Yawn Yawn Wakey Wakey 2025

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For yesterday @Obelix-Vendée. I loved GW last night. AF is such a refreshing change. No spoilers but I loved hearing about Vita and Harold Sackville-West.
I have tried to do a quick skim through so sorry if I have missed anything of importance. I'll look back again.
p.s. meant to say @AuntyRach, I could have used my phone but faffing about trying to remember (impossible!) passwords etc. was a step to far. It has made me realise that I need to do something about that and check up on my data allowance!

 

Good morning all.

Belated Happy Anniversary to @Obelix-Vendée and her OH.

Glad to see you back here @Ladybird4. I know a couple in Lancashire who also have Virgin Internet and lost it. It has come back. I heard from her this morning.

I'm afraid I forgot to come here yesterday but I think I posted on a couple of other threads.

How exciting to see a pine marten @Liriodendron. We had stone martens at my old house which was surrounded by forest. My B and SILs had a stone marten, fouine in French, that set up residence in their loft and kept them awake at night. They lived in France for a bit. They had to get a pest control man as it's a protected animal. I hope yours doesn't do that.

We are going to our church (C of E) fête this morning. There will be a hog roast, a good cake stall, games, raffle, other stalls selling stuff etc. It's usually quite fun and we meet people we know. The French RC church has been lent to the English around here. It's in a small village that hardly uses it. We also rent a cottage with a garden, very cheaply, for holding social events and meetings. It should be a lovely sunny day, but not too hot.

 

I have decided to wait until I book "steps chappy" to come and repair my chimney stack when I will tell him I do not want said "grumpy man" to come back, and why.
B***dy chickens!!!!!!!!!!!
I went out yesterday and saw they had been in and scratched themselves a couple of sizeable dustbowls, kicking the unwanted soil all over the newly cleaned bottom step. I was not happy! When I was pegging the washing out I heard a rustling close by. They were under the canopy of my clump of ginger lilies, in the shade. I do wonder if they are being bullied by the rest of the hens that are much bigger than they are.
I asked my D in L if they were considering moving to Vancouver Island for a warmer climate. I was surprised when she said "No, it is too built up." They like the peace and quiet. As they have got older they struggle with the long freezing winters in the Rockies. Beautiful to look at and explore, swim, skate, ski, camp, mountain bike etc.etc but they are discovering aches and pains in joints that come with advancing age.

I have been delighted to see several baby toads, loads of grasshoppers and a baby slow worm when doing my clearing up. I think slow worms are beautiful. The one I disturbed was only the thickness of a pencil lead. I have also noticed quite a few big dragonflies zooming around this year, and lots more butterflies than usual. I picked my first tiny posy of sweet peas, six stems, to keep them flowering. The scent is gorgeous.

It sounds as if a lot of you are finding and enjoying good eateries in your areas. I have found down here, when we find somewhere really good then go back a few months later the standard has dropped because the chef has moved on to a better job.

More clearing up today, I am working until my back gives up and I have a job to move. I try to do as many jobs as possible sitting down but they are limited. Onwards and upwards!

 

Welcome back @Ladybird4
Happy anniversary @Obelix-Vendée
Much cooler than the forecast, which is no bad thing.
Gin is now officially a caravan dog. Bit of a bonus; he's too small to jump on the bed! He chose to sleep in the end washroom in the shower cubicle last night (it was dry!). I can see why he would have been stressed in a busy home environment. He likes his peace and quiet.
Hub has admitted he's not really looking forward to tonight's party and, tbh, neither am I, but it's diplomatic to be attending.
Enjoy your weekend, whatever you're doing.

 

Good morning all. Great to see you back, @Ladybird4 - you have been missed! And belated anniversary greetings to @Obelix-Vendée .

I put out the wildlife camera last night, hoping the pine marten might return, but we've only been visited by a feral cat. (At least the camera is working again, after a winter on a radiator to dry it thoroughly.) I just wish I'd had my mobile with me when the pine marten appeared yesterday, to take a photo or two. Hopefully you're right, Ladybird, and it will include our garden again on a territorial patrol - though it'll probably be at night! And again hopefully, it won't try to take up residence in our loft, @Busy-Lizzie . They are protected in Ireland too, though illegal poisoning etc does still take place, unfortunately.

I need to keep a better gardening diary than the various pieces of paper with scribbles on, which is what I have at present... a note of the best time to harvest the early eating apples would be really useful, because if I leave them until they're practically ready to eat (which is now) the majority have been pecked by hungry birds, wasps etc.

No Bank Holiday weekend for Ireland. Hope you have a good one, those of you in the UK (but not Scotland, my calendar tells me!)

 

Good morning, just, and welcome back @Ladybird4.

Sunny again here and no rain now till Friday so i've got the sprinkler on in my nursery - not allowed but no-one can see and I didn't get around to it last night. Trees and rose beds this evening.

Set to get to 30 or 31 today, tomorrow and Monday so no gardening or sowing going on. Sewing then. OH is out golfing all day, will come for a shower and change of clothes then head out for a golf dinner. Possum and I have declined the invitation and will have duck breast at home.

Have fun at your fête @Busy-Lizzie. Sounds good.

Gin will be a good excuse to arrive late and leave early @Penny_Forthem but that won't work next time......

