Awful weather - typical Brits talk

twopenny

I've found the answer for you Poppy 😀

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/cgjgznve666o

pink_poppy

Haha, a bit extreme, twopenny   I've only just read your back windows advice, but will try that next time we're stuck. Enjoy your dip in the sea - DH had a dip in Scarborough and then went back in for second helpings.

I've relayed that info to DD, YBE, so thanks for that. No idea what a pigdog is though - I'm guessing it's a made up word   Oh, and I saw a 'grass' settee and chair outside a pub while we were away and wondered if we'd been in the same location, because I remembered you posting a photo of one a while back - that would be weird.

We finally got home just before 6pm, so almost 9 hours on the road - we're both absolutely exhausted. The car temperature peaked at 33 degrees, but 'cooled' down to between 25-27 once we got out of Penrith. No idea if it was an accident or just weight of traffic, but we were stuck in it for an hour and forty minutes   

In order of priority... I fed the pussycat (DD's boyfriend had been looking after him for the 5 days we were away), then I fed and watered the tomato plants (poor things were wilting and some of the leaves have gone yellow), fed and watered the birds (no water left in the dish and felt very guilty about that) and finally fed us. DH is now catching up on the Tour De France and I'm sat in the 'coolest' bedroom with pussycat by my side. We're forecast 30 degrees here tomorrow - oh joy...

twopenny

The back windows idea I realised only works when you're moving 😐
Though it works a treat because you get the cold air on the back of your neck which is blissful.

Might be flying ant day tomorrow. Saw some with wings and coming home there were seagulls all over the road.

Dustyevsky

pink_poppy said:

Still stuck and car temperature now 31 degrees 🥵 urgh…

YoungBlueEyes said:

 OT - am beyond mafted, it’s properly fackin’ scorchio 🥵 ☹️

Our aircon is just a distant memory now, so those were the kind of readings the normally pessimistic car gave when I set out yesterday to shop for today's family 'do'. Didn't have to sit in a queue, though, so commiserations regarding the time your return journey took, pp.    

Taking care to arrive in the dead lunchtime hour, I actually found parking in the shade.  There may have been an evening onslaught of people dashing down to enjoy the weekend weather, but I was safe again in this rural backwater by then! 

I agree with everything Bluey said about maintaining a strict paper trail with purchases, and the 'special circumstances' that may arise with probate sales. Nothing brings out the worst in people more than the large sums of money involved in property transactions, especially when there are family tensions involved!

Hopefully there won't be too many of those today. We've no idea how many will show-up, but at least there's a field to park in now, we've some shade about the place, and plenty of dry grass if the chairs run out.   

On the dryness, we've had to do some intensive watering where a few hedge plants began to show signs of distress. Being well-drained is good, but it comes with the need for vigilance in heatwaves.  

My photo today is another butterfly, which may be a Ringlet. I'm sure someone will say if I'm wrong! It's been heartening to see so many butterflies after last years dismal numbers, and that goes for the swallows too, which have obviously had a good year. 

YoungBlueEyes

Deffo do 2p's back window thing pp, it's a winner. Or the Afghan taxi thing, I'm sure them boys know everything there is to know about heat. One last thing (because I don't want to get into trouble, and I'm still not a lawyer etc) - not all estates need probate. There's no way as an outsider you'd know if they need it or not tbh.  Aye pigdog is made up, a non-sweary gentle insult that you can say in polite company.

Speaking of things that are made up, and a good example of a pigdog, here's a story. An estate agent told their+our client that it was fine to swop keys and move in before exchange and completion, (on the day of e+c but before it'd happened) as long as they went into their office and settled their bill first. So the buyer and seller arranged to meet at 1000 to swop keys and make the most of the day... Seller didn't think to run it past their solicitor, they only rang to tell us - at 0930 - to amend their bill as they were paying the estate agent directly   Or the one from the other week, where they turned up weeks early and tried to bribe their way in, that was ok'd by the estate agent too. My god they seriously need some training or regulation or both. Big Boss Man does his best but there's only so much you can shout down a phone  

Good to hear I'm not the only one who looks at gardens as a main thing, thanks folks. I also look at neighbour's gardens so I can judge what kind of people they might be ha haa!  Did either of those empty properties make you want to sell 2p?

It was flying ant day here yesterday, and the eleventy squillion ants in my grass never moved The ones that were winged-up and taking flight were coming out of wee holes round the patio edging  

Also, who mentioned FastMo? I’ve got a candidate - the dinnerbobs I put down at night so that damn cat doesn’t starve to death have been chased about the place by slugs - 



I'd love to see that speeded up

OT warming up again already. It's 16'c currently with a high of 25'c to come, they say. Unbelievably Cissie has it warmer than us, it'll hit 29'c which is super hot for there. 

Refreshed and look at your Ringlet Dusty We've more butterflies and things here too so I hope it's true for everywhere. Not as many swifts/swallows as I'd like but then nostalgia can be a terrible thing sometimes. Have yous got plenty down there? The h-u-g-e clouds of them we used to see are long gone now I think, we've maybe 8 or 9 here and I'm happy to see even that many. You having a bit of a do? Hopefully you have manageable weather

twopenny

House stayed at 24c overnight 😕
Was awake at 6 with the rising sun so opened all windows and doors. Dozing someone came to water their allotment at 7. Now nice neighbour pfaffing around at 8. I'm seriously sleep deprived.
Heading to 30s again.

