Back home

I recently read The Lies I tell, by Julie Clark, and found it a fantastic storyline, so I got a copy of her first novel, a very good story and well written again about two women who's path crosses, but sadly nowhere near as good as her second book, I did enjoy it, but the sparkle was missing. Book 27 read this year. 

It's September, so time for school photo's, here is Will on his first day in reception, and on Monday in year 2, his third school year start. Sadly hubby's daughter and son haven't sent photo's, I do love to look at their changes as they grow up. Will now looks just like his dad at that age, he is getting really tall, he is starting to call me little nan, won't be many years before that will be a fact. 

I am very frustrated with my cactus, the one in the blue pot is flowering again, I get flowers 2 or 3 times a year, it lives in our downstairs bathroom. The one in the gold pot lives in the kitchen, which is next to the bathroom, so they get the same amount of light and warmth, but the kitchen one has struggled, hubby did admit to watering a few times, so it has been over watered, I am leaving it and hoping it will come back again. 

I love begonia's and saw this plant in one of the houses at Kew, but on checking details once home, it need humidity, which I might struggle with, so for now I will pass. I do have an itch to grow some different things, hopefully once I get my veg beds next year, I can expand my green fingers. 

Being very naught, rather than finish a craft project, I have started a new one, this is for a gift, no reason, a just because I can gift, simple easy design, I did have to purchase the yarn for it, with all the balls of yarn, I did not have the colours I needed. 

 The lovely weather has come at a good time, Molly decided she does not want to wear nappies anymore, and is going great guns on her potty training, very few accidents, she is loving her new pants, sadly daughter is still struggling to get George to potty train, we are hoping he will digest what Molly is doing and start trying, at the moment he might sit on the potty once a day. 

We are having a lazy time, the heat is too much for me, plus I need some rest after all the exercise I got on Monday. We did pop to town on Wednesday, hubby wanted to return a pair of shorts, he thought they came from Millets, but they were not their brand, so I will have to try and mend them as he has no idea which shop sold them, we did not stay too long, just a quick flit in a couple of shops.

Today I'm going to a knit and natter group at our local shop, I will take the shawl as I don't need to refer to the pattern, rest of the day will be home hiding from the sun, it's got too much for me.

Kew Gardens

Iconic photo's of Kew gardens are everywhere, huge glass houses and beautiful kept gardens, on a sunny day there is nowhere better. 

We visited all the huge glasshouses, this lily pond house was our favourite, no giant lily or huge flowers on the day, but still hugely interesting. We have watched a year at Kew on TV and recognised this space. 

These huge leaves look so beautiful.

I loved the structure of the glass houses as much as the planting. 

Hubby with me all the way, it was very hot in the higher level, but worth the trip up.

Resting under trees, from the heat, I love to look up. 

Views everywhere

The Great pagoda, seen from so many angles

I did rather love the dragons on the outside,

 the sunlight shining on their golden wings. 

The city from level 7, we took 200+ steps to level 9 the top, with 30 minutes to take in the views, I took loads of photo's but preferred these from lower level. The Temperate house sitting in the parkland, when we booked the trip we decided it would be too much to go up, but once there it was an opportunity not to miss.

The Hive

Interesting and weird.

The only thing closed was the Treetop walk, sadly they were removing a summer art installation, we spent over 6 hours wondering around, we did not see the whole of the parkland, I enjoyed the woodland walk and the giant redwoods, hubby enjoyed the huge lake and all the birds, we did not see a squirrel all day, no rabbits, just birds and bugs. The flower gardens were starting to go over, but still full of colour and well looked after. Plenty of huge tree's over hundreds of years old, loads of different types, I would like to go again, I did almost 19,000 steps so lots of walking, but it felt restful and calm. 

The weather gods were good to us, it was bloody hot, but with plenty of shade and benches, loads of water fountains, loos, and places to eat, the only places uncomfortable was the higher levels in the huge glass houses, we did carry our own water bottles, which we could refill. 

We were both pleased we drove up on Sunday, visited Kew on Monday and drove home on Tuesday, it would have been impossible to do it as a day trip, we stayed in Hounslow, a borough I have never visited, just a small hotel, it was vibrant and very alive, far busier than our small part we call home. We used our bus passes in the end to get to Kew and back to hotel, enjoying the whole vibes of the area at a slower pace, better than rushing by on the train. 

Today we have been married 37 years, together 39 years, where has the time gone, I'm lucky they have been happy years, we have a good partnership, together we face everything, personal health scares, Covid, and with our families we plan a happy future. 

