General Chat

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Arlington Court Devon shell collection

Scroll down to the 9th loine of photos and click on the last one on the right . The shelves with the shells on and click on that and you will get it up on the right hand side and scroll down.

Between us we have pickled together a frame whether it will hold up or blow away at the slightest wind I don't know. We are going to attach it to the strawberry barrow but I am waiting for the new netting to arrive for that.

Going to get some lunch now.

Morning All,

It was sunny here but is cloudy now. It seems warmer though.

I would love to have tried those pretty dresses on too Mel. although they must have got cold chests and I wouldn't have enjoyed being winched into those corsets. No slouching wearing those was there! I bet they were heavy too like AnnG says and no stretch material then either. Knowing my luck I would have been a scullery maid or 'maid of the ash pans'.

I hope you have comfy shoes for Rosemoor AnnG. I bet it will be lovely there as the Rhododendrons and Azaleas are later than usual and the weather should be good today.

I'd better look at my 'to do' list and ring a garden centre first to see if they have any cues. I have 2 more pots to plant up with geraniums and all the french marigolds need planting out if the ground isn't sodden.

You'll like Rosemoor as there's lots to see and things to buy but a bit expensive. Rosemoor was the first place oh and I went to and it started to rain so he bought an umberella and we went round the gardens in the rain. I still have that umberella in the back of the car. He has since bought another one when we went round the gardens with his family.

Good morning from sunny Combe Martin.

Yes Mel it was two ladies one of whom was a great collector of things. But I imagine the shell stuff was all upstairs where we didn’t go. We did see displays of lovely tea spoons and snuff boxes etc.

No I don’t think I would have liked to live then, their clothes were very restricting and heavy to wear

We are off to Rosemoor soon have to leave here at ten for ten thirty booking

Morning all,

Bright morning here so I hope it stays that way although the sky is light grey out the front but sunnier out the back.

I shall be in the shed today trying to work out my frame for the blueberries.

Hope you all slept well and feel refreshed and ready to get up and go.

I too have beenn to Arlington Court years ago with first oh. Was'nt the last occupants two ladies who did all the shell collection and displays? I thought they were wonderful with allthe different colours. When we went they had a flower festival on so all the rooms had lots of flower arrangments in them even down to a book on a table with a ribbon bookmark all dressed in tiny flowers. I too loved the old carriages as they were so well preservered and shiney. I would have loved to live at that time, would'nt you? All those lovely dresses. Could'nt tell you the last time I wore a dress!!!

Fingers crossed for your OH at the meeting Ann.
Yes all the carriages were interesting and it must have been quite hard to build them.

Oh Vera, nice though it is to have friends call by, I, like Ann would never call without warning.
Yes Verity increased tourism a lot apparently in Ilfracombe.

I went to Arlington Court many years ago AnnG. My interest was in the horsedrawn carriages, as with my first OH we built a few 2 wheelers from old coachbuilding plans and restored a small one. One carriage we built went to America and I spotted the one we restored at Windsor Horse Show a few years later. Husband did the woodwork and metal work and I did the upholstery and coachpainting. Happy days but sadly a full time job didn't leave much time for doing it! Whenever I see them now I want to get my paintbrushes out. lol. That nice red sunset bodes well for tomorrow's weather.

Oh Vera, I never just drop in on anyone without ringing to ask if it's ok first, even if they say to just drop in. It can be really inconvenient otherwise. Never mind, but it's a shame the rain came when she was ready to go, but at least you had a good catch up! Gadding off to the tip again I see and prompting me that it's time we did some clearing of stuff to take. Your folding frame sounds like a good idea and easy to store.

Off to bed now. OH has a meeting at his only city school tomorrow, the first not on zoom since the first lockdown, so he will be armed to the teeth with sanitiser and masks. I've read that the Indian Variant has reached the city and is linked to travel from India. None of the teachers at the school he's going to have had covid yet so hopefully they are being very careful.

