Too close for comfort

You may have seen on BBC and Sky news tonight about the wild fires in Stourbridge -

This fire spread so quickly across the fields local to us - and is still going.

My daughter, Joanne was going into town and spotted a small fire in the bushes on the edge of the field.  She stopped and called it in but said by the time she had got off the phone it was already spreading across the field.

While it looks like they stopped it spreading across the the fields in one direction, it carried on in the other direction and now the local golf club is gone and the fields are still on fire, this is the road currently just short walk from where we live.  There are so many trees and hedges along that road, making it easy for the fire to spread.

These are the roads I drive down to my Roots allotment, the farmer and locals were seen taking the horses to safety early on, so hopefully all livestock is safe.  At the moment the allotments are ok, although we have been asked to stay away, not only to allow the emergency services to do their job, but also It's just not worth the risk at the moment the way it's spreading.

The council have opened up the Town Hall to accomodate those evaquated and also one of the churches in town is open for people too.  I think a few people have been treated for heat and smoke inhalation but thankfully no more than that, lets hope it stays that way, but sadly there have been at least six houses lost at the moment.

The photos i've shared are not mine, they were posted by people from the Roots allotments on our whatsapp group who were there at the time.

It's so scary how quickly this spread, everything is so dry that it wouldn't have taken much to get going...lets hope that they get it under control soon.

-X-

Last Week

The start of another new month already.  These months seem to fly by and before we know it, Christmas will be here!

This week has been spent mostly around home and playing catch-up.  Some weeks go smoothly and everything seems to fall into place and I manage to get loads done, while other weeks I appear to acheive very little, last week was definitly a week when I acheived very little.

Even so, I managed to get three days in at the allotment last week, not full day's but I've made some good progress - I'll be sharing before and after photos soon.

I put some mystery flowers in one of the raised beds and they are doing really well. I think these are zinias.  I've never been successful with zinnias before, they are so pretty.  I did nothing but clear the weeds in this raised bed, the soil wasn't particulaly good, but perhaps that's what they like.

My sunflowers finally produced a lovely flower head too...they were very slow to get going but now I get to enjoy them a bit longer.

 I took myself for coffee and cake one afternoon and finished the book I was readin.   I'm on the look out for Liz Nugents other books now, this one was really good, well written and with an ending I didn't see coming.

Book & Pudding club was on Wednesday night - Yet again my choice didn't winn the vote.  This is the one that received the most votes.  I do wonder If the fact that our host went on about how much she enjoyed it had an effect on the voting?  I have noticed she does that quite a bit, and that's ok, but I wish she would wait until the voting is over so that there is no influence.

I'm not sure how I feel about reading it, I've listened to a preview on Audible and I didn't like the narration and our local library doesen't have - I don't feel inclined to spend £9 on a book I'm not sure about.

Stevie Is starting to have nail clients again one day a week, and I get to look after Freddie while she is working.

Stevie always say's he never falls asleep on his own at home, but come to nanna's and he will fall asleep on the floor, ha ha.

I spent yesterday tidying the garden. The earth is so parched, the grass hasn't been green for months, everything is desperate for water, even shrubs in the ground are suffering this year - I've never seen my hydrangea this bad.  

I gave everything a really good soaking yesterday, but what we really need is some rain....There is a rumour that we might see some rain tomorrow, I'll beleive that when I see it, we've only had one morning with some light rain in five weeks!

On Wednesday I have a procedure at the hospital.  Mark is coming home tomorrow evening so he can come with me.  I may need to be sedated, which means I won't be able to drive afterwards.  Even if that isn't necessary, I wouldn't have fancied going on my own.

-X-

On my nightstand

 When we visited Bath last weekend there was a really great second hand book stall in the market.  Now, I really don't need any more books to add to my TBR shelf...but that didn't stop me coming home with another three, ha ha.

I know the Ruth Galloway series is very popular, and I read the first book a while ago.  To be honest, it didn't really wow me - it was just an okay read.

