A NYE Dinner Party up the lane = a really lovely way to round off our second year in Herefordshire.
Happy New Year! No Year Notes from me.
Another late start on Tuesday, read for a bit then headed down to T&Js for coffee and a mince pie. Continued on to do a litter pick on Bacton Backwards. Sunnier than expected – I had to take my coat off half way round and warm enough to sit in the conservatory for a late lunch.
Caught up with weeknotes, photos and computer admin until it got dark, then read in the lounge having first decanted and bottled the Damson Gin.
We watched Don’t Look Up with dinner (leftovers continued), then I read Robin Hobb in bed until 1am. The sign of a good book.
Late start to Wednesday, finding a much drier and brighter morning than forecast.
More Robin Hobb before and after lunch, with brief forays outside. One of which was to relocate the rat trap after spotting our furry friend by the BBQ, blending in with the EIGHT squirrels down there.
Dad and Jean arrived around 3.30pm, and after a leisurely tour of the grounds we cut into our Christmas cake and enjoyed a slice with a cup of tea. Dad brought his sander – we’re planning to re oil the wooden worktops in the kitchen.
Thursday – more Robin Hobb, with the log stove on once it got dark plus a bit of telly. Oh, and sorted out the car insurance for next year – we’ve gone with Admiral Multicar, fact fans!
Another amazingly mild day for the end of 2021. T-shirt weather.
Phil and I walked to Ewyas Harold Shop and back in the morning to buy stamps – deer field, EH Common and Recreation Ground there; School Lane, EH Common and Dore Abbey back.
After lunch I did a couple of jobs outside – dug the log stove ash into the veg patch and weedkillered the west side of the house – then more Robin Hobb.
Early evening we donned our glad rags and bow ties for K&N’s NYE dinner party. I just about survived wearing heels for the first time since…. I don’t know when. Long before COVID times. It was a fab evening and a late night – we walked back and got into bed around 1.30am.
We both paid for our overindulgence on Saturday. Still, a telly and sofa day every now and then is a good thing.
Back on form by Sunday, doing Tremorithic (road version) in the morning and getting back before the rain started. Still weirdly warm for Winter.
The last of the Christmas leftovers for lunch (Nigel Slater inspired bubble & squeak with green herb salsa) then got the log stove going and settled in for a lazy afternoon reading, snoozing (unsuccessfully), computing and curry making. After dinner, Phil read Tom Stuart’s weeknotes out to me.
Lovely long walk on Monday morning, then over to Dinedor and onwards to Solihull with dad and Jean to visit A&M. Really lovely to see them both.
Back to work on Tuesday afternoon. Time to gird the loins.
During the course of one week snowdrops have started surfacing by the old willow tree stump and in the clear patches by the coppiced hazel and the holly.
On the other side of the house we are crunching bulb shoots underfoot when we top up the bird feeders – daffodils in waiting and we still haven’t had a hard frost or really cold spell.
Buzzards have been circling on the thermals, and I spotted six of them in the Stone Street field, and a kite en route to Cockyard too.
Telly: Don’t Look Up, The Salisbury Poisonings, Worzel Gummidge, What We Do In The Shadows (finished series 3), Crazy Rich Asians, Attenborough and the Mammoth Graveyard, Mr Holmes (abandoned), Pretty Little Liars (abandoned), Far From The Madding Crowd (abandoned), This Farming Life (started series 5 – success! Phil remembered. Hurrah!!!), Hip Hop Evolution (season 4).
Podcasts: Lingthusiasm, The History of Japan, Books and Authors, The Allusionist, History Extra, The History of England Guest Episodes.
Photos: Herefordshire week 105 on Flickr.
Phil: w/e 2022-01-02.