Saturday, 28th August

[Sybille Weber]

After it had poured down with rain for days with flooding and tornados in northern parts of our area we actually had a few hours of sunshine today before more rain accompanied by thunder and lightning came down in the afternoon. The temperature was down to just 12 degr. C during the day. That's rather autumn than summer. Must have been even colder tonight. When I opened the window in the evening there was almost a wintry touch in the air.
Poor nephew Tobi who got married today. Everyone had expected to be able to wear summer dresses and Vivian, the bride, will probably have shivered with cold in her wedding dress. We would have been part of it all, too, if Rolf and I were not ill at the moment. As we would have had to travel several hours to get to the wedding, we just had to cancel it. Rolf has problems with his arms and should avoid driving whenever he can for a while, so that was it. Anyway, hope they will email some photos soon.

[adesmith]

Sorry that you couldnt make it to the wedding Sybille and such a shame about the weather. We had a bit of fine weather yesterday and some sunshine. We went to Caerleon to look at the excavations that are taking place. The Archaeologists had made a real effort for the open day and they gave tours of what they had found. They had activities for the children and a Roman cooking demonstration. Rupert enjoyed washing Roman teglia (roof tile).

There is definitely an autumnal nip in the air and looking out of the window the trees on the top of Lodge Hill are turning orangey brown. I dont mind because as I have said before I love autumn. I do feel quite autumny after spending a few days making Blackberry and Apple Jam and Spicy Plum and Apple Chutney. On Classic FM this morning they played a piece of music to bid farewell to summer! I am still hoping for a bit of autumn sunshine before the weather really turns cold. Its a bit dark and overcast here today but there is some good weather forecast tomorrow for Bank Holiday Monday.

[jane jackson]

Lovely blue skies here in PZ with hardly a breath of wind so very pleasant after last weeks heavy rainfall. The last 2 nights the temperature went down to 11c but it's been in the low 20s during the day.

We've got loads of tomatoes ripening in the greenhouse and outside and we're also inundated with cooking apples but so is everyone else. More cooking and freezing this afternoon but not much room left for too many cartons if I make soup.

So sorry Sybille that you and Rolf missed the wedding, do hope your health improves soon.

[gloria townsin]

Please not Winter yet or even Autumn even though I quite like it. Have to say there was a tinge of Autumn in the air first thing, but September is supposed to be a nice month weather wise, so can but hope for once they have it right. Sorry about your weather Sybille and even more so that you and Rolf are unwell. What a pity about the wedding that you could not go and the weather was so bad for it. There was a wedding in Mullion yesterday, the bells were ringing and the village looked very festive with the scarecrows all round. This year the theme was entertainment and there are 150 dotted around from the village down to the harbour. Very good and lots of people spotting...........I took Trystan out on his lead for a little walk and carried him back through the actual village. The last time I put his lead on he screamed his little head off.........fortunately this time bribery worked and he was very good as I repeatedly told him. Funny how breeds are so different my Shih Tzu were completely unbribable if they don't want to do something they won't but so far Poms seem quite responsive to a bit of a treat.......so yipee for that!!

[jane jackson]

There was a Pom on TV this morning on a programme about the British and their animals. This lady dressed him up in a similar outfit as her groom and his best man for her wedding and he went on the honeymoon. He did look a very nice dog, more so when going for a walk in the woods ~ more natual I think! We were grooming the girls on the kitchen table on their non slip rug at the time so they now look lovely and fluffy. It's just amazing how much hair comes out of them. glad Trystan is enjoying his walks.

[Kath Mulligan]

What a rotten shame that you and Rolf couldn't make it to the wedding, Sybille, do hope that both of you are soon feeling better.

After a pretty dreadful bank holiday weekend so far weatherwise, this morning also started off wet, cold and dreary so we almost abandoned our plans to go to the Eyam well dressings and to watch DaleDiva singing in the park in Matlock this afternoon. Don't know if anyone saw them winning the Don't Stop Believing show on Channel 5 last Sunday but they are a ladies barbershop group who all live in and around the Derbyshire Dales and Claire and the other Heartbeat ladies know them well. Needless to say we were watching and voting for them last Sunday and were thrilled to bits when they won.

