July roundup

 

Slightly higher spend on craft, I did get a new set of poppers and their tool, should help with small items and save making tiny button holes, and some fabric and pretty tape., almost nothing on garden, 

I did purchase more clothes, hubby is happy I took loads of old tops to the clothes bank, all had good life in them, hubby was just fed up seeing me in the same items, after so many years. 

We had a bad couple of weeks for food waste early in the month, whilst both were unwell we took our eyes off dates, and things were left too long in fridge, and because we had visitors we had more food than normal, one visitor was a fussy eater, eating things one day and refusing the next, sadly we wasted far to much food. We did try and use as much as we could, but I was not eating much, we did allow our fridge to empty, so we could restock with the food we love to eat. 

Asda is running their Blue Light card discount until October, so we got 10% off most of our shopping this month, we did not look at anything other than food.

I should be saying how much weight I have lost, but the fat is stubbornly sticking and I'm still struggling, I was reading an article where they suggest women of our age are prone to belly fat and diabetes issues, how our body changes with age and how different parts slow down, most of which I already knew.   My steps were much lower in July, but I'm not bothered, with Covid and the heat, it is what it is. 

Last few days of July

I have almost finished the front and first side panel, just a few to stitch together on top left, it's the correct height. I now need to sew the side and back panel, I already have a big section done, just need to add to it, the back will be higher, I have a flap to tuck over the top of the machine.

Another new author to me, I did not fully read the back cover and choose it based on it set in Australia outback, someone is missing, it's one of many books about Ben Hope, ex SAS, I found the story too cut and dry, Ben had experienced so much, he had answers for everything, OK if you like matcho stuff but not my style. Book 61 read this year. 

So your a dog who has been experimented on, enhanced, can read, has GPS, and they say I'm not working properly and should be terminated, so what do you do, run, totally daft story, but I loved it. Book 62 read this year. 

Tuesday we had a sign ladies met at our house, sat in the shade in the garden for lunch, loads of chatter, lots of fun. No smell from next door, hubby sprayed everywhere to eliminate most of the flies, a peaceful couple of hours, later I babysat 3 youngest grandchildren whilst mummy went to a show, a late night but enjoyable for everyone. I had more time with Will, he is such an interesting little soul.

Wednesday we drove to just outside of Swindon, we have been staying in a old house hotel for a few days, I will post photos in my next post, we are driving home today, with a stop on the way, we both are now lovely and relaxed. 

How quickly this month has flown by, the year is going just as quick, my god the evenings are getting darker, soon the season will change again. 
  

Overshoot day

This is an important date. 

Every year it changes, sadly it is earlier most years than the previous year 

 Earth overshoot day is the day we have used all the renewable resources our planet can provide each year, for the rest of this year everything we take won't be naturally replaced. We are killing our planet with our lifestyles, we need to think about the repercussions of our actions, and stop purching stuff, because if we don't want it, it won't be made, it's the only way we can solve this. Governments aren't interested, they benifit from the tax they receive on manufacturing and retail, so it's the people who need to lead this.

Most of everyone who reads my post understands this already, our world needs to survive for our children and their children. 

July Garden

The Magnolia tree has blooms again, so I am back picking up petals, once dropped they turn brown very quickly, better in the composter than on the lawn. The grass is fake so it's looking lovely and green, it's much easier than real grass, and we don't suffer the surface temperatures you see all over face book, this was laid with the correct base, it's been down 5 years. 

The old herb bed,

 still a bit bare but things will get bigger next year. Sadly the fence is still broken, her jungle next door keeps us private.  I have a fine net infront to stop the cats coming through.

Back bed and raised bed,

this area has been stunning this year, I have some low shrubs to fill out along the back black fence, it's just so colourful. The blueberry plant is doing good in it's new position. 

The side bed,

things have got very tall here this year, and I like it, the roses have done so very well. 

The herb garden,

herbs in pots are working much better for us, we are using more, I love to bring George to this section, he smells everything, and hopefully does not pick my flowers. 

Less is defiantly better in this back section, removing one big tub gives the feeling of space, and I can allow the hedge to get a bit thicker. The trio of acers has settled in their huge pot, it's all so tidy now. 

Looking back to the house. 

