Yawn Yawn Wakey Wakey 2025

At least it's sorted now @Busy-Lizzie.

Having finally received the written report of the official survey of our system, we have to get our plumber to see if he's willing or able to replace the hats on the exhaust/ventillation pipes for our septic system and some specialists to investigate and clear a problem with the filtration tank. It could get messy. And expensive.

The survey is a regular check required by the rules but has taken over 7 months to come thru because some bright spark installed a new software system for the reporting and it had glitches.

CH chappy ahs almost finished and then I can go and get mucky with roses.

 

@Ladybird4 has left.
I don't think I'm overstating when I say we had a wonderful day, full of laughs and dog hugs.

 

A grand day out for @Ladybird4 then.

I've come in for some hand protection and more itchy cream for the harvest bites. It has taken me a whole hour to dig just one hole deep enough for a clematis! One barrow full of bits of roof tile and stones, some huge lumps bigger then both fists together, and another barrowload of excavated soil. 2 fat but anaemic looking worms and some bits of bindweed root all sorted out.

Rough on the paws tho so a clean, some serious hand cream and gloves for the next one. I like to feel the soil but there are limits. Another clematis - Etoile Violette - and then all the roses, a few hardy geraniums, irises, spring bulbs. This is going to take days.

 

I edged my new future bed this morning. It's oval, took a bit of time measuring it out and now it have a 6" gutter all round it. Some of the earth was quite damp but other parts it was dry as a bone. Weird. It has rained this afternoon so gardening came to a halt.

I'm glad that @Penny_Forthem and @Ladybird4 had a good day.

 

Oh dear, that really sounds like hard work Obelix, I don't envy you at all. Fortunately we don't have many stones in this clay soil which is workable to about 2 ft down then it's solid clay in some places.

Glad you both enjoyed your get together @Penny_Forthem and @Ladybird4.

I've done two stints in the garden today, firstly putting all the stuff back in my shed and emptying out the greenhouse of all the left over wood battens from the new fencing panels - I'm sure they'll come in useful one day! After lunch I pruned down some long rose shoots on top of the rose arch and arbour and tied others in ready for next year. Doesn't sound like much but now I feel tired so having a rest and a cuppa.

 

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To @Penny_Forthem , her Hub. and the 3 dogs for making my day so wonderful. I loved every minute and @Penny_Forthem is right, we laughed - a lot and @Ergates I couldn't stop cuddling those pooches who were absolutely delightful! I drove home with such a happy feeling!

 

Dearie me @Tui34 you poor thing!, What a chapter of mishaps have landed on you recently. Isn't it just the case that horrid things happen in multiples? I hope that something nice happens to you now. @Goldenlily26, so sorry to hear of your son's difficulties with the hire car. I was shocked to read that you have lost your voice for 10 weeks. Something like that happened to @Topbird. Glad you have the loo problem all sorted now @Busy-Lizzie. @Obelix-Vendée that sounds expensive to me too. It seems like everyone is having an expensive time at the moment.

 

Just think of the lovely results though

 

After rescuing my paws and clipping broken nails (bank manager tomorrow to do the formalities for our new treasurer so need to be half presentable) I set the dinner to cook - herby lamb belly and thinly sliced home-grown spuds baked with onions, herbs and cream so a long slow cook - I headed out to make a new home for clematis EV and am pleased to report that while there were plenty of stones and broken tiles there was no major quarrying and she's now planted, fed and watered.

No more planting tomorrow as I have cleaning to do and a trip to Les Sables for the bank and a cake to make as I have invited neighbours for cofffee on Friday morning. A is the farmer's wife who has retired to a very smart bungalow in the nearest village after doing loads of renovations. F is the lovely poor soul married to the prize pratt next door who's offended all the nieghbours to the point that no-one speaks to them. They have a daughter almost Possum's age with a mental age of 2 so life is not easy. F is depressed so I'm hoping to help by setting up a regular connection just for us girls.

CH man was OK - new one this time and inordinately pleased to be offered coffee. He says that as long as we watch the water pressure the two expansion tanks will do us another year and we'll get a quote for replacing them at next year's service.

Glad you had lots of doggy cuddles and laughter @Ladybird4.

Pleased you've had a good celebration @lizzie27 and some good garden sorting. Bits of wood can be so useful.

Sounds good @Busy-Lizzie. Nowhere near edging my bed yet. Loads more to do first.

I do wonder how TV gardeners stay so clean when planting/transplanting. I always get filthy.

 

That is a really kind gesture @Obelix-Vendée and I'm sure Lady F will get some solace from it. I get filthy too @Obelix-Vendée, for example when I was changing my troughs around the other day, as I pulled one of the regal pelargoniums away from the trough I got a shower of compost that went straight down my cleavage! At least it wasn't critters.

 

Signing out for today. I wish you all the most pleasant of evenings.

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My bed is only edged @Obelix-Vendée so that I can see where it is! Marked out. All the grass in the middle needs digging out and compost dug in. Lots of clay and stones, I expect, like the other beds. Not doing cardboard and compost like I did for a couple of other beds as this one will need soil improvement and couch grass, buttercups and dandelions dug out.

 

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Greetings everyone. Its looking clear outside so a good day for getting into the garden. Not visiting Bestie today as she and her daughter are having a four night break at their favourite place - Pine Lakes, oop North near Carnforth. I hope the nice weather stays for them. I will be visiting my Canasta friend for a chat and a coffee.

 

Good morning all.

It's chilly and foggy here. I've lit the wood burner.

I'm going on a ramble with the walking club this morning. We'll finish up in a village restaurant for lunch to replace our lost calories, helped by a glass of local plonk.

Sun is starting to come out.

 

We stayed at Pine Lakes almost 20 years ago @Ladybird4 - the only occasion senior SIL invited junior SIL to visit their home near Carnforth but rather than put us all up she paid for a 3 bed cabin. On that trip I took them all to Windermere to raid Lakeland Plastics and have sticky toffee pudding at Sheila's in Ambleside then go and see Aira Force, Keswick and Derwentwater, Grassmere and Levens Hall for the topiary. BIL and SIL moved to a village near Carnforth in 1982 but had only ever gone to the Lakes once for their younger son's football fixture!

Sunny start here but lots of cloud about. Cleaning duties for me this morning but I've been to check and the two clematis I planted yesterday are looking OK after the shock of finally being planted.

@Busy-Lizzie OH has rotavated the top couple of inches of my new bed but there's a layer of broken tiles just below the surface and a lot of stones along the back end where the washing lines/climber supports are. I've spread 6 bags of horse muck and will dig big holes as needed, sorting stones out as I go. Only half a barrow for the second clem as there were no massive stones at the other end. More stone clearing as smaller perennials go in and bulbs and then a final dollop of manure and a thick layer of mulch.

Happy Thursday everyone with lots of fun and relief for those in pain or feeling stiff.