Windy.

It seems we came off lightly in the weather stakes yesterday as the UK was hit by 18,000 lightning strikes in 12 hours with flooding and hailstones. Today has been windy and dry but no rain and a lot of sunny spells.  

In the morning I went out shopping, first calling in to the dump with a bag of garden waste and then doing the usual round of supermarkets. Not much else to report for today.

Stormy.

We've had a day of frequent, wild showers. There were a few moments of warm sun but for the most part it has been a day to stay indoors.

You may have noticed that I've finally updated my profile photo. It took so long mainly due to inertia plus who doesn't want to be 10 years younger but also because it was Linas who set up the template for me and I tend to hang onto things that I associate with him. I still use his keyboard despite the 5 blank keys that lost their letters due to overuse. The new me is from a photo taken by a friend when we all got together at Priddy in May. My thanks to Sam.

My cold is almost gone which is great but unfortunately it seems to have transferred to Peter. At least we have a range of pain killers including a very handy anaesthetic throat spray. 

Today I got a little further in my plan to design a tattoo for my forearm. I want a swirly/scroll design, maybe with some leaves, to be done in dark brown to look like a henna design. I had printed off photos of my left arm to work on but now I'm thinking about the right. To get a rough idea of the placement I drew on my arm and Peter took photos which once he prints them I can draw on. I tried a number of crayons etc but the only thing I found that I could use to draw on my arm with and then wipe clean was one of my hair chalks, a dark purple one. Unfortunately I think I've left it too late to have my usual chap do it as he has a waiting time of months. If that is the case I may go to the girl that did Peter's tiger. 

Apart from that I've been tidying up around the place including the pitcher plant in the bathroom. I cut off all last year's shrivelled brown leaves and pitchers. Then a wipe over of the leaves and a scrub of the algae growing in the clear container it stands in and it should be fine for this year. 

Warm Winds.

Up until 5.00 the day was sometimes sunny, sometimes overcast but always with a warm wind blowing. I was taking the last piece of washing from the line when I felt a few spots of rain but the heavy rain didn't appear until later. Earlier I had taken the hoover out into the back garden to hoover up the dried up rose petals that had become stuck to the decking following some rain a few days ago. 

Speedy made another bid for freedom squeezing out of the 8.5cm gap between the patio doors. I keep forgetting that his bucket is quite flexible. With no sign of him in the back garden I walked out into the street to look for him. This time my whistles didn't work and my next-door neighbour wondered if we had got ourselves a dog. Speedy appeared in the conservatory a little while later.

Since the trundle beds are two singles I climbed up into the loft to go through the box of spare sheets and luckily I still had two fitted singles. Thinking we would have a sofa bed for guests I gave away most of the single sheets or used them as dust sheets.

The rest of my day has been spent pottering around after I gave my study yet another tidy up. It's so easy for the piles of paper to turn into a big mess if I don't keep on top of the tidying up.

Sunny.

We've had another day of sun cooled down by quite strong winds though many other parts of the country have had severe rain and even some flooding.

Yesterday's rest must have done me some good as I was up and doing my exercises by 8.00, a little later than usual but it is Sunday.

Today I cut back a lot of the hardy geraniums in the front and back gardens. I do like to see the dried flower heads but there comes a point when they just look brown and frizzled and need to go. The front flower bed looks a bit empty and is very dry. There are a few dandelions in the beds that escaped my eagle eyes but I thought I'd wait until we have some rain and it's easier to dig them up. I also trimmed both the blob bushes as they were looking a bit straggly.

We ended the afternoon by sitting outside with a little reading and more planning for Borth. At the moment we are physically here in our tidy house and garden which just need a little upkeep but mentally we're in Borth. Our minds are working overtime on how to get things done, how much can we do ourselves and at which point would it be sensible to move down there with all our belongings. One good thing about this enforced planning stage is that we can mull over ideas and decide what changes are really important to us. 

Windy.

The wind has changed to a north-easterly bringing a distinct coolness to the air. There was a lot of cloud in the morning which later cleared giving a warmer afternoon. 