When I spotted The Janus Stone, the second book in the series I decided to pick it up because I thought it deserved another chance.  Unfortunately, I ended up putting it down when the story started mentioning the killing of children, puppies and cats, It just made me feel uncomfortable and wasn't something I wanted to read before going to sleep, which is when I do most of my reading.

I do have a couple more books in the series that I've picked up from charity shops, but for now I think I've decided this series isn't for me.

 I haven't read Nella Lasts War but I have seen Housewife 49 based on the book and really enjoyed it, I'm looking forward to reading Nella Last's Peace, I think It's something I will enjoy.

I've read several of Matt Haig's books and enjoyed them all.  Dead Fathers Club Is one of his early books, here's the blurb from the back of the book - 

I also got this for Freddie.

Gerry The Giraffe was one of Stevie's favourite bedtime stories when she was little, I think one of the other grandchilden must have ended up with our origonal copy so I was pleased to find this copy.

I don't very often buy new books these day's and I'd been looking for Broken Country for a few weeks without any luck, I also looked at reserving it the library but the waiting list was in double figures, so I decided to treat myself. 

As you can see It didn't travel home on it's own.  

I loved Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent, I've not read anything else by her but I am enjoying this one at the moment and think I will look out for her other titles.

This is our Library Reading Group book for the coming month.

The cover isn't giving anything away - here's the blurb from the back cover.

Someone mentioned that It's recently been a series on BBC.  As I don't watch TV I hadn't come across it.  Not sure what I think of this one, has anyone read it or seen in on TV?  I think it's going to be a very thoughtful read, perhaps nothing to exciting.

It's Pudding & Bookclub this Wednesday, so together with whatever book is chosen then I should have enough to keep me entertained for a few weeks.

What books are you enjoying at the moment?

-X-

Bath- a weeknd trip

It had been quite a while since our last visit to Bath.  I think the previous time I was there was for the Christmas Market with the girls.

This time we took the caravvan for a weekend away and stayed just outside Bath at Yellowtail Campsite in Trowbridge.  It's a lovely, peaceful site, a perfect place to unwind.

Set on a working farm, Yellowtail Campsite offers a large field with grass pitches for campers who don't require electric hook-up, as well as a separate area with hard-standing and grass pitches with electric hook-up, which is what we booked.

The site has a clean and well maintained shower block and seperate toilet facilities.  Despite being on a working farm there was no disruption form heavy machinery, no unpleasant farm smells, and no road noise.  It really is the perfect place for a quiet, relaxing getaway but also convenient for exploring the surounding area.

The hardstanding and grass pitches at Yellowtail

We arrived late on Friday afternoon and had already decided that this was going to be a no-cooking weekend.  After setting up the caravan we drove to a local pub for something to eat.

If there was one downside to the campsite, it was that there didn't seem to be any pubs or restaurants withing easy walking distance.  That said, it certainly wouldn't put us off staying there again.

The following morning, rather than driving into Bath and seaching for a parking space, we decide to use the Park & Ride, which was only abut a 15-minute drive from the campsite.  We found a parking space with no trouble at all, and with the shuttle buses running every 12-15 minutes, we didn' have to wait long before we were on our way into the city.

Before we set off I downloaded a Viator self guided audio walking tour app.  There were various ones to choose from, we chose the Romans, Royals and Regency one.

Our walk began at Pultney Bridge, there were 13 stops in all each with information and a brief history.

As you would expect, Bath was very busy.  However, it was even busier than usual on the Saturday because the Summer Graduation ceromonys were taking place at the Abbey.

 I had hoped to climb the spiral staircase to enjoy the views from the top of the Abbey, but unfortunately it was closed to the general public for the week-long graduation programme.  

As we wandered through the city we listened to the information about the Roman Baths and the Jane Austen Centre, as we had visited both on previous trips we decided not to go inside this time but we did enjoy learning a little more about their history.

The rest of our walk took us past many of Bath's famous landmarks, including Queen Square, the Assembly Rooms and St Michael's Church.  No wonder Bath is such a popular destination with its stunning architecture and fascinating history around every corner.

The Circle and it's wonderful curved houses.

We also passed the famous Sally Lunn's.  

