Finding a Cool Spot to Sit

This week the blog is much shorter than normal. I have been working away again and therefore I am writing this in a snatched moment. But I couldn’t miss the opportunity to write about a record breaking week.

Oh my God hasn’t it been hot!

On Monday, the thermometer started to climb and the temperature started with a ‘3’ for the first time this year. By Tuesday night it was just unheard of.

Driving through Bristol at 9pm on my way back from work, the temperature recorded by my car was 30 degrees. 30 degrees at 9pm – I have never seen this before in the UK. We once visited Zaragoza and it was 35 degrees at 9pm but I have never seen it that hot here.

The cats were almost out on their feet. They wandered around with no idea where they were going or why. Regularly flopping down on their side and lying wherever they landed. They kept looking at me as if I had the ability to turn it off. “Ok – you’ve had your fun, now turn it off”, was the expression in their eyes.

But the heat kept on.

On Wednesday we broke records that had stood since 1976. Everyone remembers that year as being special, because of the long hot summer. Well now 2017 will go down in history.

Thankfully, it didn’t last.

22 degrees has never felt so fresh. Even my better half stood outside and enjoyed the breeze.

The cats went out and disappeared for the day. Clearly believing that we had adjusted the temperature gauge hidden in the house for their good behaviour. We had seen no obvious fighting, no squirrel presents, no bird activity and no half-eaten voles. Maybe, the heat has been provided from on high by someone wishing to temper their fun. Whatever the source – it has worked.

This morning at 4.30 they flipped back to normal.

With the temperature in the high teens they cavorted around the room knocking things over and wanting to go out. I opened the door and both of them did the “Really, in that weather?” routine. They sat by the open door, peering out and shivering as if the arctic weather had just kicked in.

A slight “persuasion” with my right slipper and they moved forward only to run away at the last minute and hide from the “cold”. It’s tough at the top!

Weirdly, we had scheduled for someone to come and re-tile our kitchen floor this week.

When I got a quote in four figures for some work on the house, my natural reaction was to think of what I could do to bring the price down by doing it myself. In this case, I looked at the list of things and said, “I can take the old tiles up”, we can save some money there.

The builders arrived bright and early on Monday, in the heat, and set to work. I was away for two days, returning back late on Tuesday. When I looked into the kitchen, I saw a pile of old tiles lying on the floor. It had taken two days and a pneumatic tool to get them up.

“Thank heavens I got them to do it”, I thought. Just for once I had relented and let the professionals do their job. With the weather and the obvious difficulty in getting them up, it would have taken me a good week I am sure.

Never has it felt so good to drive for 3.5 hours each way to work. At least I didn’t have to do that.

Wilted Flesh

In recent weeks I have put a picture or two on the blog of our very strange plant that smells like rotting flesh.

Well, this week we got the full benefit of its strange aroma and then quite simply it wilted and died back. Nature has a strange way of coming to a crescendo in many plants and animals, but this one was right up there in being spectacular.

No sooner had I taken a picture than it was already dying back.

The build-up and excitement had been so strong and yet the final moment was rather a damp squib, and over before you knew it.  The smell was also less than pleasant. 

The Weeds are Making Hay While The Sun Shines

With such an exciting week for weather, it almost overshadowed the fact that I had a new job and needed to knuckle down, work hard and travel lots.

On Monday I was introduced to the team formally and started a new chapter in my career. Sadly, this might well reduce my opportunities to enjoy the garden quite as much, but needs must.

I apologise in advance that this blog may become slightly less regular or a bit shorter like today.

Last time I mentioned that we had had deer activity in the garden. I am sure it is still about, but we have not seen it since. The flowers and plants seem to have survived and there is nothing madly running across the lawn when we arrive home.

I thought about going out to look for it, but somehow it is quite nice to know there are animals and birds in the garden that make an appearance and then hide so you never know what is going to appear at any one time. The variety and surprise is half the fun.

A few weeks ago, our noisy woolly neighbours vanished and I thought the likelihood of lamb roast was high. But thankfully for them, I spotted them a day or two later at the top of a near field eating the grass up there. They had been moved and not to the great field in the sky.

Well they are back. Noisier than ever and mad as hatters.

Yesterday, I stood looking at them over the fence from a few feet away. They all stared at me and shouted at the same time. “I will go and get the camera”, I thought. By the time I had returned they were all busy munching grass. Spotting the camera, they all continued to ignore me. Despite me making lots of noise, they all continued to ignore me. Sadly, the video was so crap it was not even putting on here.

Last Weekend's Balloons Over Bristol

It’s Glastonbury this weekend. The line of cars will stretch for miles and Monday morning will be a procession of vehicles returning home.

The first link below is a nod in that direction. This festival is probably the most famous of all time, one that they made a film about. My parents remember it fondly and often recant the story of watching it in Leicester Square on the late night slot. Excuse the fact that it takes over a minute for the artist to start singing, but they were smoking rather a lot of interesting stuff I think, and their preoccupation with talking s**t is palpable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vThD7ot9oII

We are off to something slightly more modern. This entertainer has been through quite a few ups and downs in his life and is doing a one off show in London this weekend. I got tickets many months ago, and this weekend will just prove how quickly this year seems to have gone, and how soon we will all be snuggling up under the duvet looking at the cold outside.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luwAMFcc2f8

Have a great weekend!

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