Anyway about 11am the sun came out so we decided to take a chance and go and we were very glad we did because it has stayed sunny all afternoon, although with a very brisk wind blowing. Had a lovely time wandering around in a tiny village called Foolow, near Eyam photographing their well dressings too. It is a picture postcard English village with some lovely little stone cottages and a church and a pub around a village green, complete with pond and ducks. Will post a couple of photos from there. Then we went on to Eyam, the plague village and had a good wander around there too before moving onto Matlock where we met up with Claire and her friend, Emma to chat with the some of the DaleDivas about their experiences last weekend. They are a lovely bunch of ladies. Then Elizabeth and I rounded off the day with a meal at a pub/restaurant near home.

Tomorrow, if the sun shines again we are planning to visit the Michael Elliott Donkey Sanctuary and Wormhill Well Dressings, both of which are only about 30 minutes drive away from here.

Kath

[jane jackson]

Glad you had such a good day Kath. Have fun with the donkeys tomorrow. We have the Newlyn Fish Festival down here so we'll walk along to that. The forecast for the coming week is good so hope it's correct.

[Kath Mulligan]

I've just been talking on the phone to Patricia, Jane and she and Jennie are also going to Newlyn Fish Festival tomorrow. Gerald is dog sitting! It sounds as though there is going to be lots going on there, with craft stalls and RNLI demonstrations as well as the fish stalls themselves. She says that it is being opened by Rick Stein.

Enjoy your day there.

Kath

[adesmith]

Sounds like you had a wonderful day Kath. Thanks for putting the pictures on Facebook. I would love to visit Eyam. I noticed the plaques in the gardens and it hadnt occured to me that the people in the houses would know of the particular victims and the suffering that went on in them. Looks like you had the best of the weather as well.

It hasnt been too bad here but the couple of hours that I wanted to spend gardening it came over cloudy and we had a couple of showers - typical. Sun came out as soon as I tidied up! Anyway we had a nice meal at my in-laws. We are planning to drive up to Goodrich Castle tomorrow where they have a living history day and a Civil War encampment. We thought it might be interesting and Rachel's Mum and Dad were due to be coming with us. Unfortunately they have had their car vandalised again (rear window smashed) and they have to wait in for Autoglass. They are hoping it will be early and that they will be able to join us for a picnic later on - probably somewhere in the Forest of Dean or Symonds Yat.

Have a good time at the Fish Festival Jane. We have never timed it right so that we have been able to go but it always sounds very interesting and lots of fun. Have a good time at your day out as well Kath - you cant go wrong with donkeys!

PS I liked the sound of your meal. We have a recipe that we make 'Morrocan Chicken' and its delicious served with cous cous.

[Kath Mulligan]

You really would enjoy Eyam, Adrian. There was going to be a procession from the church at 2.00 this afternoon to Mompesson's Well on the outskirts of the village and an open air service held there but we had promised to be in Matlock for around 2ish so weren't able to stay for that. Quite apart from its history it is a very pretty village too, with Eyam Hall, a very old manor house in the centre. I've never actually been in there, and again we didn't have time today, but we shall no doubt be back before too long. It's only about 40 minutes drive from home.

There is going to be a musical play performed at our local theatre on 19 September called Ring of Stones which is all about the story of Eyam and the plague which I quite fancy seeing, so will have to see if any of my friends want to go too.

What rotten luck that your parents-in-law's car has been vandalised - you said "again" - is it something that has happened previously too? Hope they manage to get it fixed in time to go with you, Rachel and Rupert. Symonds Yat is somewhere Vin and I were always promising ourselves that we would visit, but we never made it. Would love to see it one day.

Kath

[Sybille Weber]

Seems you had a lovely day out, Kath, and it does sound a lovely village, too. Will have a look at the photographs.
We have had dreadful weather all weekend. Today was even worse than yesterday with torrential rain and storms, too. Just 9 degr. earlier in the evening.
No bank holiday weekend over here. It's been the last summer holiday weekend, so the roads were very busy. Perhaps it was better after all that we couldn't go to the wedding of our nephew Tobias as we would probably have spent hours and hours on the roads. My only regret is that I couldn't take any wedding photographs especially because they had a horsedrawn carriage - a surprise wedding gift from Vivian's (the bride's) colleagues. Would also have liked to film the musical performance of Florian (Tobias's brother) and his wife Julia. Florian plays the guitar and Julia sings in a gospel choir.

