Yawn Yawn Wakey Wakey 2025

Pretty lights @Penny_Forthem .

Did you mean eclectic @Ladybird4? Shame about your friend being ill. I hope she's better soon.

I'm in touch with a few GW members, including Dove from Above. She lives about 35 mins away from us in Norfolk. She's in touch with Punkdoc. Ante is so busy, he's a teacher and he has that huge cottage garden where he grows loads of veg for his village. I hear from him by WhatsApp.

Gosh, @Ergates, pulling up brambles certainly isn't addictive for me, I hate it.
My bramble blackberries are still hard and green. They won't be any good unless we get some serious rain.

 

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Good morning everyone. Another rainy start to the day here and I would like more. No, @Busy-Lizzie I meant 'esoteric'. I was in touch with my friend and she wasn't feeling much better and like some on here is not getting a decent sleep at night. Because of medications she is on she is quite limited to what else she can add to the chemical mix to ease the pain she experiences.
Having a mental debate as to whether I should make an early dash to the SM or just do an online shop. The former is winning at the moment.

 

Pleased to hear that all was well with the blood test results @Ergates and speaking of brambles, I spotted one growing out of my front edge, across the footpath so I will have to deal with that soon before it becomes a nuisance. Mind you, we do not get pedestrians walking down the Cres. as they use the footpath along the Lane.
Glad you enjoyed your weekend in Bournemouth @lizzie27 and hopefully your builder will get all the clay he needs to remove shifted.

 

A rainy start to the day here too. Nothing substantial, just a quick shower but every drop is appreciated. It’s Daughters birthday today so she and GD are coming over for lunch. I was planning on doing a picnic in the garden but the weather is looking very cool, dull and showery so we are going to retreat indoors. Veggie wellingtons are already made and we have homegrown new potatoes and runner beans. They will take a plateful home for SIL who is working. Dessert is simple as we have to have a M&S Colin the Caterpillar cake. Daughter, when little, would spend months umming and aching what she wanted to do and have for her birthday and then every year announce with great fanfare “that THIS year she would like to go to the zoo and have a caterpillar cake”. The same every year so said cake is now a family joke/tradition.

I was feeling very flat and tired yesterday too but OH chivvied me into the garden and we had a very busy morning. Then spent the afternoon chatting and enjoying the sunshine. It was a very pleasant, sunny and warm but not too hot.

 

Thanks for the info, @Busy-Lizzie! Glad to hear @Ante1 is ok. If you remember, please pass on my best wishes to Dove, and WonkyWomble, and via them to Punkdoc. I do miss them all.
It’s grey with the slightest hint of drizzle in the air, so we may stay home today. More brambles to deal with! I can’t say I enjoy pulling them up, or the fact that they spread so quickly. However, it always pleases me when I can get a root up, and pull what seems like miles of bramble. Barring the occasional scratch, ( I need to treat myself to a new pair of suede gauntlets) I can clear an area more quickly than other regular weeds. The addictive part is when I’ve decided I have done enough and need a rest, and see one more in easy reach - so I think I’ll just do that one before I stop, and so on ad infinitum, or OH comes out to find out what’s happened to me! It is the same with other weeds though, I always see just another one to deal with.

 

Classic sunshine and showers here today. Just back from taking Dad some shopping/couple of homemade meals from me, and doing a few jobs for him. The daily carer arrived just as I was leaving so she will do him a sarnie for lunch.

I’m just thinking what needs doing in the garden as the clouds have blown away now. I’ve got half a garden bin left to fill…

I hope everyone is doing ok today.

 

Opposite problem for me at the mo @Ergates - what with rain and visitors and other activities my next bed is heaving with weeds, some 3' tall in just a few days and lots of creepy stuff at their base. It's former cow pasture and seems to be full of the usual suspects like fat hen, annual meadow grass, mallow and field bindweed but much more too. No idea what some of them are and some are quite deep rooted so hard to shift so I'm limiting myself to clearing a bit at a time, thoroughly, so I can plant treasures and, when we do eventually have some proper, prolonged rain, get a mulch on it to stop more weeds.

Feeling weary today as it turns out the Visitor is nocturnally sociable. Woke me up meowing at 1:30 and carried on with regular calling despite me going in and feeding and cuddling. gave up at 5am and let him into the bedroom where he promptly curled up under the bed and is still there. Need to get him out to do his eye ointment.

