Yawn Yawn Wakey Wakey 2024

A very good morning everyone and nice to see you back @redstar. A very comprehensive description of your 'tour'. Looking forward to seeing some pictures. Speaking of which @Obelix-Vendée, as I scrolled down through the posts entered here after I has signed out last night, I actually thought I WAS looking at a stained glass window as your quilt slowly appeared. It is absolutely stunning! Lovely warm colour on the chest of drawers. You are very clever. Great tip about the banana skins too - I had never even thought about that use though I have used them to help ripen tomatoes by bagging them together. I compost all of mine.
@Ergates, I am a total quiz addict - always have been. When you read about me going out for a Quizzers Meal on first Fridays in the month, this is with a group of us who used to go to a quiz night once a month and then covid happened so we no longer go. The husband of one of the quizzers didn't come to those pub nights as he quizzed in a league in Bolton and two seasons ago they were short of a team player so he asked me - through his wife - if I would join them and thats where I go now. It is much more serious than the pub quiz was but I am loving it. We drew in our match last night. I do miss the TV quiz night on Mondays though. I record them all for later viewings but like many things I record I never find the time to watch them.
Enjoy your birthday meal today @Busy-Lizzie and I hope your eye is improving.

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@LG_ I am curious (nosey!) to know what the three stems you picked for the show were. Did you have a good time?
@Liriodendron, at least your hedgehog/s will know where to come and look for food. The first time I learned how far these little critters could travel each night I was astounded.

 

Good Morning all.

I’m trying to balance last minute revision with having a relaxing pre-exam day… if that’s even possible?! I have a list of topics to re-read and a list of garden jobs so we will see…

Belated Birthday Wishes to @Busy-Lizzie. I hope your eye is better today.

I will catch up with you all later so have a good day everyone.

 

Good morning @AuntyRach. Every good wish to you for your exam tomorrow.

 

Best of luck @AuntyRach , you can do it!

 

Hello all, belated birthday greetings to @Busy-Lizzie I hope your sore eye is easing today.
It's chilly today with a cold wind, not helped by the fact that windows are open as we are having some electric and solar shutters being installed. Good luck with your exam @AuntyRach you can nail it!
My ancient laptop keeps over heating so I will have to switch to my phone.

 

Morning all.

I had a lie in.

Thank you all for your sympathy about my eye. It's getting better.

I enjoyed reading about your trip @redstar. It sounds as though you had a good time. I looked up Lubec, Maine. It looks lovely.

I'm thinking I'm not really a Busy Lizzie anymore! There are a few things to do in the garden. I think my old garden needed more work than my 2 gardens in 2 countries put together. When we bought this cottage 6 years ago I was really busy, making curtains and cushions, having a new kitchen and carpets fitted and I did a lot in lock down, painting rooms indoors and re-planting outside. But now it's just maintenance.

Today we are going to my favourite pub restaurant for my birthday lunch. They were shut yesterday.

 

Good morning everyone. Supposed to be sunshine all day but we have clouds scudding about. Dry and 24C expected if the clouds clear. It seems our coast is due a week of exceptional high tides - worrying for homes and businesses at or about sea level ut also for inattentive pedestrians and line fishermen. At least there are no storms forecast at the mo.

Busy admin morning for me following yesterday's AGM but I should be able to get some gardening done this pm.

Enjoy your birthday lunch @Busy-Lizzie . I think we've all earned the right not to be constantly busy tho it can be hard to learn it's OK just to be and do not-a-lot sometimes.

Hope you get a good mix of gardening and revising @AuntyRach and that all goes well tomorrow.

@floralies better now than in a few weeks for having doors and windows open. We're keeping our polytunnel closed at the mo in a bid to get the tomatoes to ripen but are OK with house doors open for a while.

@redstar good that you're home in one piece after what sounds like a whirlwind tour. I've often thought I'd like to visit Maine and its fishing villages and Wyoming and its great open spaces and mountains but not New York. Sticking with France tho for the foreseeable - so much to see and enjoy and no jet lag.

@Liriodendron Even if they're not around just now you've helped those hogs and they know where to come if hungry.

@Ladybird4 sanding a chest of drawers is easy enough. Just have to find the time and wear a mask. It's what you do after that can be tricky but I'm keeping this one simple as it's destined for my sewing room but it serves a good feed and TLC first.