We had checked the forecast and decided to go to look at Arlington Court NT which was just about twenty minutes from where we are staying. We booked for 10.30. Arlington Court has been in the Chichester family for 500 years. Unfortunately Covid restrictions means the only the ground floor is open so we didn’t get to look at the bedrooms. I am pretty certain that non members were not paying a reduced entry fee. We visited the gardens first, not very big but lovely rhododendrons, then we went to the national carriage collection which was very interesting, a huge selection of carriages all sizes and types from one an attached baby carrier to a hearse. Interesting house but wouldn’t rush back. Drove back to a pub we had passed for a snack lunch at Old Station Inn. It was very well organised with partitions between the seats but there were not many in there when we went in. I had a very nice prawn jacket. Drove back to Combe Martin, it was now raining but had been dry all the time we were at Arlington Court. Drove down to look at the bay and pottered around the shops. Probably a very pretty bay if the sun was out.
Back to the cottage to read and for Lyn to change my dressing.
Evening meal was a fry up and very nice. And there was a lovely sunset straight in front of our lounge window over the sea in the distance. Pudding was raspberries, blueberries and strawberries and clotted cream. Mmm!

o dear Vera that certainly mucked your plans up what a shame she turned up when you had your day all planned out. I think tomorrow should be a better day. What a good idea for a folding frame I had'nt thought of that.

My thumb is not so sore today as I have been loading it up with vasaline.

Thanks for the photo of Verity, AnnG. I vaguely remember reading about it in the paper at some point but I never realised it was so big. It must be quite a talking point locally and probably attracts a few more tourists to the town.

Mandy, I hope Lewis soon recovers from his cough. It’s such a nuisance that everything has to stop for the whole family till test results are through but you can understand why it’s necessary.

I hope you are successful sorting out your netting for the blueberries and other veg. Mel. Years ago OH made me a cage for my blueberries that folds flat so we can store it up the side of the garage. It comes out every year as soon as the green berries show any signs of ripening or the birds wouldn’t leave us any. Funny thing is that they never seem to go for the guava berries.

This morning I washed some bedding, went to the tip and delivered a birthday card. I then planned that after lunch I would have a shower and dry my hair with the hairdryer to try and give it a bit of a style. Then if it was dry I intended, if my backache allowed, to plant up some more troughs and pots before coming in to prepare our dinner. Well, the best laid plans and all that...before I even got to the shower a friend arrived. She came in and I felt I had to offer her a cup of tea. Then just as she decided it was time to go the heavens opened again so she had to stay till it stopped raining. I eventually got in the shower at 5.30, my hair got left to dry itself again and I had a rush to get our dinner cooked. I’m not really complaining as I'm happy that people feel they can just drop in at any time, but why do they always pick the wrong time? ;-). Still it’s lovely to get a bit of normality back after all the time when we couldn’t have people in the house.

I hope everyone has a good night tonight and wakes up bright eyed and bushy tailed tomorrow. Perhaps it’ll be dry tomorrow.

Ann I have sent off for small cue seeeds but they hav'nt arrived yet so I shall be very late with mine but I am going to have a go as I just love home grown cues. Velcrow is a good idea for the window Ann thanks for that.

3 pictures to finish now, are we going to get a gallery to look at when you have finish them all? I hope so. :-D

Poor Lewis getting that awful croup again. He does seem prone to it dos'nt he. Such a shame when it puts everone else in the family out. Is it half term for them next week Mandy?

I have been faffing around this afternoon trying to find the old frame in the shed. I hate it when I put things away and then forget where I put them. I did find most of the old frame and a little bit of the VERY old frame so Imay have enough to make a wider one for ,y blueberries. Oh had a good idea too to make another bigger frame fromt he old sheep netting like he made for my bean tub and I can put the netting over that. Will see what materialises..........Watch this space.

I have a lot of plant sausers to wash that came down from the potting shed yesterday so I am going to do that now and then make a coffee to have with some naughty chocolate cake and watch tipping point.

Afternoon All,

No rain yet but it keeps coming over all black so the washing is still in the basket.

It was the pastel class this morning, a lone tree against a sunset sky to practice our blending of colours. That's 3 pictures I need to finish off now! AnnG I managed to do both classes while we were away in between having no internet!

With Mel and AnnG it's become an interesting, educational week! I had never heard of Verity by Damian Hurst so looked it up. It's a huge statue but agree it isn't a thing of beauty, more thought provoking really.

