I've even had TWO social events - this is like high-flying for me.
I went to Geraint Jones wedding two Saturdays back. The likes of the whole Kent Team plus messrs Flintoff, Hoggard, Bell, Harmison and Michael Vaughan were all there.
Needless to say, whenever I spoke to them, others were asking who the person was speaking to Richard Cannon!
Then last night I took a long Moped ride to Faversham (14 miles) for an evening at the Shepherd Neame Brewery. This was for ex-Kent Captain Dave Fultons Benefit.
Five courses with five different Ales, then a Quiz. I had hoped that by only having a desert spoonful of each of the beers, I'd be sober enough to help out our Table to victory in the Quiz.
Afterward I summized I would have got more right if I'd had the whole bottles!

After some thought and deliberation I think I have decided, with the exception of Runner Beans, Onions and the Greenhouse stuff, to grow all my vegetables in Pots next year.
We grew Courgettes, some Squash and Carrots in them this year and they easily excelled the other vegetables yielding good strong crops.
It's no worries as I have upwards of 200 large pots which I've accumulated from other people and Skips over the years, so I think I'm going for it.
Also, to get to the plants, the slugs will have to purchase some crampons and rope and I'm sure they are as poor as me.

The chickens are getting to their lethargic Autumn mood and the eggs are going down by the week. I've only had about 4 a day of late.
But, to be fair, they're all getting on a bit and serve us well.
This weekend I must repair their shed roof which has been somewhat neglected for some weeks now.

Many visitors here as well in the last couple of weeks. One pheasant braved the cats to take a nose around the Greenhouse (see picture), plus that small pigeon must have nine lives with sitting on the car roof for hours upon end.
The owls are also about and I see the silhouetttes of them after dark. The tooting and screaming then starts !

The Moped didn't like the Faversham run much last night. It was cold, damp and it's going over the Downs as well.
A few splutters on the way back made it necessary to change the oil today.
For riding around town, it's brilliant, but for the longer runs, you tend to sit on it going at the same speed for miles remembering the days when the same journey took a third of the time and you weren't cold!
But I'm mobile and that's more than many.

Work  wise I haven't done much which is a tad worrying, too many other things going on. But I have a few days work over the next two weeks.
Next Tuesday I'm off to the University of Brighton for my 'Learning Lives Project'. This has been going for nigh on three years now I think. It's become part of my routine.
Basically they are gathering information for Study and a book as to why people are where they are by a life experience - get it !
I think they're on about Chapter 476 with me! I must say I rather like it. I air views, get things off my chest and, because I'm 'anonymous', I can tell all!

My nephew Oliver has just started studying down there, so it'll be a chance of seeing him. I shall buy him a cake as I suspect he won't have got further than a Spaghetti Hoops tin for 5 weeks. What with that and all the Playstation Tournaments which go on, he'll be quite fragile by now.

Meanwhile back home, Leo is well into his Catering Course and doing quite a lot at home whilst his Mum is away. I wonder if they instruct them that washing up is a part of the Kitchen process.
But he's doing well and I must say I'm quite proud of him.

The week after next I'm baby sitting the Grandchildren for two days whilst Vicky goes to work. I don't know how they will like BBC News 24 all day and having to sit in the shed down the end of the garden.
I've made it quite clear that if they don't behave, Robbie Rottens coming around to beat them up!!!

It may be over, but yesterday I went to watch some of the Team play for an Arsenal FC X1 against Ashford Town. Tomorrow I go to Geraint Jones wedding in the evening. The week after next there's a benefit evening at the Shepherd Neame Brewery (oh dear), then a Golf Tournament - so it certainly spreads itself out.
The wedding has cost me dearly and I had to purchase a white shirt yesterday -
Asda £3 ! That's about the price of a pint isn't it ?

I can't understand the mentality of some people. The other evening I was riding my Moped home and a passenger in a passing car threw a beer bottle at me which smashed, luckily, on my helmet. It was dark, plus I had my concentration on staying on the bike, so didn't get the number.
Then yesterday a car decided to overtake, shouted some abuse and cut me right in braking at the same time - an obvious effort to make me fall off.
I seriously think they have no respect of life, except their own of course. The whole thing has made me a tad nervous to go out - I wish I could afford the car - but that's not to be I'm afraid.

The cats are up to no good. Ginger (the runt) runs from Big Ron, who sees this as a reason to chase and basically scare the living daylights out of Ginger, who is now a nervous wreck.
Ginger has an allegy at present, so it was off to the Vets this week, made worse by him having trod on a nail or something. So he's dosed up to his eyeballs at the moment and we're watching the bank balance drop hourly.
Meanwhile, Mimi sits and watches with what appears to be great pleasure. If Big Ron dares to walk withing a 30 meter radius of her, you can hear the spitting two doors down.
Now that Autumn is here, she is once again showing us what the meaning of laziness is and weeing on the kitchen floor almost every night.

So, quite a quiet household at present.

From the garden we're still getting an ample supply of carrots and tomatoes. This weekend is 'Chutney making time' using the onions and anything else we can throw in for good measure (and looks good on the label !).
The lettuce I sowed outdoors about 4 weeks ago is being eaten and the Squash are on the finishing straight. It's so mild though.

Now here's a mystery. I've lost 3 chickens this year (old age, no illness). I had 13. After the last one went I did the usual thing of counting them every other day. For quite a while I counted 10 - then on Wednesday I had to count three or four times - there are 11 ?
Either ones been living underground or some immaculate event has happened down the lane and I'm about to be besieged by 'followers' !
There could be a marketing pitch in this you know - maybe I'm 'gifted' !!!

But, good on the girls, they are all laying well and certainly paying for themselves. Profit is not on the agenda, but it's nice to break even isn't it.

The frugal frontline has been good. Late September and October are good times to rumage around the woods for kindling and larger logs. The small cluster of trees close by, only about 100 meters by 30 meters supplies me with all the wood I need every winter - and it's all on the ground !
A kind colleague at work who is from an ex Coal Miners family gave me about 8 weeks worth of coal.
Some other really good news was to hear that, although I'm casual labour, I am due some holiday money. Well, if the legistation says so, that's fine by me. Seems odd to get holiday money when you're about to have 5 months off !

Yesterday I cleaned out the Rayburn and did the annual Fire Cementing of all the cracks. Luckily, after our 'visitors' earlier this year, no choking pigeons dropped down and it was strange upon lighting it to firm up the cement of having the woody / coal smell again after such a long break. Last year I was lighting it every day from mid / end September. At present there's no chance of that

Next Tuesday I go to see the Eye Specialist at the local hospital. I can hardly keep my eyes open now, so goodness knows what I'll be like after they put some 'stuff' in them. Life will be a big blur. Sums it up doesn't it !