Dull

I did not get round to posting yesterday, nothing really interesting went on apart from DB spending a couple of hours in bed with a vertigo attack.

The weather is very dull, we did have a shower of rain yesterday, not a lot, but every little helps. The garden has suffered through the heat and we are awaiting a hose pipe ban.

I continue to see what can be sent to the charity shop. I want to sort out the glass ware, there is some in the kitchen cupboard and some in the cupboard in the sewing room. A lot of it is antique, I doubt we will ever use it all so I propose to save 4 of each of the glasses we do use, the rest can go. Sad, but if its not being used it should go to someone else. The main ones I will keep are 4 of sherry glasses, liquor glasses, red and white wine glasses, small and large tumblers and also the dessert bowls. That will give me more space in the cupboard in the sewing room. There are also curtains and bed linen in there which I doubt we will ever use again. Hmmmmm..... I am also trying to decide whether to donate my rise and recline chair, If I want to sit with my feet up I can either use a stool of the settee.

Supper tonight is chicken and veggies, we will finish off the rasps in jelly for dessert.

Busy morning

yesterday, all jobs completed, I was shattered by the time we had put the shopping away.

The weather continues to be overcast, the temperature did rise a bit yesterday and is forecast to do the same today, just now the back door is open to let the air circulate a bit.

I have a load of towels in the washer, they should dry on the line.

DB is sorting out and thowing out stuff in the shed, I told him he needs to reduce the contents by half. He has stuff in there which we brought back from Scotland in 2015, it has never been used. I have a feeling it actually went up with us in 2010!!

The gardener is due this afternoon, DB has a list of things for him to do. The sweet peas we grew were pathetic, so they are coming out. The jasmine on the front fence also needs trimming and I know that DB has a few jobs for him.

DB insisted on watching the whole 3-1/2hours of the Commonwealth Games opening in Birmingham on TV last night, my goodness it was boring. I wish I had gone to bed!! I tried reading through it, but had to give up in the end. Athletics etc does not float my boat, nor does hundreds of people supposedly telling a story prancing about.

Supper tonight is fish and chips. I plan to make a raspberry jelly for dessert for the next two or three days.

We had rain

not a lot, but it did rain last night. The reservoirs are really empty, several counties have banned hose pipes and we have been asked to save as much water as we can.

Not nearly as hot as last week, its cloudy this morning. Off to get groceries and put more stuff into the charity shop, we now have the bookcase down to 3 shelves, which is what I wanted.

Did not do much yesterday DB was out in the garden for a while, I dittered about inside.

We ended up having my version of hot dogs for supper with a side salad.

zzzzz

It was very late when DB woke me this morning so a slow start. The heat seems to have drained all my energy away. He is in the garden setting strawberry runners for a new bad to replace the one that will be dug up once the runners have rooted.

Its sunny but with a pleasant breeze.

My old neighbour phoned yesterday, she had tested positive for covid, thanks to a gentleman who sits at her table for lunch......none of us are happy. She is 94 at the end of October, although fully vaccinated she has several underlying health problems.......so our trip to Melton was shortened. DB got his glasses sorted and handed over the quilt and a small bag I had bought for DD2, I got the 2023 diaries and we then went on to our meeting. Arrived home just after 7pm.

Supper was ham and mustard rolls, DB had yogurt, I had 2 small oranges and a cup of tea.

Supper tonight is a bit up in the air will see what DB wants when he comes in form the garden.

Busy day

Its dull and overcast, we had a couple of showers yesterday, not enough to wet the soil......there are reports that an official drought is to  declared, water is running very low.

Have a busy day, need to collect cake for our old neighbour, we are calling in to see her this afternoon, she also wants a sausage roll from the PO, they are delicious, lovely flaky pastry. DB needs his glasses sorting so a visit to the optitians and I also need to get 2023 diaries from the card shop in the market. Then on to the council offices for a meeting. We are planning on eating at lunch time and just having a snack when we get back.

The laundry dried ok on the line, so folded and put away. I have the large flat sheet we had on the bed last week to wash. It can wait.

So tonights supper will ge sandwiches.

Wash day

Laundry in the washer, its a bit grey but there is quite a breeze so hopefully will get it dry. Much cooler now although we are told there will be another hot spell in August!!

Cleaner due this morning, I will get her to go round the ceilings again, I removed 7 spiders from our bedroom last night, they are a pest.....need to look and see if there is anything I can use to deter them.

Nothing exciting going on today, 

Supper tonight will be quiche and salad, we will soon look like lettuce at the rate we are going. There is still some rhubarb to use up, the last for this year apart from what I have in the freezer.