Ouch Mel, those cracks can be very sore, so keep your gloves on. That's a good idea to cover things with the mesh. I used to use old net curtains but haven't had any for years now. It should work well on your window too as I covered our caravan windows and ventilator with it for when we went to the south of France. I fixed it with velcro and it was perfect at keeping the flying beasties out and meant we could sleep with all the caravan windows wide open at night. As it was a boiling 40degrees that week it was great to be cool at night. What a palaver with pills and they don't even let you know when they make these changes do they. You have been busy planting I see. I must get on and plant some more seeds and need to see if I can get a cue plant this week. I was looking online at seeds that were for some dwarf ones that are on dwarf plants yesterday and wondered whether to send for some.

No rain here yet Vera! I could have got my washing dry. You will just have to console yourself with your Dorset Apple Cake which sounds delicious! ;-)

That's a shame your beans bending with the weather Mandy but the new shoots are quite tender. Poor Lewis getting the croup just now when tests for Covid have to be done. It really affects the whole family too and income with waiting for test results.

OH has 2 meetings this afternoon and we may go out to look at new tvs down the road at Curry's near closing time when there shouldn't be many people around.

Afternoon all, SUNSHINE with a few clouds. It seems quite warm also, I have had the window open in the lounge and the conservatory door open.

Tony has cut his lawns today. I have phoned Barry to come and do ours. Last time they were cut was when Lewis came up and did them.

Ros is out with Carolynshopping. She is bringing in a small chicken for dinner tonight. It will make a change as we haven't had chicken for ages.

Sorry I haven't red any postings AGAIN. Stay safe, xxxx

Afternoon all ,

Quack Quack lovely weather for ducks again ,its pouring here ,we went and got son and dil some shopping as Lewis has a croup cough again and he had to take a covid test yesterday so all the children had to come home from school and son and dil couldn't go to work ,they are waiting for result ,when we dropped the shopping at the door he seemed fine today, he gets this cough every so often .

Ann they are lovely photos of the lodge it looks nice inside and the views are great , it looks a nice peaceful place to stay.

Not a lot to report here as the rain has put play to doing any outside jobs ,I have put the hoover round and done a wash but that's still in the basket .

Oh Mel what a shame you can't get in your big green house ,I bet you've had some lovely grapes in there over the past summers, wasps would have had a field day with them .

When the rain does stop and we get some nice sun again the blooming weeds will be
knee high ,the poor runners didn't like the wind i noticed the wind has bent the tops of a couple of them .

O yes Island why don't the slugs and snails eat the bindweed? I have quite a bit of that up in the border and its a devil to get out as its right against the stone wall.

I have just bought some fine white netting to put over my cabbages in tubs and make a cage for the two blueberry plants as the blackbirds eat themn otherwise. I have had fleece over them in past years but the wind blows it about and makes holes in it. It was'nt very dear either so I hope it works. I may even put a bit over our bedroom windown in the summer when we have it open as we get a lot of flies in there and midges. I shall stick it on with double sided tape. Hoping that will work too.

I seem to have a lot of greenfly this year on strange things that don't ususally get it. The little clemetis on the end of the patio to the decking has it this year and its never had it before.

All wiped down and put away. He came really early this morning.

Suns gone in a bit and we had a few spots of rain but oh is still out mowing the west lawn.

Ah..... bunnies and other diners Mel :-( I thought white butterflies and blackfly were bad enough. It's a constant battle with these unwanted guests! Then there's the bindweed which slugs and other beasties just won't touch grrr!

It's a pity 'bob a job' is a thing of the past - a pack of scouts would soon have those brambles gone. Those were the days - and you got a sticker for the front window saying 'job done' :-D I think my dad used to save up the pop bottles so the scouts could take them back to the shop.

Morning Vera and Island and all,

We have a grey morning but its light grey and there is a bit of watery sun at the moment.

I do wish oh would not turn the telly on and then go out in the garden. I don't want it on.

Big wipe down this morning so I am nearly ready for the big push as my dad would say.

I still only have two tom plants inthe little greenhouse as I hav'nt taken the other two in there yet with it being windy again I thought if I lost those two I still had two safe in the shed to be going on with. Two of them are just showing thier first flowers in tight bud.

Yesterday my dwarf short beans arrived by post. Its my favorite one Ferrari and I sowed some right away. I only grow in post as the rabbits eat everything in the garden and the deer so it all has to be on the patio up by the house. I popped in the potting shed yesterday on the way back from the docs to see if there were any more half seed trays. The whole of my big greenhouse (53 foot long) is covered in brambles and is all dark and spooky. What the grapevine in there is doing I do not know as there is no way I could get in there now.