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Sunday 8 November 2015

That's a nice pear you've got there ;o)

Hello. It's been a mixed bag of weather just lately. I did a load of washing this morning because it was very windy, but ten minutes after I hung it out the spots of rain began and turned into a downpour. I hastily grabbed it all back off the line and ran indoors. It will stay on the clotheshorse until tomorrow, maybe it will be dry enough to hang it out again. Think I will fix up a line in the summerhouse and hang it in there. Talking of the summerhouse, I need to clear all the fallen leaves off the roof. The silver birch trees in the next garden always deposit tons of leaves over my garden in the autumn. It's a blinking nuisance. 
I got some free pears today, they are huge. There is a tree in someones front garden nearby and I noticed that they never pick the pears and let them fall to the ground where they rot. Last week I knocked on the door and said if they didn't want the pears could I have them. The tree never has a great many, it's quite a small tree, but the fruits are massive. The man said they tried one once and it wasn't very nice. Too hard, very dry, and he didn't like the texture, also it had no taste. He gave me one to try anyway. This morning I cut into it and had a taste. I don't know what he was talking about, it was perfectly alright to me. Not hard, not dry, and tasted of pear. I went back with a carrier bag and my litter picking stick because I knew I could not reach the top ones. Whoopeeee, free pears. 
Janet and Sue had a stand at a Craft Fair today, it was at a big hotel near town. They do this one every year. They don't need me to help and I had Lady dog to walk, but I went for half an hour to see what it was like. It was a big room, packed with stalls. The car park was full and there were plenty of customers milling about. They set the stall up really well, it looked great. Looking around the rest of the room there was the usual jewelry, greetings cards, preserves, sweets, hand made gifts, cushions, wooden crafts, etc.

Most of you will remember that I don't do Christmas at all, can't be bothered. If I want to give gifts I give them any time of the year. No one gives me presents and that's how I like it. When it comes to buying extra food in, I get myself a few little treats, perhaps something I wouldn't normally eat or drink. I've brought Christmas forward this year, well that's my excuse to buy this bottle of cheap port. It's my Christmas treat. I don't buy hard booze, spirits etc, but I do like a small glass of port. Trouble is I've started it already. Oh dear. Never mind, I will sip it slowly and make it last  ;o)

I was hoping to show pics of my latest crafty project, but it's not finished yet, maybe tomorrow.

Thanks for popping in. Jacqui, I've got your email, thanks. I'll reply soon.
Catch you soon. Toodle pip
at

19 comments:

  1. Living Alone in Your 60's8 November 2015 at 20:20

    Everyone needs a treat now and again. Too many people treat themselves everyday and nothing's a treat anymore. You enjoy you tot of port, you deserve it.

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  2. Anonymous8 November 2015 at 20:21

    You made me smile...glad I am not the only one I started my bottle of treat sherry a few days ago!

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  3. Simplesista8 November 2015 at 20:33

    Easy on the port now, otherwise it'll be a very merry Xmas for you indeed! Hehehe! I'd like to ask how much your friends were selling the knitted dolls for, please Ilona. If you can remember that would be great. I do love how you are settling into autumn, lots of gorgeous walks, home made soups and home grown fruit. Perfect!

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    1. Meanqueen9 November 2015 at 18:53

      Hi SS. I saw Janet today, she said they were selling them at £3.50.

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    2. Simplesista10 November 2015 at 17:51

      Thank u Ilona, that's a fair price. I wanted some for my class and a charity shop near my house was selling them for a lot more than that! So I just wandered how much they were.

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  4. Quinn8 November 2015 at 20:51

    Ha! Are you ever going to tell that poor man he tasted an unripe pear? ;)

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    1. Meanqueen9 November 2015 at 09:39

      I doubt it, Quinn. They are not always in, seem to come and go. The blinds are closed most of the time. I wonder if he will notice that the pears are missing. There are no leaves left on the tree, and now there are no pears either, ha ha. He did say I could take them.

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  5. Christine8 November 2015 at 23:23

    You crack me up!!!

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  6. Ellie Foster8 November 2015 at 23:45

    Dear Ilona
    Regarding the leaves all over your garden - if you collected them up, put them in a bin bag with holes in it and left them for a year or two, you would have lovely crumbly leaf mould to put on the garden (or so I've seen/been told - I haven't tried it myself). You do need to have an out of the way space to store the bags while the leaves are rotting down. Just a thought...
    Best wishes
    Ellie

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    1. Meanqueen9 November 2015 at 09:41

      Thank you for that, Ellie. I usually just leave the leaves where they are, and the worms come up and pull them underground. I used to have a space behind the garage which was the compost heap and dumping ground. Now it is all cleared out and it's my sea view from the summerhouse.

