General Chat

I meant to say that I heard from my friend. She and her daughter (the one who tidied my cables), were on a visit to open gardens when her daughter tripped and fell and she has fractured her shoulder. I feel so sorry for her and for my friend. Daughter does lots for her, takes her shopping etc as she drives and friend no longer does (she is 2 years older than me.

No rain here, complete cloud cover but failry bright and 17 degrees. So more watering needed later in both gardens.
I went into town on the bus. I left the house with my stick fol;ded in my bag, then when I got off the bus I used the stick to get out of the bus station with the crowd all hustling and pushing to get where they were going. Then when I got to the start of the shops (about 200 yards), I folded my stick again and left it folded in my bag until I got home. I am quite pleased with myself even though my leg is a little bit sore, I walked quite a way round the shops. all to no avail though. I was either looking for red trousers to wear with a top I have, or a pinks floaty type top to wear with pink trousers I have. Plenty of red tops and some pink trousers but not what I was looking for.

It's about 18 degrees here but quite breezy and cloudy. I'm keeping an eye on the weather as some of those clouds are now looking very black and I have loads of washing out.

I'm glad you all liked my garden photos. What we have now is nothing like we originally planned. Plants die and people give you plants that don't quite fit in anywhere but you feel you ought to find a home for them. Annx, I can assure you there are plenty of weeds. They are just not obvious in the photos. Last year I said our 2 physocarpus shrubs were getting too big and we would have to cut them back. Mr Crewcut got at them with his electric shears and cut a swathe through them.. I could have cried. I was left with 2 tiddly , skinny bushes that were all broken branches and ragged twigs. Well, OH had the last laugh - he'd given them a new lease of life. The one closest to the house which grows faster than the other one is now 4-5 ft across and about 7 ft tall. It's bigger than it was when I said it was too big. My big clumps of purple salvia did suffer from Mr Crewcut's administrations - they are not nearly as good as usual. I normally deal with those by shortening them slightly in the autumn but leaving most of the old stems to protect new growth. Then I cut them right down to the ground in the spring. He decided to "help" and cut them right down in the autumn and I think some of the new growth coming through in early spring got killed off by the frosts we had then. Thankfully I have trained him to leave the penstemons to me and not to touch any seedlings or cuttings.

That's annoying that all your wool is dk Mandy but you are so good at knitting that I am sure you will manage to produce lovely dolls even without the 4 ply. We have a craft evening at the ladies' club tomorrow but I shan't be going as, where crafts are concerned, I have 2 left hands.

I've changed bedding and done several loads of washing this morning and I am hoping to get some h/w done this afternoon. I can hear noises from downstairs that I think mean lunch is being prepared and once I sit down for lunch I don't want to get up and start doing jobs again.

Ah, I'm being called; lunch is served. Have a good afternoon everyone.

Brightened here now and we have some sun but its only 15 degrees and the pc is telling me strong gusty winds at 2pm. Not nice. I have been to the post van with a couple of little parcels and now I have fed the fish and the chickens I am going to wash up.

You're getting on well today Ann with cleaning the cooker etc have a nice lunch out and I hope its not to crowded. Make the most of it the children break up soon.

Must fill up the bird feeders and do a bit of hoovering and dusting and a general tidy up as I am in a bit of a mess.

Thank you Vera for the lovely photos of your garden. Your plants look very strong to make a pretty and very pleasing show.

Our garden has been much neglected this year. Other priorities have taken over in the infrequent days, when it wasn't too wet or too cold to get out there. Rhubarb transferred from another location seems to be thriving though, so daughter will be pleased. She does like a rhubarb crumble :-D
Saturday she went out to 'put a bit in the garden bin' before today's collection. Neighbour's son saw her cutting back and before long he came round to help armed with one of those extending loppers, so they could reach some higher tree branches, which his mum thinks are shading her greenhouse. I think the fact that the greenhouse is to the north of their house, so is in the shade for part of the day adds to the problem and then by the time the sun moves round to the other side of our short row of houses, it is much lower in the sky. We were more than willing to cut back any long branches though, because they are great neighbours and we hope to keep it that way.
Mr Crewcut would have a field day ;-)
My job was cutting up the downed branches, so a full and heavy bin is now waiting collection and a pile is ready for chopping up to refill it!

Today is cooler and was cloudy, but brightening now.
Yesterday afternoon we went to Folkestone to watch the Red Arrows perform over the sea as a finale to Armed Forces Day. We sat on the beach waiting, then the rain started :-|
They did come, but only managed about 3 fly-pasts before they had to abandon the show due to low cloud and very poor visibility, which we quite understand. I don't think I've seen them fly with a front light shining before they zoomed by and were lost from sight in the murkiness.Scary.
At those speeds there is no room for error,so it was just as well they left the area.

Today is a general tidy up indoors day and deciding which, if any of the clothes I bought recently can go back to the shop.

