I was moaning last Saturday that the unrelenting heat and the disinclination to do anything was worrying and depression must Not be allowed to creep in just because the weather is too hot to do much.
So I've been trying to be positive all week and it's been a tad cooler - except for Thursday and yesterday, which helped.
But annoying things kept happening............
- The greenhouse door was very stiff to slide open and when I felt along the metal track at the top I found what I thought was a stone, but it turned out to be a small washer and nut and the next thing I knew the door was right off it's top track, I lost the nut in the grass and had to lift the door off the bottom track and lean it against the fence. I managed to find a tiny nut and washer and the runner wheel was just on the ground but it needs more than two hands to get another bit off so the door can slide back on again - help needed from BiL sometime. Hope we don't get strong winds to get into my door-less greenhouse and break the glass!
- One of my plastic watering cans has sprung a leak - seeping out of the joints on the base if it's left standing with water in it. I've got another and a heavier metal one so it won't be replaced.
- The indoor slip on shoes/sandals that I wear all the time fell apart and luckily I'd bought a new pair online in the sales last year right ready. They are one of the only things I can wear without arch supports.
However...............trying to be positive................
1. The garden is full of baby Blue Tits and Goldfinches chitter chattering again - this must be their second hatchlings of the year. I'm glad I carried on feeding the sunflower hearts as there's probably a shortage of food for them with everywhere being so dry.
2. I got the two scrapbooks out and went through my loose stamps and pictures to fill up some more pages. Each page has a theme rather than just random and it's sort of old fashioned scrapbooking rather than the newer idea.
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| Old bikes and motor cycles |
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| Books and reading |
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| Wartime |
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| Night and sunset |
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| People and chairs |
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| Post |
It's nearly five years since I started playing with scissors and glue and I like how the pages look, there are still spaces in some places to fill but only 4 more completely blank pages. I'll need to look out for another cheap watercolour book or scrapbook sometime.
3. I'm thinking about hobbies that I used to do and maybe get going on them again - it's been ages since I spotted a half-finished tapestry kit at a boot sale or charity shop - they used to turn up quite regularly. So maybe I'll have a look on ebay to see what's there.
4. I contacted friends in Essex who I'd not heard from for months to see if they were OK and arranged for them to visit later this month.
5. Had the whole week hardly going out and without even going out for shopping (although I will today) and didn't feel depressed at all!
Being Grateful
- For the gift of windfall cooking apples from a friend at exercise group, although they were a bit wormy and only made two small bags for the freezer - (mustn't look a gift
horseapple in the mouth!) - Very glad I didn't go out to the shops early Wednesday morning or to the midweek boot-sale as there was an accident on the A140 which closed the road for several hours, even getting a mention on the Radio 2 travel news and sending all the traffic passed my bungalow to jam up through the village - where there is also a road closed out of the village for water main work. Goodness knows how the huge lorries managed the other small road out of the village.
- Managing to keep cool inside in that extra hot heat of Thursday and Friday.
- Thankful that there have been no field fires nearby - Feel so sorry for the people in the West Midlands who have lost their homes.
Have a good weekend - it will be another quiet one here, more European Athletics Championships on TV to watch later after I've been out for shopping.
Did you see reports of the road closure in Norfolk last week, involving a lorry carrying ketchup? It was very messy. Hope you can get your greenhouse sorted. Those glass door panels are not cheap to replace if broken.
ReplyDeleteI didn't hear about the ketchup - what a mess that must have made.
DeleteLuckily the door isn't broken, I just hope BiL can help me get it back on its runners soon
I sympathise about the greenhouse door, they are a bugbear for us, no sooner do we sort it than something else goes out of kilter!
ReplyDeleteI like the look of the themed pages in the scrapbooks.
There have been significantly more fires around us, no homes burnt thankfully and nothing close enough to threaten us but we haven't realised before how far away you can smell the smoke. Tough times for our wonderful firefighters.
Have a good weekend.
Penny
I'm very thankful that there have been no fires close. Harvest has finished so no more worries about combines catching fire.
DeleteIs there a scrap store near to you? They are really good places to find half-finished tapestry kits.