While Peter went off to do the shopping I hoovered the house, did my usual kitchen tidy and then ran right out of energy so basically did nothing else but put my feet up. After a lot of coughing and spluttering in the morning my voice is now reduced to a croak. I'm so thankful that this cold waited until now as I would have been  very disappointed to miss singing with the choir last Saturday. 

Earlier I glanced  out of my study window to see the two neighbours' boys (about 8 & 10) looking into our garden. I knew they had been playing cricket,with a light plastic ball, out on the grass so I hung out of the window to ask them if they had lost their ball. They had and I told them they were welcome to look in the garden for it. It took them a long time checking under all the plants until they eventually found it nestled in the top of the 'blob' bush by the front door. These well mannered boys often play football or cricket out on the grass. Children should be outdoors as much as possible in my opinion though in these days of increased traffic and adults fears many children spend their time in their own homes or gardens if they are lucky enough to have them. 

Just for fun the other day I looked at 'houses for sale in Borth' and there was the first bungalow we looked at back on the market at £20K more than when we looked at it. How lucky we were that the owner got greedy and pulled out of the sale.

Shopping in Town.

Definitely getting cooler now. The temperature plummeted in the afternoon before rain fell but then the sun came out again.

I can't believe that another 4 weeks have gone by and we're still here but it was time to collect our prescriptions again. I walked to town calling in at the chemists' first. We both get about 6 items so as soon as the assistant put 2 small bags on the counter I was able to say 'That's not it'.  Back she went and came up with a larger bag for me. I know I initially messed up the repeat forms last time but that had been corrected when I went in the next day to collect yet another item that had been left off. What was odd was that they had my stuff but not Peter's. Unfortunately he has a blood pressure tablet that he must take. I rang Peter so that he could get on to the surgery so they could send the prescription electronically to the chemist and he'll pick it up tomorrow. After so many mistakes we've switched back to Boots in the High Street who also weren't very good but not as bad as this chemist.

One of my town jobs was to go to the bank to pay for the 2 skips we used in Borth. It's taken a number of phone calls to get them to send us an invoice, there must be a Welsh version of 'dreckly' that is even slower.

Friday is the main market day and as I've been promising myself a leather drover's hat before we go I stopped by the hat man's stall and bought one. The blue lace threaded through the air holes is my addition. Out of sight is one of those press-in toggles so I don't lose the hat in windy weather.

As I wasn't in a rush and it wasn't too hot I called in to M&S to carry on with the search for a comfy bra. I'm at that age where things are going south and while it would be even more comfy I don't have the confidence to do without any support. At home I tend to wear soft sports-type bralettes but in company a bit more support is needed. For years I've shopped around, been measured, tried different styles, bought and then rejected wired bras and ended up with the same granny-style bra from M&S. Today I tried on 3 styles and found .... Hooray, a style that was comfortable for me. At £20 they weren't cheap but I splashed out and bought one in black and one in pale pink which should do for a long time.

At home I've mostly been coughing and spluttering but I did fix the broken hinge on the wooden chest. It's now in the conservatory leaving the corner of my room looking more spacious.

These are the last 2 of the Sweet Juliet roses. One is oddly coloured perhaps due to the recent heat.

Oh and I was doing my exercises just after 7.00 this morning. Hopefully my body clock is now set in that good habit.

A Walk on Morte Point.

The heatwave continues with records being broken every day. I was glad to be doing my exercises just after 7.00 while it was still cool. I changed the dressing on my scrape this morning and it is healing beautifully. That iodine dressing is amazing and I should have plenty left once my leg is fully healed which will be handy.

We decided to escape the heat by heading out early for a walk around Morte Point. Lundy could be seen on the horizon and with binoculars it was possible to make out a few of the buildings and lighthouses (Lundy has three). The cooling sea breeze made walking very pleasant.

But first I had to sit down and remove a small stone? from my boot. I check my walking boots before I put them on but somehow always seem to end up with something small in one or the other. 

No sign of any sheep out on the Point.  Last time we were there the ewes had been shorn but not the fat lambs. Maybe they have been moved to avoid the worst of the heat or even gone to market :(  Peter is going to cook some marinated lamb chunks on the barbecue for tonight's supper but we haven't decided yet if we'll eat inside or out.

