Yawn Yawn Wakey Wakey 2024

Hello folks. Yes they are Eucalyptus trees on our property. They are out in the back part of our 100 acre place, so not near our house and sheds, thank goodness. We are fed up with the winds. They’ve been raging for weeks. No rain though.

 

Good morning everyone!!

 

Hello all and @Pat E nice to see you around.

It's done. I have a new hip!! Yesterday morning, I was first in the operating theatre at 7.30am. wheeled came back to the room and slept until 4pm. I must have been sooooo tired. Stayed awake until 11pm but impossible to find that sleep zone. The nurse came in at 12.30am to take BP etc. Then the pain started - a sabre running down my leg so she gave me a pain killer and a sleeping tablet. I am a zombie this morning - the physio is due any minute - trying to wake up!!

Thank you @Obelix-Vendée for your kind comment. Fizz is good with my neighbours and her best friend Patch. Sounds like a fruitful shopping trip. Hope you got all you needed.

Gum or Eucalyptus trees are very fragile and drop their branches and bark easily. I see them here planted quite close to the houses. Good luck to them in strong winds. Lovely trees but best at the bottom of the garden!!

Ah @Busy-Lizzie that big plant nursery could be a mistake!! 2 bad places for me are material shops and plant shops. I just come out with stuff that 'I can use later' !!! But then again, autumn is good for planting certain plants!!!! Happy shopping!

Good on you @lizzie27 for your weight loss. It's paying off so keep on. Bravo!!

Oh - here's the physio to get me up. He came yesterday afternoon at 5.30pm and made me walk little steps into the corridor and along a bit, then back to bed. I can put weight on the foot and must.

Have a lovely day everyone. Sunny here - as usual.

 

Great to hear that you are doing well @Tui34 - amazing to be up walking 12 hours post op! I hope you can be home soon.

 

I too am amazed @Tui34, not only that you're walking, but compos mentis enough to write!
I have packed for winter and summer and everything in between! As we'll only be away 3 nights, I don't need much.
@PatE hope you get better weather soon.

 

Good morning everyone,

A rather grey day, a bit breezy, but dry for now. Popping over to my neighbour this pm for a catch up - been ages since we’ve had the opportunity, just been in waving distance as we’ve been bobbing about.

Just finished my Pilates class, so coffee break now.

OH and I went to our local RSPB reserve yesterday. The weather was just right for bird watching, not too bright, mild and dry with no breeze (the rain began as we left). We were very lucky to see some spoonbills, which are a rarity near us. There were plenty of little and great egrets and grey herons. Spotted a kingfisher, too, and a water rail, so it was a good day. They have a decent cafe there, too, so we had a light lunch before continuing our bird watching.

Nice to see you @PatE. Glad those trees weren’t close to your property. You must be tired of the strong winds. We’ve had a few already, and it will soon be autumn gale time, so more to come. The last storm we had nearly a fortnight ago put our electricity supply out for 15.5 hours, so grateful it wasn’t in the depths of winter.

Glad to hear you’ve had your hip op @Tui34, and hope it’s not long before you’re running around .

Well done @RowlandsCastle for finally gaining access to your outdoor key safe - your patience has paid off.

 

Bravo @Tui34. Well done for sleeping so long too. After my 1st knee, also at 7:30am, I slept till about 1pm and was then taken up to the ward, given lunch and then first physio session at 2:30pm. Same time-table for the 2nd except not allowed to sleep after the op! The perishers did BP and "return of feeling to my foot" checks every 15 minutes. Not restful.

i wish you a speedy recovery and successful physio.

It's been grey here all morning with dribbles forecast so, of course, we got a good drenching on the drive to Luçon for the weekly shop. Dry since tho so OK. might get a bit of pottering done outside this pm.

Errands included looking for decent crochet hooks and an explanation of differences plus how to hold one from a lady in the shop who'd just done a child's jacket with granny squares. i now own 2 French made ergonomic crochet hooks. @Ladybird4 I also have arthritic fingers but it seems to be under control at the mo and tends to lead to occasional locking of knuckles rather than constant pain and difficulties bending and gripping.

There's a huge nursery not far from here @Busy-Lizzie but the range is pretty bog standard, mostly shrubs and not particularly well-maintained. Not cheap either. I did pop int a GC yesterday for rooting hormone and came out with 3 of those ornamental purslanes I admired in your garden and a special offer on hardy cyclamen with very fancy leaf markings.

@Penny_Forthem I hope you get good wetaher for your escape to the caravan. we are forecast wet stuff this weekend with some downpours. that's changed since just last night when it was going to be dry.

@AuntyRach Courage, as they say here, for all the studying. Head down and chin up.

