Wednesday, 8 July 2026

The Wednesday Hodgepodge #63

I hope you are all having a good week. It's Wednesday, which means it's time to join in with the Wednesday Hodgepodge with Joyce who blogs at From This Side of the Pond! Each week there are 6 questions, we answer and then link up. Simple!

The Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. What's something you enjoy now that your younger self would never have appreciated?

I thought grown-up things were dull, boring when I was younger but now it turns out I love those things and do appreciate them. Sensible shoes, now I am all about comfort over fashion. A quiet night at home in my pyjamas is another one. There was a time when I thought staying in was a bit of a waste of a weekend. Now it feels like a treat! Gardening is something I thought I wouldn’t have the patience for but now I enjoy it. I can’t forget things like matching towels, fresh flowers in the house, and watching documentaries on TV. I enjoy calm, simple things now and younger me would be confused by it all.

2. What was peaceful about today?

I am writing this on Sunday evening after a pretty busy week. Today everything seemed peaceful and like life slowed down a little! There was no alarm clock going off waking me up. I had a long shower and changed into clean PJs for the day, I watched The Sheep Detectives off Amazon Prime, the British Grand Prix, Project Hail Mary and then of course some football. Lots of tea was drunk, I enjoyed some delicious fudge and Stu cooked tea. Everything about today is so calm and relaxed. Nobody really asked anything of me, I didn't have to be anywhere and it was just a lovely day!

3. It's National Blueberry Day (July 8). Will you celebrate? You can have one of the following right now-a slice of blueberry pie, a warm blueberry muffin, or a stack of blueberry pancakes...which do you choose?

This or that-blueberries or raspberries? blueberries or strawberries?

Nope, I am not celebrating. I have never liked blueberries, no matter how I eat them. I've tried them lots of different ways: fresh by themselves, baked into muffins, in pies, on top of pancakes and mixed into yoghurt and every time I end up thinking no, they're not for me. I will always choose raspberries and strawberries over blueberries but strawberries are my favourite berry. I could eat a whole punnet by myself.

4. Do you need a break? From what?

I don't feel like I need a break from anything at the moment, life is pretty good and quite manageable. A break from all the day-to-day chores would be a bonus. There's always another load of washing to do, pots to wash, meals to cook, cleaning to do and my family to keep on track and then the next day doing it all over again. I can't complain though, if I didn't have all those day-to-day chores I think I would get bored. Those jobs give me a routine in my life.

5. What has surprised you most about getting older?

It’s how fast time starts moving! When I was younger, a year felt like a lifetime, birthdays felt miles apart, school terms dragged and it felt like a week had more hours in it. Now I feel like I blink and 6 months have passed but the best surprise has been how I have just stopped caring about the nonsense. I spent so much of the first 25 years of my life worrying about whether people liked me, what people thought of me, what I was wearing and trying to keep everyone happy. Now I am older, I've realised that those things don't matter. If someone doesn’t like me, so what, I’m not everyone’s cup of tea and that’s fine. People are always going to have an opinion of me and that is fine too but sometimes their opinions are wrong. Take my hair, for example. It's bright pink and people assume because of that, I am argumentative, confident and a little bit crazy but that is not true at all. I am probably the opposite of those things. Now I dress for comfort, not approval and I don’t feel the need to impress people and finally, trying to please everyone is exhausting and now I use that energy on things and people that do matter to me.

My pink hair

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Going back to question 2. I had a lovely lazy day on Sunday and Stu cooked us pies, mashed potato, carrots and peas and it was so good. I love it when other people cook for me. I am not the worst cook but there’s just something about food when you haven’t made it yourself. It always tastes better, every single time! My dad made us bacon sandwiches on Friday for lunch and it was exactly the same bacon we buy, same bread, same kind of pan, nothing fancy or different at all and it tasted miles better than when I make them. I sat there eating it and really enjoying the fact I didn’t have to do anything to have a meal apart from turn up. I enjoy cooking but I like it more when other people cook for me! hehehe

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Tuesday, 7 July 2026

365 Days Of Gratitude. In June I was grateful for....

I have seen many people on social media list something every day that they are grateful for and thought I would join in. I have done this for the whole of the last few of years and it has really made me realise that even on bad days I have something to be grateful for.

Another month has flown over and what a month it was! We had a lot going on, I've watched a lot of football with the World Cup being on, we survived another heatwave, celebrated the dad's with Father's Day and my youngest left college and full time education!

Today I am grateful for...

Day 152 of #365DaysOfGratitude
Today I am grateful that it's the first of the month and all the bills were paid!

Day 153 of #365DaysOfGratitude
Today I am grateful for an exciting little trip out this afternoon, viewing a house! Not for me but for Becky and her partner! Eek!

Day 154 of #365DaysOfGratitude
Today I am grateful for spaghetti Bolognese for tea and leftover Bolognese for tomorrow.

Day 155 of #365DaysOfGratitude
Today I am grateful Ellie has found something new to watch on TV. New to her anyway. She came in and said she found a show on BBC iPlayer which is like Grey's Anatomy and The Pitt but it's English! It's Casualty!! I couldn't help but laugh, that show has been on TV for most of my life!

