Catch up Saturday

Sleep in until eight thirty and then make a full English breakfast for Norman and myself. I hang out a line of white washing, taking advantage of the sunny morning and then put on a load of coloureds, before taking my coffee into the Garden Room and listening to the radio for half an hour. Wash, dress and drive into Beverley, parking on Norwood and walking the rest of the way into town, it's hopeless trying to find somewhere closer in to park on Market day. Norman performs his toilet conveniently adjacent to a waste bin, and we arrive at the Poppy Seed Cafe just after half past ten. Felicity and her childhood friend, Bushy, who is visiting from Norfolk, are already there and we are joined almost immediately by two newcomers, Old Di and Lorna. They usually go to Rolando's, but came here today instead, I know them from dog walking on the Westwood. Norman sits on my knee and takes a keen interest in everything that is going on, mildly disappointed that no one seems to be ordering sausages or bacon. Rosemary Major also arrives a little later and is somewhat put out that she didn't get to hear about the trip to see Anna Kerinina. We stay until half past eleven and then make our way back to the car and drive home. There is much work waiting to be done at Tickton and the fine weather is forecast to end today. When we get in I prepare dinner, wrapping the smoked gammon in foil after first setting it on a bed of sliced Bramley apples. Take the fresh broad beans out of their pods and simmer them gently until they are tender, whilst making a roux of butter and flour and then slowly adding milk to make a cream sauce. I will chop some fresh parsley from the garden and add this to the sauce just before it is served. Then rub some baking potatoes in salt and oil and switch on the oven. Whilst it is warming up, I clean up the kitchen and then put the meat and potatoes in the oven to cook on a medium heat. The white washing is now dry, so take that off the line and then mow the lawns, front and back, before hanging out the coloured wash. The meat and potatoes have been in the oven for an hour, so I remove the foil and turn up the heat to brown the joint and crisp the skins, then make a pot of tea and take this into the garden, where I sit and listen to the football. Hull are playing Peterborough, who have lost every game so far this season, and we are expecting an easy victory. Just before dinner/late lunch is served, Hull go a goal down and by the time I bring the food outside, at half time, they have conceded a second. Dinner is a rerun of a meal I made last month with smoked gammon, with one exception, today I am serving jacket rather than boiled potatoes. It tastes fine, the broad beans in parsley sauce are particularly tasty, but on balance, the boiled potatoes worked better. Norman has the crackling, some potato and parsley sauce, but no beans or apple sauce. City pull a goal back after half time, but eventually lose 1:3. The sun has set behind the garage by half past four and the garden is in shade, fortunately my shirts and socks have dried already, so I bring them in, before making a coffee and listening to the football round up. At half past six Normy and I go down to the bridge, it is a lovely evening, the sun setting over the Westwood, but it is quite cold in the stiff westerly breeze. As we turn into Green Lane, a full Moon is rising to the east. Once back safely indoors, I actually start my new book, it's called "The Seige", an historical novel about the Ottoman Seige of an Albanianian Citadel in the late Middle Ages. It's author, Ismail Kadare, won the International Booker prize in 2005. I feel tired today so have an early night and go to bed for ten.