Never managed to keep a diary @Liriodendron. When I come in I'm usually filthy so go and have a shower and then cook dinner. I do have a spreadsheet of my seeds and what they'll do - height, colour, season etc - and added sowing dates but got distracted when it came to germination and planting out.

Happy Saturday everyone.

 

@lizzie27, do you have an legal cover included in your home insurance? We do have that on ours, although it was an optional extra. I’ve paid for every year just in case one of our trees falls down and someone tries to sue us!
I think it’s ridiculous that the council are expecting you to deal with their insurers? Your beef is with the council, and you should be able to just deal with them. Certainly try telling them that it’s their responsibility to prove that the damage wasn’t caused by their lack of maintenance of the tree, as all the initial evidence is that it was their fault. If your house was there before the tree was planted, then it wouldn’t have been the builders responsibility to put in a root barrier, for instance. Any point going to your local MPs surgery and having a moan at them?
It certainly seems as if the councils insurers are trying to intimidate you by demanding that you cough up for loads of expensive and unnecessary reports, knowing that most people would have to give up as they couldn’t afford to continue.
Just seen three Red Arrows fly over. Must be the spares, the rest should be doing a display in Clacton right now!

 

Back from the fête. We spent 2 hours there and met friends. I bought 2 meat pasties (dinner tonight with veg and gravy), a walnut and spice cake and several English paperback books. OH won 2 bottles of white wine on the tombola, but I bought the tickets, 5, the two I handed him won, my three didn't. We will share the wine. We had a pork roll each with apple sauce and some chips.

 

More Red Arrows. Not Clacton today, they’ve gone back to Mildenhall, just a couple of hours later than scheduled. Maybe they had a lie in!
Managed to do some clearing in the shade before the sun came round, moved some slate from a temporary storage area ( it’s been there for five years!) and I’ve weeded a flower bed. Too hot outside now. OH is flitting channels between rugby and cricket. Maybe time for some lunch.

 

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I am signing out for today - the excitement of having the internet back has worn me out. Watching cricket (the sport not the cat!) at the moment.
@Goldenlily26 I love baby toads. They always remind me of broad beans!
Hope you all have marvellous evenings and I'll see you all tomorrow.

 

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Hello everyone. The lights are having to go on earlier and earlier in my house. It is very still and overcast outside but then again it is early. Tea/coffee morning at Church today. It feels like an age since the last one but it's only a fortnight. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then. Whatever you have planned for today, make it a good one.
I could really fancy going to a hog roast myself today @Busy-Lizzie. I suddenly realised that the last one I went to was celebrating my Bestie's 70th birthday and it was marvellous.

 

Good morning all.

We have a coffee morning too after church today @Ladybird4.

It feels quite chilly this morning. I've been outside to water the veg garden. However, the temperatures are creeping up again and it should be 32° this afternoon. I did a bit of weeding and dead heading yesterday. The weeds aren't as bad as usual, maybe because it's been too hot or maybe because I mulched in the winter.

 

Beautiful roses in your photo this morning @Ladybird4 .

 

Another hot day coming in, it is supposed to be even hotter tomorrow before the tail end of the storm arrives on Tues.
I managed to do about an hour of weeding and de-mossing the area outside my front door before my back and shoulder gave up on me. I was glad to come inside and escape the blaring radio coming from No 1. Why do people need to have radios playing so loudly? I feel it is rude, but I am a grumpy old wrinkly so should be more tolerant. I am going to do some watering this morning if I can get my butt into gear. I am replete with croissants and tea at the moment.
I made some more apple juice last night, my daughter has suggested they bring their large press to my house, I assume they will bring their surplus of apples to mix with mine, to start making cider.
I watched the cricket and in the evening was forced to watch a repeat Miss Marple, there was nothing else worth watching.
When I came downstairs this morning I was met with a delicious waft of sweetpea fragrance, it is a shame they do not last long when cut and in water.
My son and DinL had an interesting flight, almost in the baggage hold! They had to pay extra to take a bag on the flight for their clothes. Fortunately it was only a short flight to Victoria, they have met their Grand Puppy, called Baguette! They are puppy sitting to allow my grandson to take his partner on a date! They are suffering the trials and tribulations of having a baby in the family.
Lizzie, are your house insurers refusing to deal with your council or their insurers?. It is not for you to try and sort it out, they should be in touch direct with your council's insurance company. That is what we pay them for. It is up to your council to put their house in order, if they took over the responsibility for the houses from the developers they take on the liabilities as well.

 

Another hot day coming in, it is supposed to be even hotter tomorrow before the tail end of the storm arrives on Tues.
I managed to do about an hour of weeding and de-mossing the area outside my front door before my back and shoulder gave up on me.
I was glad to come inside and escape the blaring radio coming from No 1. Why do people need to have radios playing so loudly? I feel it is rude, but I am a grumpy old wrinklie so probably should be more tolerant. I am going to water this morning if I can get my butt into gear. I am replete with croisants and tea at the moment.
I watched the cricket and in the evening was forced to watch a repeat Miss Marple, there was nothing else worth watching.
When I came downstairs this morning I was met with a delicious waft of sweetpea fragrance, it is a shame they last such a short time when cut and in water.
My son and DinL had an interesting flight to Victoria, almost in the baggage hold. It was only a short flight but they had to pay extra to take a bag with their clothes in. No wonder it was a cheap
Have a lovely day all.