ReplyDeleteI wish! We don't have anything like that in rural areas
DeleteYour kind of scrapbooking is my kind of scrapbooking too. I felt really u well on Thursday and Friday due to trying to do tasks that were too strenuous for hot weather. Today I am trying to hang new curtains in the bedroom and it’s not going well. Hope o
ReplyDeleteIt’s a cooler weekend for you to enjoy. Catriona
Today is much cooler - thankfully. Cloudy but no sign of rain in the forecast until Tuesday and that's less than 50% chance.
DeleteEBay sounds like a good idea for the tapestry kits. Sorry about the greenhouse! We don't have many small birds since I took the feeders down because of the rats. Maybe I can safely put them back up now.
ReplyDeleteI love seeing all the babies shouting to be fed!
DeleteSue, you might like to check out this organisation; https://looseends.org/
ReplyDeleteThey have volunteers who complete projects for people who fond 'granny's half finished tapestry ' in a cupboard after she's died. I guess it's a similar idea to the memory bears Ang sews, to give people a tactile memento of their family.
That's interesting but I don't think I could cope with the responsibility of finishing something that someones loved one had started
DeleteWhat a good idea to use some stamps to fill in the smaller gaps in your scrapbook. I do prefer the look of traditional scrapbooking compared to the modern version, where a lot of people actually buy new 'scrapbook packs' and things just to stick in. Using items collected naturally and over time is much better for preserving some memories. I hope you and BIL can fix the greenhouse door before any more damage is done.
ReplyDeleteI like finding bits and bobs - not enough post with interesting pictures comes through the letter box now though. Old tatty books from boot sales can be handy
DeleteI'll head to the store this morning, too, I'm just waiting for the rain to let up.I wish I could send some of the rain your way! I like your posts of things that you are thankful for. It's easy to get down when so many things seem to be going wrong. I know I have a lot to be thankful for and I have to concentrate on that.
ReplyDeleteWe have cloud today and nicely cooler - thankfully
DeleteIm not sure if I've finally turned a corner but despite having more time alone since my son got his condo, and more full at home days where just the pets or neighbors I see when I walk or putter outside are my only contact with others some days, I'm finally not being so proufoundly lonely. Weekends still though are a bit tough. But, as you describe, finding things that bring smiles is helping. I'm loving the butterfly's right now.
ReplyDeleteI've turned corners and then gone backwards again. Just have to keep plodding on regardless.
DeleteI like having several things to do that I can dip into - that's something that has disappeared recently
I cope better with the heat when it's not humid. Have learnt to accept that I stay indoors.on the.very afternoons and have spent my time sewing, reading and listening to podcasts. Am very grateful that I don't have to work in ot anymore.
ReplyDeleteMy BiL who works outside a lot says he's got used to the heat - I've definitely not!
DeleteGlad to read you've sorted out the down feelings and have a brighter lookout. The heat in Europe, fires and drying up of major rivers is a big concern that all of us face together here on this Earth.
ReplyDeleteWhat an absolutely wonderful post. I'm so glad you have been safe from the fires. It's terribly concerning. I saw some recent photos of Stonehenge and other sites in Britain with the grass so parched, not a sign of green. Even with some down times, you are seeing the things for which to be grateful. I love your idea of reconnecting with old hobbies -- I've been thinking about that, the knitting and needlepoint. I very much like the scrapbook pages you shared.
ReplyDeleteHopefully your BIL can fix the greenhouse door sooner. rather than later.
ReplyDeleteAn open door like that (in my garden), would invite wildlife in and everything would be eaten.
The heat and no rain continue and with no predicted end.
It has cooled to 80 degrees F. but no rain for weeks is making everything dry.
Your scrapbook pages are beautiful, and I like the way you've organized them by topic.
Buying a tapestry kit will make a good in-door project, especially now with all the high heat. Amazon has some nice kits, and they'd deliver it right to your door.
I hope the greenhouse door is fixed quickly by your BIL. The scrapbook pages are just lovely.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
It is hard to muster up any amount of enthusiasm when it is hot. We have been dealing with humidity too which makes matters worse.
ReplyDeleteI am grateful though, that for all of this our nights are cool and comfortable.