September round up

 Another brilliant month, small spend on fabric, rest was for the garden, plus houseplants, my bulbs arrived, I ordered and paid for them ages ago.

14 Books read this month

We have made a few purchases this month, the new Christmas tree was half price, we also needed a new cutlery set, ours had tarnished so much and would not clean, we passed the old set on. No clothes for either of us, just normal food shopping, we are not stocking up on items, we keep a decent larder already. 

Out garden harvest are now almost over, it was a poor season this summer, I do have loads of green tomatoes, which I have popped into paper bags, they should all ripen over time. No kitchen waste at all, we are true masters of portion size. 

Just us

I have an itch to sew, I will require a small table cloth for under my new tree this year, these Christmas fabrics are not new, some I have had for years. I just need to decide on what design for my patchwork, do I keep it simple or go all out. I have everything except some thinner wadding.

We popped to B&Q, hubby required a few bits, I looked at the dead plants, clearance section. I was not looking for a tiny hosta, but this one came home with me, half price, just £6.

 A meeting with Kates boss goes horribly wrong, he is now missing and Kate can't tell anyone what has happened, chasing people smugglers whilst keeping on top of everything, how can she resolve everything. Book 76 read this year.

Kates work and life is fallen apart, she is struggling to find answers, the people she needs to talk to are hiding, terrified, who can she trust. Book 77 read this year.

Kate is newly promoted to DCI, she has two capable teams on her serious crime investigations, she has more time to catch Williams murderer, but are they aware of her actions. This set of 5 books were a great read, there are two other series from this author, but for now I want to come away from police detectives. Book 78 read this year.

We had a quiet weekend, we were both tired, I have a cold, along with my other issues it has dragged me back down, this week I have more tests, one I am really not looking forward to, needs must. I have tried to enjoy the last of the warm sunny days, we are due a week of rain, brilliant for the garden, no so good for the soul.

Daughter is also unwell, so a quiet time for everyone, we did Saturday night bedtime, they had watched a film together and were all ready to go to bed. We only watched a small part of Strickly come dancing, I'm really not sure of the new presenters, hubby feels the same, but Strickly has been a huge part of our Saturday nights for years.

Along the coast

 The shoreline in Southsea, Portsmouth

 is being rebuilt, the long section from Clarence pier has been done, it looks fantastic, here looking back towards the pier. They reused the historic shelters mixed with loads of modern seating areas.

We saw a Navy ship (I'm female so I don't know what type), the Isle of Wright ferry and a private 'boat' (ditto), the hovercraft also passes through here as well.

The wide walkways and all the huge rocks are much nicer.

One of the three towers in the Solent, built to protect Portsmouth harbour.

From the main pier, 

Our lunchtime view.

We sat by the shore to eat, fish and chips, 

perfect location on a bright warm day.

The section of beach by the main pier is closed off, they are very close to finishing the huge upgrade, it is a walk we have done often, so we can't wait until it's open. Having a sunny day will always help, there were many people walking but it did not feel busy, we enjoyed watching young children on scooters and bikes all playing safely. 

Our visitor is in London for a short visit, and then back home to Spain, we are home alone until next month, when hubby's sister and husband come to stay. Having dry weather helped so much, we were able to pop out and visit places, we have many tourist spots, we try and avoid the busy places. 

Locally

We popped on the hill above Portsmouth just on the edge of our village, on Thursday, lovely views over the city and coast with an interesting cloudy sky.

Zooming in towards Portchester castle and the Spinnaker Tower. 

Down by the shore, now part of King Charles 111 coastal path.

I adore Portchester castle. 

Outside.

Inside.

St Mary's church. 

It's only when we see our local views through the eyes of a visitor, in this case from Spain, do you realise the beauty of where we live.

Thursday we stayed local, it helps it was a dry sunny day. Portchester castle is always a great spot to visit, beside the waters edge, across from Portsmouth docks. We stopped in our local pub, we don't go there often enough. Today we are going to the historic part of Portsmouth.