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.

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.

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.

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.

This life

We had another BBQ on Saturday, daughter and the two little ones came over, Will had a sleepover with grandma, hubby used his new smaller BBQ, it took us over two hours to put it together in the week, he is really pleased with it, this one has cast iron cooking racks and plate. It was much easier to clean after use, and lighter to wheel out each time.

I loved this book from the start, a poor student looking for a cheap room near campus, just for one term, how bad can it get, who can she rely on, I guessed the twist about half way, which did not stop me enjoying the book, there was a second twist near the end which made complete sense. Book 45 read this year.

I have been stitching on cooler days, I have finished the top lines, I am now working on the sides, I intend to move the work so I can complete both sides and then do the bottom. I will then have the space I need to fill, no plans as yet, just a rough idea of what I would like to stitch again.

Hubby made some super rhubarb flapjacks, they were wonderful, I have asked him to make more, we have plenty of rhubarb in the freezer, this week we are eating lemon cake.

I have been watching the tennis, as always enjoying the matches, so many great players this year, the first week has been less dramatic than last year, Saturday did see a few ladies fall and Sunday the number 1 seed lost her match. Some of the qualifiers and wild cards are playing great tennis, and matches are very enjoyable to watch, Djokovic again is playing silly B's, all his silly antics get on my nerves, I hope he's out soon, same for the hype over Serina Williams return to the game, both talented top quality players, but age catches up with everyone. Arthur Fery's match, over 4 hours of great tennis, hubby and I enjoyed his match, just amazing a brit into week 2. 

I've noticed loads of rat holes in the space behind our garage, they are ever present here, we have 3 very overgrown gardens all close by, we will never be rid of them, they have gotten into my composter, it's another unwanted job for this week.

June round up

 Again no craft spend, other than cross stitching, I'm not doing much, in the garden there is so little required, I'm splitting plants and setting seeds. BUT, I ordered a table green grape vine, and then all my spring bulbs from Farmer Gracy, with a 10% discount, expensive month. 

My half year figures are good, I managed to stay under £500 for the first half of the year, hopefully I can do the same in the second half and come in under a grand, in other years I have always spent more in the spring and early summer.

9 Books read this month.

I wish Blogger would sort out the issues with our reading list, so many of my favourite blogs are not shown as they are published, some show hours or even days after being published. 

Just a pair of shorts no other clothes, I did get acrylic nails for my sisters wedding, I'm already wishing I had not had them, they look good but hinder me when doing anything, I have started filing them myself and using my own colours. 

It was an expensive month for our credit card, all the extras for the sunroom, plus we needed a new microwave and hubby got a new humidifier, it's all paid now, then new ladders and a BBQ, nothing else required for the house, we now have a local internet provider, much cheaper than Virgin and tied in for two years. We don't stream an extra channels, we hardly watch TV.

We have purchased new mugs, 2 each, they are smaller than our others, I drink 3 cups of strong black coffee each day, hubby drinks 2, we are cutting back, drinking smaller amounts, probably saving a good spoonful of coffee each day.

Kitchen waste goes into garden composter daily, I'm not keen with the council food waste, we don't put much in, it used biodegradable bags, we never fill them, I don't really want to use one bag a day, I'm worried about flies and smells in the summer heat.

My weight I lost 5lbs over the weekend I was ill, I've kept most of it off, living on salads helps. 

Red warnings

The yellow roses are blooming, these I purchased 16 years ago, they are pure sunshine, the climber by the garage has slowed down, it will pick up again once the temperature drops. There are buds on my red rose in the big grey pot.

I have allums in 3 spots in the garden all blue, they are just starting to open, for a while I did focus on just white or blue plants.

Another bunch of sweet-peas, again popped into the bathroom, their scent fills the room.

Lilly is still outside more often, she is not keen on our tower fans, this spot behind the high raised bed is always in shadow, and cool, I often find her here, she is drinking loads, I check her throughout the day, we are not concerned about her. Every day I change the water for the birds, we have different spots around the garden, I often see Lilly drinking there.

I have read this author before, another good plot, your daughter goes missing on a shopping trip, is it linked to your husband's past, the focus is on the adults until the middle of the book when the daughters plight is revealed. Book 44 read this year

Some unwanted excitement in our village on Thursday morning, we missed it all, our local facebook page is full of it as is the local newspaper. 

We spent Wednesday and Thursday hibernating inside, in this heat the sunroom is unusable after 10am, if there is a breeze we can sit under our parasol, we did nothing, went nowhere. Housework was ignored as are other little jobs, all can wait, we are eating loads of salads, drinking pints of cold water. I am watering pots and edibles most nights, the flower beds have dence planting so there is less evaporation, having less bedding plants does help. Our hedgehog has been visiting again, Lilly now ignores it, it can get to water, I'm not feeding it, hopefully it's eating slugs and snails.

