Woooooooahhhhh, we're half way there! Countdown to Christmas 2026 (thread 2)

[NoWordForFluffy]

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Phew, it's a scorcher!

Happy birthday to 70's DD. Best date for a birthday ever!

Thanks, I'm definitely going to do this!

My tomatoes are very green with lots of flowers here in Scotland. This time last year we had an abundance of them so they're later this year. I didn't know I should tap them but I will!

I've just checked my photos and the year I had 18 tomato plants and a ridiculous amount of tomatoes, they didn't get going until August, with mid-late September being the peak period for harvest. There were so bloody many! 🍅 🍅

Photo is 17.09.23!

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I love sun warmed home grown tomatoes - I could eat them like sweets. I used to live behind a nursery and in the summer before the days of "cherry" tomatoes they would pile the small ripe tomatoes in a box to be sold off for pennies every day, I was friends with the son of the owner so I was allowed to grab a paper bags worth whenever I wanted them for free. I remember vividly watching tv with a small bowl of salt and dipping my tomatoes in whilst watching telly - yum!!

Got another 4 Xmas pressies from a link on the Xmas bargains thread so I'm starting to fill in my gifts spreadsheet at last.

That tomatoes picture makes me happy! I have 5 cherry tomato plants on the go, different varieties, all massive and covered in flowers. I eat them by the bowl full when they’re ripe. Yes to sun warmed.

Our tomatoes (Money Maker) have loads of fruit , some now just starting to turn blush. It'll be a few weeks but at least they're making an effort !
Fresh tomatoes off the vine are delicious , love the smell of the leaves and the chance to shout "Spider" at DD as I launch the tomato top at her

Nothing beats the smell of tomatoes from the garden or allotment. I took some pics last night of my non vegetables on the allotment.

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I am going to pose about in town tomorrow , I need to pick up an order for DH and find a nice hat that isn't too Shades of Donald Trump .

(Baseball cap type but I hope to look like a female golfer not a wazzock)

TKMaxx/HomeSense have their Hallowe'en stock now so I'll have a look .

Bought my first Christmas present today thanks to the bargain thread (4 x travel size Hugo Boss aftershaves) so it has officially begun! Actually no the other day I bought 3 christmas reed diffusers also from that thread as they were under £2 each.

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Nice morning , we had fires on Wednesday so a bit of rain yesterday evening was very welcome !

Might actually get some things done today as it isn't a "wrestling through a heatwave in a pool of my own sweat " day .
IKR , I'm a catch

147

Morning!

It's a snooker-related number today.

We've had what feels like a fair amount of rain the past 2 nights. My water butt was almost full to the brim, from about half full on Monday, so I'm happy with that!

Our main crop spuds will be ready soon. We're on 17 weeks now, and 20 tends to be the maximum time they need. I'm just waiting for all the foliage to die back. I can see one potato in the bag, pushing against the side. I joked with DH that it may be our only spud! 🥔 🤣 We have 3 bags though, so hopefully not!

DH is off to a wedding today, so I'm flying solo. The lucky hound 🐕 gets me walking him for 3 walks in a row! Hopefully he will walk this afternoon rather than run. I don't have 2 runs a day in me. 🤣

Ahhhh, I took so long typing that 70 beat me!

ETA: I looked like I'd been swimming in my clothes after cleaning the bathrooms the other week in the heatwave. I too am a hot, sweaty catch! 🤣

While I was typing , I had that song 147 , is my idea of heaven but I couldn't place what it was .
Snooker , of course .

If FluffyDog was walking with me , he'd get very exasperated -
"FGS, hurry up, I'll buy you skates" he'd say .
"Any more 'tude and I'll have you running in circles like lungeing a horse" I'd say .

I reckon he'd love that, 70!

It's so funny though, as we get home and he loafs around and sleeps as if he has no energy, ever. 🤣

So envious of people having rain our lawns front and back are now yellow and huge cracks have appeared, whilst we are not yet under a hosepipe ban we have been using it only to refill and clean the bird baths and wildlife drinking stations as we're in a drought. Today though is much much cooler outside and even the inside temps have dropped below 26 for the first time in what seems like forever.

Xmas bargain thread boho moon sorted my nieces Xmas gift so thats one I can cross off the list as done.

