Oops
So my work laptop died. I got a new one pretty promptly, but IT were all 'oooooh, no, we don't approve of you using it for personal email etc.' so that put me off for a good couple months til I realised EVERYONE ELSE USES THEIR WORK LAPTOPS FOR THESE THINGS and figured so long as I'm not doing anything dodgy, all will be fine.
Watch me get told off now for accessing LiveJournal. Aha.
What's gone on since... bloody hell, July? Uh...
Ok, garden and allotment. The allotment has been mostly a success - we ended up harvesting about 20kg of courgettes and frankly I never want to see another one ever again. Also carrots, potatoes, the tomatoes were brilliant (still got some that we picked when they weren't ripe, that we've left to ripen in the fruit bowl), plus we still have some lettuce going strong. The onions we thought had died came back with a vengeance as soon as the rain did. The corn was quite disappointing - think it wasn't a great variety, and the drought massively impacted it. Oh, and we've SO MANY apples. I've made a lot of tarte tatins. Considering making apple juice. I foraged some sloes and we have sloe gin. And I want to forage some rosehips for brandy.
Courgette, carrots, potatoes, and a single onion on a chopping board
We had our new deck and pergola built at long last. Death to the ugly hedge, and we actually use the garden now. G has got into cigars (gross) so he loves sitting out there on a Sunday afternoon.
Deck! Pergola! New fence! Sunshine!
We went for a daytrip to the seaside, and celebrated our fourth anniversary with a fancy tasting menu at a nice restaurant. I bought the first box of mince pies in early September and I regret nothing. My parents visited for a barbecue, which was fine. We went to the Newmarket Open Weekend with MIL and her partner, which we survived. We also went away for a weekend for MIL's birthday, for a spa day (us ladies), and golf (the boys) and a lovely meal.
Canapes on our anniversary
H came up for a visit and we flew owls at Lavenham Falconry. That was pretty awesome. I'm a little in love with the tawny owl. We went to the races at Newmarket, which we don't seem to have done enough of this year. We're contemplating going to Royal Ascot next year.
Don't ask me what the name of the tawny owl is, I don't remember
Cape Liberty's first foal, Liberty Lane, who she had before we bought her, finally ran as a 2yo and absolutely smashed his maiden race. He's now 30/1 for the Derby next year. So that's amazing, and I really hope Caramac will sell well as a result of being his half brother. G even got interviewed by the Racing Post about it, and we had a few offers for Cape Liberty, which we turned down. Caramac and Solero are in prep for the foal sales in just over a week. I'm going to me a wreck watching them walk the ring - they're both so cute and so well behaved. Apparently Solero is loving prep and the fuss, while Caramac is star pupil.
Solero (Havana Grey ex Solemn Pledge) really coming along nicely in prep
Caramac's front half finally catching up with his enormous butt
Cats are all doing well. Tikal attempted to ride the robo vacuum. Chi is on my lap because the weather has turned which means she'll be glued to us for warmth. And that's about it. I'm sure I'll write something with more substance (aaaaahhahahahaha) at some point.
Chi is a needy heat monster