Our 'guide' told us that it was, (aparantly) a French baker named Solange Luyon who opened the orgional bakery in the 1680's.  The locals, who were unable to pronounce her name, shortened it to Sally Lunn. 

Sally Lunn was famous for her baked goods, especially her unique bath bun, the recipie for which is a closely guarded secret.

As with many famous historic attractions there was quite a queue and we didn't feel the need to wait.

Although Abbey Green wasn't part of our guided walk it was somewhere we couldn't walk past without stopping to admire.  

This historic square with it's beautiful Grade II listed buildings is so pretty.

The dappled sunlight was just perfect and gave the square a lovely atmosphere with an almost continental feel.  It was one of those unexpected finds that made walking around Bath so enjoyable.

Our walk concluded at the Royal Crescent and Royal Victoria Park. 

The Royal Crescent is probably the landmark that Bath is most famous for, and I can see why.  This row of 30 Grade I listed townhouses is both beautiful and unique, originally bult for the wealthy Georgian society it is today a mixture of uses, including private residences, apartments and even a hotel.       

  If you happen to have £4,250,00 to spare you could perhaps own a seven bedroomed house on the Crescent!

Or if that is a little out of your reach perhaps a more modest priced studio at £495,000 would be better suited.

We finished our day with a stroll round Parade Gardens before heading back to catch our Park & Ride bus.  

It had been a lot of walking in the heat, although we did manage to find some shade along the way and made sure to take regular stops, so it wasn't as bad as It could have been.  

We both really enjoyed our little City trip and are thinking about where we would like to visit next.

-X-

Allotment diaries - Some progress

I'm really enjoying keeping a photo diary of the allotment's progress.  At times it feels like everything is happening so slowly, but when I look back, I'm amazed at how much has changed in such a short space of time.  It's a lovely reminder that every little job adds up.

The best part is knowing it's all down to my own hard work.  Mark just isn't into gardening or growing, and that's absolutely fine - I actually love that every decision is mine to make.

Having said that, he is really good when it comes to building things.  He'll tackle any construction projects I dream up, which is a huge help because I wouldn't have the first clue where to start!  I've already got a list of ideas for things I'd like him to build / fix up, so don't worry...I'll be keeping him busy, ha ha.

How it looked before

And now

I decided to keep the 'goalpost' as it will come in handy for growing beans another time.  At the moment I have tomatos growing there.  In the foreground I've recently put in some potatoes, which will be ready for Christmas.

In front of the tomatoes are sweet corn and four pumpkins, all growing nicely.  I'm also re-using the bed edging from my Roots plot.

Another section and how it looked before

And now

Here the path is about half done.  I'm laying weed membrane down for the path, but not between the beds.  I'm trying to concentrate on getting everything laid out while the weather is dry, so at the moment there is nothing planted in the raised beds.

The next area I plan to work on is around the pond.  I emptied all the water out a couple of weeks ago and have kept it covered ever since, just in case we had rain, (if only!)  I have already been scavaging for rocks, with help from Bonnie and Jacob, which I'll use to edge the pond.....Update on that once there is something to show.

In the meantime, I asked our AI friend If rain was expected, the answer?, not for a least another 10 days!

-X-

It's even too hot for the plants

I tidied the greenhouse out this morning before the sun got to that part of the garden, all the spare pots are washed and stacked neatly ready to use again.  At the moment, the only plants in there are a tray of rudbekia that needs potting on plus, some calabrese and savoy cabbage that needs planting out at the allotment.

A gave the garden a good watering this morning too.  Even some of the plants in the ground are starting to droop in this heat, We've got heavy clay soil, and it drys out really quickly in the Summer.  We're lucky we haven't got a hosepipe ban at the moment, but if we don't get some decent rain soon, I don't think it'ss be long before we do.

The allotment is surviving, I've been going down there between 7 and 8pm in the evening and staying until around 10pm.  It's not ideal but it gets full sun all day, which is great for growing vegetables - not so great when you're the one working in it!  I'll post an update on how it looking soon.

Other than keeping the plants watered and trying to stay out of the sun as much as possible, there hasn't been a lot else going on here.  Oh, I nearly forgot - I did make some bunting for the summer house this week using an old table runner.  It got me thinking I should make some for the allotment too.  Maybe that'll be this week's little project...we'll see!