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  7. Pam9 November 2015 at 04:21

    I will have a few treats in as the house will be full for around 2 weeks. I quite like a glass of Port myself and usually buy a bottle of late bottled Vintage from Mr T, it will last for ages and will probably end up in a batch of mincemeat.

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  8. annie9 November 2015 at 04:21

    hoping to see your next project!
    good idea about the summer house clothes line.

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  9. Anonymous9 November 2015 at 08:04

    I said to a friend yesterday that Christmas is an imposition. I do a little though. A few decs. A few handmade cards and a little extra food. Not many presents. I hate the tacky shows in shops. The real spirit of Christmas should be all your life and it should not be boiled down to what to wear on the "big day". Illona has it perfectly right. Natalie

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    1. Anonymous9 November 2015 at 12:46

      Except Christmas isn't everyday and can't be. We have contrasts in life. It is nice to have special times to all come together, to try and be peaceful and happy and to celebrate the joys of living and what we have not what we don't. Everyone can celebrate in their own ways. I live alone but will have my daughter for Christmas. We can't afford gifts but we will have special food and we do have a lovely tree that comes out every year. We invite magic into our homes and each year no matter what horrible things are generally happening to us we manage to take time out of time to have a lovely spiritually enhancing and special time. We love the Christmas season, it is restorative and hopeful.

      You can ignore the tacky and smile at that which is not. We often wear pj's if we want to and have Christmas dinner on Boxing Day too. We don't do or have anything that we don't want.

      Christmas is not an imposition, you don't have to believe in any of it, or celebrate any kind of festival. For my small family it is a lovely story and a midwinter feast to relieve the tensions of the hard cold winter, which is still applicable today, we feel transported by the spirituality of the season and try to have it give meaning to us in our own way. Even the little lights on the tree act as beacons of hope for the future. The fact that we are sheltered and well fed leads us to remember those who are not and to feel most fortunate instead of grumpy for what we perceive we lack. For others it is a religious time of deep meaning and joy. For people with other religions it can either still be enjoyed or ignored. People are not nice all year round - including those people who resent Christmas, so a day or two where people do try at least is not a bad thing to me.

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  10. Sue9 November 2015 at 08:42

    Those pears look lovely, he doesn't know what he's missing, fancy writing his crop of pears off after one tasting, silly sod. Oh well at least you can make good use of them and what you don't have the birds and wildlife will eat.

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  11. Anonymous9 November 2015 at 12:46

    Christmas started early in your house...I am partial to a drop of port too. Nice find with those pears, it would be a shame for them to just rot away. Hopefully that could be a regular thing for the autumn. You could puree them to freeze. Would be nice mixed with some yoghurt. Debbie

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  12. Linda Kay9 November 2015 at 14:34

    Yummy pears.

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  13. Anonymous9 November 2015 at 17:05

    Thank you Ilona - you are a very busy lady and I do appreciate it! I foraged for some pears on a local walk recently - there was a small orchard (or whatever pear trees are called in a group!) and there were literally hundreds of them rotting on the ground at the side of a field - completely heartbreaking, as the few I salvaged were delicious. Have made a note to go earlier next year.

    On the subject of Christmas; it is a difficult time for some of us for many different reasons and we have to deal with it in our own ways. A nice glass of port with a cat or two on your knee sounds like a good plan! Jacqui

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  14. Destemona10 November 2015 at 01:27

    Hello,The pears are huge and my mouth is watering,at the moment they look so fresh and delicious.Absolutely free too...how nice.I enjoy a quiet time,soft music and a sip of something on occasion,too.From what the comments say,it seems, there are a lot of kindred spirits out there :-)Hmmm.Christmas! To each their own,I think....it is up to each of us to observe the day in whichever way we choose to because we all have varied experiences and ideologies in that regard...and so it should be.Your putting your summerhouse to good use,again,I see.That's very handy to dry laundry there.I mulch our leaves through our lawn mower because it saves my back and wrists by not having to rake the tons of leaves we have and it's all crumbly and ready to spread as mulch.I love the trees but they surely do make work every autumn.We will do it as long as possible but there will be a time when we may have to rethink that due to dotage, limitations etc.Oh well.The craft fair looks overflowing with goodies and bargains for all kinds of people.I have avoided the ones around here because of extra expenses this year,but do look forward to next year's offerings.They have a one of a kind art and craft show at the lighthouse gallery here in Presquille Provincial Park every year,free entry.Thank you for sharing,busy bee,bye for now,D..

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