Diary - Thursday 13th August

[Caw1]

Well looks like I could be first today...

It was a hot night but managed to sleep ok until about 7am... read my book
Once up had breakfast... weather much cooler in fact only 18C at 8.30,, OH had gone off to golf....
looking at the sky it was decidedly grey.... imminent rain I suspect..
I had promised to deliver the face coverings today so wanted to get all those I'd still got cut finished...
Took fan up and opened the windows as it still felt quite warm...
Lasted until about 11am then claps of thunder and boy did it rain... raced round shuting all big windows...
Heard car come up the drive at about midday and garage door open... my rooms above it...
Went down to see O.H coming in like a drowned rat... soaked, clubs wet, everything wet!.... including the seat on the passenger side of his car.... he'd left the window down and the rain had poured in.... not sitting in there for a good while!
Continued sewing for the rest of the day...
Met Sammy at 6pm with 179 face coverings....
Dinner was cod loin with mustard sauce with roasted vegs..
Watched some tv...
Retire to read after this post...
Not a spectacular day....

Hope others haven't been drowned out and survived the heat...
Caroline

[Roobarb]

Don't know about surviving the heat Caroline 🙁


Woke to a drizzly morning, turned over and dozed for another hour or so. As it was such a miserable day I decided to sort out the chaos I'd left in the spare bedroom. I store some out of season clothes under the ottoman bed and had some hanging up, I normally do an exchange at the beginning of the season but didn't bother this year as I wasn't going anywhere, so I had bits all over and couldn't find what I wanted the other day. Had hauled it all out along with the bedding that's stored there and left it on top of the bed so it was all to sort out. Was really hot by the time I'd finished.

Missed my prescription delivery the other day, rearranged for today and although she said it could be any time she kindly checked further and said it would be after three. However, didn't want to risk missing it again so decided to wait for my walk till after they had been. Had some lunch and did a stack of ironing I'd been putting off. Prescription arrived about 4.15, couldn't wait to get out despite a heavy sea fret. Hardly anyone on the field, enjoyed the fresh air.

Was going to make some pasta sauce and have some with chicken from yesterday but as it was such a miserable day I did a Sunday dinner with it instead, also made pasta sauce while it was cooking. I know a lot of people enjoy cooking but not me, I just do it because I want something decent to eat!

Phoned my friend in Devon, she'd been over to Goodrington Sands with her family last week! Was thinking today that I wished my ancestors had stayed in Devon instead of coming North but then my gt grandfather wouldn't have met my gt grandmother and I wouldn't exist!

Forecast for tomorrow is overcast but at least it's better for sleeping and we didn't get the thunderstorms.

[Hornchurch]

Well looks like I could be first today...

It was a hot night but managed to sleep ok until about 7am... read my book
Once up had breakfast... weather much cooler in fact only 18C at 8.30,, OH had gone off to golf....
looking at the sky it was decidedly grey.... imminent rain I suspect..
I had promised to deliver the face coverings today so wanted to get all those I'd still got cut finished...
Took fan up and opened the windows as it still felt quite warm...
Lasted until about 11am then claps of thunder and boy did it rain... raced round shuting all big windows...
Heard car come up the drive at about midday and garage door open... my rooms above it...
Went down to see O.H coming in like a drowned rat... soaked, clubs wet, everything wet!.... including the seat on the passenger side of his car.... he'd left the window down and the rain had poured in.... not sitting in there for a good while!
Continued sewing for the rest of the day...
Met Sammy at 6pm with 179 face coverings....
Dinner was cod loin with mustard sauce with roasted vegs..
Watched some tv...
Retire to read after this post...
Not a spectacular day....

Hope others haven't been drowned out and survived the heat...
Caroline

'



  13th August 2020,

  Astoundingly, it went from 31-32 degrees centigrade of heat, yesterday....
 ...... down to a Foggy/Misty 24-degrees Celsius today (13th)

  The sheer drastic difference between yesterday (12th) and today's weather (13th), couldn't be MORE different

 Blisteringly Hot yesterday, in a short-thin-shirt, to wearing a fleece-jacket both today & this eve'.


 Spare a thought for those young lads from 80-Years Ago, today (onwards), during Aug'/Sept' 1940.


 Those of us who WERE defending England AND the U.K from the threat of imminent invasion !
 

  Because TODAY 80-years ago, the German Luftwaffe 'kicked-off' ADLER-TAG = "EAGLE DAY"

 
   "Adlertag was the first day of Unternehmen Adlerangriff....

   which was the codename of a military operation by Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe...."

   "To destroy the British Royal Air Force"


 This WAS the pre-cursor of the per-ordained "Invasion of England" codenamed 'Operation-Sealion'

 We can all praise God & thank those of stout heart & mind who defended the U.K Eight-decades ago.

 Today, we ALL take those 'freedoms' for granted, the civil-liberties & freedom we enjoy each day.

 But Eight-decades ago, young men of 19,20,21,22,& 23 years of age were warding-off the threat of 'Invasion'

  Allowing our freedom(s) & way of life/lives to continue

  Remember them....   

