Life outside Ambridge
Returning to my Alma Mater, I remember when all this was car-park
Life in Ambridge
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Lif in Ambridge
Archer Family tree up to 2000, (pre Helen, Pip & Tom’s off-spring)
Life in Ambridge
An upcoming storyline methinks!
I was back to my old stomping ground, Dulwich, to remember & celebrate my oldest friend’s mother who recently died a week short of her 96th birthday. It was a lovely gathering & then I had a nostalgic walk through Dulwich village which is virtually unchanged and up to my old school, A theatre block now stands where the bike shed & teachers parking used to be.
ReplyDeleteAh Jags KP !
DeleteAlways hoped my G daughters would be pupils there, but they left Dulwich to live in Bath instead.
I went to school down the road in Forest Hill.
Lady RJune 10, 2025 at 11:36 AM
ReplyDeleteSARNIA‼️ Your book has just been delivered - totally stunning sneaked a quick look at first two entries. What descriptions I could see smell and feel everything. Beautiful beautiful illustrations.
Congratulations ⭐️👏🏻⭐️👏🏻 love your dedications too.
REPLYDELETE
AmbridgesMrsPJune 10, 2025 at 12:58 PM
I’ve had a phone call today from the surgeons secretary.
She is going to try to get help and says Physio was wrong to keep me waiting on a list. For medical reasons they should have been seeing me three weeks ago.
I went out to lunch yesterday with the street choir social group.
I had a full English breakfast and really enjoyed it.
It was also very good to be in company.
Lady RJune 10, 2025 at 1:18 PM
ReplyDeletePleased to hear you got through to your surgeons secretary and received the promised reply Mrs P. Another example of a breakdown in communication and a delay in the support you needed 😡
An outing with a full English breakfast 😋 and good company bliss indeed!
DELETE
Cheshire CheeseJune 10, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Great to hear that you are getting out MrsP.
Lady R, I did reply to your amazing comment but it got lost in the transfer. What can I say but 'Thank you '.
ReplyDeleteMy Passing Ships have arrived too!🚢🍾
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely book - and a hardback too. I was expecting another small paperback. I sat down to read a couple of poems over lunch and got over half-way through. I shall return to read more slowly and savour the words and pictures. I loved the rain of shiny pomegranates!
Very many congratulations Sarnia 💖
Just reporting that Sarnia’s poems arrived here at midday (Wednesday) and I’m straightaway delighted by the sheer pleasure of handling the book (“What is the use of a book without pictures?” said Alice) and the fact that two of my previous favourites are in.the contents list. No prizes for guessing what I’ll be doing this evening!
ReplyDeleteMine too. Have just dipped into it so far, but your feelings about the Casquets resonated with me. Whenever I returned to Cornwall by train I would be up and looking out the window down at the water as it went over the Tamar bridge, and then I would know I was home.
ReplyDeleteAnd so the mother and son won Race Round the World.
ReplyDeleteMust admit I was disappointed that the young Welsh couple didn’t win but I did think they got more out of the journey than any of the others. Their difficult journey through China, Nepal and India taught them a lot about themselves; learning to mix with other nationalities, strange languages, and seeing poverty at first hand was a very maturing experience. I look forward to the post adventure meet-up next week.
I’ve just watched the final part of Race Round the World on iPlayer. I agree that the young Welsh couple had probably gained the most from the whole experience - the girl seemed very naive at the beginning and it was good to see her broaden her horizons during the race. But I was pleased that the mother and son combo won. It was refreshing to see their relationship develop during the race ; it is difficult to stop being the parent or the child and view each other as a person in their own right. The lady ( can’t remember her name) revelled in her new found confidence and her son recognised this and appreciated the transformation.
DeleteSarnia - What a talented person you are.
ReplyDeleteMy book has arrived and I have just read the foreward.
I'm not going to be tempted to dive straight in and binge read. Instead I'm going to take my time and savour each offering in the way I think you intend.
It's a wonderfully presented book and the illustrations, how many are your own handiwork?
You must be so proud ! pleased with the completed work. 👏👏👏
Thank you, Miriam, how you choose to savour each offering is entirely your own decision, it's not for me to say.
ReplyDeleteThe artwork is all my own - apart from the photograph of my brother on the dedication page, of course l.
I finally got my visit from the community hub physio yesterday.
ReplyDeleteVery nice, very thorough and she also referred me to the district nurse who then turned up three hours later.
Amazing !
She changed the dressing ( amazed to discover that iodine is still in use, but now infused into a strip of paper. A piece was cut off the strip and placed on the open area of the wound ). She will return on Tuesday.
The physio was very satisfied with my progress and my walking without any aid, and I am at last reassured that I’m not damaging myself.
Many thanks for the support received from friends on this blog.
You’ve helped to keep me focussed.
What a relief, Mrs P.
DeleteSarnia 👍
DeleteJust been watching Trooping of the Colour on TV. A beautiful day, and such a colourful ceremony.
ReplyDeleteBut ‘why oh why’ does Clare Balding have to present everything these days? I suppose she knows a lot about horses but I am getting fed up with her constant presence - even advertising a leg exerciser these days, taking over from Ian Botham!
One other thing - could somebody please send Queen Camilla the present of a set of hat pins. She has a fondness for very large hats and always seems to be clinging on to them, even in a slight wind. As far as I remember, the late Queen never had to hold onto her hat!
I’ve been watching too ARCHERPHILE.
DeleteSince I don’t watch television very much at all I can’t complain about C Balding but do agree about the Kings lady and her big hats.
Perhaps I should donate my set of antique hat pins to her ?
The ceremony was as always spectacular and always takes me back to my childhood when today was the highlight of our family year.
And when pregnant with my first I even had a seat in the stands.
Today I enjoyed the very detailed information given by CB asking questions of the military personal.
I only ever went up to London once, to see the ceremony and was thrilled by the military bands. Never been keen on horses but it was the uniforms and the music that interested me. I still loved watching the bandsmen perform that cartwheel action to change direction.
