Today I shall be Mainly...

[Stanley]

Wendy, snap! High winds disorientate me. However, no problems with the current wind, the houses shelter each other in the town.
Shed and pedicure happened yesterday. Good on both counts. High risk work in shed at the moment, too bloody small!! Nevertheless I shall be in there today for more punishment of cooking allows...

[Sue]

We were attacked yesterday by one of the large plastic trugs I use for gardening. It was in the back yard about a quarter full of weeds and other stuff but around midday it had emptied itself and was knocking on the back door! The wind creates a vortex out there and the trug was circling up to a metre off the ground trying to attempt a roof jump! When I opened the door it's original contents flew into the house and I had to send Col out to catch the trug in mid air!

Yesterday I did a bit of sewing, a bit of cupboard tidying, a bit of painting ( an acrylic still life for one of my art class projects) and a bit of ironing. Whilst doing the ironing I realised that my tracksuit bottoms that I wear around the house before my yoga and pilates sessions were not there. We searched and searched. Eventually Bob decided to search in the garden, thinking they may have come off the line and blown into the pond or a flower bed. He found them about as far from the line as possible, behind the garden shed hanging from an upturned flower pot. I am not quite sure how they got there, but further departure from our garden had been prevented by the garden fences of two adjacent gardens.

Its still wild and windy. I hope it dies down a bit today, we are missing our long walks

[Sue]

Its been a frightening couple of days. We like to sit in our conservatory for our cups of tea, meals and chilling out time. We have been watching the neighbours trees bent double and grazing the roof of our greenhouse. The wind has been so violent I have expected the tree or its branches to snap and crash through the greenhouse roof. There are stray bits of wood and branches flying around the garden and my beautiful climbing clematis has been smashed to the ground. I hope I can manage to tie it back up. Amazingly the giant poppies have survived.

[Wendyf]

I hardly ventured out yesterday apart from the morning walk round the field (with walking poles for support) and essential trips to feed poultry and ponies. I braved the poly tunnel for a while to pick strawberries but it wasn't a pleasure! I've gone back into my thermals today in the hope that it forces a change in the weather.
Colin seems to have projects going on all over the house, there isn't a corner or a surface free from boxes and tools... I need my garden retreat!

[Marilyn]

I always worry my knickers will end up next door or beyond in a strong wind (because you can bet they aren’t your best ones or new ones!)
( if neighbours turn up...no...they aren’t MINE!)...

[Marilyn]

Cleaned the Castle this morning, stripped the bed/changed the towels and ended up with 5 loads of washing! ( all out on the line, no wind but no sunshine today either). I expect I will need to finish things off with 10 minute bursts in the dryer later.
Also made a batch of Pea/Potato and Bacon Soup for tonight. What a lovely shade of green. Tastes good too.

That’s me worn out for the day....I need a cup of tea.

[Stanley]

I see Perth had strong wind, no word from Margaret.
We didn't suffer much in the town, it's sheltered down here. Thank God! Nowhere near as bad as you describe Sue.
Wendy, the joys of paying for the view. Be thankful Col is active and keeping himself busy! At least it's not another oil tank!
Not sure about today yet apart from some veggie cooking. My Mojo hasn't kicked in yet!
(Calm here up to now....)

[Stanley]

Well, here we are later. A lovely morning and I have been busy. In a nutshell my meals are secure for the next few days which bodes well for the shed. I have done all my cooking, cleaned all my pots and pans and as soon as it has cooled the CI pot full of cooked veggies will be in the fridge together with the Mutton, tomato and onion stew. A straight edge and bio-security has been observed!
Now for a rest. I was considering washing duvet covers but have scrapped that. There has been quite enough honest endeavour for one morning!

[Sue]

Calm and sunny today. I have pilates at 10., we have a click and collect order from Tesco after lunch. Walking will be about teatime when the ´crowds’ disperse, and then roast chicken on the BBQ and a glass of vino later. The last couple of days I filled doing an acrylic picture for the project for my art classes. Its called SHOPPING LIST

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. Today I shall cut out bits to make a handmade patchwork from my endless scraps of fabric.

Stay safe, enjoy your day.