Morning All,

Sun's comig out here now and it's 16 degrees. I was up early and have had my marigolds on and cleaned the kitchen sink, then the microwave, cooker glass door and the hob. The gas burner lids are in soak. The rest of the cooker will clean itself on a day that's cooler and now the electricity price has gone down today. I cleaned the kettle and the kitchen tap is soaking in limescale cleaner. It is a nuisance living in a hard water area!

Thank you or your garden photos Vera. It looks lovely and not a weed that I could see so you have worked hard on it. The Penstemons are beautiful and it all looks healthy and lush. Your OH has done a great job with getting your slabs so clean. Does he use a detergent in the washer only our slabs seem to stay a bit patchy.

Mel I hate that sort of rain as it fools you into thinking you won't get very wet and then suddenly you are soaked. I expect you could be sending it up here later! lol. We could certainly do with some.

Oh Mandy what a shame you still have the wrong wool. It sounds a good idea to try it with some smaller needles though. I must admit that I have only seen double knit in places like the Works lately. It sounds like you are ready to move on from the poppies!

I'd better get the Marigolds back on and sort the hob burners out next. I think we are nipping out for lunch then as Mondays are usually less busy.

Morning girls,

The rains come here and its that fine stuff that you don't hear but makes you soaking et when you are out there. Its 14 degrees here and feels cold so I better get dressed as I have to get to the post van this morning.

Hope you all slept well. I had another funny dream about taking something to an antique shop for an old lady and the person in there looking in its draws and finding little notes in there and I told her off for being nosey. There was red and blue in the dream too of the items I took in.

Morning all,

I thought I had posted on Saturday but looks like it was Friday, we've been busy and yesterday was bil's birthday so we went to see sister and bil and before we knew it the day had gone .

Nice and sunny at the moment but we should get rain later .

Vera your garden looks really pretty with some lovely healthy looking plants ,I can't see where Mr crewcut has been it all looks smashing .

Well my other wool came and blow me that was double knit too ,I read the description again and it definitely said 4py but I'll keep it as it will come in ,I have decided to knit the dolls In double knit doing it on a smaller needle and see how the first one turns out

Washing is now spinning so I'd better get it pegged out and hopefully get it dry before the rain comes .

Good morning all another bright but cloudy morning 14 degrees.The last time we heard from Mandy was the 28th.
Might go in to town, been home on my own since last Thursday so getting a bit bored now. Not that I need anything but it is good to have a look around to see what is going on there. And to see people. :-)

Vera your garden is a credit to you and hubby. Everything is looking so good and I like what you put together. Can you come down here and tackle mine please? Trouble is here you do a bit and theres so much garden you can't see what you have done. I am working on the front of the bungalow at the mo clearing the moss off the road and sweeping it up but it takes a bit of doing.

I have done nothing today except feed the fish and the chickens and started a bit of painting of lates that have to be varnished before I put a top pattern on them then varnished again. I have done up to little parcels for tomorrows posting and generally sat around and watched a bit of telly with lunch which was a bowl of cornflakes and tonights dinner was two boiled egg and toast followed by fresh pineapple and cherrys. I did fill up the birdbath as a little sparrow was drinking the small amount of dirty water in a ring about 2 inches across.

I never liked sport much at school hated netball as I was never given a good podition and being short most of the girls were taller than me. I just wanted to be down the stables all the time with the horses. If its not been pinched out of the potting sheds I still have my saddle bought with money given to me when I left school for clothes yes you've guess it the £20 went on a saddle for £19.19.6.

I thought we heard from Mandy yesterday where she said the poppy count was now 55 but I may be wrong.

Ah yes the rain in May that was before most of my plants went in as I was away. I did know that I was going to have a problem this year but didn't realise how much of a problem. Strangely I do have one basket of petunias that is thriving. (and one that is all behind). Swings and roundabouts and the joys of gardening.

Thank you for your kind comments AnnG. I don’t think the garden looks quite as tidy close up though it is quite colourful. With the rain helping the plants grow, I was really thinking of all the rain we had through May and the beginning of June when all these plants were developing. Far from being put to shame you have done brilliantly in your garden. You have to remember that there are 2 of us and though my Mr Crewcut needs watching he does cope with most of the watering and any heavy jobs.

Annx, I have sent the pics to you again in 3 lots so I hope they arrive safely this time.

Ha ha Vera I can just picture the scene and then him being in the way as you tried to rescue the roast! Then him stating the obvious. Why do men always dismantle things without even putting down an old towel to put the bits on frst? When the tv man and the blind man came I carefully put an old towel on the bottom of the bed for their tools, so what did they do? They put them on top of the unmarked cupboards instead. They must have thought an old towel was part of our usual bedding. :-S Your photos haven't turned up here yet, but I'm looking forward to seeing your garden.

Your weather has been the same as ours AnnG, we are parched too.