DeleteNowadays, watching the fly past is a must, though I thought today’s was a bit lacking. Never mind, there’s always next year 🎼🥁 🎺 🎷 🪈
I agree with you AP regarding CB it will be Wimbledon next! Still miss Sue Barker cannot understand the BBC I gather A Question of sport went down the pan once they replaced her…
DeleteWe couldn’t watch Question Of Sport once they changed all the principal people, Sue Barker, Phill Tufnell and Mat Dawson. They made a perfect trio. Couldn’t stand that Paddy McGuiness’s voice and the humour seemed lacking. I can remember when Princess Anne appeared on Emlyn Huges team!
DeleteExactly! Ye gods CB is on Queens this week as it is the mens? I don’t think she was on the ladies last week but maybe I just did not see her 🙏🏼 grrrr.
DeleteWe got back yesterday from visiting our daughter who lives near Bath. Two things reminded me of TA while we were there.
ReplyDeleteI went to the community shop with 13 yr old granddaughter to get some things for lunch. The shop was built shortly after my daughter and husband moved to the village. Locals were asked if they wanted to pay a monthly subscription into an account out of which purchases could be made. This meant that the shop had a reliable regular income and they have the advantage of being able to send the children without needing a payment method. The children are under strict instructions to only buy ice cream when permission has been given!
The second thing was a beaver. Daughter and son-in-law bought about an acre of land a few years ago, by which a river runs, to manage for wildlife. On the camera traps, among other things, they saw a beaver a couple of years ago. They now have one which appears to have taken up residence on their property. They have seen it a few times, usually between 8 and 9pm. We went down there on Sunday evening to try and see it, but it didn't put in an appearance sadly. There is evidence of it feeding on the bark of some of the trees on the property. It will be interesting to see if it stays around.
That is wonderful CC, are they letting the grass grow or do they cut it. Are they letting bushes grow in the field or just around the edges? I wouldn't say i am exactly managing the field above our house for wildlife but we do seem to get wildlife. My son or daughter use the ride on mower to cut the bottom quarter for Max to run around in, the cutting helps get rid of any ticks, then a pathway two ride-on widths wide all around the rest of the field leaving sloe/hawthorn bushes and undergrowth for about 8 foot width out from beside the hedges, and a pathway through the middle.
DeleteI am planting hazel bushes but mainly along the hedge line. This means there are two very very wide strips of uncut long grasses running up the top three quarters of the field, and it is alive with butterflies and moths in the summer. Young foxes play in the long grass ( so does Max so there goes the idea of protecting him from ticks!), and we must have field mice because a barn owl quarters the field at dusk.
Only wish I had a river close by like your family.
DeleteThey mostly let things grow. However, 11yr old grandson spent most of the time that we were there on the other side of the plot pulling up Himalayan Balsam. Our son-in-law has dug out a big pond which was teeming with tadpoles and the tiniest froglets that I've ever seen. I wish we lived nearer than we do, but that would mean moving further away from the other two girls and their families.
DeleteVery exciting to hear about the beaver CC. I must tell my daughter.
DeleteShe is on the south side of Bath, but they all go out and around the city on walks or cycling.
I’m sorry that you didn’t get to see him/ her, probably a him.
And lovely to hear about your field too Janice.
Well done for all your efforts.
MrNuts and I took ourselves up to London for a day wandering around the National Portrait Gallery, really enjoyed it although walking up Charring Cross Road to Foyles wasn’t so pleasant, central London is so crowded, noisy & smelly, a relief to get back to the provinces.
ReplyDeleteVery sad to hear of the death of one of our favourite pianists, Alfred Brendel. A real maestro, one of the world’s greatest pianists. We were privileged to see him play at a concert at the Anvil. In Basingstoke a few years ago. He was on his farewell world tour before retiring, there was not an empty seat in the auditorium and he played the Rachmaninov Piano Concerto magnificently and gave many encores. At least we have recordings to remember him by.
ReplyDeleteVery quiet here are you all busy busy or like me hiding from the heat 🤣 probably venture outside for an hour in a while but must be in the shade. As you know this is my worst weather nightmare and why I do not look forward to the Summer, but interested to know what you are all up to.
ReplyDeleteMrs P how are you progressing re your ankle? I believe like Mr R skin wise you need to keep out of the sun.
Yes LadyR, I’m staying in the shade,but that’s not difficult in my garden.
DeleteOver the last few days I’ve changed my bed linen by myself and had a bath, again by myself.
My neighbour agreed to pop round after an hour to make sure I was out of the bath and OK.
I return to the hospital on Friday and hope to say goodbye to the boot.
Im walking well without any aids, but am very tired most of the time.
It sounds like you are doing brilliantly Mrs P, and you have a kind neighbour.
DeleteUse your tiredness as a guide not to overdo things though. The tiredness is your friend to hold you back a bit. The body needs to use a lot of energy as part of the healing process.
I don't like it too hot Lady R and don't sit in the sun. I've been catching up with jobs after our weekend away, so nothing of interest to report. I'm hoping to go for a walk at Alderley Edge tomorrow. Hopefully it will be a bit cooler there as it's very wooded.
ReplyDeleteHello Lady R. I may be a bit quieter at the moment as a bit busier than usual. Two main reasons:
ReplyDeleteOne of our churchwardens is in hospital and unlikely to be back in action for some time, if at all, and there are so few of us left and mainly older so I have volunteered to keep the second hand bookstall and card stand running . It is a simple task really just a question of going there a couple of times a week and keeping the books replenished, and making sure the church itself is tidy. It will be a good reason for me to sort through all my books and part with at least some of them. It can be interesting as visitors come in from all over the world, and ask about the history of the place. Yesterday three people came in from the Netherlands, and when I said the ancestry thing had surprisingly shown I had some Dutch dna they treated me like a long lost sister! A new vicar should be starting at the beginning of July so hopefully he might, despite having umpteen village churches to look after, be able to revitalise things a bit. A local retired vicar of 78 has kept the churches going since October and he is tired out now.