Daughter kept her three home on Wednesday, Molly's eczema is flaring, George can't cope with the heat, and Will is exhausted, the schools shut on Thursday, all sensible, they stayed cool and avoided the boiling car journeys, Friday they have a half day, so they can play in paddling pool all afternoon,  it's in a good shady spot.

More cuts

 Is this cause for divorce, I did tell hubby the acer needed a severe hair cut, I had let the front and sides get too wide, this tree is precious to me. Hubby is not so happy. As the Japanese gardeners say, I have let the light in. Here it is just a month ago

The main reason for the cut is this side section close to the fence which can be seen from our house, it's has died back, I removed loads of dead wood last month. I can see some new growth, hopefully the tree is going to thrive again. It will need another chop later in the year to reduce the width, I have already given it a good feed to keep it strong. Having less leaves will help it in this heatwave.

Whilst I had the loppers out, I trimmed the top of the Olive, the sides need a trim, maybe another day.

I have read this author before, whilst the story was decent, it was dull, one nice twist, just not really my type of book. Book 42 read this year. 

Another great book, set in America, a school bus, the driver and children go missing, everyone is searching for them, one mum who's two daughters are on the bus has a different problem, very clever, it held me all the way through. Book 43 read this year.

I often look online to check before doing anything to our tree's, I do treat them like tall shrubs, our Magnolia gets a professional chop every couple of years, it does need some of the new growth cutting back, that's a job for hubby, he has just purchased a better set of step ladders, which should make the task safer. As you know our garden is small, so keeping things to size is important to us, having two trees in the ground enhances our space, the olive will always stay in the huge pot. 

Hubby has sold his BBQ, it went very quickly, he has always cleaned it after each use and gave it a final good clean, the lady collected it was super happy to have it, we popped to B&Q to check their range of BBQ's and saw a perfect model, more expensive than hubby was looking to pay, but everything he wanted.

We are spending more time inside, this red warning for higher temperatures is no joke, our sitting room is cooler at this time of year, hubby made a net covered frame to go into the open patio door, it's not very wide, but it does let the air in and stops the flies, I read most of the time, I am a fast reader and I have always been a bookworm. Our little ones are all on half days at school, sensible decisions were made for their welfare, sadly we missed all the thunderstorms on Monday, my sister in Somerset sent an amazing video, the storms passed to the north of us.

Weekend

 Everyone loves a BBQ, hubby cooked a simple one, just burgers, sausages and chicken, I made a grown up selection of salads for daughter and us, alongside a cider shandy, bliss. Hubby is going to sell his BBQ, these days it is far to big for us, so he made the decision to sell it and get a smaller one, he has already seen one he likes.

The children used all of the garden again, this space is just so perfect for them, Molly approved of our new sunroom, she was happy to be able to get scooters out, I put the smaller garden rug in a shady spot with cushions for them to play.

My daughter told me there was a prequel to Ask For Andrea, so I found it on Kindle, again I'm not going to tell you the plot, again I could not put it down, a wonderful plot, I'm  off to look for more of her books. Book 41 read this year.

Gardening is on hold, except watering, I  do enjoy the time spent with the hose, checking the plants and surrounding garden. There is very little in the greenhouse, half has a net curtain up to help with shade. These cuttings are all doing well, mainly gaura, 7 tiny ones and 1 bigger plant, 2 begonias, and a tray of mixed salad leaves. 

My peanuts are still doing well, I do hope I manage to get a harvest for hubby, I can't eat these due to an allergy, I check my greenhouse at least twice a day, just to ensure the few plants inside are doing OK.

Saturday evening we watched the live feed of TakeThat circus concert in Manchester, hubby enjoyed it, we shared a bottle of red wine, a very different and enjoyable few hours. I have no desire to go to any of these huge venues, but I do still love music, so watching on our bigger screens at home is just perfect.

We are under another amber weather warning for heat in the next few days, its going to be at least 34° again, I'm not great in the heat, so we are sitting in the shade trying to find any breeze, we have a few nice spots. I'm back watering the garden again. We had planned a trip to Oxford with an overnight stay on Monday/Tuesday, we have delayed our trip for almost a week, just to hot to go sightseeing. 

Relaxing

 This stitching is still keeping me busy, I am enjoying every moment, the lower pattern has been done across to the middle, like the first side it crashes into the centre stars. I have not touched my knitted blanket in ages, it's too warm to knit blankets, maybe I should start my socks.

Whilst in town we picked up daughters pottery items, including my plaque, this has a back and a glass piece for the heart, it should be a photo frame, I kind of like it as it is, it's on my shelf in the sunroom.

A new author to me, hubby had popped it on my Kindle last month, it was a fantastic read, brilliant storyline, I'm not giving any details, I could not put it down, a proper page turner, a fascinating tale. Book 40 read this year.