The garden did well in the heatwave of last week, I used the water from the paddling pool for a good water all round, and I watered just the pots twice, I don't have much rainwater left in my butts, so I am being careful with it, some plants only like rainwater, I use it for my houseplants as well. We did have some rain on Friday, but sadly not enough, at this time of year having so many pots can be an issue. It tried to rain Sunday evening, but again just a quick splash. 

The composter is working well, the green stuff I pop in the top is breaking down quickly and there is always room for more, the hotbin was expensive, but it does work well, it also looks neat and I don't have any flies around it. I will have to check to see if I can dig out a bag of compost soon, I would rather not purchase one, under ideal conditions (summer) it should make compost in just 3 months. The dustbin with the shredded stuff from the trees, is also doing well, both can be seen from the house, but neither looks an eyesore. 

I'm back to dead heading each day, and watering the greenhouse, it has been far to hot in there, but other than a cucumber plant, every thing else is OK, I have a small steady harvest of tomatoes, and should soon be getting more smaller cucumbers from my second plant.

It's trying to rain, we have dark clouds and it's windy, 🤞🤞we get a storm. 

Keeping busy

I got this book from a local charity shop a few weeks ago, I have not read this author before, I did enjoy the story line, very simple, was the death of a friend staged 6 years ago, is he still alive, it flowed, twist and turned, I did guess a few of the turns, the plot kept me interested until the very end. I would happily read another of his books, book 59 read this year.

I have read most of Lingwood Barclay books, so I was pleased to find this one at local library. I love how his storylines are always so very different, just changing the angle completely changes to story being told, could you believe your wife would get into a car drunk, he is very good at twisting stories together, this was just brilliant and the twist at the end I did not see coming. Book 60 read this year.

  

Another grandson finishing his first year at school, Will has grown so much, not just in height, he has loved every bit of school from learning to making new friends, he is happily looking forward to his new class and teacher. 

I've not looked at our 'too good to go' scheme for a while, it got very popular and was always sold out at the BP garage with M&S food store. They now have loads of other local shops including our local Co-op, so I am going to start checking regularly again. 

I have been stitching small flowers, just 7 hexagons, but decided I wanted something different for the centre front of my cover, so I made this bigger design, I kept it simple, hopefully it will stand out from the other hexagons which are brighter and more colourful. 

I will get out the lining (made in robin material) and start to measure how many smaller flowers I will need. I have purchased some interfacing to iron onto the back of the hexagons, just to add strength, I don't have a quilting foot for my sewing machine, so the extra strength will help. I have got some pale lilac tape to bind the edges, it should all work together. I am feeling very positive about this project, determined to get it done, I am loving the hand stitching of the hexagons, I have hand stitched every stage of this project.

The rain on Friday morning was lovely, but no where near enough, it did save me having to water later, I had loads of dead heading to do. I also dug out the big cucumber in the greenhouse, the heat had killed it off, I do have a second smaller plant with loads of tiny cucumbers on. It felt much cooler all day, I was inside most of the time sewing, I had the best nights sleep in days.

I've had a late lazy start to today, hubby is out most of the day, so I've plenty of time to do just as I wish. Few plans, hour in the garden, Sewing and reading, just a peaceful day with both cats. 

In a heatwave

Will and George had the right idea, paddling pool in the shade, at our house on Sunday, they both loved the pool, the water was used on the garden afterwards. They ran about and cooled down all the time they were with us, mummy dressed George, but he got back into the pool, both are good having sun cream applied and re-applied. 

Another new author to me, set in America, I was not sure at the start of the book, a different take on a mystery, she is not in the police, or a private investigator, but she looks and finds missing people, this was more about interaction with people, when the police are not totally trusted. I did enjoy reading this book, 58th book read this year.

I have been hand sewing, making up flowers, which I can stitch together to make a cover for my sewing machine, it's a simple task, which I am enjoying, happily using some of the hexagons I have in my stash. I have simplified the sewing, choosing 7 designs, and with one piece of thread, stitching them together. 

The gladiola plants are flowering, I have them in 2 huge pots by my bench, the packs were mixed colours, so I'm surprised these are all the same colour, I'm not unhappy as they are pretty.  Every part of the garden has some shade through out the day, so the plants are not looking to bad, I have not moved pots, I don't feel the need to.

