General Chat

Vera could you leave the tomato pots on some old newspapers that you could really soak with water it would help to keep them damp .
The wild Tulips are pretty ,can't wait to see what next year brings .

Anng that was good you managed to get to your tomato plants in time ,they dry out so quickly I've watered mine twice today .

Oh Gwyn you poor thing having to wear the stockings in this heat ,and your right not to wear them on the beach though , years ago when we use to go on the beach for the day there would be a crowd of us ,several cars, one young one decided he would go in the sea with jeans on ,well he got sand in them and had a heck of a job to get them off while wet ,as they tried to help get them off he yelled in pain as the sand was scraping his legs ,we laugh about it now but at the time it was very painful.

Mel enjoy your sausage and mash and veg I like the sound of the creamy leeks ,I usually cover mine with a cheese sauce .

Iv'e had to have the scimmer on the big pond all day as the husks are coming off the red tree by the filter shed. I have had to empty the net over it five times . Perhaps I should have let him cut it down when he wanted to. He did hack it back a few years ago but its grown so much over the last couple of years.

Yes Ann at least he came down first to tell me he was here. He's sorting out his petrol at the mo. He is mixing last years with some super stuff so he can use it up. He only uses the super stuff in the new mower I think.

Vera, Thank you for the photos of your pretty flowers.
How strange they are with such long thin leaves. I too hadn't seen or heard of anything like them, but would be interested to see how they progress in other years.
Enjoy your special time with your family.

Yesterday, grandson took me to a clinic appointment to be fitted for compression hosiery. Just what I need in this heat, - long black stockings :-|
I will persevere, but gosh what a struggle trying to take them off again yesterday evening. I am supposed to wear them every day, so I guess I will get used to the fight and anyway, they will slacken slightly through wear. There might be the odd day that I leave them off eg. If I go to the beach at all. Can't be doing with getting sand into the mix too!

Voting day for us here. Daughter and I usually walk to the polling station once she has finished work for the day. It's only a week or two since we last voted and that was a very low turnout, so I wonder how this one will go.It will be a hot walk.

It's been a scorcher all day. I always put suncream on my face,whatever the weather, but smothered my arms in it too to walk the short distance to school today. I wore my sunglasses too, as it was so bright. The children are lucky that they have such a lovely big outside area to play in, so it really comes in useful in summer time. So many playing fields have been sold off and built on over the years, including my old home area Grammar school, so they are very fortunate.

The PC is saying 25 degrees now, but when I popped out to get an icecream the car was saying 29 degrees.

Mel I didn't send my post straightaway and that's why I missed yours! The creamy leeks sound nice as I just tend to do them steamed. Oh dear, BIL has thrown you out again. Let's hope he gets the deck fixed. It's a busy time now with mowing.

Vera I never thought to look in spam, but I will try to remember to from now on. Yes it was there and so were other emails that I didn't expect too. Those Tulips are unusual aren't they, but still attractive. I also liked the plant with the pale green and pinky red leaves near to it. I'm not sure I've seen one of those before.

Mandy I often drift from one thing to another! I like those small begonias and the stand the dry weather well too so maybe I'll pop top our Aldi tomorrow and see if they have any and look at what else they have. That prog sounds interesting so I'll look it up. I enjoyed the first one of the Owen family, especially the horse ride.....it took me back!

Oh goodness AnnG I have just corrected my typo in my earlier post. We can't have you meeting up with 'fiends' can we! I agree about sourdough bread. Sometimes it is so hard you fear for your fillings!

OH is at cardiac rehab now. Sooner him than me but hopefully they have aircon. I need a COT now, then might make a small start on the bottom of the last wardrobe.

Doh! Why on earth didn’t I think of that AnnG? Our bigger pots get stood in a saucer of water and indoor plants go in the shady utility in a tray of wet sand when we’re away for a week or more. Never crossed my mind with the toms. Some are still in seed trays but 18 are in square pots. We’re not tomato addicts; I do them for sale at a couple of fundraisers. They go first to a club coffee morning which helps raise money to pay for speakers. Anything not sold there goes to the plant stall at the village fete which is 2 weeks later.

Vera could you leave the tomatoes with water under their pots they will then take up what they need.
Have a lovely bank holiday weekend with the family.

