General Chat

Riddlestone hall is at East Riddlestone Vera and about nine miles from Skipton. I wonder if NT has not had it a very long time. To be honest there was a lot of mystery about the place with guess work as to what some rooms were used for. Maybe it was not open when you lived in the area. Tomorrow I think we are just going to Skipton to visit the castle
Daughter is in the hot tub at the moment and the sun is shining and the wind is blowing. Although I brought my swimsuit we have decide it is not safe for me to go in as there is nothing for me to hold onto to get in and out. The proper hot tub here has gone wrong, it is a sun Ken one so would have been easier for me to get in and out.

Good afternoon all

Yesterday was unbearably hot and it was hot overnight again so very little sleep yet again. I’ve also had a flare up of a long standing tummy issue which isn’t helped by the heat; but you don’t want to hear any more of my problems. Onwards and upwards….

Poor you Mel, all those bites must be uncomfortable. Do you spray yourself with anti-bite stuff before you start gardening? We used to find Jungle Formula very good. Is there an aquilegia called Mrs Popple? I couldn’t find it when I googled. I know there is a fuchsia of that name.

Lovely to see you popping in Elizabeth. I hope you are enjoying a peaceful Sunday.

I quite fancy your sausage and mash Mandy. OH does love his Sunday roast and so I am pot roasting brisket of beef. We usually eat at lunchtime on Sundays but time ran away with me this morning and so we’ll eat this evening.

Annx, I did take your advice and leave the bedroom door open last night, as well as the en-suite door and the skylight in there. I’m not sure if it made a difference or not. Last year we also opened the skylight on the landing but that is a problem if the weather changes in the night as it is over the top of the stairs and you have to lean over the stairs and use a pole to close it. It doesn’t feel very safe if it’s dark and you are half asleep. I do have a very good fan so I might have to start using that.

In all the years son and family lived in the area (Ilkley and then Otley) I haven’t come across Riddlestone Hall, AnnG, but I know Bolton Abbey well and we often went there. I had my most terrifying moments at Bolton Abbey. We were looking after son’s 3 girls while son and his then wife had a short break. Daughter and her husband and 2 children were staying not far away so we all met up at Bolton Abbey, 4 adults and 5 children aged between 1 and 9. We lost son’s middle daughter, then aged 5. I have never been so frightened in all my life. I kept thinking “What if she tries to use the stepping stones to get over the water”. All I could see in my mind’s eye was this little body being swept down the river. We left 1 adult with the 1 year old in a push chair at the point where we had last seen her and the rest of us went looking in different directions. I suddenly saw her walking hand in hand with a lady and chatting away quite unconcerned. I felt sick with relief. F. had apparently gone up to this lady and told her that she had lost her family. The lady had asked her who was in her family and what they were wearing. I don’t think she knew what hit her. She got a long description of each of us down to the little one in the push chair. F. was always full of words and 18 years on can still talk for England. I thanked the lady for looking after her and took her back to our meeting point where we had to wait for the others to join us. It was in the days before we all had mobile phones so I couldn’t let them know she was safe. Mention of Bolton Abbey brought that memory flooding back.

That 1 year old will be 19 tomorrow. How the years have flown! She is the youngest of my grandchildren.

I had better go and see what my pot roast is doing. Stay cool and sleep well tonight. “See” you tomorrow.

I,m getting sidetracked from what I was supposed to be doing...........

I have dug out the ferns from the big pot I am going to put my long beans in and shoved them along the edge of the garage so the sunflowers pinted on it have a bit of interest underneath. I already have foxgloves there and another shubby thing and they is also an Aquilegia selff sown there that I think is called Mrs Popple it a double pink and white so I shall let that self sow if it will.

Good morning all looks like we had heavy rain last night but dry so far this morning. I think showers are forecast though. Just me up at the moment.

I got distracted there and didn’t post. We have been to a small NT property, Riddlestone Hall. Fascinating little place and not far from here. Not a big mansion with flash furniture but more of a middle class house. Small and pretty gardens which we saw between showers, very heavy showers. Drove back to five minutes from here to have lunch in the car overlooking miles of countryside It continued with heavy showers with blue sky, sunny intervals.

That's right Ann recharge your batteries lol mine seem to want charging more than ever :-D

Mel are your antihistamines the non drowsy ones ,I use to find they made me so sleepy but I changed to the non drowsy ones which was much better .

Well we sat out and had our coffee it was fine when the sun was out but with the wind when the sun went behind a cloud it felt quite chilly, we tied up the runners and that's all we've done ,oh I knitted a pair of shoes for the rabbit while we sat out .
No roast today we're having Sausage ,beans and mash.

I should take an antihystamin (sp?) but I don't think I get on so well if I take one. Perhaps its just me. its still 15 degrees here but the winds up now and its quite strong. Theres blue sky with huge white couds which block the sun sometimes.

