General Chat

Morning All,

Sorry you didn't get much sleep Vera. We haven't had rain to speak of for weeks now and everyone is losing garden plants despite trying to do some watering. Even the leaves of an acer that is in almost complete shade has scorched leaves and the ferns in the shade have flopped. You have every right to have a moan as the temp is even higher where you are. We have woken up to a deliciously cool 19 degrees this morning, so I'm off for a walk before I think of doing anything else. Most days it's just been too hot. It makes you feel like doing nothing and it makes me irritable too as I have trouble with temperature control with thyroid issues at the best of times. What a job your leak is turning into as often happens with something that starts small. I hope it doesn't mean a new toilet, although a replacement of that doesn't usually cause too much disruption. I would have loved the meal you had yesterday too.

I've noticed a lot of those tiny quarter inch long black narrow insects on the window sills this week AnnG and I think they may bite. I just hope the spiders like them! I found a bite under my sandal strap yesterday so must remember to put repellant on when I go out. Has Skinny been inside lately? I hope he hasn't brought friends with him if so as I expect they pick fleas up from what they find. How is the gravel area looking now? It needs some rain next to wash the dust off it.

I love getting new drawers or storage boxes Mel so I can organise and tidy things away where I can find them. I keep eyeing up the wall in front of me for an extra shelf! lol. It's good you are unearthing some projects to finish too. I did our white front door just before the drive was done and the men gave it a wash down too, but they soon look mucky don't they, even the letterbox from the papers being pushed through. How did the car get on..........did it pass the MOT?

Better get my skates on now as our Jane would have said!

Morning all,

Blue skies with lts of thin white clouds here today and sunshine too. Its 17 degrees here and is supposed to be mostly sunny so we will see what transpires later in the day.

One job I must do today is wash the front door mainly outside but the inside needs a clean too. Its one of those thing I walk past every day seveal times but don't look at. It is so dusty outside you can hardly see through it!!! and the frame being white attracts the midges too and moths and they mess on it.

Sorry you had another bad night Vera lets hope you get some rain soon to cool everything down a bit. I know you live in the dryest part of the country as does Mandy but you need some respite.

Good morning AnnG and all

I think that was almost the worst night yet. There wasn’t a breath of air anywhere and all the fan seemed to be doing was blowing the heat around. It’s 19 degrees at the moment. Today is supposed to be cooler and only reach 24 or 25 degrees. We used to think of 24 degrees as hot, now it’s considered cool. Sorry for going on about it. I’m grumpy from lack of sleep and fed up with the heat and lack of rain.

We had a nice lunch out with friends yesterday. I had a vegan Mediterranean vegetable tart with green salad and it was delicious and not too heavy.

Plumber should be back today. OH now thinks we might have to have a new toilet completely. If that’s the case why couldn’t that have been done to start with?

Better get moving and try to cheer up and enjoy the bright sunshine instead of moaning about it. Have a nice day folks.

Good morning all, it is 13 degrees here but doesn't, at the moment feel quite so muggy.

I keep finding tiny little bites that itch like mad. I am not sure if they are from little midges in the garden or when I am in bed at night. I have not seen any indoors so they must be a bit sneaky.

Island :-D :-D I really should not have looked at that before going to bed, now it is stuck in my brain for the night. and i never liked the song either. :-D :-D

Ha ha

same here Mel, steep hill. An electric bike would be ok for going up but I'd bottle it going down. Although I rode my motorbike both ways a few years back on steeper hills but m/c's are easier to control than push bikes - and closer to the ground.
But hey.... I was alluding to >

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCTMTflcuug

This morning we decided on a chest of 5 draws which match myk tables so I cleared a spot for it next to my bookcase with all te plastic boxes and other bits on. Its inline with my tables too and infront of the rad we don't have on so will be ok there. I hoovered the kitchen work room bedroom and what I could get of his study floor. Then did a little ironing and then cleared the old chest of draws top and got my other miniture shop on the top of that. It will be my next project started years ago and never finished. It was going to be an Antique shop to display all the things I have made in miniture over the years. I also told him about the fishermans cottage up in the potting sheds which needs a roof. so that may come down as well, fingers crossed. We had a late breakfast so did'nt need much lunch, he had jelly and icecream and I had a bowl of cornflakes for quickness.

I also put a couple of layers on some new moulds so all in all a good days work. He was mowing but got hot and complained about doing two stips of the lawn and then having to go and empty the grass box.

No I hav'nt got a byke and don't think I would have the energy to get it up the hill to the crossroads now I am an old lady. I do have my sons racing byke though, hardly used when he lost his driving licience it has lots of gears and I have never riden a geared byke before. I wonder what I'd get for it if I sold it?

Vera, sorry about the abrupt end to my email - the doorbell was being demanding so I hit 'send' rather than lose it :-D

Mel.... no bicycle? ;-) :-D

Afternoon All,

25 degrees here but it feels hotter and is humid despite a slight breeze. We aren't doing much better than you Vera, We had a few drips of rain in the night again that barely wet the ground, but have been teased all morning with really heavy black clouds but they have been taking the rain elsewhere. :-( That's a nuisance finding another potential leak, but good it has been brought to light now so you can sort it if needs be. Hope you enjoy your outing today.

Good luck with the MOT Mel and I hope it won't be too expensive. My MOT is next month and we'll be using a different garage now the other has closed, so I will be keeping fingers crossed. I get attached to my cars too as you get used to their foibles.

