Garden

Mr G and I are both achy and in pain. He has been awake around the clock and I don't know how he has done it. He finished work today and fancied a mooch around town. I needed a few more bits for the girl's 18th birthday, and so we went and had a walk around. I came home with two new tops and two new pairs of pants - result! Even bigger result when they don't fit me like a glove (sticking out in five places) but it won't be long. When we came home, we had lunch and I thought he was going to bed, but instead he went out to cut the grass and hedges while it was dry and warm. 

Our little piece of paradise. Looks a lot tidier now, thankfully. We booked an appointment at the local recycling centre for tomorrow, and gathered all the garden rubbish we had and bagged it ready for the car. He shifted our tomato plants down to the bottom of the garden, because although they're chock full of fruit, they don't seem to be ripening. The top of the garden only gets the sun for a few hours in the morning. Hopefully they'll thrive a bit better down there. 

Slimming World went well, 13.5 lb up on the lowest I had got down to, according to their scales, fully clothed and in shoes. So, not too bad after all. Whether I have any sort of a loss this week though, I sincerely doubt (see below). Group was weird, quiet, spaced out, but still so necessary and so good to be back there. 

Had a lovely afternoon with my cousin yesterday, we had lunch in the summerhouse, put the world to rights and demolished a bottle of Parma Violet gin to the soundtrack of a thunderstorm. I think we found our new favourite drink.   

I've decided what I'm making for Saturday and bought all the ingredients I need. Plain scones and sultana scones, with either clotted cream, whipped cream and strawberry or cherry conserve. Chocolate and vanilla cupcakes and the centrepiece (hopefully) will be a strawberry cheesecake. It's a baked cheesecake, which isn't usually my forte. I think the last time I baked a cheesecake was in 2008, and I make the chilled no bake type now. But apparently this recipe is foolproof so, we'll see! I've got other little bits like chips, dips, chicken bites and sausage rolls, but it's all about the dessert on Saturday. I've got four bottles of prosecco in the fridge chilling, and will probably pick up some of the Parma Violet gin too because - lush. 

Tea tonight was Slimming Eats Sweet and Sour chicken and it was probably enough to convert me to being a fan. Clean plates all round and definitely have to make it again, from both Mr G and kids, so that's always a good sign. 

Tomorrow, I'm deciding between the Nigella Meatballs with Orzo recipe I found and just taking a batch cooked curry out. I know I will be baking all day Friday, and decorating and blowing up balloons on Friday night, so I may do my house clean (not that anyone will be going in my house, just the principle, you know?) tomorrow and Thursday, make the meatballs, and save the curry for Friday night when I really won't want to be cooking anything else!