Survival test

The square photo is the day I transplanted the small hydrangea into this huge pot in my back garden, it had signs of new growth, I added rose food to the compost and give it fresh topsoil and loads of water. I have moved the herbs into the back veg section. Second photo is a couple of weeks later, after a trim of deadwood.

Another plant from hubby's front garden, this white lavender was in a pot by the door, now its in its permanent spot, it's already looking much greener and should fill this space, its been having loads of water, this is a sunny spot. I have plants which should fill this square bed.

My Chinese witch hazel was put into this spot earlier this year, it was doing well, now sadly it is wilting, it could be a number of things, or just this heat wave, I have been watering it, it's a case of watching and waiting. I've had this plant since October 2020, it was tiny.

We decided we would cut back our acer this year, one section had died back, I removed all the dead wood a while ago and we can see new growth. I spoke to our arborist, he suggested we cut back a low branch which was rubbing against another, it has left one side bare, we can look at the new growth later in the year and cut back more to balance it.

I got a water hyacinth for my pond, in hope it will clear the water, I do need to be careful with the plant, its a fast grower, I can cope with that, I will need to carefully dispose of any unwanted new growth, it can't be allowed to get into local waterways.

I gave in and moved plants in the hot weather, I can nurture them rather than hubby ignoring them, I planted a few gaura plants, I've grow from cuttings. I don't have any intentions to move any more plants, I am letting my sweet peas go to seed, I will collect them for next year along with other seeds.

I have sown another mixture of lettuce and two rows of carrots, I can just see their shoots, the cucumber plants is producing more, whilst my tomatoes are stubbornly staying green, I have a few runner beans now to the top of their sticks and a couple of flowers forming. 

I have very little to do in the garden, we save as much grey water as we can for the flowers, shrubs and tree's, I use the hose (no ban here) for the fruit and vegs, I am harvesting blackberries, they are small and hard, I am freezing them to use in crumbles over the winter, the raspberries are beginning to form.

We can sit in our sunroom early morning and evenings, we can sit in our seating area mid afternoon onwards, from 11am to 2pm we are inside the heat is just too much for us. We read inside and chat outside, making plans for a few more breaks.

July roundup

Nothing on craft, I'm still not doing much, and very little on gardening, mainly rose and tomato feeds, the latter in the B&M garden sale. It would be foolish to plant too much new stuff in this heatwave, I'm struggling to keep what I already have. 

8 Books read this month.

I took the car out on Sunday, suddenly it was making a loud noise, I was sure it was the exhaust, drove straight home, hubby confirmed my thoughts, its fixed now, new back exhaust, not too expensive. Two new chairs for the sunroom and some softer mats, so another expensive month, hubby wanted it all finished, he does not like doing a half job.

We have very little food waste, most goes into the compost bins, the small remaining bits go into the council waste bin, we are shopping for fresh bits little and often, rather than bigger amounts, ensuring things get used up. Sadly not much harvest from the garden, this drought is killing our growing season.

Here in our spot along the south coast, we have had no rain in July, I know locally a few gardener friends have had rain, and nothing due in the coming week.

Overshoot day

 Earth overshoot day is today 30th July, it's the day when humans have used all the renewable resources produced in a year, everything else we use won't be naturally replaced, many countries are working to rectify this, many are not. 

The UK's overshoot day was May 14th,

 we are using resources twice as fast as they are produced.

I post this every year, it's something to be very mindful of, our world is changing, so many wild fires here in UK and across Europe, there is one burning to the north of Valencia, very close to the scientific parks, a place we have visited many times, our Spanish friends and their families are all safe. With little rain and high temperatures due this week, it's a huge worry for everyone, I can not imagine the hell for all the firefighters works so hard.

Climate change is a real issue, we all know it, we can try to ensure we live a cleaner life, support local farmers, we try and eat seasonal foods, stop purchasing 'fresh' fruit and veg shipped around the world. Our throw away world is unsustainable, most of you already know this, we don't follow trends and the 'latest must have', here things are repaired and used again.  

I'm not an eco-warrior, just a mum and nana who would love a clean world for her daughters and grandchildren to grow up in., and whilst so many governments are not doing enough, we can and should each do our bit.  

Just another week

 Yet another great plot, after a split with his wife, he leaves his life in London for his home town, with his young son, his life improves to a new high. Around him people are scared, there's a serial killer locally. Book 50 read this year.

What do you do when you find your husband dead, she already has had enough of his affairs and lies, this tale is a woman escaping from his clutches, a nice twist helps, not my normal read, still enjoyable. Book 51 read this year.

This book started good, a clever plot, spread over hours not days, it held up well, sadly the end came suddenly, plausible, unexpected, almost as if the author could not decide on a better ending, I did enjoy most of it. Book 52 read this year.