Second thing keeping me busy just now is that son and family went about 10 days ago for the two months they spend each year back in the Philippines, usually not in the summer because Mabel prefers to avoid the coldest of our weather but this year her aunt who helped bring the younger ones up has her 75th birthday in July. Busy because as well as keeping an eye on the cottage and watering, and endeavouring not to kill off Mabel's tropical indoor plants, and this weather my son's veg outdoors, also I need to keep half an eye on the next door bit bigger cottage which my son has just bought. The sale progressed very slowly with solicitors checking lots of things and it only went through the day before they left for the Philippines, and the seller who we know ( they've bought a bungalow in the nearby village ) still had furniture to move so he only brought the keys here a couple of days ago. There are some really nice plants and shrubs in the garden there including a row of lavender at the front which suits a very old cottage, but this weather everything is going to need watering. And then there is my own veg here that needs watering. I hope next year they go back to going away autumn or winter. Things seem to go in cycles, and I felt so strange when I walked into this cottage yesterday. My father had to sell it in 1978 to pay death duties, but before that it plus the adjoining smaller cottage and three fields were one unit like a smallholding ( only very small but called Manor House and dating at least to the 1500's if not 1400's, with the old clomb ovens, and listed, and owned by our family for donkeys years). I walked in and it was as if the air was swirling around me, past people or maybe just place memories, but it was strange and I was totally disorientated for a little while. Sarnia would probably understand the feeling because of her pilot.
Thank you for your comment about the Tamar, Janice - it's always interesting to hear what different thoughts people take away from reading my poems
DeleteSome people believe that buildings retain a memory of everything that happened in them and that people who pass through them leave something of themselves behind.
When you opened the door, they all came swirling around you. They may also be parallel time frames coexisting with ours in a different dimension. Can't make up my mind about that!
Wow what a great post Janice very very interesting and as always a sound comment from you Sarnia. I showed my neighbour your book and she commented on the sketches and I can now tell her definitely all your work they are so beautiful such talent!
DeleteSoon I shall update my end but a bit too tired do do so tonight but as always thank you all for your blogging 😇 it is good company 😀
Thanks too to Mrs P (well done you⭐️) and CC hope you made it to the woods to get out of this atrocious heat 🙃
DeleteWe are still waiting for our downpour and the past 2 days have been unbearable, with the nights even worse. They say heat rises, and it certainly does - to our bedroom!
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DeleteP.s. does any one here have an Everhot electric range? I am wondering how expensive they are to run, and what it is like to cook with. My son and daughter in laws new cottage has one, and I know it cost a bomb when it was put in. Mabel was very overawed by it when they viewed the cottage, and is wondering about replacing it with an ordinary cooker. The previous owners loved it for cooking as it has 3 different ovens, and it is a very pretty blue green colour. I think like a rayburn it is supposed to stay on all the time, and I am wondering how high the electric bills will be. They didn't think to ask at the time. I know the owner was thinking of having solar panels on a shed roof ( couldn't on the cotrage roof becausr listed) so that may indicate something.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if i dare cook something in it!
DeleteHave altered picture from my Arum lillies to try to show the lavender bushes alongside the cottage. They are wonderfully fragrant and alive with bees.
ReplyDeleteHopefully every-one is coping with the heat. I'm quite lucky as although the sun is bright + hot, there's been a lovely fresh breeze, so with windows + doors open back + front, the house is lovely and cool.
ReplyDeleteAs you know I had a lovely, mature Hibiscus ""Blue Bird" which got partially burnt. It seemed to survive but gradually it died over a couple of years. I missed it in the garden and after having the back garden cleared and replanting it, I decided to replace it. No garden centre or nursery stocked it, so looked on line. I found exactly what I wanted 25% off and it was only when ordering I realised it was the site Mrs P. uses + recommends - Crocus.
What fabulous service and the plant arrived so well packed and very healthy. I planted it last night (it's only about 2ft high).
This morning on looking out, I was delighted to see one of the buds had opened, so I now have a beautiful blue flower again.
Little things mean a lot but I'm thrilled!
A nearby house which has been a rental for as long as I can remember, is now being sold and what a bargain some-one will have. It's emaculate with a new kitchen + bathroom and is far cheaper than renting an appartment in town. The owners obviously want a quick sale.
Little great niece had her first school sports day this week. On seeing the videos, she is so tiny in comparison. She was super keen and performed brilliantly, even though she came last in everything! Her little legs just don't go fast enough She had fun, which was all that mattered.
I'm pleased to hear that you were able to replace your hibiscus Miriam. I have a few plants that I would want to replace if I lost them, so I understand how you feel.
DeleteIt's getting warmer here today, even the breeze is warm now. My washing has dried very quickly!
I'm quietly melting in this heat! And I'm doubly impatient for rain - one of our cast iron downpipes was cracked and needed to be replaced with plastic, the upside to this is that the men are fitting a water butt for us. So I want the rain to come down in buckets and fill it up! Apologies to all of you who actually like this weather - perhaps we could have a very localised rainstorm!
DeleteI'd so love to have a water butt and was thinking about it, but came across a little problem - I don't have a downpipe on my property. I am a semi- and the pipes are next door..
DeleteI was so disappointed when I realised.
This area has storms forecast for tomorrow afternoon but it's wait + see.
MIRIAM -
DeleteI’m pleased that you found the service from Crocus to be very good.
I received some more plants yesterday and was astonished by the packing.
I’m also using Farmer Gracy and Parker’s.
By car courtesy of a friend to hospital today.
X-rays show excellent alignment and healing well advanced.
Still have the boot to be worn as I feel the need to use it alongside my own protective footwear.
Most of my footwear is boots so no problem there.
Exhausted now with pain ( from need to align foot in very awkward positions for X-rays ) and heat but off to bed for some rest now. Lady being looked after until this evening. And she had a good run in the woods this morning I’m told. All her walks this week, and not every day, have been on lead. She doesn’t complain tho’ !
Mrs P.
DeleteWhat fabulous positive news. Do as others say, rest when needed and use the boot to help as + when.