Annx I can't have the marigolds as I have too many snails and slugs wherever I put them.

Toms are doing well in the new little greehouse. I have noticed that this one is more pointed than the old one so the suppoting canes don't fit so well. I have one cue seed up and some Ferrari short beans for a pot on the patio. Its nice to be growing a bit of veg again.

Must stop sitting around and get something done.

Morning Mel, Mandy and All,

The sun's only just gone in here, but it's gone really cool outside and same as you Mel 15 degrees. OH did his walk and then weeded some of the gravel while I planted a few more more Marigolds and transplanted more Snapdragons. I've two more packs of Marigolds to plant, so hope there will be lots of butterflies this year as they like the single flowered ones. I saw a few Ladybird larvae while I was poking with my trowel. I'd had enough after 20 minutes so came in and did the veg for lunch. OH had already done the carrots and does anything that needs peeling.

I need to pay the house inurance online and pack the little medicine cabinet to post tomorrow and open the bigger mirrored cabinet to check it's not broken.

I hope to have a rest this afternoon, but will probably be looking online for a replacement cabinet. Even though it will be a smaller one it will be nice to have my tablets and creams and little things like insect repellent (you should get some Mel now the biting beasties are around!) all together.

Runners have a tendency to prefer climbing the poles that their neighbours have rather than the one in front of them don't they Mandy! Yours are growing well if flowers are appearing now.You have convinced me that this afternoon should be for recharging my batteries!

I can't believe it's June already. We'll soon be halfway through the year, so I'd better get cracking now.

Morning Mel, morning all,

Suns shining but there's quite a strong wind which is making it a bit cooler.

Oh Mel you'll be itchy later with all those bites ,have you got anything to rub on them .

Not sure what we're doing today, the runners just need sorting out a bit as some are twisting themselves up the wrong canes ,I noticed yesterday there is some little red flowers now showing other than that I don't think we're going to do anything just have a day of rest .

Morning you lovely lot, Pinch and a punch and all that.

Dry this morning and brightish but not with any sunshine yet if you know what I mean. 15 degrees and a high pollen count today by the pc.

I have woken up with bites on my chin top of my left leg and waist, back of my hand and other various places that ar'nt itching at the mo but will be later on. O hair line on my forhead. I felt so dirty after yeserdays ivy pulling I went straight in the shower and then dressed for bed.

Not sure how much I will get done today as it should be our day of rest. Will see how I get on as I have sweet peas waiting to go in their tub and another lot of long beans I want in a tub on the decking because the deer have found them down the garden and ate the flowers and little beans off last year.

Dear Lady Mel <3

Dear Lady Ann <3

Take gentle care
Love EOS
xx

Dear Lady Mel <3

Dear Lady Ann <3

Take gentle care
Love EOS
xx

Dear Lady Mel <3

Dear Lady Ann <3

Take gentle care
Love EOS
xx

Evening All,

Thank goodness there was a breeze today or it would have been very muggy here. We were hot in the night and I was pushing the duvet down. Vera I have found it can help to leave the bedroom door open a little when it's hot. It's worth a try with a hot room as it releases some of the heat.

OH did a longer walk for threequarters of an hour early this morning. I think he is enjoying finding the different footpaths. I never dared use them as a woman walking on my own. Especially the one he walked down today being Green lane, where Colin Pitchfork murdered the second schoolgirl! He got the big loppers out later and bit by bit has almost razed the the rest of two big shrubs we aren't keeping. Question is, do I trust him to take some height off the Holly and Camellias next? I planted out a tray of the French Marigolds and a couple of rock plants that have been waiting in plant pots since last year. I also transplanted some of the little Snapdragon seedlings out of the gravel.

It sounds like you had a nice day AnnG with some people watching at the Abbey and a nice meaL The Lodges sound nice and as if they are nearly new ones. We used to have a lot of trouble connecting to the wifi in Cornwall. The reception was poor there in the middle of nowhere, so there was often no signal which didn't help either!

I am so sick of having to swap browsers to do my Asda orders every time, I'm going to cjhange to another supermarket once my delivery pass runs out.It's so hard to understand them on the phone and they don't get anyone to ring you like they say they will. It's been about 7 weeks now despite chasing them up and I'm still blocked. There seem to be others in the same boat when I look online as well.

Hello EOS, I hope you have had a lovely day too!

We have ivy and virginia creeper all over the bottom of our fence from next door Mel. I'm going to spray it with vinegar after reading it suggested. It clings like the devil doesn't it. I was reading about Parrot's Feathers this morning and it was saying to get it out, bag it and bin it as it is so invasive. I remember planting a big stemmed ornamental variety of Mare's tail in our little bog pond years ago and it spread out of the pond into the gravel and took 2 years of a particular strong weedkiller to get rid of it.

