General Chat

Although it’s still 18 degrees I feel quite cool and comfortable with my fan fixed and blowing direct on me, but I just can’t seem to sleep. It must be all the excitement - we had some RAIN this evening. It was only 3 short, gentle showers but that’s the first rain for weeks. I had to open the blind and watch it as I’d forgotten what rain looked like :-D

I hope everyone else is having a better night. I’m going to read now for a while.

Afternoon All,

Had another awful night with the heat and ended up standing outside and then sitting inside with the patio door wide open in front of me for about an hour. We think the tree that was chopped down shaded the front windows more than we realised. My temperature control is poor at the best of times, so It has been better today but now it's fup to 25 and cloudy. We nipped to the Co-op earlier to get the things Asda sent that were wrong and for some more paracetamol for OH's niggly tooth.

We have had 2 short showers, but only enough to wet the ground, so no use to the parched garden. I deadheaded the geraniums and watered the wall pots and toms and am hot now.

That's good people are offering to help out Mel, especially with all your grass.

AnnG the print was on a metallic gold background and neither I nor OH could read it. Luckily with being a pack of 4 the card around them showed the date clearly.

That is great Mel, you will find that people are very kind and very helpful, it is good that you can have help with the grass. <3

22 here and drops of rain but nothing really helpful to the garden so far.

23 here and there's thunder about as I can hear it its dry at the mo but still hot.

Had one neighbour come down with a nice card for me a nd to say they would do anything I needed doing as Adrian is quite handy which was nice as they only live next door but one from our entrance.

Then the young couple from next door to them came down with a bunch of flowers two cards, one from them and one from her mum who they are now living with. I have known Beccy since she was small and now she and baby Winifred and hubby are living with Nicola. Arron said he would come and cut some grass for me, that was very kind was'nt it.

Its rained a bit and the thunder is getting louder.

