Swagger Inn 180 - Spring is here and we witter on...

[SisterHelenoftheEternalCatchUp]

New thread open for reports on local wildlife, the weather, gardening and domestic chores. Plus the never ending hunt for HBFs who stubbornly fail to materialise.
<wipes the bar down>
<re-covers the chaise>
<stocks up the cheeseboard>
<pours the drinks...>

Evening
We have had rain this evening, started drizzly and has been mostly quite gentle which should mean it soaks in nicely. I enjoyed listening to the sound of the water butt refilling. Grocery shopping has been done and I treated myself to a garden centre trip - scooped up a couple of plants that had just been reduced. No little robin today which was a worry. Hoping that the forecast heavy rain turns up later, although it will probably bugger the rose blooms - can't have everything!

Yay for KillerKitty teaching the kittens some manners, it's the best way.

DDad had that storm apricot <is jealous>

Have you moved yet letus? 😁

Morning wenches.

I did eventually shift but not as early as I should have done. Muppet.

Perhaps little robin will be back when it’s not as rainy?

Rain forecast all week here as well as thunder. The rain will come, the thunder probably won’t.

Suppose I’d better get on with the day.

Have super days wenches.

Morning all. We had a couple of mm. rain overnight, but if it was heavy, it didn't wake me. Still damp outside and a bit drizzly. Fingers crossed that some of the LetUs's rain reaches us.

Kittens are batshit, KillerKitty has been terrorising a small-ish spider in the bath, life continues... DS has arrived in the sitting room with Spot, announcing that she should be renamed Houdini. She is very fast at scooting through an open door...

Raiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!!!!!!!!!!
<does happy dance>

Afternoon. Nice morning. We’ve planted the front garden. Not much goes in the back, just pots and whatever’s left over goes in the borders. We were sitting outside rewarding ourselves with a Magnum when there was a huge clap of thunder and it started chucking it down. I thought of you Fancy. I ran for cover and DH got soaked putting all the tools away. The sun’s out now.

Hurrah for rain Helen.

Hope everyone’s had a good day.

Evening wenches.

You’re very welcome to the rain Helen. We didn’t have any today and currently have blue skies.

Bit rude of the sudden thunderstorm and rain ruining your enjoyment of Magnum <nto> Apricot.

Work was a bit crap but whatever.

Evening all. We're had all of 5mm rain in the past 24 hours Oh well. Better than nothing and the water butts are fuller. I also picked elderflowers yesterday, before the rain, so I have a batch of cordial on the go.

Today was the first of DS's morning exams. So of course there were roadworks and the usual pinch-pints were busier than usual on our way in. Got there in plenty of time though. He says it went ok. 1 down, 8 to go.

DS is out being sporting now, and I need to go and make cakes and a packed lunch. I just need to work out what the proportions are for a smaller recipe than the book says - excel will do the maths for me
<cbf> at Apricot's unexpected deluge (though at least it was outside this time, rather than through a ceiling).

For once we had the rain - lots overnight judging by the huge puddle over most of the road on my way to work. Also plenty this afternoon (some containers outside had about an inch) and thunder to boot. Hurrah!

Cat drama here - Chonk caught a squirrel and brought it in, very dead and very soggy. Floof did his usual thing of being oblivious to personal space and generally being a creeper, cue much growling. Still that's less annoying to listen to than the teen next door who spends every evening gaming in their front room so I hear muffled one-sided repetitive excitable comments for what feels like hours when I'm trying to relax in my front room. When it was hot last week it was even worse as all the windows were open. In the end I cranked up my music.

Glad to hear DS's exam was ok Helen and fingers crossed for the rest.

Morning wenches.

Nothing like extra traffic to add to first exam stress. Hope all goes well for the remainder Helen. Elderflower cordial made from your own elderflowers sounds particularly delicious.

I definitely don’t miss the various gifts from having a cat. Sympathise re the neighbour noise Fancy. DS2 seems not to be too vocal when he’s gaming, although I did and still do tell him to keep it down if he gets carried away. Thankfully our NDN are away so the excessive noise from them has ceased for the time being.

The can’t be arsed feeling is high today.

Have great days wenches.

Morning all. Sunny outside but rain forecast later.

Sympathies on the noisy gamer Fancy - at least ours belongs to us and we can tell him to shut up. DH always recommends Carmina Burana on full volume with the speaker facing the shard wall - and then go out. Though if NDN is anything like DS, he'll have a headset on and be oblivious to anything but their physical removal/someone standing in front of the TV.

Speaking of DS, he's being a pain and not getting up. I've said I'm leaving without him if he's not ready. FFS and all that.

Afternoon. Sunshine and showers today, at least we don't have to water the plants.

Boo to noisy neighbours and naughty Chonk catching a squirrel.

Good luck to HelenDS with his exams.

Evening wenches.

Very frustrating day at work. Lots and lots of rain which very kindly stopped for a bit whilst I walked to the car. But the wind! Didn’t see anything about that on the forecast. Seems to have calmed down a bit now.

