Yawn Yawn Wakey Wakey 2024

Good evening all.

It's been a busy couple of days with garden group visits yesterday and all day patchwork today. We began yesterday with a visit to the garden of a man who loved his roses, Mchaelmas daisies and hydrangeas. It was a bit wet and some of the taller daisies had been flattened by heavy rains but the planting was interesting and gave me a few ideas I need to spring on OH when he's feeling mellow.

This was followed by our usual picnic and they loved the giant Eccles cake. Some still find it odd to find a Brit who can cook but I tell them, as diplomatically as poss, that French cakes have nothing on the breadth and variety of the British cake repertoire.

The afternoon was even better with a visit to Ripaud, a nursery on 110 hectares with acres of greenhouses where 5 kinds of propagation take place, potting on and growing on and all divided by types - succulen and cactii, palm thingies, citrus and other tender fruits, evergreens, deciduous etc. They are establing a national colllection of eucalyptus and another of lagerstroemia and another of Cercis. They have an impressive field full of topiariy and cloud pruned plants. The visit ended with a glass of fizz or apple juice and a slice of brioche. I came home with a lovely blue sage with glaucous foliage and a variegated Dianella Tasmanica for 20€.

All day patchwork club today with a group learning how to do a "napperon hexagone" - basically a place mat made from 6 circles folded into traingles and embroidered Sashiko style then joined up to make a hexagon. We share apéro and desserts and take a picnic lunch.

All good fun but tired now so off to bed soon. Need to be up early for the tree surgeon.

That border control thing works both ways. People from the EU entering the UK will need an ETA (electronic travel authorisation) which will cost £10/12€ but, I believe, it can be applied for in advance. Britain is extending this to 49 countries from Jan 8th and to the EU countries from April 2nd.

Other countries already have this requirement.

Too tired to comment on all the posts but consider yourselves "liked". Goodnight all.

 

Irish citizens are fortunate in not having the same need for authorization to travel to the UK as does the rest of the EU, but having the freedom of membership of the EU themselves. We are thinking of applying for Irish citizenship now that we've lived here for five years, since an Irish passport would make travel to Europe much more straightforward.

Great castles, @RowlandsCastle ! Is Borthwick a Pele tower? There were lots of interesting examples in Northumberland; one was incorporated into the old vicarage in the village in which we lived for 22 years. It sounds as if you're having a great holiday - with plenty of exercise climbing all those stairs...

 

Woken up by the fire alarm blaring..
Grabbed some clothes, a key to the apartment, and was just leaving our holiday abode, when it stopped.
With hearts beating Very fast, returned to bed. Moments later, the fire brigade arrived.

False alarm, but at least we know they get here quickly. Now I just have to calm down and try to sleep again.
No doubt we'll find out in the morning, what happened.

 

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Good morning one and all. Well to say we were beaten last night would be the best understatement this year. I hadn't realised it was a cup match and our team was playing one of the top teams in Division 1. We are in Division 2. I still enjoyed the night though and our opponents were a lovely, friendly bunch.
@AuntyRach I am recording Brian Cox's new series and will look forward to watching last night's episode as soon as possible.
@RowlandsCastle, you will be as fit as a butcher's dog after your holiday. Do you know the significance of the blue climber?
@Obelix-Vendée you sound to have been having a manic, busy time, I hope you got a decent night's sleep last night. Great to hear that the giant Eccles cake went down well!

 

That was a rather alarming 'wake up' call @RowlandsCastle so you must have been relieved when it turned out to be a false alarm. I remember a friend of mine setting off the fire alarm in his hotel bedroom when he decide to boil a kettle to make a cup of tea in the middle of the night. He was not very popular!

 

Good morning @Ladybird4
I've no idea why the blue climber is where it is. I can't find anything on the internet about it - except that others have noticed it too.

And yes, it was definitely alarming to have the fire alarm go off. My wife asked why they couldn't be quieter. Er - then they wouldn't be alarming!!

My heart is still feeling it this morning. Probably time I got the old ticker checked.

Any more Cricket adventures?

 

Borthwick Castle is a tower house. I must dig out some of my old pictures when I get home. It was a ruin still in 1910 - see picture below


It is now an exclusive wedding location.

 

Morning early birds.
I’m just peeping in before I head off and hoping the rain holds off a bit for my drive.

The Solar System programme was wonderful @Ladybird4. I was thinking what more can they tell us… well it’s fascinating and awesome - to me anyway.

Have a lovely day all, whether you are home, away or just nipping out.

