It seems that it's the heat and humidity which are making some of my (right) hip and (left) ankle muscles extra tender and painful at the moment, to the extent that even walking to the car (about 100 yards from the Ark) is very difficult and slow...
I checked this on Google, so it must be True™...
It's annoying, to say the least, as I'm in reasonably good health for a man of my age - if only these bl**dy muscles and tendons would do what the remnant of my Brain instructs them to do. Somehow, the emails don't seem to be getting through from Head Office to the guys responsible.
LVER, many years ago we stayed in a gite near Livarot. We visited a chateau with a ”Jardin d’eau surprise” (garden with surprise water) which mean’t that as you walked around, you set off sensors which activated fountains, some of which played over the path, so you had to dodge them. It was boiling hot, and (a very Young ) Lord P quickly found the sensors which set the fountains off over the paths. By the end of the afternoon, we had a child who squelched as he walked, but who was very happy!
This put me in mind of a decade ago, when I was looking after a couple friends' cottage property. I was mostly alone there for the summer, but they came to visit for a week. The elder of their two sons (my godsons) was three or four at the time, so I took him to "help" me tend the vegetable garden to teach him about the plants. He, of course, was getting dirty. The mother was yelling at him, "Noah! You're going to get dirty!" (Too late, alas!) Then he followed the neighbour's dog and me into the lake (the humans were fully clothed - sandals, shorts, tee shirts, all garden-soiled). "Noah! You're going to get all wet!" (Too late, again - he and were having a water fight, to the delight of the dog and the two humans involved.)
Having no children of my own, my perhaps naive attitude is that if the kid doesn't like getting wet, s/he'll learn to avoid it. So, too, with dirt. Cleanliness and dryness are vastly overrated, anyway. One can always wash and change before dinner.
No aversion to dirt or water with children here, we used to take our children wild swimming.
Still 30 degrees here. I watered the garden, planted out my lavender and pelargoniums, and a new hanging basket, and cleaned and replenished the bird feeders.
Need to cook dinner which will be Bombay potatoes with green beans, topped with fried white fish. I fancy a beer.
Both Dragonlets love playing with soil and water, often at the same time, but No. 2 hates having water poured on her head. I have been to the office this afternoon for a face to face handover with my boss before starting assorted forms of leave at the end of the week.
You folks down south still getting a heatwave? It's currently 15° in Embra, and a few minutes ago we had a shower of rain that would have impressed Noah. It's stopped now, so amblage will happen, and it's due to go up to 22° tomorrow, which is a bit more Augustan (is that a word?).
Of course, as the Scottish schools went back today, the sun should be splitting the trees ...
Currently 29 degrees here, though we had a little rain this morning (very welcome at the end of my walk).
Excitement here, as a bag of live worms arrived in the post! As part of my renewed interest in gardening (as a means of rehab and mental health maintenance) I’ve restarted the old wormery and restocked the bird feeders. Lockdown has emphasised to me the value of outdoor space and I want to spend more time enjoying the garden.
Just getting up to 30C here, tempered by a light north-easterly breeze (thank you, Norway...).
We had a little rain overnight, but no sign of any mega-thunderstorms (yet...).
I didn't sleep well last night, so would really rather like a siesta this afternoon. However, I'm told that snoozing during the day isn't a good idea, as it prevents a decent sleep at night...
34 + here and no sign of rain. I have workmen in painting my outside doors so that’s a good thing I guess. I’m in the back yard watching them work.
Really bad sleep last night, I might decamp to the sofa in the living room tonight. It’s the coolest room in the house.
I've already had a siesta.
Awake at 4, gave up trying to sleep and got up at 5, put a load in the washing machine and out for a walk at 5:30. Afterwards checked the moisture content of the various containers of growing veg & watered where necessary, harvested a few beans, courgettes and tomatoes, hung the washing out. Breakfast, then a few more jobs in the garden with Mr RoS until I couldn't bear the heat any longer. Tidied up indoors, then nap time.
Woke, showered, prepared lunch & ate same, made a cup of tea. Currently contemplating a second shower.
For the last couple of days I have been showering 3 or 4 times a day, and as the temperature here is predicted (BBC Weather site) to remain too hot for me for the remaining daylight hours I expect to continue that regime.
Chances of rain during that time is no more than 2% . We might get some after sunset tomorrow, but I'm not banking on it.
I decided to let the workmen get on with and had a hot walk up and over a hill to get a very nice mango sorbet. Now relaxing in a park. I’m catching the bus back though.
27 here with no sign of rain. The west facing lounge feels far higher though.
