May's jawing and June's yattering

I have two months to catch up but it still won't fill a page I'm afraid.  As I said before because I now run three blogs (four if you count Wentworth) there isn't much left for this one.  I no longer keep a personal journal and I never did do much of that on-line so this space is really a record of things we have done and if you remove gardens and dolls house to the other blogs we don't seem to be doing very much.  This is driven more by me than by Ken.  I am perfectly content pootling around my home and am very reluctant to leave it even for small trips out.  Not sure if this is the first sign of impending old age, clinging on to Bury because I am made to live in the sun all winter (!) or just plain laziness.  Whatever the reason home seems to supply my needs.  I love my doll-housing and garden and small domestic stuff and alongside reading, writing, talking to friends, meals out, visits to gardens and things to see my days are filled.

So, here's a quick flit through May and June to record any markers I might want to recall some time.

The first week of May and my daughter and her chap came for a brief visit which was a real joy.  Even with phones and email and Skype to keep in touch with the people who matter in your life, its nothing like the real thing. She got in some driving practice by taking us to all the ice cream places within striking distance - and one in another universe.  As always the time flew by and we were soon back to just us two.

May seemed to be filled with the chores of life - banks, dentist, hospitals, hairdressers and such like.  With the exception of the hairdressers they all had positive outcomes.

We had a catch up with 'The Seven' and tried a new restaurant near us - Gatapardo - not overly impressed, so that doesn't go on the 'again' list.  I missed the catch up with the old (in more than one sense nowadays) Langworthians as I wasn't well; I will get them again before we fly back to the US of A.

This is not Ken and me

My best friend and I went to the Bolton Octagon for a very well done production about Pat Phoenix (Queen of the North).  It was certainly well acted and not badly written but it did feel like a documentary which is an odd sensation to watch on stage. Ken joined us for the pre-show meal but decamped before the play as it was decidedly 'weemins' stuff.

I didn't manage to get in any garden visits in May as it was back to back rain.  Neither did I do a dolls house fair - Kensington is in May but it is too expensive for us to get to and it is massive and heaving and I am saving myself for the NEC for that.

June trickled in with more and more rain.  I think, ultimately,  it managed to achieve the accolade of the wettest June on record.

My reference when writing Clavering is my desk diary.  It is used to note any ongoing chores that are then kept from day to day for the ultimate satisfaction of being able to tick one off now and again.  I also keep 'appointments' listed there so it is a useful point of reference for these meanderings. June is page after page of dolls house things I need/want to do, so clearly that's how much of the month was spent.  

We did go to the York Dolls House show on the 10th and luckily the weather held sufficiently for Ken to sit in the sun while I did a morning's traipsing round. We then drove over to Beningborough (NT place) for lunch as the food at all the shows is pretty wretched.  Someone could make a bomb catering those things - captive eaters with money to spend!  Then again, I suppose for the very same reason they don't have to make an effort as they are still madly busy selling their grotty stuff.

I delivered my second article to the Dolls House and Miniature Scene magazine stall but didn't get to meet my editor, Lucie Roper.  Got a bit paranoid as the four times I passed their stand she was nowhere to be seen.

On the 13th we went to our lovely dinky theatre in Ramsbottom to see 'Annie'.  You have to admire their stamina and sheer hard work, especially this time as it was a never-ending production - one and a half hours to the interval!  We are wicked in that we manage to get laughs from all sorts of unintended things and keep ourselves amused for days with stuff like the Mrs Danvers housekeeper character and three singers in red sequinned frocks which my friend described as looking like Easter eggs.  It is very wicked of us and I need a good hiding.  So a good evening was had by all even if it wasn't for the right reasons.  Well done those chaps!

Weekend of the 17th and finally a glimmer of sun (sort of) so off we tootled for a trip round the village of Bretherton and five of their excellent little gardens.  Good lunch, nice walk, pretty stuff to see and home tired.  Definition of a good day out.

June 25th and we had another trip to the Octagon for 'Little Voice'.  This time Ken joined my little friend and me but I have come to the conclusion that plays have too many words for him/most blokes(?).  D and I enjoyed it though.  I am convinced all the rubbish TV and movies we are inundated with which have minimum dialogue (cheap writing) and maximum background music and 'action' sequences and are written by men for men as they don't 'do' talking and listening, they just do 'doing'.  Venus and Mars for sure.

Unhappily the last week of the month I was horribly poorly having been poisoned by something - possibly the meal at the Octagon (!)  It is the 6th July now and I am just about getting back to right but still a bit low and floppy-doppy.  That's my excuse for writing this boring ten-year-old's  'this is what I did on my holiday' type piece.