Yawn Yawn Wakey Wakey 2025

Nope, @katecat58, I think they're moulting as we just have hordes of sparrows at the feeders at the mo/

 

We had a really nice lunch. I'm glad I rang the restaurant as we had the last table and they had to turn 3 people away. It is a lovely warm day. The restaurant has a terrace next to the river. We had 3 courses from the menu of the day, 2 choices of each course. All delicious, only around £19.

I dead headed the roses before we left.

 

That looks delightful @Busy-Lizzie
We were offered some damsons if we picked them ourselves, so we have been to a house in the middle of nowhere and picked 10kg in brilliant warm sunshine. Think wine, gin and jam! It's a lorra lorra damsons!!

 

What a gorgeous view, @Busy-Lizzie!
Our guests have gone off to Plymouth for a couple of nights, so it’s just the two of us again until Friday. OH has cut my hair for me, well overdue, and I do look a lot tidier. We also took the car to get a new tyre in preparation for its upcoming MOT. We have had an advisory every MOT for the last three years, but as we do a very low annual mileage, and are both very calm and steady drivers, the tread depth measurement has hardly gone down at all. However, we thought we might as well get it done.
Very envious of the damsons, @Penny_Forthem. My mother in law had a tree in her garden, so I always used to make jam, my favourite flavour. I don’t know anyone with a tree, but there is one greengrocer in the nearby town which gets a limited supply in season.
The weather is changing from hot and sunny to downpours. Tee shirts and umbrellas have been the order of the day. We still have the 2 tog duvet on the bed, our winter weight one is only 4.5, with an extra fleecy blanket for really cold nights. OH regulates his sleeping temperature by keeping his distance on warmer nights or snuggling up when it’s colder. I’m apparently a bit furnace like.
I watched the Thursday Murder Club film with our guests last night - we cancelled our Netflix subscription months ago, but they were able to log in with theirs. Some of it was very good, but the story had been mangled to fit into two hours, and one character sacrificed to a convenient plot twist. Very shocked, but I still generally enjoyed the film. Son in law hasn’t read the books, so found it entertaining. Daughter has only read the first book, so wasn’t left, like me, wondering how on earth they will be able to film any of the subsequent books after how they ended the first one!

 

Good evening everyone. I have just got soaked through to the skin putting my bin out for tomorrow's collection. If you consider the distance I had to wheel the bin was only about 6m it gives you some idea of how heavy the rain is at the moment. Cricket is completely unimpressed.
@Busy-Lizzie what a pretty view from your eatery and that is not a bad price for your meal either.
I love damsons and I think I am going to have to make room for a tree in my garden. My BIL's Mum used to make the most delicious damson jam and I have never yet had anything quite so delicious. I have read nearly all of the Thursday Murder Club and I really enjoy them -such a comfortable read. I don't think I will bother with the film after your summary @Ergates. I really dislike it when they tinker around with what has been written. Hope all went well with the Vet visit @Penny_Forthem - I'm sure it did.
There is a dearth - well for me anyway - of anything I am interested in watching on TV tonight so I'm off to read. Good night all and sweet dreams.

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We've had torrential rain here most of the day but did manage to get to the shops and back without getting wet. Very frustrating so I'm dying to sort and tidy the garden and all my pots etc. now the builder has finished most of the work - just the cracked wall nearest the birch tree left to do, hopefully tomorrow. Been trying to dash in and out between the showers.

Your lunch sounded very nice @Busy-Lizzie and the views of the river are lovely. We have a river trip coming up at the weekend which we are looking forward to. Hope the weather dries up a bit though.

We have damson trees in the Community Orchard near us, the boughs are laden this year but are mostly out of reach and nobody seems to pick them which is a shame. Same as with the old apple trees, they're free to pick by anybody but not many bother.

 

I found Richard Osman's book and the later ones of JK Rowling to be over written and pedantic.
But I enjoyed the film.

 

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Hello all. Well I was woken once during the night by the heaviest of rainfall. It does look very, very wet in the garden. Speaking of which, I am not sure if Bestie and I will be visiting our friend's garden today. I do not want to be too late getting home as I am expecting a delivery of some violas and, even though they may be left in my 'safe place', I do not want their packaging crumbling in any rain we may have.

 

Good morning to you all!!

Yes, thank you @Ladybird4 I have the onset of Macular Disease and it seems again this year to be stable. I have a pre-exam of my eyes by a woman whom I think is an assistant - anyway, she puffs air into each eye to take the pressure. Out again to wait - no wonder they call us "Patients" !! My eyesight hasn't changed for about 4 years, but I have a prescription for some new glasses.

We should have showers this afternoon, but we've had some lovely sunny weather with cool nights. Still sleeping with the window open for the mozzie party in my bedroom and a very light duvet.

I also, watched The Thursday Murder Club and thought it wasn't all that it was cracked up to be and I got a bit bored, three-quarters of the way through. I have read the book and thought the same. I have also read "The Last Devil to Die" and really enjoyed that one. I like Jojo Moyes and some of Jodie Picoult's works are interesting.

Lovely photos @Busy-Lizzie

A trip to Lidl this morning and probably fill the car up at another supermarket as apparently, we are in for a rise shortly. Everything is so expensive and like Lidl - if you pay less, then you expect less.

I have a mouse in the house! Nothing is left out on the benches and if Fizz leaves some of her dinner - it gets put into a big plastic bucket where I keep her dried food with a firm lid. Jolly nuisance as they are just tiny shrews and so cute but not inside! Snap - chat, I mean mouse!!

Enjoy your Wednesday knowing that here in the South of France, we have dismal weather today!!

