After a wonderful, long, hot, dry summer, this week has been preparing for the return to work – after all the time off, not having to think about routine or time, it does feel like the ship is getting ready to set sail.
I was in school from Wednesday afternoon – I left school with the sun shinning brilliantly against a clear blue sky, sat in my classroom again the sky turned grey and the rain began to fall – a metaphor I think!
But earlier in the week the weather had been warm and sunny on Bank Holiday Monday and after tea Becky & I went for a lovely walk from the YHA to the Windmill in the evening sunshine.
And the cooler, and sometimes wetter, weather we have had has led the self seeded sunflowers and the geraniums in the front bed to flourish, giving a cheery burst of colour to wave me off in the morning, and more importantly, welcome me home in the evening.
Term starts properly tomorrow, I fear that, sadly, the wonderful summer is officially over!
Although it will soon draw to a close, the long summer holiday has continued with a mix of business and variety, and chilling doing little.
On Monday we went to Rockaway park near Temple Cloud – a fantastic alternative space full of sculptures from scrap. An inspirational and interesting place.
For the first half of the week, the weather held good; not as stiflingly hot as earlier in the summer, but warm, dry and sunny and on our Monday evening stroll we did a bit of blackberrying, yielding an impressive haul.
The forecast earlier in the week had threatened some rain by Wednesday, but in never materialised, and the sun continued to shine.
Late on Wednesday evening the news broke that Dolly Parton had died, the global outpouring of love for her was quite immense – she was one of the good ones.
In February this year I became concerned about a rat menace in my compost bin, and the trail camera I bought confirmed these unwanted visitors were snacking (feasting) on the contents of my compost bin. Consequently I have bought myself a new compost bin that is enclosed and sits above the ground, my goal being to keep these critters at bay. It arrived on Thursday and I spent a happy hour or so putting it together.
The weather did change on Thursday, and whilst still warm, we have had rain pretty much every day since Thursday, and sometimes quite a bit. Currently grey and windy (but warm) – whilst the water is welcome (we went on a hosepipe ban at Midnight Wednesday to Thursday) I’m already missing the consistency of knowing its going to be dry all day.
On Friday we had a fleeting visit from Sam – he came home after work to go to a 21st party for someone he used to work with in the kitchens at Millfield. Although brief, it was nice to see him.
On Saturday we travelled to Cardiff, had lunch and tea with Sophie
Before Becky and I went to see Johns’ boys choir in the New Theatre.
It was a great show, and then we hopped in the car and headed home – whilst it is nice to have the option of staying at Sophie’s, on this occasion it was good to be home before midnight to sleep in my own bed!
And today we went to Wells to see my Dad – next Sunday is his 88th birthday, but I’ll be working then, so we popped over to see him this morning. He was looking well!
And this afternoon, I set too trimming the hedge out front, taking a good foot off the height, and tidying it up.
And the few sunflowers at the front that self-seeded and survived the heat are now looking green and healthy, and beginning to flower.
The wall attached to the house for the back has not been in a good way for a while, and it always gets worse in the summer, dropping away and making the gate unusable. The foundations are good, but the wall has been dropping forwards and away from the house, probably through constant battering of the gate door, and the mortar failing.
and so I resolved to do something about. Last weekend I thought about it, on Monday I ordered the parts, they arrived on Friday and today I began in earnest, first knocking down the wall …
Which took about an hour and a half, including time to clean the mortar of the bricks ready for re-use (not sure what yet, though)
Then I started to replace it with a fence. First, fence post supports fixed to the solid foundation, fence posts up, and lateral supports fixed.
That took a while, making sure everything was solid and straight, after which it was a breeze to put up the fence panels
I’m pleased with the result – it looks good, just need to finish off the garden side, which I am also facing with painted fence panels to improve the overall asthetic.