Home and away

I have book 2020, it was not easy to produce, reading each post as it edited into the book was hard, these are my words, my thoughts, I'm glad it's printed, I'm now off to read it, which I do with each of my year books. The cost of printing is much higher, but so is everything else, I do aim to print a few more years, I am finishing proof reading 2021 and I have started importing 2022.

We popped to our local Home bargains, it's a confused shop, with garden, Halloween and Christmas all in full retail mode, I had hoped they would have spring bulbs, I think I have enough now, unless I see anything different. I always say I have enough and then get more. There were many gaps on the shelves again, a few things we could not get.

These pansies are very strong looking, I will pot them up for a few weeks, they will then be planted in the back garden and the old herb bed, both need winter colour. I hope like previous years they grow huge. The old herb bed has already died back, so I can plant whenever I feel the pansies are big enough. I have begonia bedding plants in the garden, which I will move, they often comeback a second year if wintered in pots.

Another messy visit, toys everywhere, along with laughter, it was nice so outside play time was included, we poured water on the path and the two little ones had loads of fun splashing, both ran around without nappies as Molly has decided its potty time. Lovely photo with youngest daughter, little ones had dirty faces after eating chocolate birthday cake. We will be outside as much as we can, September hopefully will give us the final days of summer, I'm not ready for cooler days started with misty mornings. I also think we have had our due rain, so please stay drier. 

It was hubby's birthday on Saturday, 74, how can that be, I'm truly lucky as he is healthy and strong, he does have heart problems, having had a heart bypass a few years ago. Daughter came with Will, George and Molly, birthday cake was ate, with 'free from' cakes for the two little ones, lots of laughter and fun, I used last year's card again, it's fun to add messages, we both reuse cards to each other, much to the amusement of family. I have struggled to find him a gift, there is nothing he wants, luckily he found a smaller camera bag, his is huge and heavy to carry when full.

Whilst you are reading this, we are away, booked 2 nights in south London, just a short bus ride from Kew Gardens, which I have never visited before. I'm excited as the weather is promised good for today, which means we can walk around at our leisure. Its our 37th wedding anniversary on 6th so this trip is our gift to each other, as well as the plants we both love photography, I will post photo's, lots of them soon. 

September already

Tuesday we popped into town, there are fewer shops, so we stayed only a few hours, we did pop into Wilko's the store was half empty, sales everywhere, I purchased these 2 bean frames, they were a good savings, I will need them next summer for my small veg beds, I will be growing runner beans. 

Yet again another good book, over half the book was about the murder of one woman, which made the title strange, village life and gossip, worry and fears, having grew up in a small village, I could relate to the background story. Can you get away with murder, I though I had guessed the ending, but no totally wrong, it did leave you with a cliff hanger. Book 25 read this year. 

 Where do I start, its late 2023, covid is under control,  life is getting back to normal,  much like now, then 6DT hits, starts in USA and runs around the world. 6DT, 6 days tops, from 1st symptoms to death, no one is immune, no time to find solutions. Yet one woman is still alive, sounds horrible, but it's about the woman, a brilliant honest book. It rained all day here on Thursday, so a perfect read, 351 pages long, this author does not write a short book. This is her first book, I read her second here, and immediately ordered this book, 2nd hand from Amazon, get either or both if you can, book 26 read this year.

I rather like this meme,

 I do fall into the latter half of the statement.

Mondays BBQ was very different from Friday's, after a while I left the guys outside, I can always find something to do inside, it stayed dry again, not so bright, but no rain, so I class it a success. 

Tuesday we caught the bus to town, it was very sad to see Wilko's so empty, a few isles were closed off, just no stock to fill them, most of the Christmas stock was gone, not that I would have purchased any. I would normally be getting spring bulbs, they didn't have any on sale. We popped to a few other shops for a browse, had some lunch and then caught the bus back home, another dry day, a bit cooler in the evening, it is getting dark much earlier each evening. 

Wednesday was a day at home, my brother decided to drive back to his home in Somerset, the weather was not going to be great on Thursday, his planned day of departing, so he left before all the storms arrived. I did loads of housework, just nice to get everywhere back clean and tidy. We got a load of laundry dry, it was sunny but not too warm. Molly and mummy popped in for a visit, they had been swimming, mummy wants to ensure she is happy in the water before lessons,  George was at nursery,  Will was with Grandma and Grandpa.

Thursday was a day at home, it was unexpectedly dry when we woke the heavy rain came later and lasted all day, I had time to read and do a bit more needle felting, hubby was bored, he does like to read, but not all day. 

Today nothing much planned, a walk to the village,  it's going to be a busy family few days over the weekend, I am watching the weather for Monday, we have an exciting day out and the weather gods are looking kind to us.