I sometimes think they put the dates in the most obscure place in the smallest possible print so we can't see it and buy it anyway. However the one I had with yesterdays date on was actually very clear so no excuse. Still it was in date even if close so it was edible.
Well that shower was gentle and steady but very short. I suppose it is better than nothing and may just lay the dust, I can see it has wetted (is that a word?) the gravel but not all over so it has not penetrated any overhanging shrubs
But Island I agree we would prefer long and gentle rather than a short heavy downpour. :-)

~~~~~~ all

Thank goodness the temperature has dropped at last. It's clouded over here and it says 'rain on and off' on my laptop.- can we just have it 'on' for a while please?
As much as I'd like a good downpour I hope not as the ground is baked and nobody wants a tsunami heading down the hill.

I've noticed that instore supermarkets are less attentive with 'use by' dates these days. Are they trying to get full price for food that really should be on the reduced shelves? I've brought food home which needed using in a couple of days - not everyone has eagle eyes so has to trust that the full price goods are well within use by.

Steady gentle rain now, so it has reached us Mel, hope it continues for a while as it will at least freshen up the garden.

I have lots of empty pots to fill in the next month or so. Trying to keep a note of the things that have done reasonably well during this summer. For planting out next yesr.

Osteospernum seem to have done well and geraniums (Perargonium not hardy), Daughter says her begonias have done well too although it has not been as hot and dry where she is. nemesias, some have done well others not so well. Bedding petunias have done ok in tubs and the Petunia surfinias have just about survived but they have been flowering in baskets since June.

any suggestions for planting in pots to go through autumn and maybe winter?

Morning all,

So so muggy here no breeze at all and cloudy .

Well Vera I suppose one broken post isn't to bad when you think of the damage that some have done ,the village was lucky you got some good ones and not ones that have caused havoc and left all their rubbish behind .

Goodness Ann those yogurts were well out of date so ebody didn't check tye date when they picked them .

Just sitting out having a coffee but I think it's getting to much as I feel quite clammy so we'll soon need to go in .

I thought it was going to rain just now. I spent about 40 minutes out in the garden mainly cutting things down that seem to grow without rain, (ivy, honeysuckle, holly) and I heard a few drips when I went into the conservatory, felt a few spots outside but it stopped, sky is very grey and 23 degrees now but our storms are due tomorrow if  they get that far.

I have noticed one strange thing. The pyracanthus on the fence that was there when we moved in so over 32 years old, every year as soon as the berries go red they turn black. they haven't this year they have remained bright red. So they must like hot dry conditions.

Since I started this post the temp has dropped to 22 and pc says rain coming, perhaps your shower is coming my way Mel.

Morning all,

Grey skies here and its been very fine rain but not enough to wet the ground. weather thing says 25 degrees for Buckland F and light rain. Pc says rain to stop. The grass looks as though it has taken some up though as its not so light coloured where is has gone brown.

Just having a bit of toast sso thought I would come on here and see what you have been up to.

Its good the travelers have gone and not left too much mess at least thats something even if they did break a post.

sounds like you had one of the better families visiting you Vera. That was their staycation break then. It is quite grey here although hot, no sun Might mean I can do a bit out in the garden when I get myself going. I am at least now washed and dressed.

Morning AnnG and all

It was a hot night here too but I didn’t sleep too badly either. It’s going to be another hot day. We apparently have a chance of a couple of light showers this evening but we really need steady, prolonged rain to soak in the ground.

Our travellers on the field left as quietly and suddenly as they arrived, They were there yesterday morning and then they were gone. They had managed somehow to lower 4 locking posts to get on the field and they have got 3 back up but they have broken the 4th one so that will have to be replaced from our meagre parish council funds. On the bright side they don’t seem to have left a lot of rubbish.

Better get the washing machine started I suppose as the laundry basket is overflowing.

Good morning all. It was another hot night but I didn;t sleep too badly.

It is 21 degrees here at 0710. and they said it was getting cooler.

Gosh ann that was really bad. I know the dates are sometimes feint and small and I have to get a magnifying glass to see them but they should be more careful..

It was a good job I checked the dates on a 4 pack of yoghurt AnnG as it was the 7th August so I've asked for a refund on that.

I look forward to seeing the pictures of the Cathedral panels Vera, but getting there sounded a bit much in the heat. You managed to cope with everything though despite the hiccups with the meal out and having to cut short the time with the taxi booking. At least you had nice face to face chats to catch up after all this time so that was good. I love it when there are leftovers for the next day from a cold buffet kind of meal! :-D

It's a pity we can't save all this heat for the winter when our heating bills go up isn't it. I think if we get more of this weather, which seems likely, we will have to start looking at some ways to cool the bungalow more. Perhaps some extra roof insulation or an extra layer of curtains just for such times on the hottest windows. The new front door we want to get will certainly have less glass in it now after this hot spell.

