Yawn Yawn Wakey Wakey 2024

Love the picture of your snow @Ergates. @Goldenlily26, you made me smile with your cunning bathing plans. I am signing out for tonight - its been a strange couple of days for sure. Catch up with you all tomorrow.

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What a day some of you have had.
Rain, hail, lightning, wind, snow here.
Hope you're all cozy tonight.
We thought we'd go and check on the van, but with every passing mile, the snow got deeper. We turned back in the end. I'm sure we could have got through, but as it wasn't a necessity we decided not to. The hills were very pretty though, in their snow blanket.
I've been shopping for a new dog walking warm waterproof coat. Bought one from mountain warehouse. Also overtrews and a fleecy hoodie. Website says I've saved £229, with another discount code, but I'm a tad sceptical about these things. However. I should be warm and dry.

 

We have lost a sheet of courrugated iron from our garage roof and some bits of mortar and tile fell inside but, fortunately, not onto a car as I've been sanding a desk in that half. OH had taken t'other car anyway to go and fetch Possum so she could re-claim her car from the garage. All fixed and cleaned inside and out so she's happy.

I ventured out in the gales to rescue the flying roof piece and carry some fuchsias and salvias from my nursery to the polytunnel in case they don't like the cold tonight. The chooks all went to bed early as the sky was so dark and they're cosy in their insulated shed. Spent the rest of the pm cutting out a frock for a tea dance on Wednesday.

Yoga class was entertaining tonight. She had us doing stretches and bending knees in directions and angles a new knee cannot do - sideways or backwards! She always concentrates on our hip area and stimulating the kidneys too and it certainly works.

New coat sounds good @Penny_Forthem. Hope Rob feels better for his shower @Goldenlily26. Hope you find some ear protectors @lizzie27. Hugs for tomorrow @Blue arbour as it will be an emotional day.

Sweet dreams everyone.

 

Good morning all. This one MUST be for you @Tui34

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I was woken in the early hours by heavy hail battering my window. I'm just debating whether to go to Canasta this afternoon or not. It is not the going out so much as the return in the now dark afternoons and feeling a bit wary about slippery pavements. I'll wait until its light and make a decision. @Obelix-Vendée, you sound to have had a dreadful time yesterday. I was so glad to read that the metal sheet and various falling debris missed the car. I was wincing reading about your yoga exercises and wondering how my creaky joints would put up with them. @Penny_Forthem, I think you made the right decision too about getting back home.

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Good morning folks!

Coolie this morning - no frost but nippy all the same. The wind howled here too @Obelix-Vendée (again) but all seems calm here this morning. Cloudy sky, but I am hopeful, as I have done a load of washing during the night!!

A new kitchen may be lovely @Goldenlily26 Might I suggest that you approach your insurance company as to the water problem? You may be surprised. It's worth a shot.

I hope that everyone in storm Bert's way is hunkered down and prepared for a wild weekend.

Today is Saint Cecile's Day and we are advised this is the best time to plant peas and broad beans for spring eating. Apparently, planting now prevents sticky black aphids in April/May.

 

Morning all, we have a difficult day ahead. My OH'S ex and the daughters father died recently, funeral today.
Another case of cancer discovered far too late to do anything about it.
As someone who has survived cancer treatment twice, it's another stark reminder how fragile our tenure on this tiny blue marble is.

 

Morning all,
What a day! It sleeted on and off all day. Horrible!
I managed to get Rob bathed, he really doesn't enjoy being bathed but takes it stoically bless him. It takes forever to blow him dry with the hairdryer but he is all white and fluffy again, and he smells a lot sweeter. am sure he feels a lot better as well. The vet called me a second time yesterday to let me know his remaining eye is testing normal and that I need to give him the capsules whole, not opened and sprinkled on his food. Something else I queried for myself. She is learning fast. She is adamant I take him back if I am worried about anything.

Tui 34 Thanks. I will have a think about insurance, I thought it was only for accidental damage.Old houses down here in Cornwall are notorious for damp because they are cob built from stone. Everyone seems to have damp coming through somewhere, and the climate is so wet as well. The external walls of my cottage are about 3ft thick, practically no foundations either. When I had the wet room put in the plumber ruined 3 large drill bits trying to drill through a large solid lump of granite. He was not happy.
The thought of a concrete floor being taken up, the dust through the rest of the house and where do I put the contents of my stuffed full kitchen cupboards and floor really puts me off having the job done. At my age I will not be able to enjoy it for many more years but it would make selling the cottage easier for my family. Although I know a lot of people automatically replace kitchens and bathrooms when they buy another house. That will not be my worry though.

 

Good morning all.

I hope you and your family get through the day as well as can be expected @Allotment Boy.

What a nuisance about the roof @Obelix-Vendée but I'm glad it didn't damage anything else. My children in various parts of France have been complaining about the weather and the strong winds. I hope my house is OK.

