Back from SM - it was drizzling so I decided to take the car and stock up on washing liquid, coffee and other stuff that had special offers on ... big mistake ... total chaos down in the village - a small amount of roadworks has resulted in loads of temporary traffic lights and tail backs leading back onto the A11 in one direction and goodness knows how far in the other directions!!! Loads of parents having done the school run (looks like ours is open today) were stuck in queues, desperate to get to work. Not good!
BL, enjoy this evening
Wonky, enjoy today See you Thursday
The drizzle has stopped and there's a good blow so I've hung some woollens on the line - fingers crossed it stays dry.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
No rain here yet today, though we had a fair dollop yesterday late on, and the clouds are gathering rather ominously. I've got U3A (ie oldies!) art class this morning - no idea what to paint... but maybe someone will have brought a still life or something. I always enjoy it once I'm there, anyway.
Wonky, you must get a lot more done, without a TV to distract you. We don't have one in our Scottish cottage and I find I don't miss it at all. Radio is good if company is required.
Hope Chicky takes lots of photos... I'm off to Tatton Park for the flower show there, next week.
BL, what's the difference between an English garden in SW France and a French one? (Perhaps I should go to one of your talks!)
Have a lovely day all, on the sofa or otherwise...
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
It is cool and grey and blowy but dry so far. I'm waiting for an emergency roof man to come and replace some tiles blown off in recent gales - right down low so not spotted till we saw a damp patch in the blue bedroom I have just painted. B****r!
Once he's here I can get out in the garden to play with Marie-Christine who comes to help for 5 hours every other week. She's a treasure who has formal horticultural training and brings me spares of her plants in exchange for some of mine.
I'd love to here Busy's talk too. Shall we book a coach? I can make some muffins for the journey. Might have to be the Magic Bus to get us all in and there on time.
Last edited: 05 July 2016 12:32:36
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
What a dreadful spell of weather you're having obelixx
Dove - I'll be round later - you can help eat that cake too or I'll never get back off the sofa
Wonks - re the tv - what about the tennis though? I couldn't miss that ....
Mind you, I'm too nervous to watch Andy most of the time!
I remember being on holiday with a friend the year Nastase was playing out his skin and got to the final - he was my idol. Friend's mum was furious with us because we wanted to stay in to watch tennis... and the sun was splitting the trees... We got our way though
Good luck tonight BL. I'm sure it will be fine
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Fairy - Wonky hasn't been interested in tennis since Goran Ivanisevic retired
Right, two loads of washing on the line and the machine is now doing a 'service' wash to give it a good clean out.
A big pot of ratatouille has been made - that'll do nicely with some baked chicken legs for supper and there'll be lots left over for later in the week.
Time for the sofa ..............
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Liri, French private gardens have trees and shrubs planted at even intervals in the lawn and very neat veg gardens. Often lots of pots of pelargoniums and petunias.
English gardens have herbaceous borders full of perennials, scented shrub and climbing roses also lots of daffodils in the spring. Much bigger variety of plants. But here there are problems, such as weather - hot dry summers, colder than UK winters and heavy rain. I have never seen such a variety of insects as here and much bigger than English ones. You should see some of the ants! And the huge slugs
I did the talk for another club in May. Lots of photos, they liked it
I liked Nastase too. But when we moved to France in 1985 Wimbledon wasn't shown on French TV and there wasn't English TV or Sky. I got satellite TV in 2002 but have got out of the habit of watching Wimbledon.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
Posts
Back from SM - it was drizzling so I decided to take the car and stock up on washing liquid, coffee and other stuff that had special offers on ... big mistake ... total chaos down in the village - a small amount of roadworks has resulted in loads of temporary traffic lights and tail backs leading back onto the A11 in one direction and goodness knows how far in the other directions!!! Loads of parents having done the school run (looks like ours is open today) were stuck in queues, desperate to get to work. Not good!
BL, enjoy this evening
Wonky, enjoy today
See you Thursday 
The drizzle has stopped and there's a good blow so I've hung some woollens on the line - fingers crossed it stays dry.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Morning all, hi Pat!
No rain here yet today, though we had a fair dollop yesterday late on, and the clouds are gathering rather ominously. I've got U3A (ie oldies!) art class this morning - no idea what to paint... but maybe someone will have brought a still life or something. I always enjoy it once I'm there, anyway.
Wonky, you must get a lot more done, without a TV to distract you. We don't have one in our Scottish cottage and I find I don't miss it at all. Radio is good if company is required.
Hope Chicky takes lots of photos... I'm off to Tatton Park for the flower show there, next week.
BL, what's the difference between an English garden in SW France and a French one? (Perhaps I should go to one of your talks!)
Have a lovely day all, on the sofa or otherwise...
Woo Hoo road trip to Busy's talk!
It is cool and grey and blowy but dry so far. I'm waiting for an emergency roof man to come and replace some tiles blown off in recent gales - right down low so not spotted till we saw a damp patch in the blue bedroom I have just painted. B****r!
Once he's here I can get out in the garden to play with Marie-Christine who comes to help for 5 hours every other week. She's a treasure who has formal horticultural training and brings me spares of her plants in exchange for some of mine.
I'd love to here Busy's talk too. Shall we book a coach? I can make some muffins for the journey. Might have to be the Magic Bus to get us all in and there on time.
Last edited: 05 July 2016 12:32:36
What a dreadful spell of weather you're having obelixx
Dove - I'll be round later - you can help eat that cake too or I'll never get back off the sofa
Wonks - re the tv - what about the tennis though? I couldn't miss that ....
Mind you, I'm too nervous to watch Andy most of the time!
I remember being on holiday with a friend the year Nastase was playing out his skin and got to the final - he was my idol. Friend's mum was furious with us because we wanted to stay in to watch tennis... and the sun was splitting the trees...
We got our way though 
Good luck tonight BL. I'm sure it will be fine
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Fairy - Wonky hasn't been interested in tennis since Goran Ivanisevic retired
Right, two loads of washing on the line and the machine is now doing a 'service' wash to give it a good clean out.
A big pot of ratatouille has been made - that'll do nicely with some baked chicken legs for supper and there'll be lots left over for later in the week.
Time for the sofa ..............
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Just read that Goran now coaches Maran Cilic (is that how you spell it?)
Last edited: 05 July 2016 13:20:37
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Beautiful sunshine
2 lots of bedding out, some weeding done and off to friend for my 2 hours "me" time soon 
Come in from the veg garden for a drink.
Liri, French private gardens have trees and shrubs planted at even intervals in the lawn and very neat veg gardens. Often lots of pots of pelargoniums and petunias.
English gardens have herbaceous borders full of perennials, scented shrub and climbing roses also lots of daffodils in the spring. Much bigger variety of plants. But here there are problems, such as weather - hot dry summers, colder than UK winters and heavy rain. I have never seen such a variety of insects as here and much bigger than English ones. You should see some of the ants! And the huge slugs
I did the talk for another club in May. Lots of photos, they liked it
I liked Nastase too. But when we moved to France in 1985 Wimbledon wasn't shown on French TV and there wasn't English TV or Sky. I got satellite TV in 2002 but have got out of the habit of watching Wimbledon.