Riverside CP in the Sunshine

 

Sunday and Dad, Tedster and I went back to Riverside to catch some rays whilst we walked the pathways. Oh and do some snapping too 📸

Took the TG-6 along this time, mainly because I thought there might be the danger of the odd shower, and this camera is weather-proof. Downside being trying to see the LCD in the bright sunshine - bugger!

Had a good mooch around this time, really warm and no rain, so should have tried the mirrorless or DSLR!

A few people paddle boarding in the river, wonder if they managed to get out without getting caught up in the mud? They were near a boat ramp so probably, either way the dogs didn't seem to mind!

Back to the Office - Boo

 

So Monday 25th July was back to work day, boo, after a relaxing but very close to home hollibobs. It was always going to be a staycation I just didn't bank on the weather making it too hot to venture farther than the back garden!

Later in the week was my in office days, we've been summonsed back at least a couple of days a week basically because I think management want to see some bums on seats, there's no business reason that I can see.

Still I'm trying to suck it up and looking to find two less busy days to venture in thus limiting physical contact with people, after 2+ years at home I'm no longer gagging to see people in person and quite frankly it's not helping my stress levels. The walk in, uphill, is exhausting especially when it's warm and I'm going to be even less enamoured when it's pissing down or bloody snowing.

Maybe it is time to consider retirement...

Feeling Like A Housewife!

 

So now that I can remove the rotary washing line to the garage anytime I like having got a hole cover to stop the lawn growing over, I decided to see if said line was still functional by hanging out the gardening gear that I had put through the machine.

Geez but trying to get the bloody thing up was a right faff, I had to pin the pole in place so I could lift the centre column sufficiently high in order to secure the hook. This meant initially checking that the line wasn't all tangled up between the main poles.

Got there eventually and hung out the washing - it made me realise why I hate it, items kept blowing over themselves, getting caught on the pegs or the line itself thus preventing them blowing in the breeze. Still as the image says, it made me feel like a housewife for a bit 🤣

Most of the time it's just easier to put the washing on the airer indoors, no running outside then when it starts raining to get the clothes indoors before they get wet!

We used to have a proper washing line that went the length of the garden, back in the day I can remember having to walk up and down cleaning off the line with a cloth to stop the washing getting grubby. I can remember rushing outside with Mum to get the clothes in when it rained! But with the replacement guttering removing the line connector and the pole at the other end collapsing due to rot it was just easier to install a rotary line.

Happy to say the line is back in the garage where it belongs, sporting a new cover to keep the spiders off it. Goodness knows when it will see the light of day again!

Wot No Bin?

 

Before heading out on Friday I'd decided to don the gardening gear and gloves and empty out an old metal bin that's been hanging around the garden for more years than I can remember. In fact I'm struggling to remember where it came from, did Richard and I buy it when we moved in? Did we inherit it from my Dad? It's not an incinerator, no flue, air holes or legs, and metal dustbins haven't really been in use for many years.

At one point it lived at the top most corner of the garden behind the laurels which had grown huge and threw the garden into darkness with their shadow. It gradually got filled with bits of old crap and only moved down into the garden proper when the decking went in. But now it's even more of an eyesore given that the shed has been removed and the railings installed, so thought it was high time I cleared out its contents and got it taken over the tip.

Most of it was old flower pots, bits of old ice-cream tubs, soil and stones plus some old bits of brick and the like. Bagged up most of the smaller stones and the better sized brick pieces went into the garage as future hardcore for Julia and James's garden make-over. Eventually with the bin empty and two 1/3 filled rubble bags of crap relegated to the garage awaiting Dad's tip run the garden now looks so much neater 😊

I have plans to try and get the small wall replaced with something similar, most of the bricks are broken so it needs an overhaul but there's no rush.

Riverside in the Rain!

 

Friday saw us head over to Riverside Country Park for a mooch in the afternoon, but after days of stupidly dry, very hot weather, our visit coincided with the first bit of rain for ages ☔

Dad enjoys looking at the old boats:

This is him taking a photo of the mahousive engine in this old wreck. Loving the graffiti and rust that adorns this old boat.

But despite our attempts to out walk the rain we ended up back at Chez Ware for coffee.

Back to the 'Yard

 

So Thursday saw Dad, me and Tedster head back to the Dockyard for a mooch around in the more welcome, cooler weather.

This is Dad after he'd been having a look around one of the old lifeboats that are on display there in the bottom area of Slip 3.