I feel guilty complaining about such beautiful weather but it would be good if it were a little cooler. It’s 25 degrees and there is not even the beginnings of a breeze. I haven’t been able to stay in the garden at all.

I’m not sure what to do with my tomato seedlings over the next few days. They look healthy but are still very tiny and the last few days I have been putting them outside in the shade during the day and bringing them in at night. They’ll shrivel outdoors or in without water and if I drench them before we go, as we will with the big potted plants, their tiny little roots will drown. I’m thinking the best thing might be to water them gently and put them in my little plastic greenhouse. It’s totally in the shade and I can leave the front rolled up so they can get air and light. I’ll just have to hope they don’t dry out too much.

I hope you’ve enjoyed your lunch with friends AnnG and that Mel enjoys her sausage and mash with Stu later.

I wish we had a Factory Shop near us Annx. In fact I wish we had any decent shops near us, particularly clothes shops. There’s a New Look and a Peacocks but nothing like M & S or Bon Marche. Another coffee shop has recently opened. We must be the coffee capital of Europe! Annx, I sent the email with a couple of photos of the wild tulips yesterday. If you haven’t seen it check your Spam folder. All your messages to me are now going into my Spam though everyone else’s go straight into my Inbox. It’s very weird.

I’d better get on. I only want to leave showering and hair washing till the morning. I’ll have my iPad with me but in case I don’t manage to post I’ll wish you all a lovely bank holiday weekend now.

Annx I put what I am going to cook in my previous post you must have missed it.Its 25 degrees here and Iv'e just had lunch and took a pic nic out to BIL. We had salmon and cue sandwishes with tomatoes and pineapple for dessert. He also had a fresh orange drink with a big ice ball in it/ He must have eaten the ice as there was nothing in the drink thing when it came back to me.

Iv'e done a little weeding out the front but not much. I have that horric walt plant in the bed there and it runs like crazy and its all round a miniature rose and a peony I got rid of it on the patio with boiling water but there were no plants around it then. Iv'e also got it infront of the patio between the decking planks round the big pond, a place thats hard t o reach for me. If I put boiling water down there I will lose a load of orchids growing there.

Hope you have a good journey for the weekend with your family Orchid Compost 500g Miracle Gro Orchid Compost Substrate Soil Compostera and yes don't forget the eye drops.

This is what it shoud have said

Hope you have a good journey for the weekend with your family Vera and yes don't forget the eye drops.

Where on earth did that come from????????????????? I have ordered some of that but not while I have been typing this.

it is 27 degrees here and was really hot in town in Cheltenham. I had a wander round M&S and Primark and a few more shops but didn't buy anything except itchy eye drops and lockets. Lunch was ok not brilliant as the toasties were a bit hard to chew, I wish they didn't all feel they have to use sourdough bread. it can be so hard. Still we had a good chat.

When I got home at about 2.15 I was just able to save most of my tomato seedlings in the conservatory, 4 are looking a bit poorly but I will see if they tecover.

I don't think I will do anything out there now though as it is really too hot to venture outside.

Afternoon all,

Phew hot today and it was shopping day but it's all done ,prescriptions in ,money from the atm and main shopping done ,I got some plants from Aldi ,bizzie lizzies, petunias and the little begonias.
I also called into Bon Marche as today was the last day of 20% off but there wasn't one pair of crops in the style and size I wanted so I'll have another look next week .

Ann ,no I haven't finished the rabbit as I've been naughty and started on one of the crochet kits I bought last week .
I noticed there's a new lot of Narrow escapes on the canal on channel 4 next week its on at four o'clock, we enjoyed the last lot so I must remember to record them .

Vera it sounds as if OH's getting on ok after his op ,I hope you both have a lovely weekend with your family ,safe journey.

Afternoon All,

Sunny again but only 23 degrees, so not 26 degrees that was forecast yet.

I got really hot in the night too AnnG and had to throw the duvet down for a while. Enjoy your meetup with your friends.