Is there any indication of when you can you think about driving again, or is this still a long way off?
That would be what frustrated me most.
I couldn't believe how well my plant was packaged, so as to not be damaged in transit. I'll use Crocus again if the need arises.
I glad that your recovery is going well MrsP 😊
DeleteOWIAS. Be careful what you wish for. If you have enough rain to fill the water butt up to capacity, then your garden will be sodden or even flooded.
DeleteIt's surprising how much water comes off a roof Miriam, my water butts fill up very quickly.
DeleteOurs will just come off the garage roof. Not ideal positioning, but that's where the plastic downpipe is. I shall heed your warning, Miriam and hope for a *very* localised rainstorm!
DeleteOWIAS Your wish has come true - but I'm the one getting the heavy downpour!
DeleteI would like a very localised NON rainstorm over our fields today. Tomorrow it can rain as much as it likes - today is the last day we will be bailing for a while. There is always a sense of relief when the silage for the winter feed is stacked up.
DeleteWe had large spots of rain yesterday but nothing to really dampen the ground.
Here in northern Italy it is very hot so I take my daily walk after the sun goes down. This weather usually lasts until September.
ReplyDeleteWe are in a valley where the parmesan/reggiano cheese is made. We usually go to the place where it is made.
A fresher day here today and a little bit of welcome rain.
ReplyDeleteWeather here much fresher yesterday, so got to sleep easily, only to be woken up at 2.00 am by adult daughter asking what to do about bat 🦇 flying around living room. We opened the windows wide switched off the lights and closed the doors. No sign of it when I went down this morning. Those creatures really whizz around.
ReplyDeleteTwo days without any comments on either thread.
ReplyDeleteWhere are you all ?
Busy busy lives !
Still here MrsP, not much of interest happening. I've been having a frustrating time setting up my new phone. I'm normally quite good about backing things up but when I transferred my data from my old one to the new I discovered that I hadn't backed up my WhatsApp messages so half of them were missing. Thankfully they were still on the old one so I was able to recover them. Now I just need to convince Google that I'm capable of organising my own life and don't need them to do it for me!
DeleteI was just wondering the same thing Mrs P. so here goes with what I am busy with at present.
ReplyDeleteI went down to check my son's veg that he is hoping to harvest when back from the Philippines and found a procession of snails climbing up his beanpoles and the leaves reduced to pretty lacework. The sight was quite funny really and I wish I had had my camera. I have some wide copper mesh so will put that round the poles as I don't really like using poison pellets although it may come to that, and plant some extra bean seeds.
Am going to post this in sections as I managed to lose a long paragraph.
And as well as attempting to look after my son's veg and regularly checking for post etc I am looking after the church secondhand bookstall which should be a doddle and indeed the books are, but no one knows where our poor churchwarden in hospital keeps the cards/prayer cards which are popular with visitors, and the stand is virtually empty, so I have been attempting to make them myself, printing off photos I have taken of the stained glass windows and past flower festivals, then printing a prayer on the back, and for a change I am using rather nice Celtic prayers, and am now waiting for some laminating pouches to arrive so I can laminate them.
DeleteHere's one of the Celtic prayers for all of you:
DeleteMay flowers always line your path and sunshine light your day,
May songbirds serenade you every step along the way,
May a rainbow run beside you in a sky that's always blue,
And may happiness fill your heart each day your whole life through.
And because life isn't always easy here's another:
If God sends you down a stony path.
May he send you strong shoes.
Now about to tidy up some of the clutter ( Mrs P I think you can sympathise here!) And then cook some sausage rolls as have an unexpected visitor who is down here on holiday coming later this afternoon. My nice, now without the chickens, neighbour says if she hears the hoover going she knows someone must be visiting!
DeleteWe're also looking into getting barriers installed around our solar panels. The peaky pigeons are still making a nuisance of themselves.
ReplyDeleteWell that’s all nice and newsy. Thank you both.
ReplyDeleteI’ve had some quiet days - had a bath on my own again yesterday while Lady was walked.
My foot is holding up well, though getting tired of course. Doing lots of resting and SO ENJOYING re reading Watership Down.
My home help brought me a huge bag of cherries from her tree this morning.
Oh and on Monday, I entertained a friend to a very simple lunch.
A first for me for well over twenty years.
So glad you are enjoying Watership Down Mrs P. It is very local to us and we often went walking along the ridge to the Beech Hangar at the top. The rabbits trail took them down to what is now Overton where our doctors have their surgery. And of course there is a pub called the Watership Down which serves splendid meals.
DeleteI first read the book when spending the day at the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford sitting next to my baby som after his circumcision operation. He is now 51!
Puss has not shown himself since early yesterday morning.
ReplyDeleteRoving, I hope !
But I have informed both vets…… just in case.
I can’t go looking for him unfortunately.
It's awful when a puss does this. Hopefully he'll wander in as if nothing is amiss.
DeleteHe didn’t wander in !
DeleteI’ve kept an eye on his chair on the deck of the summer house, and suddenly there he was. He was so soundly sleeping that it was obvious he was exhausted. He must have travelled miles ! I tried bringing him in as the afternoon turned chilly and put him on his cushioned chair. Upped and went back up to his usual perch immediately !
I thank you all as always for the news you post. Wow Janice I am impressed with all you are doing ⭐️ and Mrs P hope you will be posting of puss return very soon and congratulations on your lunchtime entertaining especially right now!
ReplyDeleteAfter tomorrow I may be able to update my end I will try to keep to bulletin points!
Spent a very hot afternoon in the kitchen making blackcurrant, redcurrant and raspberry jam.
ReplyDeleteDespite the drought and heat our fruit bushes have never been so heavy with fruit. My problem is picking it…I need a stick in one hand for balance, but two hands to lift branches and pick the berries/currants. I can only manage about 10 mins before needing to sit down and Mr A is the same. I tried sitting on a chair but cannot reach far enough.
We have invited all the neighbours to come in and help themselves to fruit but I think a lot is going to be wasted……..and next week it will be gooseberries!
