Dear friends. We're still waiting for prolonged sunshine and warmer days here in the UK. April had lots of rain and it was mostly cold! Here's how my month played out.
Saturday, 27 April 2024
Wednesday, 4 May 2022
Bluebells, Bouquets and Brickbats - and #WoW
The annual photos in a bluebell wood have become a Mutton tradition, but this year the wood has changed.
Normally we take photos in a "secret" bluebell wood in Epping Forest. But I discovered last year, on one of my urban walks, that there is a tiny bluebell wood just off a main road on the way to Tesco. And it's much quieter than the other wood, which is not a very well kept secret.
I took the pictures in Larks Wood with a tripod, and hardly anyone passed by. The wood is a fragment left from when it was much bigger, years ago, but was then built on to provide an outdoor swimming pool, which Mr Mutton remembers using as a teen.
The planting is different in this wood and it has more light, so the bluebells are taller. They are still English bluebells and not their bigger Spanish cousins which have self seeded all over the gardens of the UK.
To see my record of bluebell woods over the years, check out the hairstyles here.
Outfit details for the bluebell wood: Rachel jacket and belt in Electric Blue, V neck top in Powder Blue and paisley scarf, all from Kettlewell. Jeans from M&S (nothing was gifted).
Bouquets for April: A Bra and Some Beef
Today I'm starting what will hopefully be a new monthly post: Bouquets and Brickbats. Bouquets are good things, brickbats are things I'm not happy about.
My first bouquet is the John Lewis & Partners Anyday Anya bra. I don't know about you, but I've often looked longingly at bralettes and thought they weren't for me, sadly. Or anyone with an ageing bust. But when I read reviews of the Anya, I saw that older women were indeed buying it and raving about it.
It's not much of a looker but it's seam free, with no wiring or metal. You pull it over your head. It's wonderfully soft and comfortable, and the shape it gives is fine (there are removable pads). The 36DDs are perfectly stable, no jiggling around.
Excuse the photo being out of focus! My camera has gone missing so this was a quick snap with the phone.
I now have the Anya in 3 colours (including a very pretty pink). At £18, it's a lot cheaper than some of the bras I used to buy. If you go over to JLP to take a look, you may see my review. I haven't used an affiliate link, just a link to the item. I haven't been asked to promote the item, I'm doing it off my own bat.
Another bouquet to Marks and Spencer for delivering the fool proof roast dinner. We have a roast dinner nearly every Sunday, and when it's lamb or beef it can be a hit and miss as to whether or not it's tough, even if you buy decent cuts. Mr Mutton then complains about a jaw work out.
With the M&S Slow Cooked British Beef (and the Slow Cooked Tender Roast Lamb Shoulder), the meat has already been cooked, presumably sous vide, and all you have to do is heat it for 45 minutes. Both varieties come with a delicious gravy. I know that Waitrose and Sainsbury's also have slow cooked ranges. It's a bit pricey, but well worth it for a delicious tender roast. M&S do others in the range, plus gluten free variants.
Brickbats: Will Elton Ever Go Ahead?
Back in 2019 I booked to see Elton John in November 2020, which at the time was more than a year away. We all know what happened in 2020, and the event then got moved to November 2021. I had booked to see him in Liverpool so we could make a weekend out of it, and I left it quite late to buy train tickets and book hotel rooms because with Covid you never knew what the lockdown situation would be.
Just a few days after I'd booked the tickets, Elton announced he wouldn't be able to perform because of hip surgery. Aaargh. I was able to cancel the hotel, but not the train tickets (which were, groan, first class)- I had left it so late there were no suitable second class options), or the trip to Tate Liverpool, as these were non-refundable.
Anyway, I checked Ticketmaster last week, and was shocked to see the event has now moved to April 2023. And they won't give me my money back, even though I originally signed up for November. We are likely to be doing the Coast to Coast walk in April.
They do say we can sell the tickets, using their site, but you run the risk of only selling one, or both at a much lower price. Back in 2019, pre-Covid, we didn't think about adding cancellation insurance or other extras. Big lesson learned.
(If anyone is interested, let me know!).
Two Final Thoughts
20% off at Youth and Earth!