We stopped at our usual place for coffee where we watched heavy waves rolling in,

and thought how much nicer it would be to get to Borth by speedboat rather than by road. 

It was a lovely refreshing walk apart from the section when turning to walk up to the spine of the Point we found ourselves sheltered from the breeze and consequentially very hot.

Once back home it was lovely to walk on the cool marble tiles. I haven't done much in the way of jobs today apart from order a trundle bed from John Lewis to be delivered direct to Borth ready for our next visit. I ended up choosing John Lewis because although they are pricey the quality is good. I had looked at other beds on line which were cheaper but skipping the reviews which tend to be suspiciously good and going straight to complaints there did seem to be a lot of issues especially with deliveries.

Our recycling bins are still sitting outside waiting to be collected. (I've been keeping a lookout for them as my brown bag for cardboard went missing a few weeks ago. I write the house number on my bags but they still disappear.) Having failed to find any information on line I rang the council and apparently they had a fire in their depot this morning and are running some hours late or may not even come until tomorrow. I did see a notice on the site which said they were not going to be collecting batteries any more as they've already had three fires due to batterries. I wonder if that was the cause of today's fire? Some of the supermarkets have collection points for batteries so they can still be recycled.

Humid.

Being close to the coast we didn't have an uncomfortably hot night unlike other parts of the country. Looking at the Met. Office site it seems that tomorrow the temperature is going to soar especially in the south-east. Apparently there was a thunderstorm in the distance last night but it didn't wake me up. (Tonight's news is telling me that it had been even hotter on the continent.)

I woke early again this morning but didn't have such an early start with my exercises as I've got a summer cold. I had thought my throat was sore due to so much singing on Saturday but now my nose is dripping so a cold it is. The sea mist kept things cool for a while this morning while I watered the plants and did my exercises. Later it got very humid and warm but stayed overcast until early evening.

After getting so much done yesterday I took things a little easier today but still got through a number of small jobs.  The garden wall had developed a new crack and the old one opened up a little as the clay subsoil dried out so I filled them and later painted over the filler. Then I got the transparent sealant to fill in a new space above the windows that might be the way water is getting in to the conservatory and added a second coat to a higher up seam that I filled the last time. Then, most importantly I secured Peter's beer barrel to the chair it sits on. Last night there had been a crash from the conservatory caused by the beer barrel sliding off the wooden slope it sits on and landing on the floor. I had to call Peter down because it was hissing slightly and I wasn't sure how much to open the stopper. Peter was most upset because it's real ale and the fall stirred up the sediment (finings) and he'll have to wait days before the beer is drinkable again. Or it may have been totally ruined which would be a real shame as it was a nearly full barrel. Being the kind of person who keeps things that might be useful I was able to find an adjustable strap with clips salvaged from a worn out backpack. A bit of rope to add extra length and the barrel is secured to the back of the chair. Only time will tell if the beer is salvageable. My final extra job was to wash floors, the marble tiled hall & kitchen plus the conservatory, dining room and bathroom. There was still time for us to sit outside, before the sun came out. We chatted and I made rough sketches of ideas for the new garden. I'm working on a compromise between my ideal design which would involve many tonnes of infill to raise the middle section of the garden and a more achievable version with a sloping path between raised beds to the lowest level. I start with an outline idea which evolves as I spend time working in or looking at the area in question.

 Some jellyfish I found on my early morning walk along the beach in Borth.

 A large, 8 inch diameter, moon jellyfish.

 A similar sized compass jellyfish.

A new one for me, an appropriately named dustbin lid jellyfish. They all have proper Latin names but I like their highly descriptive common names. We have six species of jellyfish and Portuguese man-o-war in UK waters and these three have little to no stinging power while the others can be severe. With my leg scrape I won't be entering the water for a while anyway.

Sweltering.

Record high UK temperatures have been reached today. Chivenor a few miles away had an official temperature of 29.4C/77F. I think if I would have taken my little thermometer outside it would simply have exploded. Tonight is also due to be hot with a chance of severe thunderstorms. When it's this hot the marble floor in the kitchen and hall is most welcome.

