Today I shall be Mainly...

[Stanley]

I'm an old fashioned bugger and will stick to Brown's thanks. They are old fashioned as well, he occasionally
gives me free meat!
I shall be ignoring the fact I slept in until 5AM.... No sweat, I don't have to go to work!

[Sue]

Taking a pike of bedding, clothes and soft toys to the charity warehouse, Emmaus. Then its a bit of shopping and back for lunch with Laetitia and family. I don’t think we will be back till late afternoon. Its due to be 32 degrees so I think any gardening will be this evening. It was a fabulous day out yesterday. The old sector of the town had been seriously restored. The river reminded me of Dartmouth. It was a beautiful day to see it all.

99454269-23A8-438E-8409-9D7DE805F816.jpeg

9CDECFE7-FD5B-4BBA-90AD-963CE320B208.jpeg

[Stanley]

"a pike of bedding"
I've never heard the word used like that before Sue but knew exactly what you meant.
Here at Graham Towers the morning has so far been an orgy of washing and cooking. The machine is just finishing a hot wash and bedding will be on the washing line outside inside a quarter of an hour.
I have a bit of light shopping to do. I have a new oxtail stew with veggies on the go but I fancy a fish cake for dinner! I need to top up my stocks of pickled herring as well.....

[Wendyf]

I liked the sound of a pike of bedding but I'm sure it was a slip of the finger!

[Stanley]

I never thought of that! Don't change it Sue!

[Wendyf]

My new lawnmower arrived yesterday (late birthday present), it has a push button as well as a pull start so I'm hoping it will be easier for me to use. Grass cutting scheduled for this afternoon.....it will be a good test as the grass has grown long and thick with all this rain.

[Stanley]

Put a sun hat on! I hope the new mower does the job OK.
How are the Lads enjoying this better weather?

[Wendyf]

Heat and flies Stanley, they don't like it!

[Sue]

I never thought of that! Don't change it Sue!

Ok

[Wendyf]

My new lawnmower arrived yesterday (late birthday present), it has a push button as well as a pull start so I'm hoping it will be easier for me to use. Grass cutting scheduled for this afternoon.....it will be a good test as the grass has grown long and thick with all this rain.

Love my new push button start mower!!!

[Marilyn]

So, did Col have a go with the mower, Wendy?
I can't use our mower because it doesn't turn off when you are finished. hubby can turn it off by sticking his hand in somewhere, but I am not getting up that close and personal with the beastie. I would just have to let it chug away until it ran out of fuel.

[Stanley]

Nice to know a mower can bring such pleasure.
Of course she didn't let Col loose on it Maz. He'd be wanting to 'adjust' it.
I washed, cooked and shopped myself into bed again for an hour!
Not sure about today. Too hot for anything strenuous perhaps (with luck!).

[Wendyf]

Col set the mower up for me and put the oil in but from then on it was all mine. It shuts off as soon as you let go of a lever on the handle Maz. I just can't get over being able to start it with one push of a button after years of struggles with a pull cord.
I was in trouble for knocking one of the little plastic hub cabs off against a wall, "you've wrecked it already!" It will have to survive worse than that.

[Stanley]

"you've wrecked it already!"
That made me laugh Wendy. I can just imagine him hovering and criticising. Tell him I say that's his insecurity poking through, after all he is only a man... (That'll really get him going! Be careful though, marriages have failed over less serious matters.)
Send him out with a fly whisk to protect Dennis and Sparky.

[Wendyf]

He has hurt his knee and can't do much at all so he is miserable and extra grumpy.

[Stanley]

Ah, that explains it but he shouldn't be taking out on you.

[Sue]

Hmm, my long morning message isn’t there! It happened a couple of days ago too when Stanley uploaded at the same time as me. i think that is what happened here as I replied to Wendy breaking it already, about the same time as you did Stanley. Anyway, I am not writing it all again. You will have to wonder what I did yesterday in 33 degrees!

[Marilyn]

Speaking of grumpy...hubby started on Metformin quite recently. I don't think it agrees with him at all. He had his first hypo yesterday ( after being in a contrary mood all day). At first I didn't recognise the signs...then it did cross my mind, but I dismissed it almost immediately when I recalled all he had eaten during the morning...plenty of food ( more than I had eaten, and I am on Metformin. I offered him a sweet from my handbag, but he was so grumpy that he refused it. It was only when he got the shaky sweats that he realised it was a hypo. I revived him with a custard tart ( we were walking past a Bakery thank heavens) but he took ages to recover. No point testing how low he got, because by the time we got back to the van, he had recovered. I now know I must be vigilant (but honestly, he gets so grumpy, I just want to walk off and leave him behind!)

[PanBiker]

We are going to a family friends barbecue mid afternoon for a few hours. Always a good plan when it's hot, light a fire! No ordinary fire this, I reckon it will be Sam's Old Smokey in use today.

[Wendyf]

I think there must be a fire somewhere, there is a yellowish haze and a slightly acrid smell. Your friend must have started early!

[Marilyn]

The smoke may be from me. I couldn't work out why the new kitchen sponge looked so daggy. Turns out hubby used it to clean the bird shit off the van windscreen this morning. He has been spoken to. A new sponge has come out the packet. The old one is his to treasure. I "vented my spleen" about my kitchen sponge...sorry if you got the smoke from that Wendy.
(This is not good for me. I have mild OCD and I simply cannot accept bird shit on my kitchen sponge)
All calm at the camp tonight, but tomorrow I wash the tea towel too ( just in case)

[PanBiker]

I think there must be a fire somewhere, there is a yellowish haze and a slightly acrid smell. Your friend must have started early!

No acrid smells from Sam's barbecue it is fed only with the best Oak or Apple chips and small logs. We will be having a bit of lunch before we go, past experience has taught us that Old Smokey is not an instant gratification device, long and slow is the order of the day.

[Sue]

That is how Bob BBQs, Long and slow, American style. Delicious flavours develop.

Had a message to say my renovated chair is ready and will be delivered tomorrow evening

[PanBiker]

This one is similar to Sam's device:

Heavy Duty Offset BBQ Smoker

[Sue]

This one is similar to Sam's device:

Heavy Duty Offset BBQ Smoker

Very similar