I’ve been offline for a couple of days, reformatting my computer. And you know what that means! Yes, anxiety, worry, loss of data, frustration, *&^%*!, etc. However, now have a ‘new’ computer, all empty and shining, just like that notebook on the first day back at school. Remember? Mind you, by day two mine was already a mess, so I don’t hold out any high hopes for my computer.
I now have no Microsoft at all and am working with Linux Mint, which I love. It’s much smaller and lighter and therefore loads much more quickly. And so far, hasn’t crashed. Still have to get to grips with all of it, but I’m learning. The only thing I forgot to back up was my inbox, so if I haven’t replied, you know why!
Today Ed and I are heading out to the golf course again and I’m looking forward to it. He bemoans the fact that the ground is very dry and hard as we’ve had very little rain since July, but I’m delighted as the ball runs so much further! I might even reach a green or two without too many shots.
We haven’t been able to catch the cat. Melchi mostly lives out of doors in the summer and the Rectory garden is full of places for a cat to hide up. Rachel next door has been feeding him since we left, prior to going to his new home a couple of villages away. Now his new home is ready, but he isn’t! We went down to the Rectory yesterday evening, Mechi purred and mewed and smiled at us from deep in a handy bush and refused to come out. Ah well. When the weather gets colder perhaps he’ll want to come indoors. Meanwhile, Rachel is great and will continue to look out for him.
Watch this space for updates on the rectory cat!
I confess to often making assumptions and equally often finding out that I’m wrong, so I shouldn’t be surprised when folk make assumptions about me which are far from correct.
When verity visited from the church on Friday, she brought with her a couple of flyers, one for an African evening to support children in Zimbabwe (cost £10) and one for the preview to this weekend’s Church flower festival (cost £5, to include cheese and wine.) She assumed that as I was a priest, I’d be hankering after going to every church event imaginable. How wrong can you be!
Just at the moment, I never want to attend another church event, ever! This may change in time, but just at the moment, no. So Ed and I didn’t attend the preview evening or even the flower festival, but went to this evening’s wash-up service. Enjoyed it, too.
The theme of the flower festival was thanking God for music, so the service was based around that too. But that’s quite enough church for this week, thank you.
Maybe I’ll feel more like it when I’ve been retired six months or so.
Visited eldest daughter and new husband (and granddaughter) today, hoping to see the wedding photos. No good. They only had half a dozen and are waiting for the bulk of the photos from their friend, after which I hope to have a CD.
Still, I couldn’t resist sharing these two with you. Remember, they were on a Harley Davidson ride and stopped off en route at a Scottish castle for the wedding, which was conducted by a Church of God minister (pictured).
“>Motorbike Wedding
Hence the boots and the leathers!
And this was the Wedding Breakfast – in the tent which was their home for the week.
“>Wedding breakfast
Rachel next door (to the Rectory) came over for the day. She’d no sooner arrived and I’d got the coffee going, when we had an unexpected visitor. It was a little old lady from our new church, who I’d briefly known around thirty years ago. We lived in the same town and attended the same church, although Ed and I had only recently moved in when Verity and Richard moved away. But I remember it well because the two names that always came up in any church activities were Verity and Richard. They ran the youth group amongst many other things, so were very well known.
When Verity heard we’d moved in and came from the same town way back, she decided to visit. But it was quite a shock. You know how you remember people as they were last time you saw them? Verity seems to have shrunk and is now a tiny little dot with snow white hair. Not sure whether she’s in her eighties or nineties, but she’s certainly getting on now.
Anyway, it was nice of her to call (although it has to be acknowledged that she has more than a touch of verbal diarrhea). We reminisced (and sized each other up) and Ed and I felt welcomed by the church through her visit.
Had a great day with Rachel, lots of laughs and good fun. Went for a walk this afternoon and just got back as the rain started. I really miss Rachel and I think she’s missing us too. Good thing we haven’t moved too far.
Played my first game of golf today. Well, not my first ever game – I used to play quite a lot – but my first game for around fifteen years. Went with Ed in fear and trepidation, certain I’d duff the ball on every shot and end feeling depressed and frustrated.
The pro in the shop said, “You need a new set of clubs. Nobody uses stainless steel any more. You need graphite shafts.” Or was it carbon or something else? Can’t remember. Anyway, he lent me a set to try out and it was amazing. Once I’d got started, managed to hit every shot. Not straight, you understand (or only straight into a tree or straight into the water) but at least I hit them, which was a definite plus. I was really thrilled and can’t wait to play again next week. Oh, and yes, I succumbed. I’ve ordered a new set of clubs.
Came home and made some chocolate sludge to take to Al tomorrow. Ed is taking the car in, so can pop over to Al’s and leave the sludge on the kitchen dresser.
I used to make sludge for the kids years ago (actually its proper name is chocolate fudge slices, but chocolate sludge always appealed to us, so chocolate sludge it has remained) but lost the recipe. Promised to look it up on the internet once I retired (the crazy promises you make….)
Couldn’t find it. None of the recipes were quite what I had in mind. But today, shopped at Tesco on the way home from golf and bought some, only to see they were called caramel shortcake. Looked that up on the internet and found the perfect recipe, so have made the sludge, ready to transport tomorrow.
Hmm. Could get to quite like this retirement lark (Ed has just poured me a large gin and tonic. What more could anyone want?)