Good morning all! What are you all doing today?

[lucysmam]

I'm just drinking my first cuppa, in my conservatory spot, as always, after a nice lay in with boy cat snuggled up 😊. He's still in bed now! Dd2's up and eating her breakfast in the living room - she didn't want to sit in here with me.

I've had a tidy round in the kitchen, put the washer on and some pots to soak, and been out to check on my plants and chat to the neighbour already.

We don't have anything exciting planned for today. I want to carry on in the garden - the bindweed is mostly cleared & roots dug out as far as I can so next job is to start laying the weed membrane I've bought on top. I'll also attempt to dig out a bit more of the dead bamboo and turn over another section of garden that I want to refresh - it's meant to be slate chippings but very weedy atm.

I'm also going to do a spot of browsing for a new dinner set, salt and pepper pots, and jars for the kitchen. And have just had a thought to swap a couple of cupboards while I was thinking kitchen - so I'll try that too!

Dd1's still asleep - she worked a shift in London yesterday & got in around 1am. I'll make her a cuppa in a bit & see if she's bothered about doing anything. We could really do with going shopping for the few bits she wants to take back to uni with her.

Dd2's off picnic-ing with her friends again. They walked a fair few miles last time so expect they'll do that again today.

We're having poached eggs & beans on toast for tea, since the forecast is still warm weather & then I plan to try to finish my current book and pick a new one. Shouldn't be hard, it's not the best - a bit lacking any kind of substance & suspense - but it's ok for not concentrating too hard.

What about all of you? 🙂

🤣

I’m just back off holiday. Got loads of washing and other jobs to do urgently but got no energy and a bit of holiday stomach upset..🥴

I was out first thing to top the car up with petrol and go round the supermarket. I had a voucher for a free Greggs sausage roll, so that did for breakfast. Then over to Boots for eye drops to treat yet another eye infection... Too many grubby kids at work!

Just waiting for the washing machine to finish, I'll hang that out, then I feel a nap calling!

@JacknDiane I'll take a look on ebay for a pre-loved copy, thanks!

@LadyMacbethssweetArabianhand what a pain - but better to get it checked!

@DilemmaDelilah I've been wondering what to do with my toms - they grow faster than I can eat them 🍅. Your cod & (I cannot spell the accompaniment! Every way I try looks wrong 🙈) sounds delicious.

@ThisWiseRobin your Paul sounds wonderful 😊 and your gifts are beautiful. I'd be made up if I was part of your team.

Woke up to it not being sunny, im sooooo happy its cooler my curtains are pulled back windows open wide, i still have a small fan on.

However i have woken with a migraine due to the battle ive had with the heat.
I hope thats it now, im just going to binge on murder she wrote all day, eat junk and read MN.

Good afternoon @lucysmam and everyone, I’m so relieved it’s cooler here today (although it was 21° at midnight), I really struggled for the last few days.
I sat in the Shed for a bit, just made a ham sandwich and will make a cup of tea and go back down there.
I’m not sleeping well, the bedroom is a reasonable temperature with the fans on, I guess it’ll improve in time.
I wish my tomatoes would ripen faster, I’ve barely picked a handful. They’re growing outside in full sun, stood in water, fed etc but very slow to turn red.
The courgettes are ripening en masse so I’m giving them away as fast as I can.
My appointment for follow-up has come through much quicker than I was told; I don’t know whether I should worry or not. I already know it was lung cancer but I will find out whether I need ongoing treatment or not.
Either way I’ll be closely monitored because of the multiple nodules.
Have a lovely weekend xx

It's RATATOUILLE (ra-ta-too-y). If you're making it properly it should have aubergine in I think, but I dont like it so I just use tomatoes, peppers, courgettes, onion and loads of garlic! It's the kind of thing I make when I have things I need to use up, so it varies 😁.

Good afternoon everyone, my husband has taken the kids to see his grandma so I’ve been sanding the kitchen floor, it just needs oiling now and leaving alone for a few hours. Someone spilt red wine all over it last week, I can’t imagine who that was.

Once they’re back we’re going to have a home film night and a treat dinner.

We're midway through our holiday in the Canaries.

We're just finishing lunch (we made a selection of cold meats, cheeses, dips, fresh bread, salad 😋) and we'll soon head back down for a few more hours poolside.

Other than sunbed wars, we've lucked out in the swimming pool department. The pools are massive and the kids are in their element. DP and I will partake in a cold beer soon alcohol free for me

The hardest decision today will be what to wear and where to eat. Such a carefree existence 😁

I have just come backfrom volunteering on a little island in the NE of England in the north sea. Lots of people with pretty umbrellas to ward off the sun, so that might be a selling pitch @topcat2014

Oof, gardening's hungry work! The second strip's almost ready for me to sieve the slate out of once my riddle arrives though. Just a bit more to do tomorrow & some dock roots to try and dig out - they're very deep rooted aren't they?! I need to make some sort of dam though, to stop the slate migrating to the grass when I put it back 🤔.