Glad you had a good time @lizzie27 and trust the builders are getting on OK.

Hope OH is OK today @Penny_Forthem and that you are doing better today @Goldenlily26.

How is Fizz @Tui34?

@Butterfly6 Possum always wanted chocolate carrot cake for her birthday. Still does. Hope your celebrations go well.

Sunny spells here with cloudy bits and cool. Good for weeding later. Hope you all get the sun or rain you need.

 

Afternoon all!

I'm currently watching out of the window while a man drills a hole in our spare bedroom wall, because THE MEN HAVE COME! The fact that it's a day earlier than they said is par for the course... but the blockage in the duct has been sorted, without having to dig huge holes in the road, and there's a cable being led round under the gutter. We should have fibre broadband by the end of the day!!!

You're obviously Stray Cat's favourite person, @Obelix-Vendée ... a bit like having a baby who won't let Mum out of their sight. Fingers crossed all is well on Friday, and he then settles down quickly.

 

@Ergates, Dove from Above sends you her best wishes, too.

 

Hello all, I'm a bit fed up today as it's been raining quite hard on and off all day and I had wanted to do gardening and washing today - isn't it always the way? I've done the ironing and watched tv and am trying to think what else to do.

Good news @Liriodendron - at last! I've just downgraded our broadband/phone package to a cheaper rate, hope it all goes to plan and the previous monthly payment gets automatically altered - the website didn't say anything about that. Our landline is being changed over to Digital withing the next fortnight so I'm hoping the engineer can iron out any possible problems when he comes.

The builder didn't arrive until after lunch but has been hard at work digging out the very thick (now wet) clay by hand, not easy between a 3ft wall and the house wall. We had thought the space under the terrace was hollow but the first section is solid ground, quite damp as well, no wonder the front wall was cracked with the water pressure behind it. He's going to put seep holes all along.

I've noticed we've got small bramble seedlings popping up around the shed and veg beds for the first time @Ergates, one of the jobs I was going to do today. Our cultivated blackberry has given us a very good crop this year and I've frozen all the berries for future puds.

 

I went out for lunch with my art group. Not seen them since I broke my arm. I had an excellent pork schnitzel with lemon and caper butter, new pots and seasonal veg; good value, I thought, for £16.95. We all enjoyed our meals and they opted for ice cream to follow. I succumbed to a white chocolate and honeycomb, which was perfect and not sickly sweet.
They are an interesting lot, as most of them have lived and travelled to far flung destinations.
@Liriodendron - good news!

 

Evening all. Well @Obelix-Vendée it does seem as if your little Visitor is beginning to settle - Friday is getting ever nearer. Great news @Liriodendron! Sorry today's weather thwarted your plans @lizzie27, perhaps tomorrow will be better. I will be filling up my second green bin tomorrow for Thursday's collection provided the rain holds off. My back has been decidedly dodgy today but after lavish doses of Voltarol and a couple of paracetamol, it seems to have eased off somewhat. Why do I still keep going in the garden when the body says 'What the heck do you think you are doing now?' I think its a bit like you and your brambles @Ergates! That meal sounds delicious @Penny_Forthem and that is definitely a good price. It must have been lovely having a catch up with your friends.
Sewing Bee tonight so I'm signing off now. Enjoy your evenings and I'll see you all tomorrow.

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I am feeling a little faint.
Just been pricing up overnight ferries to St Malo next year.
Wow. Eye watering.
Last drove there in 2013 towing a caravan.
2019 we went to Bordeau on Sleezy jet.
Not even factored in kennels, insurances, accommodation, fuel etc.
I need a lie down in a darkened room...

 

I like the sound of that meal too @Penny_Forthem, especially the ice cream.

Is that with Brittany Ferries? Is it during school holidays? Very expensive. Any chance of going DFDS from Newhaven? Much cheaper and if you book on the phone you get 20% off if you are over 65. I don't know how old you are. The crossing is a bit shorter, 4 hours though if it's at night they don't wake you straight away.

 

Oh that's such a shame @Penny_Forthem. OH found the overnight ferry fare from Harwich to the Hook much more expensive this year as well.

I had rather a shock when the builder told me the price of new Bath stone faced blocks this morning, hope we don't need too many!

We have just been laughing at old instalments of The Good Life and Yes Minister. They don't make them like that any more - most enjoyable light entertainment before bedtime.

Hope your back is more comfortable by the morning @Ladybird4, good old Voltarol.