@Blue arbour there's a reserve with an observation platform about 20kms from here where we can go and see wetland birds and critters. Best at sunset and sunrise apparently and at the changing of seasons. They supply a covered cabin with several viewing angles of view, binoculars and guides to species but you have to go to the village a couple of kms away to get the tickets and there's no refreshments.

 

PS - no cheesy pizzas here today @Ladybird4 . Welsh rarebit last night was very good and the high protein soda bread experiment a great success but cheesed out now. Hope you've had a good natter.

 

​

Back from setting the world to rights with my friends and it was such a nice surprise to see your message @Tui34. I do hope that the pain subsides quickly after each physio 'session' and that you will be taking each day as it comes.
I'm envious of your bird sightings @Blue arbour. I remember a memorable visit I paid to Leighton Moss, the RSPB reserve near me, one time and I was lucky enough to see a bittern. Sadly no booming though. I may have written that before some time in the past so forgive me for repetition. Never seen spoonbills in the UK before though.
@Obelix-Vendée, it is my right hand that is more affected and I put that down to all the racquet sports I have played in the past. It makes me laugh as I attempt to use a potato peeler or knife to peel things - pathetic! I now have one of those peelers that you use pushing away from yourself and even that is fraught with frustration. There are times when I cannot even make a decent fist. Love the sound of your soda bread.
@Penny_Forthem, fingers crossed you don't have to wear your winter warmers! Have a lovely break.

​

 

Good afternoon all. Just back from a walk and picnic with our daughter and granddaughters, at Coole Park, which is a lovely wooded spot with a "turlough" (seasonal lake in limestone), and plenty of interest for the girls. We were able to hand over birthday presents for son-in-law and elder granddaughter, who share a birthday. (They are about to spend nearly a fortnight - including the birthday - at the family's cottage in Scotland, which they love.) It wasn't exactly warm, but at least it was dry, so ok for a picnic with coats on...

Very best wishes for a quick recovery, @Tui34 .

Anyone recognise this fungus, found last evening growing in our woodchip path? I haven't identified it so far from the Internet.

 

The nearest I can get to your fungus is Pluteus thompsonii or Veined Shield @Liriodendron

​

 

I hope your new hip doesn't hurt for long @Tui34 and that it's as successful as my OH's. Thank for telling us about it so soon.

That's a weird looking Fungus @Liriodendron!

Cool and cloudy with the odd glimpse of sun.

We went to the big plant nursery. The shrubs had all been potted up and arranged in neat rows. I bought a Philadelphus "Virginal" for 10€, which is a double one and a Salvia "Royal Bumble" which looked nice and bushy for 8€ - then I found there were 3 plants in the pot, bargain. @Obelix-Vendée had advised that one when she came, though I do have one, but in a different bed. I have separated them. My single flowered Philadelphus had died in the shrub bed so I've replaced it. It was very dry despite the recent rain, but I hadn't been watering it as it had died. I dug out the rock like clay and filled the hole with compost and lighter soil, quite a big hole. I hope the new one will be OK. The 3 salvias have gone into the donkey paddock fence bed. I hope they survive the winter, but my other one has survived winters.

Oh dear, maybe that should have gone on the weather thread, the purchases thread and the gardening thread. Easier just to put it here

 

Hello folks - what a day! We've had torrential rain all day, it's been really horrible and the poor smart meter installer has just spent four hours outside, he's absolutely drowned, poor chap.
He had no end of problems, first with replacing the electricity meter - 3 times and then with the gas meter which is on the opposite side of our house. He couldn't remove the housing box as the previous owner had built the path right up to the cover, half of which was at a lower level. Cue lots of head scratching and probably cursing so I wisely took myself away. The installation also had to include our solar panels so all in all, one of the most complicated jobs he'd ever done.
Unfortunately he'd had to cancel all his other afternoon customers so I bet they won't be happy.

Good to hear from you @Tui34, hope you progress well and they let you out soon. OH was very firmly told to keep the pain under control and take the painkillers regularly and not to try to do without.

Fungi look interesting @Liriodendron, but I've no idea what they are, sorry. Glad you enjoyed the day out with family.

I'm also getting problems with my fingers/hands @Ladybird4, it's more noticeable now I've reduced the steroids to 2 mg daily. I couldn't even open a box of laundry tabs earlier - because of the stupid child proof thingies. I was expecting my aches and pains to reoccur but it's still a bit of a blow. Don't think it's the polymyalgia coming back.

Hope everyone has a good evening, good luck with the studying @AuntyRach.

Great to hear from you again @PatE, interesting photos, hope the winds abate soon.

 

@Busy-Lizzie. I have that Philadelphus in my front garden between mine and my neighbour's. It is a beauty. I hope that yours settles in well.

 

@lizzie27, I really really struggle with the various bottles of 'stuff' where you have to push down on the cap and then twist. I know they are sensible but I try to resist the temptation to fling the wretched bottle at the wall.