This is an end of a era, we still use some cash in the village, we get so few coins to save, so we decided to stop using our two main containers, the cow always had £2 coins in, plus any notes given to us as gifts, the german beer bottle held every other coin, we have used it for over 25 years. I emptied the bottle and bagged the coins, the children can use them in the arcades when we are on holiday next month. 

I popped online and found these plants supports, they are very sturdy, I got them from B&Q, on their home delivery, 2 are a perfect size for my agapanthus, 2 more will require the height reduced for my peony and the hydrangea, I will have one spare,  I'm thinking I could grow french beans next year and use it as a support. I am still having a low spend month, which could change if we popped to our favourite garden centre. 

I have not done any cross stitch, it's just too hot to concentrate and it's so easy to be just one stitch out, I have been finding a few things for Molly and myself to do on visits, she does love to craft, I recently gave Will a craft knife and cutting board, he is interested on making his own models and buildings. 

With so little to do in the garden, and no desire to go out in this relentless heat, I am reading loads, I have watched a couple videos on machine patchwork, I have an idea forming, there are so many different types of patchwork, I have loads of cotton fabrics and old pairs of jeans in my stash.

Friday I had a back massage with a well recomended lady, it was great, my left shoulder which always gives me issues now feels so much better, I have ongoing nerve damage and mobility issues, it's nice to have more movement. All my medical results have come back normal, so I don't have underling issues, but I still have issues, I have tablets I am to take every day, I don't, I take them only on days I eat known food triggers, it's helping, it's the best solution for me, allowing me to eat a wider range of foods, at some point I will have to take them daily, just not yet. 

Saturday as the day progressed it became windy, I closed the garden down early, Sunday morning was cloudy and really windy, by lunch time the blue skies were back, the wind stayed most of the day, no rain.

Thirsty

 The heat and sunshine has fried my veg section, these runner beans are so weak, they have started to climb the poles, I'm not expecting any harvest unless there is a huge change in the weather. 

My potatoes grown in bags have done well up to now, these last couple of bags look ropey, again I'm not expecting much.

My decision to grow cucumbers and tomatoes outside was a good one, we have had a few cucumbers, the plant is looking weak, the tomatoes are behind and not many fruits.

I do water and feed the fruit and veg gardens, this relentless heatwave is just killing off most things, even my fleabane daisies are looking a bit sad, my greenhouse is empty. I am using grey water from the house and being very careful with mains water use. My water buts are almost empty, I'm saving what small amount I have for plants which need rainwater.

We have asked a tree surgeon who we used before to pop in and hopefully remove loads of new growth from the Magnolia tree, and cut back the acer, we don't want to lose either.

My raspberries are growing, not as high as other years, we are picking blackberries, they are small and not very sweet, I have not had a second wave of strawberries. The grapevine is the only plant growing and enjoying the hot sunny days.

The last time we had rain was 10th June, the thunderstorms missed us in late June, the weather front due this weekend will fizzle out before it reaches the south coast, our fresh water supplier is Portsmouth Water, luckily for us, most of Hampshire is supplied by the terrible Southern Water (they remove our waste water) and are on a hosepipe ban. We again are due 30° plus temperatures in the coming week.

Normally I do enjoy watering the garden, it's nice to take time to check on plants, now when I do water I am watching the demise of so many plants, most should return next year. I am watching my collection of hellebores, they hate the heat, my hostas are all in the very shady spots. The main issues are how quickly the blooms are going over, the gladioli blooms just lasted a couple of days. It's  not a good year for the garden, I am deadheading the roses, they are still blooming.

last day of school

 The school Molly and George goes to had a picnic on Wednesday, their last day, parents were invited, the temperatures whilst still high were cooler than last week, here they are decorating cookies with their friends. The field was full of happy children and their families.

First and last day of reception year for Molly.

Will enjoyed his last day at school on Wednesday, he is tired and ready for the summer holidays, this relentless heat has been hard on the children. In September the children are being jumbled up, the school has helpfully allowed Will to have the same teacher, he does so well with her. George will have his reception teacher in September which will help him, Molly is going into George's old class room, so they are all feeling good.

Later I had a sleepover, another bedtime routine for me, we watched a movie first, both the little ones were tired and went to bed and slept well. Today was a six am start, George woke first. I'm going to struggle what day it is, it feels like a Saturday on Thursday. 

Cool for cats

 I do like these new chairs, she has popped a towel on each seat, I don't know why, they leave the doors open all day and into the evening, plenty of time for me to take naps when they are not in here.

My scratching post is now in a different place, easy for me to get to it, I do love using it. Yes they do have a carpet in the back of the garage, it was in the house when they moved in.

I spend loads of time in the veg section of the garden, so many hiding places and cool to lie on, all in the shade, I can sleep whenever I want to. I still can't get on the veg beds, the net cover around the sides are too good.

