I'm 5

 So our youngest grandchild is 5, her birthday was last Thursday, we all popped to see her after school, she had cake and presents, a very happy little girl. All we heard was 'I'm 5 now'. Here wearing her KPop demon hunters outfit, it's all the rage for her and her peers.

Her first birthday cake, on her birthday with us, grandpa and grandma, a proper family event. Hubby and I surprised the little ones, we collected them after school, both were happy to see us, it was a hot day Molly does suffer in the heat.

Molly had a few friends over on Sunday to play in their garden, daughter had been busy to ensure it was as neat as possible, and added balloons and bunting to make it pretty, it was chaos the whole time, George joined in, Will stayed in his bedroom. This lady was hired to visit, Rumi from KPop, she was wonderful with all the children including younger brother and sisters, George loved her as well.

Molly had asked hubby to make a red velvet cake, he makes them dairy free so she can eat them, he decided to make cupcakes, they do look lovely and as normal they tasted great.  Below is half the batch, the children loved them.

For some nostalgia. 

I had a sleepover on Saturday night, daughter went out for an early evening meal with friends, so I did bedtime, the little ones were so good. Will asked if he could watch the England football match starting at 10pm, he was so happy to see them win and went to bed no problem. Daughter had prepared everything she could on Saturday, so Sunday was an easy start, we did have the pool out, loads of bubbles and inflatables, happy children. Parents sat around keeping an eye on their children, having a lovely chat together.

I was home in time to watch the gentlemen's final, what a match, so close, Sinner winning in 4 sets, sets 1 and 2 were nail biting, sadly it's all over for another year. Now we can get back to normal life, still in this relentless heatwave, no rain here for over 4 weeks, most of Hampshire is on a hosepipe ban implemented by Southern Water, we are OK  as our fresh water is provided by Portsmouth Water, so I can water a few times a week.

This week

We popped to town on Tuesday and met daughter, I had already been to the local hospital for a mammogram, it was hot, so we stopped for a rare treat, just too hot for coffee, mine is lemon, it was wonderful, hubby had pistachio.

Sam one of my older grandsons, when a toddler was worried about me being lonely in my car, so these teddies have sat in the child seat, when not in use, Sam is now 16, George does not like these teddies, they are thrown around the car, so sadly this week they were adopted by a lovely lady, who promised to keep them together and love them, she collects teddies.

I have read this author before, it's another good plot, your first role back to work after being at home with your daughter, it's with your dream company, strange things keep happening all around one co-worker, is she the problem, I felt the plot was leading in the wrong direction, the twist when it came was brilliant.  Book 46 read this year.

Tennis has been excellent, both ladies and gentlemen's matches has been spellbinding, I don't enjoy the doubles matches, I do love to watch a long rally where the players work to outplay their rivals. Sadly Arthur Fery ended his run, I hope he is proud of himself, I'm sure most everyone watching enjoyed his tennis. Jannik Sinner dispatched Djokovic in three straight sets, 

I did manage to deep clean the en-suite and our bedroom this week, so that's the whole house done in the last couple of weeks, the dust is the issue, it gets everywhere. Today I am home alone, I will drive to daughters later for another sleepover.

I have done all the medical retest this week, hoping for the results to help my doctor to work out why I'm not so good, my diet is still very restricted, which is helping, I would rather not stay on such limited foods. I have always been on restrictions due to an early high cholesterol discovered at age 19, which was kept in place for over 20 years. Restrictions on dairy, animal fats, plus issues with refined white flour and watching sugar intake, add a couple of allergies and things I don't like.

Growing and picking

 I adore these fleabane daises, I cut them back a couple of weeks ago and now they are in full bloom again, this bed at the back of the lawn looks so good, all through the summer the daisies are the star. I have planted more around the veg section in nooks, hoping it looks as if they made their own way there. 