It’s been a busy week – I also fixed Sam’s bike – fitted new front callipers and adjusted the rear …
and I cut back quite a bit of ivy from the backwall (although you need the before picture, else you might not think I’d done anything!)
For reference, here is a pic of the garden taken earlier in the week , on Tuesday 18th August (before I set to work with the hedge trimmers)
We did have some rain on Wednesday, and whilst its not been scorchio hot, it has been another warm sunny week. On Friday evening Becky and I went for one of our regular after tea walks, it wasn’t supposed to be long, but we ambled for quite a while in the warm evening sun. this is Tor, taken from the field beyond the park run field.
Its been a busy holiday week, with lots happening, but still a relaxed chilled week, with much time just sat outside reading (and occasionally snoozing)
On Monday (Fiat 500) and Tuesday (Micra) had their MOTs. Sophie’s Fiat 500 passed first time, the Micra needed near side front track rod – excessive play (which is a bit annoying as I replaced them both last year) and a bulb. In addition, the handbrake only just – on limit of adjustment, so I had that done, too. Anyway, by the end of the day that had a full MOT again.
Wednesday was eclipse day. Starting at around 6.14pm, we had a near total eclipse (circa 95%) of the sun. We watched, periodically, from our front garden, it was pretty impressive.
Although slightly frustratingly, just at peak coverage, and after a summer of heatwave and sunshine, a few clouds rolled in to dim the final spectacle.
It has been another hot, hot, hot week with mid-week temperatures in the 30s. Everything is bone dry and on Friday we had a national alert on our phones warning of wildfires, and to not have BBQs or outside fires.
Thursday I went to see the Odyssey at Strode cinema – I enjoyed the film, and rather enjoyed going to the cinema on my own.
On Friday Becky & I went to Bristol to watch the Bodyguard at the Bristol Hippodrome. I enjoyed it (as did Becky) but the acting was a little wooden and the performance a little stilted. Might have been better to just go and watch a Whitney tribute act, but that is a little churlish. It was a nice night out, good to see Bristol bathed in the beautiful evening sun, even if our peace was shattered shortly after 7pm by the emergency alarm, and you couldn’t cross the pedestrian bridge as earlier in the week it had broken when being lowered back into position.
When putting the washing out on Friday I thought I could smell something – when out in the garden again on Saturday morning my nostrils were assaulted again so I lifted a deck plank, poked my head in and discovered a large dead rat (at the front of the “washing line” deck.) It was pleasant removing it, but something that needed to be done.
Today, taking advantage of the continued dry spell, I stimmed the lawn, removing the dry, dead seed heads and stalks. The ground below is brown, barren and parched. There is a suggestion of rain next week (hence I did it today – much easier to do when dry) but I think it will be some time before it greens up again.
Friday was Sam’s birthday (24!) and we all met up in Bristol and went got lunch at PizzaRova on the Gloucester Road in Bristol. It was lovely to spend some time together as a family, the food was good and the sun shone. Sam seems to be thriving in his flat and enjoying his job with Enterprise Car rental.
(just for info to remind me in the future, it then took a looong time to drive home, Google maps sending me via the Downs, under the suspension bridge and out to Chew Valley lake before finally getting home. A problem in Farrington Guerney apparantly)
I haven’t blogged for the whole of July as from 1st July to 5th August we’ve been away on an Ionian adventure, flying out to Zakynthos, the Kefalonia, Ithaca, back to Kefalonia, Lefkada, Meganisi, Parga, Paxos and finally Corfu before flying home. It was wonderful. I haven’t (yet) blogged on our travel blog, but do still need to do that.
One of the reasons for our trip was because it was our 30th Wedding Anniversary on Monday; our very first holiday together in 1993 was to Corfu (Roda) and (part of) the rationale of our trip was to visit the islands and places we had been to before we had children. It was a wonderful pilgrimage to the past, and I loved every minute of it,
This was us 30 years on, enjoy each others company in a taverna on the beach in Kalami, Corfu, 3rd August 2026.
