General Chat

Morning Vera
I feel the same :-( I only got up early because I felt so cheesed of with the sight of another dull day so needed to distract myself. Apparently the weather is forecast to improve now.
It'll be another week before I can plant the beans as the beds are too soggy to dig over. Fellow veg growers are all dismayed by the wet weather.

Not much to report otherwise :-(

I just got the error message three times. Then when my post finally went through it appeared - four times! Must be the weather. :-S

Good morning all

Same old story today - rain, rain and more rain :-(. It’s been wet overnight and still raining now. Horrible weather for those of you on holiday. We were originally going away this week too. I’m pleased we decided to put our break off till September.

Just having a CoT before deciding what to do today.

Only left my gloves off for a few mins and handled something dirty and now I have a lovely big crack on my thumb just above the knuckle on my right thumb.

I think it is clever but not sure I like it. But it was good for photos. Brilliant sunset here tonight.

Sowed some seeds this afternoon and found all the old connecters off a netted frame I made for strawberries years ago. All the pole have rusted and some of the ends are still in the plastic connecters so iit may be a job for oh when he gets time.

They sent me the wrong plant food. I wanted the granuals and they have sent the plug things for big pots. I may use them in the big troughs with the clematis in but that still leaves me without for my potting compost.

Then at 5pm oh said to me do I have to go another day without my p[ills? I had said I would go and get them this afternoon. Anyway they don't close till 6.30pm so off I went. The girl at reception told me I had been taken off the shop list and thats why they were'nt there. Now she has put me back on the list for collection at the Shebbar shop. She said I had'nt had them there since April to which I said we are only in May now. I do wish they would get their act together. They seem to be so into these corvid jabs everything else goes out the window.

Moan over. Sounds like you had a good day out round Ilfracombe Anng and lunch out too. Nice. That statue is huge is'nt it and showing her baby inside and all her muscles in her are and the top of her leg.

Another winner from G then Ann. He's quick off the mark as usual. Perhaps the little holiday has sharpened his brain even more!!!!

My white plastic netting has arrived and I want to try and make a cover for my blueberry bushes. think I need to have a look in the shed and about the garden to see what I can find to do it with. I may even have to go up the potting sheds.

The washing up can wait or I shall have pouring rain coming down again. Its been on and off all this morning and the Mole Valley driver walked down with my order on a sack barrow and before he got to the big arch it fell out of the sky. He makes such a mess of turning around down here he always walks down now.

Just found this post I did'nt post!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Again. What am I like.

It’s black as Newgate’s knocker outside. The heavens are going to open again at any minute. The first heavy downpour we had this morning was just after I had hung out a line full of washing so I wasn’t pleased. It’s happened on and off all day and the courtyard outside keeps being flooded. The drains can’t cope. Oops, here it comes again.

It’s interesting to hear about the mining in Devon and Cornwall. I knew about some of it but didn’t realise so much had been mined. The gold “fern” looked amazing.

Thanks for the pictures of your holiday lodge Ann. it looks a good place to stay, nice and quiet and lovely scenery. Your OH’s funny comments do make me smile.

We have a bit of excitement planned for tomorrow. We have an appointment at the tip. It’s to get rid of all the stuff OH forgot to take last time we went.

Our neighbour has just called with our Monday treat. Today we have Dorset Apple Cake. Looks yummy.

Rain is still coming down in sheets and I thought I saw a lightening flash. Think I’ll go and get a glass of wine to cheer myself up.

Yes Mel have spent so many holidays in Cornwall and Devon and with T being born and bred in South Devon know only too well about all the other mining that went on, just not the silver, and also not heard of the gold ferns which look beautiful

Annx did you do any drawing or painting while on holiday? Hopefully it won’t take too long to catch up with the washing.

We had a good day today in Ilfracombe, interesting to walk around and look at the little bays and the very rocky inlets. It stayed dry until we returned to the car after lunch which was late around 2pm and was calamari fried in batter with garlic and a shared bowl of chips. S in L had a bacon bap. We had coffee by the dry harbour, very low tide, in the sun and lunch in the theatre cafe. We were going to go on down into Combe Martin bay when we got back but it was raining so we have stayed in. That is ok, plenty to read but SiL is a great footie fan and always manages to find a match to watch on IPlayer.while in Ilfracombe we took photos of Verity although fascinated we were not sure what to make of her.