Big frost here and a very light sprinkle of snow in the night.

SM this morning and to friends for dinner tonight.

 

Condolences, @Allotment Boy. Hope it all goes ok.
Glad those in France coped with the high winds.
No further snow here, but lots still lying on the roofs and grass. Still reports of local road closures, especially on the hills. All calm and sunny now, but the wind is coming from the north, so we can hear traffic on the main road, a few miles away.
Fortunately, we are snug and warm inside. I did check the gas stove in the living room, and it does work without an electricity supply, so we shouldn’t freeze in a power cut.
Torrential rain forecast for the weekend with high winds expected. I hope my plants will survive. I was shocked at how much the snow had weighed down the branches of even decent sized shrubs. My magnolia grandiflora was almost lying on the ground. I did don my wellies and took a broom out to knock the snow off. It’s looking a bit more normal now.
Will definitely have to do some house jobs today, no excuses.

 

Thoughts are with you and yours @Allotment Boy. I'm sure it will be a difficult day for you all.
I bet Rob looks very cute again now after his bath @Goldenlily26. So much of what you have written about getting a new kitchen could have come from me. I have had this dilemma for a while now and just cannot make up my mind. I have the titchiest of kitchen and to add to its drawbacks, it has 4 doorways - the back door, a door to the dining area, one to the living room and one to my larder which is under the stairs. I had thought about knocking down the wall between the kitchen and dining room but the thought of the disruption and mess is seriously off putting and at my time of life, I too would find that a nightmare. I manage with what I have but when I am doing my baking I would love to have more work surfaces.

 

Morning all. Beautifully sunny here, but still minus 1 - driving back from looking after the girls yesterday was a bit tricky, with snow across the road in places, but we managed without incident. The views were stupendous. Oh, and being with the grandchildren was fab!

Today's maximum temperature will be during the night... daytime temps might reach 2C, but tomorrow's max is predicted to be 13, with the heavy rain and strong winds which Britain is also expecting, apparently. Glad you had no serious damage from your encounter with the storm, @Obelix-Vendée .

The robin is getting very pushy. When I'm cooking he often sits on the rim of a big pot of bulbs on the step outside the french windows, looking in with his head on one side, as if to say "I can smell something nice... when do I get a bit?" And yesterday, while I filled the feeder with sunflower hearts, he sat on the top of the pole into which the feeder fits, shouting at me to hurry up. I think he'd be easy to hand feed with mealworms, if I can get hold of any.

There's a stew in the oven. Baked spuds and sprouts to go with it, proper winter food...

Thinking of you today, @Allotment Boy .

 

I've been busy cooking too @Liriodendron - large frittata for weekday lunches, lemon cheeseckae for tomorrow's dessert and some chocolate almond gluten and sugar free muffins for Possum's snacks. Robins here do not get close to hoomans. You could try the fishing bait section of your local SM or garden store for mealworms.

It's bright and sunny here but only 1C. OH has been emptying out the garage and we need to call a man about replacing the missing piece as there's some masonry involved along the ridge line. He'll no doubt be prioritising house roofs after the storm so it may take a while. Not answering phone at the mo.

Tomorrow was also forecast to be horrendous but may end up being calm after all. We'll see but for today at least it's nice not to have the wind howling round corners and whistling down the chimneys.

Hard day for you @Allotment Boy. My condolences.

 

I was awakened early by the Evri driver. No way could I get downstairs in time, but thankfully, my Farmer Gracy order was left on the front door step for only a couple of minutes before I retrieved it. However, I am not going to be planting those tulips outside yet!
Hope all goes smoothly today @Allotment Boy.

 

Many thanks @Ladybird4, I'll have a look later. Glad your landline is sorted - pity about all the bullying, no call for that at all.

Very slightly warmer this morning, thank goodness and we have sunshine.

We drove over to the outskirts of Bristol to pick up 4 bags of Postcrete and a bag of sharp sand, calling into the pharmacy on the way to pick up my meds. As I anticipated, the GP hadn't read my note on the NHS app request form and had prescribed 196 steroid tabs (7 boxes) instead of the 28 tabs I'd requested. Luckily I opened the bag in front of the pharmacist and handed the surplus back to him. I'm due to finish taking the steroids by Xmas. I'd also asked for 2 pkts of the new statins to tide me over Xmas but only got one. I know the GPs are overworked but what is the point of patient request notes if they don't read them!

Keep safe everyone over the weekend and batten down those hatches.

 

We've been to Morrisons.

OH found another cheap garden bag in the shed so I can put the last load of leaves in that but I don't feel like doing anything outside until it's warmer. Garden bin was emptied this morning but I prefer to keep leaves for mulching the next year.

I have some ironing to do this afternoon and some Christmas cards to write and send to friends and family before we leave for France on Thursday.

Then no cooking tonight as we are dining with friends.