October: A Weekend to Remember and More

Gail Is This Mutton and husband at a birthday house party in Suffolk

Dear friends. And just like that, it was November. I don’t mind admitting that I am thrilled by the cooler temperatures and prospect of cosy nights in.

October was a busy month with lots of fun activities: two art gallery visits, a significant birthday (not mine), a cathedral visit, and more. Plus what we've been enjoying on TV.

Thurs Oct 1

Did bike ride to Lee Valley Country Park. Still warm. This turned out to be our only ride in October. I was up for another ride later on but J was not well enough.

Fri Oct 2

Went to South Woodford to get some shopping. Unusual, normally have it delivered. Did Pilates for the first time in 5 weeks, as our teacher has been on holiday.

Sat Oct 3

Did a shortish walk, quite warm. J took this pic in the forest. Saw the longhorn cattle.

Is This Mutton Gail Hanlon on an October walk in Epping Forest

Sun Oct 4

John's son Christopher and family came round with cards and present for John's upcoming birthday. Watched their holiday video of Italy.

Mon Oct 5

Had CT scan at dentist to see if there is enough bone for an implant. This is a long process. All good. Made an appointment for the fitting of the actual implant. The final step will be a crown, two months later.

Did a forest walk, enjoying the sunshine. Wrote my blog post for tomorrow. Had flu jab. Walked over 15k steps today.

Tues Oct 6

J's birthday. Managed to get him into town to buy clothes for his sister's upcoming weekend house party. He rarely buys clothes, except for cycling apparel, so it was quite a breakthrough. The staff at John Lewis were very patient. He had a nice haul including shoes. Below: John in trousers and top from Hugo Boss. He was impressed to see how slim they make him look.

Weds Oct 7

A wet morning for a change. After John took Olive to school I did a Fabulous 50s workout on YouTube. I'd forgotten how good these are. Did some cleaning. Delivery of a jasmine and bulbs.

Thurs Oct 8

Sunny but windy day. Went to St Paul's Cathedral. I won't profess that it was a favourite. There are a lot of statues commemorating military leaders, which made it look more like a museum. It does have a very impressive lantern. Always look up in a cathedral.

Fri Oct 9

John's sister is 70 and having a big house party at Wilderness Reserve in Suffolk for 30+ family and friends. It's a beautiful location. Very remote. We had a mansion to ourselves, Blyth Barn, with a pool and spa, bikes and more. Outside catering, including a mixologist, was organised so we could all relax.

The weekend started with cocktails and games followed by dinner and then our version of Traitors.

Swimming pool at Wilderness Reserve, Blythe Barn, in Suffolk

Sat Oct 10

Day 2 of the house party. Sunny. A handful of us did a walk which took us across flat country lanes and tracks across fields. Then we watched some of the pool games. Had an archery class. I was predictably hopeless. John and Rachel were both quite good.

Then it was time for Kate's birthday dinner. Washed hair, put on gold sequins. Drank champagne. There was a rat pack style singer who was very good. Dinner was fun with ad hoc dancing. J gave a speech. Afterwards we played another game.

The girls, all glammed up

And in the interest of fairness, the boys. John has his eyes shut. He's standing next to his brother (left) and his son (front, right).

The birthday girl. Kate is very youthful at 70: active, very fit, sociable.

Sun Oct 11

Had a poor sleep score today owing to the alcohol consumed (Champagne!). Had a delicious brunch which included smoked salmon, avocado, bacon and home made granola. Sad to leave. I didn't need any lunch.

Mon Oct 12

Overcast and chilly. Much improved sleep score. Took a long time writing a beauty post for tomorrow. Popped out to the post office. Returned to create some graphics for my post. J not feeling good.

Tuesday Oct 13

Blustery with sunny spells. Went to Margate in Kent to visit the Turner Contemporary gallery with Brenda and Jayne. We specifically wanted to see the David Hockney Sunley window, which leaves on Nov 1. Also the Sophie Calle exhibition. Both fantastic.

Took swimmies but it was too rough in the sea and the tidal pool is closed.

Weds Oct 14

Fairly pleasant. Walked to Sainsbury's, not as far as I thought. Legs really aching since the weekend. My new Kindle arrived. Olive day. We give her breakfast and take her to school, then pick her up and take her to ours for an hour or two.

Sarah Edghill, author, reposted a review on IG as she liked the way I understood what she was doing with the book. See the review here.

Thurs Oct 15

Warm and cloudy. Did ironing while J was at the dentist. Watched new series of Time, episode 1. Had first session with trainer James at gym. Did several new things. Used a treadmill as a sled. Learnt how to use the ropes (after years of never knowing what you're supposed to do).

Fri Oct 16

Did a supermarket shop. Back home swapped my Christmas slots around. Now doing a click and collect early on Xmas Eve, which I used to enjoy doing a few years ago.

Sat Oct 17

Booked a 6 week online course with the Courtauld Institute starting in January: Holbein at the Court of Henry VIII. Right up my street. Sunny but cold. J put the heating on. Went to the gym. Bit disheartened as I don't feel very strong. Must persevere.