A few weeks ago I wrote about the energy and cell enhancing qualities of NMN, a NAD+ booster. At the time I was gifted with a sample of NMN sublingual powder by Youth and Earth, an exciting company whose mission is to help us to maintain and sustain the fit and active lifestyle we want. I've now bought my own supply, this time in tablet form (plus their gluthione), and they are kindly offering you a 20% discount. Simply use the code ISTHISMUTTON when you check out.
Those Email Popups....
You may have noticed a popup asking you to register for emails to be alerted about a new post. I hope you don't find this too irritating. I was asked a few times if I could provide an email subscription. You'll receive an email every time there's a new post on Is This Mutton.
Have you visited a bluebell wood this year? Or are they not found in your neck of the woods? Do let me know in the comments.
Sharing this post with: On Mondays We Link Up at Glass of Glam, Top of the World Style at High Latitude Style, Chic & Stylish at Mummabstylish, #SpreadTheKindness and #Linkup on the Edge at Shelbee on the Edge, #AnythingGoes at My Random Musings, Turning Heads Tuesday at Elegantly Dressed and Stylish, Style with a Smile at Stylesplash, TFF at Doused in Pink, Lizzie in Lace, Confident Twosday at IDoDeclaire, Rena at Fine Whatever, Fabulous Fridays at Lucy Bertoldi, #Neverendingstyle at The Grey Brunette, Fancy Friday at Nancy's Fashion Style, Weekday Wear Link-Up at Away from the Blue Sunday Showcase with Chez Mireille and Elegance and Mommyhood (first Sunday of the month), Stylish Monday (first Monday of the month) with Ask Suzanne Bell, Talent Sharing Tuesdays at Scribbling Boomer, Link Up Pot Pourri and Traffic Jam Weekend at My Bijou Life
Now it's time for the #WowOnWednesday link-up. Bloggers/Instagrammers can find new readers, plus readers can find new blogs to read. I promote my favorite five posts on Facebook and Twitter every week, and feature the most clicked posts in Instagram Stories.
Last Week's Favourites - Most Clicked
Suzy from The Grey Haired Brunette, with her honest review of Noracora dresses. Here she is in one of the two she liked.
Fashionable Florals by Deb at Deb's World. Deb is an Australian blogger whose posts about life, fitness, books, family and cooking are always worth a read. She has written for her a rare post about fashion.
Monday, 3 May 2021
April 2021: Sentence a Day: Bluebells, Vaccination 2, Family Reunions
Covid-19 Update: In the month of April the lockdown in England was relaxed slightly in that we can now dine outside at pubs and restaurants; team sports have resumed and non-essential shops and hairdresser/beauty salons reopened. We can meet with 6 people (two households) outside in a park or garden. But we can't mix indoors with other households, eat indoors at a restaurant or pub, go to the gym on go abroad on holiday.
Thurs April 1
Fairly bright. Day off. Had eyes tested and chose a pair of glasses and prescription sunglasses. Did some weeding. I get a lot of square stalked willow herb in the back garden, which grows tall with pale pink flowers. We watched Made in Italy, a film with Liam Neeson. Terrible.
Friday April 2
Good Friday. Cloudy and cold. Did reluctant walk 4.8 miles. J did long bike ride. After lunch planted everything I bought in the garden centre a few days ago. Sun came out briefly.
Sat April 3
Cold, cloudy. Walked to Waitrose, came back with a chicken on my back. My long awaited delivery from Canada came: Anna Wintour necklaces. I treated myself to these with my mum's very generous birthday money gift when I was 60.
Sun April 4
Quiet day. Wrote blog post. Changed beds. Roast chicken.
Mon April 5 - Easter Monday
Weather not as bad as forecast. Did the mud walk. Now it's been dry for weeks there was no mud. 5.2 miles. As we're now able to meet family outdoors, we went for tea in R's garden, then had hot cross buns in Christopher's garden. It was a few days after the birthday of a special child, whose face I have concealed. Wasn't too bad being outside as the sun was out and I was wearing a lot of clothes!
Tues April 6
Sunny but v cold. Started work early. Busy and exasperating day. Started The Investigation, Danish crime series about a murder on a mini submarine.
Weds April 7
Horribly busy working on annual plans. Did quick walk, King's Head circular.