OH managed to get his watch battery changed ok this morning and I got some stretch dark grey trousers from the factory shop and a new baking tin. They still didn't have any slow cookers. We called at the garden centre, which only had 2 other people in the cafe so we had a 6 item breakfast plus toast. We looked around The Works and OH found 2 nice shirts in the Edinborough Mill sale and got those and we bought weedkiller and ant killer. Then we popped in the co-op for few bits on the way back.

AnnG it was a good job you were up early wasn't it. It sounds like the work will soon be done though and you will soon have your gravel garden area ready for some pots.

Now I'm ready for a COT and will decide what to do next.

Good morning

Yet again there is no sign of rain locally nor any forecast. We seem to be in our own little micro climate here. It was a really hot muggy night and I eventually slept for a couple of hours sitting up which was marginally cooler than lying down.

I hope your gravel laying is well under way now AnnG. It will look great when it is all finished and you have some plants on it.

Hope the MOT goes well and you don't have too much to pay out Mel. Ours goes in for its annual service and MOT this month as well and each time I wonder whether its going to need any major repair. She seems to be running fine but the old girl's 14 now so things could start to go wrong.

Everything the plumber has done is fine but it has brought to light another slight leak that OH thinks might have been partially to blame for the original problem. Yesterday the plumber told OH to keep an eye on things and if he saw any further "weeping" to let him know by 8 am this morning, which OH did. So he is coming back again tomorrow. Will it ever end? The bill we have been sent is extremely reasonable but if we keep finding things the company might add extra charges.

I've done the ironing but nothing else yet and, as we are out to lunch again today, I'd better get a wriggle on. Might bbl

Good luck with the MOT Mel, an expensive time no doubt.

I imagine you need a car if you are way out with no bus routes near.

Morning all,

Dull and dreay here this morning and it was raining last night before I went to bed and again when I got up for the loo. Thinkj it will last all day.

Car goes in this morning for MOT and its going to cost me this time. The dear old girl has a rattle on the stering and a squeak on the brakes and it generally tired I think. She has been a good old car and you get attached to them don't you? We always feel strange when she goes in as we don't have another working car so you feel isolated sort of. No F & C's tonight as I shan't be able to pick it up.

Thats all for today so I think I may do the bathrooms today and some ironing.

Good morning all. I was up at 0630 knowing I had Andy coming to do the gravel. Good job I was, he was due at 0830. At 0745 a large lorry arrived to drop off the gravel. and at 0800 Andy was here. He has now gone off to get the wood for the frame. Poor man the heat is awful for him with the humidity. And he is not getting much sleep as his four year old is poorly with a chest infection and wakes them up coughing.

OOO Anng I have been watching Murder in Provance but hav'nt seen this weeks yet was saving it for tonight.

Thank you all for your wishes. We've had a sloppy day not doing anything much at all. I potted three plants on, two begonias from last year and a cutting of my geranium I bought in Morrisons three years ago. Fed the birds and chickens and did a bake on some poly clay.

Oh said I could have £100 for clothes or something I wanted and I wanted a set of three draws to keep craft stuff in but do you think we could find something the right size.

Made sadad tonight and cooked a load of plums and thats all I have done today. Its been very hot and sticky here and still is. O I did pick another 9 oz blueberries and froze those.

Feel all clammy now so I think a shower is in order before bed.

I hope you've had a happy anniversary, Mel.

Here's wishing you many more happy years together.


Going to read back and catch up with the thread now..............

Glad you enjoyed your afternoon Vera it sounds like you had a lovely time and good it was not too hot.

Anyone else watched Murder in Provence? I really enjoyed them.

(edited to correct Ipad's stupid auto correct)

Glad you enjoyed your afternoon Vera it sounds like you had a lovely time and good it was not too hot.

Anyone else wat he’d Murder I. Provence? I really enjoyed them.

I didn't know you could still get Angel Delight Ann. I shall have to look out for that. I wonder if Dream Topping is still available. Years ago I used to make a rather nice chocolate mousse that used a can of custard and a packet of Dream Topping.

We had a very nice afternoon at the Ladies Club afternoon tea. The hostess had managed to borrow several tables with parasols which kept off the worst of the sun and there was quite a strong breeze so it didn't feel too hot. We were greeted with a glass of Pimms and there were regular top-ups though I just had one small glass as I was driving. Then it was scones, jam and cream and pots of tea with lots of chat and laughter. The time passed very quickly.

We got back about 5.30 pm and the plumber was just leaving, having come back to make a final adjustment (we hope final) to a connection. We weren't expecting him till Thursday but he had finished the previous job early..

While I was out OH did some tidying up in the garden and proudly showed me some plants where he had noticed fresh growth underneath so had cut away all the scorched, dying growth on top. It does look better at the moment but I hadn't got the heart to tell him that it would have been better to leave them alone so that all the grotty stuff could protect the fresh growth. Now that's exposed it will probably get scorched as well.

It's going to be a hot, sticky night again. At the moment it is 24 degrees but isn't supposed to drop below 18 all night so I guess I won't get much sleep again. We are out to lunch again tomorrow. We seem to have gone from never going out because of Covid to never being in. We're still being a little bit careful and try to pick places that are unlikely to get crowded and to meet outside when possible.

I'm getting a bit tired now and still have a couple of bills to pay and a couple of emails to write so I'll say goodnight and hope you all sleep well.