She has been trying to take my photo, I'm not a poser, she was muttering because she had to delete so many photos of my bum.

I'm managing to stay cool in this hot weather, I hardly ever go in the house, just in early evening to eat, she often puts a licky (a wonderful cat treat) in my bowl, she mixes it with loads of water, I eat that outside. I still pop to say goodnight, not every night, just when I'm not busy, it's the same in the mornings. 

I don't go into the garden next door so much the big cat Felix is very scary and chases me, they use a water pistol on him if he is in our garden, I still walk along the nice neighbours back fence it's behind their huge summer house, the dogs can't see me. They still don't know where I go, he has insisted I don't wear a camera.

I have not seen the little people recently, I do love to play with them, she has promised they will be here at the weekend, anther BBQ, strange cooking hot food outside on a hot day.

My title, it's a track from Squeeze, she plays them often, I quite like the music as well.

Splat

 I saw something similar on Instagram recently and thought it would be great for the little ones, we stopped using water balloons years ago, so much wasted plastics, I cut the sponges up into strips and tied them together with a small cable tie, add to a bucket of water and let the fun begin...

As you can see Molly and George loved playing, and got me very wet, we each had our own bucket of water, we slipped their shorts off before play, I can see them wanting to play every visit, mummy remembered to bring dry clothes. Lilly just kept out of their range, Grancha hid in the sunroom, mummy and Will stayed inside. So much laughter. 

My grapevine is growing, it's probably the only plant enjoying this extended heat wave, it's nice to know it's settled into its growing space. In the same bed my cucumbers are ripening, I get a couple each week, the tomatoes are behind, too much shade from the magnolia tree. 

All I do outside is water and deadhead the flowers, my gladioli are already going over, they are in a sunny spot, I want to move my 2 snowberry plants from the daisy bed, they can't be seen and are wasted in their current spot, hubby has given me a nice pot for them, later in the year I can add spring bulbs. Hubby has an hydrangea in his from garden suffering from the heat, he does not water his garden enough. I have cut back the thyme and sage in my big herb pot next to our seating area, I will move them into individual pots, I can then add to the compost in the big pot and replant the hydrangea, in hope I can save it, it gets morning sun and afternoon shade, I have a geum I can separate and underplant. I'm just waiting for rain before I start moving things.

My runner-beans are still rather ropey, they have started climbing up the poles, hopefully with the slightly lower temperatures they may catch up. I have tried a couple of times to sow lettuce, nothing is coming up, so I will get some small plants this week.

Today will be much the same as yesterday weather wise, just 26°, sounds hot, we have had over 30° for the past 10 days, so it does feel less oppressive, still no rain, now almost 6 weeks, we have had a few cloudy days, I've been looking online for pagan rituals to call for rain just joking. My waterbuts are all almost empty, I try and keep enough for the few plants I can't use tap water.

After the tennis

 Another great book, it hints at a secret 3 friends have from school, with flashbacks filling in details, the school grounds are sold for development, which is a deep worry to one of them, what should they do. Book 47 read this year.

I do like this author, he has interesting plots, you meet your ex girlfriend and have become a couple again, she has a huge secret and you are drawn in, loads of twists, a very clever written plot, I could not put it down. Book 48 read this year.

Another brilliant plot, very different, you are abducted and forced to live in a hut in the middle of a huge forest, already there is another woman, terrified of the men, how to escape and find your way home. Book 49 read this year.

Sunday we had the last slice of lemon cake, Monday we had a red velvet cupcake from Molly's batch. Midweek we had scones for a couple of days, I only have cream on one half. Hubby then made a marmalade cake, we do love home made cakes with our morning coffee.

Just 3 gladioli blooms this year, they are beautiful, sadly in this heat wave the flowers are not lasting long.

Hubby has always cooked from scratch, we eat very few process meals, I enjoy a slice of cake, it's rare we have scones and cream, I don't eat bread, we are eating salads everyday, often with my homegrown new potatoes and lettuce, the cucumbers and tomatoes are slower. 

I picked the little ones up from school on Tuesday, daughter was at Will's school, it was review day, his work as always was so good, it's a shame he's not enjoying school. Wednesday daughter and I had a day together, she wanted to thank me for helping recently, I don't need thanks, I believe it's part of being a mum, and I will help whilst I am still able. Today hubby is out all day, so I am home alone, a quick flick of the duster, as my mum would say and then reading, still too hot for much gardening, I do have a couple of small jobs I want to get done, once the temperature drops, it's almost 5 weeks without rain here, and none in the forecast next week. 

I have already received my all clear from the mammogram last week, I got an NHS text with a link to the electronic letter, such an easy way to get results, I checked my NHS portal and my blood and stool tests are no yet back, I do like being able to see my data, I don't always understand everything, a quick chat to practice nurse always fills in details. I do keep and eye on my cholesterol and pre diabetes status.

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.