[Janet Swan]

As others have said, Sybille, I do hope you and Rolf get well soon. It is so disappointing to have to miss something you've looked forward too for ages. Kath's photos from Derbyshire are so interesting, and I'm very impressed with Adrian's chutney making! Gloria's stroll through Mullion sounded fascinating.

As for me, I'd planned to see friends and do some chores in the garden or house, depending on the weather. I did see some friends, however ended up spending many hours at the computer because McAfee said they could not connect with my internet broadband and I was at risk! After "chatting" with McAfee, I then appeared to have a problem with emails so I got very stressed! Lynda, a neighbour, kindly agreed to come over and look at things with me this morning - hey presto! - McAfee is well and happy again as are my emails. Oh joy! We think the problems might have been caused by BT who are changing to Internet Explorer 8 from 1 September - have already downloaded that in readiness. Anyway, everything is working as it should today, so I'm happy and not stressed anymore!

I'm looking after 4 cats in the close while their family is away. The three adult cats are so well behaved! They come in for their breakfast and supper as soon as I open the kitchen door, then return happily to the garden once their dishes are clean. The kitten is about 6 months old and very shy. She spends her time on the landing snuggling up to a vacuum cleaner! If I step on the landing, she runs downstairs and hides under the sofa. So, I kneel on the stairs and pet her through the bannisters - she seems to like this and purrs. Overnight, she must nip downstairs as her food bowl in the kitchen is empty by morning and the litter tray has been used.

Gosh! What a dull posting this is, compared to all yours. I'll go now, before I send you all to sleep!

Janet

[jane jackson]

I thought you were going to be in Norfolk Kath on 18th September but maybe my memory is playing tricks again!

The Fish Festival was very colourful with lots of folk enjoying the glorious sunshine. Didn't see Rick Stein but we were there after he opened the Festival. The fish display was smaller this year I thought and they were selling fish from the display by noon so anyone coming later would see a depleted display, sure they didn't do that in previous years. I saw in the Cornishman something about hoping there would be enough fish donated for the display so maybe they are all donated and with the money going to the Seamans Mission. Perhaps the fishermen can't afford to donate so many this year. Lots of gigs in the harbour preparing for their races and the Lifeboat was out and about. Lots of trawlers which look so impressive all lined up one behind the other and lots of boats dressed with flags. On our way to Newlyn walking on the seafront we met a friend who lives there going in the opposite direction ~ she was going to spend the day in Hayle and St Ives to get away from the crowds! MInd you she may have found it just as crowded in St Ives being Bank Holiday Monday.

Sorry about your in laws' car Adrian. My friend had that happen to her car parked outside our house a year ago Easter ~ not nice and so inconvenient as well. Hope they were able to join you all for the picnic.

Our overnight temperature went down to 6c last night ~ bit of a change but thankfully today is gloriously hot and sunny.

[Kath Mulligan]

I thought you were going to be in Norfolk Kath on 18th September but maybe my memory is playing tricks again!




No, you are quite right Jane, I am going to Norfolk on 18 September. I mistyped the date of the Ring of Stones play, that is on 10 September so I shall be around to go!

Kath

[jane jackson]

That's good! It's usually typical that something you'd like to see is on when you're on holiday.

[gloria townsin]

Janet your post is not at all uninteresting............wait till you hear my Bank Holiday Monday offering. I played in the garden with Trystan and the girls for a bit, planted some odds and ends that I want in the ground before we leave. Miss Wilmott I have to tell you is cut down...........well when we arrived there she was swaying in the wind.....knocking everything around her, the pretty little blue flowered shrub and just looking so out of place, and I'm sorry to say, ugly!! So Eddie has cut her right down, tell the truth I think the rest of her needs digging up. But I digress from my scintillating trip.........then we set off for a) the dump and b) B&Q to order the wood flooring for much of the rest of Bryher which is on offer until the end of today. Falmouth B&Q had non on arrival and 'no they couldn't order it for us as the person who sold the last lot threw the scanning bit away so no way of telling which wood it is!!' So, as we would save a good bit by ordering it now, off we set for Cambourne. They had some on the shelves but not enough, so we ordered it and it should be with us in a couple of weeks, that will mean that the main bulk of the work is finished, there will be the kitchen walls to tile but all the floors downstairs will be finished - Hurrah!! Came back, fed a hungry pup and then sat in the garden with a nice cup of tea......except most of it was spent jumping up to see what Trystan had in his mouth, stop him eating flowers and keeping him off the flower beds.......by the time the cup of tea was finished, so was I!! So we came in and here I am looking at e-mails etc. So if that didn't put you to sleep I don't know what it will take............

