August round up

 No spend on craft, and just seeds and bulbs, the new pond container and bits to finish the area, so a better month, very happy to be under £100.

We purchased a new washing machine, ours was making strange noises, its years old, plus my trusty Dyson stopped charging, it was four years old, so again no complaining, hubby found a Shark cordless at a very good price to replace it.  We are not doing much DIY, we do have one project our bedroom and the stairs, it's planned, just need to get going, we decided to leave our wooden floor to a later date. 

Again no food waste, I have managed to freeze some homegrown tomatoes, not as many as previous years, we do have a few more harvest to come. 

As for my steps and weight, I'm back to square one, I'm averaging about 5,500 steps per day, gardening, housework and the grandchildren keep me active, BUT the weight is back up, everything I do is only ever temporary, I was chatting to my sister-in-law, she said I should not worry and be who I am, I don't know if I can do that.

Moving

 I've been busy in the veg section, after sorting the pond area, I started looking at the raspberry bed, for some reason the centre plants did not grow this year, I was going to get a couple more plants. I had a bright idea to move the blueberry tub to the bare spot, this should work as the blueberries ripen before the later raspberries, I already have a netted frame to stop the birds, it's a lovely sunny spot. 

The empty space from the blueberry tub I decided would be a great permanent space for the strawberry tower, there is enough space to place a net over the ripening berries when needed, hubby placed a paver underneath to help with stability. The rhubarb is huge, I have not picked any this season, as it's instructed to do in the first year, next year harvesting it will keep it smaller. 

This side of the garage is now home for two huge potato bags and the huge pot, they sit in this spot and have plenty of room, making the entrance to my back working area much easier to get to, most of the items grown here do not need loads of sunshine to ripen. This mixture of flowers/shrubs and veg can't be seen from the front of the garden and house, but I do still like pretty spots where I work.

This book is my gardening bible, I have loaned it from our local library many times, so hubby decided to get me my own copy. The author has sound advice, great knowledge, he trained at Kew gardens, so much I already know, but it's great to see an 'expert' doing the same things, this book sits beside my chair, so I can check things easily. 

I have finished sifting all the removed soil from the pond area, I was surprised at how much I had, most has been popped on the top of the empty section of the veg bed, I do have loads of leaf mulch and home made compost to pop on as well. The path infront of the greenhouse is again clear, I hope I have learnt my lesson and won't fill it again (fingers crossed). I did the work over a few days, hubby and I lifted the huge blueberry tub, using straps under the pot makes a much easier lift for two oldies, loads of rest beaks, having sunny days has helped.

Both raised veg beds have done well this season, it has been a difficult growing year, I have loved growing vegetables, my runner beans are giving us two meals each week, there are still loads of flowers and beans to come. Parsnips and beetroot are both doing well, I have lettuce seeds coming through as well, in the second bed the leeks are growing strong. 

I have the same broad beans as last year to go in, I will use the other bed to rotate the veg's being grown, I have sown winter cabbage and we are chatting regarding planting onion sets, gardening does not stop, even on wet days there is always planning. I always wear gloves now so no dirty fingernails, but the joy of working outside can't be matched.

Last week in August.

 I've got a few more seeds, these come 'free' with garden magazines, I have a subscription to Kitchen Garden, just for a year and Garden Answers, which I got this time as an account I follow on Instagram was featured, I will use all 5 packs. I have no plans to purchase any more seeds or bulbs, unless I see something different to grow, I never say never.

This is Lola, she is almost two years old and has been chosen by daughter as their new cat, she has had a litter of kittens who have all founds good homes, here in daughters dining room, she is very placid, the 3 children already love her. Her colours are very like my Grace, a pretty lady. We are still waiting, we have a week in Spain booked and will look after our return. 

George has new wheels, he is far too tall for a pushchair, here he looks tiny, but the buggy will allow him to grow and be comfortable, it's really sturdy, he does not have enough strength, to walk too far, play and then walk back, he is happy to sit and ride, often to fun places. Molly walks most of the time, her legs are strong, daughter has kept the double buggy for this year, but it's hardly ever used.