I was quite sporty at school, liked swimming, and was in the hockey team. I learned to play badminton in my late 20s and eventually played in a local college club with the young students. I played mixed doubles and ladies doubles who were top and second in the league so a good standard. I was only 7 and a half stones then!!!! I only stopped because we bought an old house to renovate and I was working full time so didn't have the time or energy for the practice nights and matches as well.

No Mandy for a couple of days.Hope all is OK.

I have never been at all sporty, neither in taking part or watching. T on the other hand played rugby for his section when a RN apprentice having played also I. His school team. He also played cricket for his school and excelled at golf when younger. So any sport and he watched it on the TV upstairs.

Thank you for the laugh of the evening Vera, it is the way you tell it, so easy to picture.

You mention rain having helped the garden. I wish, I think we have not seen any rain for two weeks at least and it could be longer, and not any on the forecast for us either. The garden is parched

Thank you for the photos Vera, for some reason my IPad wouldn’t let me answer by email. Wow, it puts my garden to shame, all that colour and looking so neat as well it is absolutely beautiful.

What a shame you got the Asda slot in a muddle Mel. These things happen, we all accidentally press the wrong button from time to time. As far as the garden is concerned, why not try AnnG’s method of just sorting out one small bit at a time. I know how easy it is to get distracted. You suddenly notice a thistle and go and get that up, then you see something that should be cut back so you tackle that and before you know it you’ve worked hard but don’t seem to have achieved much. At least if you concentrate on one job at a time you’ll be able to see the difference you’ve made.

It’s been a strange day weatherwise. It’s been warm and more comfortable but there’s not been much sun and we’ve had one or two of those showers where it just seems to be raining in the air but can make you quite wet. I also had a wet kitchen and a wet me when a valve or something went wrong at the point where cold water is dispensed on the outside of the fridge from a water cooler inside. I found myself trying to block the dispensing point with my fingers while water poured onto my feet and the kitchen floor. I yelled for OH who, tbh, was about as much use as a chocolate teapot. In fact, he was so dopey I suspect he had dozed off and my shouting woke him suddenly. Eventually I managed to grab a jug to collect the water still running out and sent OH.for an old large towel I keep with some cleaning materials. Of course, once I had mopped everything up, OH went into brilliant engineer mode and dismantled the water cooler, leaving it in bits all over the work surface and thoroughly getting in the way while I was trying to rescue our by now overcooked Sunday roast. He then announced with great solemnity that the dispensing unit in the door was broken and we’d better not use it any more. Well, you didn’t need to be a chartered engineer with a string of letters after your name to work that one out. You can tell I wasn’t happy can’t you.

Hey ho, we got over it and an hour or so ago granddaughter whose birthday is tomorrow rang to thank us for the money we sent her and we had a lovely long chat which cheered me up a.lot. I went into the garden afterwards and took a few photos. I’ll send 2 or 3 round to you just to show how much all the earlier rain and the recent sun has made things grow.

Afternoon All,

It was cool here this morning but has got hotter as the day went on. OH did some more weeding this afternoon, so now he is guiltfree watching the footie! He isn't really the sporty type, but used to play cricket for the team at work. Darts were his thing and he has a trophy in here for being the country wide player of the year for our govt department in 89/90. He watches footie, the olympics and some of the Grand Prix and Ice Hockey mostly. I watch some of the tennis, horse dressage and badminton when I remember but these things aren't vital for me.

Vera that was a lovely gesture to give the lady who hadn't won anything a prize. I'm glad you are feeling a lot better. It was strange wasn't it but good how it suddenly disappeared.

AnnG I know what you mean about using a stick. I have only used my walking poles on rough ground up to now for the same reason as you. I would only have difficulty balancing if someone pushed me or I tripped and I don't think a stick would help much with that. You are the opposite to me as I have short legs! lol. A 25" length fits me ok.

I've been good foodwise today, just a chicken lunch with a plateful of veggies, a horlicks drink later and a fresh orange and a yoghurt at teatime. Some of my tablets are yet another different brand and these taste and smell like petrol at the garage once you put them in your mouth! :-S

Those pond filters take a bit of maintaining don't they Mel, so you would think they would have come up with simple ways to to do it. Do you know how many Koi you have now and do you get any babies like with your goldfish? You seem to have stopped that Heron getting in.

What I want to know is where June went???????

Mel why not first concentrate on getting the parts done that you can see and enjoy near the bungalow, then try and do things in some sort of priority order. If I have a lot that needs doing in the garden (it happens!) I make a list and tick jobs off when done. It concentrates my mind as to what to do first.

I have just been down to take some books and DVD films down to Irene and to post a card. It is less than a quarter of a mile I think but I took my folding stick and once I got rid of the books I folded the stick and walked back without it. trying to get the strength back in my legs. which still ache a bit but nowhere near as much. I worry about losing my ability to balance if I rely on the stick all the time