Thurs April
Trail walk in forest 4.2 miles. Cold. Busy day but finished by 5.30.
Fri April 9
Prince Philip died. Did a workout. Work was fairly quiet. John laid a trail of sawdust over my route "the mud walk" for an Orion race tomorrow.
Sat April 10
Papers full of Prince Philip. Radio 2 changed their schedule. Did walk, 3.9 miles. J did photography at Orions Mercury race. Watched last episode The Investigation. Very good series.
Sun April 11
Blue sky quite cold. Mud Walk 5.5 miles. Roast beef. The mud walk starts with a lovely view of the reservoirs and City of London, behind this tree.
Mon April 12
Quiet day. Started early to write Wednesday's blog post.
Tues April 13
Walk 3.9 miles including Connaught Water.
Weds April 14
Did Yates meadow mud walk. Sunny but cold. Didn't sleep well. Troubled by work things. Brain just wouldn't abandon it
Thur April 15
Didn't have time to do a walk as had a meeting at 9.30. Busy day but fairly productive.
Fri April 16
Urban walk today Tesco. Second vaccination booked for Friday next week and J had his today.
Sat April 17
Sunny, cold. Did long walk with J nearly 7 miles. Fairlies Park including deer tunnel, obelisk and temple (below). Watched Prince Philip's funeral. In the evening saw Promising Young Woman - 7 out of 10.
Sun April 18
Didn't go for a walk. Did some housework and gardening. Roast chicken. Even without the walk did just under 10k steps, which shows how much you can move at home if you're busy!
Mon April 19
Day off. Sunny and actually warm. Went to Jodie's to have hair done, a drive of 35 miles on the M25. It was a lovely day.Made chilli for dinner.
Tues April 20
Have a 3 day internal conf starting at 8.30 (three hours a day) so did my walk later. Difficult to get motivated today.
Weds April 21
No walk, clouded over and got cold by late morning. Good day. Some white gold stud earrings delivered. Now that my ears are visible I need more earrings. Only small ones suit me.
Thursday April 22
Finally warmer with blue skies. Small cattle back in the forest. Long horns, very gentle creatures. Did trails walk 4.9 miles. Quiche and salad.
Friday April 23
Sunny blue skies. Did Yates Meadow, hilly, twice. Had 2nd vaccination, this time at Walthamstow library. Jab happened bang on time. Very thankful.
Sat April 24
Sunny still cold. No side effects from vaccination. Walked to Tesco, got too much and was loaded down by a heavy rucksack on way back. Did blog shoot at 4pm when sun had gone in a bit.
Sun April 25
Sunny, chilly. Sorted out last 2 bags winter clothes. Spurs in final of Caraboa Cup.Lost 2 nil unfortunately Roast chicken. Did a workout and more blog photography.
Mon April 26
Found out that another of the weeds which drives me mad in the back garden is ground elder. Difficult to remove as it grows from rhizomes and if you leave a fragment behind, it starts the growth cycle off again. Did a trails walk 4.2 miles. Sun came out later but still v cold.
Tues April 27
Sunny and warmer. Did a workout and went to the post office before starting work. Productive day. Started Mare of East Town - see what I thought in Friday Favourites.
Weds April 28
Sunny start, not so cold. Trails walk 4 miles. Fair has arrived. Remember how exciting this was when I was a teenager in Plymouth. Clouded over and actually rained !! Briefly. Quiet day.
Thursday April 29
Urban walk to Tesco and back. Saw a glimpse of bluebells in Larkswood so walked back that way (top picture and below). We finished Expanse and John chose to re-watch Game of Thrones again (for about the fifth or sixth time!).
Friday April 30
Long weekend ahead, Monday Bank holiday. Quiet day, did some cleaning. Longish walk 5 miles including Yates. Fish and chips, 1st time from takeaway shop for ages. This is the garden today. Tulips (Dynasty) are out, as is scabious and a few dianthus. Daffodils have largely ended.
Sharing this post with #LinkupOnTheEdge at Shelbee on the Edge, #AnythingGoes at My Random Musings, Fabulous Fridays at Lucy Bertoldi, Not Dressed as Lamb, Rena at Fine Whatever
How was your April? Link up your post if you have one, or let me know in the comments.
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