 

Hope @Busy-Lizzie is tucking into a tasty birthday lunch.
I'm off to my art group; TBH, it's such a lovely day, I'd like nothing better than an afternoon pottering in the garden, but I didn't go last week and I must pay my dues, plus it'll be good to catch up with everyone.
I made Florentines with the G'kids yesterday. Everyone enjoyed them. Thinking courgette cake next week...
@redstar's trip sounds amazing.
@Obelix-Vendée your patchwork is wonderful. Wish I could do something like that.
@AuntyRach hope today is relaxing and good luck with the exam

 

This mornings haul of brambles. Managed to get virtually all the roots out with the mini mattock, and hardly a scratch on me! Serenaded by a very pretty robin while I worked. It was easier to just drag the pile up with a leaf rake, and as they are mainly all long pieces, they’ll go through the shredder with minimal effort. Just relaxing with a cup of tea and a biscuit, before starting the shredding. OH has been trimming back a big goat willow, and some Portuguese laurel. There are two dead Portuguese laurels in the hedge. Both have been there for more than 20 years, so I don’t know what happened to them this summer. One is in the middle of a long hedge of cherry laurel, I’m assuming it was planted by mistake. The other is in a short hedge of Portuguese laurel, the others are ok so far.
Tea finished, back to work!

 

Afternoon everybody,
firstly belated birthday wishes to @Busy-Lizzie, hope your birthday lunch is enjoyable.
@redstar, welcome back, glad you had a good trip, look forward to seeing some photos.
Good luck with the exam tomorrow @AuntyRach.
That is a stunning patchwork piece @Obelix-Vendée, have you plans to display it somewhere in your house?

My son decided he didn't fancy Shepherds pie last night so decided to make a lamb curry instead. Decried the empty state of my larder/fridge/freezer so dashed to the local shop for curry ingredients. I told him we only have a small upright fridge/freezer, unlike his big American style double one and I also exercise strict portion control so we don't waste any food.
Anyway, all the banter was somewhat tongue in cheek and the curry was very good. Was given instructions on what to buy and how to cook it - the cheek! I threatened not to give him any apple and blackberry crumble I'd lovingly made for him. He stayed overnight again before leaving for work this morning and will then drive to his home later today.

I've spent a couple of hours digging out the last of the leaf mould and bagged it all up. I'm just going back out to tackle cutting down the euronymus bush that's causing the root problems and then I'll just potter around doing some odd jobs whilst the weather is fine. We're enjoying beautiful sunshine, it's up to 18c and rising with a nice breeze.

 

Good evening.

I hope you had a very enjoyable birthday lunch @Busy-Lizzie.

Nice to read about your trip @redstar, it sounds as if it’s been very enjoyable.

A lovely patchwork @Obelix-Vendée, you’re very talented.

Good luck with the exam tomorrow @AuntyRach .

The weather has been glorious today (we’re in Northumberland, near Wooler). Today we went to Alnwick gardens, which looked absolutely stunning. We’ve been before, but it was a few years ago. Yesterday, we visited Chillingham castle, which was very interesting. The owners, Sir Humphrey and Lady Wakefield, were about - Sir Humphrey Wakefield in the tearoom enjoying a light lunch with friends, and Lady Wakefield pottering in her garden (on a somewhat larger scale than mine ). I’m not sure what we’ll do tomorrow, but possibly Ad Gefrin, an Anglo Saxon museum and whisky distillery, as it’s within walking distance from where we are staying. I really love Northumberland, we’ve been many times.

It looks as if a lot of you have been busy in your gardens. No doubt the grass will need another trim and some deadheading and cutting back will be necessary when we get home.

 

Did you go to the poison garden at Alnwick @Blue arbour? My Dad came from Northumberland so it is an area quite well known to my family. I've managed to get a lot of work done in the garden today though I still have bulbs to plant. I think they are secretly multiplying in the garage.
Signing out now so I'll say good evening. I hope @Busy-Lizzie has had a super time today at her favourite pub.

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Thank you for all the good luck messages folks - that’s a nice boost.

At least today treated me to some gorgeous weather. Sounds like many of you taking advantage of the good weather to do Autumn garden jobs.

Take care all. Don’t forget to catch the moon tonight.

 

Good evening all!

Looking forward to your photos, @redstar . I too have been looking up on the internet some of the places you mentioned. It's really interesting... I'll never visit them, but love to read about them.

We lived for 22 years in a village in Northumberland, @Blue arbour & @Ladybird4 . I got my gardening qualifications at college there, and we visited Alnwick Castle before the gardens were constructed, and again later. Very impressive.

Well, I didn't get my bulbs planted in the meadow today. Various jobs took over, this morning, and this afternoon, after I mowed the scythed area, I was so hot I had to take refuge in a shady border, weeding and dead-heading. Hopefully I can do the planting tomorrow - forecast is still good for the next couple of days.

Hope you get a good night's sleep, @AuntyRach , and the exam goes well tomorrow.