Yawn Yawn Wakey Wakey 2024

Morning. I had such a busy day yesterday, that I didn't have time even to say 'bonjour'.
After the kids left (they had a wonderful holiday!) I fell into a dog tired slumber!
This morning, I took dog to his daycare and, apart from collecting him at 1, I have little planned.
Must take a stroll around 'the estate' (ha!) to see if any courgettes, beans or peas have produced anything edible. Still very disappointed with the tomatoes.
Grand dog went home with the family, so we are back to our 3 and the house seems very quiet.
@floralies how very frightening for your family, but glad they're safe.
@Ladybird4 it baffles me how some of these cyclists pay such disregard to safety.

 

Hello all, a quiet day today pottering around. Son and wife should be safely back home by now, I will ring them later just to make sure!! I haven't heard back from our friends yet, they have plenty of support now over here.
@lizzie27 OH should have a showerproof dressing on his wound? That is the norm these days, as long as he doesn't get it waterlogged it is doable.

 

Good morning, had a busy morning tackling the upstairs. All sparkling now. Just having a coffee break before deciding what’s next on the agenda. I could really do with doing a bit of pruning, but I’ll see. I don’t feel very motivated to do it, to be honest.
It was a very uncomfortable night, so humid. As a result, my sleep was somewhat disturbed. I do hope it will be fresher tonight. The problem is, the heat rises, of course.
That was very foolish of the cyclist, @Ladybird. If I rode a bike, I would want to be as visible as possible. Some just don’t realise how much danger they are putting themselves and others, in.
Yes, I second that @floralies - so glad your family are safe. What a scare for them.

 

At that time of night perhaps the cyclist was 4 sheets to the wind @Ladybird4 and not making the best decisions, altho he could have prepared better for it when still sober.

I have spent my day so far freezing eggs as we have a surplus. Google says they can be frozen whole or separated as long as either salt or sugar is mixed into the yolks. We'll see. They'll be good for winter frittatas when laying slows.

After that I went to fetch 5 heleniums from my nursery to plant in what has become a wisteria and bulbs bed. We inherited a very sick magnolia growing in grass. To try and recue it we cleared the grass in a large rectangle around it, improved the soil with lots of ericaceous compost and watered it. I underplanted it with lots of bulbs. The magnolia flowered the following spring and then died.

Since then we've cut it down and planted more bulbs but the east facing wisteria must have felt the vibes and has sent out roots that have produced 6 small wisteria that all flower. I've decided to keep them as shrubs and/or standards underplanted with heat loving perennials to extend the season of that bed.

After that I started painting one of the front gates with Hammerite black but have had to stop for the midday strong sun spell. More of that later after potting in some shade.

I hope everyone's having a good day, whatever their weather. I can feel a good house clean coming on @Blue arbour but not before I've secured my treasures against what passes as OH care.

No stockings for knees @Tui34 but daily jabs and dressing changes with ice blocks to help wih the swelling

@Busy-Lizzie We were in the farmers' market with the lamb stall. Barnsley chops have gone up from 24€ a kilo to 31 since we were last there in winter. They'd also cut off all but the thinnest scrape of fat so we didn't buy any.

 

Afternoon folks.

I think I have caught up with your chat. Mixed news, mixed weather and mixed energy levels between us all!

Busman’s holiday for me as took Dad to hospital appointment. Very efficient and swift today so hurray for that!

I need to do a top-up shop today as I rejected my chicken strips on Sunday as they didn’t seem very fresh. I’m hyper sensitive and picky about fresh meat and use-by dates etc. Anyway I will replace and do a chicken salad tonight.

 

Tuesday. overcast muggy weather. Wish for a good chilly day. If wishes were horses beggars would ride.

Today two of my food stores have senior discount, so food shopping today.

My good neighbor of 37 years sadly will be admitting his wife to a care center. He has been so faithfully taking care of her for past 3 years while she has declined in her dementia. Renovating the house etc. Its enough for the poor man. He's not that old either about 68, and in good health. His daughter comes by 4 times a week. She does know me still. But I think the wearing of diapers was the breaking point for him, that is usually the case. And I believe the medications she is on has caused her to be heavier, that is hard to handle by yourself. I tried to get her to senior day programs to giver him a break, did not seem to work out. The facility is close by. So I can visit. In sickness and in health.

Have a good day all.

 

Must remind myself to put turmeric on my shopping list. Just in after shredding the last pile of prunings, the green bins are now full and down by the roadside for tomorrow’s collection. Last time they went out, the lid of one got broken.( the other lid had been cracked quite a while ago)
I reported them to the council, was instructed to leave them in view at the front of the house, and within the week, a nice man turned up with replacement lids, fixed them on and took away the broken ones. Took just minutes, I was pleased they had spares, and that the whole bin didn’t have to get disposed of.
Had a lovely day yesterday, a wander round Sherborne, such a pretty little town, then met up with a school friend for lunch, and a walk with her dog in the afternoon. Came home a bit hoarse after all the chatting. Obviously OH and I don’t talk quite as much as I thought we did, I never get hoarse at home?
Much cooler today, what I’d call perfect weather for gardening and walking.

