Yawn Yawn Wakey Wakey 2025

I have a satisfyingly full line of laundry flapping on the line!
Greenhouse is watered, a bit of hoeing achieved (my, how those weeds grow!) and dogs run.
Going to pop up to the van later to bring bedding laundry home.
Must fill the butts from the stream, too. I see there's a hose pipe ban in Yorkshire.
Then I might have time to read, but I need a gripping book...

 

Afternoon all.

Done a bit of weeding on the drive and painted my little side table by the back door seat (used rain or shine - my happy place). Will settle down for some tennis now.

Have a good day everyone.

 

Yes, that’s right @Penny_Forthem. The hosepipe ban begins on Friday in Yorkshire.

 

I find the rules around hosepipe bans a bit strange as presumably many households don’t even have a hose and yet using 20 watering cans/buckets is ‘allowed’. Why give so much notice too? Surely that will set off a frenzy of car-washing and garden watering! I wonder how people are caught…unless they are washing cars for all to see or nosy neighbours snitch.


Back to the tennis…

 

Am about to flop for a rest. Have spent the day painting. We now have lovely fresh white skirting and windowsill in the bedroom, previously faded black, and I gave the bedroom door a refresh too. I have other black skirtings and a windowsill to paint downstairs but they can wait until after the next mini-heatwave.

It’s a lovely fresh day here. Bright sunshine but a gentle 18 degrees, temperatures start to go up quickly tomorrow.

Hope everyone has had a good day x

 

Afternoon all, relaxing with a noodle on here after having had a very soothing back massage (minus hearing aids!) this morning. No lunch cos it's a 'thin' day but have just given in and eaten an eggcupful of mixed nuts to keep me going. Our eggymess with smoked salmon on toast tonight so an easy dinner, then probably more watering. At least all our butts are full again after the rain on the 5th.

I moved some perpetual strawberries which have had their first flush and dumped them in a trug full of water to have a good soak. Will repot them later when it's cooler.

We've all done things like that @Ladybird4 but glad the quizzing was all ok in the end.

 

Would that be a Pot Noodle?

 

Yes, it baffles me, too, @AuntyRach that you can use watering cans but not a hose. I suppose they must think you’ll get tired filling the cans after a while so won’t water as much as with a hose, though to be honest, I’m sparing with the hose and only water enough on an as needed basis. Not sure how it is policed, but I guess some neighbours might report another.
I can’t imagine using a hose on a smallish plot will use much more than if you fill the bath tub a couple of times a week (For those that use a bath, that is. I presume most people shower these days) - but I suppose it depends how much water you use with the hose. Oh well, looks like watering cans at the ready.

 

It's high 20s here with a strong breeze and the soil surface is bone dry. I went to check on the polytunnel and found everything drooping so the seephoses are on to water everything. I've planted spare squash and courgette plants in there this year, thinking they'd do quite well and make ground cover between the tomatoes but every single one has done a triffid. I've had to cut quite a few back to stop them climbing the walls but the toms seem happy and we do alreadyhave courgettes to eat and squashes forming.

Been to the fabric shop this pm to rectify my omissions last week. Didn't find much to inspire but found some cotton jersey for an autumn frock and some pure fine cotton weave to use as a lining for some evening fabric for a dance frock.

Home via a mini SM raid for burrata as Possum likes the Jamie Oliver salad I did for a lunch last week - nectarine, Parma ham and burrata on a bed of leaves with a light dressing. Got some trout for dinner too.

I hope those fires don't affect your house and garden @Tui34. Good news about the horses. We were down your way in 2009 while Possum did a 2 week riding holiday organised by and with our Belgian equestrian farm neighbours. It was between Bessan and Cap d'Agde so I hope they're OK. We had a great time exploring the area and the people and horses were great fun too.

@lizzie27 I hope you can get your hearing aid problem sorted quickly. I think it's important to tell people they're being patronising, or otherwise unhelpful and unsympathetic. They are, after all, supposed to be helping.

As for watering with cans, that's fine if you have a small garden and a few pots. Our garden is large. Veg beds are 1.2m wide and 7.5 to 10m long. I use seep hoses wound round curcubits and tomatoes and have had to add one for the rhubarb. Potatoes, onions and garlic take their chances as do brassicas and the soft fruit beds.

 

I'm glad the horses were saved @Tui34. I always eat too much when I'm in England. It's more like being on holiday! In France I do more gardening and walking and we go out less. There is always something going on here and if there isn't then we do something. Tomorrow we are planning to visit a big house and garden in Suffolk and there is the Norfolk Garden Show on Friday then on Saturday there is a village Open Gardens with lots of small gardens and food in the village hall.

I did some gardening yesterday and today I've changed the bed, done a towel wash and prepared food for tonight. OH likes my pastry so I've made a blackberry and apple pie.

 

I'm sitting by the stream and fairy Glen

 

Oooh @Penny_Forthem , a dingley dell

 

I have a Fairy Glen quite close to me @Penny Forthem - super picture! It has been a day of deadheading, weeding, washing, watering and Wimbledon - not necessarily in that order, I just arranged them alphabetically. I see that you did some washing too @Busy-Lizzie. It was quite a good drying day here with a wind and some rather insipid sun. I hope that the dinner goes well and enjoy your visit tomorrow. Hope your foot has recovered.
There have been some worrying stories about wild fires in France so I do hope that none of our friends on here who are in France get affected and stay safe. Pleased that all the horses are safe.
I am signing out for today and I'm hoping for a better night tonight than last night. Late in from quiz and then it was my turn for a mousey @Obelix-Vendée. See you all tomorrow.

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Sounds a very enjoyable few days outings @Busy-Lizzie. We're anticipating a temporary halt to our 5-2 diet as we'll be away for a few days in a nice hotel. We'll make the most of it. I just love not having to cook anything.

That looks so lovely @Penny_Forthem , I could cheerfully sit there all day.

We've got a rogue volunteer runner bean which is waving about in one of the veg beds @Obelix-Vendée and climbing over everything it can reach! I've started picking the first of the raspberries and must water the main bed tomorrow. More blackberries in the freezer today.

I was asked to do a follow up patients survey by the hospital today so said the service was poor and told them why. Didn't want to make that public so ticked the appropriate box.

 

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Hello there everyone. Just seen the weather forecast on the Beeb and we need to brace ourselves for some more steamy temperatures. I think I have lost some plants in my garden, despite the heavy rain we have had but I'll leave them in situ to see if they pick up - not looking good though with the latest forecast. Despite my Buddleja being in flower - admittedly a shadow of its usual self - there has been a noticeable lack of butterflies. Lots of bees though.