Five on Friday

 

One | Here's some random photos taken during the week:


Two | Continuing with my attempts to do a new thing every day, here's what I've been up to this week:
  • Saturday, I watched Independence Day for the first time
  • Sunday, I tried camomile tea for the first time   
  • Monday, I starting learning a new piano piece
  • Tuesday, I listened to The Archers on iPlayerRadio - I've honestly never listened to this before
  • Wednesday, I had lunch with a friend in a new-to-me coffee shop in town
  • Thursday, I tried a hot chili chocolate drink - definitely a keeper! I've eaten chili chocolate before (yum) but had never tried the hot drink version.
  • Friday, I'll be having my first meal in Julie's new house - it's our tradition to have fish and chips on moving day once everything is in the new home.  Between us we've moved home 9 times, which is how we can have a 'tradition' for this type of occasion!
Three | In January, I plan to have a meat free month so I'm on the look out for new recipes, and/or new ways of cooking vegetables.  Any suggestions, or links to tried and tested recipes, will be very much appreciated please.

Four | I've made some big decisions - well, they're big to me!  I may have already mentioned that I've decided to sell my saxophone and oboe; I no longer play them for my own enjoyment, and if I do decide in the future that I'd like to do some private lessons, it won't be for these two instruments. 

I've also decided to sell the doll's house. It's taken me ages to reach this decision but I'm now sure it is the right thing for me to do.  It was bought when I lived in a much bigger house so, now I've downsized it seems to dominate the room and to be honest, I don't have enough space for it. The main reason though, is that is was something we were going to do together; Ced was going to make lots of things for it and of course, that can never happen now.  I can't get past the fact that anything I'd do now would feel like a compromise to me, so it feels best to sell it and let someone else get the enjoyment from it.  I can always buy another (smaller!) doll's house in the future if I still feel that I want one.

Five | Yesterday I celebrated my 60th birthday.  It didn't quite go according to plan as I was supposed to be lunching with a friend who cancelled due to sickness. I'd just put the phone down from talking to her when it rang again and this time it was Julie who'd been let down by the person who was supposed to be helping her finish packing up the house ready for the move today.  So we joined forces and I spent the day with Julie getting everything ready: cats to the cattery, tropical fish to my house, precious fragile things to my house, 3 rooms and all bathrooms emptied and cleaned.  We had a Chinese takeaway last night - a sort of 'birthday party/last takeaway in that house/looking to the future' meal, which turned out to be a lovely impromptu way to end the day.  Despite the change of plans I had a lovely birthday with people who I look on as family and who count me as family too.  It couldn't have been better.

birthday flowers, a gift from Julie and her daughters
I'll be seeing my twin sister next week (when she's back home) for our joint 'it's our birthday do' (probably another takeaway, but Indian this time), so birthday celebrations will continue for a while and will, as usual, get mixed in with the start of the Christmas activities - carol playing with the Youth Band starts tomorrow when we play at the Shopper's Carol Service in the Parish Church.

Thanks go to Amy for organising this link up.

Comments

  1. Welcome to the 'Just 60' club. Hope you have lots of celebrations in the next few weeks. Gosh you sound very busy....good luck with meatless January. Jamie Oliver has a great aubergine and Mozarella pasta in his Jamie's dinners book, very yum. B x

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  2. Belated birthday wishes. I am a great fan of some of the meatless soups, leek and potato, carrot and coriander and of course tomato and basil to name but a few great with crusty bread.

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  3. Eileen sending Birthday Wishes (belated). It sound like you had a wonderful day & I hope that you get turn it all into awonderful Birthday weekend, complete with celebrations with your Twin Sister. Happy Birthday! Big cyber hugs.

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  4. Happy belated birthday! I didn't realize you had a twin sister :) Sounded like your day with Julie was a nice one! I like the tradition of fish and chips with moving; I hope her move goes well. So much you are doing with organizing your time and enjoying your retirement!

    betty

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  5. Stunning pics, and nice, cheery colours on a gloomy day. Love your list of new tries and it seems your steady decluttering is leading to peaceful choices about the last bits of offloading. What with Julie's moving house soon your place will be close to how you want it.

    Glad that you spent your birthday in a fitting way. It's lovely to have people who are that close. Enjoy the rest of the celebrations and here's to another great year!

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  6. Happy Birthday for yesterday Eileen. It sounds like you are the one that should have had the flag flying! Thanks for my birthday wishes . Mine was not a landmark birthday so no flag for me today!

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  7. Happy Birthday! You're doing really well with all your plans. Beautiful photos too. :-)

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  8. Happy birthday to you and your sister! Sounds like it was fun, I hope that your plans to come will bring you fun too. Thank you for joining five on Friday, I hope that you have a great weekend. xx

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  9. A chef in Rome made me a special veggie pasta (sold out of the only veggie option). It was thinnish strips of red, orange, green and yellow peppers and courgettes in a pecorino cheese sauce (and I suspect cream and oodles of butter). It was so delicious I re-made it at home. I left out the green peppers, cream or butter and it was still lovely.

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  10. Happy belated birthday!! Your flowers are beautiful. Have you really never listened to The Archers? I am addicted and save the weekly podcast for when I'm cooking, I love it. I have some vegetarian recipes on my blog that might help to get you started. Enjoy your 'do' with your sister xx

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  11. I didn't realise it was a 'special' birthday Eileen. Congratulations again!
    It sounds like you are doing much thinking. It is hard to make some decisions but I keep reminding myself that I need to look forward and not backwards, to take things that are meaningful and uplifting with me. Other things can sometimes be left behind where they belong. It's not easy though and if you knew that I have struggled with this for years you'd know this is true. But I'm making progress even though it is slow.
    The New Year is always a motivational and inspiring time for me, and I am also thinking of 30 day challenges for 2016. I'll think about ideas for menus, and look forward to hearing more and learning from your experience.

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