Yawn Yawn Wakey Wakey 2025

Yes @Busy-Lizzie but the only one here is 45kms away in Chateau d'Olonne so I sometimes pass thru on my way home from patchwork on Mondays, so not July or August. It has a wider range of brassicas and chillies than most SMs and always has bean shoots. Everything is good quality and well presented. Some of it is half price on Monday evenings.

I've seen them selling mussels from Ireland which seems daft just 4kms from the Sables d'Olonne fishing port and all the locally grown moules de bouchot along the Vendée coast.

One of our pears has broken branches from the weight of fruit this year. Young trees so good fruits - Beurre Hardy and Poire William.

 

Those veggies look positively mouth-watering, @Busy-Lizzie !

Do you use antihistamine cream, @Obelix-Vendée , or do you find tablets helpful? If the latter, which sort do you think are most effective for insect bites? I've been waking at night with my recent cluster of harvest mite bites and would love to find something more effective than the cream.

Pear trees are supposed to be rarely attacked by honey fungus, so I'm considering planting a couple in the front garden. It's mild enough here for them, though sometimes a bit windy...

 

I'm using non dozy anti histamines from Boots and LIDL @Liriodendron and a cortsone based anti itch cream on the bites.

We've just had crumpets for tea. Delish. Don't know why it's taken me so long to make my own. Might have to re-think spatchocked roast chook for dinner tho.

 

Big news!!
We have been approved, after very careful vetting, for spaniel adoption. Gin, age 9 (I might change his name slightly, I don't want to be heard calling for Gin at 6 pm, thank you!). Gorgeous boy. Our 2 have to approve him, but I think they will...
Going to meet him and bring him home Tuesday.

 

Be even worse at 6am!

I'm happy for you - very good news. Ginny perhaps, but maybe not if he's a boy. Or Jim.

 

I find tea tree oil very soothing for harvest mite bites @Liriodendron

 

Thanks very much for the advice, @Obelix-Vendée and @Bluejayway .
I've never used tea tree oil. Do you dilute it before applying it?

 

That's great news, @Penny_Forthem !

 

The usual advice is to dilute it @Liriodendron but I’ve always used it neat with no ill effects

 

Great news @Penny_Forthem. I hope he settles well into his new home. So pleased for you.

 

Cool news @Penny_Forthem

I am a magnet too @Liriodendron and even have the mozzies inside bussing around my ear when I watching TV. I dilute my Tea Tree Oil or Manuka Oil as we know it in NZ. Good for lots of things. I bought a tube of Aloe Vera Gel as it soothes the mozzie bites so, to one tablespoon of A.V. gel I put in about 5 drops of Tea Tree Oil. In a tiny jar. In fact, I added 5 drops of lavender essential oil to the concoction. I made another one with oil of cloves and sage oil. You can have fun and google essential oils and their uses. Apparently, strong smells like peppermint oil is a deterrent. (If you wish to smell like a toothbrush!!!) Anyway, there are a lot of biting insects this year.

Rain on Tuesday and Wednesday according to Tatiana on TF1. I have more or less prepared my bed for the brassicas, so planting tomorrow evening, it will be. Hot or not!!!

Nighty night!!

 

Super pictures @Liriodendron and @Busy-Lizzie . Thank you for sharing. What absolutely brilliant news @Penny_Forthem. Maybe you could call him Gin with a hard 'g' as in the end of 'begin'. I'm sure you'll come up with something appropriate. So pleased for you.
Signing out for tonight - got an early start as I've been invited to a VIP event at my car agency. I think they think I'm going to be wanting a new car. I love car showrooms so I'll just go for the experience. My pass and lanyard arrived on Friday. Enjoy your evenings all.

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@Liriodendron Tea tree and lavender essential oils are the only two you can use direct on your skin. All the others need to be diluted in a neutral oil such as almond or they can cause a reaction. I use a dab or drop of tea tree on all sorts of gardening wounds, usually from thorns and splinters but I'll certainly try it on the harvest mite bites.

It's 30C here at 10pm but set to be cooler tomorrow. They now think we'll get a 1mm dribble on Wednesday night and then back up to 30C for the weekend. No sowing or planting for a while then.

Fingers crossed for Gin @Penny_Forthem.

Bonne nuit everyone.

 

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Greetings everyone. A tad cooler today but still tropical. Cricket is not happy in this heat - he doesn't know where to go to get comfortable. My Bestie tells me that her son and DIL have a cooling mat for their little cat. I have to confess in all my years of cat keeping I have never heard of a cooling mat. Cricket has a favourite cardboard box that he just fits in. He thinks that is very cool!

 

Good morning to you all!!

Bike run done. Breakfast done. I have some digging to do before it gets too hot. It is hot already and very muggy. But I watered the spot last night so need to weed and prepare now.