After a blisteringly hot start to September, followed by a very wet couple of weeks, today I cut back the lawn. Began with my strimmer – fortunately had got most if it done before there was an audible “pop”, a flash of flame followed by smoke as I burnt out the motor. I had done enough to allow me to finish the job with the lawnmower.
Looks quite neat now – such that I wonder why I didn’t cut it sooner! – but I think it is the change that makes it appealing. I have enjoyed the long grass and a few wildflowers (would love to see more wildflowers take hold) and the habitat it has provided for the insects.
Next job (next week?) is to plant the bulbs from last years pots into the lawn ready for next spring.
So last night it was a trip up to Cardiff to see Deacon Blue. It was, needless to say, brilliant.
It was in the Cardiff Arena, Becky had gone up the day before and stayed with Sophie before meeting her old school friend Mel, and her husband Ade, I went up on Saturday afternoon and met them at Zizi’s for a meal
Deacon Blue were their own support act – coming on at 8pm to play a 40 minute acoustic set, this was good, better than any support act you’ve never heard of would have been. Then after a twenty minute break they came back for the main event, playing for just short of 2 hours and belting out all the hits. For me, the second of four encore songs – Dignity – was the highlight of the evening, a brilliant song belted out with passion by the crowd and band together.
A really fantastic evening, was so worth going (and made easier by staying at Sophie’s flat overnight – meaning in bed by midnight-ish, a good night’s sleep, breakfast and then a leisurely trip home)
Bloods
In other important news this week. I had my blood test on Wednesday and the results have come in via my app, Slightly mixed feelings – although probably more because I don’t know how to interpret my results. On the one hand, my HDL level is up to 1.4 – this is the good cholesterol and needs to above a 1.0, so this is good, and my HDL ratio of 4.4 is also good, but it seems that my “bad” cholesterol is still too high, although it has come down significantly. Don’t know if I will get called to see the doc, will have to wait and see.
After a couple of unseasonably warm and sunny weeks, this weekend saw the wind and rain arrive that probably herald the onset of autumn. Today has been particularly wet (although managed to run before the rains arrived at circa 10.30 am) and all next week rain is forecast. Trees are beginning to turn and, although the temperatures are holding up, I think that summer has finally fled.
We’ve had a fleeting visit from Sam – he came on on Thursday and returns to Cardiff later today (and he went to Bristol on Friday afternoon returning Saturday evening, before heading straight out to Wells …!) and it has been nice to see him, looking well, and still not started on his second year at uni.
A couple of poppies have bloomed in my “wildflower” lawn – not sure if they are the ones I sowed earlier in the year, or from the wildflower seeds Becky and Sam sowed, but I’m pleased they’ve flowered, and hopefully will expand in numbers in future years.
And in the same patch we’ve got some “strange” mini-pumpkin like growths: a couple of ghost pumpkins I think, and some smaller yellowish pumpkins. These are self-seeded from when I spread some soil from my compost heap on this patch of the lawn. And one of the pumpkins I did grow from seed is swelling nicely on the lawn.
And the sunflowers continue to shine! We still have a few more set to open, bringing a ray of sunshine to set against ever darkening skies.
Typical! After a pretty rubbish summer, weather wise, it was back to school on Monday to searing temperatures – it has been a record September for consecutive days over 30 degrees!
The pic above was my “back to school” photo on the Sunday before term started (I had to go in for a “Meet & greet” for new Y10s and their parents.)
It has been a busy, busy week with me barely able to catch my breath due to both the weather and my workload. Have enjoyed it, however, although I was glad when I came home after the Y10 BBQ on Saturday evening with the week “done” and a chance to put my feet up and have a breather.
Annoyingly, woke on Sunday to damp humid conditions – it didn’t rain whilst I ran, but boy was I hot & sweaty – but later in the morning we had thunder and heavy showers, although the rain did clear and the sun come out allowing me an hour or two sat in the garden, before it was back into school for dining room duty. Does it ever end …?! Looking forward to a normal week to come.
Becky was away for much of the week in Amsterdam, with Sophie – picked because Sophie didn’t want to go away in the height of the summer! I think they’ve had a nice time – lots of photos with plenty of blue sky.
A few days ago, the calm tranquillity of the garden was shattered by the not unwelcome singing of a robin. We often have plenty of birdsong in the garden, but it is absent over the summer months (this is a known phenomenon, with food sources much more abundant, the birds abandon the garden). And so when we heard this robin signing loudly – and it was loud – it made you stop, listen and look. Watching it today, its be flitting between our tree and next doors Rowan tree, singing loudly, marking its territory. Summer is coming to an end.
Like all summers, its been a good holiday – Croatia was definitely my highlight, the poor weather the low, On a personal level, I have lost a bit of weight – now nudging 12st 6 on the scales – and my running and overall fitness has improved, today clocking in my quickest 7K time (33:32) for some while. In fact, checking my records, you need to go back to August ’21 for a faster time (although I was regularly doing 10K, not 7K, then; and I’ve enjoyed swimming and spinning, generally being active.
But in true typical UK weather fashion, after weeks of rain and chill, the sun has come out and September is proving to be hot! Back to school proper tomorrow, lets see what the new year brings.