Dinner was ham and cheese Kiev type stuffed chicken with rice and carrots. I’m drinking raspberry gin and tonic to cool down 🍹
The cataract of the cliff of heaven fell blinding off the brink
As if it would wash the stars away as suds go down a sink,
The seven heavens came roaring down for the throats of hell to drink
The cataract of the cliff of heaven fell blinding off the brink
As if it would wash the stars away as suds go down a sink,
The seven heavens came roaring down for the throats of hell to drink
Maybe not quite, but that was very heavy rain.
Don't just leave it there...
But I don’t care where the water goes if it doesn’t get into the wine.
I promised to cut the lawn this afternoon but I'm not so sure now ...
You have lawn? with grass? still green? and growing enough to cut?
We no longer have grass, and even the clover is struggling.
We have a small amount of lawn and a large amount of wildflower meadow, possibly tending towards machair, the difference being how much I can be bothered mowing.
Still, one hopes the re-opening will go as well as can be expected under the difficult circumstances. I expect the English *government* will be keeping an eye on it.
Or maybe not, as They seem to have made up their minds to push ahead no matter what...
No rain here yet, and it's very warm and muggy again. I finally got to sleep at about 530am (!), though not very well, and surfaced at around 930am. Ah well - maybe tonight I'll crash out properly!
No rain here yet, and it's very warm and muggy again. I finally got to sleep at about 530am (!), though not very well, and surfaced at around 930am. Ah well - maybe tonight I'll crash out properly!
Our bedroom is at the top of the house and gets very hot as we're basically inside the roof.
We put on a fan to keep us cool (good) but the noise tends to keep us awake (less good).
An incredible storm last night - sheet lighting and continuous rumbles of thunder accompanied by torrential rain - has not made any appreciable difference to the temperature...
I can't recall ever being in a storm which was so dramatic or which lasted for so long...some of the thunder cracks made the house shake. Sleep was almost impossible.
Many years ago, my first Ark was on a mooring further downstream from where I am now, with a good view out to the confluence of the Thames and Medway estuaries.
One summer night, THREE apparently separate thunderstorms were having a High Old Time across North Kent and South Essex. Sitting in my wheelhouse, I could see Storm A, on the left, with sheet lightning. Storm B, in the middle, was displaying spectacular forked lightning, but Storm C, out towards Belgium, was being rather uninventive with more sheet lightning. The noise was terrific - though I don't recall that much rain...
Joy of joys, I've been diagnosed with shingles for the second time. It's left me feeling even more wiped out than the heat usually makes me feel...I had plans to clean the living room but I can hardly summon up the strength to make a cup of tea...
We have had the paddling pool out this afternoon, but the top hoop now has a hole in it.
The air conditioner we bought a couple of years ago has been set up in the living room so Mr Dragon can work without melting as he's on lots of conference calls today.
If you believe the BBC forecast the chance of a thunderstorm here is negligible, but the weather app on my phone reckons 50/50 this evening.
Joy of joys, I've been diagnosed with shingles for the second time. It's left me feeling even more wiped out than the heat usually makes me feel...I had plans to clean the living room but I can hardly summon up the strength to make a cup of tea...
Shingles is very nasty, I hope you feel better soon.
Far too hot to work so I’ve done the minimal then some gardening and am now reading. 33 degrees here.
29C here, with a bit of a breeze off the Sea. Thunderstorms forecast for about 5am tomorrow, which is just about the time I'm getting off to sleep...
Someone I know has shingles, too, though medication is taking effect. A very unpleasant condition, and it's not as if there isn't enough to cope with anyway...
Comments
I checked this on Google, so it must be True™...
It's annoying, to say the least, as I'm in reasonably good health for a man of my age - if only these bl**dy muscles and tendons would do what the remnant of my Brain instructs them to do. Somehow, the emails don't seem to be getting through from Head Office to the guys responsible.
This put me in mind of a decade ago, when I was looking after a couple friends' cottage property. I was mostly alone there for the summer, but they came to visit for a week. The elder of their two sons (my godsons) was three or four at the time, so I took him to "help" me tend the vegetable garden to teach him about the plants. He, of course, was getting dirty. The mother was yelling at him, "Noah! You're going to get dirty!" (Too late, alas!) Then he followed the neighbour's dog and me into the lake (the humans were fully clothed - sandals, shorts, tee shirts, all garden-soiled). "Noah! You're going to get all wet!" (Too late, again - he and were having a water fight, to the delight of the dog and the two humans involved.)
Having no children of my own, my perhaps naive attitude is that if the kid doesn't like getting wet, s/he'll learn to avoid it. So, too, with dirt. Cleanliness and dryness are vastly overrated, anyway. One can always wash and change before dinner.
Still 30 degrees here. I watered the garden, planted out my lavender and pelargoniums, and a new hanging basket, and cleaned and replenished the bird feeders.