Sun Oct 18

Rest day. Did a shoot. Roast chicken. Spoke to brother.

Mon Oct 19

New coffee machine came. Not a complicated one. Tooth implant was fitted. The X ray shows it in position (what looks like a nail).

Tuesday Oct 20

Drizzle. Went into town, met Brenda at the National Gallery for the new exhibition, Renoir & Love. A dazzling exhibition. It's the first time Renoir has had a full scale exhibition in London for 10 years. I selected three of my favourites. I'm on soft foods for three days: Huel, cottage cheese, scrambled eggs.

Weds Oct 21

J still not 100% but wanted to go for walk. He had his belated birthday lunch with his daughter.

Thurs Oct 22

60th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster in Wales. I was 5 when it happened but remember seeing it on television. Watched a moving BBC documentary. Did forest walk, 5 miles. Got quite wet. J did part of it. Bit worried about him. He slept in the afternoon.

Had trainer session. More ropes plus lunges. Able to do them! Booked to see Swan Lake next March.

Fri Oct 23

Did shop at Sainsbury's. 2 storms arriving for the weekend. Sorted hotel for Skiathos next year but BA website playing up. Tried 3 devices. Did Pilates. I'm in pink in the group pic below. Watched film Green Fingers on Netflix, 6.5 out of 10.

Sat Oct 24

Storm Austen hit in the afternoon. We did a walk in the morning before the rain. Cosy afternoon reading and watching cycling adventures on YouTube.

Sun Oct 25

Aftermath of Storm Boleo, quite windy but also warm with blue sky. We did forest walk. The miniature sheep in the garden of a nearby house are Halloween ready (below).

Had some dresses delivered. Hoping to find one for the cruise. Did a quick bit of weeding. Need to get the bulbs planted soon.

Mon Oct 26

Raining. Up early. Did a try on of party dresses. Did a Fabulous 50s workout. Went to post office with returns. Sorted out blog post for tomorrow. Yellow raincoat came from Duck Apparel, Australia. Returning it for a bigger size as I forgot it's a pack a mac style that I'll typically wear over a coat in winter.

Tues Oct 27

Rain stopped by the time I left for hair appointment in London. Still unable to book BA flights but fortunately it was ok for John and he did it.

Had full head and trim today. V good. The After is on the right. Home by 6.40. Trains v busy, no-one offered me a seat. I think of that as a result!

Weds Oct 28

No wind, fairly warm. Did forest walk with J, just under 5 miles. Had trainer session in afternoon, triceps/shoulders/chest. Booked next blood donation appointment. Urgently need calendar for next year as I have so many things going in.

Thurs Oct 29

Went into town. First time seeing Oxford Street pedestrianised. Not very impressed. There are plastic bollards everywhere and new green benches which look a bit cheap. Had a John Lewis reward to pick up, free chocs, but it was a mystery as to where from. Customer service has gone. Asked someone but given very vague directions. Ah well.

Friday 30 Oct

Misty start. We did a forest walk. The sun soon came through. Have 531 bulbs to plant, so made a start. Planted 25 alium sphaerocephalon (drumsticks), 150 muscari and 85 narcissus in the back borders. Still have hyacinths, tulips and anemones to put in.

Saturday Oct 31

My brother's birthday. A misty start, then sunshine. Waitrose had half price joints so I shot round (and also got a free bunch of flowers). Meat has got very expensive so this was a good offer. Resumed bulb planting. Finished the 3 containers at Shed Corner, moved 3 auriculas out of pots into the border, and did prep work in the front (emptying two containers, weeding) prior to planting hyacinths, daffodils and tulips.

We didn't put the pumpkin out tonight for Halloween. I had some treats ready for 4 year old Olive when she popped round after having her face painted. It was very busy Halloween, being on a Saturday.

What We've Been Watching

Autumn is when the best TV dramas return. We had a happy few weeks enjoying Blue Lights (BBC), The Diplomat (Netflix) and Slow Horses (Apple). We reacquainted ourselves with the excellent first series of Black Doves (Netflix) ready for the new season. The third series of Time (BBC) was outstanding. An amazing performance from David Tennant, and also the young offenders, several of whom were in their first roles.

War, the new legal drama on Paramount, is keeping us going, although it's a bit formulaeic. The all star cast are having fun with it.

Our amuse bouche these days - the first show we watch each evening - is usually from YouTube. Since the cycling holidays this summer We've discovered a rich seam in videos about cycling, motor homing and walking in Scotland. In particular we love Girl Outdoors, a young woman who goes on solo and unsupported cycling and campervan adventures. She and her partner are living in an adapted motorhome and have been touring Scotland. It all looks idyllic.

Hope you had a good October. We're now on a fast trajectory to Christmas. Most stores started displaying Christmas merchandise a few weeks ago, but they'll be stepping it up now the Halloween tat is out of the way. Tesco have already launched their Christmas TV ad!

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