General Chat

I have your photos Vera! I do love your Agapanthas, they must look lovely from inside too and the Coleus are beauties. In fact your garden looks in a healthier state than ours!

I've never been on a cruise. It's the crowds and norovirus that puts me off, but seasickness is more of a possibolity on the smaller, quieter boats. The fiords should be calm though.

I forgot to ask how your Horsefly sting is doing now Mel and can you get your ring off yet? Was it swelling from the bite that stopped you from taking it off?

Phew, apart from the electrician and painter yet to come, the rest of the ensuite is finished and the men and all their equipment have gone. They insisted on hoovering through which was good. I got a toilet that is a bit higher than the old one, so is easier on my knees and it has a self closing lid which I haven't had before. I can't put things back in there yet till all of the sealant dries properly in a couple of days. I damp wiped the window frame and sill and the drawer tops and shelves and radiator at one end of the bedroom and changed the water in the bowl three times it was so murky with all the dust. I'd had enough by then so will do the rest in there tomorrow.

The flooring man is keen to continue with the same flooring in the bedroom after I mentioned it and did the ensuite floor so it could just follow on into the bedroom. so I'm thinking about it. The skip is being collected on Wednesday and they are only charging us for a week, yet it will be nearly two weeks we've had it. I think we will be able to top it up with a bit more rubbish which will be useful.

Tomorrow we are off to look at some blinds for the tiny window, ones to keep the heat out. It's a nuisance online that some places no longer show you their range of fabrics, they just want you to make an appointment for them to call. We are calling in the Morrisons nearby for poached eggs on toast as they do really nice ones.

I see some of you have managed to do a bit in the garden today. We have had two showers of rain today and a Pigeon sat on our fence when it was lashing down and was opening one wing upwards and then the other to get them wet. It looked so comical.

I hope you find a nice crab tomorrow Mandy.

I'm shattered and off to bed now. I hope we all sleep well tonight.

Evening all,

Just had a sharp shower I had to whip the outside chair cushions in quick I think they are waterproof but I like to get them in .
It's felt quite muggy today even with the lovely strong breeze ,I got a lot of dead heading done and started to fill the brown bin again that was emptied today .

Anng I hope your son has enjoyed his birthday on the cruise ship ,its something I don't think I could do as I'm not keen on all the water .
Colins brothers ex dil and her husband have been on a three month cruise round the world now that would be to long for me .

Ann soon back to normal then the dusting can get done and you can get all your bits and pieces back in place .

Vera no photos here .

Oh Mel that bite sounds nasty keep an eye on it hope all the swelling has eased now .

Hope your feeling better now Gwyn.

Tomorrow we want to go into town and hope the fish stall is there as we fancy a nice crab.,we can also go into the butchers and stock up with meat again ,I want some more of their pork and tomato sausages as they were lovely .

Thank you Gwyn. Back to the drawing board then :-(

Nothing received here Vera, nor have they gone into Spam .

Could someone please tell me if they have received from me a couple of emails with some garden photos. I certainly heard a whoosh sound when I pressed the send button but they should have come through on my email as well and they haven't...

Vera strangely one survived unscathed the two that are identical in leaf colour that got hit by the heat are just surviving. They had been potted into a very large container with a large begonia in full flower. It looks as though the begonia won’t survive. I quickly repotted the two Coleous into individual pots and put them in the shade, fingers crossed they are looking sad but alive.

I think I might enjoy a Norwegian cruise but OH won’t cruise. It doesn’t look as though we are going to get a break at all this year. OH doesn’t seem particularly bothered but I would like a few days when I haven’t got to cook or clean.

Did your coleus plants survive AnnG? We bought a few as tiny plants and put some in a couple of pots in the garden and the rest in a couple of troughs down the side of the house. The ones in the garden pots got frizzled in the hot sun soon after we planted them and looked awful but we kept watering them and eventually new leaves grew and they are fine now. The area down the side of the house is a bit more shady and the ones in the troughs took off and there are a couple of flower stalks coming. I’ll try to get a couple of photos but it’s a narrow space and difficult to step back far enough to get a decent picture.

It sounds as though your en suite is nearly finished Annx. You’ll be glad to get straight again and, if you are like me, you’ll be happy to have your own facilities back. I hate it when we have visitors and I give them my room. I go in with OH and have to share his en suite. I feel so hard done by ;-)

I hope Mandy, Gwyn and EOS are all well. Enjoy the rest of the day everyone.