A flower in my garden

Day 156 of #365DaysOfGratitude
Today I am grateful for lunch at my dad's. It was just Becky and I visiting as Ellie was sitting her last English exam.

Day 157 of #365DaysOfGratitude
Today I am grateful Ellie reminded me that the F1 qualifiers were on TV. I had forgotten it was a Grand Prix weekend.

Day 158 of #365DaysOfGratitude
Today I am grateful for an afternoon in front of the TV watching F1! What a race!

Day 159 of #365DaysOfGratitude
Today I am grateful that all the washing is done, all sorted and folded too. Putting it away is a job for tomorrow!

Day 160 of #365DaysOfGratitude
Today I am grateful for Costa Coffee and my favourite Chocolate Fudge Frappe!

Day 161 of #365DaysOfGratitude
Today I am grateful for a nice tea! Sesame Pork & Mushroom Udon Noodle Stir Fry!

Day 162 of #365DaysOfGratitude
Today I am grateful the World Cup has started! Almost 40 days of football! Yay!

Football on the TV

Day 163 of #365DaysOfGratitude
Today I am grateful for a lift home from my dad's when it started chucking it down!

Day 164 of #365DaysOfGratitude
Today I am grateful for a huge prawn salad for tea. (I did want to say football but I can't say that every day during the World Cup)

Day 165 of #365DaysOfGratitude
Today I am grateful for a nice lunch out with family.

Day 166 of #365DaysOfGratitude
Today I am grateful that Stu did the cooking tonight.

Day 167 of #365DaysOfGratitude
Today I am grateful Stu had an early finish from work today. I knew he was finishing early but the girls didn't, they were so confused.

Day 168 of #365DaysOfGratitude
Today I am grateful that England won their match! Phew!

My garden

Day 169 of #365DaysOfGratitude
Today I am grateful Stu got a bonus at work! It's enough to pay for the girls birthday presents so that's fantastic!

Day 170 of #365DaysOfGratitude
Today I am grateful that my dad was very happy with his father's day gift.

Day 171 of #365DaysOfGratitude
Today I am grateful that Becky tried to let me have a lie in. She was as quiet as a mouse sneaking around but I was awake anyway.

Day 172 of #365DaysOfGratitude
Today I am grateful that Stu had a fantastic Father's Day. The girls did spoil him!

Father's Day gift

Day 173 of #365DaysOfGratitude
Today I am grateful for help with the weeding. I am not grateful for all the weeds!

Day 174 of #365DaysOfGratitude
Today I am grateful for a trip to the cinema to see Toy Story 5! It was brilliant!

Day 175 of #365DaysOfGratitude
Today I am grateful that Ellie a fantastic last day at college!

Day 176 of #365DaysOfGratitude
Today I am grateful that my dad gave us a lift home from his. I might have melted on the walk back.

Day 177 of #365DaysOfGratitude
Today I am grateful Stu could email me from work because the silly so and so left his phone at home.

Sheep

Day 178 of #365DaysOfGratitude
Today I am grateful for rain! It has just chucked it down and watered the garden for me. Shame it hasn't cooled down any.

Day 179 of #365DaysOfGratitude
Today I am grateful my plants in the garden survived the latest heat wave! They were looking a bit unwell on Friday but they've perked back up now!

Day 180 of #365DaysOfGratitude
Today I am grateful that Becky is home and we could watch some wrestling and the football together!

Day 181 of #365DaysOfGratitude
Today I am grateful for an extra mouth to feed tonight. Becky's partner was here for tea!

What were you grateful for in June?

Monday, 6 July 2026

Our weekly meal plan! 6th - 12th July!! #MealPlanningMonday

Our weekly meal plan

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a good weekend. Ours was a busy one, well compared to most of our weekends. We went to a country show. We wandered around looking at all the animals, stalls, displays and of course, there was all the yummy food! I'll be writing all about it soon because I took loads of photos and there was so much going on that it deserves its own blog post. We spent Sunday watching sport. I am writing this yesterday afternoon and hopefully, by the time you're reading this, England will have made it through to the next round of the World Cup. Eek!

Last week's meal plan did not go to plan. We swapped quite a few meals around and didn't eat them on the day I had planned but I suppose they were at least eaten. The only meals we didn't have were a freezer dive on Wednesday as we ate out at the bike meet-up that we went to and the Sunday roast dinner. I just couldn't be bothered after being out all day on Saturday. We ended up having ham and pickle sandwiches, which are pretty basic and boring but it was ham I cooked myself, so there was some effort involved. lol

This week should be much more of a normal one. Becky and Stu are both back at work, so the house will be a little quieter during the day. Ellie has a couple of appointments to go to but apart from that, we don't really have anything big planned. I like weeks like this that give me a chance to catch up with jobs around the house, spend some time in the garden and get on with writing blog posts. It's supposed to warm up again later this week, not as hot as it was a few weeks ago but hotter than last week. I'm not complaining. I do love the sunshine and want to make the most of it. Our meal plan feels so simple this week, with very little cooking. Lessons were learned by me during the last couple of hot spells. I am a happier person when I don't have to spend much time in the hot kitchen!

