Hollyhocks out of Nowhere + First week July

 Seven foot tall and appearing where no Hollyhocks have appeared before. These are out in the front border.

 I've frequently tried to invite them into various gardens without much luck, although maybe one might have appeared in the back garden in my first year here? - never to be seen again.

BiL has lots growing every year right by his path to the back door. I never remember to collect seed pods to bring home - I'll try to remember this year.

It's been a mostly chilly week because Summer went away around midday on Tuesday. It came back briefly for a few hours on Thursday so people didn't get wet while going out to vote but Wednesday and Friday were horribly cold and grey and the wind on several days has had a real bite to it.

I raced around Monday morning getting loads of jobs done so I could watch the tennis and have been watching as much as possible all week. Thursday was the best day with so many Brits playing - all at once sometimes. Did you know there are 46 courts at Wimbledon if you include the practice courts and the 8 clay courts, I didn't, until it was a question on the Radio 2 Zoe Ball show mini quiz. Play on 18 main courts are often all on TV - difficult to choose.

I'd planned a swim again Friday but woke up feeling rough so cancelled that until next week, my own fault for getting cold when shopping.

It's odd sometimes to find the things people don't know. - On the local Next Door website page- which is usually lost cats - several people moaned about Green Party representatives sitting outside Polling Stations on Thursday - some folk were very irate that it should be 'allowed'. But it's something that used to happen a lot and there is no need to speak to them after all and the street is still a free country - thank God! 

Good to know that there was no fuss or cries of 'cheating' or 'fix' after the election results. Hand over is always polite and quick............unlike some countries! and they are able to get removal vans for Number 10 at very short notice - very different when the rest of us are moving house!

This week I've been grateful for

• Gift of Broad Beans from BiL who had been gifted more than he needed from a neighbour
• Huge bowlful of raspberries from the garden everyday
• Tomatoes, cucumbers and courgettes all ready now
• Another handful of green beans
• Plenty of good reading. (The final Maisie Dobbs from Jacqueline Winspear was excellent)
• Rain - just in time to fill the water butts

Not sure what I'm doing this weekend. 

Back Soon

Sue

So Which Prediction Was Correct? + Summer of Sport

 So which of the bits of paper through the door earlier in the week was right? A new constituency  so nothing to compare with last time.

The Labour prediction  for here was Way out! and the Greens did much better than they predicted for themselves - getting over 20,000 votes compared to Conservatives 14,000+. Labour came in 4th behind the Reform Party. So we have a Green MP, one of 4 who will be sitting opposite the Labour Party. 

My prediction is, that he needs to  speak up for the area really well, or it will be a one-off vote.

Enough of all that! 

Yesterday I went shopping good and early to make the most of so many British men and women playing at Wimbledon. The first match was a girl I'd not heard of before this year -  Yuriko Miyazaki - Japanese /English. She lost rather quickly. Then I thought I ought to catch yesterdays Tour highlights as everyone was raving about Mark Cavendish and his new record number of stage wins.

The handy thing about watching Wimbledon on iplayer is you can press a button to 'watch from the start' so after the Tour highlights I went back to the beginning of the Katy Boulter/Harriet Dart match. Surprise that Harriet won but it was a good game. 

The Cam Norrie v Jack Draper match was a bit one sided which was a bit sad to see, but Cam played much better than he has done for a while.

Then there was the emotional Andy and Jamie Murray doubles. They lost in straight sets but it was the farewell to Andy afterwards that had everyone in tears!

Today is a new day! 

Looking very dull outside - rain forecast for later, I need to get the raspberries picked before that happens.........much more important that the shenanigans that will be going on in Westminster.

Back Soon

Sue

Election Day + Summer of Sport 2024

 I shall stroll up the road today to cast my vote in the General Election for a political party that have promised much but probably won't be able to achieve anything! 

And as all of them have done that it's no help to you guessing who I'll vote for!

I finally got information through the letter box from all the other Parties standing, but the Green Party have certainly outdone the rest for pieces of paper - how very ironic.

So, will our new  Waveney Valley constituency really put a Green Party MP into the Houses of Parliament or will tradition win out and the area remain blue Conservative? Or will we be one of the 'Huge swings to Labour' seats?

The two bits of 'propaganda' through the letter box yesterday completely contradict each other so we will have to wait and see.........

I hope everyone will go and vote, everyone should vote - it's your right and we don't have many rights left, and if you don't, you can't moan about the result.

Summer of Sport yesterday was cold and chilly and wet but Emma won through - well done that girl.  Lots more Brits playing at Wimbledon today including several pairs in the Men's Doubles - much more interesting than election results!  (can't believe that once, when I was very much  younger, I stayed awake half the night listening to results coming in - mad)

Back Tomorrow........... when we'll know who we are to be governed by for the next 5 years.

Sue