[gloria townsin]

Oh I forgot c) take back a cheapo watch I bought from the new Sainsburys on Friday......only £8 with £2 off...........wow.......quite a nice neat little thing with a leather strap - the one I have been wearing is much nicer looking but the strap keeps coming undone. Anyway.......it proved not such a bargain as although it was going, couldn't set the time as the hands don't go round when you try to move them.......so now you have my day so far.........I'm sure you will agree the last bit really made the diary entry much more exciting............not!!

[Kath Mulligan]

Well, you should get a good night's sleep after that exciting day, Gloria. :haha:

Kath

[Gill Bilcliffe]

Well we all seem to have has interesting times this Bank Holiday so I will mention mine. Today I have been clearing out clutter that accumulates again as soon as it's cleared! Washing ironing sewing cooking ~ the usual mundane stuff. Yesterday though I had a great day visiting my daughter in London. She lives within walking distance of Petticoat Lane market Brick Lane market and Spitalfields market. What an array of goods on display and the crowds of people! Oh but my feet are sore today!
On the journey to London we passed by the new Olympic Village that is under construction how massive it is stretches for miles!

An enjoyable day out especially seeing my daughter and to be amidst the buzz of London. But it was such a relief coming back home past Cambridgeshire Suffolk and into Norfolk. Green fields big skies and fresh air!

Gill

[adesmith]

Well here is our bank holiday then! We went off to Goodrich Castle for the living history event. I like Goodrich but it was quite busy and I realised that I have been to one too many of those Civil War events and that actually I could probably demonstrate how to load a musket by now! We had an explore and had a look at the encampment and then made our way into the Forest of Dean. We have a favourite picnic spot called the New Fancy which is just a grassed area with some small hills amongst the trees. There is walk up a bit of a bigger hill (if you can call it that) and there is an RSPB viewing point at the top. I think their are Goshawks that live nearby. The views from there are very good. I like another Forestry Commission place just down the road called Boy's Grave but Rachel doesnt like us going there because she says its spooky! Anyway after that we made our way back home and spent a pleasant hour or so in the sunshine on the patio. I made Rupert some paper boats for the pond and a paper hat so that he could be an admiral!

Jane, unfortunately my in-laws didnt make it out with us and they were very disappointed. Autoglass said that they didnt know when the replacement window would be in and then didnt call them back. In the end they said that they were almost out of time and that the only way it could be done was for them to take it into the Autoglass centre (they were going to come out and do it). So they wasted the whole day waiting! We have said that they should complain to Autoglass but I think they are a bit reluctant. It wasnt very nice what happened to their car and it has upset them a bit. Its the second time that it has happened recently and it was just pure vandalism. They have two dedicated parking spaces next to their house but between them there is a footpath into a field over the back of their house. Its just an open space where people play ball games etc but it is also a short cut to a slightly rougher estate of houses. They do get some not very nice people going past. When Robert had cleared up the glass from the car (with the help of an off duty policeman that lives opposite) he put their sweping brush in the front garden because he didnt want to put it back in the shed that late at night. Guess what - somebody stole the brush as well! As I said they are quite upset about it all.

[gloria townsin]

That's adding insult to injury, poor people I'm not surprised they feel upset, who wouldn't? So much for Autoglass I thought they came out right away......maybe they should say they will send a complaint to the TV companies that run their ads.
Sounds like you had a good weekend.
Not sure I will be able to sleep tonight Kath.......too much excitement in one day for me. And by the way, I did answer your FB message but then the laptop ran out of power so I had to plug it in and found you had gone..........sorry.