Phew! What a hot few days. I had put our visitors in my room with my big, efficient fan and they both said they slept OK. I moved into another room which is particularly hot and hardly slept at all Thursday or Friday night. As OH is in the coolest room in the house he offered to swap with me last night so I did get a bit of sleep but it was still very hot and sticky.

AnnG, I am sure your birthday wasn’t the same without T to share it but it’s good you were able to get out with friends and enjoy the day. That was naughty of the Tesco picker not to check the dates and you should let them know. Tbh I have found Sainsbury’s the worst for that and have complained and got a refund a few times, but it did happen to me once with Tesco. I know I spoke to someone on the phone who gave me a refund and took all the details as he said he would contact the store manager about it and ask him to remind his staff to look at dates. You could ring customer services on 0800 505555 or, if you prefer not to phone, just email [email protected]. I hope you can sort something out.

We have had a good, if hot, weekend. Our visitors arrived earlier than expected on Friday but we were all ready so that was OK and we just “blobbed around” for the afternoon and evening. We had so much to talk about and family news to catch up on, not having met up for 4 years. I did a lightish meal around 7 pm. We had chicken drumsticks and thighs, vegetable quiche, baby potatoes and lots of different salads, followed by cheesecake and strawberries.

Yesterday was unbearably hot but they wanted to go out so we armed ourselves with hats, sunglasses and water and went to Bury St. Edmunds. It was so hot walking from the car park and through the town that we nearly turned back home, but we did make it to the Cathedral. It wasn’t as cool as expected. I think the heat of the last couple of weeks has warmed all the stone of the walls! The exhibition of the 12 panels illustrating the story of the Creation was good. We checked that it was OK to photograph them and OH took pictures of all 12 on his phone. When he downloads them to the computer I’ll email just a couple of them around as they really are works of art.

After a drink and a scone in the Cathedral cafe, we went and checked out the Abbey ruins and wandered round the gardens but by then everyone was wilting in the sun and my head was thumping so we dragged our feet back to the car and got home about 4 pm.

Just before we went out in the morning the pub/hotel where we had booked a table for the evening rang to say they had to cancel their bookings as 2 chefs had gone down with Covid. We tried our next choice and they were closed for “essential maintenance”. It’s difficult to get a last minute booking for a Saturday. After a lot of ringing around the nicer of the two Turkish restaurants in town could offer us a table at 6 pm provided we vacated it by 8 as it was wanted for a later booking. Not what we wanted but better than nothing. Then we had to try and rearrange our taxi. Eventually OH got hold of our driver and he could take us for 6 pm but would have to pick us up by 7.45 as he also had a later booking. What a saga! Anyway the meal and atmosphere was good if rather rushed. I only had a main course and a glass of wine, the others managed a pint of beer, a starter and a main course with a bottle of wine between them.

When we got back we sat in the garden till about 10.30 which was really pleasant but the house seemed even hotter when we came back in.

Visitors went late morning. I’ve stripped and remade beds and wiped round and changed towels in the en-suite they were using. I don’t have to cook tonight as we have plenty of salad and cooked meats left so I am now taking it easy.

I see I’ve been rambling on again so I had better come to an end. It’s still 32 degrees here and looks as though it’s going to be another very hot night. Try and stay cool overnight everyone.

I sometimes think they can't be bothered to search for subs as well. I had one unavailable item today, it probably was to save me from myself as it was a pack of two pecan pastries. they said there was nothing suitable to sub with by which I assume that that large Tesco store had absolutely no pastries at all.

Yes it would be worse with 2 of you in a bed as you say and thankfully we aren't as we wouldn't sleep a wink!

Food's come but I don't understand some of the subs they do. It must be all about matching price so it doesn't cost them more. They do various sensitive teeth toothpastes so why send a sub of a non sensitive one? Barbecue flavour pasta salad is one we won't eat. I must remember to check the dates too as we have been caught out with short dates a few times. I think we will be raiding the freezer ready meals as well.

I do hope we get some of this rain that's due tomorrow or tuesday. It's showing a 64% chance late on tuesday round here, less the rest of the time.

we had a little rain this morning enough to wet the decking and car but it did'nt last long.
I was hoping it ouldgo on a bit longer but the sun soon came out and its been hot ever since. Its 32 here now and I have just found a little fan in oh's office that plugs into the pc and its playing on my face and neck. I bought it for him in Lidl a few years ago but I don't think he ever used it.

Waiting for someone to call this afternoon. I had two visitors this morning.

It was so hot last night that I had to wash the bedding today as the sheets and pillow cases were damp. Yuk!!! It must be worse with two of you in the bed.
Wonder if we will get any rain tomorrow and, if we do, will it do any good.

I ordered a couple of ready meals for this week as they don't take much cooking. However I am having to have toad in the hole this evening as that one has todays date on it. I am very cross as the pickers seem to be very careless with dates lately. The trouble is I can't for the life of me work out where to complain, Tesco customer service site has so many options but none seem to cover what I want.