The garden is looking good, the recent rain has helped, my water butts are full again, sadly I can see gaps in the flower beds as some plants start to go over, my square bed needs more work next year, I'm so happy every where else, it's a good feeling to be so happy with our space. I've not done much as it's all looking so good. I do have some soil to sift, its too damp to do it, hopefully in a few days I can get it all done.

Sunday was busy I did some housework in the morning a friendly neighbour popped in later in afternoon, we had a lovely chat, she is looking to move just around the corner from our road, she has a new older neighbour, they have a shared drive and he is always at her door, following her when she is working in her front garden, it is unsettling her. The property she is looking at has a huge garden and is bigger than her home, houses here sell very quickly, so it could be viable, sad to see her put into this position, she lives alone, we had loads of laughter and red wine, sadly we had to sit inside, it was wet. 

Monday was a bank holiday, which makes no difference to us, it was sunny but the ground wet, we had another huge storm overnight, hubby used the new washing machine and is happy, it's very simple to use, I'm getting better using our new Shark vacuum cleaner, my Dyson stopped charging. We walked to the village for a few bits, it was nice to get out of the house, for the last few days we have sat and read whilst the rain falls. Daughter popped in for an hour, Will and George stayed with me whilst mummy and Molly went to meet Lola. We had a lazy evening reading just the two of us.

Tuesday we popped to Fareham, I was hoping to replace a garden lamp which was broken this week by Will and his football, sadly they were sold out, I will look next year. We had lunch out and popped to a couple more shops, but came away without spending any money, we used our bus passes on both journeys, so a cheap trip and no cooking later.

In between raindrops

 Molly is only happy outside, she asked for her gardening gloves on, so I decided to sort a couple of pots, removing the tiny daisies, which are in a tray over winter, they should come back and be replanted next year. My succulents were crowding out their smaller pot, I added just one more plant here in the bigger pot. George was at preschool, it's much easier doing task with just one of them, Molly does take instruction much better than her brother.

My Asters and pompom Dahlias are giving loads of colour, both grown for the first time here, my expensive red pompom has been a no show, which is disappointing, as I wanted red to remind me of my childhood garden. There is still plenty of colour in the garden, but gaps are forming as summer plants die back, I am very pleased with 2 of my flower beds, just one needs a bit of work. 

We are eating runner beans, I've had three harvest so far, only the beef tomatoes left to ripen, we had a few blackberries and two of my raspberry plants have fruit, both are really late. The beetroot is doing well, but sadly it's a bit late in the summer season, I will bottle most of what I have grow, and not grow them again, parsnips look huge and the leeks are coming along well. I have my gate across the path to keep George out of the veg section, it's a very useful item, as you can see there are hooks, which I use to hang it in my open greenhouse door, to keep cats out, it's an extending washing airier which hubby and I repurposed many years ago. 

It was a wet day on Thursday here, just drizzle all day, over night we had a decent amount of rain, Friday was very blustery but bright and sunny, the main storm came in on Friday night into Saturday morning, just what our gardens required, the water buts are full again. A day inside, I was able to do some crafting with Molly, she is very interested in making things.

Daughter came over with the children on Friday, they stayed for a few hours, so much laughter, and Molly stayed and had her sleepover, we walked to our local park, where loads of fun was had. Saturday was wet for most of the day, relentless rain and a good breeze, the sort of afternoon where you stay inside and read, which is exactly what I did.

I've had a better few days here, a medical scare with family, which had me very worried, has been checked and is nothing huge just needing monitoring, worry has been a huge factor in how I have been feeling. BIL is still in hospital, he is about to have his third operation on the break in his leg, this time with a change of surgeon, and a different procedure, the whole family are holding their breath that this will fix the issue, if it goes as expected he will be home soon. My bugs are now just the stupid cough, I am still exhausted, but give it a few days and I am hoping to be close to the 'normal' me.