Still not rain

it is pleasantly  cool this morning, there is quite a breeze, so have the doors and windows open to let some air through.

Reasonable nights sleep,usual Sunday breakfast in bed. DB got up  before me he wanted to check the greenhouse. We are now getting tomato's he brought some in on Friday, they were delicious and sweet, so different from the ones you get in the shops. Plenty more to come.

Did not do much yesterday, just moved some stuff around in the sewing room so DB can get files from the book case in the living room onto a shelf I have cleared in the bookcase in there.

Supper tonight roast pork, roast potato's and vegg. I have some of the rhubarb and raspberries left from Friday so we will finish that up.

Ahhhh

much better temperature today, nice and cool with  a breeze.

Pleased to say that DB did not have after effects from his roll out of bed......I did notice that he was sleeping further in the bed last night. After the excitement of yesterday today was quiet, T came and tackled cutting down some stuff in the garden, We have a coffee and a chat whilst he is here, he always finished his 'list' and often does more, he helped DB roll up the net from the raspberries this afternoon, so DB could cut out the stems that had fruited this year.

Our strawberry crop was not so good, but the raspberries have been great. This time next year we will be taking half of the bushes out as we prepare the garden not to need so much attention. DB is going to restrict what he grows.

Its a nice morning, quite cool with a nice breeze, I have all the windows open to allow the breeze to filter through the house. I cut one of the lilies yesterday, so the sitting room smells lovely.

Supper tonight is to be a cold one, quiche with salad, I cooked a couple of stems of rhubarb yesterday, added a quarter of a bowl of raspberries and some ginger, there is enough for dessert tonight and also tomorrow.

That was the day that was

it took us an hour and a half to complete the change over of cars. When we drove in I could not see it, walking to the showroom there was the car in the doorway all bright and shiny waiting for us. Business concluded and our savings account denuded we ventured forth. So good, the controls, although different were in the same place as on the old Skoda. A last hurrah before a strict no spending month or may be two, just fuel and food......all bills are paid automatically. We went for lunch at the garden centre, just scrambled eggs on toast, but I did not have to cook it!!

Thankfully, DB landing on his pillows cushioned his fall out of bed, apart from a bit of stiffness he is ok.

So back to reality this morning. Put everything back in the car including the mats to prevent scuffing the carpet.......I read the handbook last night, I really need to spend some time sitting in the car and sorting out the on board computer as I want it. I can also link my phone, but doubt if this will happen. I switch my phone off when I am driving. Its in my handbag on the floor behind the front seat. So far so good. Our neighbours had not noticed the change, although N said she had thought the car seemed different.  DB gave M a conducted tour!!

Thankfully the heat has gone, its quite a dull morning and so much cooler..... I was late waking up and DB brought my breakfast through which was nice. No plans except for the gardener this afternoon.....we have a couple of jobs for him to do, cut back the lavender and the rhubarb........ I am sure we can find something else for him to do.

Usual supper tonight, fish and chips not sure about dessert though.

Well it had to happen

for years I have been nagging DB about sleeping close the the edge of the bed, so at 3am this morning, he fell out!! because he was asleep it was a relaxed landing so he appears to be ok. He went straight back to sleep, I was still awake at 5am!! Just when I could do without it, we are going to collect the car today.

So yesterday was much cooler although it will take a couple more days for the house to cool down. Its much cooler, the wind has gone to the NW the sky is very grey, we sure could do with rain, about a month of steady rain! I have started doing two smaller wash load instead of one large one, it drains my energy hanging it out. I did a small laod last night and its out on the line, hopefully it will not rain.

We went to the coffee morning, about 8 of us all going on about the heat...

Supper tonight will be gammon, eggs tomato and fried bread. The rasps are about finished, so will have to sort out a dessert of some sort, if we want it.

Phew

it was so hot yesterday, I ended up putting ice blocks in front of the fan to cool the air. Forecast to go up to 25c today, its cooler out this morning with quite a breeze. For the first time ever my feet swelled up last night, they are back down this morning. I have the fans on just now to cool the place down a bit. The fact that we have the old prefab behind the brick means we hold the heat a bit longer.

DB slept oh it was well after 3am before I went off was awake at 5.30 and brought the milk in, then managed another couple of hours before I got up.

The garden has really suffered, I have watered the pots the last two nights, have not checked them yet, but it is cooler outside

Its coffee at the little chapel, it will be cool in there, the school room is always cold especially in winter.

