Yawn Yawn Wakey Wakey 2025

I think your butterflies are here @Ladybird4 as we have more than usual. When we were out the other day there was dozens all over some roadside hedges overgrown with bindweed. The white flowering bindweed and Cabbage butterflies looked fabulous. Have decided to leave in situ the bit of bindweed I spotted growing up my ivy-cleared fence. I will whip it out before it goes to seed and/or gets too robust. It’s in a tight corner so easy ( fingers crossed) to control.

Off to the GC this morning, I need another watering can. My two biggest are now kept by the kitchen door for collecting the washing-up water, so want a “clean” one by the water butts to use for my herb pots. I may be tempted by other things, hoping for a good rummage in their lost-cause corner.

We ended up with nearly an inch of rain the other day so the garden has perked up again. I don’t think we have lost anything but some are flowering early and are shorter than usual such as my (annual) rudbeckia and wood asters. We had a few raspberries on our new plants @lizzie27 but they have shrivelled in the heat. The bed they are in seems to be especially dry so will boost it with homemade compost and a cardboard mulch in the Autumn. It’s a space between the GH and the rear fence which has been a dumping ground until this year but am now trialling as a growing space for fruit and veg. It’s slightly higher than the neighbours behind so I suspect it also drains very quickly like a raised bed would.

Mmm burrata.we have a new favourite salad of burrata and sliced tomatoes with a citrus & honey dressing. Delicious especially with some focaccia to soak up the juices.

Glad you were not affected by the fires @Tui34 Its worrying and a saddening to see how much more frequently such events are occurring.

I have an orthoptists appointment today. Am hoping they will complete and sign some paperwork so I can reapply for my driving licence.

Hope everyone has a good day and enjoys their pies, visits, gardening and whatever else you may have planned x

 

Morning one and all.
I am the taxi service this morning, ferrying hub to the docs., then 7 miles to his chiropodist. I then have the hair chair at 12, so he'll have to get the bus home.
It's definitely salad weather. Fancy salad Nicoise tonight.
Easy and I have everything required.
Keep cool out there today.

 

An appointment at last for my X-rays. At the same time as a committee meeting and an app. with my chiropodist. Typical. X-rays come first so cancell everything else.
I am beginning to think the source of my pain is the prosthetic knee joint.
I am feeling so tired coping with it all. I have reduced my pill popping to just Paracetemol and gritting my teeth.
I am hoping to get some watering done today before it gets too hot.

My neice messaged me to tell me my great neice is starting her bereavement councelling today, her brother started a new job on Sunday, went along, had a melt down and hasn't been back again. My neice is trying to deal with her own grief as well as support her son and daughter. Then my neighbour told me her daughter had not been to school since Christmas, sufffering from anxiety attacks, pain attacks etc. She is supposed to be taking her GCEs at the moment. Whatever is going on with everyone?

My poor neighbour is not a gardener. She has a pot with a small lavender growing in it outside her front door. The new "girlfriend" who has moved into No 1 posted on Facebook asking for lavender for the wedding next July. Presumably for making favours. My neighbour mentioned her lavender plant and when she came home the whole plant had been scalped! My neighbour was admiring my lavender hedge as it has done particulary well this year, so I am keeping my head down! I have come over all stingy.
I might stuff mine into a bag when I cut it back later and leave it on the door step, or I might not.
I know my neighbour's plant will not hurt but it was a bit cheeky and I would be furious if it were me.

 

Hope you soon get your painful leg sorted @Goldenlily26, it might well be your knee as you say. Hope you haven't got long to wait.
I think it's very cheeky to take all that lavender as well but perhaps the young lady misunderstood. Don't blame you for standing guard on your own!

I rang the Audiology dept this morning and have an appointment in 2 weeks time for them to look at the uncomfortable earpiece. The chap did tell me that they'd brought out two different designs last year so perhaps I have one of each! Words failed me. I had moulds taken so they should have fitted perfectly.

We have lots of butterflies here, our neighbours original hedge was all buddleias which are just flowering now - all hanging over our drive. I quite like them but hate all the seedlings coming up in our gravelled parking area all the time. We walk past some lime trees every day and the powerful scent coming off the flowers at the moment is just gorgeous.

Good luck with the taxi service @Penny_Forthem. Hope it's cooler where you are, it's turning into a scorcher here so I'm hunkered down in the sitting room at the moment.

 

Hot here and bone dry so no gardening other than dead heading. I've decided to tackle the step outside our annex door which we use as our main entrance as it's nearest the garage and leads into the pantry so handy for unloading shopping. It's also where we keep all our gardening boots, crocs, jackets and gloves.

Anyway, the step is 8 of those square wooden slat blocks and we're replacing them with two large square ones. I've measured, cut and sanded and done the first coat of protective oil for Douglas wood and it's a sickly caramel colour! Won't do at all so I need to find some stain to make it darker. Not today tho.

@Goldenlily26 I hope you get your pain properly diagnosed soon. I found alternating paracetamol and ibuprofen helped me with mine when it was bad.

@lizzie27 you do have to wonder don't you?