We had a good day, Tedster always loves the 'yard:

This is him in our collective, favourite space. Slip 3.

Dried Out Laurel Leaves

 

Found this small collection of dried out laurel leaves on the decking and thought it would make for a quick and impromptu photo session up on the lawn.

Love the simple golden colour that the leaves have turned and dried in to. Normally they don't look quite as nice as this as the leaves die off and obviously for the most part the laurels are evergreens anyway.

Wildflowers

 

So these are some of the wildflowers I planted from seeds early in the year - no real idea what they are, the three random boxes I bought had so pictures, just names of what the seeds were, but quite pleased with the array of flowers that have sprung up in the two pots. The blue flowers are lovely but the rest of the plant isn't quite so pleasant, leaves are hairy and not very nice to touch. Probably not that many plants either given how much seed I planted but then perhaps my technique of just sprinkling an abundant amount around in the pot means overcrowding?

Either way, given my distinct lack of green fingers I'm quite chuffed that I have managed to grow anything at all :-)

Line Pole Covers, New Table and Annie Proofing #2

 

So this is my line pole cover that Dad made for me so I can pop the rotary line in the garage and not lose the hole in the lawn -I added the girly glass nugget to cover the screwhead. Honestly this is such a neat idea - he should make them and sell them ;-)

New little occasional table bought for the decking the other evening from Home Bargains for the grand sum of £7.99 😱 Considering I was looking at something similar on Amazon but not easy to put away and glass topped tables that easily folded but were £30+ I'm really pleased with my impromptu purchase. The silver wipe clean table mats (a set of two) completes the look. It folds away easily enough and fits in the large storage crate so no worries about where to put it when it's not needed.

And these spinners, also from Home Bargains, are my idea of further Annie Proofing the garage roof - trying to discourage her from jumping up onto the roof for any reason. I've cheated and left them deliberately low using just the main spike that's attached to the head and the last double spike that goes into the ground. Whether they will still spin is another matter but for now they should provide a visual deterrent for her.

Costa Del UK 🌞

 

So this was me sitting on the decking on the first official day of my two weeks hollibobs. Very hot, very sunny, and if I'm perfectly honest - too hot for me 🥵

I'm sure when I return to the "office" the other folks will crow about what a brilliant two weeks I've had, but for me it's too warm to get out and about. Especially when we are now in an Amber weather warning and heading into a Red weather warning lasting for the next two day 🥵🥵🥵

Tedster and I did take a earlyish mooch along to the Coney Banks on the 14th, Thursday, when there was a bit of a cooler breeze blowing, but even then I was glad to get indoors after a couple of hours.

This collage is mainly of the new path that was installed last year, I think, onto the bottom field but you get the idea!

Since then we've been either holed up indoors or on the decking, the most use it's had since it was installed, and to be honest I'm getting bored. There's only so much you can trawl on your phone!

Even took the laptop up one afternoon although I worried about the heat - biggest problem though is that I can't see the screen 🤣

I did take a mooch up to Horsted Park again with the Deep B&W Infrared on the 13th, Wednesday, for an hour or so. This clear sky and white fluffy clouds is perfect Infrared weather. I'd also taken a wander around on my first off-Friday of the hollibobs to snap the wildflowers that grow up on the banks around the site.

This time these were shot with the M50 and kit lens. Another uber hot session.

I'm definitely not built for heat, worry about me Dad when it's this hot too, he's not been keen either to get outdoors. And for the first time they have announced a UK wide national emergency as temperatures in or around 40C are expected tomorrow or Tuesday.

So for all those saying it's just sunny weather - it really isn't, our infrastructure is as badly able to cope with this extreme heat as it is when we get shedloads of snow. The insulation in our houses to keep us warm in the winter keeps us too hot in the heat. Tarmac is melting, rail tracks are warping, fires are starting in areas where the foliage is crisp and too dry.

Personally I'll be glad just to see some cooler weather and maybe even some rain ☔ Didn't think I'd be asking for rain on my hollibobs but at the moment, just to stand outside and get wet would be a blessing.

Upcycling!

 

So having seen the new neighbour back again I thought I would cheekily ask her if she still wanted the metal corner frame, for standing plant pots on, that was on her "skip" pile?

No she says, why do you want it? Yes says I, I think I can find a use for it in the garage...

So here it is after a bit of a rub down with a wire brush and resprayed with a tin of brown hammerite type paint.