The salmon was lovely last night I did tomato and cucumber salad with it and mixed the cooked potatoes with some mayo. We just had ice cream for dessert.

Not sure what to have tonight, might just do a ham salad, what ever we have its going to be cold.

The tree lilies, they will be twice this height next year.

Another scorcher

we slept reasonably well with just a sheet over us and the fan on the night setting. It is 28c outside and due to go up to the late 30's during the day, not coming down much until after 10pm. DB went out the the greenhouse before we went to bed, and I watered the pots and baskets on the patio, the hanging baskets were drooping badly. The tree lilies have all come out, so the smell is glorious.

The sheets etc dried in record time yesterday, in and folded by 12 noon. Wish it always dried that quick, but preferably without the extreme heat.

Quick trip to the PO to get the TV paper and some new spuds......today will be as yesterday, very little done, just in the sitting room with the fan on and plenty of cold drinks.

Supper tonight is poached salmon with new potatoes and peas. No idea whats for dessert, possibly just ice cream.

Here we go

the temperature went down to 19c overnight, its 8.30am and its 24c, I have the back door open to let in some cooler air, once the sun moves round the door will be closed and the curtain across to reflect the heat back out. DB has just gone up to see to the greenhouse and thats it until much later tonight.

We did very little yesterday, had the cooked gammon and salad followed by raspberries and ice cream for supper and that was it. More of the same today. I need to read the meters and email the reading, I guess it will be a lot higher than last week.

Nothing planned for today, just stay in and keep drinking, I have sheets in the washer which I will hang out, they will dry quite quickly I think.

Supper tonight will be bacon frittata and salad........ 

Girding our loins

for the next few days we are expecting very high heat from 4pm this afternoon till Tuesday night.

We spent part of Friday discussing if we should change the car. It had been my intention to carry on driving for another 3 years which would make the car 7 years old, so we decided to go on line and see what was available. I was never really happy with the Corsa so started looking at our favourite Skoda. I found a Fabia at a local dealer just 1 year old. We just could not afford a new one, plus they loose so much money when you first put them on the road. So.......yesterday we went to have a look round and came home, having PX'd our Corsa for what we paid for it, for a 21 plate Skoda Fabia. We pick it up on Thursday morning. 

By the time we got home I was shattered!!!!!

The heat is not too bad this morning, I have put a quick wash on of coloureds, they should dry quite quickly.

Yesterday when I was getting something out of the fridge, I heard a clank, this morning when I went to get the melon out for breakfast it looked like murder had taken place, the clank was a jar of beetroot going over!!!! It has taken me an hour to clean out the fridge and I still have not done the door shelves, they will have to wait a bit. Wish I had a dish washer I could have put them all in there.......DB did a sterling job with 3 bowls of hot soapy water and a nail brush.

Supper tonight is gammon and salad, I cooked the gammon, will slice it a bit later and freeze .the leftovers for later.

We are ok

just had a very busy day which ended up with me spending a shed load of cash!!

I am exhausted!!! 

Ahhhhh

nice cooling breeze again this morning, its supposed to change on Sunday for 3 days and then drop back to reasonable temperatures....cannot wait.

We are off to Aldi this morning, I have decided to do a stock up shop, we are short of various things. I also went through the freezers yesterday and we could do with some meat. I love lamb, but its so expensive even at Aldi, I just will not buy it. Will get a large piece of pork to cook, its very economical and I can get several meals out of it as well as sandwiches for lunch.

Our neighbours are going camping for the weekend up to Buxton, I await their return. N is just not the tent sort of person so it should be interesting. They did have a lovely caravan but they sold it to make the money they used to do up their bungalow. 

DB has brought in a cucumber from the greenhouse, we should be picking tomato's shortly, our french beans have had it, DB did not notice the blackfly and they have been decimated....shame I love thos little green beans cooked whole with a know of butter.... yummy.

No sewing of any sort done, have been keeping cool and doing very little.

Our usual fish and chips tonight, we are still picking rapsberries, so rasps and cream for dessert.

The white lily, its the tree llily I have been trying to grow for several years, next year it should be almost 6' tall, unfortunately there is no smell.........

Cooler days

the temperture did not go up as much yesterday as was expected and it is quite cool again this morning, we have a north westerly breeze blowing which is keeping it cooler.

Yesterday was spent mostly reading in the cool, today will be the same. I did get the towels well dry and put away. I might do a small general wash tomorrow, depends whats in the basket.