We went and voted after OH had his online meeting. I thought the woman was going to refuse my driving licence as proof of my ID as she kept looking ant me and my photo a lot before giving it back to me. I don't know why, but they often seem to pick someone slow and unsure to find you on the list of names and addresses to cross you off. I glanced at a man at the end who seemed to be overseeing things and he rolled his eyes at me in sympathy I think. After that we went to the Factory shop. I was going on my own to give my car a bit of a longer run, but OH invited himself and drove us there in his car. It was perhaps as well as going later than usual there was only one tiny space to park, too small to open my wide car doors. They had re-organised it in there so things weren't in places we'd got used to, but OH found some trainers and decided to have them in addition to the ones he got online recently. They were only £20 and fit well, so were a bargain. He also got some socks.

When we got home I noticed more shoots of the nasty weed appearing in other places on the front so I zapped them all before I went inside. The ones I've already done were shrivelling nicely so it seems to be doing the trick. I also snapped off the dandelion heads. They will all be tackled once the back garden is more straight.

I've had a bought tuna pasta salad and added tomatoes, lettuce, spring onion and avocado for lunch and emailed Fitz to see how he is since his replacement hip operation. My next job is to finish a good clean of the kitchen wall and skirting board.

I look forward to seeing photos of your strange Tulips Vera. It is strange that they seem to have reverted back to their wild ancestry. It looks like you have discovered another good place to eat too and good value. I hope your OH's eye is settling nicely so don't forget his eyedrops when you set off for a nice weekend get together with your son and daughter tomorrow.

I hope you know now how many you will be feeding tonight Mel. What are you going to cook?

BIL is here he took a day off!

Its just Stu tonight so that means I don't have to do extra food just enough for the two of us. I'm doing sausage and mash with creamy leeks, carrots and brocc and onions.

Not getting on very well today its thrown me that BIL has arrived. He's trying to level the mowing deck on the new mower.

Pc is telling me there is going to be a cooling trend ove the next few days and its now 24 degrees here now but it feels warmer. :-S

Morning girls,

Bit cloudy this morning, white ones and a weak sun at the mo but its 17 degrees already. Goodness knows what its going up to today.

Stu is coming tonight and may bring his son and I need to know because I have to cook extra.

Good morning all 9 degrees here and sunny. It was very hot in bed last night and I realised I still had a crochet blanket across the foot of the bed which was not helping. Once I took that off it was fine and I slept well.

Pleased that you had another nice birthday lunch Vera, no doubt with plenty of chat.
Those bulbs are very strange aren't they with the different leaves The flowers are pretty though. I didn't know there was such a thing as wild tulips though. It will be interesting to see what happens next year.
Hope OH's eye continues to improve. I assume that the no gardening rule is because of the bending over so he has an excuse not to do any. Although it looks as though you are so busy and away this weekend that you don't need an excuse.

I am going to Cheltenham this morning to meet a couple of friends for lunch.

It has been hot today but there’s been a slight breeze so not too unpleasant We’re not getting anything done in the garden which worries me a bit. We had started and I was trying to make sure I did a little each day but it’s sort of come to a halt. I had a couple of days when my head and eyes were too bad, then yesterday we were out all day getting OH’s cataract sorted, today I have been at a birthday lunch and tomorrow I shall have to dash around to do various jobs and bits of shopping as daughter is collecting us on Friday and taking us to our son’s till Monday. You can bet your life that by the time we are free to get going again it will be raining non-stop. The cataract doctor also told OH not to do any gardening for a while.

We have had a strange gardening experience. A couple of years ago I found in the garage some bulbs that looked as though they might be tulips. I planted them in a couple of large pots and, sure enough, up came some nice conventional yellow tulips. In November when we were bulb planting OH took out of store a couple of paper bags marked yellow tulips and planted them in a bare patch in the garden. They were slow to poke their leaves through the ground but when they did start to show they didn’t look like tulip leaves at all. They were more like small daffodil leaves. Cutting a long story short, eventually some yellow flowers appeared but they were unlike anything we had seen before. Yesterday I took a couple of photos and used the Google photo matching gismo and it came back and told me they were wild tulips. Somehow these perfectly normal yellow tulips had all reverted to their wild state. Coloured primroses usually revert to yellow after a year or two in the ground but they are still recognizably primroses. I’ve never seen anything quite like these tulips before. They are quite pretty so we are going to leave them in the ground and see how they come up next year. I’ll send you the photos I took.