More reading

I have loved this book, unlike many garden books this is useful, I have read it cover to cover, and there are loads of tips, I won't use all the information, she doesn't expect you too, just clear good information. Book 53 read this year 

This is another book I almost gave up on, it was such a slow start, I picked it up not knowing the author at all, a woman is released from jail, her sentence for murder overturned, and she is back to the street where it all happened, in the end it was a good story. Book 54 read this year.

I have read another book by this author, so I was hoping for a good plot, set in UK,  most unlikely and improbable plot, but I could not put it down, I was hooked from the beginning, a clever story which kept growing right to the final pages. I totally recommend this book, book 55 read this year.

I got this book from a charity shop, I ran out of library books and the library was shut, I've not read this author before, the back cover synopsis was about a blogger asking for help about a missing friend. It was an interesting tale, which twist and turned, I found the lady telling the story to be very gullible, a few times I thought 'how can you believe that' it highlighted the difference between strong and weak needy people. Book 56 read this year.

 

I have for years recorded books I have read, I use a small address book, recording authors alphabetically, my book is messy, so I thought it would be great to get a new one, I have loads to transfer. It's a very handy size for popping in my handbag.

I love books, and for fun I got the book stamp, just for a few books, it's very handy if I loan a book, reminds the person who owns it. I got thinking of book plates, our girls used to make their own, their junior school had a really good way of adding books each year to the school library, they would publish a list of books and the prices, as parents of leavers we could chose and pay for a book, our child decorated the book plate and left the school a gift with their name.

I have done nothing to my 2023 book, I am further behind than I wanted to be, I'm outside as much as I can be, and giving support to daughter and her three little ones, 2022 is finished, I had hoped both would be done by November, when the best printing discounts are given.

I've been working in my back section behind the garage, I have moved my strawberry tower, it's tucked back until next spring, making the path by my greenhouse house door feel wider. I potted up my smaller dogwood to use in our garden, filling a bare corner.  I have also dug up loads of cana lilies, I had them in 3 spots around the garden, none of them looked good, so I will let them die back and pass on the bulbs.

I  full of bugs again, cold sore throat, with a horrible dry spot, I'm sleeping better, but just can rest enough, I don't think the little ones passed on these bugs, I'm really run down, I hope the bugs pass quickly, I'm not good at resting and relaxing, I'm not reading much, I'm fed up with myself. Ending on a higher note, it's not covid. 

Wildlife pond

 Moving the bigger plants, both agapanthus and dogwood, has given me more space here, being smaller one end does present issues, the bed was raised by previous owners, so digging down was not too bad, the hardest part was sieving all the soil, the previous owners had stones on all this back garden, which I took most away, but there were loads left in the soil, if I'm doing this area, I might as well do a good job.

All of the plants I already had, just moved them here, I did purchase a couple of big flat stones and the drift wood, hubby cut a spare paver into a basking stone, there is a hollow underneath for things to hide, I am much happier with this area now, there is more clear water to be seen, leaving the round container as a shallow pond makes it interesting. I have filled the bottom of the oblong container with loads of smooth stones and gravel, it looks natural as we can't see any plastic, the round tub has a different pale coloured grit.

I could not get a small lily, wrong end of the season, we got a plastic flower, just to give shade, but I don't like it, strange how something looks good in the shop and naff when you bring it home, I've used a different plant I already had in the middle. The water has cleared, it's filled with rain water, I'm hoping the bottom will become more like a river bed. The top back corner is slightly higher, so any excess water can run from the front corner, I don't want water disturbing the raised flower bed foundations. The plants should grow and cover most of the rim of the bigger pond.

My agapanthus has been split and put into a tub, where it has plenty of room to grow, two smaller plants are in tubs in daughters front garden. The tub can stay in this space under the Magnolia tree, plenty of room and I won't have to squeeze past when the blooms are out. I managed to get loads of fresh compost in, so it should thrive, they do like their roots to be confined.