And this was us on 3rd August 1996, at Farrington Gurney Church.
We haven’t aged a bit!!!
As we flew back over England, it was clear from the brown fields below us that whilst we’d been away, the UK had enjoyed/endured a very dry summer and we were now in a drought. Sophie kindly collected us from the airport, taking us home to a very dry garden.
The front trugg looked very sorry for itself – after extensive dead heading and watering, it is showing some signs of life. (Sophie had been home, off an on, whilst we had been away, but was absent for about 10, dry, days, and this is when the damage was done.)
But a few sunflowers out the back …
… and the fig tree …
had survived due to my automatic watering system in that part of the garden. The tree has been yielding a hefty crop – much of it gone to rot in our absence, but some surviving to the plate.
It is good to be back, and we are well acclimatised the the hot and dry weather that persists, but if I could go back to Greece tomorrow, I’d do so in a heartbeat!
A hot (very hot) half term week draws to a close and it has been a busy and brilliant eight days, the highlight of which must have been seeing Take That in Southampton on Friday evening.
It was an incredible show, excellent music, but more than that, a real visual feast of drama and circus. It was wonderful
It has been incredibly hot this week – record breakingly so, with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees on the first few days of the week. We took advantage of the long hot evenings and took ourselves of for a walk after tea each day, with Combe Hill woods being a particular favourite on a couple of occasions.
We even persuaded Sophie to come with one evening, although that was a shorter “round the block” walk
I’d collected Sophie from Bristol airport on Wednesday on her return from her holiday in Majorca, which ended in upset when her suitcase didn’t make it back from Palma airport. Anyway, much stress, a few tears, a form and a couple of phone calls later, the suitcase was returned to us on mid-morning on Thursday, having been found the previous evening still in Majorca.
Another mini-disaster was when I went upstairs and found the cheese plant on the floor of Sam’s room. With all the hot weather we’ve been having windows wide open (when not in the sun) to create a through flow of air. This must have been enough to blow it off the chest of drawers onto the floor …
It was also a week of practical matters – on Tuesday the Ka passed it’s MOT, I had my hygienist appointment, and an eyes test; my eyesight has improved a little over the last two years! I ran once, less than I planned, in part as my back hurt on my return, and swam once which was good – felt like I was stretching out my bad back and also engaging a few other unused muscles. Sam started his job and is enjoying it, which is great news.
I planted up the rest of my geraniums, and planted out the sunflower and pumpkin seedlings. The “lawn” is looking magnificent with the love in a mist in full flower …
(and because I’m a vain bugger, he is a pick of me reading out “my” names at last week’s Summer Celebration)
Half term has arrived. The term has passed quite swiftly – only 5 weeks and the summer term always has a different (easier!) vibe to it: Volleyball not Football buys me a lot of time, plus a couple of exam classes mean preparing lessons and marking is reduced, and with the better weather everyone’s mood is improved. But I still enjoyed a little afternoon snooze outside on Saturday once it was all over (Summer Celebration in the morning ’til 1pm ish)
The week’s weather has been extreme. It started perishingly cold (and wet, but annoying not volleyball cancelling wet) on Monday and Tuesday, but by the end of the school week it was warming up, and Sunday was scorchio!. (I’m writing this in the garden on Monday morning as I didn’t have time (!) yesterday)
Sam and Sophie both came home on Thursday, Sophie to get ready to go on holiday with Lucy to Majorca on Saturday, Sam to collect the last of his stuff for his new flat. (He starts his new job tomorrow, Tuesday)
But by Saturday afternoon we were home alone again. We have decided to make the most of the weather and go for a walk after tea each evening. On Saturday we parked in the YHA and walked to the windmill and back, beautiful vistas across the levels in the evening sunshine.
and last night we walked to the weir and then followed the water to the road and the river Brue. It was still very warm, and very, very picturesque.