Going to have an hour crochet now in the garden, then nip to the shop with dd to get something nice to drink this evening and something for her journey to work tomorrow, then my online browsing with tea.

Good afternoon all. Well today I defrosted the so called "low frost" freezer. I found things in there that were Neanderthal! Good clean out and now room for more provisions.

I have to say it was more iced up than I thought, but to be fair it hadn't been defrosted in over a year, probably more, slattern that I am😮

Big news is I directed the small nozzle on the steam cleaner into the freezer and the ice was falling off in five minutes flat. What a revelation, I thought the job would take hours. Nope, I love that steam cleaner.

Now sitting down and relaxing after other work around the house. I'm getting rid of older duvets to the local animal shelter. They will pick them up on Monday. Happy days.

This has to be a joke surely. Unless you have been living in a pipe for the last 24 hours.

There's no heat warning in Scotland.

Wow, that sounds wonderful, I am envious!

Met up with some of the rellies including Tommy (5) and did some of the Peter Rabbit trail here in Newcastle and North Tyneside. Walked from Whitley Bay to Cullercoats and had fish and chips outside. Came home in time to take DD for her supermarket shift starting at 4. wandered over ot Home Bargains for a couple of things. Aching legs now so screens and scrabble for me!

Aren't the Peter Rabbits fab. I love our statue trails. I think the Elmers were my favourite.

Good afternoon lucysmam and to u all I’m very late today as we went to a boot sale then into a pub for lunch and sat in beer garden then quikly into Tesco . I’m not sat in garden whilst it’s cooler . Enj your evening all 🫶

Morning, er, evening!

I used to join in these every weekend but changed my username and then fell out of the habit.

I picked all of the veggies that were ready this morning. Still lots going on out there. I've made tomato and chilli chutney and have pickled cucumber and chillis. Then I cursed and swore whilst trying to assemble two fans on legs. Followed by the usual house stuff like washing, tidying, putting away, hiding things in cupboards...

Tomorrow I have to put some plastic boxes in the loft and hang some pictures. I've got guests staying next weekend so I've got to get a wiggle on! I would like to carry on with my crafting bits (managed to make a sun catcher yesterday) but an orderly house is more important. Sigh...

I've spent around 5 hours in the garden. I'm a bit achey now but it was nice to get on with some jobs with a nice breeze and not being boiled to death.

Very late to the thread today. Had my first night in the house alone last night (divorcing shortly & STBX spent night in new place) with just Dcat for company, felt strange as I’ve never lived on my own! DS aged 20 was in Stratford upon Avon seeing the Games of Thrones prequel play - he had a stressful journey by train from Yorkshire, with lots of delays due to the horrific fires, & they literally got into the theatre a minute before the play started! He had been really looking forward to it so was very pleased they made it!

I’d been to work in Nottingham yesterday then had an early supper with friends in the city, so didn’t get home until 10.

Thought I’d have a late start today but of course woke early. Oiled the outdoor table, did washing & ironing, then nipped to town to buy a card. Pottered around in the very hot house - we had a swarm of wasps in DS’s bedroom very early yesterday morning which stung him - nightmare. He’s in a dormer bedroom & had fallen asleep with his window open & light on. Investigated today & found that the terraced house adjoining ours has a wasps nest behind some overgrown ivy & the down pipe from the gutter next to our house. Hopefully they will get rid of it but in the meantime we are keeping the windows shut & frustratingly can’t sit outside without being pestered by the wasps. Very pleased it is due to cool down tomorrow.

Met DS at the station & we had venison burgers & chips for him & sales for me for tea. Have walked DDog & am enjoying a cold glass of wine. Will have a relatively early night tonight - bonus is that STBX is not here again tonight.

Happy 15th August ⛱️ 😁

The heat is still ridiculous isn't it 🥵

We had dinner outside in Edinburgh this evening and needed a light jacket on.

Very late today - I was up at 5.30am to collect DD from Heathrow early early. She left Columbia at 4am Friday with a stopover in Miami but she’s home after six weeks away! We had breakfast then she went for a nap. She later went to the park to meet some friends as only day they could all make it. I tried to resist the delicious bread she brought back with her (kinda like a dense brioche with a bit of cheese on top), and did a bit of crochet. She wasn’t interested in dinner so I had leftovers from last night. Now the hallway is littered with her stuff again!

Still on a totality high from Wednesday (in Spain obviously) and have been dealing with teenagers, hire cars and flights

yet it all seems ok