Think we all go a bit strange as we get older. When I want to have a shower when staying at my mum’s house, invariably I first have to put my hand into cold, mucky water and drain the bath and chuck some soggy jeans or socks into the bathroom sink as my step mum insists on saving water by washing her clothes in her bath water. Despite there being a shower she insists on having a bath every morning though only allows herself about 3 inches of water. What’s the point of that?! Just have a shower! 🤯 Ps they are very well off and can afford to run the washing machine and have a proper bath if they want. See also not allowed the heating on until it’s baltic and the single glazed windows are dripping with water and only at a maximum of 18 degrees but will burn bits of old fence panel in log burner so it’s not about saving the environment.

Wouldn’t do it and last time someone did it to me I’d just got out of a lovely relaxing bath, bright red face, tired after work and really didn’t feel like seeing anyone but I’m not about to bar the door when they’ve just driven across town at rush hour.

Seville and Granada 100% absolutely my favourite 2 cities in Spain. I spent 6 months traveling Spain recently and those were my fav cities. So many good ones though. The Alhambra in Granada is a must and then try to get off the beaten tourist track for amazing free tapas with every drink. We loved La Botilleria. Seville, the Plaza de Espania, walk along the river, Setas de Sevilla, Mecardo de Triana and Las Golondrinas restaurant nearby for proper locals restaurant. Stunning place. Go to Malaga market to eat seafood and drink Vermouth with the locals standing up at the bars.

I’ve got a couple of square raised beds made a few years back with b and q timber. Just pulled up a load of decking so I’m going to make another bed from that. Only have a small garden and it’s South Downs chalk so has to be raised to grow anything. I concentrate on baby veg, unusual veg like Chinese greens which are often pest resistant. Don’t bother with low value bulky stuff like carrots, onions and pots unless you have loads of space. Radishes are dead easy and lovely when small and fresh.

Yes. Here’s a few from work. Used to get better stripes with the hayter roller but I can’t be doing with lugging that beast around now so have a lovely lightweight battery Stihl mower, no roller now. Like to keep my small back lawn neat but have made a meadow of my front bank.

Ah multiple images works too. Testing for later.

Motorhome fun. Use with caution. Can get a bit gammony but there’s some lovely people there.

They had better not move my annual birthday bank holiday!

Totally dependant on your individual situation. Ignore the hand wringers and make your own judgement based on knowing your dog, the location, the weather and your vehicle. My black lab went to work with me from the age of 8 weeks. Sometimes she could be out in a garden with me and sometimes she slept in my transit. She’s 13 now and recently we spend 2 years living in a motorhome and left her for up to 5 hours in the van whilst we biked. We used a camera and temperature monitor when in Europe in the summer and she was absolutely fine.

The market is brilliant. Buzzing with life when we went on a Saturday. Have lunch nibbles with vermouth like the locals, sampling all the wonderful fresh seafood from the little bars.

“I Came By” is worth a watch

Funny, I read a rave review of it. Said there were hidden depths to it, that only come out if you stick with it, or something. I found it bloody hard to stick with something with such wooden acting and a terribly “try-hard” script! Might have to give it another try.

Where was that review?! The Daily Star? Seriously don’t bother looking for hidden depths. That’s nearly 2 hrs of my life I’m not getting back. Plot line bin dun to death and relying purely on shock and awe tactics to keep you watching. Plus Hugh Boneville as a baddie is just wrong. Give me Downton any day over this rubbish.

Edit to bring something a little positive to the table… I’m enjoying Standing Up on Netflix a few episodes in. Guessing the algorithms recommended it to me as I liked Call my Agent. Both French comedy dramas.

I made sausage rolls for the 1st time the other day. Holy crap they were amazing and so easy to make. Nicer than the poshest sausage roll I’ve ever bought from a deli. The sausage meat wasn’t a fancy one and quite fatty, i added a line of crack lao gan ma crispy chilli oil to one and homemade tomato chilli jam to the other and topped both with a little cheddar. Dangerous and definitely a gateway to something if not careful.

