to our home phone but arrived after the time limit on the code. It's mostly set up now, just a few things for me to sort, hubby has some books to add from his family kindle apt for reading when away. 

My blanket is getting to a good size, I have the length I wanted, so it's just a cast of making squares until it's an oblong, then I shall make a small knitted boarder in a contrast colour. I am going to have some yarn left over, I am hoping maybe enough to make another, it's such an easy design to make. 

Daughter is now free of covid, she had a horrid time, Will was unwell Friday morning, Molly picked up a bug from pre-school and George had a bad cold and cough, so they all stayed home on Friday and Saturday, snuggled down together, because of covid we stayed away. Sunday they were all feeling much better so she took them to a local park to run around. Today the boys are back at school, Molly can't go back to pre-school until tomorrow. 

We popped to Aldi, it's not local to us, they had their wooden toy event and daughter hoped for a gift for Molly, apparently most of the toys sold out the morning before, when they were put on sale, we did get a few bits, but we don't think it's worth the extra drive to regularly shop there.

I managed to plant my over winter broad beans, all I have left to plant are tulips which will be done in a couple of weeks. I have also sorted all the ingredients to make my Christmas cakes, again in a couple of weeks, I am hinting at hubby, he should make another batch of mincepies, I am also thinking of making some eccles cakes,  hopefully my sister and her partner will visit in November, he loves them so I want to bake them for him as well. 

The heating as yet is not on, we have used the boost to warm the bathroom for evening showers, not used it yet in the mornings, our bungalow is warm, I've sorted my boots back out, sandals are not yet packed away, hopefully I can wear them again on our upcoming trip. We did not see the northern lights here, we did look.