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And perhaps even an olive or a small cheese straw?

I'm sorry, but Olives bounce straight back after swallowing them. Not sure if it's an allergy or just revulsion at the taste & texture. Probably revulsion, but whichever it is, I can't keep Olives down.
Instead, how about going all out and having a piece of cheddar and a grape on a cocktail stick?

Regards,

Richard

In the shape of a hedgehog?

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.
Yes. Definitely. Just like that.

Regards,

Richard

Retro or what!?

Happy International Tea Day!

Dimbula for me, please.

I'll have a 4 mug pot of tea for myself please.
And a glass of brine
Followed by a couple of glasses of tap water please.

How on earth do people manage in hot countries?

Regards,

Richard

On our regular Ladies' Walk last Saturday we were joined by one of the ladies from the refugee hotel and she said this reminded her of their winter....

richardandtracy wrote: Sun May 24, 2026 9:12 pmHow on earth do people manage in hot countries?

You learn young. Luckily, it was only as hot as you've been experiencing from, say, July through to start of September where I grew up. And August was the worst -- I remember 100F on occasion, and offices closing in Chicago because it was too hot to work! You don't move quickly; drink lots of water; stay in the shade; sleep during the hottest part of the day; fans. And that's only the adults. The kids just did kid things (local swimming pool, I seem to remember). Also there were these huge cracking storms that would roll in and the temp would drop from 98F (with 98% humidity) to about 72F in minutes. Built tough people, that's for sure. I was in the south of England during the summer of 1976, and couldn't understand why people were complaining!

Gaah!
This morning I didn't have to worry about salt tide marks on my shirt. The whole thing was wet... Ghastly

I was in Somerset in the summer of 1976. It was dreadful. The school I was at was in a Palladian mansion converted to a school. The school re-activated the well that had supplied the water to the mansion in the 1700's. The school had some records on well levels from the 1700's, and the drought wasn't the worst recorded based on well levels, but it wasn't too far off - 160ft Vs 170ft.

I believe tomorrow is now predicted to be the worst day, so we've put out the pad-pool hoping that kitten Toby doesn't accidentally puncture the inflatable pool tubes.

Regards,

Richard.

I've been working through the washing at quite a rate. Wonderful drying days!

Also been planting out veg in the garden. Might have got a bit enthusiastic and didn't drink enough water. However, in the last two days there are now the second set of shallots, carrots, leeks, and three varieties of onion all safely in the ground. Oh, and another four bags of main crop potatoes (10 tubers). Just have to water them... But it'll rain here on either Thurs or Friday but still be very warm. Excellent growing weather. Beans and peas next, and perhaps some brassicas if I can find some sweetheart cabbages.

We have (10?) runner beans, 3 gooseberry plants, 2 rhubarb clumps, quite a lot of swiss chard (leaf beet) and a white currant shrub in the bird proof cage. Just small numbers this year, we think the soil at the top of the bank is fairly poor still. We have been just keeping weeds down for a few years, and need to start feeding the soil - in recent years we've not really been able to concentrate on growing veg and as a result it's fallen by the wayside. We need lots of compost. The 2 compost heaps are huge (6ft high, 20ft long, 10ft deep), but we're not sure how good the compost is - everything has gone in them from weeds to waste apples, hay, and lots of woody prunings. It probably won't have much benefit above organic matter and soil conditioning, but even that contribution will be useful.

In the rest of the garden we have apples, pears, cherries and plums, enough brambles to produce a bit of jam and 9 clumps of hazel trees. We don't expect to have any of the cherries (birds will strip the trees before we get any) and the thousands of hazelnuts will be munched by Dormice before we get a single one. I love hazelnuts, and I wish the Dormice would share a few.

Regards,

Richard

Housewarming party!!!!!!!

Mind if I go into a corner & sleep the move off?

Maybe a nice mug of tea.

Regards,

Richard

No worries! Mabel and I can party for three, can't we?

Without a doubt - and Lexi is keen to throw a party for Ozzie and Toby, to distract Ozzie from his bereavement.

Such a thoughtful gal, your Lexi.

Lexi could easily terrify Ozzie, with him being a timid soul.
I'm not sure how Toby would react. I imaging he'd be overly playful in a rough way, cause Lexi to react grumpily and then get rolled on his back and bitten.

Typical cat behaviours really.

Regards,

Richard

Ah, but remember: in the S&G all creatures get along really well. Ozzie would particularly enjoy it, I suspect.