How are you all coping with this heat?  I definitely find that the older I get, the less I can handle hot weather.  Everything seems to take twice as long, and by the afternoon my energy levels have completely disappeared.  Is anyone else finding the same, or is it just me?

-X-

Books, author visits and talks

A couple weekends ago I visited Sudley Castle in Gloustershire with my eldest daughter, Jenny.  We had noticed that the historian David Starkey was doing a talk about the life of Katherine Parr.  The talk was to start at 6pm but we decided to make at day of it and visit the castle and grounds too.

 

 

 The talk was really good, very informative, he knows his stuff and answered questions very thoughly.

 

There was a book signing after the event, I chose Six Wives, The Queens of Henry VIII, a hefty book at over 700 pages, my thoughts are to split it into sections on each wife, when I get round to it.

It was our Book & Pudding club last night with a vist from the Author Sally Page.  Her recent book, Six Little Words was our book last month.  

To be or not to be…

Six little words, printed on orange card, appear one morning pinned to the noticeboard of Kate’s local café. There’s no explanation, no name.

Each day a new line is added, sparking curiosity throughout the café. Among the regulars is Bardy, an ex-English teacher grappling with writer’s block.

For Kate, this trail of words might just offer a second chance at happiness, if only Bardy can find the strength to share his story too…

 She was such a lovely friendly person, our host, Jen, did a great job with her questions and Sally answered them all with great detail.  It was interesting to hear her thought process while she was writing the book and how she came to include some of the topics.

I did read the book, although It wouldn't normally be something I'd pick up.  I enjoyed it in as much as it was an easy read, the characters were mostly all likeable and easy to imagine but It wasn't a book I thought a lot about unless I was reading it.  An ok read.

This is our next book to be discussed at the end of the month.  I've already read it, very different to the last one.

Ansel Packer is scheduled to die in twelve hours. But this is not his story.

Ansel doesn't want to die; he wants to be celebrated, understood. Yet now he awaits the same fate he forced on those girls, years ago.

This is the story of the women who survive.

As the clock ticks down, three women - a mother, a sister, a detective - reckon with the choices that culminate in tragedy, the impact on those in its wake, and the possibility of redemption.

This won't be everyone's cup of tea, it's very dark and depressing really, very well written, but for me it just didn't hit the mark. 

Our library book club book last month was Shy Creatures 

Croydon, 1964. Art therapist Helen Hansford is working in a psychiatric hospital, where she has been having passionate but precarious affair with her married colleague, the charismatic Dr Gil Rudden.

Helen's structured life is upended when William Tapping - a silent, thirty-seven-year-old man with a beard down to his waist - arrives at the hospital. As Helen helps William express himself through art, she becomes increasingly entangled in his mysterious past.

Inspired by a true story, Shy Creatures is a life-affirming exploration of loneliness, love and the quiet forces that shape our lives, reminding us that freedom can come in unexpected forms.

Again, not a book I would have chosen to read.  I did almost give up, I was a good way in and put a message on our Whatsapp group to ask if it got any better because it was so mundane!  Most said they had enjoyed it, so that guilt tripped me into finishing it.  Did it get better?  slightly.  Will I remember it in a years time, possibly not.  

From my own TBR shelf I picked up Everyone Here Is Lying by Shari Lapena

William Wooler is a family man, on the surface. But he's been having an affair, an affair that ended horribly this afternoon at a motel up the road.

So, when he returns to his house, devastated and angry, to find his difficult nine-year-old daughter Avery unexpectedly home from school, William loses his temper.

Hours later, Avery's family declares her missing.

Suddenly Stanhope doesn't feel so safe. And William isn't the only one on his street who's hiding a lie.

As witnesses come forward with information that may or may not be true, Avery's neighbours become increasingly unhinged.

Who took Avery Wooler?

Now this one I am enjoying, the pace is good and the chapters end with something that makes you want to keep reading.  I should finish this one tomorrow.

Have you read anything good latley? 

-X-