A few more blooms around the garden , yellow rose, gladioli just four this year, an unexpected aquilegia, again I have 4 plants in the daisy bed, this one broke as it grew, so with new shoots some late flowers. The white spikes are new this year, a £5 small plant from our market guy, which I have grown on, Physostegia, crystal palace white, it should return every year, it's in my side bed. 

My white lavender is huge, I have take some cuttings in hope of more plants, I have agapanthus growing in 3 spots, these tall flower heads add structure, and look very pretty. I have started to add flowers which tumble over the edge of the beds, which I do like the look of. 

I have new growth on my grapevine, I read online what to do with it, the first year in the ground like most plants is important, I put mulch around the soil where it is planted and I have an old white tea towel protecting it from the fierce heat of the day, just for a few weeks until it is settled. 

I saw a meme, 'no one wants to see your first tomato harvest', sorry this is mine, two different varieties, the plants are both full of flowers and fruits, my cucumber is producing more fruits, my lettuce has slowed down in this heat, I do have more on the way. 

I can't do much in this heatwave, I water on nights when the garden requires it, I do enjoy the task, I can take note of everything growing, we are not sitting out much, the tennis has been our company most afternoons and evenings, this is definitely the year to sit and watch the garden. Our hedgehog has been missing for a couple of days, we have plenty of birds all sizes, the bigger birds can't get to the feeders, they come in for the water. 

I do everyday ensure the birds and other wildlife have fresh water, I have 3 different spots plus the pond, the pond is full of slimly weeds, there is not much I can do, I try and clear as much as I can, I tried a barley straw bale, which did not do much, as always I checked online and basically my pond is too small and in too much sunlight to keep it clear, the weed does not impact on the pond and will clear once the weather changes. 

Hubby noted some damage to a rack when cleaning his new BBQ, B&Q wanted to send him a new BBQ, hubby declined, he spoke to manufactures, who could/would not sent out spare part, back to B&Q, the choice a replacement BBQ or £50 refund to close the matter, hubby chose the refund, he can live with the slight damage.

Is it ever finished

The clock on our huge thermometer has been playing up for ages, hubby has tried to fix it a few times, finally we gave in and purchased a new clock. I love the size of it, I can see the time from anywhere in the garden, it fits in well on this wall by our back door.

No excuse, I love decals on the glass, hubby did encourage me to get these, just simple shapes.

Lilly has taken to sleeping on hubby's pouffe, its close to the doors, she lays here for ages when we are sat in there. Hubby promised to make wooden door-stops, he made two, they work perfectly, maybe not as pretty as the ones I saw, he's so clever.

I've made a few changes on my shelves, added my new painted plaque, I moved my nice trug, it did not look right, hubby found a space to store it, I've hung a few shiny things and a pink glass heart given to me by hubby's SIL, who died last year. We got a cheap edge of the counter chopping board, which hubby cut down to size to make a table top for my wicker basket.

Hubby has added a bit more to his side, including his hat and his number plate from his last motorbike. I love seeing his menu board up, he's used it for years, the little ones love to read what's on offer. Hubby decided he wanted nicer chairs, I managed to talk him out of an expensive pair, these will do. 

I have popped some sheer nets to shade the front, they work well, we can remove them once they are not needed, this is a real suntrap, when the temperatures are in mid 20's we are happy, any higher and we stay out. I have purchased a couple of rugs, the long runner by the doors I got off marketplace for £10, a real bargain, the rug I got half price from Dunelm. The throws and denim cushions I made years ago, it's  all come together nicely. 

We have often sat out here in the evenings, it's so quiet, we listen to the birds, we can't see the feeders, but we hear their rowdy feeding, we don't have much road noise here and most of our neighbours are quiet, it does feel a very peaceful place to sit.

For now we are watching tennis, it's just too hot outside agsin, it's a very exciting tournament this year, the second week is always brilliant. Arthur Ferys win puts him in quarter finals, he plays later today, against an opponent he has already beaten this year, 🤞🤞hope his never give up attitude wins out again.