@NoWordForFluffy I planted potatoes in containers for the first time this year. They're got great big plants on top but I had no idea when you were supposed to pull them out!

Once the foliage has died right back you can harvest them! As in, properly dead-looking!

Ok, thanks. They’re still very healthy looking so we’re not there yet!

Picked up some pokemon Lego in Costco tonight. It’s for me but I might keep it and gift it to a nephew for Christmas. 🎄

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Our tomatoes are starting to go red ( if you scrunch your eyes up ) so DD will be delighted .
Inspired by Cake for Fluffy DS last week I made a chocolate cake , tried a new recipe ( after looking up Best Chocolate Cake Recipe ) it had oil in it instead of butter or Stork . It was Not Nice . Bitter and not chocolatey .
Tried again with a Mary Berry recipe , much nicer , but sweet but that is fine .

I need to get out tomorrow and pull weeds .

We've had a couple of handfuls of tomatoes so far. More baby plum than standard size ones. I have a weird conjoined beefsteak one growing / ripening at present. I've no clue how two came to weld themselves together, but I'm sure it'll all work out! 🤷‍♀️🤣

I pulled a load of side leaves off so the sun / light can get to the ones growing, in the hope it helps them ripen.

I've hung a load of washing out and been out with the dog so far today. Once I've finished my pot of tea, I'm going to wash up and clean the kitchen. Might as well be vaguely productive while DH is driving back home. He should be back around lunchtime. Though the tracking he set up for the journey seems to have him going the long way. 🤔 It stopped working about a third of the way into the journey yesterday, and had him by Stafford, not moving. That was fun! 😫

It's a lovely day here. Pleasant temperature and sunny.

Sods law just as the temps come down and 6 weeks before the bathroom fitting our shower (or boiler) has decided to play silly sods - all through the heatwave when I would have loved a cold shower all it would give me was tepid water even when set to cold but this morning my unsuspecting neighbours were treated to the sound of a steam train whistle as half way through my shower with my skin nicely warm and hair covered in shampoo it suddenly decided to dump the contents of the North Pole on top of me without any warning - tbf I didn't know I could reach that octave anymore 😂 no amount of twiddling would restore warmth so I had to rinse off as fast as I could. DH managed to coax a partial warm shower out of it but then icicles. Still seems to be hot water in the taps so its probably not the boiler but we are due its service in Nov and if this keeps up may bring it forward and at least rule that out as the cause.

Oh no, hope it doesn’t work out too expensive @Gracesquirrel

heres my potato and tomato plants. I have more tomatoes too. All cherry/baby plum.

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Its definitely the boiler its making some very alarming noises - I managed a quick shower this morning dipping in and out of the icy water and got about 30 seconds of warm water (enough to rinse my hair) and that was it. Thankfully the boilers still under warrantee so shouldn't cost anything but I just checked my Facebook to find out when this happened previously and it was last Sept so not even 12 months ago which isn't exactly reassuring. I've put in a request for an engineer so hopefully will only be a couple of days to get it looked at.

At least it's under warranty, Grace. Small mercies.

I've just spent two bloody hours trying to locate replacement toilet seats for our house. Essentially, the range has been replaced by another range, and they're a weird shape, so you can't just get a bog standard (ha!) loo seat replacement.

I <think> I managed to track down the original spec and its replacement, so I have ordered 3 seats (I've measured various elements of the current one a few times in my quest!).

I really hope these a) are the ones and b) aren't so bloody porous as the current ones. They're impossible to keep clean! Oh, and I hope the soft close lasts longer than a few months too. 🙄

@PearlsTeapot, have your potatoes flowered yet?

I managed to remove one of the conjoined beefsteaks today as it had gone mushy. Hopefully the one left will thrive!

Good to hear all the positive tomato stories, that was bloody loads you had there Fluffy

I think ours are moneymaker too 70.

Loving all the Christmas gift stuff too.

We are currently in Zanzibar so I'm hoping our catsitter is giving the tomatoes tonnes of water.

Got a few things planned when we get back but from early September I will be starting on the Christmas gift list. Might even make the Christmas cake.

Ps @70isaLimitNotaTarget hope no fire damage for you . It's very worrying.