Diary > Friday 21st August

[Roobarb]

Really windy today,  woke up to rain showers, no reason to hurry to get up. Spent a lot of time reading my book, the news and catching up on Rootschat. The weather cleared out so went for my walk about 12.45, wasn't hungry for lunch. Was taking my chances as to whether my newly washed hair would get wet again.

When I went out NN was on the front talking to one of my nice neighbours. I didn't know she was there but I'm not going to change anything I do because of her. He said hello, I didn't even look at NN.

Blustery on the field but warm and pleasant in the sunshine. Walked back by a different route, not because of NN, just fancied a change.

Had lunch, there were some heavy showers. Did some housework during the afternoon, not my favourite occupation. Did a bit of deadheading in the garden between showers. My friend L phoned, she has had a couple of outdoor lunches which she enjoyed. They were provided with a QR code to scan on phones, which took them to a menu and they ordered from that. All clever stuff. I'm wondering how things will be with whereabouts people eat when the weather gets cooler.

Fish for tea, jacket potato, roasted tomatoes and peppers, sweetcorn. Strawberries and blueberries with yogurt.

Usual evening, usual day really except for housework instead of gardening. More showers expected over the weekend, wind has dropped.

[louisa maud]

Gosh, you were late tonight Roobarb

I am only up because I sometimes have these "can't sleep nights" drives me insane so I usually see what is going on  with RC, nothing much at the moment, an hour or so on here then hopefully I can get back to bed and sleep, will no doubt be up by 07.30 feeling like a wet lettuce leaf,

night night

Louisa Maud

[Viktoria]

Up watching Morse.
I too washed my hair, put rollers in ,but it is so long no point really.
Not long enough though for a French pleat etc.

Well a communication re TV licence, not opened it yet,but says on the front.
I usually wait a few days before opening post.
Campaign to keep them free obviously failed.

Been trying to sort out food delivery from M&S,that is not to order party food.
Just groceries etc.

Been looking at the house deeds ,re which fence is whose.
Very confusing and as far as I can tell not as the Solicitor stated!.

Not seen a weather forecast today ,hope it is reasonable tomorrow- well - today now.

I swapped to milk delivery on the step, and they are very good,it is semi skimmed but not homogenised ,cream on the top.
Sadly despite pouring the cream off and putting the milk in a jug it goes sour very soon .
I was grateful for the delivery during lockdown and don’t want to stop deliveries now but I am wasting a lot .

Saturday- but there is hardly any difference in the days- no plans ,a lot will depend on the weather.
Lovely lavender mauve gladioli opening now,one snapped off by the wind last week,look very garish next to the peachy orange ones.
This is their third year.
I must get some wallflowers if I can when  they are on sale.
I nip the tops out ,they bush out nicely then.
The scent is lovely and I like the dark velvety brown/reds.
We used to get them from the market in Ludlow ,that is where I was told about nipping the tops out.
They grew in profusion in the stone walls of the chapel grave yard in the little village in Shropshire where I lived .
I took the odd seed pod but no success in germinating them.
Just below the biggest area is the grave of a lovely lad ,went to Grammar School in Shrewsbury and Uni ,became a Social worker.
I remember on one of my holidays back there he had diverted a run off from the mine site through their garden.
He would have been about 16 .
Made a water garden.Pond, waterfalls ,bog garden etc .
Used cement and wrote quotations in Greek in the wet cement.
It was really nice , to me at the time , wonder if it is still there .
How my mind doth wander !

Hope everyone has a good day.
Viktoria.

[ThrelfallYorky]

I've always had a doorstep milk delivery - but surely, you should leave it in the bottle it came in, in the fridge, for as long as possible - it'll go off sooner if decanted to a jug, no matter how posh or pretty! These days I never put  it into a jug - just take cups over to fridge & add required amounts. I'll never find my inner Hyacinth Bucket, will I?

[Roobarb]

I'm no Hyacinth either TY, mine isn't even in a proper bottle, just a plastic one! 

[louisa maud]

For some unknown reason my twin  brother calls me Mrs Bucket, I have no idea why

LM

[Annette7]

Woken at 7.20am by workmen outside.   We have Cityfibre working in our road for some weeks, digging up pavement and fitting new broadband cables.   Noise was horrendous and had to shut all windows.   By mid-morning a trench being dug across the entrance to our car park and no vehicles able to cross.   Were we warned of this happening?   No we were not!!  I was supposed to be going to visit my niece across town but had to cancel since I couldn't get out.   On top of this my grocery delivery due at lunchtime but wouldn't be able to get in.   I had to go outside (and wind was blowing a hooley) to looking for ASDA vehicle and wave to let them know if was me they were delivering to.   Driver saw me and had to park much further down the road.   He carried it directly to my door, bless him.   Was not until around 6pm that boards were put over the open trench so that at last vehicles could get in/out.   

Had another look and still can't find my favourite scissors - seem to have vanished off the face of the earth.

Wasn't very hungry and didn't eat until quite late plus watched my usual tv programmes.

Meeting friends for a coffee tomorrow afternoon at a nearby garden centre.  Looking forward to seeing them.

Annette

[Viktoria]

Oh it is not me bring posh  when  I open  it there is a plug of cream in the neck of the bottle which I have to remove with a knife.
If I leave the milk in that bottle traces if the thick cream appear in my tea and the milk goes off very quickly.
No use smelling the milk as the bottle smells sour .,so can’t really tell.
So I decant the milk into a jug , smell each time and that works.
I noticed today the bottle even when washed was still cloudy inside, no amount of washing cleaned the bottle,sooooo, methinks  their bottle washing machine is not working properly.
I will have to mention it when I pay by phone on Monday.
If the bottle is not clean when sterilised the left on milk will be the dickens
to clean ever again!
Visit to a Dairy from school years ago!
Also only rinse with cold water as warm also “ sets” the casein in the milk on the glass.Same school dairy visit.
They are nice people and so obliging but they’re need to know.
Other people might report them, I would rather give them a chance to sort it out .
Oh, gosh ,nothing happening except my built in oven was naughty today, cooking a chicken,needed fan170  degrees. but would not get above 150 so in a lot longer ,but done as I have a meat thermometer and it was so tender.
Have a service contract so will phone next week.
Boiler service next week,I am not sure I can stand the excitement!
So much rain today , only been outside to feed the fish and take stuff to the bins.
Thorough deep bathroom clean , and the glass shelf looked a bit lower  at one side so got that sorted -  might  migh fall,off altogether in the night so I must put a thick towel in the washbasin .
I need a shorter bath, this one is enormous 170 cm.
Need somewhere to tidily store cleaning materials etc .
The bath is 150 cm inside , I am 152cm maximum!
I could drown!
No handgrips only those I  have put in,suction ones .
It takes gallons and gallons to get a decent depth ,otherwise I could be adopted by the Muckinese clan 
Made a jelly ,Carnation  milk chilling.
Oh the refinements of life!
Well off to tidy the kitchen ,I think vandals have been in!
Viktoria.

[louisa maud]

When we bought a new bath about 15 years ago we noticed it was do much deeper than the one we had   why when we are supposed to be concerving water as much as we can,  recently they said we might have a hose ban and yet as Viktoria has said baths are bigger, use more water when we ought to be using less

LM