General Chat

I am sooo jealous AnnG but I hope you have a lovely day out. Looking at London temperatures it might be quite pleasant. Even if we had been prepared to brave the heat on Tuesday, which we weren’t, most of the trains on our line were cancelled anyway so we wouldn’t have been able to get there and back. I emailed HRP on Monday to ask if they would consider exchanging our tickets for another day as we had no control over the rail cancellations which had only just been announced. I was pretty sure the answer would be ‘no’ but if you don’t ask, you don’t get. I have had no response at all not even an automated “we’ll respond in due course”.

It’s very overcast today with a slight breeze from the North so it feels much cooler. I’ve got some windows open now as it seems cooler out than in. I’ve done a couple of loads of washing and finished the ironing from last week and OH has run the vac around. If it stays dull and not too hot I might try and do a bit of gardening this afternoon. No rain yet and none forecast so we are having to water all the time. We’re trying to be careful and only water where needed but I think our direct debit to the water company will be going up at the next review.

I hadn’t thought of doing a few little blueberry pies Ann. That’s a good idea. I’ve got some packs frozen with the right amount to make a dozen big muffins. I might try some little pies with one of those packs. My bushes are in pots and must be 15 years old. I had 3 and brought them with me from our old house. One died shortly after the move but the other 2 are going strong. They like the soil to be acidic so I use ericaceous compost. Each year I top the pots up with a couple of inches of fresh compost and that’s pretty much all I do. They seem to thrive on neglect.

OH has just called out that he has made me a banana sandwich for lunch so I’d better go and eat it. I hope he’s made a cup of tea as well.

Scrubbed the bird bath and swept up another barrow load of the bits that fall out of the hedge after its been cut.

I am now going to have a hoover before getting lunch.

Morning all,

A lot cooler here today ,I think the heat got to me yesterday as I felt quite light headed when I got to bed last night and don't feel right this morning either so no going shopping today ,I must have extra water today I thought we had been drinking extra but maybe not enough and I feel tired too .

Anng lovely little kitten looks like sons two new ones , the Lavender fields reminded me of the Lavender fields near Hunstanton all you can see are rows and rows of Lavender and if tyhe car window is open you can smell it too especially when they are cutting .
Enjoy your day in London hope its a nice cool day there .

You were brave Ann going out in the nuddie :-D you need to check that security light doesn't have a camera on it :-D

That will be better Mel if this new pump doesn't keep throwing the leccie off it must be annoying when your cooking or doing something and it just goes off .

When we looked at the news and they showed the cottages in Ashill that had gone up in the fire we realised that the one near the post office which also caught it was where my niece used to live ,thank goodness she had moved, we've sat in her garden there and had some lovely bbq's with the family.

Enjoy the flowers Anng.

20 degrees here now but theres a nice breeze. washings out and I am just going to clean the bird bath out as I did'nt do it yesterday and they are drinking a lot and batheing.

Did I say banty had laid her 17th egg.

Those trains feel strange till you've been on them a little while don't they AnnG. I myself don't like travelling backwards either! I expect you may be off to see the flowers which will be nice now it's cooled down a lot. Have a nice day as they say!

Good morninh i am on the train to London. It is a tilting train weitf feeling and brst. Not to look out of the window esp as I am sitting back to driver

Morning All,

Overcast here and rain is forecast again so I hope we get some this time. PC says 16 degrees! What a difference.

The hot weather won't have helped so I hope your OH has started to feel better Mel. It's good you have found out what was affecting your leccy. What a nuisance losing power in the middle of cooking something.

Must get showered next and start lunch.

nny

I'll start again.

Good morning all,

Bright sunny morning here and blue sky with white clouds so its going to be a hot one I think.

Pc says 18 degrees and mostly sunny with a pic of the sun and a cloud over it so I hope it dos'nt get too hot today.

Woken with another bite on my neck and it was'nt oh. Why is it they itch in the morning and at night?

Thanks for the pics of Dottie and the lavender Ann.

We have found out what puts our leccy out. Its the pump in oh's pond. He has'nt used it for a week or so since he was unwell but today he put it on and out went the leccy so he has to buy a new one but this one will be a lot smaller than the one he has so uses less leccy.

It went out when I had the timer on for the quiche I was cooking so I lost the timer.

Did a bit of dead heading on the sweet peas today and cut down the mint and fern that was hanging over the steps down from the patio. Watered tonight too so Feel I have done a bit in the garden today.

Vera I had forgotten all about the security light and it is so bright as well I can't see the garage door when I go out to it at night. I'd have had to make a grab at the Rhubarb leaves to hide my modesty........fig leaves wouldn't be up to the job!! :-D

Cooked blueberries are delicious. Mum used to make bilberry pies with wild bilberries we'd pick from around where we lived when I was little. They are like small blueberries and those pies were so nice. I tried growing a blueberry bush in a pot years ago and used peat compost but it didn't survive.