It took a whole day to dig out the area, my agapanthus had been there for years and was huge and very stubborn to move, hubby dug out some more of the old willow tree root, removing everything gave me a lovely bigger space, I did not want the pond to fit neatly, I wanted an angle to create planting spaces. The second day saw me popping everything back, with a few different grasses, stones and other bits, including my green plastic frog (thanks Maggie). Today I will sort out all the tubs and tidy the veg section. 

The big pond has a few escape routes, I have piles stones and gravel in the back corner, they are to the top of the container, the drift wood has two points above the water level, and the plant  in the middle have leaves floating on the water. In the round container I have a wooden ladder for escape.

I am happy the big agapanthus is gone from this space, it looked good but it spilled over the path, not too bad until it bloomed and then I struggled to get by. I won't plant trailing plants next year in the raised bed behind, so no petals falling into pond, I am happy to wait for the grasses to grow and fill the surrounding garden.

Another job done, I do love a challenge and hard work never bothers me, I desperately want to see more wildlife in this back section of the garden, a frog or toad would be delightful and useful as pest control. We have noticed a few dragon flies this summer with the water features we already have. Our Magnolia tree shades this spot every morning, but is far enough away, so the leaves don't fall in the pond, it's not in full sun until later in the day. 

When sat in my chair, I can see right through the garden to this pond area, which is very satisfying, we have had a good rain storm which has bedded all the moved plants in.

Half way

 We caught the bus into Portsmouth, planning a short walk at Gunwharf Quays on Tuesday, forgetting the bus station forecourt was being replaced, so the busses were havoc, and it's the school holidays, so everywhere was very busy. Along the front was the best place to walk, most people were there for the shopping, we sat for ages watching the different Isle of Wight ferries come and go.

We went to the higher level and stopped for lunch at Pho, which is a restaurant selling Vietnamese street food, we both had noodles, which was brilliant for lunch. I love noodles, but never had them in this style, we will eat there again. The views from this level are great, in the top photo you can see through the harbour mouth and Isle of Wight beyond, here just hubby and I.

The spring bulbs are going on sale again, I have enough in our garden to have a good show for next spring, but I would like to repeat last years tub of tulips down infront of the greenhouse. Through the summer I have grown a beef tomato plant in the tub, it a really sunny spot, we purchased these two packs of tulips for our spring show.

 I'm not keen on replacing many things, these garden snips are used every day, the old pair was again blunt, so hubby sharpened them, he has done it many times but they still would not cut, and a clean cut is necessary in gardening. He got me a new pair, purchased from Amazon, he checked back on his purchase history and found he got the original pair 9 years ago, the new ones are identical, no design change.

I know very little about my family heritage, mum was born in the village where I grew up, dad in East London, though most of his family ended up in Somerset, so I got one of these DNA kits, I've sent it off, just waiting for the results, just for fun, hubby has done one as well. I have no desire to look into my family tree, just curiosity to know where we all come from.

On our recent visit hubby's sister gave me this old over-locker, it's quiet basic, which is probably better for me, she got it serviced before giving it to me, which was a delightful gesture. I now need to use it, it has been threaded, so that's one less thing to sort, it's not a machine I have used before, I can see many great uses, including making the seams on my cotton top.

It was nice to get away from the house on Tuesday, a more gentle visit, normally we have a long walk along the beach and into Old Portsmouth, when we are at home we talk family, being out are chats are about what and who we see, so very relaxing. 

I told my friend we were doing the DNA test, she laughed and said she had done one, her heritage came back strongly Irish, she was wondering if she should change her British passport, we will wait and see. 

