Thursday 20 August

[Kath Mulligan]

Well, that was a short-lived bit of BBQ Summer! Back to the normal deluge again this morning, but horribly muggy with it - the sort of weather that makes you "glow" even when you're doing nothing.

Hope it is better elsewhere, especially in Cornwall.

Kath

[jane jackson]

There was a lot of rain during the night so I'm told (didn't hear it) and the ground is damp but today is lovely blue skies with fluffy white clouds and pleasantly warm with a breeze. Yesterday evening was very muggy and we had the lounge glass door open all evening ~ luckily no moths came in! We've just come back from a walk around Trengwainton Garden and that was lovely apart from the dogs collecting lots of fallen leaves on their hairy legs. They're very precious and stop for us to get rid of the leaves before they'll move on. I nearly had a fit as a tortoiseshell cat appeared and came right up to the dogs who sniffed it and it stayed there ~ it looked so much like of our cats too that for a second I thought she'd followed us but on looking closer the colouring and face wasn't the same. Baloo was fast asleep at home! One of our cats earned her keep last night as Bryan found a headless rat under his desk this morning........................

[gloria townsin]

Mullion is a sunny haven too - at present, fairly stiff breeze blowing, but sunshine.......oh how I love it!!
Actually had to water some of the pots. Rain here to overnight but, same as Jane, didn't hear it. And yes it was muggy last evening.......we were sort of .... phew...this is warm!!
Last week when Matt was here we suddenly found we had an evening visitor in the shape of a bat, who flew round and round the lounge getting lower and lower. We thought our voices would make him fly higher but he seemed to be homing in on the sound. With difficulty Eddie managed to open the sun-room door and eventually (with me almost out of the room by now) found his way outside. That's what happens when half the lounge ceiling is missing.....an easy route from loft to lounge. He must have woken up sleepy and taken the wrong turning.

[jane jackson]

How exciting Gloria! I would probably have been out of the door with you though. It's when things like that fly so fast and close to you that I'm not keen on even if they're supposed to never fly into you.

[Kath Mulligan]

Got some warm sunshine here too now, along with some very hefty showers, one of which has just soaked me as I came in from the hospital. Instead of being sensible and waiting in the car for a couple of minutes, I decided to make a dash for it - only a few yards but enough to get me very wet. And, of course, within two minutes of getting inside, the rain stopped and the sun re-appeared. Memo to self - don't be so stupid in future!!:redface:

Re the bats - think I've said before that we have a pair that swoop around our garden most evenings around dusk. They do seem to have a habit of dive-bombing you if you are outside and I must admit I usually retreat indoors when they are about.

Hope your cat doesn't make me any gifts of headless rats, Jane! Although I would prefer the dead, headless variety to the live ones!

Kath

[jane jackson]

I'll have a word with the cats Kath! It doesn't happen very often and so far this year we haven't had any dead birds which I'm very thankful for as I hate that. I thought they were retired like us but obviously not.

How's your Mum now Kath?

There were and probably still are, bats in the church in Hertfordshire next to the school I worked in. You sometimes found very young ones dead on the stone floor which was upsetting but also very interesting to be able to look at one closely.

[gloria townsin]

Our mini Count Dracula seemed to be getting awful close to colliding with one of us which is why I kept talking in the hope it would pick up the vibrations and think again......I was more than glad when it flew out into the night. Jane told me a while ago that we would have bats in the loft, not sure where they will go when we have the roof off....I guess they will find other accomodation locally. I also am not happy with things zooming round my head.
Did I mention I think there is a sad ending to my tale of the Ring Neck Doves. Having seen the one that was attacked a day later with it's mate we haven't seen them together since. One landed in the front garden a week ago but it was alone, no cooing in the morning. So we suspect the other one died of it's injuries. It's quite upsetting as they are so pretty and were always either in the trees or bathing in the pond. What can you do nature is cruel. The hawk was hunting over the fields on Tuesday, the day he caught the dove was the first time we had known him be in the front garden, the fields are where we usually see him.
Kath I can't believe you have had another soaking......next time please wait for the rain to stop before you make a dash anywhere!!
Hope no more presents Jane unless they are nice ones. Do you watch 'Rat Catchers'.....think that's what it's called. Charlie has the usual JR temperament a really good rat catcher despatching them quickly, I only hope they keep his lepto vaccs up to date a working dog like that needs boosting every three months.