Isn't the heavy crop something to do with preservation, in case drought kills the mature plants, so the cycle goes on?
DeleteI wish I lived close by as just love fresh gooseberries. I never see them any where, which is such a shame.
The jam sounds lovely. We have a lot of gooseberries and I made a crumble today. I've tried putting old net curtains over the blackcurrants, the blackbirds still manage to get at the lower branches but not the top branches. My dad in law used to pick whole branches of the blackcurrants, said it was pruning, and then went indoors, sat down in comfort and ran a fork down them to get the berries off. I often use a long shepherd's crook to pull high up blackberry brambles down to within reach, but don't know if something like that would work while sitting by a blackcurrant bush.
ReplyDeleteSpent a lot of time reading while resting today, but later actually potted up a lot of outstanding plants/ seedlings that have been waiting for ages to be attended to.
ReplyDeleteSaw an event in a local village - cream tea and a visit from the Exmoor Ponies - advertised for the middle of July, on local SM today.
They were asking for volunteers so I emailed, suggesting that at the very least I could sit and take money, and or orders for food. Received an email by immediate return accepting my offer. So I’ve got something to look forward to during my enforced house arrest over the next few weeks.
Cat news in post responding to Miriam above.
I haven't posted very much recently because nothing much is happening, just enjoying the beautiful weather, still sorting out old books from when I moved a year ago, and still trying to fit a large house full of belogings into a quite small flat. All the decorating and furnishing is now done apart from getting a new armchair, but like husbands/partners/significant others, I still haven't found The One, so my old tatty settee will stay for a bit longer.
ReplyDeleteI bought some kitchen tongs last week specifically for removing slugs and snails which are rampant and have eaten most of my bedding plants. I don't use pellets in case I poison the birds, but they (birds) really need to step-up. The other day I collected 60 slugs in just a few minites. I go out in the dark with a head torch, jam jar and tongs, gather the blighters up, unlock the back gate and shake them out on the verge by the road, which is patrolled by swarms of hooded crows in daylight hours. I hope the birds eat them quickly before they rush back to me, I don't know why people talk about doing things at a snail's pace, as if it's slow, the little pests are like James Hunt in Devon.
Today I went to a small town called Topsham near Exeter, It used to be a significant port a hundred ish years ago, and is really beautiful, old Georgian town houses and mansions leading to a gorgeous tidal estuary. I saw a heron and a great white egret marching about, lots of small boats stranded in the mud as the tide was out.
This was a nice change from Monday when I went to hospital for a cataract pre-assessment. I am booked-in for 7th July, but the hospital phoned me at 8.30 a.m. this morning to offer me a place this afternoon, but like Mrs. P. with the pace-maker, I wasn't ready today and declined. I have waited for two years, another fortnight is nothing. I am not looking forward to it, but after reading a lot of positive messages here, I know it will be fine. The doctor told me that cataracts were the single biggest cause of blindness globally until this procedure was perfected, so I am very glad and grateful that I can get it and its free. I must say that since moving down south, I have found the g.p. and hospital services really amazingly quick, and the staff seem to have plenty of time to listen, it is completely different to my experience in the north-east.
That's all for now, I'm still here and reading though.
Well the weekend is finally here. After a 2 year wait our son’s wedding weekend has arrived. We set off today for “Lancashire!” Highlight is we have to pass ikea and it would be rude not to go in and get the few things I’m wanting.
ReplyDelete2 young dogs into kennel and our old lass, now 16 and doddery, is going to a friends til Sunday. It is a worry to put the responsibility onto someone else for her but there’s nothing else we could do. Phil will be exhausted by Sunday after constantly letting her in and out.
I’m hoping to be back at the hotel by about 10pm on the Friday and Saturday evenings and let the young uns get on with the partying. Mr PtbY says he might just be getting going by then! He’s under instructions not to be a drunken embarrassment to our side of the family!
I’m sure it’ll be a lovely weekend but roll on Monday when things can get back to normal and my feet can recover from the wearing of “wedding”shoes and I can get back in my gardening boots.
Couldn't agree more about "wedding shoes" PtbY. In my case it's walking boots though.
DeleteLovely to hear everyone’s news. Life here pretty quiet, car going in for mot today, trying to decide what to put into picnic for our second of this year’s trip s to the Grange , Fleidermaus, which seems appropriate after our unexpected visitor a few nights ago. We enjoyed a marvellous Traviata a couple of weeks ago with friends but I am struggling with ideas for the main course, I will have to get my thinking cap on.
ReplyDeleteWe woke up to no water this morning, thankfully MrCC had filled the kettle before going to bed last night so we could have a cuppa at breakfast time. We'd already decided to do some shopping today so stayed out for lunch. We're back home now and the problem hasn't been fixed. They have now got tankers supplying water to the mains so we do have water at home, albeit at reduced pressure.
ReplyDeleteOh hopefully the water won't be off for too long.
DeleteIt's awful to suddenly find there's no supply from a utility which is just so taken for granted. This was the same for me last year when a gas main exploded nearby, so had no gas for three days.
To lose water is the worst - showers, loo flushing, washing and even just doing the dishes.
I've just been sitting getting my nightly Archers fix and suddenly heard a funny crackling/crinkly noise. I had an open packet of mixed nuts + raisins on the floor by my chair as laziness just dumped them there. On looking for this noise, this packet moved and out popped a mouses head. Sadly it was too quick for me, I know where it's hiding but can't get it. I'm trying to coax it out with the packet with just a few nuts in it now so has to go completely in it.
ReplyDeletePusscat is not at all interested 🙀
He he he ! Did Puss bring it in ?
DeleteDid you catch the mouse Miriam? Before we had Bella and Tiger, found living as kittens in a rabbit burrow on the moor and real hunters, and at a time when our lovely Tabitha had grown old, I had one of those humane traps. It worked pretty well with a tasty bit of bacon inside. You do have to release them quite a way away though as they seem to have a homing instinct. On one occasion I was certain it was the same mouse coming back, and managed to put a little spot of tippex on the end of its tail before releasing it in the morning and sure enough it was back in the trap the next morning. So I know that a mouse can travel "home" from at least the length of an acre field. Amazing really.