We’d spent the morning having a good cut back and tidy up in the garden – with our many absences due to travel, only one day weekends, and some wet weather of late, the garden has been a bit neglected and there is still much cutting back to do, but it looks neater, and provides a pretty background to enjoy reading, eating (and occasionally snoozing) in the glorious sunshine.
Its been a dry Spring, and at times, quite sunny and warm (although today has been disappointingly cold and windy) and today I planted up the front trugg with geraniums. As we are going away for such a long time (5 weeks) in the summer, we’ve decided not to plant sunflowers out front as we won’t be around for the necessary maintenance, instead just plumping for drought tolerant geraniums that will hopefully thrive and look good with little care.
Today I have also planted up some seeds – 6 pumpkins and 24 sunflowers. If these germinate, they are destined for the back garden, near the rear deck, the deck on which we ate tea last night as it turned into a wonderful warm evening. (See what I did there to segue from my geranium pic into this pic?!)
The alliums that have come are looking good, but given how many I planted, they are a little disappointing – not the massed forest of purple headed stems I’ve had in the past.
Indoors, I’m delighted that my Christmas Cactus is flowering – not sure if its seven months early or five months late, but I won’t worry about that, I’m just happy to see some pretty red tips to the leaves (not sure if they are supposed to open like actual flowers)
And I continue to enjoy seeing what I can capture on my outdoor camera. We’ve had quite a bit of sparrow activity in the garden, here’s a pic of one happy little chap hoping about.
Yesterday, I repaired my phone by replacing the camera lens that had become unclear – it wasn’t scratched, it just looked dirty, but wasn’t. Delaminating perhaps? Anyway, it was a fairly simple task, took about twenty minutes to remove the old lens, and then just popped the new one (about £3 for two from Ali-express – I couldn’t source them in the UK – and the job was done, and my pictures are now fog free again! (example below)
Sam has got himself organised and rented a flat, he moves in in two weeks time, so that feels like a significant milestone, and I refereed my last match of the season today, another milestone.
I do feel a bit behind with the garden, but today I did get a little ahead of the game by digging up all the bulbs from the front trugg. A little earlier than previous years, but we’ve had a run of dry weather, that is set to end next week, and experience has taught me it is much easier to dig them up from dry soil, rather than wet. Plus I have all the geraniums waiting to go in, and I’m keen to get them planted in.
And the garden continues to be a haven for wildlife. Becky snapped this baby blackbird in our Apple tree, and on Friday Sam spotted a slow worm by the back gate …
(and Becky reports seeing a tiny, tiny baby slow worm in the shade of the fig tree, but no photographic evidence)
And a couple of shots of a hedgehog by the side passage captured on the trail cam
This morning I was officiating (lino) at a Bridgwater & District League cup final, being played at Bridgwater Town FC. On my arrival, I was a little confused as to where to park and went into what I thought was an overflow car park, decided not to park in there, so turned round to head out and I must have caught the side of my trusty Micra on a big metal gate. It made a horrible noise and, having parked up, heart in mouth I tentatively stepped out to survey the damage.
I had scraped the passenger side of the car, leaving some nasty scratches, scuff marks, and a dent, Its not a car killer, and a rub with a rag once I got home and it already looks better; have some touch up paint on order, but I can’t help but feel annoyed with myself.
We’ve been back at school a week already, and the weather has been kind – blue skies and sunny, although the start of the week was chilly, it has warmed up wonderfully for the latter part of the week. Have bought about 72 geraniums from Lidl – £4.99 for a pack of six – and have begun planting them up.
Perhaps its because we were away for so long in the Easter holidays, I don’t think we are as far through the season as we actually are, I think I may be a little bit behind schedule in the garden.
I gathered together all the geraniums I have successfully managed to over-winter:
… not all made it!
The picture at the top of the post is my room one evening, bathed in the glow of Spring sunshine, these long evenings and blue skies make such a difference.