We are keeping an eye on both cats, there are loads of cool places in the garden, Purdy decided to sleep on this chair, it's a lovely cool spot, Grace is in her basket most of the time. We have bowls of water everywhere for them, the bird bath is full, I am topping it up most days. 

Monday was hot, the temperature did not drop below 20 all day, we got up to 32, but our clock is in a shady part of the garden, only getting sun from teatime onwards. 20 is our good summer daytime temperatures, so for us here in UK, it's really hot, we do not have air con, our homes are build to hold in heat. We do have a good humidifier in our bedroom which we can add an ice block, but it was still very warm. Tuesday it got up to 34 a new high for us, I did not meet with the sign ladies, the thought of a car journey put me off, the lady I car share does not like the aircon, so it would have been like an oven.

It turned dull about 4pm on Tuesday, we had a few rumbles of thunder and a tiny sprinkle of rain, not enough to wet the ground, it became really blowy and we had another small amount of rain, again not enough to help, I watered the garden after 8pm, it was still hot, 28, but the sun was not so bright. I really hope today will be cooler, it should be about 23, much better but still hot, we also have a yellow warning for thunder, a storm would be nice, it's dull and cloudy at the moment. Nothing planned, maybe a walk to village and library, I need more books. 

Taking in the views.

We recently popped to Portsmouth, Gunwharf Quay, it was not busy at all so we decided to go up the Spinnaker Tower, the views are stunning, here I'm standing on the glass floor, looking down, still not totally comfortable standing here, but most visits I look down, just keeping my fear of heights in hand. 

Not the best photo, the glass is slightly tinted, looking down on The Prince of Wales aircraft carrier, and the old navy base, with The Warrior in the front, old and new. It was a bit cloudy, but we could see for miles, I do love this view, it's a busy waterway, vessels going into naval base, cross channel ferries, Isle of Wight ferry, countless private boats, so there are always plenty to watch. 

We also had a day at Portchester Castle, and went to the top of the Keep, again the views are brilliant, a perfect place to view Portsmouth and Gosport harbours, St Mary's church in the castle grounds and of course our village of Portchester. 

It's so lucky to be so close to these high viewing places, we don't go up often, every time we are blown away with these views, it is possible to see for miles, Isle of Wight, Southampton as well as the naval base at Portsmouth. Our shore line is not always beautiful, when the tide is out is can look a bit messy, very natural, this keeps most tourist away, other than around the castle, so it's mainly locals, which we love. There is huge grassed areas and plenty of tree's and hedges, making a very natural and pleasant place to walk.

We have had a fantastic weekend, Saturday we were at daughters for Mollys 1st birthday garden party, family and a few friends, loads of shade, lots of laughter, children in the pool. Sunday we had a lunchtime BBQ  at ours, again plenty of shade, daughter, SIL, Will, George and Molly, plus grandpa and grandma, again loads of fun, we got our small pool out, I used the water afterwards for the garden, both evenings we rested, so much fun. We are at home for the next couple of days, our house is cool, we have everything we need, so along with our cats we will hide inside. 

Time for sewing.

 I purchased the Robin fabric as a lining material, this is lovely and wide and will wrap around my sewing machine to make a cover. The gardening fabric, I got a metre just because I love the design, probably will use it on animal clothes, it's just so pretty. 

I just wrapped the fabric around the sewing machine hard cover, pinned the top to shape, and then cut away excess, allowing an overlap on one side, and a flap on the top, later I will cut out the hole for access to the handle. It's the wrong way as it's the lining, I will add some soft wadding and then the top cover. I will use some brightly coloured binding to hold all levels together.

I have a big piece of hexagons sewn together, and some smaller flowers, I am going to make more flowers and add to bigger piece, I need them made into one bigger piece. In my boxes I have over 800 hexagons already sewn, so I'm just busy with making flowers, it's relaxing sat outside in the shade sewing. 

I have finished another book, I do love this author, the story is set in Spain, a British policeman sent to collect a criminal, who escapes before he's collected, working with Spanish local police, another good read. Book 57 this year. 

