Sea Buckthorn

Sea buckthorn is the new superfood - it’s a lovely tree growing to about 3-4 metres high on the north east and west coasts and has a huge amount of small intensely orange berries that taste of Orange and Mango - a starburst sort of explosion in the mouth. Anyway so so pleased that I’ve found some secret bushes and taken just a sample to make some sea buckthorn gin liqueur. There are two ice cream parlours in Northumberland who do sea buckthorn flavour - I’m going to ask them where they get their secret stash. 

Had a great trip to Durham (my university haunt) and went to gin distillery in a run down warehouse place - he was so pleased that friend and I called in that we got a free bottle of mango gin - it’s gone already !!! I have finally been fully inducted to help with the work at the local hospice - main role will he upgrading their paper system to a computer system (love the name Harlequin) and also to drive around the three shops they gave in Northumberland transferring stock around. So grateful they’ve allowed me to volunteer as I’ve wanted to do this for the last two years but sort of procrastinated - well Covid has been a little bit to blame.

Health doing well

Reminded by lovely friend in Ireland that back so so much better than it was back at the beginning of the year when I was in hospital and then lying flat for weeks on end. Pleased that daughter has moved out of Covid ward to another hospital for the rest of her practical nursing training. Happy that I managed to get some paint and lacquer from the Volvo garage - all I have to do now is a few touch up patches!!

Very fortunate that I can afford things like a new motorhome!! Peugeot Elddis Accordo 120 now an addition to the family - can’t wait to collect it in a few weeks time. Very happy to have helped a friend and sold her daughters Celerio- she now has her mums Ignis - glad I’ve still got some of my marbles to sort out all the insurance combinations!! 

Glad the weather held out so I could get fire pit going in the garden and Chinese takeaway with new bubble friends family - we’re still allowed to meet in gardens during this Covid time!! So pleased that I could stay in lovely friends house to help her out on house insurance requirements - enjoyed lying on settee and scoffing a box of celebrations - nice to talk to her on phone. Also met up for a freezing swim with another good friend at the beach and saw a massive container ship pull out of the harbour bound fir Holland ......

Remembered

Yay - I remembered my grats this Sunday. Been a week of using the earths natural resources - next door neighbour gave me a basket full of her eating apples which have now been stewed and enough to make up to ten large apple crumbles. There some blackberries in the freezer which I picked yonks ago from the brambles growing out of my privet hedge- so it’s going to be Apple and blackberry crumble!!! Will have to get a supply of custard in - my fave.

Have also been out sloe picking with friend and used a ladder to get to the juicy ones at the top of the bushes. Nearly two kilos which will make about three litres of sloe gin - Christmas presents this year sorted. 

Pleased that I’ve been able to spend time with younger daughter and taken her to two eating establishments - Alchemist and Chaophraya- particularly liked Chaophraya as it was a Thai restaurant with interesting cocktails as well. Happy I can help out with friends - boiler minding for lovely friend in Ireland, looking at second hand cars for charity worker friend, drug taking advice (?) for bridesmaid friend in London. 

Weekly gratitude

Unusual title for this one as I’m grateful on a daily basis not just once a week!! Have decided to try and pause each Sunday to go through what I’m truly grateful for - things big and small. First off I’ve been on a great caravan holiday with new friend - hence missing this last Sunday to post !! Happy joining the South Scotland Open Water Swimmers Facebook who gave me loads of ideas for swimming and walking. Weather has been great and not stopped us doing what we wanted. So happy to see a variety of wildlife - white tailed eagle, ravens, herons, white egrets, squirrel, bat, robin, wren, chaffinch, curlew...... Found some good eating and drinking places in this sparsely populated area of Scotland - Five Kingdoms brewery was good. On the only rainy day so glad to visit a Gin Distillery called Crafty making Hills and Harbour gin - the bottle colour green is so cool. Also the Bladnoch Whisky Distillery on the same day - another bottle bought!! So beautiful having caravan right next to the sea and a river - never thought I would be able to sleep with all that going on but tucked up in warm duvet does the trick ......

Long time away

Haven’t done my grats for so long. It’s not that I’m ungrateful - far from it. I’m going to try for a weekly account. But in the last two months I have so much to be really grateful for - Youngest daughter has started some driving in my new special friend’s car. Daughter has also had her wrist operation which went really well and healing very well. Had a fantastic long weekend in London with middle daughter- shopping for sewing material, went to Hard Rock Cafe and also to Algerian Coffee Shop where I’ve been buying coffee on line for about ten years !!! 

Over the summer have explored the county’s hidden gardens that open specifically to raise money for local charities especially Hospice Care. Also been to Wales a couple of times with new lady friend and met all her family who have been very welcoming.

Really pleased that good friend in Ireland is still encouraging me to write my grats !!! What would I do without her. 

Drug advice

Happy to give drug advice to friend in London concerning antibiotics and also amitriptyline. And to another friend - topical hydrocortisone and betnovate. Really grateful about spending time with a friend in South Wales - somewhere I’ve never been before - beautiful waterfall visited where you could go behind the flow and look out on the world without anyone seeing you - downside it was cold and wet. Also met up with niece in Wales and had wine for lunch - great to catch up as haven’t seen her for nearly two years - she has a boyfriend of nearly two years and her parents haven’t met him yet !!

Tidying

I seem to have been doing a lot of tidying jobs recently which is very rewarding - so I tidied all my wild water swimming gear by putting it all in a clear plastic box - did the same with all my walking up hills in awful weather gear. Now I have to tidy up the boxes that I have filled. Have been tidying my garden and also daughters garden and now in Wales with a friend tidying her dads garden!!! Went to the bank with younger daughter and finally got her banking app working on her phone - only taken a year - I think she was pleased that  I went with her to the local bank. Stayed a night at my friends old house which was fun while she’s starting new life in Ireland  - it’s great to feel useful. Really pleased with myself that I made a Sunday roast dinner for five people - a friend and her sister/ husband joined me and my daughter. Really grateful that I am using up the lamb that I got from a local farmer friend.