 

I hid indoors until after lunch when the rain had passed through. I played around with my first demi john of cider, it is popping away happily to itself, I have a bucket of pulp fermenting so am going to experiment with making a dry cider from it. It is already fermenting without the addition of yeast so we shall see what happens.

We are all rooting for Gin to come through his health check with flying colours.

A lot more rain in the night, but a bright sunny morning. I haven't heard any thunder or seen any lightning. I missed the Northern Lights display as well. It was supposed to have been particularly good over Cornwall.
I envy those of you still enjoying warmth and sunshine.

Watched a Special Long Lost Family program, so much emotional/mental damage was done by so many supposedly reputable organisations, and Master Chef, some strong contestants in last night's batch.. I find it impossible to guess who will win, there always seems to be one or two really strong competitors who go all the way then fall at the final.

I ventured down the garden to pick up windfalls and water the greenhouse, picked a few sweetpeas and went up to the recycling collection point to put some very manky cardboard into the bag. I complained to my daughter it had not been taken for several weeks, in a pile, next to the bag. She said it was because it was not "in" the bag. It was obviously cardboard so why not just pick it up, when it was clean and dry, and put it in the truck. Because it didn't have string tied around it. Really!?

Have a good day everyone.

 

Yes, @Goldenlily26, Gin passed with flying colours. He has such a sunny, confident personality, he charms everyone who meets him.
Meeting an 'old' friend for lunch today at an Italian 'small plates' place on the Wirral. We're calling at a recently opened Lidl on the way back, as it's the start of Italian week. I have a list!
My new self assembly raised bed has arrived. It's 8'x2'. I saw Sarah Raven has a discount, so I thought I'd order the strawberry plants from her, but I can't find any on her website (I know I've had them from her in the past).
We had a stunning display of Northern lights at the van last October, as it's in a dark sky area. Hoping for more this weekend.

 

Good morning all.

I like Jojo Moyes too @Tui34. I've just read The Horse Dancer which I loved, especially as I was a horse mad girl and later in life I did some dressage training with my Lusitano Mare with a man who had done a course at the Cadre Noir. He let me sit on his horse doing a capriole, which is mentioned in the book.

The forecast thunderstorms in the night didn't happen. They are forecast again for today.

Weekly shop this morning, ironing this afternoon.

 

We've had more heavy rain overnight - getting sick of it now. A 100 litre water butt is filling up in one day! Thankfully it's dryish now and whilst we did our daily walk so will try to get out in the garden soon. OH has just bunged a towel wash in the tumble dryer for me and Sainsbury's have delivered the usual weekly shop.

Glad that Gin passed his MOT @Penny_Forthem, wonder if he'll remember the van? That's a long raised bed, hope you can it assembled ok.

Our Council's regulations around refuse collections, particularly cardboard seem quite onerous.
We have to take off any tape, fold it all so it goes inside the big blue bag, got to be clean and not contaminated etc, etc.

 

Sunny with cloudy spells here and low 20s. We've had rain overnight but not huge amounts and none forecast now till a dribble on Sunday pm. We've had enough to get the better placed autumn daffs (sternbergia lutea) have suddenly sprung forth and flowered. They are such sunny plants. We've had enough showers to turn our grass from parched beige to mostly green.

Weekly shop this morning. Light cos OH is away golfing near St Malo for 3 days next week so Possum and I will eat light. His forecast says we'll get heavy rain here but mine says dribbles on just one day. Not bothered as I'm planning to sew or sow and maybe plant except on Monday when I have a committee meeting and lunch in Les Sables. The radar shows lots of showers for @Busy-Lizzie but doesn't go as far down as @Tui34.

We don't have a collection for paper or cardboard here @Goldenlily26 but it does still have to be sorted and to take to the container park. Same with bottles, batteries, aerosol cans...... No green waste collection either.

Love damsons @Penny_Forthem and planted 2 in my Belgian garden for jam (the best jam IMHO except maybe spiced blackcurrant jelly) and damson gin and vodka and vinegar. We have 3 types of plums here but none anything like a damson. On tree is mirabelle which is a complete waste of space - namby pamby bland things with no texture.

Just the last stretch for your builders then @lizzie27. I hope you're pleased with it after all the upheaval.

I have my first crop of Bramleys this year. 16 fat, perfect, rosy apples now stored in the dead freezer and a few more to come. I used 4 that had fallen and got bruised to make an apple crumble on Sunday. There are also about 3 dozen ripening on the Cox but very small. Still not bad for a first crop and a severe drought year.

I have read all the Harry Potters and got the CDs read by Stephen Fry and the DVDs of the films because Possum was the right age for all that. I do get frustrated when they skip essential parts of the plot for lazy film scripting. Haven't read the detective novels so have enjoyed the TV version of Striker but a friend tells me the publisher is clearly afraid to criticise JK Rowling and there is a clear lack of editing to improve the writing. I felt the same about the last Harry Potter book.

Haven't read the Thursday Murders either but did see the first film just last week. Enjoyed the Helen Mirren and Celia Imrie characters and Ben Kingsley is always good but found the plot and story underwhelming and Pierce Brosnan uneasy in that role.

 

Hello all! Just catching up with everyone!
You all look very busy! I'm still struggling with my shoulder, taking my medication and hoping it will have more effect soon and then i can go to physio.
Weather is very up and down, yesterday was 30c and today is 19 with rain! But it is Autumn!
Tomatoes suddenly decided to ripen so tomato soup made this morning for the freezer.
Need to catch up with Bake Off and Sewing Bee, getting behind!