We sat and watched a Telegraph livestream tonight which was very good. It's the first we've seen and they do them with different speakers and subjects every now and then so we'll keep an eye open for the next one now.

Off to bed now and hopefully for a much better night's sleep. I hope everyone sleeps well.

Yes we have enjoyed some of them as they are so sweet this year. I will make some muffins with some and the rest can go in the freezer for when I need them.

I have made a quiche this afternoon and the oven has just gone off so the chips are cooked. May be back later.

it was a very hot, very humid, sleepless night and that’s enough about that.

You gave me a chuckle first thing Ann as I imagined you outside in the all together suddenly getting caught in a spotlight and freezing like a rabbit in the headlights of a car, while trying to preserve your modesty. In my mind’s eye I was seeing the situation drawn as a cartoon. I laughed at your latest email. That could apply to a lot of partners I think. My OH recently told me we must have run out of something that I knew we had, so I opened the fridge and there it was, right in front of his nose. He didn’t even have to move anything. When I asked how he could miss seeing it, the answer was that it was on the wrong shelf!

Yes, the people who have lost their homes and belongings must be devastated and have a stressful time ahead of them. As far as I know no lives were lost so let’s be thankful for that as life is the one thing that can’t be replaced. I know someone who lost 2 close family members in a fire a long while ago but she has never got over it.

There have been some fires within a few miles of here and we are desperate for some rain to dampen down the fields and gardens but there is no sign of any. I think any storms may miss us; the air just doesn’t feel stormy, although there is still a weather warning out for this area. At the moment the app is telling me it’s 27 degrees and feels like 30 and there’s not much of a breeze.

First thing this morning it was a little cooler with some cloud cover and I managed to work in the garden for 30 minutes but I had to come in as soon as the sun broke through. I did notice there will be another picking of blueberries ready in the next day or two. It won’t be many and anything that’s still on the bush after that will be left for the birds. I hope you are enjoying your blueberries Mel.

We are worried about the field behind us as the hay hasn't been mown and it is bleached almost white with the sun and people use a footpath through it. Yes it must be terrible to lose your home and all your possessions. It's good how people rally round to help Mandy as you would be in such a spin wondering what to do and where to go for help.

There's been a big fire here next to that lovely deer park where the ruins of Lady Jane Grey's home are. It is covered in bracken that would blaze like mad if it caught fire.

We are hoping we get some rain here today.

I saw all the fires on the news yesterday. A terrible thing to happen to all those families. It makes you wonder if the insurance would pay out for that? It is horrid fire in the house and if you cna't get some personal papers and things out it is so heartbreaking. The docs house here in Shebbear caught fire and he lost all the family photos and his first wife had dies some years before. so he lost all the pics of her and the children growing up. Its so sad for those concerned and my heart goes out to all of them who lost their houses and things. <3

Afternoon all

A hot night but I did manage to get some sleep this morning was lovely and cool but now the suns out it seems quite hot out there even with the strong breeze .

In a village about eight miles away they had a terrible field fire it start up behind some houses yesterday about five o'clock in the afternoon, fifteen properties lost ,poor families have nothing, people are collecting for them everything from clothes to food and drink and toys for the children.

Hairdresser coming today but at least its a bit cooler .

we have a cold wind today and its 19 degrees on the pc and cloudy which is right.

Genes has got the gremlins again and has lost a post from me. Twice it told me I had to sign in even though I was already signed in and then I kept getting the error message. No time to post again now. May be back later.

Morning Ann and all,

Overcast here this morning and my car windscreen has water on it so it must have rained.

Was up at 7am and went back to bed as oh was still asleep and woke again with the crows making a row. When I got up and looked out the window they have a rabbit of someting round byhe old chicken house. I shall have to throw it over the back field when I do the chickens as its going to smell in this heat if they don't take it away.

Dinner was lovely last night and I shall do it again.

Thanks for the pic of Ernie now all we need is this new kitten.

Morning All,

What a hot night last night was! Despite mopping down and the cold hot water bottle I still slept fitfully and we went outside in our birthday suits at about 1.00am. It was still almost as hot in the back garden, but the air was moving a bit which was nice. As I edged nearer the patio OH said to mind I didn't trigger the neighbour's new security light. I had forgotten all about that! This morning at 7.00am it was much cooler and, after we opened everywhere up to let the breeze inside, we watered the pots and GH and then sat out on the patio in the cool breeze with the first COT for 2 days. It was lovely in the cool breeze. Still no rain though.

OH is working and I haven't decided what to do yet or what to have for lunch so I'd better get my thinking cap on.

Your meal yesterday sounded really nice Mel.

Yes I did Mel (edit) and thought I'd mentioned it in my last post, but no, the heat has got to my brain and I hadn't. lol. The seller has let me know she will post them off to me tomorrow. She's only about 30 miles away! It's still 30 here and when we stuck our heads out of the back door just it was still hotter than inside.

I will forward AnnG's email now.