Just minor taxi duties for me today @Penny_Forthem as Possum's car has been serviced so I had to drive OH to the garage to collect it. He's now ironing sheet and duvet covers while watching tennis so I need to find somewhere else to potter.

Not a lot of butterflies here but not that many flowers for them either. The new bed is only just starting and the it's been too hot and dry to sort out the old beds where I need to lift and diviide rampant irises to make way for later flowering plants.

Have fun, whatever you're doing, and stay hydrated if it's hot.

 

We've been to Ickworth, in Suffolk, though nowadays it is more a hotel, a museum and an art gallery than a Stately home. It was interesting and so was the kitchen and servants quarters. There were notes from the housekeeper and some of the servants, some quite amusing, and lists of expenditure and menus.

The gardens were very disappointing, but lots of parklands for walking in. I had been looking forward to seeing the walled garden. It was a much longer walk away than it looked on the map and there was nothing in it in the way of plants but lots of long grass. We met several other disappointed people too.

I'll post some photos on the gardens and pretty places visits thread.

 

Hello everyone. I'm pleased to hear that there are still plenty of butterflies around - just sad they are not near me. @Penny_Forthem I hope that you charged your OH a decent amount for taxi-ing him around (only kidding ) @Goldenlily26 I have to agree with @lizzie27 and it would have been far more polite had the scalper waited until there was some one at home to ask if it was OK to take the lavender. I don't think you are stingy at all.
Round 3 of the pelargonium saga played out today. Text from DHL alerting me that my parcel would be delivered between 18:37 and 19:37. Good thinks I, as it wasn't the full day they had quoted the last time. Finished my gardening tasks and came in to put Wimbledon on, checked my emails and found one timed at 12:36 announcing my parcel had been delivered and was in my safe place - by the gate (at least I've got a gate!) so I go to pick up the parcel - fuming as yet again noone had bothered knocking to see if I was around. Is there a parcel by the gate - is there heckers! I then notice at the front of the house, one of my dustbins has been moved. You guessed it - my bin is now known as my gate and the package was there. This time the order was correct but I haven't had any communication whatsoever from the company so I now have my three pelargoniums (2 of the same one as they did manage to send one correct pelargonium in their first attempt) plus the 3 sent in error. I won't name the company but they are a renowned pelargoniums specialist grower. Never again! Rant over - apologies!

 

I will say goodnight to you all for today. Catch up with you all tomorrow - my turn for the hair chair @Penny_Forthem (if I caught your drift there?). Have great evening.

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I'm for the hair chair tomorrow as well - is it catching!!

 

Evening folks. Just finished watering the pots and it’s a really lovely evening with cooling breeze.

I missed some of the tennis this afternoon, so I’ll watch the highlights later.

I hope everyone is ok whether you’ve been busy, or busy doing nothing.

 

Not catching @lizzie27. My next hair chair isn't for another 18 months!

Watering for me too @AuntyRach but no tennis if I can avoid it. OH has been watching football too and there wasn't enough ironing.

 

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Good morning everyone. Quick, @Obelix-Vendée, find some more things that need washing. Goodness but it was hot last night. I had the fan on all night which helped. Enjoying my first cup of tea of the day - nectar of the gods! It is so still outside that looking through my front window, I could almost be looking at a picture.

 

Hope everyone is ready for this next mini heatwave. I don’t think you’ll need a thicker quilt this weekend @Ergates

We are planning an early (for us) walk round Sutton Park this morning and then inside jobs. I have an old Lloyd loom chair which needs a refresh. My initial intention was to simply recover the seat and cushion but OH fancies having the whole chair seat covered. He’s not a fan of the style and finds it uncomfortable, it’s often in use when we have visitors. If I do that, I think it will need a foam underlay to allow the fabric to sit well. I need to watch some YouTube tutorials on upholstery and think through how I will do it. I’ve already made the mistake of falling in love with some Harlequin fabric. It would be an affordable treat if I just replace the existing material but will be quite expensive to do the whole thing.

Am glad you have finally got your pelargoniums @Ladybird4 What a palava!

We were thinking of visiting Ickworth on the way back from our holiday @Busy-Lizzie. Seems we didn’t miss anything from your description, it’s the gardens which we enjoy, we only occasionally do the houses/buildings.

 

Good morning to you all!!

We have had lovely cool nights (16°C) and warm summery days - nothing over 30°C and a sea breeze - perfect! So I have been busy on those jobs that were piling up. A trip to the tip this morning.

The heat is coming next week. Back to "normal" ?

I have a glut of aubergines so I sliced quite a few up yesterday afternoon, char grilled them and they are sitting in a jar in the fridge marinating in a spicy dressing. Lovely on a piece of bread - antipasto - a little glass of white - for the weekend which will be another long one. Bastille Day on Monday.

I wish you all a pleasant day.

 

Good morning all.

Sunny here. Not planning to do anything much, day of rest after all the walking at Ickworth yesterday and before the Norfolk Garden Show tomorrow. Walking must have suited my aching foot as it feels much better today.