It’s been a tad warm hasn’t it?
We started the month in France, in a-much-cooler-than-it-had-been-the-week-before outskirt of Angers, which we were pleased about. The temperatures prior to our arrival were in the high thirties, and even on holiday, that’s not good. And then when we got back we had another heatwave, with another forecast for the start of July, so yes it’s been quite warm overall.
We made it to France travelling by train which turned out to be a complete breeze, and more importantly no airports! I don’t dislike airports as such, but travelling by train is much more preferable.
Anyway from Newark we travelled to Kings Cross before popping over the road to St Pancras International and the Eurostar to Paris. We stayed in Paris overnight, then headed to Angers on the train for the next five nights staying in a fabulous chateau, before getting the train to Tours for a couple of nights making time for some wine tasting and our second visit to the Chateau de Villandry (so much more on this to come!) before heading back to Paris for our last night before jumping on the Eurostar, and then another train back home.
THE VIEW FROM OUR WINDOW AT THE CHATEAU DES FORGES, ANGERS
I’d intended to travel light, as I would be the one manhandling the case, and even though we took stuff out as we were packing, it turned out that it wasn’t that light at all - in fact the case was actually rather heavy. Moving it up and down stairs at stations both here in Newark and in Paris was hard work, though thankfully I was offered help which I was very grateful to accept.
We celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary while we were away in a fantastic restaurant found my MOH, he’s very good at this and he found some brilliant restaurants during our trip. Though we arrived slightly later than intended and a little flustered as we thought we knew where it was, but had misremembered the way there. Oops.
The food here was brilliant though, as was their artwork.
A MEAL WITHOUT WINE, IS LIKE A DAY WITHOUT SUNSHINE.
Since we’ve been home we’ve been busy too - well apart from in the heatwave when we’ve been like hermits hiding indoors in the hottest parts of the day, then when it’s cool enough to do things not really doing too much as heatwaves are tiring. So we’re glad for some respite from the heat, which you may already have gathered.
I had a press day at Barnsdale Gardens in Rutland, which is relatively local to home, and I was also invited to the Gardeners’ World Live preview event and a day at the show too. Both of which were fantastic events, with plenty of inspiration everywhere you looked. I’ve more to share from both of these visits, but I’ve already shared my highlights from this year’s Gardeners’ World Live.
We were in Birmingham for England’s first World Cup game, and it all went rather well didn’t it? We had a fantastic table, with a view of the match, in our regular haunt of The Button Factory in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter. And the game was a good one, and really gave us hope for England setting the tournament alight, but the following two games weren’t quite that and were as fractious as usual to watch. Let’s hope England remember the highs from that first game and show more of that for the remaining of the tournament, so that it can finally come home (for the men, the women’s team have already got that sorted!)
A GLIMPSE OF OUR FANCIER THAN EXPECTED ROOM IN BIRMINGHAM, WHERE WE COULD HAVE WATCHED THE FOOTIE FROM THE BATH IF WE CHOSE TO (WE DIDN’T!)
I’ve also lost some of my gained responsibilities this month, which is great news. Just this week MOH has reclaimed grass cutting, and since we’ve been back from holiday he’s back on his usual daily breakfast making. It’s great, not least because it means I can turn my attention to the rest of the garden, and because I’m still not good at mornings, but also because he’s so much better. We’ve been back to the hospital for his six week check, and they don’t want to see him again until his annual check up next year. Phew.
My car gave me a little scare though, with a warning triangle appearing alongside the ‘I need a service’ spanner. The manual was most alarming saying to stop driving and contact the dealership straightaway. So once home I did call the company, and was reassured that it was related to the service and the spanner, and as that was booked already there was nothing to worry about. And indeed there wasn’t, and until I’d read the manual I wasn’t that worried, but with two longer than usual journeys ahead of me I wanted to be sure I’d get there (and back).
I said last month that I knew exactly what holiday embroidery I was taking with me before I knew what clothes would be in the suitcase, and it was even better to actually do some of this while we were away, either on the train or just in quiet moments. It’s not finished, but I’ve made huge amounts of progress. Though needless to say I’ve not touched it since we’ve been home!
SEWING ON THE EUROSTAR HOME
In two pieces of shock (sewing) news I have almost finished my summer dressing gown - which has taken way less time than I expected, and really is much needed on those warmer days, and I’ve finally started my Flying Geese quilt too. As I said at my sewing group last week, now it’s started it’s a project rather than just a pile of material!
I know, I’m not even sure who I am either. Though of course I do have other projects still to finish, and yet to start as well as some new ones appearing on the horizon, so it’s all ok really! I’ll share more on both of these shock sewing projects here soon I’m sure.
One of the new projects that my head is grappling with arose from a workshop I went to last week, where I picked up many tips and tricks for making a pattern from clothes already in my wardrobe, and if I can make it work for the well worn and much loved dress I have in mind, then my mind will officially be blown. I have the start of the pattern, and I have some material I can test it out with - so hopefully I will have another version of this dress, which looks a lot smarter than the one I have and love sometime soon.
And that’s not all, today I’ve ordered my greenhouse after much (and a couple of years) deliberating. But with a price rise imminent (tomorrow!) I snuck in right at the last minute. I’m not rushing into this at all though, I have opted for the delayed delivery so within the next six months, my greenhouse will arrive.
Hopefully that gives me plenty of time to come up with a plan, that’s more adventurous than ‘sticking it in the garage’!