Eating: Mackerel salad with homemade honey, lemon & mustard dressing, sprinkled with 4 different mixed seeds.
Reading: The Crow Trap by Ann Cleeves it’s the first in her Vera Stanhope series. Far, far too good. I’m bleary today as I stayed up reading until 12:15 this morning. Oops!
Looking: at all the colourful photos I took during a recent visit to Waterperry Gardens
Baking: cinnamon buns in May, a few times. It was a very, very tricky month and they were needed to bolster and treat a few special people.
Anticipating: paddling in the sea, eating Cornish pasties for lunch, walks, a cream tea, cold lager shandy, ditto cider, toast & salted butter with marmalade for holiday breakfast, ice creams, chatting to strangers, taking flowery and coastal photos, visiting a favourite garden, zooming down the motorway to sea views and sand!
Watching: Everything I Know about Love on the BBC iplayer. It’s one for when he’s gone fishing!
Smelling: the scent of the Ambre Solaire I’ve just put on. It’s such a nice smell. It’s 25° today. Lovely.
Wearing: shorts & t-shirt
Drinking: cold filtered water. A glassful has just thoughtfully been brought to me outside.
Planning: a return visit to the Cotswold Sculpture Park. I bought May’s issue of Gardeners World magazine from Mags Direct after hearing about the 2-for-1 card, it’s valid for a year. It’s given us a couple of really nice days out, to places we’ve never visited before. We’re planning to take the card away on holiday too.
Repeating: this superb recipe with cod, butterbeans, canned cherry tomatoes, rosemary & parmesan breadcrumbs on top (with my twist of lemon zest.) It’s so tasty and healthy. Recipe from Olive mag website
Buying: my first pair of prescription sunglasses.
From now on I won’t be screwing up my eyes through lenses of cheapy plastic sunglasses and making them tired from lots of reading. I have also bought some better quality sunglasses from Boots.
Visiting: my Aunty with my Mum next week. I love being ‘the young one’ and seeing them together. It feels special. There’s also something that makes me laugh about it too, but I can’t tell you. Sorry.
Loving: the new to me Czech gin Tōsh which was sent to me in a surprise free gin box on Saturday. It’s strongly flavoured, citrus with rosehips and works really well with Fever-Tree original tonic. I’m not a massive fan of it usually, because it’s quite bitter with strong quinine, but this gin complements it well.
Recommending: Craft Gin Club yes I know – again! But every time I include a referral code it’s used. If you also love gin and live in the UK this is for you. The offer is £15 off a box, free delivery and no further commitment. I love it.
Use my referral code to get this offer.
Visiting: a new National Trust property. We went at the weekend. Well, it was completely new to Someone, only new as an adult to me. Chedworth Roman Villa has changed as a visitor experience since I had to complete a worksheet and “Pay attention!” on a school trip.
But it was these that made the hairs on my arms stand up:
I recognised and remember liking the dog and cat paw prints which were captured as they wandered around while the tiles were drying, either at the site of the villa, or in nearby Cirencester. But I remember feeling regretful that the cat’s print was not clearer, since I always preferred cats to dogs!
What have you been up to lately? I hope June is being good to you, so far. Please tell me three things?
The Little Room of Rachell 
That first photograph of a rose is just perfect. I like all the sculptures but that one of the car in a tree is just bizarre. It’s hot here too.
It’s a permanent sculpture as you arrive at the park, I believe. I thought it an impressive feat of engineering, but I definitely did not choose to sit underneath it at lunchtime as others were!
Thank you. It seems a great year for roses – they’re blooming beautifully everywhere.
Good to read things are better for you again. Three things from me, exciting workshop coming up on Wednesday, Legoland with grandchildren on Monday and my garden project has finally got to the next stage.
Hurrah! All sounds exciting.
Thank you
The Crow Trap is my favourite Vera book by Ann Cleeves. She is a master story spinner, isn’t she? Roses everywhere here too – they are such a joy.
Gosh, haven’t been to Chedworth since my boy was tiny. Your photos brought it all back. I think a trip back may have to feature in the near future!
She’s amazing. I’m going to read all in order after reading the proof of her next recently. Too good to read out of sync I think.
Just read yours from today, it made me grin. Yes, even eyebrows. I relate!
(Can’t comment there, as no Google sign-in.)
Lovely to discover your blog after you popped over to mine. I had forgotten about the existence of the Cotswold Sculpture Park, I am adding it to my list of places to go. In fact your post has been full of inspiration, the buns (sorry for the tricky month), the book, the butterbean dish and Waterperry Gardens. I shall be back!
Ah fab! I feel I’ve just discovered two new blogs that are right up my street, just because you posted that comment on Lucy’s. (See IG message I sent earlier.)
Wonderful photos and serendipity in action as DS phoned last night to say he had found some yellow plum like things 🤔. He was picking as we speak . Did you know if you freeze them the skins slip off easily and the stones pop out? I didn’t. Til. Googled and think they may be Mirabelle de Nancy? Hope you recover speedily
Thank you. I’m on the mend now.
I remember Mum halving and stoning lots of plums then lying them in a single layer on freezer trays (Bejam!) until they were frozen when I was child. A good source for winter crumbles. We went plum picking when children and fought off the wasps.
I stood and de-stoned all mine while listening to the radio yesterday and then stewed a large batch. Yummy!
The skins are a good source of fibre, I’m happy to eat them intact and think I prefer fresh, but this might be a very good tip for others. Thanks for sharing!