ReplyDeleteI am hoping to see something here that others have seen recently. My daughter said that something bigger than a buzzard and with a different tail had been hovering over the strips of grass we let grow long in the field. She didn't know what it was and I was out at the time, but two other people saw it flying over and apparently it was a red kite.
Your post about the mouse put me in mind of a friend's son's video Miriam. He had a hedgehog in his garden so put out some hedgehog food and a camera trap. The video showed the hedgehog tearing into a paper bag and eating the contents, their croissant delivery. He got a good telling off from his vet sister as hedgehogs are lactose intolerant and croissants contain a lot of butter. The hedgehog has since returned and seems unharmed thankfully.
ReplyDeleteAaahh…..back home after wedding weekend. Kept wedding shoes on until the band started and then went and changed then for white plimsoles. Much comfier. Had a little dance, just testing the new hip, held up well. BUT the noise was just too much. I just wanted to escape during the meal. Weddings are definitely a young persons occasion.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean.
DeleteThe last wedding I went to, at the evening do I only watched the bride+groom dance and then only spent about 30mins with family members, before sneaking off to my bedroom. It was far too hot + noisy for me.
I took a glass of wine with me, sat in a comfy chair and read my book!
What a boring person I must be.
Sounds bliss to me Miriam 😀
DeleteUpdate on mouse - it's not where it was so it's got a new hiding place somewhere! It'
ReplyDeleteNo heatwave here. Yesterday was a lovely sunny + hottish day but what a gusty wind (30-40mph gusts). I had to pull the bedroom window shut after I'd gone to bed as the curtains were blown horizontally.
Woke up to find it had rained and it's been overcast all day but very warm. In other words, a normal June summer day.
To add - I had to rescue a sheet which was draped over a rose bush, after it had been blown off the line.
DeleteIs everyone overcome with the heat? It is very muggy tonight in the Midlands though probably no hotter than last night but there is no breeze. I hope everyone is coping and not attempting anything too strenuous.
ReplyDeleteJanice red kites seem to be everywhere nowadays. They are easy to identify by their forked tails. When I was a teenager it was a treat to see a buzzard now they are quite common. I do worry about whether the increase in large birds of prey has any effect on the other wild life in the area. Has anyone else noticed the decrease in swifts and swallows this year? On the farm there are still many nooks and crannies for nesting but I have seen only a few birds
so far this year. Meanwhile the blackbirds continue to run into the house while the lazy cats ignore them.
I’ve just brought my tea to the garden and as I reached the open door the cat was sitting staring at a pigeon less than ten inches from his nose.
ReplyDeleteAs I approached, the pigeon hopped up on to the head of one of my ‘ ladies ‘ ( I have two Greek Goddesses- stone ).
Lazy cats ? I should say so.
Pigeons and seagulls are my local birds.
I did hear the owl during the day recently. Some distance away though. And the blackbirds must be happily mated now as no singing.
Pigeons are adding to their nests I’ve noticed in recent days. And I found a broken egg on the path yesterday.
Otherwise, all is quiet, apart from the chug chug of the steam train as it leaves the station.
When we moved into our house there were two farm houses close by and some farm cottages. We had swallows and house martins every year. The buildings have been replaced by more modern ones and a housing estate built on the farmland. The swallows and house martins have disappeared.
ReplyDeleteThere used to be a big conifer in next door's garden much loved by tits but they have cut down the three trees that were in their garden, paved over all the front and put plastic grass in the back. We see far fewer tits now and our bird box, which was popular with blue tits, has been empty for the last three seasons. I haven't seen any nuthatches this year which used to be regular visitors.
This year there has been a big increase in feral pigeons and jackdaws around our feeders. We still get the usual blackbirds, robins, dunnocks, sparrows, starlings and woodpigeons.
Such a sad state of affairs for you and Mr CC, all too often found all over the UK.
DeletePeople totally disconnected to nature.
And they probably wouldn’t care if their disconnection were to be pointed out to them.
Our bird feeders are in constant use by dozens of various tits, chaffinches, robins and dunnocks and nuthatches. Also the odd woodpecker.
ReplyDeleteBut yesterday I noticed the feeder was hanging all crooked and couldn’t make out why. Then I saw a long squirrel’s tail hanging down below the feeder, with the squirrel itself hanging onto the post with one paw whilst it tried to pull the feeder towards itself!
We have lived here for 40 years and we have never, ever, seen a squirrel before. Having a main road both sides of the garden has deterred them. And the forest is quite a distance away. So we don’t know where he came from but he was very amusing to watch. 🐿️
Maybe your squirrel has learnt the green cross code! They are savvy little creatures. The latest birds to appear near our bird feeders are mr and Mrs pheasant. They then move over to what I call ‘ our allotment’ and have dust baths in between the courgettes and far too close to the leeks.
DeleteHave you noticed any swallows, house martins or swifts in Hampshire AP? Mr Soz tells me there are more than I think but they are flying much higher than usual because of the high pressure.
I’ve seen that in the past AP.
DeleteI watched a squirrel over a period of days managing to work out, and eventually succeed in his task, and by watching, worked out where a buffer needed to be placed to prevent the little thief getting the bird food.
We had a birdfeeder, attached to a long sink chain, attached to a curved hanging basket hook, attached to the fence post. I swear Tufty was hanging on by the fluff of his tail to reach down to the bird seed. Mind you, that was still more successful than our previous attempt at squirrel-proofing. We hung the birdfeeder from the whirligig washing line. Tufty just bit through the line.
ReplyDeleteFortunately, at this shoe, squirrels are much rarer. For those of you blessed with the little darlings, I should warn you that you must report the sighting so they can be swiftly 'dealt with'. Not to do so risks a £5 fine. As far as I am aware, this historic law has never actually been removed from the statute books ...
