Mid Summer Bits and Bobs.

[Shallot Man]

Dropped into my local supermarket this morning. A barbers shop opened about a year ago. Two barbers, one standing idol. Jumped into the vacant chair. I was asked, do you have an appointment ? I said, isn't this a barbers shop ? Told they only do appointments. How times change.

[tigerburnie]

Just planted out my winter/spring cabbages, left them late on purpose to tr and miss the butterflies and their caterpillars, we shall see if the cunning plan works or not, I covered them with netting just in case.

[oldherbaceous]

Maybe where you hadn’t had it cut for five years, put him off Shallot Man…

All joking apart, it is getting a crazy old world.

[Stravaig]

Our usual barber/hairdresser in the UK doesn't do appointments - it's just walk in and wait. We waited more than an hour to be seen on Friday afternoon. Oh how we wished they would do appoinments as well as just walk-ins.

Then it was off to stay in a hotel near Luton as we had an early morning flight back to Warsaw and didn't want any last minute panics. Just as well we did! The traffic was horrendous. The Dartford crossing was so congested we were rerouted the long way round, and even then there were roads closed and diversions. It took us four hours to do what would normally be a two hour journey.

Then at Luton it was trly awful because of staff shortages, broken vehicles, etc, etc. More delays... Nightmare, and it's only going to get worse when the special assistance people and the baggage handlers go on strike soon over low pay. We got back to Warsaw and were efficiently whisked through the airport. What a difference!

Moving house again tomorrow - third time since July.

[Primrose]

I'd be in nervous breakdown territory if I had to live to your schedule Stravaig!

[Stephen]

It is so dry on the 'lottie that the bindweed has shriveled. With luck, it might become a victim.

[tigerburnie]

It's like Autumn has arrived up here, it's more end of September than August, thick fog, drizzly rain all day and around 16 degrees, 20 degrees in the greenhouse with a low of 10 degrees last night. Still picking tons of tomatoes though.

[oldherbaceous]

Blooming hot here and still no rain….meant to be getting some rain tomorrow now, we will see….

[Clive.]

Likewise been hot and humid out here in East Lincs. Have been up and down steps summer fruit pruning, sweaty old lot.

We are running on that 34mm rain that we got last week, it really saved everything.

C.

[Stephen]

It's like Autumn has arrived up here, it's more end of September than August

In that leaves are falling here in Hertfordshire because the trees are stressed by the drought, this applies.

Blooming hot here and still no rain

Yes, as close as undersized underwear (see Clive's post too) and Berkhamsted is right on the margin of the yellow thunderstorms warning for tomorrow.

[Primrose]

Wouldn't it be lovely just to wake in the night and suddenly hear the sound of rain heavily crashing down on your roof tiles?.

I live in hope. So far we've missed every single bout of sporadic rain that the forecasts have been offering.

[Clive.]

I have just looked at our forecast....and rain is due to start at 7am, 80% chance, and then much of the day.! Have got some work on that that would not be at all good for.! My old boss though would say; we have what we get and be thankful for it.

Medium Wave radio is crackling away this morning..there's.thunder about.?

C.

[Clive.]

It's looking really black out over the Wash towards Hunstanton, with a very distinct thundery edge and looking on Met this fully tallies with the edge of the area they have yellow warning in force for..

C.

[Primrose]

Eureeka ! Woke at 6 am to hear REAL RAIN pattering down on the roof tiles. If I were able, I think I'd be out there on the lawn doing the African Rain Dance! The earth is soaking it up gratefully especially now we have a hosepipe ban here..

[robo]

Went down the plot yesterday after nearly 2weeks absent due to covid a lot of the ripe tomatoes have split a lot of plums on the floor most of my lettuce has bolted all my sweetcorn has been eaten I think it’s pheasants that’s done the damage not a nice site