I have lost myself in the garden this week, it's hard work as I am wanting to do most of it myself, asking hubby help with just lifting, there is something truly satisfying to work outside, come in for a shower after and sit and ponder on the work you have done. We did visit daughter's on Friday, so I could sort out three of her huge pots, these now have plants in, before there was just soil, all three children were home, so loads of cuddles, I was going to cut back her lavender, she has plants along her garage wall, but her MIL had spoken about doing it, so I left them. George again got upset as we were leaving, so he came home with us for a sleepover, he was a good boy, played cars most of the time, slept well, we will take him home soon, he is going to a BBQ this afternoon. 

Thank you for your kind comments, I grew up with a very strong mother, in a very different world, I can hear her voice in my head, 'pull yourself together', 'get on with it', and normally I can, but for a while I need to slow down, digest what is happening in both our families, hubby understands I am feeling very different and is very supportive.

Pond

 This area has been pleasing, but the water containers are small, I really want to attract frogs and other wildlife. I have overgrown plants here, which I needed to move, already a few has a new home to go to, the rest will go on facebook, marketplace.

Close up the containers are a bit small,

 with the plants in there is little space.

Out comes the paper and tape measure, I do love to plan, now plants have been removed, I can see so much more space. I know what would be my perfect pond area, but I don't have the space for that, I can't increase the space and there is not another good spot in my small garden.

Hubby and I have visited loads of local aquatic shops, and trolled the internet, most preformed ponds would fill the space with little space for planting my grasses. In our local shop they suggested I look at animal feed containers, as they are tough and a good size, they had large ones which would have been too big for us. This fits the area with external planting space, from Amazon and amazingly quiet cheap.

Now the work starts, the main thing is to dig down, which is not that bad as the agapanthus has left a huge hole, I have a few plants to separate, the grasses in my sink are huge again, so once separated I can use the bigger parts here, along with grasses already planted, I won't use any of the existing flowers, they can be placed elsewhere in the garden. 

The only plant I would like to purchase is a small water lily, we are planning another trip to my favourite garden centre, which has a good aquatic shop on site.  I am going to look for some big flat stones as well, all my small ones are in the bottom of the pond.

I am happily throwing myself into this work, I am so out of salts at the moment, feeling very down and almost tearful, which is not me at all, I have a wonderful hubby and daughter, hubby's older brother is still in hospital, they now think the metal inserted to fix the break is causing all the infections. I know things will settle, but there is so much family drama going on, life is exhausting and hopefully it will settle soon, both the younger grandchildren are picking up our stress and need more cuddles. 

Books

I'm not sure about this book, I did read it to the end, a few times I did almost discard it, what is it about, how you perceive people, how they control you so you bide their wishes. I won't look for anther book from this author, book 48 read this year.

I do love this author, the story is set locally in Southampton, it was a very good plot and full of twist and layers, sadly the ending again is what stops me from saying it's a great book, as with each book staring DI Helen Grace, the author gives her super strength to solve the crime, always something  unbelievable in the final few chapters. It won't stop me reading another book, book 49 read this year.

I almost did not take this book, what more could there be to Harold Fry's story, this is his wife's turn, a very small book just 126 pages, I'm glad I read it, it does add the final part of the tangled lives they had with Queenie Hennessy. Book 50 read this year. 

I adore this author, his plots almost always involve just average people caught up in all sorts of stuff, I have read most of his books, so to find an unread title was pleasure from the start. This plot twists from the start, there is a back story running through the plot, with a very clever ending. Book 51 read this year. 

Another book with DI Helen Grace, another great plot, the author is very realistic in how crimes are dealt with often taking a wrong turn, this one had them solve two other crimes as they were working on their main case. Sadly the author gave DI Grace super human strength again, she had two physical fights with men and still was able to run around, still I enjoyed the book. Book 52 read this year.

The Olympics have finished, our medal total was as expected, with a fewer gold medals, we chatted about how many our our athletes came 4th, still a fantastic result, but sadly no recognition, its huge for them to get to the finals. I have watched so many different sports and enjoyed them, it's the same every time, who can resist the sporting excellence from so many people from around the world. I still can't understand how Breaking (used to be know as breakdancing) is a sport, why do they need to change the names on things. 