Can't imagine what it would be like to entertain in this weather Dusty 😵‍💫
Lovely Ringlet. 

Yes I liked the one high up but it's very shady and barking happy dogs? Needs work.
The one with lovely views is in poor condition and weirdly designed.
Too many unknowns with ropey construction. Almost nothing is selling at the moment but a lot on the market. 
I like where I am but headknob nextdoor is ruling the roost. He will come unstuck eventually.
While it's really convenient to be where I am I do like the feeling of being uphill with the amazing views. We'll see.  

Good phrase about plants in distress. Need to water the raspberries and cherry tree.
May have lost my potted Christmas tree. But I need a bigger pot for the apricot as it's survived so swings and roundabouts.

Dustyevsky

twopenny said:

Can't imagine what it would be like to entertain in this weather Dusty 😵‍💫

Better than last time, when there was a gale, with rain lashing down!   People stayed in the marquee and were forced to socialise.   This time, they'll be able to wander at will, and see the place properly. However, there are many hazards, so there's no telling if some older folk will survive! 

We're only laying on drinks and a barbecue. Folks will bring their own food etc. One of the best investments I've made was a large, s/h larder fridge, we use at Christmas and events like this. Just plonk it down, plug it in and no need to disrupt the kitchen one. It's currently stuffed full of water and soft drinks, Pimms etc, but when the young people arrive there will be beer too, I'm sure. 

Here's a bonus insect picture. Some sort of fly on a wee Salvia leaf. I also had the chance to shoot two lily beetles mating, but decided that might be too upsetting for Farway! 

greenbee

Dustyevsky said:
 I also had the chance to shoot two lily beetles mating, but decided that might be too upsetting for Farway! 

I don't think he'd mind if you shot them... 

Thermometer left on the garden table on the north-facing patio got up to 42C yesterday, and the greenhouse max said 53C. Should be cooler today, but I suspect most of it will be spent inside. There's not much shade in the garden, apart from at the far end where the bitey things are. Although I do need to spend some time in the veg plot rearranging some of the soaker hose connections to make them more efficient. There are too many ends and I need more loops. Still, it got a good soaking last night as I forgot to turn the tap off... 

Farway

Boiling here again, it was 75 at 0630 in my lounge this morning, way too hot for me

Sounds like hell journey home PP, at least you have weekend to relax / recover

As a young lad of the 50s, during war games, it was always German pigdogs we captured, and tortured

Too many 6d Commando books for my own good

Luckily, today's children have the internet to distract them from such violence

Too hot to garden, but my buddleias are now out, so camera, with zoom, is on standby for butterflies, but it'll take some to get one as good as Dusty's

My flying ant day was last week, but always seem to be another batch hiding away

I have one tiny bud forming on my seed sown dwarf dahlias, better be worth it, with the time & loses along the way

greenbee said:

Dustyevsky said:
 I also had the chance to shoot two lily beetles mating, but decided that might be too upsetting for Farway! 

I don't think he'd mind if you shot them... 

Insect p0rn!. I spotted a LB on my lilies yesterday, so still around. Little Devils.

Did anyone see or capture the Buck Moon?

I didn't but DGD did, so here's hers so we can see what we missed

She is up in London celebrating her graduation

pink_poppy

Talking of bitey things, I’ve come back with a few itchy bites after I thought I’d forgotten to take any insect repellent on holiday, only to find some in my bag when I was packing to come home yesterday 🙄 the English equivalent of the Scottish midge are just as bad, imo. I’ve also got ’cankles’ (fat ankles) because of the heat yesterday 😂

twopenny, headknob made me laugh 😁 I keep wondering if we should move once DH retires (and me if I ever get a job). It’s nice to look at houses in the meantime though. We have a neighbour here who takes her dog out in the car once or twice a day and all you can hear is yap, yap, yap as she goes past - drives me mad, so I couldn’t cope with yappy (happy??) dogs as immediate neighbours.

Hope your entertaining goes well today, Dusty. Will it be home grown cucumber in the Pimm’s??

Gross ants pic, YBE 🤢 there’s just something about ants that make my skin crawl. We get snail/slug trails in the garden - funny thought to see them speeded up 😂 It is worrying how naive some people are about financial transactions - I’m passing all your info on to my DD, just in case.

Those temperatures are mind blowing, greenbee 🥵

Fab pic of the Buck moon, Farway, well done to your DGD. We stayed up late on Thursday night to watch the ISS go over again (and a satellite just before it), but no sign of the moon 🤷‍♀️ 

I’ve been up since 4am 😴 just too tired to sleep, itms. Will hopefully have a wee kip later. It’s a beautiful day, but I’m not looking forward to the 30 degree heat later…

Forgot this pic - no idea what type of moth it is, but it was on the floor of our accommodation one day…