[plaques]

Me.. Looks like being a nice day.
Mrs P.. Why don't you take it easy, but you won't will you? Those top lawns need strimming. the drive could do with a weeding, and that top area needs finishing off. And those conifers down to the shed need lopping down to about 8 ft high, After lunch why don't you....
Me.. Yes dear.

[Sue]

Bob hates it when I say

I have been thinking...

Or
I have had an idea......

[plaques]

Shudder when I hear that Mrs P has been thinking.
Started today with a quick job removing some baked on moss from the paving stones. This was not on the list but was considered a good idea because it was in the shade. Then I could mow down near the greenhouse, another job not on the original schedule. The mower had different ideas about working on bank holidays and sabotaged itself by getting the carburetor jets blocked. Another job for another day. This only leaves the strimming then its cup of tea time.

[Marilyn]

Mrs P will be letting her mind wander as she goes through the ritual of making tea. She may have an idea...

[Stanley]

Shed and beam engine. (Not cooking!)
P, I've been thinking.... Did you finish weeding the cracks in the paving stones?

[Marilyn]

P possibly sabotages his own equipment so that he doesn’t actually finish jobs?! ( and Mrs P needs enlightening)

[Stanley]

My God Maz! You're getting into dangerous territory here!

[Cathy]

I want to know what Mrs P does. Hehe

[plaques]

Questions answered.
Pavement tidying gadget pulled apart again reassembled, appears to run Ok. but pavements cleared long hand.
Mower, Part job today, clean out petrol tank to remove any possible grit / jelly, try it out then move onto carburetor if required.
What does Mrs P do / think, Mainly trying to keep me out of mischief, then after that its the same answer that the Genie gave to a request of 'what does my wife think or a bridge across the Atlantic Ocean'. "How many lanes do you want".

[Sue]

I have been very well behaved since we got back from France, where both our minds worked overtime on...I have been thinking. We are both being very self indulgent in our own hobbies plus of course our walks which were able to resume yesterday.

Looks like another nice day today. I think I may tidy up the remnants of my tulips and give the soil a quick hoe. I shall have to get the hose pipe out later and do some watering. Otherwise it will be another self indulgent day with a walk, followed by a pilates and then yoga session.

‘Grandma what did you do in the pandemic isolation?’.
‘I got fitter than I have been in the last 25 years’

[Stanley]

You got away with that one Maz!
P. I think you are managing the situation very well. Good luck with the mower, those little engines can be so frustrating, temperamental little buggers! Give me a big diesel any day!
Sue, too late for me to take it easy this morning, I have been very busy culminating in two hours in the shed. I'm having a sit now before walking Jack and breakfast with a post on shed matters.
Good day so far!

[Marilyn]

I don’t know what gets in to me sometimes Stanley....I sail a bit close to the wind sometimes.
Life experience I expect....
( plus...my husband has some very interesting tactics...)
I am just saying!....

[Marilyn]

( there is always some bloody reason tasks/ideas don’t work out....grrrr)

[plaques]

Don't worry about me I'm not called pachyderm Plaques for nothing. I like a bit of contradictory banter it makes life a lot more interesting and how else are you going to see an opposing view. We could do with more people putting their two pennyworth in and having a say.
I'll finish with a few lines from the song 'Big Iron'. Marty Robbins.
No one dared to ask his business
No one dared to make a slip
The stranger there among them
Had a big iron on his hip

Just blast away and say what you feel is right .Bugger the big guns.

[PanBiker]

Love it, where else would you find a quote from a gunfighter song? Did I ever tell you that I do "El Paso" at karaoke? To continue:

Now the stranger started talkin' made it plain to folks around
Was an Arizona ranger, wouldn't be too long in town
He was here to take an outlaw back alive or maybe dead
And he said it didn't matter he was after Texas Red
After Texas Red.

[Stanley]

What a lovely mature site this is.
My party piece would be Sixteen Tons by Tennessee Ernie Ford. First heard it on guard duty at Spandau Gaol in 1953 on Grand Old Opry on AFN. Velcro!
I have four 7BA holes to locate drill and tap. If I can accomplish that without breaking a tap I will be a happy bunny.
(Smell things amuse small minds!)
(Mention of big guns takes me to Eskimo Nell. I shall not quote it....)