[Gill Bilcliffe]

Oh no I didn't think bats would come anywhere near folks let alone venture inside a house! In future my bedroom windows will be closed and I will be safe inside as at dusk we also have bats ~ hopefully not of the vampire kind.
Pity these tiny mice with wings have the "vampire" stigma as surely they are endearing little creatures. But I will be keeping well away and will never know!!

[gloria townsin]

I think I read or heard that their bloody reputation is not true. I would be quite happy to see them while still, in fact I would be quite interested but it's the zooming round and round and thinking any minute it's going to fly extra low. I really think I might freak out if one actually landed on me.
No more visits since last week and I hope we don't have anymore especially don't want a visit if we're not here as there would be no escape.

[Sybille Weber]

Thursday, 20th August, was the hottest day here in Germany this summer: 37°C here at Essen! In fact we have had more than three weeks of summer weather now after the first part of summer had been rather wet and much like autumn with a lot of severe weather which is probably why the swifts left so early this year. Now we have had real "swift weather" for weeks, and they are all gone. What a shame! It has been quite hot all the time, and there has hardly been any rain except for the odd heavy shower at night, so the land desperately needs some water.
We had a thunderstorm on Thursday night, so fortunately after that temperatures dropped to around 20°C. Lovely again since yesterday morning with a mixture of sun and cloud and a nice 25°C, but 30°C+ forecast again for the beginning of next week. Wish I could go on holiday now.
Off now to do our shopping and then go for a nice walk, maybe by the lake or in Gruga gardens or somewhere in the country - not decided yet.

[jane jackson]

Oh how lovely Sybille to have lots of hot sunshine. I personally don't really want 37 degrees but 27 would be great but with the sun shining. Very dreary in Penzance today with mist or sea fog, not sure which but same effect, along with drizzle. A few helicopters took off for the Scillies while we were walking on the beach this morning but the occupants wouldn't be seeing much of a view.

Hope you enjoy your walk.

[Sybille Weber]

Thank you, Jane. Yes, we had a nice walk. Decided on a walk by the lake as there is usually a cool breeze blowing. Surprisingly few people around today despite the lovely weather.

37°C is really too much for me, too, and it was certainly not very pleasant. I'd rather have lower temperatures and drizzle and mist in Penzance than 37 degrees and sunshine over here.

Have seen our neighbour this afternoon who returned from her annual holiday at Newlyn about a week ago. She told me there had been a lot of rain but that it hadn't been as bad as last year. This didn't prevent her from enjoying her holiday though. She tells me she always enjoys her holiday when she is in Cornwall whatever the weather which I can perfectly understand.

I had given our neighbour a bag with a few books for the Tangye Corner that she took there, and I had also included a German teatime for Gerald and Jennie including biscuits, chocolates, tea, coffee, etc. They do so much for FOMS just like Patricia, so I thought perhaps they could have tea together one afternoon on the occasion of one of Patricia's visits. Unfortunately Jennie was not in when our neighbour came, but the people at the pottery passed the gifts on to her. The reason why I'm telling this is that here was another wavelength thing as Jennie had the gifts on the weekend of her 70th birthday which I did not know before!

[jane jackson]

How lovely, that worked out very well then. Glad your friend enjoyed her cornish holiday despite the rain.

[Linda]

You are so kind and thoughtful Sybille....and what a lovely coincidence that it was Jennie's birthday...would have made her birthday extra special
:)

[Kath Mulligan]

What a lovely gift idea for Jennie, Sybille, I'll bet she was really thrilled with that. I'm hoping that we shall run into her and Gerald at some stage at the Lamorna Arts Festival.

Kath