Hubby relaxes in the kitchen, he cooked a brisket of beef in the slow cooker on Monday, we had homegrown new potatoes and carrots with it. Tuesday, he added veg to the shredded beef and made 5 huge pasties, and a double portion of beef and veg frozen for more pasties or shepherd's pie, loads added to the freezer. The pasties were great, we shared one for tea with a salad.

We did not stay in town long on Tuesday, there are so few shops about, recently I purchased a cheap pair of knee length shorts from Poundland, just £9, hoping they would be OK to wear in garden, the shorts are great, so I got a second pair, also got Molly a pink football shirt, both boys have football shirts, she will be so happy. Rest of day was spent in the sunroom, it was a breezy warm day.

Wednesday was a busy day, I had blood test first thing, then later my 2nd shingles jab, hubby had a hospital appointment, he went on his own, just routine, with his heart and kidney issues, they keep a good eye on his. Rest of the time was a bit of gardening, moved a couple plants filling gaps in flower bed, I rescued a sturdy tomato plant growing in the peanut bag, now planted with other two outside and then my time inside. 

Most evenings we sit and watch a hedgehog run around our garden, he/she can't get to the raised veg beds, which have nets on to keep Lilly out, hopefully it's having a good feed on any slugs or snails, it's safe in my organic garden, just another level of delight. We are not watching the football, not our sport and the matches start far too late.

Last week

 I've  stitched on Mollys second swimming badge, she is doing well. I have also added stuffing to George's dog Henry, he was rather limp and would not stand up, I love being able to do these task for them.

We met daughter at Dunelm for a coffee and a cake, I saw these silk daisies which I love, I would have liked an old fashioned milk bottle, this Kilner jar looks almost as good. I already had the field poppies and cornflowers, these being a favourite bunch of flowers for me.

Hubby took George to the park and village on Saturday, he loved the park, at the village was the local craft market, so it was busy, they did not stay long, hubby said George went straight to the flowers and pointed to this bunch 'for nana'

Here's a memory jerker, always when George visits, the drawer handles have to put up, I have told him often it's not the right way, yesterday he had free reign to change them all.

Another good book, read on my kindle apt, your husband tricks you into moving out, you still love him, he's got a younger woman, it follows the wife's story, then the other woman's with a great twist at the end. Book 39 read this year.

It took until Saturday morning for George to be well again, most of Friday he refused to eat much I did not worry because he was sipping water all through the day, it was a dull day, so indoor playing suited him. Saturday he was with Grancha (hubby) all day, he was a great little boy, played outside in the sunshine, football and his balance bike being the favourites. Sadly I woke up in the early hours on Saturday and had George's bug, not at all nice, I did get up late on Saturday and just sat around, but I was so tired I went back to bed, George was OK with me being in bed, he kept coming to check on me, passing me my drink, much the same as I did to him on Thursday, plus lots of cuddles and him stroking my face.

We missed our Gala at the castle again this year, I do like to go, it's a proper family day, George has always loved to '999' section with fire engines and police cars, they always have so many children's rides, the adults rides are in a different field and only open later in the day. Hubby is out all day today, which is fine I can have a very lazy day, I might drive up to see daughter and little ones, to hear about thrie trip, much depends on how I feel. 

I almost forgot we missed a good local show a tribute to Robbie Williams, we passed our tickets on to friends who loved the show, hopefully we can catch it again. 

Lazy weekend

 I've been stitching again, working on the left side, I was over the moon to get the corner decoration and two pink flowers in place, loads of counting and checking, these set the working lines for this quarter.

My joy has faded, on the easiest part I have miss counted the darker stitches should be a straight diagonal line. It would be hell to unpick, so it has to stay it won't cause me issues later as the design crashes into the three tumbleling stars. 

5 university friends who shared a house receive an invitation to return to their university digs, no-one wants to return, but they are too scared to not go. Back to a time when their 6th member was murdered, they all have memories in various levels about that time. A brilliant book, I really enjoyed reading it. Book 36 read this year.

Her life is a mess, rather than facing the issues,  she goes to Corfu, looking for someone or something, and gets caught up in a sting. The red flags were flying all through the plot, but who did what, with a clever twist. Book 37 read this year.

I have read this author before, another great plot, this time it's a mans story, he falls head over heels in love, it's the real thing, quickly strange things start amongst his female friends, why. Things are adding up, but does 2+ 2 make 5. Book 38 read this year.

Between the relentless wind and rain I am not doing much outside, our garden is looking after itself, I will try and do some deadheading, in a dry patch, I have even turned down a visit to our favourite garden centre, I have never liked being cold and wet. Everywhere is so grey and dull, typical summer here.

I am enjoying lazy days reading, guilt free whist not feeling great, the house needs cleaning, so much dust everywhere. We had a lazy weekend, stayed at home the whole time, it's nice to stop and do nothing after a busy few weeks, simple meals, food we love. My sisters days went well, it was dry when they came out of the church, yes she went for the full works, she was happy as was her partner, now husband, he is a bit under the thumb (Janice ?) I've not seen many photo's as yet.