And here it is with some of my bits 'n' bobs on it,

Well happy with how it has turned out. And very happy that I got it for free and made use of something someone else would have been throwing away :-)

Railings Installed

 

So Saturday morning Dad came round to fit the new railings in front of the garage roof, kind of Annie Proof the garden a bit, not that she's keen to be outside when you are not but still don't want her getting onto the roof space!

Really pleased with how they have turned out, Dad brought a long metal pole along to knock into the ground ahead of placing the actual fence poles and this worked real well.

All in all it didn't take too long to install, plenty of time for a coffee and biscuits afterwards ☕ 🍪

New Railings & Lights!

 

So this Sunday just gone saw Dad and I take a trip over to The Range to check out the black metal railings I'd seen the previous weekend that I thought, hoped, would fit along the back side of the garage roof to keep Furbaby Annie off the roof. I'd taken a snap of the details in the shop but needed to double check the sizes after we'd actually measured the length of the space behind the garage roof. The long and short of it was that I could fit the railings in if I chose two full panels and the gate panel, which was slightly less wide - otherwise three full panels would put me over the pathway.

So we bought the railings and then headed off to B&Q in search of replacement strip lighting. Here we found two 5ft LED lights which I promptly purchased along with a few more solar lights - one can never have too many solar lights ;-)

This week Dad's been busy fitting the lights inside the garage, staining the wooden beams and using a Hammerite type black paint on the wire brushed metal brackets and this is the outcome:

Both lights are uber bright and unlike conventional fluorescent lights they have no delay in coming on. Simply flick the switch and boom - instant lighting! This will be more necessary come the winter months as there's no natural light entering the garage anymore from the new roof, only what feeds in through the open door. Which this time of year is a lot of light but won't be so bright as the year rolls on.

Gonna owe me Dad several meals out at this rate, all the hard work he's putting in to sprucing up the old garage and the garden!

Decking Reshuffle

 

Post the laurels being trimmed and the decking jet washed, I decided to have a shuffle around of the storage boxes and furniture to make better use of the space. The large box to the right on the main deck houses the cushions for the sofa and chairs so thought it easier to leave this on the same tier, plus you can sit on it if needs be. Indeed I have purchased a cushion for it, albeit it could do with being bigger and better padded, but it's the biggest I could find without going for a custom fit.

The second tier now houses the bistro table and chairs - although they are currently in the garage awaiting a bit of a de-rust and paint job. A bit disappointed that the lacquer covering the seats has decided to flake off leaving rusted metal underneath, had hoped it would have lasted quite a bit longer. Still it will be a project for me over my two weeks hollibobs!

The top tier which goes off at a sharp angle to the top corner of the garden simply houses the small wheeled storage box which holds candles, some scatter cushions, anti-bac wipes, a lighter and several other "essentials" to save me having to keep popping indoors for things whilst I'm up there.

The furniture is easy enough to move around to either stay in or keep out of the sun and I have spent most evenings up there since it's been cleaned up. Think I'm getting a taste for the outdoor life 🤔 Nah let's not get too carried away 🤣

Laurel Trimming

 

So took this photo of the laurels on the Sunday that my brother and family came down to celebrate a belated Fathers Day. This was to show them before PMC Tree Care came to tame them after they had grown up again post their original trim in around 2017.

Pavel & Josh arrived at 8:30am armed with all manner of tools and set to bringing the height down and generally shaping them in a little to prevent them spreading too far over my neighbour's gardens and removing some branches that are in the way along with some that died off post the previous trim.

They worked pretty solidly for 3hr and this was the result:

Totally pleased with this trim, much less radical than the time before when they looked like more branch than leaf 😱 The aim going forwards is to book them in for an annual tidy up and shape every October-ish when there's no worry about nesting birds and just before/after the decking furniture is packed away for the winter. Although this year I may well try and bring the furniture down into the garage for winter storage. We've left them reaching out to each other in the centre to try and encourage them to form an arch as time goes on and Pavel works his magic shaping them.

I can thoroughly recommend his business for anyone looking for local tree care, link below.

Here's the handy shredder they brought with them to dispose of all the leftovers:

It made pretty quick chippings of the branches and leaves fed into it by young Josh. After everything was cleared away and the back lawn raked over to remove any loose debris, apart from the change in the trees you'd never have know they'd been there :-)

PMC Tree Care