My husband was recently complaining how it was really hard to push the plunger down on our cafetière – only posh coffee in our house! So I set to, with a pair of pliers to dismantle it, only to discover layers of coffee sludge and calcium carbonate blocking the filters. After a good scrub, and…

Two weeks ago I mentioned my sister’s “significant” birthday. This last weekend we all celebrated together near where she lives in Chinnor, Oxfordshire. The following morning my husband and I walked along the Ridgeway Walk and up onto the top of the Chiltern Hills. We were nearing the end of our walk and as we…

Last week I was clearing brambles, of which there are many, from our garden. I managed to get a thorn in my finger. However I didn’t notice it until a few days later when my finger became rather sore, particularly when putting pressure on it. I looked at my finger which was becoming rather red…

This week my sister has a significant birthday and I was faced with the dilemma of what to get her. (I won’t let on what I decided on, in case she reads this!) Should it be something useful, or something funny? Should I ask her what she wants, or should I make it a surprise?…

I’ve just returned from a stroll around the village on a sunny afternoon. Part of the route takes me round some fields and across a small footbridge. Until recently it was very wobbly, with rotten boards and a rickety handrail. Suffolk County Council (I think) have replaced the bridge with a sturdy new one. We…

One New Year’s Eve, several years ago, I was up in Sheffield with my husband visiting his family. We decided to walk to the neighbouring village in order to join in the festivities. The walk back involved my husband and his friend trying to outdo each other with ghost stories. We had to walk back…

The Old Testament reading set for today is the introduction to the life of Ruth.  Naomi and her husband are forced to live in Moab because of famine in the land of Judah. They have two sons who marry women native to the country of Moab. Sadly Naomi’s husband dies and around 10 years after…

We are having some external building work done on our house, and as I write this TFTD all the windows have been covered with opaque plastic sheets. This is to prevent the wet plaster dripping onto the glass. Whilst it doesn’t completely cut out the light, unlike the black sheets that were put up earlier…

Many people grumble that January is a depressing month. The Christmas decorations have been packed away, the tree taken down, the Christmas cake has eventually been finished and the days are still dark and cold. In my family, January sees the start of another round of birthdays and the inevitable question, “what do you want…

After the cold and icy conditions in December, which were followed by days and days of rain, a large pothole appeared at the bottom of the hill near where I live. It was not immediately obvious, especially when it was overflowing with rainwater. My husband hit it as we returned home one afternoon. Fortunately no…