Verity is a 2012 stainless steel and bronze statue created by Damien Hirst. The 20.25-metre (66.4 ft) tall sculpture stands on the pier at the entrance to the harbour in Ilfracombe, Devon, looking out over the Bristol Channel towards South Wales.[1] It has been loaned to the town for 20 years. The name of the piece refers to "truth" and Hirst describes his work as a "modern allegory of truth and justice".[1]
.

Photos later?

Hi all, Nothing to report, a nice lazy day with my book and paper.

We have had a daily dose of rain after the sunshine and OH was just about to hang the washing out in the bright sunshine when a dark cloud loomed so it is still in the basket. The window cleaner turned up so that was a bit of a waste too!

That sounds like an interesting challenge Island. :-) Could you send me details please? I may not do it just yet as with being away I am all behind catching up with homework for my 2 online courses.

Mel, thanks for that interesting info about the mining and gorgeous pic of the fern gold. We saw some of the arsenic pits at Botallack one year when we went to look at the engine houses and I hadn't realised before that they found arsenic too. I would love to be able to go back in time and get a glimpse of what everywhere looked like in those times. Speaking of that, the local news has mentioned that the smallish village of Belton (350 odd residents) near Nottingham has a proposal to build 6,000 new houses!! Will everywhere just be a concrete jungle with little green space and scenery in another 100 years? :-S

Uh, uh, the rain is lashing down again! I've sorted and paid OH's car insurance for him and printed off his certificate so better get my paints set up ready.

OH made me chuckle earlier. With the things he says to me I said I'd better write my own eulogy for my funeral when the time comes. 'Ah well' he said, 'you do always like to have the last word!!' :-0 :-0 Cheeky bounder! lol.

O Island you popped in before I could post and so did Ann.

Mining started in Devon in the 12 century I think.

Try this for the fern gold.

https://www.pbase.com/hajar/image/154677233

Morning Anng and all,

It started bright and sunny but now it has turned to rain.

Anng there were lots of mines in Devon and Cornwall mining lead, silver, arsnic, copper, tin and Lithium. I think the lithium is the most thing thats mined today for use in our batterys.

There is also a very special gold that is like fern leaves and only found in Devon.

History relates that gold in some quantity has been actually found in three Devonshire districts, namely near North Tawton, North Molton and Combe Martin. Scattered grains have also been occasionally picked up by "tin streamers" on Dartmoor, previous to the cessation of tin mining there in 1808, and enclosed by them in quills, as their custom appears to have been since the time when Carew wrote "Tynners doe also find little hoppes of gold amongst their owre which they keep in quils*". Copper miners have also found small specks of gold in gossands in various parts of the county.

So Combe Martin also had small deposits of gold.

I have rellies in North Tawton and have rung the bells there many times too.

Mole Valley is coming today at some point with more potting compost for me and chicken food and wild bird food so I have to keep my eye out to tell the sriver where to put it.

Morning Ann & Ann

Bright sunshine at 6am here but now it's overcast with wet stuff threatened for the rest of the day.
I'm not going to attempt to do anything outside. Instead I'm staying indoors, starting a seven day sketch challenge via FB - you don't have to be on FB to do it so if anyone wants to join me let me know. It's as simple or detailed as you like..

Morning All,

Slept well and the sun is shining and I think I will risk getting the washer going. Is your washer all mended now Mandy?

I've fed the toms and checked the courgettes which I put outside and they seem to have stood still while we were away......they don't like wind and rain. No sign of the window cleaner yet and OH is tapping away on his laptop. We are having a frozen lamb lunch I've never tried before and with extra veg today. With the painting course this afternoon I wanted something quick and easy. We have the most strange, busy picture to paint, a sort of mosaic of broken tiles covering a wall and a vista of city buildings behind. I will be interested to see how the teacher simplifies it!

I didn't know that about the silver mines AnnG. I suppose all the silver has been mined now. I hope you have a good day today and that you get some sunny spells.

Better get that washer going now and start looking at OH's car insurance for a good deal. His requote for this year is already over £67 lower than last year due to less mileage, but what to put for his mileage this coming year........who knows??

Thought you would Mel but none of us were aware of silver mining here. I assume if you went to school on Devon you would know. Was it just in this immediate area or other places in Devon?


Good morning all wet again, supposed to be wet until lunch time, think we are going to Ilfracombe later

Yes Anng knew that.

Just going to watch Call the midwife.

Rain stopped here about 30 minutes ago and it has brightened up.
Mel did you know there used to be silver mines here and some of the silver is in the Crown Jewels.?

Lucky you Mandy. Its still raining here.

Oh I meant to say the day has been quite sunny with just one shower of rain .