 

Good morning all!!

After an extremely humid damp day yesterday, the heavens opened at 1.30am! A great storm was put on with thunder and lightning and heavy downpours. A good dose of rain for down here. Today, the sky is blue with a few strata and a puffy wind to dry out the roads. It is still damp and I can feel the ache in my joints.

I am glad you are pleased with the Fibre @Busy-Lizzie I will surely subscribe at a later date but often the technicians who come want locals to dig trenches or suss out cables under their houses, as they can't be bothered with anything remotely out of the ordinary.

World Octopus Day @Ladybird4 Did you see the film "My Octopus Teacher" ? - I'll never eat octopus salad ever again. Gentle creatures like all nature really.

Your tour of Scotland looks great @RowlandsCastle I hope the weather is clement for you.

My artichokes (one large green and one purple) started growing from the main stem about 2 weeks ago and I have been itching to take the sproutings. I did yesterday finally, and am regretting that move today as I had to hack them away with the spade. With the damp and the movement my thigh is a bit sore ((Ha-hem) today. The nurses have finished with the injections so no more visits. We had some good chats. 2 of them being past pupils.

Here's wishing you a reasonable Tuesday in spite of your wet weather.

 

Good morning everyone. Haven't seen the Solar programme either but it's recorded. I really enjoyed Chris Packham's Earth programme and expect this one to be as good.

Fun and games here. The tree surgeon has arrived with a lorry load of chipped wood ready to dump that in a convenient heap and then fill it again with what he cuts down. However, we've had unusual amounts of rain and, despite following the old farm tractor path to the old barns he's managed to sink. We've had to call the neighbours to give him a tow but they're on hols so he's calling his brother-in-law who lives just up the road.

It's fine at the mo but heavy rain is expected so he's planning just to cut down all the offending trees - dead or dying - and come back with a lighter tractor and trailer to take them away. I shall do some potting on of things I'm giving to firends until rain stops play. Need another coffee first tho.

It's not too bad being beaten by some of the best @Ladybird4 as long as you enjoy the process and company.

Have a lovely day everyone.

 

PS @Tui34 Our fibre optic is overhead lines. Far too expensive to dig trenches and bury cables along a 2km road with only 8 houses.

I shall go and check our artichokes as I want to move them somewhere they can be architectural and suppress weeds. Have decided the faff of preparing and cooking them far outweighs the rewards.

Happy castle bagging @RowlandsCastle

 

Speaking of Cricket adventures @RowlandsCastle, Yesterday I spent a great deal of time trying to catch a mouse he had brought in during Sunday night. I was pleased that it kept him focused on being in 'hunt mode' in my bedroom, as the hapless creature managed to evade all his attempts at ambush, and I was cooking chicken downstairs and would not have welcomed his pretence at being starved to death once the smells had drifted upstairs. I had taken one of my humane traps and placed it against a wall close to where Cricket was on guard. Once Cricket did appear, lured by the cooking smells, I went and checked it and there was the wee beastie safely trapped. I was then able to take the trap down to the bottom of the garden and release the captive to fight another day.
@Tui34, I haven't seen that film but I am fascinated by octopuses. They are such intelligent creatures. Have watched many short films showing them problem solving. Please take care with heavy garden job tackling - we don't want you having any setbacks. Fizz will be champing at the bit for her daily constitutionals.

 

Morning all.

We shall go into town for a few bits. OH's new phone needs a cover. He's already dropped it but it didn't crack. Mine could do with one too, it's looking tatty.

I have a pile of ironing. There is a bit of gardening to do but forecast says showers.

 

Our huntress is quite prolific at the mo @Ladybird4 so lots of rescuing going on. Keeps OH busy. However, a quiet night last night. It turns out she'd jumped into my car when I was emptying the boot after yesterday and I lifted her out but didn't see her the second time so a very relieved pussycat jumped out when OH went to get in this morning.

He's been a silly boy and, during his recent cold (not even man flu) he's managed to overdose on paracetamol and nurofen and now has a sore tummy. I normally keep a careful eye on him but he decamped to the spare bedroom for the duration so I didn't know he was dosing at night too. A salutory lesson as his tum is normally cast-iron except on boats.

I don't eat octopus @Tui34 and I won't go near live oysters either. Yesterday at patch two fo the new ladies who also like gardening were discussing snails - finding them in the garden then what best to feed them in captivity till bigg enough to cook. I can think of many more pleasant and interesting ways to eat herby, garlicky butter.