 (𝑨𝒔 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒂𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆, 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒘, 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒅𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 32 𝑺𝒒𝒅𝒏 𝑹.𝑨.𝑭 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 '𝑮𝒁' 𝒄𝒐𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝑯𝒂𝒘𝒌𝒆𝒓 𝑯𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒆𝒔)

[Annette7]

Another very sticky night although I only woke 2/3 times.   This morning at 11am it was 28C but overcast.    By mid-afternoon it was 32C again.   Having checked forecasts for my area each one I read was different so no clue as to what would happen during the day.    Checked again on Met. Office site which said we would have a thunderstorm around 3pm.   At 2.00pm I went outside as it was cooler in the shade than it was in my flat.   At 2.30 rumbles of thunder started although not overhead.   Went on for half an hour and then stopped and the sun came out for the rest of the day.   Sat outside chatting to neighbours for a couple of hours this evening and it felt much cooler.    Around 9pm started getting flashes of lightning and an odd rumble of thunder but it came to nowt!   So, as yet, no rain of any kind (with or without storm).   Temperature for tomorrow forecast at 26C but we will see.

My niece had her 16 week scan and all okay - hearts seem good but one baby is currently in breech position which can change of course.   Told Jo that baby must be taking after his nanna (my sister).   My mother had my sister at home but baby was turned umpteen times only to go back into breech position.   Shortly before she was born she'd gone into the right position.    My father was told when he called the midwife he was also to call the doctor (she who had turned the baby).   When asked why she said she wanted to see what Mum gave birth to i.e. a baby or a monkey!

Also determined the sex of the babies which were written down and note to be handed over to my nephews wife who is organising a 'Reveal' party for 22nd.  August with family from both sides. 

Tried to do a bit more on the PC but simply too hot.  This is the first time for days that I haven't had to have fan on in the study after midnight.   So, hopefully a better sleep tonight.

Will have to see what delights tomorrow's weather brings.  Forecast is sure to be wrong anyway.

Annette

[Viktoria]

Thankyou for that reminder, as someone who was alive at the time albeit not really aware of the world changing events that were taking place, I did gradually become aware of what was happening as the war progressed.
I never stop being amazed that we got through that,and only twenty years after another major conflict.
The so very young men who made up the fighter pilots , could well have been the “ after war babies “ of men who survived the trenches , and would be born in hope of better times.
Splendid young men, and their deaths such a waste of talent and knowledge.
I won’t be alive when it is 100 years after The Battle of Britain, but feel sure there will be commemorations,.
I wonder what the world will be like then.
Well we have this “ conflict” to get through, and in my area numbers have risen.
This is not me speaking but officially it is the under 40’s who are the cause.
I won’t make comparisons , but wonder how those young men and indeed their generation would behave in like circumstances .
This is in a way more difficult ,we knew our enemy then, where he was and
how to deal with him ,thanks to espionage etc.
But this, is it morphing ,?.how do we deal with it ? exactly where is it.?
What a shame young lives are losing out to no proper exam results etc.
There seems no fair way in operation to get a good idea of how the students would have done.
Well, thank you again ,we must never forget, and perhaps a timely reminder of those young men’s sacrifice         
might influence the anti social behaviour of some of today’s young people.
Viktoria.

[River Tyne Lass]

I ended up having a very low key day on Thursday.  Dull, rainy weather left me feeling very unmotivated about going anywhere.  I drifted instead into working on family/local history stuff, checking emails and reading.
Late last night I checked the front pages online for today.  I see that freedoms are going to increase but that there will be crippling fines for those who blatantly disregard safety measures, such as wearing face coverings.  I agree with this.  I think this is such a small effort which is being asked of us.  I can't understand people who are more interested in their 'rights' to always do as they please ahead of the safety of others.
Thank you so much for the reminder Hornchurch and for the photo.  Very thought provoking.  Look at those young men  .. so brave and selfless .. when you think of what was before them and yet they look so carefree.  We owe the freedoms we enjoy today to the likes of these.  It doesn't bear thinking about what life might be today if not for the effort and sacrifices of people during WW2.
People were asked to dig up gardens and grow their own food for one thing ..   I am just being asked to social distance, wash hands, wear a mask .. no comparison in effort really.
Your comment about the war babies of WW1 and the hope that they would have had a better future has reminded me of something Viktoria.  A good while back I had been looking at a local newspaper which is not yet on line - 'Whitley Seaside Chronicle & Visitors Gazette'.  During the Great War a woman who signed herself as 'Mrs Robert Lockhart' sent in a number of poems (seemingly with the aim of encouraging people to make effort and keep going.)  However, one of her poems was a bit strange, almost a bit prophetic.  I can't remember the words but it was about a child playing in a sand trench whilst his Father was away in a real trench.  The startling part for me was that in one line she refers to the child and writes that his turn will come too one day.  I showed this to someone else at the time, who is also interested in war history as I am, and they were just as startled by the line as I was.  Surely she hadn't expected the Great War to be still going on when a toddler would have grown up, they said.  It does seem strange that Mrs Lockhart seems to have had a thought that a toddler of that time might indeed end up in a trench in another war further down the line!
It is Friday morning as I write and it looks like another gloomy weather day outside.