They are thoroughly enjoying the cruise. from the photos the scenery has been wonderful, Just two days and they will be docking at Southampton.

No rain and not much cooler here as it’s now 25 and is expected to go up another degree or two. It’s quite muggy as well though there is a breeze which helps a bit. On the plus side the washing is drying quickly.

I’m like the others Mel, I’d love to know where all your energy comes from. If I can manage an hour outside I think I’ve done well. This morning I spent about 30 minutes pulling up a few weeds and deadheading and the heat got to me so I had to come in. Well done you, keeping going in this heat.

Happy birthday to your son AnnG. I’m sure he will have enjoyed his cruise.

OH has just yelled out that lunch is ready so I’ll post this and come back later.

I think Ann as I have got older and we have had this much higher spell of high temps, my body clock doesn't actually regulate itself as well as it used to It was actually not so bad last night which is why I slept better I think.

It sounds as if your disruption is almost finished and you will be getting back to normal.

I have not done any gardening as the sun was still quite strong this morning although it did cloud over about an hour ago and is partly cloudy now so might venture out in a minute. I have sorted out the airing cupboard and put the clothes away and dusted the two bedrooms. So something has got done indoors.

Morning All,

Just 22 degrees here this morning now so much cooler thank goodness. AnnG that sounded an uncomfortable night with being so humid your bedding was damp. It hasn't happened with me yet but I'm sure the refridgerated water bottle has helped. I have to be careful about overheating as a wonky thyroid affects temperature control. What I also do if I get very hot is use a small garden humper I keep for the purpose that I can get my feet into and half fill it with cold water to sit and cool down. As you say, heat is far more bearable without horrid humidity. Happy Birthday to your son. I bet he's enjoyed a relax and charge of his batteries on his cruise. Usually there is some breeze too when you are on a boat.

Mel I don't know how you keep going for so long in the heat either. Recently it was a degree or two cooler where you are and and some breeze helps a lot and if you can work in the shade. I've managed to squirt some of the nasty weeds for a few minutes and then went out a bit later and pulled some more weeds for ten minutes as it's quite pleasant now we have a breeze here as well today. I bet you are glad of the rain which hasn't reached us yet.

The men had to get the trim for the shower base changed today as it had dimples in it and they also got me a refund on the 2 unused wall panels. The toilet and basin are being fitted now. It will be so good to have my own toilet and basin again tonight and be able to get to all the drawers and wardrobes again. I can also start putting things back and get straight again.

I was hoping your rain was coming my way but no such luck it is 22 hear now clouded over a bit and still windy.

I bet if we are going to get any rain it will be tomorrow when we have a garden visits and lunch meeting near Winchcombe.

Happy birthday to your son Anng.

Rain did'nt lst long then the sun came out.Its 20 here now

21 degrees here, very windy and no rain. Not so humis at the moment.

Son's birthday today. He is on a cruise, Norway, Arctic, now on homewad streatch.

Pouring with rain here now 19 degrees.

Morning all,

Slept well up just the once and back to bed and dropped straight off. Could have been the antihistamine tab I don't know but hand was'nt so itchy but this morning the middle finger on the left hand is so stiff and the ring finger is swollen and I could'nt get my engagement ring off if I tried.

Need to get chickens food today at some point but not doing much else today.

That sounds nasty hope that you can prevent it swelling up. I know that you are a lot younger than me but I really don't know where you get the energy to be out there working until that time of night. I would be bitten to death by mossies if I did that.

Good morning all. I slept for 5 hours last night , maybe 6 but woke at just before 5am and couldn't back to sleep as it was too hot again. so I got up and ha a drink of water and opened my office window and sat in here for a while before going back to bed and drowsing for a while. It is cloudy now and 18 degrees, it looks as though it should rain but doesn't seem that it will.

I have come in from the garden at 9.45pm. Had a bonfire and burt all the sides of the road with my flame gun. Walked round the garden by hte west wall and felt something in my hand opened it up and a horse fly flew out. Its got me on the palm of my hand and it itcxhes like anything so I think I will have to take an antihystamin or its going to swell up.

Mel, I just can't face going outside in all that heat. I watered the tomatoes and a few other pots first thing otherwise all I have done is change the bed and washed all the bedding, cooked the potatoes I dug last week to have cold this evening, and put away the Tesco order.