The Magpies are still feeding their babies. I expect them to be gone every day as they've been feeding them for several weeks now.

Been out there since my last post. Ceared some of the ivy off and hoovered up the dry leaves and underneath those was lovely leaf mold so I swept it up and sived it and I have a nice lot to add to the awful compost we are now getting. Had enough now and come in for a rest and to get some dinner.

Sounds as though you've had another lovely day out and about Anng.

I am trying to clear the bit down towards the old bantam housebut the ivy has grown all over everything it van possibley cling to. There also lots of leaves collected there so I have come in for the battery to my garden hoover and see if that will pick up the dead leaves for leaf mold.

Had a good day today. We drove to Bolton Abbey, such a lovely area with the River Wharf running through the meadows. First we had coffee overlooking the abbey. Lots of people there but all doing different things so it didn’t feel crowded. Lots of chikdren heading off in large groups to do a welly walk and walk on stepping stones. Teenagers crossing the river while we were on a bridge and they were on different stepping stones to the children. They had not anticipated a wider gap at the end so had to risk their trousers and walking socks getting a setting. We explored the abbey and went I. The pretty little church which was all decorated for a wedding at 1pm, all pretty pink and white flowers. We walked as far as the memorial fountain. And back to another cafe for lunch, a distance of about one and a half miles which seemed further as there sere quite a lot of steps up and down. Daughter and I had Cornish pasties for lunch with salad and SiL had scone with jam and cream.
We had a look round the shop before driving back. It was sunny and quite warm all the time we were there. But on the was home we went through a terrific rain storm. Dry by the time we got back. Daughter went in the hot tub and I sat by the little bec. SiL had football on so I am writing this in my room. I don’t go in the hot tub much as I would enjoy it as dughter says it is difficult to get into. It is a replacement on loan as the normal one here has gone wrong

Thank you Ellizabeth and you too stay safe and have a lovely day.

BIL has been and gone and did'nt do anything but he did take me up the shop bought me a pasty for lunch and two sausage rolls (big ones) nad my weekly little shop down there so that was lovely. We had a pasty each but could'nt manage a sausage roll as well so they are in the fridge.

Done a little more gardening and now I am going to clear round the bean barrel .

While BIL and I were talking out on the patio a fox and three cubs came into the orchard. The cubs were playing and jumping around so BIL went to his car and got his camera. Instead of coming back to me on the patio he walked up the garden to the end of the box hedge and the hwole family disappeared into the hedge never to be seen again. I did'nt even go and get my camera to get a pic. That was one we both missed. He did show me some Swan pics he had taken of a pair of Swans and their 10 signets, one on mums back. If he sends me them I will send them on.

Dear All

Hello

A very good morning to you.

Hope your day is a contented and enjoyable one.

If you go somewhere, on this fairly warm day,
take extra care when travelling. <3

Take gentle care
Love as ever, EOS

Morning girls,

Its 16 degrees here and cloudy so I don't think we are going to see any sun today.I had a good go inthe garden yesterday after BIL left. I had planted the beans and got the wire support back on them with cable tiesand was just going to water them when I thought I'll do the pond filters first. Of course I forgot about the beans and started on the ponds. I have at least two baby swallows in the nest out of 6 eggs but they are very tiny at the mo. I managed to get the wire off round my pond and ended up getting the water hawthorn out of the lily pots. There was loads of them. Cleaned out the scimmer and pulled more of the parrots feathers plant out which was taking over another lilly pot but I could'nt get much more out. The lillies really need repotting but there is no way I could get the two big ones out of the bottom of the pond. Dare not risk diving in as it has'nt got a good liner init like oh's pond which has butyl rubber liner.

I did manage to get a self sown lilly out of the water mint and had promissed a bit to the neighbour who helped me with my pc so I popped it in a bag and took it round to him with some more of the water mint. Stayed and had a cuppa with them and came home with a nice new Strawberry plant with elongated berries on and a basil plant. Had a good look round their garden too. They have made a lot of changes since I last went in and its not as tidy as it was before but we all get a bit like that when there's lots to do when you have so much land.

Sorry you all had bad nights last night and hope you sleep better tonight and that its cooler for you.

Yes where did May go? Its one of my favorite months with June following but they pass so very quickly. I have a nice crop of strawberries to pick today for tea so I'm looking forward to those with a light sprinkle of Vanilla sugar and a little cream.

I must remember to do the hsop this week and pick up my scripts as I am out of a couple of my pills. Its all these bank holidays that throw things out.

Good morning all dry here so far and warm indoors. Just had to chase up/reconnect the Wifi, you forget all these things when you have automatic access. And lucky I have two chargers with me as one of the ones I have is not liked here. IPad and IPhone both needed charging. Not sure what we are doing today, just a general look around I think.