Between us we have problems with mice, birds, cats and squirrels. In conversation with my daughter today, she has had three consecutive sleepless nights with mother bats flying around her bedroom trying to locate babies crawling around on the floor. Sleepless, because she is spending her nights rescuing and releasing them back into the woodlands.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds incredible. How have the baby bats got in the bedroom - is their nest in there? Your daughter must be exhausted.
DeleteThat's really interesting. I don't think I've ever seen a baby bat, not close up anyway. Apparently they start to fly and begin to forage at about a month old. If your daughter likes sleeping with the window open she could maybe do what I do in summer. I have a simple wooden framework with mesh attached and put that up across the window ( needs to be a close fit). It keeps moths out.
DeleteOr simply using a piece of net curtaining and taping or tacking it to the window might be simpler.
DeleteWhen my children were young I found a baby bat at the base of a drain, probably fallen down the drain.
DeleteWe took it home and tried to look after it but it died the next day.
My daughter has bought a house with a large attic.
The vendors did not declare - ( it’s illegal to fail to declare any problems, but she didn’t ask, so wasn’t told ) that there were bats inhabiting the property.
The bats have found a way into the main part of the house as well as being in the unused attic which is part of a substantial addition to the main house. In addition there are legal restrictions on what any householder is entitled to do about eliminating the problem, and any solutions cost horrific amounts of money.
So …..thanks for solutions…… but useful as they might be in many situations, not, unfortunately in this one.
I made a wooden frame and attached mesh to it. I then put magnetic tape on the frame and the window frame. Very good for the summer months. Easily take it off to open and close the window.
DeleteI like the idea of a mesh frame to insert for summer as I do like to sleep with the windows open. Although we have bats flying around the cottage in the evening, none have ventured inside so far but there are many moths.
ReplyDeleteYesterday evening I went to the next village to us where there is a colony of swifts. I knew nothing about this before this week! Spent a glorious evening watching swifts dive and wheel around the church tower in which there are carefully sculpted nesting boxes fitted inside the wooden slatted sides of the tower. This project was started in 2011 with one box and has grown to 56 boxes and this year they have installed cameras in the boxes so we could watch the residents eating, sleeping, jostling each other and all those things families get up to.
Loss of habitat is the main reason for decline in swifts and so there is a big drive to persuade people to put up suitable boxes. There are plans to use the church towers in our village and 2 beyond us which lie in a roughly straight line.
I learnt a lot about these beautiful birds but the best thing of all was just watching their graceful mastery of the air.
The pharmacy premises I worked in for years in N. Wales, had swifts nesting under the eaves at the back, very year. They always appeared about May 12th and it was a real sign of Spring and approaching summer when they arrived. One year I went into the back yard at lunch break to find a fledgling on the ground. It had a bit of twine wound round its feet. I got some scissors and carefully removed this. I knew swifts don't fly off the ground so carefully placed it on a fence post where Mummy Swift was flying around. On going out later, they'd both gone so hopefully all was well.
DeleteI loved seeing the birds flying, swooping and going into the nests.
One year in a winter storm all the tiles came off the back, which were welsh slate. A new slate roof was put on but it didn't put the swifts off and they nested as usual.
I never did manage to count how many nests there were, but I did get to eight one year.
I've pulled out about 6 tiny beech "saplings" which have suddenly appeared in my lawn. It's the pesky squirrels, of which I have loads, hiding beech nuts in the lawn for food. These weren't dug up so have germinated. The same happens in the flower beds, tubs and even my window box!
ReplyDeleteThe squirrels taunt Puss Cat by running along the back fence, stopping and when she starts towards them, off they prance almost going "tee hee hee".
I know they're classedas vermin, but I actually like them. 🐿
I’ve got many silver birch saplings that have self seeded between my paving stones.
DeleteI hope to put them out to the gardening clubs and plant swaps.
Perhaps you could do the same locally Miriam.
These aren't blown seeds as when they're dug up for food + eaten, I find a hole and two halves of a shell. I don't think anyone would want a beech tree but a good idea nonetheless.
DeleteYour local infant school might like one or two seedlings for whatever a nature table is called today. Watching a tree grow might be a revelation for some urban children.
DeleteThe local junior school is literally the last building as leave the "village". It is surrounded by countryside and they have a huge shed with garden tools, used in the school garden. The neighbouring field has a large pond with either cattle or sheep grazing. It's a great school and only about 7 years old, having up-to-date equipment and modern facilties.
DeleteThe local children are very lucky. The old school building is now used by a different school which has children of special needs and has been adapted for them.
Lucky them !
DeleteMy children attended a similar school but we then relocated to a very urban part of London and the contrast was palpable.
My daughter told me one day that the children had been in the playground being told to ‘look FOR nature ‘ mummy, ‘ not AT nature ‘ !
Hence my suggestion.
DeleteApologies for assuming you lived in an urban setting Miriam.
When I moved here, nearly 40years ago, there was still basically a village and there still is as to its centre with the village green, village community field, a church and local shops around the green. The PO went (which I think now was due to the scandal) but there is a PO counter in the nursery just on the outskirts, that's plants not children.
DeleteOver the years the surrounding farmland was sold off to developers and there's now houses right to the outskirts of town.
Yes that is probably urban, but where I am I'm not far from the country lanes which I use a lot.
The advantages are there is a good local community with the benefit of a regular bus into town and a large supermarket belonging to achain just 1/2 a mile away.
I'm here to stay as now I have now reached the 70 mark, I know I can get around by bus if need be and also it's a short taxi ride to the hospital for appointments, my optician and Dr's.
Plus my lovely garden is manageable and delights me.
To add this is one of the reasons why my parliamentary ward was taken out of the city one + put into the neighbouring one.
DeleteYour reasons for staying where you are Miriam are similar to the ones we have for staying here. Added to which is that we are in the middle of a triangle between our three daughters and their families.
DeleteI still haven't used my bus pass yet but I have it ready! 🤣😂
DeleteThere are disadvantages to village life particularly if you cannot drive. Our village has a church, pub, cafe by the canal and village hall - shows a film every4/6 weeks. To get to the nearest town you would have to walk 1 and a half miles to the main road to catch a bus. We used to have a village store but it closed years ago. The village a couple of miles away has an excellent little shop which sells practically everything but you have to get there. So I am determined to keep driving as long as possible.