On the menu this week we have:

Monday - Ham salad!
When it's warm outside, there's nothing better than a big salad! We'll be having slices of ham with lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, beetroot, sweetcorn and some new potatoes. I'll probably end up adding anything else I find in the fridge too.

Tuesday - Hot dogs!
Hot Dog Hot Dog Hot Diggidy Dog! Thanks to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, I don't think I'll ever be able to hear the words without that tune popping into my head. My girls watched it when they were little and hot dogs make me think of it! Tuesday's tea is hot dogs in buns with fried onions, mustard and plenty of ketchup.

Wednesday - Omelettes!
We're having omelettes to use up whatever is in the fridge. If we've got some leftover ham, that'll definitely be going in. Cheese is a must and then whatever vegetables need using up. We never make plain omelettes in this house, we pile them full of fillings until they feel like a proper meal!

Thursday - Chicken dippers with curly fries and baked beans!
Sometimes you just fancy a meal that reminds you of being a kid and this is one of those meals. Curly fries always seem more exciting than ordinary chips, I don't know why. lol

Friday - Fish finger wraps!
Crispy fish fingers with lettuce and tartare sauce wrapped in a tortilla! They're easy to make and perfect for a Friday evening when nobody can be bothered.

Saturday - A Ploughman's plate!
I keep seeing this on a local pub's Facebook page and it looks like such a great idea! A grown up picky tea! Cheese, ham, pork pie, pickled onions, crusty bread, pickle, salad, grapes and crisps. No cooking needed at all!

Sunday - Something with mashed potato!
All I know for certain is that we're having mashed potatoes. For some reason, Sundays and mash just belong together in my mind. I don't know what it'll be served with yet. It might be sausages and gravy, chicken, pork chops or something else.

What are you eating this week?

Sunday, 5 July 2026

A photo every day for a year! 28th June - 4th July Week 27 of #Project365

Happy Sunday!! I hope you've all had a lovely week and are enjoying your weekend, especially if you are in the US and were celebrating America's 250th birthday! Our week was a good one, you can read all about it in my Friday Favourites post and my Word of the Week yesterday!

We've had quite a busy weekend so far. We went to a country show yesterday, the one we go to every year. Nothing much had changed apart from there were tons more vintage cars and horses but I do love it and it's always a good day out! I made the mistake of not putting any sun cream on as I was rushing about and it didn't look that bright out. The sun came out a little but it was breezy and I think I got more windburn than sunburn. I have slathered myself in after sun lotion and it has helped, I am very red looking. Eek!

I am looking forward to today, we're not up to much apart from watching sport. It's the British Grand Prix this afternoon, the Norway v Brazil World Cup match later on, which I will be watching and the England v Mexico match at 1am which I will not be staying up to watch. There were a few hours on Friday evening when FIFA changed the start time because of the storms being forecast but they changed it back to 1am. Hmmf.

Now for a photo every day!

A flower and a caterpillar
My eldest and a cool looking bike
Sweetcorn plant and vintage truck
Agricultural show horses

179/365 28th June
A new flower appeared in my garden, a California poppy! It is so bright and the bees and hover flies love it! I always have a little panic when one of the hover flies come near me as they look like small wasps but they're thankfully harmless.

180/365 29th June
Another photo from my garden, this time of a Cinnabar moth caterpillar. From Googling it, I found out it feeds on Ragwort plants, which makes it poisonous to anything that might try to eat it and from what I have read, it won't eat any of my other plants. Phew! They really are something to look at!

181/365 30th June
It's been a while since there has been a photo of Becky here on my blog and here she is. There is a funny story about this one. She took it to send to her partner but only after she got AI to mess with it and shave all her hair off. Her partner was at work but rang as soon as they saw it in such a panic. Becky lasted about 30 seconds before she admitted to them that it was fake.

182/365 1st July
We were at a local bike meet-up on Wednesday and as pretty as this bike looked, it was the helmet which caught my attention. It was the baddie off Predator, it even had the dreadlock-type hair at the back! There were so many amazing bikes, I do wish I had taken more photos!

183/365 2nd July
I mentioned on Friday how my garden was growing well and especially my sweetcorn. This is the best I have ever done with it. I learned this week the bits growing out of the top are called tassels and I can see the corn on the cob growing on the plant! Yay!

184/365 3rd July
My dad finally got his vintage truck painted. On last week's Project 365 post, it looked nothing like it does now. My brother did most of the paint work and I think he did a fantastic job. My first thought was it's very orange and it really is! I am glad he got it finished so he could take it to the country show yesterday. It might have needed a push to get it started and the passenger seat isn't fixed properly, but people were very interested in it. It's a Reliant Ant in case you were wondering. He loves his Reliant cars and has a Scimitar, Robin and Kitten!

185/365 4th July
We were at a country show and had a great day! There was a good turn out of agricultural show horses. They were huge, much bigger than they look in the photo!

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