Finished the back of a jumper. 1-2 year olds are a lot bigger than what I remember 😁

Evening. Sunshine and showers here too. DH told me we had lots of rain - it was raining most of the day. I checked the gauge. We had 2 mm 'Well it wasn't heavy rain..." Ah well. There's been a bit more since I got home, and also wind. One of the tubs on the patio got blown over.

Work was heavy going. Lots of trying to remember how to do things that I haven't done for a couple of months.

<arf> at unexpectedly large toddlers

Morning wenches.

More rain, the very dreary kind, and it’s windy again.

Very weird dreams so I’m all discombobulated and urgh. It’ll shake off soon.

Have lovely days wenches.

Morning all. Urgh. Shocker of a night - didn't get to sleep until about 1:45, then the kittens got up on the worktops and knocked over eggs, sent batteries and bottles crashing to the ground (without breaking, fortunately) so I was up at 3:30 again sorting that lot out (four eggs cracked and in the fridge waiting to be scrambled. Idiot Kitty came upstairs and yowled at about 5am... urgh, urgh and urgh.

If you need me, I'll be living in a bottle of caffeine today...

Sunny outside at the moment but rain (hopefully) later today, so I've taken the blow torch to the chicken mites again. I'm going to have to bite the bullet and spray them I think. I probably said that already, I've just been trying to find more environmentally friendly alternatives...

Have a good day all.

Afternoon. No rain today but it is very windy. I haven’t done a lot today, my back’s still stiff from the gardening the other day. DH’s friend has given him 10 tomato plants, so we have to remember to look after them.

Much sympathy to wenches having bad nights, whether from naughty kittens or bad dreams.

at oversized toddlers.

Evening wenches.

Oh crikey Helen that sounds so awful. 😞 Hope you get some decent rest tonight. Spraying the mites does now sound the only option.

I’d definitely take it easy Apricot, probably for ooo about another week or so 😁

Did a bit of shopping on the way to work this morning. Was raining a little bit when I went into the shop, could just about see the car across the car park through the rain when I came out. And it’s windy again. Have we gone back to March?

Have got several lists <nto> on the go re holiday. Strangely enough I don’t see any evidence of DH making any lists 🤔 . He will book the taxi at some point which will involve “what time do we need to get there, what time do you think we should leave, what’s the flight number for coming back?”

Evening all. All the weather today - was out and about, and having lunch in a sea-front cafe, so got to watch a thunderstorm sweep down the coast, over us, and onwards. Then drive home directly under another storm that hurled rain and hail at us to the point where you couldn't hear anything else (not even the thunder) - I checked the rainfall radar this evening and it says we were under their heaviest category for rainfall. Was very dramatic! And then very warm out from under the clouds when the sun came out - the road was steaming!

I was very impressed with myself for remembering to water the greenhouse plants Apricot (yet another job on the list). Where are you off to this year LetUs?

Oh - and those lovely peonies in the garden? Flattened by the weather. I've picked most of them and brought them in to hopefully enjoy them longer than they'd last outside now!

Morning wenches.

That’s definitely the sort of dramatic weather best enjoyed from indoors! Poor peonies though.

We’re off to Italy Helen. I’m sure it’ll be lovely when we get there but I really do not enjoy the prep and the travel, particularly the airports.

More rain today which would have been nice to listen to at 4.30 when I couldn’t get back to sleep. Still, at least it’s Friday.

Have lovely days wenches.

Morning all. It's nice and sunny and I'm tiiiiiiiired. Work is starting today with a finance meeting - dooom! I have to try and get my brain working and sort out spreadsheets, etc etc.

(The peonies are looking lovely on the table!)

Afternoon. We were supposed to get sunshine and showers but got neither. I did a Sainsbury shop this morning and it was a bit windy but not cold.

I’ve never been to Italy LetUs. DH went to Florence many years ago with work. I don’t suppose we’ll go abroad again. It’s lovely when you get there, but like you I can’t stand the preparation and all the airport stuff. The caravan is enough for me now.

Shame about the peonies Helen but good that you can enjoy them indoors.

Hope everyone’s had a good day.

Evening wenches.

Don’t think it rained again today. Honestly can’t remember. It’s sunny at the moment.

You can pretend you’ve got your own mini stand at a Flower Show Helen with your peonies display.

I’d love to go to Florence. I’ve been to Italy before but it was more Rome and surrounding, and it was a very long time ago.

TFIF 🍷

I'd love to go to italy, and be all cultural and enjoy the scenery, etc. DH has been there for work and didn't enjoy it very much, so I doubt I've got much hope of us going, unless skis are involved!

My dining table is laden with rescued peonies and roses and a couple of freesias. I am my own mini-Chelsea display (not)

DH says we had some rain and thunder today, though I didn't notice. It's been dry and sunny when I've been out taxi-ing. Or I think it has . I did spend a lot of time in meetings, so it may have happened then. Agreed on the TFI front though. HOw are you Wicked?