Need to cook dinner which will be Bombay potatoes with green beans, topped with fried white fish. I fancy a beer.
Too hot already this morning, I must go for a walk and get down to some work before it becomes unbearable.
Of course, as the Scottish schools went back today, the sun should be splitting the trees ...
Excitement here, as a bag of live worms arrived in the post! As part of my renewed interest in gardening (as a means of rehab and mental health maintenance) I’ve restarted the old wormery and restocked the bird feeders. Lockdown has emphasised to me the value of outdoor space and I want to spend more time enjoying the garden.
We had a little rain overnight, but no sign of any mega-thunderstorms (yet...).
I didn't sleep well last night, so would really rather like a siesta this afternoon. However, I'm told that snoozing during the day isn't a good idea, as it prevents a decent sleep at night...
Really bad sleep last night, I might decamp to the sofa in the living room tonight. It’s the coolest room in the house.
Awake at 4, gave up trying to sleep and got up at 5, put a load in the washing machine and out for a walk at 5:30. Afterwards checked the moisture content of the various containers of growing veg & watered where necessary, harvested a few beans, courgettes and tomatoes, hung the washing out. Breakfast, then a few more jobs in the garden with Mr RoS until I couldn't bear the heat any longer. Tidied up indoors, then nap time.
Woke, showered, prepared lunch & ate same, made a cup of tea. Currently contemplating a second shower.
For the last couple of days I have been showering 3 or 4 times a day, and as the temperature here is predicted (BBC Weather site) to remain too hot for me for the remaining daylight hours I expect to continue that regime.
Chances of rain during that time is no more than 2% . We might get some after sunset tomorrow, but I'm not banking on it.
31C is not Balmy and Mild. It's Nasty and Hot.
27C here but fortunately I'm indoors and North facing.
That way lies madness.....😂
The LORD has revealed this to me in a Dream, so it must be True™...
Too late, I've done it. And watered the flower-beds.
We're supposed to be getting a proper thunderstorm tomorrow night.
Some refreshing rain overnight would be good, but not much chance until later in the week, so the Met Office says.
Dinner was ham and cheese Kiev type stuffed chicken with rice and carrots. I’m drinking raspberry gin and tonic to cool down 🍹
The cataract of the cliff of heaven fell blinding off the brink
As if it would wash the stars away as suds go down a sink,
The seven heavens came roaring down for the throats of hell to drink
Maybe not quite, but that was very heavy rain.
You have lawn? with grass? still green? and growing enough to cut?
We no longer have grass, and even the clover is struggling.
The clover will enjoy the rain, too
Meanwhile, it's well past midnight, but still too hot (23C) and humid to go to bed for a while yet.
Don't just leave it there...
But I don’t care where the water goes if it doesn’t get into the wine.
Perhaps my favourite of all religious poems.
We have a small amount of lawn and a large amount of wildflower meadow, possibly tending towards machair, the difference being how much I can be bothered mowing.
Try leaving it in bright sunshine - that usually bleaches turmeric stains.
The schools are back here today, but six are closed / have delayed opening due to flooding.
Still, one hopes the re-opening will go as well as can be expected under the difficult circumstances. I expect the English *government* will be keeping an eye on it.
Or maybe not, as They seem to have made up their minds to push ahead no matter what...
No rain here yet, and it's very warm and muggy again. I finally got to sleep at about 530am (!), though not very well, and surfaced at around 930am. Ah well - maybe tonight I'll crash out properly!
We put on a fan to keep us cool (good) but the noise tends to keep us awake (less good).
To
Sundress and sun hat
I can't recall ever being in a storm which was so dramatic or which lasted for so long...some of the thunder cracks made the house shake. Sleep was almost impossible.
One summer night, THREE apparently separate thunderstorms were having a High Old Time across North Kent and South Essex. Sitting in my wheelhouse, I could see Storm A, on the left, with sheet lightning. Storm B, in the middle, was displaying spectacular forked lightning, but Storm C, out towards Belgium, was being rather uninventive with more sheet lightning. The noise was terrific - though I don't recall that much rain...
As a free Son-et-Lumiere show, it wasn't bad.
The air conditioner we bought a couple of years ago has been set up in the living room so Mr Dragon can work without melting as he's on lots of conference calls today.
If you believe the BBC forecast the chance of a thunderstorm here is negligible, but the weather app on my phone reckons 50/50 this evening.
Yes they do - full of beans! 🐾🙂
Oh goodness, how awful. Get well soon xx
Far too hot to work so I’ve done the minimal then some gardening and am now reading. 33 degrees here.
Someone I know has shingles, too, though medication is taking effect. A very unpleasant condition, and it's not as if there isn't enough to cope with anyway...