DB put the hose on the garden last night, there are rumblings about a hose pipe ban, so it will be just watering cans for the pots and the greenhouse, the herbaceous border will just have to take its chance. It will only be in for another summer and then a majority of the plants will be coming out and the bed altered.

Hard job thinking of something to eat in the hot weather, DB has asked for spag bol tonight, so thats what he will get. I have to do a rifle through the freezer to find the bol sauce I cooked last week. I really need to turn out both freezers and so an inventory. Each time I do a shop I am doubling up on some items and creating a small storage cupboard. Its something I do every winter regardless in case we cannot get out. I like to keep at least 2 weeks food in stock, just in case.

Going up

It was a lot cooler yesterday thanks to the cloud cover, although it was muggy, so had the fans on quite a bit. I got up at 5am to get the milk in, it was still coolish then and there is a breeze. Forecast is for 30+ today.

I have towels in the washer, they should dry fairly quickly thanks to the breeze. The menu has gone out of the window, we will be having salads until it cools down a bit. I have a joint of gammon in the freezer, will cook it at the weekend so we can have it with parsely sauce on Sunday. We had hot dogs and salad last night, smoked haddock tonight with a poached egg and bread and butter.

We are doing very little except read and keep cool just now. I am going to do an order for Morrison for next Thursday. We just have to put it away then.

Wot no sun?

its still 22c+ outside. yesterday we did nothing except stay out of the sun and it will be more of the same today. Water jugs and ice cubes at the ready, we need to drink a large glass of water once an hour. I will be ok, but getting DB to drink is quite another. Fan is on in the sitting room, once the sun comes up I will be drawing the sitting room curtains.

I have been and got our usual rolls, I was going to do sausage and mash tonight but we will have the sausage in rolls with some salad. It is very muggy out.........

We are managing to sleep ok at the moment, we will wait and see the temperature is to get worse over the next few days culminating in a real scorcher on Sunday........roll on next Monday. I like it to be warm but not hot as it is just now. There is hardly and breeze at all.

Heatwave plus

My goodness its hot already, 30c in the shade by the back door, fan on in the sitting room back door open till the sun moves round. It will be feet up again today. The coolest room in the house is the back bedroom, till the sun moves round later.

Cleaner is due this morning, so need to get moving, I put her off last week as I was not well. Still not firing on all cylinders, but better than I was. DB had a coughing bout at 2am, so not a good night. I am still coughing a bit but my sinus's are the real problem, will have to give the Dr a ring and get some anti-b's.

Washer is on, not so much today as I split the laundry last week.......

Cold chicken for supper tonight, we are still picking a load of raspberries so it will be rasps and ice cream for dessert.

 

Heatwave

yesterday was hot, today its hotter. Have not got the fans on yet but they will be once the sun hits the back of the house.

We sat and watched the ladies final at Wimbledon, I would have liked the youger girl to have done a little better, but afraid it was not to be.

We are having a very light lunch today, I will cook supper for late afternoon. Its the mens finals, I have my thoughts who will win, but you just never know.......

We had a bit of a scare yesterday, the fridge did not seem as cold as it should be. I have turned the thermostat up from minimum to 1. and it seems to be ok now.

Its too hot to sit in the garden, so have the back door open to let in what breeze there is.

Still taking it steady, find I get tired quickly, so sit down and have a drink, then do a bit more.

So roast chicken for supper, fresh fruit for dessert.

When will I learn???

After a busy day yesterday I am wiped out again this morning, have only just got up. Its going to be a day of doing very little, although I do have some meat to cook, so will get on with that and then I can relax.

It is forecast to be hot again today, just now there is a cooling breeze, but by lunch time its to be in the high 80's so will be doing nothing at all.

Gardener where here yesterday doing his favurite cutting back, so the garden is a bit tidyer, he also potted up some foxgloves which will not flower intil next year, a last hurrah before the garden is emptied and re-vamped.

No plans except to sit and chill,  debating what to have for supper once again its too hot for a cooked supper. Will do something with salad. 

Its hot

already, we are going into town this morning to pick up a click and collect from Aldi. We also have 3 bags of books and a bag of clothes for the charity shop and I need to call in at Morrison for a couple of things I cannot get at Aldi. I also have to take a parcel to the PO to go back to Amazon.

Feeling better this morning but still very tired, the heat is not going to help either. DB is watering the greenhouse.

I plan a quiet weekend and hopefully will be much better by Monday and able to pick up the reigns again.

Supper tonight, fiah and chips.

Improving

Did manage round to the coffee morning, but did not stay long, took me the rest of the afternoon to recover!! I seem to feel better at the end of the day.