Does the chance of winning go up with the rise in interest rates?

If only photos were easy to do. Had hummingbird hawk moth, Burnet moth and some really funky, punk looking caterpillars yesterday which become vapourer moth apparently.

Met some very odd people whilst living on a campsite in Sagres, Portugal during the pandemic winter 2020. Certainly out of our friendship bubble. Next-door neighbours, a Hungarian hippy and her silent German boyfriend plus cat and dog. All 4 of them in a converted panel van. She literally never left the campsite boundary for the 4 months we were there despite the most glorious sandy beach and epic waves nearby. Would smoke a spliff, hula hoop and dye clothes using leaves. Anti vac, anti any kind of establishment. Neighbours the other side, elderly German hippy couple with 2 pitches, a caravan and old van with Buddhas etc painted on. Lived there 14 years apparently! Didn’t do much but every night 8 till 10 fired up the tv to top volume watching police chase style programmes. The 1st night we thought the cops were driving round the campsite it was so loud. Must have been a proper surround sound set up in there. Lots of surf dudes and one absolute nutter, Aussie, pro golf tutor living in Switzerland but out for the body boarding. Totally anti lockdown, had covid bad in the early pandemic, dragged into hospital because he was nearly dieing and refusing all treatment but relying on praying that God would heal him. Told us all about the Great Reset and also the time he was directly hit by lightning during a golf lesson. Oh and likes his lsd trips 😂
Serious end of the road place that Sagres!

Aww best wishes…so sad to see them lifeless. The horrible feeling does fade though. We had our old boy put to sleep whilst cuddling with us on the sofa back in April and buried him in the garden. **** foxes dug him up in that July heatwave. Thankfully left him on the surface as there wasn’t much left of interest.

Here is a source that may help you understand the process. Look past the outraged headlines and have a deeper think about the issues and why things should change.

https://www.cheshire.police.uk/police-forces/cheshire-constabulary/areas/cheshire/careers/careers/positiveaction/what-is-positive-action/

Definitely not box. Slow growing and is being absolutely decimated by box moth caterpillar in all the gardens around here.

Not in Brighton. Grey and sticky.

We had a grassland fire in the meadow at the end of our road yesterday. Luckily put out very quickly before it spread into the sheep field and nearby flats. Bit close to home!

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/education-48665618.amp

Plaice and chips sitting on a bench watching the sun set after a swim in the sea. Now Henny’s cider in front of the tv with all the windows open.

I’m not sure of the biology but perhaps the plants are respiring more because you’ve given them more water to work with?

This. If they have an unlimited supply of water available then obviously they will use more. I’m sure they are fruiting well and it’s a good labour free and holiday proof system but it seems it’s not actually more water saving than careful manual watering.

Hmmm.. I feel like there is something going on there. If I had three tomato plants in pots I wouldn’t be giving them three watering cans a day, I don’t think.

I was just going to say the same i have lots of tomatoes, aubergines and chillies in pots/grow bags and the largest only take about a litre a day on the hottest days. I use a small watering can on those as they are up on shelves and the veg patch gets a brief squirt with the hose after dark each day. They don’t need to be constantly damp just keep them on the edge of wilting. They are producing abundantly just now so I’m making tomato and chilli jam.

Using water to create food that involves zero packaging and virtually no food miles is not a waste. Can’t believe how out of touch some people are. This hose pipe ban is just what the covid police curtain twitchers have been waiting for since the last lockdown!

I would have found that totally acceptable. Some people just get a kick out of telling other people what to do.

There were some interesting experiments for a tv (possibly bbc) years back. Basically it’s mostly nurture that determines things and it isn’t just the parents that have access to a baby. Grandparents, nursery, later tv etc all have influences and they can be very very subtle. They dressed a baby up with the opposite stereotypical clothing and filmed how the person played with the baby with a selection of toys. Invariably the boy disguised as a girl was treated differently being given dolls and cuddled more and more gently. Different toys were chosen but also when boy babies fell or cried they were treated differently. There have been studies that show the different treatments of very young children does actually lead to the brain developing differently for example spacial awareness was more developed in boys due to the tyres of toys given.