I think I must be catching up with my sleep as I woke refreshed at 6.00. Exercising by 6.30 which still gave me time to water the garden in the cool of the sea mist. I kept the washing machine busy with three loads that were dried, ironed and put away by the end of the day. 

Once the usual jobs were done I found myself a shady spot in the front garden where cooled by the breeze I could finish sanding the small wooden chest. This I did by hand which took a while. I'd think I was done when I'd spot another place that could do with a bit more sanding. Lashings of Brywax gave the wood a golden glow and a final buff with a duster put on a bit of a shine. A shame that a long splinter went through my work gloves and in and out of my finger looking like a rustic DIY piercing. At least my tetanus jab is up to date. In spite of the heat I covered up against the dust with face mask and safety glasses.

A Check-Up with the Nurse.

It has been overcast for most of the day with the sun breaking through towards evening. Outside the breeze made the warmth pleasant but the minute I came indoors or even sat in the car it felt very muggy.

I went back to the nurse this morning to have the dressing on my leg changed. It looks as if the scrape is healing well and I'm now sporting the next size down dressing. Although I could return for a further check the nurse offered to issue me with the relevant supplies; iodine bandage, dressings and even a pair of sterile scissors to continue the treatment at home. Much less bother than having to drive to the surgery especially as it's a nightmare to find a parking space in their car park and if I'm at all concerned I can give them a ring. 

Having successfully completed all the jobs on my list I've now got a new list. First thing to be ticked off was 'Repair the stair carpet.' Above is the worst example of threads pulled out by Speedy. There were a lot more minor pulls where only one loop had been pulled out. I applied superglue and pressed the wool back into place. It all looks a lot better now.

The next task was to phone John Lewis to see what their delivery arrangements, for the trundle bed, are. They wouldn't leave it in the enclosed front porch but for a fiver you can have a 2 hour delivery slot as opposed to any time in the day. That means we can have the beds delivered on the afternoon of the day we drive up and not be faced with sleeping on airbeds.

After seeing the nurse I did a bit of supermarket shopping today calling in at Asda. Tesco has stopped selling oat bran  which we add to our porridge but luckily Asda still sell it. Also at Asda you can recycle plastic wrap/bags. Naturally I had a look at the clothes and bought yet another vest top. This time not black but quite brightly coloured. I bought the largest size and have already altered it to make a longer loose tunic top. I know there will be clothes shops in Aberystwyth but I think I'll be too busy being a laid back beach person and maybe doing some gardening to bother looking for clothes.

Hedgehog Fete.

It's been a hot and muggy day and despite the dark clouds overhead not a drop of rain. I walked over to the Rugby Club for the Hedgehog Rescue Fete. I used to drive there for choir in the evenings but even at my sedate walking pace it was only a 15 minute stroll. It was quite interesting looking at all the front gardens along the way. The cottages had front gardens of approx. 20 ft. x 15 ft. and ranged from carefully tended and thought out plantings through total colour chaos to neglected weed and rubbish filled spaces. One of the 'nice' gardens had an apple tree full of green apples. I'm always interested to see other peoples garden designs. This afternoon I've spent quite a lot of time looking at coastal gardens and writing lists of sea air tolerant plants. I took myself out to do some weeding and pruning in the back garden but for some reason I'm a little tired today.

I like the Hedgehog Fete because not only can I support our local wildlife but it gives me a chance to pick up some hedgehog related items for Sally who has a fondness of hedgehogs. Just in case she happens to read this post I shan't reveal exactly what I bought. As a further token of my support I bought myself some cake to have at home. 

We both woke this morning with husky voices from yesterday's singing. Even though he wasn't standing with the choir Peter joined in with a number of the songs from the audience. I'm still looking for any photos of us singing yesterday but I found this video (hopefully viewable as it's from a closed FB group) of us dancing Greek Style in the pub. The locals in the background look a little bemused at this group of, well mostly no longer youngsters, having fun.

Green Man Day.