It's very hot and sunny here, Sunday afternoon the little ones played inside, after their tea I popped them into the bath to play, they stayed there for 30 minutes, I had to pull the plug out to get them out, all clean and cool, they both went straight to sleep. I am struggling on my latest book, it's not catching my imagination, I will keep with it for a bit longer.

Monday was a day at home inside, it was a lazy day, doors and windows open, all with net coverings as the flies are now bad, the smell also coming from next door dissipates in the morning, so it's not too bad. Hubby had to climb on our extension roof as her virgina creeper was near the top and he was worried it would get under our roof felting, she never cuts anything back, it grows up some wooden post she has leant against our wall, our boundary is 6 inches away from our wall, the fence broke, she ripped it down and won't allow us into her garden to replace it, some battles are just not worth the effort.

Finding balance outside

 I spent £8.80 on seeds, I have the same broads beans as last year, they worked well, another different type of runner beans and flower seeds, the asters and sweet-peas did better this year, and I do want zinnias in the garden. These again were half price with dates going into 2027, I should not need any more seeds for next season.

I dug out the big dogwood plant from the corner in my side bed, it was planted a few years ago, when I wanted a big plant in front of my water butt, my water butt is behind the garage in my working area. I moved my peony to the corner, it was huge so I have kept back some roots for daughter. I also moved another plant to the centre of the bed, in the gap from moving my peony. I am happy with this bed, I do like the plants not to grow too high, as I like to see my shelf.

I have trimmed my acers, this big one was getting really wide, I do not want it to spread any bigger than the bed it's in. It's still full at the bottom, much like a bush, so many colours on one plant. I also trimmed my trio of acers at the back end of the garden, I keep them small so I can use the steps to my working area.

The dogwood was collected and planted within the hour, one of hubby's mates had the perfect spot for it. I have watered the moved plants three times on the day and they are looking settled.  

Hubby used his leaf sucker to pick up all the bits blown on the lawn and brushed the patio, it's now looking tidy. I cut back my blueberries, it wasn't done last year, so it was quite big, I will purchase a couple new raspberry plants as a few did not grow this year. I have also pulled up my peas and courgette, which did not grow well in the bag. I have runner beans forming on the few plants I managed to save from slugs and snails.

Our focus is now on the wildlife pond area, my agapanthus has got huge again, so I will dig it out and make three plants, daughter will get two and I will plant my third elsewhere in the garden. I have another smaller dogwood here, which I will remove, this will give more light and space in that area, I want to put my huge bug house hubby has made infront of the raised bed. 

It's not all work, we are still very much enjoying the Olympics on TV, I watched weight lifting yesterday?, and enjoyed it, I won't watch boxing, that's a step too far for me. I have read loads of books which I will post soon and on Saturday daughter came over with her three, they played outside most of the day. Today I am popping to daughters house, a few of the mums are going out for afternoon tea together, I was very keen for daughter to go, so I will be in her garden with the children.

Longdown farm

 I was taken to Longdown Farm, in the New Forest, close to Southampton, the little ones love it there, it was my first visit, George was very excited when we pulled into the car park. 

It's the perfect place for little people to run around in safety and enjoy so many animals of all sizes, a long barn had been turned into three bays for small animals in different pens, all being very child friendly. Different birds were in pens outside, chicken nesting boxes were placed so the children could find newly laid eggs, everything child height and friendly.

Here we are cuddling chicks, Molly was very careful, she was so gentle here, Will was totally enjoying himself, sadly George would not join in, so mummy had the cuddle. The children were also given a bottle of milk to feed the calves, I had George so I ended up feeding ours, another fun activity, I really do like cows, I lived on a dairy farm for a few years. 

