Yawn Yawn Wakey Wakey 2025

My recliner is on its way out. It is about 20 years old and has a strange handle inside the arm that is supposed to control the footrest, but doesn't any more. It doesn't tip up to eject me, the foot rest drops down and I have to wriggle out. Sounds exciting Lizzie! I also had a mental picture of you being shot into the air. Mine is so comfortable, I am reluctant to change it yet.

I unearthed a couple of demi-johns from the shed, plus airlocks.Today I have to wash and sterilize them. Milton! Do you remember Milton for baby equipment? I was surprised it is still available. I delved into the dark recesses of my overhead kitchen cupboard and found all I needed to make some cider but had to go online to refresh my memory about the procedure as I have given almost all of my cookery books to a charity shop. Decluttering as requested by the family. My daughter and son in law are bringing their large fruit press over next week to press the apples we have, another couple are being invited to join us, it is all going to happen in the conservatory apparently, we will probably end up dancing around and toasting the apple trees, as is the norm down here. I will have to make slices of toast to hang on the trees and a glass of juice is poured over the trees as well! I am not getting involved with the incantation and I will not be wearing bells, flowers and feathers etc!

I might do a dance around the rotary washing line, I have a load of washing to go out and I am hoping the percentage of sun and wind will outweigh the effect of the mini downpours we are having as I have a duvet cover and bath sheet to go out.

I also wondered about the young boy who lost his buddy. Pets can mean so much to children.

Have a loevley weekend all.

 

Fruit picking day here, too. Builder's buckets at the ready. Cider is planned. Also damson gin.
I am not keen on cooked apples, but I do fancy a tarte tatin - might pick up a roll of puff pastry later.
Gin (yes, still Gin or 'the ginger lump!) is turning out to be the most delightful dog, with a very endearing way of smiling when you smile at him. His recall is excellent - he's clearly been well trained and is a quick learner. I started a pawtrait of him yesterday, as all our dogs have been 'captured' in paint.
It sounds like a proper scrumpy celebration there @Goldenlily26
Hope all bad backs and aches ease soon.
Enjoy the last day of meteorological summer!

 

Damsons picked. They are white bullace, so the damson gin will be an....er....interesting colour!

 

Hello all.

Just popping in but it seems quite quiet here today. I don't have anything interesting to say really except that my back is quite a bit better than it was. I've been having a very quiet day today, though I did go to church this morning. I did a reading, actually a poem that I chose as it's a 5th Sunday so it was a collection of readings and songs that the congregation had chosen.

Sorry, boring post.

 

No need for apologies @Busy-Lizzie, I haven't done anything widely interesting today either, just lots of pottering about with different gardening jobs.
Waiting for the lamb to cook now, dinner's going to be late tonight although as OH is watching the GP that doesn't matter either.

 

@Penny_Forthem as long as it isn't mistaken for a 'sample'! Good to read that your back is getting better @Busy-Lizzie.
I am going to finish watching the cricket final then read so I'll say good night now and see you next month!

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That's what I'm worried about @Ladybird4

 

Not boring at all @Busy-Lizzie and good to see your back is better. Mine too, thank goodness.

OH and I have tidied and swept the polytunnel today with himself pulling up all the spent tomatoes and squashes and trimming the few remaining tomato plants while I sorted out my potting area, reorganised it and cleaned trays. Had to scarper up the garden and have lunch cos I accidentally disturbed a wasp nest and they needed time to calm down.

Carried on after lunch then I went off to prep dinner - slow roast belly prok with crackling - and then dig up potatoes tor Italian style roast potatoes with garlic and rosemary. Then I picked a dozen Bramleys to store in the dead freezer. That leaves another dozen to ripen on the tree and a few damaged ones that have become apple crumble for pud.

We are now all showered and well fed.

Tomorrow was supposed to be very wet, so housework ready for my cousin and her OH to arrive for 2 nights but that's moved to showers tomorrow and heavy rain on Tuesday so going out to play might be a problem. Humph.

Damson gin is wonderful stuff @Penny_Forthem .

Hope your dinner was good too @lizzie27.

A pleasant evening to all.

 

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A pinch and a punch for the first of the month and no returns! White rabbits (x3) Had a rubbish night last night but on the positive side, I did a lot of reading. I am going to Costco this morning as I have a friend who has a card. I am going to stock up on Cricket food as well as having a good mooch for baking products. It is quite wet outside so must have rained heavily in the night. Enjoy your first day of the new month and now we are into meteorological Autumn. Feels like we've been in it a month already!

 

Not ready for autumn yet @Ladybird4 tho we do have some very crispy leaves on some trees and shrubs after the drought. We're enjoying the comfort of being in the mid 20s with sunny spells and the odd, very brief shower. Needless to say the forecast is for bucketloads tomorrow when we want to be out and about.

Lots of weeding and planting and sowing to do once they've gone and then preps for the beginning of the patch club year and garden visits with the garden club too tho the last 2 Sundays' visits were cancelled by the owners as their gardens have crisped.

