Yawn Yawn Wakey Wakey 2025

Long time lurker on this thread so I hope you don’t mind me finally joining in?

We’ve had our second day of glorious sunshine and bright blue skies. Heady heights of 13 degrees yesterday but a much more normal 6 today. Both make a welcome change from the freezing fog and gloom of recent weeks. I haven’t got into the garden but we have enjoyed envigorating walks throughout local Sutton Park and the city centre canals. Lots of gardening plans discussed along the way.

I suffer from SAD but find my morning does of blue light helps and days like today and yesterday add a boost @Obelix-Vendée . Am also intending to join a yoga class to help regain and retain some supleness. I have done a little bit in the past, a lunchtime class when an office worker, so looking forward to starting again.

We have also got our fingers crossed that the ceasefire happens and holds. Such a dreadful loss of life and (imo) a disproportionate response to an (horrendous) attack. At one time it felt that the world was moving on (end of Cold War, little conflict in Israel etc) but we are now going full circle and backwards - if that’s not mixing too many directions/metaphors

 

Hello all from a WARM HOUSE! The engineer arrived as promised, or nearly so, and we are now back to normal. We suspect the bill may be large, but at least we are now comfortable. I'll remove one of the quilts from the bed before tonight...

I don't know why having the house warm should make me feel more like going out in the cold to do a spot of gardening - except that it's possible to get warm more easily when I come back inside, perhaps. I may prune a rose or two before it gets dark.

Hello @Butterfly6 ! I share your hopes that the ceasefire will hold, and your assessment of the conflict. I think a lot of us have to limit our exposure to the news because of the effect on our mental health; I subscribe to "Positive News" as well, which gives a little counterbalance to the depressing things in the "regular" news.

 

Happier to got outside when your house is warm sounds perfectly logical to me @Liriodendron

 

Hello @Butterfly6. Nice to see you posting here, and hope it will be a regular occurrence. I agree regarding the ceasefire and assessment of the conflict, too. We can only keep hoping and praying for more positive news in this poorly world of ours. Like many, I watch the news but limit it now as good news stories seem somewhat thin on the ground whereas bad news and negativity seem to dominate. Perhaps it was always thus and just seems more noticeable because there are so many different ways of accessing news now, so that it seems pretty constant.

Good to hear you now have a warm house @Liriodendron. There’s nothing worse than being without heating for prolonged periods.

I heard such a thump when I was doing my Pilates this morning. It sounded as if it was from the loft and I hoped nothing had fallen/broken up there (though we don’t store anything there, it’s just the water tanks). Anyway, when I popped out to put the car away, there was, very sadly, the corpse of a beautiful thrush lying on the ground. It had flown into the landing window (which is near the room I do my Pilates in). I felt very saddened to see it lying there - we don’t get many thrushes near us nowadays, so to see a dead one like that made me feel very sorry indeed. Poor thing.

 

Hello @Butterfly6 - waves in the direction of Birmingham!
Phew @Liriodendron, glad it's been fixed at last.
The intention was to get out and do some pruning today - and my new Felcos arrived in good time, but I felt quite lightheaded this afternoon, so I decided that pruning roses was not the best past time... mañana!
i have spent rather too long watching a pair (not sure, but I think 2 male) Bullfinches on the fruit trees. Hope there are some lady BFs somewhere. I have signed up for the garden bird watch.
We don't get many thrushes here either, @Blue arbour. Always sad to see a dead one.
Aye, the news is grim at the moment (it always is, somewhere).
We have bought a new book, 'The fermentation kitchen' by Sam Cooper. It arrives on Saturday. Another excuse to not prune the roses!

 

Hello and welcome @Butterfly6, good to have you here.

I hope the Israel/Gaza ceasefire holds too @lizzie27, as do millions of others I think.

Glad you have your heating back, @Liriodendron.

I've been in the garden attacking a big honeysuckle Halliana that was smothering an Albertine rose. There is a 2nd one to prune too. The garden bin is now full but it should be emptied tomorrow.