All the paths were concrete, so even in light rain it was not muddy, the rain did not last long, they had undercover seating areas for lunch, we took a picnic. Before going home we had a ride on a tractor, we sat in a big enclosed trailer and was taken around a bumpy field with cows in, here is where George shines, he was signing it's stinky, and people joined in, he loved the trip, there were all the normal expected animals, loads of ducks and chickens, and goats. We were home mid afternoon, the little ones had run around, jumped in puddles and enjoyed the toy, ride on tractors and the play ground, they even had a go on a couple of diggers, where they moved sand around.

Daughter is trying to give them loads of fun this school summer break, she has a chance to take them away, but is undecided as it's hard work have three on her own, her friends have been including them in their days out and play days. 

I'm out of salts, tired and over thinking so much, which is what I do, therefore not sleeping so well, I have lost the spark in my life, it will come back, hubby is truly supportive as always, I am having regular coffee and chats with SIL's mum, she is much the same as me, our hubby's are both angry, so we meet together for honest chats. 

So days out like this are good for daughter, her children and of course me.

Blooms

 It's begonia time, I love these beautiful plants, almost all are grown in tubs, the blooms can be very different with shapes and colours, as are the leaves, it's a really good all round plant. The two big plants in the blue pots are popped into my greenhouse each winter, the rest stay outside in their pots.

As the summer progresses there are more blooms, the roses are on their second flush, as is one lupin plant, fuchsia's are coming into bloom, I have three plants, I have grown asters for the first time this year, grown from seed, they are filling my side bed. 

My first dahlia bloom, I love the pompom style, there are loads more buds on this new plant. I have other colours, hopefully to come, the later summer blooms are here in full colour.

This bed is now everything I want it to be, the fleabane daises, whilst not at full height this year, do give the look I want, simple style, no bedding plants, loads of spring flowers, the gladiola along the fence have not done so well, I will give them one more year to see if they all bloom.

My garden is messy, I've neglected it for a week, today I want to get outside today, we had rain yesterday, so the ground is going to be soft, a morning outside will make me feel so good. I have been reading your posts, not making too many comments, life is very busy and full on here, I'm not complaining, but our slow pace of life has been suspended until after the school holidays.

Up and down

 On Saturday our village had its gala at the castle, it was postponed from a very wet weekend in June. Sadly in the past few years they dropped the parade, just too much hassle to get roads shut and the insurance got just too much.

Our local police force was present again, always a police car where children can sit inside, a female officer showed Will how to turn on the blue lights, he also like loads of other children got his fingerprints taken, which he really loved.

Both Molly and George loved this bouncing ride, Molly is fearless and managed on her own, only needing help to get higher. George was a bit too light and needed loads of help, we were unsure if George would be allowed on, the man running it was happy for him to try and agreed he loved it.

They had a couple goes on this swing ride, both loving it, neither worried as it got faster, sitting together helped they were laughing together.

Saturday was overcast and dry, with a welcome breeze, perfect for a day outside, we spent the morning out and the afternoon in our garden. Our gala is becoming more commercial,  two small fairgrounds, one for younger children and the second with adult rides, both outside the castle grounds. Still a lovely family day.

Later at our daughters we had a Chinese takeaway shared with Will, the little ones had their meal earlier and we bathed them and put them to bed. We slept over, which was good because daughters cat took ill, we were worried it looked as if he had gone blind, daughter sat with him, at 2am he took worse and I drove her to an emergency vet, sadly Minty (always loved his name), had little options, and at 15 he was put to sleep. Neither daughter or I got much sleep, Sunday we brought George  and Molly back to ours until early afternoon so daughter could sleep, we rested later. What more can life throw at our daughter.

We started watching men's final tennis, and yes BBC played their stupid games, we watched the first very tight set, with one switch of Channel and then they decided not to show the second set, gymnastics and shooting with british interest instead, again so frustrating, why do they only have 2 stations, BBC1 and one one iPlayer. Later after giving the results of the match, they announced we could watch the second set on iPlayer, really, that's not how it should work.