Slept right thru last night with no trophies being brought in with a fanfare. NOt used to it so feeling a bit tired. A 2 coffees start then.

Housework and cooking for me today then, starting with baking the bread that proved overnight and then windows. Was going to make sticky Korean fried chicken but my cousin texted yesterday to say she can no longer tolerate hot spices so a change of menu is needed.

Have a good shop @Ladybird4. I'm gradually reducing the dry cat food for ours and have bought a water fountain to keep them hydrated. Cosmos likes it but Minstrel prefers her 12% fat cream.

 

I worked my way slowly through my list of jobs, doing a bit, resting a bit, and then doing a bit more. etc. etc. etc. I am now ready to begin juicing.
I watched the women's cricket and parts of the men's. Good games. good games! Athletics next.
I saw some strangely dressed young women wandering around my neighbour's garden, then realized they were on their way to take part in a charity run.
We have had half a wheelbarrow of rainfall in the last couple of days. At last, a decent amount of the liquid stuff. It is still showering randomly.
I managed to get my duvet cover and bath sheet dry 99.7%. I finished them off in the airing cupboard overnight.
The corn cat litter is working well, I have a feeling Poppy does not fully approve but needs must. It could be the smell, I cannot smell anything, or the texture under her paws but I have 2 more bags to use so she will have to put up with it.
I picked some tomatoes, sat in the greenhouse for a while, cogitating about nothing in particular and picked a few runner beans. They are really enjoying the rain!
The massive pile of debris from the bramble strimming has slowly begun to decrease as the foliage dies, still a long way to go before I will be ready to tackle cutting up the branches to burn.
I have discovered the Steps man has been rather deceitful. He did not put a new sleeper in the top step, he tried to level the drop to cover it up. Why? Did he count the steps incorrectly and not have enough sleepers? I did not walk up the whole flight when he finished so didn't notice it until recently. I have asked the man who fitted my log burner, for a quote as it was him who told me the stack needed attention. He gave me a quote for a rebuild so quite a bit more than Steps man's patch and repair quote. I am waiting to hear back from him as I have asked for a up to date price. It is 2 years since he put the log burner in.

It sounds as if everyone has had a restful weekend ready for the onslaught of autumn. Then the great clear-up begins!

 

Good morning all.

How frustrating about the steps @Goldenlily26.

@Ladybird4 autumn doesn't start until the 22nd September! We've had quite a bit of rain in the last 3 days, more to come this afternoon according to Meteo France, maybe thunder as well. Only 20C today but next week it will be back up to 28C. The runner beans are producing side shoots and more flowers. The apples have been dropping off the trees but they are still very sharp.

My back is a lot better but not up to weeding on my knees yet.

 

We still haven't had any rain yet, though there is definitely the feeling of seasonal change.
We're planning on going to the van for this coming weekend and I think I'd better find warmer bedding and fleeces to take.
Grandkids and son coming for supper (chicken traybake, with baby jacket potatoes, then apple pie)
Don't you just hate it when people don't do they job they've quoted for - and for which they've been paid. If he's on check a trade or similar in your area, can you leave a suitable review @Goldenlily26?
@Obelix-Vendée I like the sound of your sticky Korean chicken - any chance of your recipe please?
ETA... it's raining!

 

Frsutrating @Goldenlily26. I think you need to mention it to him and, if necessary, post a review on local websites for tradespeople.

We've had some rain @Busy-Lizzie but not a lot. Enough to perk up some sad plants tho.

@Penny_Forthem It's this one - Korean fried chicken the beauty of it is the sauce is put on at the last so avoidable by those who don't like hot and spicy. I use upper thighs, not whole legs or chicken wings so they need a bit longer to cook but are tasty and juicy.

 

Morning all, just enjoyed our usual walk but had to wear a light jumper instead of a thin cotton top, down to 17.2c this morning and definitely feeling autumnal, you can smell it! That reminded me to have a chat with the builder who's erecting our bespoke new fencing around the revamped sitting out area on the terrace. The adjacent birch tree will be dropping all its leaves soon all over the terrace and I realised I need to be able to sweep the leaves from under the bottom horizontal slat. No problem he says, he can leave a suitable gap. We're hoping all the work will be finished by the end of the week.

That's a nuisance @Goldenlily26 about the step. Perhaps practically it couldn't be done? I'd ring him up and ask him why he hadn't put a new sleeper in.

Apparently it's the start of meteorological autumn @Busy-Lizzie. I agree it does feel early. Glad your back is much better, take it easy on the weeding!

It's supposed to be better weather for the forthcoming weekend @Penny_Forthem, hope so because we've been invited for a family celebration - a cream tea on a cruise down the Thames.
Looking forward to meeting uncles, aunts and some of the many cousins I've got. I think I counted 26 first cousins a night or two ago when I was trying to go to sleep!

Thanks for that recipe @Obelix-Vendée, sounds good, OH could have hot and spicy and me the plain version.

Well, I'd better get up and do something! Have a good day folks.