Despite some dark clouds and the threat of showers in the morning the weather turned out fine for Green Man Day. The festival has been organised by volunteers for the last 30 years and will be taking a break next year.

Peter manned the Pilton history exhibition while I had a wander along Pilton Street, meeting people I knew and checking out the stalls. There were a lot of stalls selling exciting food, home made cakes always excite me but there was also food from cuisines around the world. I treated myself to a churro and then a couple of sausage roll-style wholemeal pastries filled with lentils and beans from the vegetarian society stand.  

In Rotary Gardens the samba band played while costumed folk who had been in the procession took a break before their second performance of the pageant. The owl man was there along with the flea circus and merry-go-round for the children.

Then back into Pilton Street stopping to listen to performers along the way.

Green Man Day is very much a local (free) festival and is always well attended even on those years when it rained.

I may just have bought a slice of coffee and walnut cake for my return home where I changed into concert clothes, bright top & black trousers, did a singing warm-up and went through some of the songs. The choir met up in the old school playground next to the church for a warm-up and to go over a couple of tricky sections of our songs. Then into the church to arrange ourselves ready to sing to a packed audience. The cakes, teas and coffees with a chance to sit down might also be part of the attraction to draw people into the church to listen to various musical offerings throughout the afternoon. Our concert went very well apart from the start of Bring me water Sylvie when somehow the altos lost the pitch as we attempted to hum our part while the well-co-ordinated few stood in front and did the body percussion. I couldn't pick out where we were supposed to be at all but decided to go with my instinct when we began singing the words and luckily that got us back on track. Peter came in to listen and said that everything else sounded really good. After a welcome cup of tea in the church I nipped back home to change as it was really too hot for black leggings and then back out again to meet Peter and walk to the Rolle Quay Pub. There along with over 40 choir members and friends we had a great evening. The Bouzouki and guitar playing duo were there again and played everything from traditional Greek songs to The Stones and everything between. I don't think they've ever had so many people joining in before. There was food too, a choice of pizza, American burger or hog roast in a baguette so of course I ordered hog roast in a burger bun. As well as singing and eating there was a lot of dancing too, either Greek style or any old style which was fun. We left before 10.00 to amble home before it got dark.

As well as being our last Green Man Day it was also our last concert and evening out with all our choir friends. I shall miss singing with such a great group of friends. My Pilates has come to an end and Peter didn't rejoin the Gig club this year. It feels as if our ties with Devon are being cut as we attempt to get to Wales asap which we can't do until the leaking roofs have been made watertight. 

A Rainy Day.

 It's been very warm today but also very wet. I hope that the weather improves for tomorrow's Green Man Day. A good day for relaxing/recovering once I'd caught up with the housework. Peter went out in the afternoon to help set up the display for the history display for tomorrow. Then he went on to help with setting up stages and signs.  

Back to Borth …….

After working hard each day Peter would head down to the pub and do some useful networking while armed with secateurs I tackled the garden. To start with the only way into the front garden was from the road though first I had to clear hefty brambles and 5ft high stinging nettles.

The 'lawn' is a wildlife haven filled with all sorts of flowering plants. At the moment all that needs doing is to remove the brambles and nettles. My main aim was to release the hydrangeas from the brambles and cleavers (sticky weed). There are at least 6 varieties of hydrangea in the garden, no doubting that they like the coastal conditions. Although the grass will eventually be replaced with some kind of paving I'll keep the mature shrubs. The hedge along the road on the other side of the garden needs major cutting back and a couple of large elder bushes taken out completely. That'll have to wait until the winter as there are sparrows and blackbirds nesting in there.
I did tackle the street side of the hedge cutting back any branches growing across the pavement. More secateurs wielding cleared the way down from the terrace and into the top section of the garden. I've left a number of piles of branches and weeds to wither away in the summer heat. There was enough room left in the second skip for me to get rid of several bags of weeds and prunnings cleared from the small terrace which is just big enough for a small table and a couple of chairs. 

In the evenings the sky was filled with swallows and house martins followed by a lone pipistrelle bat. I must take some binoculars the next time we go up as there are dolphins in the bay.