 

Just another "communication " thing with my husband this morning. (I need to keep notes would be a great comedy act)
Husband "where is the liquid antibiotics". Me--in my head---there is nothing like that in the house, what the heck is he talking about. So I answer "no such thing in the house" He says "sure there is --is your memory bad again". I keep silent, still need my coffee. Then he says "The hand sanitizer, I mean". SMH. And I say, in the closet as usual.

the best one was many years ago, after kitchen renovation. somehow small ants were disturbed, and found on kitchen counter top. Husband sprayed etc. Next morning still more ants appeared. I said to husband--more ants here. He said, are they "old ants or new ants". I looked down at the bunch of ants roaming about and said to the ants "those that are new raise your leg". SMH.

 

Good afternoon all. Lots of busy bees around again.
@Obelix-Vendée, I hope it cooled off enough for you to get your painting finished. Heleniums are such pretty plants but I never seem to have any success with them. I suspect I may hoick them out when they are young, assuming that they are weeds. I really must either do a rough sketch of my garden so I know what is where or use labels.
@AuntyRach, I am very careful with meat too - I mostly eat chicken because its easy. I do eat a lot of vegetables - except the dreaded cabbage family (spawn of the devil).
@redstar, I was very moved by the tale of your neighbour and his wife. We did experience similar with my Mum. Dementia is such a cruel disease. Your funny tales of your OH did break the gloom though.
@Ergates I have added turmeric with black pepper to my shopping list too. Pleased it was a relatively simple job to repair your green bins - they are vital aren't they?
I have been Olympics observing this afternoon and following the skate boarding I have extended my vocabulary. Tail side, Back side, Front side 50-50, Toe grab, Madonna and Alley Oop amongst many others. I don't know what all the fuss is about because I do ALL of those moves getting out of bed in the morning!

 

Before I get out of bed, I do a double pike with bunny hop. Er, it may not be an olympic move, yet, but it propels a 74 year old out of bed pdq. Especially if the loo is required.
We are off to the caravan tomorrow. The Red Arrows are planned to go overhead on Thursday, so a 3 minute window is required to see them.
BTW, we have a mouthful of beans each, plus our courgettes, with the gammon. 300 years ago, we'd have been starving.

 

L.A. 2028 @Penny_Forthem?? Have a safe journey to the caravan tomorrow.

 

Thanks @Ladybird4
It's only 9 miles from home.
But a hundred miles in scenery.

 

Half a gate painted - the fiddly part - @Ladybird4 before I retired to the shade between 1 and 4pm. After that I went to play with my pots - 3 roses now have new, bigger pots and fresh compost along with 3 morus nigra, 2 different mahonia and a few perennials. I have a nicotiana glauca ready to go on the front steps with another plant whose name I've forgotten but it's a lax, shrubby member of the pea family and has rich orange-red flowers.

@Penny_Forthem we have plentiful potatoes but our cucumber produced 2 fruits and then stalled. The tomatoes are taking their own sweet time to produce edible fruits - 4 so far from 2 dozen plants. The courgette has given us 3 and stalled. The other squash plants have embryonic fruits. The Swiss chard is bolting before getting to a decent, edible size. The brassicas have stalledor been eaten. It is not a good year for home grown veg and the fruit hasn't fared much better.

@Ergates you need high quality turmeric with black pepper, not just the stuff on the spice shelves. Your day off sounds lovely. My OH is not loquacious and is going deaf so I have a lot of chats with myself - no need to keep repeating myself!

@redstar I hope your neighbour is OK and not feeling guilty. It's hard but he's made the right decision.

Quiet evening for me now, trying to rescue my nails. OH is in the kitchen watching endless Olympics. I've discovered I can cope with the diving but not much else is of interest.

 

@Penny_Forthem, you have some stunning places there. I remember one year going down to Mum and Dad's in Mynnyd Isa and I took Mum up to Moel Famau to watch an eclipse. I think, though don't quote me, it was in the late 1990s. The views took our breath away and the friendliness of all the other spectators (and the sheep who were not averse to sharing picnics with us) made it a magical experience.

 

Well done getting all those jobs done @Obelix-Vendée. I remember a house painter giving me a tip about painting wrought iron gates (not the fiddly bits I hasten to add) railings. He told me to get a pair of industrial strength rubber gloves and some sponges. Basically you soak the sponges in the paint you are using and then you just squeeze the sponges around the railings making sure you have newspapers or similar to catch any run off. I did only need to do it the once but it worked.
I am signing out for tonight. Enjoy your evenings and I'll catch up with you all tomorrow.

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