I really do not know why this project has not been worked on, I love sewing the flowers together, making random designs, I do have so many crafts I love, but sewing in all forms are top of the list. I aim to work on this until its finished, my sewing machine has a hard cover, but will look much nicer with a pretty patchwork cover. I won't use all my hexagons, so I will have to think of another project. 

How are you getting on in this heat wave, we are not too bad, the house is cool, we have shade in the garden, we get up early and do most jobs before the heat of the day. Strangely we are not suffering from smells coming from next door, normally at this time of year we have to keep windows shut, to keep the house clear, we are enjoying the extra freedom, we still suffer from huge numbers of flies, but hubby has that covered, so it does not feel too bad. 

Happy birthday mum, 

would have been 99 years old today. 

 

Slowly, slowly

I purchased these at our local shop, I do dislike making small button holes, I am starting to make more Luna Lupin and friends, I have five to make. 

I got this pattern, I want to make George some winter clothes, he is so tall and thin, clothes which fit his chest and waist are never long enough in the body and legs, I have altered patterns before, so I will make the correct size for his waist and chest and lengthen the body and legs. 

Another good book, it took us through the camps, their freedom and then their lives after, how they processed their past and chose to live their future. Not as good as other books by this author, but a very interesting read. Book 55 read this year.

I popped to the library for some books, this one was in the middle of Lindwood Barclay novels, I did not check the author, initially I was disappointed at it being the wrong author, but decided to read it. I'm not a huge fan of American crime, but this book was good, it held a great story line, it was very believable plot, I loved the twist at the end, and there will be another book, this being the 2nd book. I think I will look for his 1st book. Book 56 read this year.  

I got a letter this week, it seems I have over paid on tax, I had a small pay-out last autumn and I had to pay tax on it, so now they are refunding the tax,  it's not much but as they say 'every little helps' I was not enough to pay for the bits I purchased above, but a nice surprise.

It's been a very quiet week so far, I'm British so I can say, it's just too hot outside, we do most of the jobs early in the mornings, before it's too hot. I am dead heading in the garden, my roses are putting on a very good show this year, the bedding plants are also full of colour. We have had a couple of mid-afternoon BBQ's, simple food with lots of salad, the tomatoes are now starting to ripen, I am in a lull with my cucumbers, but there are more coming, the salad leaves are in full swing again. The blueberries are few, and the raspberries are forming, soon they will be ready. Our lovely neighbour is looking after her grand daughters 3 small dogs, they are yappy and barking all the time, she is very apologetic about their noise, but it's just for 10 days we can live with that, she is such a good neighbour. 

Tuesday we were at daughters house all day, with Molly and George, daughter had a spa day break with a friend, she looked so much better on her return, and we had fun with the younger ones, I picked Will up from school, he showed me his new classroom for September, and explained all the changes he is having, he's happy, they are mixing the children again, but he will still have a couple of friends in his class.

 

The spare bedroom has had a sort out, our wardrobe is used for storage, lots of baby things, which we no longer require, we also sorted the toy box, and loads of baby things are on their way to the charity shop. I did get a box and fill it with all our children's books, George loves books, they are now in the sitting room under the high chair, easy access for him. 

Thank you once again for your comments, I find it hard to slow down, I'm not one to sit about, but with such low energy levels, I am forced to sit and rest and happily read again. My mind is thinking craft, I got my box of hexagons out, I have made loads, I did say I wanted a sewing machine cover, so I might just pick them up, all I have to do is sew them together. I have even painted my nails for the first time in ages, I still have in mind the craft list I made a few post back. I've read comments about you finding too many comments in your spam file, I just checked mine and found loads of comments, all are now published. 

Blooming lovely.

The garden is looking good,

full of colour and for once nothing to do. 

My Gladiolas in the pots by the bench are forming flowers

Outside the greenhouse is much better with just these 2 pots. 

This side bed is just stunning. 

It is really pleasing to sit in the shade and look at the garden, it's full of birds, butterflies and bees, so much wildlife to watch. Which is good for me, Covid, visitors and a heatwave is left me exhausted, I have no energy, and no appetite, I can't taste or smell, which leaves me not wanting to eat, the bugs whilst I'm showing negative are lingering. Tennis has been brilliant to watch, it's easy and takes no effort, I can't even be bothered to read, hopefully today I can find some energy, the house needs sorting.