 

@Busy-Lizzie, you are lucky to have collections. Ours stop mid December to 1 March.
It will be full by then.

 

to @Butterfly6. Goodness me but we were busy at the Food Bank this morning. There were lots of donations that had to be weighed and dated (something I just do not understand!) We checked in over 70Kg of food stuff. Snacks, treats and toiletries do not have to go through this processing and then it was non stop filling out packages for clients. We finished later than usual because of all the sorting that needed doing but all in all it was a good day.

 

Hi there, @Butterfly6, hope you’ll be joining us regularly for a ‘chat’.
Great to hear your heating is working again, @Liriodendron.
@Penny_Forthem, that’s a long Christmas break for the green bin collection. Ours restart next week, so I’ll have to get my backside in gear, and make sure they are filled and ready. We have a large garden, so we have subscribed to two bins a fortnight. I do have to work hard to avoid the usual last minute panic the day before!
It’s been very grey and foggy here today, so we are still working on the en-suite. One of the new lights is now fitted, and one more to go. I am on cleaning up and paintbrush washing duties. I also got to clean out the extractor fan. Amazed at how much fluff was stuck to the blades. Strangely satisfying, it took quite a lot of fiddling and inventive use of narrow bottlebrushes and old painting brushes, but it’s now pristine, and OH has put it back into the wall.
Just eaten a bowl of ripe cherries with some ice cream. Big fail on the food miles, but they were so delicious.

 

Yes, hope so.

Watching the questioning of the staff for Trumps new chamber, interesting. Certainly far better folks than Biden had.

And more information about the LA fires seemed the Mayor cut the budget by millions couple years ago for emergency vehicles so there were not any available. and cut certain personnel so information regarding the reservoir was not available. And, one of her budget ideas would be to put in charging stations so firetrucks can become electric. SMH.

 

@Liriodendron, pleased to read that you have warmth - brilliant! @Ergates I am so impressed with your patience in cleaning that finicky extractor fan I was saddened to read about the thrush hitting your window @Blue arbour. A starling last year met a similar fate against my kitchen window. It is such a shame when this happens - particularly with a bird that is not as common now as it used to be.
I am signing out for today. Enjoy your evenings and I'll see you in the morning.

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Evening all. I always seem to miss a chatty day when I’m in work! My back is feeling it tonight but glad to be moving about again.

Hello @Butterfly6 - great to have you chatting with us.

Right, it’s Traitors time so catch you all tomorrow evening.

 

Yoga was hard tonight. Lots of improvising for me. Too many moves my titanium knees won't let me do cos of reduced angle of bend. They should loosen up as time goes by...........in theory.

@redstar lots of local government cuts here too since the economic crisis. None of the politicians in charge - national or local - seem to grasp that short term gains from savings on services lead to long term consequences that are more expensive to fix than to prevent, be that fire and flood protection and prevention to kids being failed by poor education and lack of sport and leisure activities to keep them off the streets, inadequate housing and transport etc etc.

Good that you've stopped lurking @Butterfly6.

Sounds like a very good day @Ladybird4. @Ergates I put things like extractor fans in warms soapy water to soak for a few hours and then use an old toothbrush.

@Blue arbour Thrushes are rare here too but we've had one or two popping in lately and a flock of starlings has been coming to graze for a few days now along with the usual suspects. We get a few banging into windows but none, so far, have suffered more than being a bit stunned. I keep those warm till they perk up enough to fly off.

Bed for me too now. Weekly shop then more painting for me - door and skirtings this time.

 

Hello @Ladybird4 , I came here looking for something different, and found your pictures of the day. They are lovely. I saved each of them in the recent week. Makes me smile.

Happy Friday.

 

Good morning all. It's another cold and windy start. Yesterday I came home around 6pm completely frozen after shopping. Today should be an easy day without any extra trip. Must finish my tea and go out. Wish you all a nice day, and see you later.