We had a soft wood door with hardwood frame and key lockable both sides added to our side passage this year unpainted for £650 plus vat. South East.

I scoff cake is Jacob Reece Mogg and I claim my 5 pounds.

Davina Mcall and Doctor Louise Newsome are really doing amazing things for women experiencing perimenopause and menopause. Perimenopause is the bit where you still have periods but can be experiencing all sorts of symptoms and can last up to 10 years! Menopause is when you haven’t had a period for a year. For women suffering I would recommend downloading the balance app from Dr Newsome. It’s free, full of info and can be used to track your symptoms and prepare a report for the GP.

I think as women are now an equal part of society and expected to work into old age that we certainly deserve all the help we can get. In ‘the olden days’ a lot less women worked and those that did got to retire earlier than men. I’m all for the equality but as many women will suffer with symptoms that affect their work they deserve the support to alleviate them. After all keeping women in work and with better productivity will pay for the extra costs to the NHS.

The stats on how many women leave their careers early due to menopause currently are scary.

I had exactly the same scenario as you though my neighbour didn’t speak to me i just heard chainsaws one morning and saw a contractor taking a huge lump out of the middle of the hedge including my side. I told them not to take anything else from my side but as the conifers were so intertwined I was left with big holes and the rest has been slowly dying off. Luckily there were some weed Elder trees in amongst it and I’ve let those grow into the gaps so have privacy in the summer. I’m also gradually adding escalonia and bay into the gaps so will have a nicer mixed hedge eventually.

Awesome! I spent 3 or 4 nights camped at the top of that pass in Aug 2020. Some amazing hikes and dips in lakes.

Putting random bits of waste metal or plastic in the recycling bin when we’ve lived in a place with strictly limited recycling for over 10 years and the offender has been told at least 100 times already that they only recycle plastic bottles and metal cans/tins. Anything else leads to the collection being spoiled and ending up at the incinerator plus I’m the one that ends up up to my waist in the recycling bin fishing out all the random crap. Arrrrrgh!!

That video p7. Wow brilliant but terrifying!

Cheese on toast. it will fend off the worst of the hangover

Yes we rented a villa there in March for a few nights with friends. There are heaps of restaurants and lots do free Tapas. Sevillano was one place we failed to spend any money on food and left very full and great atmosphere. We also went somewhere off the main drag for a proper meal that was really nice and less expensive than the ones in the main area but I can’t remember it’s name.

Nerja is pretty touristy so if you have a car definitely get out into the hills /mountains and visit some traditional white villages.

Málaga is only a 45 minute drive away and has the most amazing covered market. I was like a kid in a sweetshop there. Full of locals on a Saturday standing up at the various food bars eating raw/cooked seafood of every description and drinking vermouth. So vibrant and better than any London Market experience.

Quick low carb breakfast idea I’ve recently been having is a 2 egg Omelette, nice and thin, don’t overcook, spread with a bit of cream cheese, add in wilted Spinach and some chopped sun dried tomatoes and roll up for a tasty wrap effect.

I’ve been munching lot’s of red radishes, eating the dakon radish thinnings which are lovely sautéed and some beautiful baby pak choy and Asian spicy salad leaves. Oh and one strawberry 😂

I get a 22% cbd hash which I eat and it helps me with monthly pains and mild aches and definitely helps me sleep. I used to take a lot of ibuprofen to cope with the monthlies but it caused stomach issues and I thought I’d give it a try. Not taken any other pain killer for that type of pain since. Though I do find paracetamol works better for a headache. It is crucial to find a good broad spectrum source with a guaranteed amount of cbd. I go for the hash rather than oil as it’s cheaper and has the full spectrum of hemp compounds rather than just the cbd isolate. I suspect that the cbd on it’s own isn’t as effective.

Got 2 raised beds and lots of tomatoes, chilli’s and Aubergine in pots. Mostly Asian veg in the beds as they seem slug proof. Had a nice crop of radishes already, pak choy, choy sum and mixed spicy salad leaves on the way.