Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Farway

Early start again, out watering the strictly necessary pots first thing, with today forecast and heat warnings, give them a fighting chance

I've been nibbled by something. itchy red lumps and bumps cropping up. One nasty one is on my right hand, swelling up near my thumb, it's shiny red & itches like bu66ery as well, and one over my left eye, starting to look toad like with all the lumps

My house is East , West, with shady street trees at front. The trees can be a nuisance but right now are a blessing, my lounge is relatively cool, unlike bedroom that is a sauna.

Hope car repair goes well Dusty & no surprises are revealed

Love the phlox, never grown them but have always liked them. I remember we used to pull the flowers out & suck the nectar from the stem. This passed as amusement before iPhones

Eclipse was non event, no pic and as Dusty DDs noted, better in 1999

2p I went to Morrisons looking for the pots but none here. Our lovely lady that watered the plants properly and on delivery left with I'll health and the plant sales have plummeted. In the words of one of the staff 'the store is a shambles That's a shame, the pots are a handy, just the right size. There were small troughs, window box type, also a quid. But I expect it depends on store & staff. They did have spring bulbs, not daffs, but squirrels food, like iris & crocus

2P I have a renegade tomato plant growing from the herb pot. Plum ones, whether miniature or San Mazano we shall see.

Dusty It's funny you should mention rogue tomatoes, because I spotted several plants last night, with baby toms forming, on our woodchip/chicken poo heap. I'll swear they weren't there a month ago! I'll get a photo. 😉

Ha, I'll show you mine if you show me yours 😁😈

Here's the self sown, out front in the cat poo trough. Honestly they look far better than the Tumbling toms I've nurtured and some of the so called basket types. Not quite ripe enough to taste just yet, but certainly one to smear & save

Photos taken this morning

wort

This is my best shot ,the bottom photo is dd2s. Very underwhelmed

wort

Haha dd2s now

Dustyevsky

wort: This is my best shot ,the bottom photo is dd2s. Very underwhelmed

But you both had an image of the eclipse in a lens flare. ☺️

So did I.

And it did become quite dark for a while:

Yesterday's insurance joy was short-lived. 😯They wouldn't accept my 9 years no claims bonus. It was a month out of date.😮 So, off to another insurer which would. 😛 It cost, but the principle's important, as was the extra £192 the original bods wanted from me!

Slightly better news on the car front. The garage say the (ancient) battery was kernackered. Who am I to argue? Oh, and an expensive-sounding banging noise was solved with a jubilee clip. Hurrah! 🤩 There are much worse noises coming from their van. I expect they know! 😂

twopenny

Sorry to hear about your lumps Farway. Have you got any antihistamine cream? I always keep some to hand. If you're not allowed to use it lavender oil is good.

Bumber about the van Dusty. But you sound quite upbeat about it.

Good picture of the sun Wort 😆

Anyone now looking at the stars?

Today's been another ridiculously hot day, too hot to even go to the beach and stand in cold water,and I forgot to plan a trip to the dark sky. It's cooled off now with a breeze. If I get enough sleep and it cools off I may venture out tomorrow.

Only excursion or gardening today was to go out front at 8pm to water there. It's a sad state of affairs.

Oh I did make some blackberry and apple jam. It was no hotter than just sitting down ❄️⛄🐻‍❄️🐧 does that help?

LessImpecunious

Yes, 2P, I looked at stars last night after haze had cleared, spotted c. 5 shooting stars in 10 mins or so…

Checked yesterday's photos and I also have mini-eclipse lens-flare images, not spotted before 🙂

After a clear start today more smoke from nearby fires arrived and we had an almost eclipse-like atmosphere again for 2 or 3 hours late this afternoon, as a big plume blew over us, obscuring the sun. With Wort on finding the looking-at-the-sun bit of the eclipse underwhelming, but love the spooky atmosphere … difficult to capture on camera though…

As is my rowan tree, this is the best I could do, too bright in morning sun, better in reflected evening light… it looked better a few days ago, but yellowing leaves have begin to appear, spoiling the red/green contrast…

Dying non-bomproof Crocosmia in foreground….