ReplyDeleteI’ve entertained an ambition to have a Pashley for many a long year, and now an electric one is a likelihood.
DeleteI have even worked out that although I have the most awkward of the designated parking places it does give me room to have a small shed to house it safely.
The ambition is still alive.
That sounds like a very good idea. Are the roads fairly wide in your area? We have many, many Lycra clad serious cyclists pedalling our lanes alongside some impatient would be fast drivers along with tortoise speed tractor drivers. I would feel safer on a tricycle and an electric one even better. Also I think the canal tow path is wide enough for a trike. Lady could ride in the basket or trot by the side!
DeleteI live in the town and the roads are good.
DeleteCycling around the town would not be dangerous and the main centre road, The Avenue, is always slow due to the visitors always straggling and crossing. The supermarkets, three, are all clustered together at the far end of town to me. And it’s all flat. There is now a dedicated cycle path to Dunster where the surgery is and the road to Porlock would be far too dangerous. So it would only be postering about town.
Pootering - I don’t posture !
DeleteMy Big Sis surprised everyone the other night. She + hubbie have put their house on the market. I'm not totally surprised as they live in a very small hamlet with nothing, and to even get a pint of milk is a 2mile drive.
ReplyDeleteThey have no idea where they plan to relocate to or what they want as this will be their final home.
It's nothing to do with me but, I hope they choose wisely as to local amenities close by and be on a bus route.
As per the tv programmes I watch, they will have to compromise in some way.
Their current property is priced right for it's geographical area but is low for the areas they probably want to move to.
Big Sis is not optimistic of selling quickly. I know I'm going to have to keep quiet + not give any opinions, which is going to be very difficult.
Hubbie will want a large garden which is fine for now, but what about in 5yrs time when he'll be in his 80's and not forgetting his heart is now totally controlled by his pacemaker.
Oh well it's nothing to do with me as it's their future life together.
Good luck with biting your tongue Miriam.
DeleteWise move on your part.
Maybe he could have someone to cut the grass and keep the hedges trimmed for him. I think if grass is cut it makes a garden look tidy even if shrubs round the edges are a bit rampant.
DeleteMy cousin's husband who is 80 has just had a pacemaker, and has been told to rest for 6 weeks. He has had major heart surgery before, so my cousin is really hoping this will help. He has a sort of monitoring machine by his bed that sends read outs to the hospital. The technology available nowadays seems amazing, his own dad died of the same problems in his early 70's.
I took the liberty of telling my cousin, who is worrying a lot, about your pacemaker Mrs P , and your brother in law Miriam, to try to reassure her.
( My cousin and her husband are longterm listeners of th Archers as well).
I am just going to say thank you to KPnuts again here, because I think the ripples and advice from this blog spread wide.
I too have a monitor beside my bed Janice. Although I did not take it into hospital with me when I was in for a fortnight, and did not hear anything from the cardiac department so do wonder how much actual monitoring takes place. Perhaps they thought I had died !
DeleteAlso I wasn’t told to rest for six weeks or indeed for any other length of time, but then I had not previously had any heart condition.
I wasn’t given any advice or any information. I wish I had been given both, because I felt very alone and without a rudder to steer my way forward.
And talking to others who had also had a pacemaker or people who like you had relatives in a similar situation. That gave me more information but brought with it more questions.
I hope your cousin learns quickly to be less concerned Janice. Worrying will not help her or her husband.
I do agree about ripples in the pond. And I find that comforting.
As to the bedtime monitors, I asked this question to bro-in-law. From what he said things are sent to a central hub and an average is taken which is then sent to the appropriate cardiac unit.
DeleteThey're off to OZ for 4 weeks in Nov/December so not sure what happens then. I think but not sure, the unit registers that tthe pace-maker is not in the recording area..
Bro-in- law still plays golf avidly but these days needs a buggy, as the walks down the fairways are just a bit too much now..
Yes Mrs P. I'm going to find it difficult not to give an opinion...🤐
Miriam - just make sure you don’t. Big Sis never sounds like a person you would want to disagree with.
DeleteBig Sis is one of those where everything has to be planned + organised to the nth degree with all i's + t's dotted + crossed.
DeleteWhen she has family staying she basically has a time-table and I get allotted time slots for joining them!!
I know her so well though so I just go with the flow. Little Sis is the exact opposite, so laid back and always finds the funny side of things. We were all together last year and Little Sis and I were crying hysterically with laughter over something silly, but Big Sis just couldn't see it.
That's family though.
ReplyDeleteDue to ill health I haven't been able to make my usual visit to the UK. I'm hoping to make it soon. Meanwhile I enjoy reading all of your posts about your life in the UK. My sister and family usually come to see us once a year and this time we are going to Umbria which is an area of Italy I enjoy.
That sounds a lovely family occasion Gianna when will they be visiting? 😊
DeleteWe now have barriers around our solar panels. The pesky pair of pigeons were back within minutes of the workmen leaving. Mr CC has got a photo of a very confused looking one trying to get under there.
ReplyDeleteMr A had a nice surprise today. He went to the surgery for his annual diabetes checks - quite a long appointment. And was presented with the new automatic electronic blood-sugar reader. Came home with a white plastic disc on his upper arm (like the one Teresa May wears), and a small meter which he just has to hold against the disc to get an instant sugar reading. So no more pricking his finger and juggling with blood tests umpteen times a day. It will make life much easier for him and means he can take readings wherever he is. Well done NHS!
ReplyDeleteOooh ARCHERPHILE - I don’t think my dad would have taken to such new fangled technology.
DeletePricking his finger and taking his blood sugar levels each day added tremendously to his need to have yet more regularity of systems to his daily rituals and his requirement to immortalise every activity into the process of each day.
On the other hand I’m very pleased for all who have diabetes that they now have this technology to simplify their daily routines.
Yes, well done the NHS, but also the research that’s behind this innovation.