I have put in a click and collect order to Aldi, picking it up at 11am tomorrow, straight home afterwards. I do need to nip to Morrison, there are a couple of things I need from there as well.

DB out in the garden, strawberries are finished, a huge bowl of raspberries picked last night and more to come. All points to the fact that what I plan to do next October is whats needed.

My mind is a blank re supper...... will think of something. 

Coffee

I am going to try and stagger round to the little chapel for coffee, my nose is not too bad but head is something else. Will phone the DR and get some anti bio's they will clear my sinuses.

Rather a grey day, I have split the laundry into 2, one load today and another tomorrow. Just doing small jobs as I can.

We were rivitted to the TV yesterday watching the tennis. Djokovic got through to the semis, and so did one of the UK boys, they come up against each other in the semis, it will be interesting.

DB is moaning about black fly on the beans, I told him to make up a spray with water salt and washing up liquid, and spray them with that.

We have almost finished the strawberries, its salad tonight with ham and we will finish up what stawberries are left. It will be onto raspberries after that. 

Almost normal

Thank you for all the good wishes, I am improving slowly.........

that was the weekend that was!!! I caught DB's cold....... what followed was epic..... I have not had a cold for over 20 years, this one managed to do what nothing else has and floored me. Its a good job I got double bottles of cough stuff from the chemist, we needed it. I did get a couple of decent nights sleep after DB took the night time one, but by then I needed it too!! I guess that my present condition is a culmination of all thats gone on in the past 20 years. At least it was just a cold and nothing worse............

Spent Sunday and yesterday mostly in bed. Have just had a shower and got dressed, cough is progressing but as usual my sinuses are blocked and face swollen, the spray I got for DB last week helps for a couple of hours then they block again...... hey ho.

We had a meeting tomorrow night, which thankfully has been re-scheduled to the end of the month and I have also put off a visit to see our old neighour.

Slowly and gently does it......for the time being at least. I cancelled the cleaner yesterday,

Washer is rinsing bed linen I washed yesterday, hope to get it hung out otherwise its going in the dryer.

The mobile library came yesterday so I have books to keep me going for a while. I have a few on order from the library via Borrow Box.

Smoked haddock and poached egg for supper tonight. I did manage an egg on toast last night. We are still eating strawberries.

Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.

My turn

cough stuff seems to be doing the trick for DB, except at night, he had quite a coughing fit before he settled down to sleep. I was so exhausted I went to be early, only to wake up with ???? running nose and a cough!! 4th night without much sleep, so stayed in bed this morning and will be going back after supper.

I have managed to put some supper together and DB has gone out to get any fruit that is ripe, sort rations tonight, but cannot be helped.

Should be back tomorrow.

Oh dear

we still have the cough, it was 4am this morning before I settled down and well after 9am before I woke. I have decided that DB has a nasty cold, not hay fever, and it looks as though he has been generous and passed it on to me!! I am off to the chemist shortly for cough stuff for DB, 

I did the front of another book cover yesterday and then spent ages looking for the video to show me what to do next. Found it eventually, so I will endevour to do the spine and back today

No plans except to take it a bit easier, gardener was here yesterday, he weeded the front garden, took out some plants I do not want and has planted some I had growing in pots.

Beef stew tonight, probably raspberries for dessert, DB froze another big bowl full last night. 

Slightly better

night last night. DB coughed for about 30 minutes after he was supposed to have 'settled down', I made tea, put my light off and read a book on my tablet. He woke just  about 8.40am, still coughing but he says his nose is clearing so perhaps we are coming out the other side. I really hope so!

Have been mithering about the front door step and the coir mat, so have just cleaned and swept all round the door and the frame, looks much better. 

I now have the fabric etc cut out for 3 book covers, have loaded the video onto my tablet, so I am hoping to get one done today.

The wind is back, it is sunny but it keeps coming and going. We had quite a heavy rain fall late yesterday afternoon, so apart from the containers do not need to water. DB bought me beetroot in, they are in the ninja cooking, once they are cool I will skin and slice them and put them in jars with vinegar. Keep well in the fridge.

Fish and chips tonight, DB is still picking strawberries, he came in with a huge bowl of strawberries and also one of raspberries. I have open frozen the rasps, will bag them up and they will go in the outside freezer. I found two bags of rhubarb in the bottom drawer of that freezer, will use some rasps to make a rhubarb and raspberry crumble at the weekend. Still have quite a bit of fruit in there to use up.

These lilies smell fabulous especially when the sun is on them, we can smell them in the house.