It's always a relief when tradesmen turn up when they say they will Annx, and it sounds as though your men will do a good job of laying your flooring. No polling for us tomorrow. We’re one of the areas where it has been postponed.

You really have been busy outdoors today Mel. Good for you. Where do you find your energy? Could you share some with me please? That is frustrating losing a long post. I bet you said a few choice words. If I’m doing a post that’s going to be longer than a few lines I always type it in Word now and save it as I go along. Then when it’s finished I do a copy and paste onto the thread. That way, if it disappears you still have a copy of it and can paste it again.

I didn’t have a brilliant night last night but early morning I got on with a few jobs, including the ironing, Then I got myself titivated up to go out. My friend M’s birthday is tomorrow and so 7 of us were going for lunch to a pub in Long Melford. There are several pubs in LM and I thought I knew them all but I hadn’t been in this one before. I’d definitely go there again. It had a good atmosphere. We had a nicely laid round table, the food was tasty and well cooked and the prices were OK. There was the normal menu and then a very decent seniors menu with main courses for £10 and you could add a dessert for an extra £2. I had ham, egg and chips off the seniors’ menu and one of the ladies had the same off the normal menu and the only difference I could see between them was I had 1 egg and she had 2. It also came with salad and I couldn’t finish my seniors’ “small” plate. They were also the best pub chips I’ve had anywhere. None of us wanted a dessert but we all went back to one of the ladies’ houses for coffee and cake and sat for a couple of hours in her garden. It was a lovely afternoon.

When I got back OH was asleep in the chair and snoring rather loudly. He didn’t hear me at all so I did a bit of tidying up in the kitchen and watered all the pots in the garden before he woke up. We had a sandwich an hour ago and now I am feeling quite tired so I think I might have a quiet read and then have an early night and hope to get some sleep. At the moment my bedroom is like an oven which doesn’t help with sleeping well. We’re never satisfied are we? I hope you all sleep well. “See” you tomorrow.

Having a postal vote I tend to forget polling day.

I really have not done much at all today. Watered all the new plants in pots this morning. Walked back firm the hairdresser, did some shredding and other admin and that was it. I decided not to go out in the garden because it was hot out there.

That's so annoying when you write a long post Mel. I just wish there was an 'undo' like at the top of a browser to click on that takes you back a step. It sounds like you made good progress outside today. It's saying it will be 26 degrees here tomorrow so hotter than today, so an inside job tidying might be better once it warms up.

I decided to risk planting out the Petunias in the big tub and will cover them over if there's a risk of frost.

The flooring man came spot on time and measured up and I think he and the fitter will be a good team having worked together for many years.

Tomorrow is polling day, so we'll be voting first thing. I might go to the Factory Shop afterwards if it isn't too hot by then.

I did that on the last time incase it went again.

Just come in after being out since my last post. Managed to wash down all the decking off the main decking where the greenhouse is to go and some of the bungalow wall and the patio doors. Then fed the chickens their corn and had to come back for water for them and now I am having a sit down before getting myself soemthing to eat. I have a nice raspberry trifle in the fridge for dessert so I may just have boiled eggs and some of that.

Mel, when you have typed a long post, before you post it, highlight and copy it (Ctrl+ C) then, if you lose it all you have to do is paste it into the reply box.

iV'E JUST COME IN FOR A coc AS i HAVE BEEN CLEARING THE BIT ON THE END OF THE DECKING WHERE i HAVE THE LITTLE GREENHOUSE AND i AM HOPING bil WILL PUT IT UP FOR ME. iTS THE ONE HE BOUGHT FOR ME FOR cHRISTMAS.

I'm not doing that lot again.

I have tied back the Albertine rose and need to cut a lot of old wood out of it but could'n reach till it was tied back. I have pulled a lot of ivy off the fence and from behind the filter shed.

One heaped barrowload taken over the bonfire area and still more to fill the empty barrow now. I am hoping to gt that area pressure washed today too.

STu is coming tomorrow and maybe bring his son for dinner too. That means I need to tidy up indoors too.

Looked in last years tom pots and there's seedlings of a tomato coming up in it and its the pot I had the large tom in last year so I may leave them to their own divices and see if they grow.

Sounds lie your getting there with your weeding Ann.