Farewell, wet August

I suppose it was only to be expected that August should sign off with yet more rain; it has been grey and gloomy (and wet) here for most of the day.  I've got a bit fixated with the weather lately . . .

Thankfully the rain held off yesterday for the scooter ride-out, always a colourful spectacle to watch.  There were some eye-catching outfits - black and white dresses seemed popular with several ladies, and some very dapper suits for the men - and a great deal of gleaming chrome.  The rally brings a lot of business to the town and always seems to be a thoroughly good-natured and enjoyable few days.

It clearly wasn't gardening weather today but we have found plenty of other things to do.  The nothing like a wet bank holiday for sorting out hardware!!  Never one to throw away odd screws, nails and hooks, N had accumulated jars and pots full of them, squirrelled away in various cupboards and sheds (as you do).  We clearly won't need to buy any more for several years!  And I found myself cleaning the patio doors and conservatory windows, transferring photos from the old laptop to the portable hard-drive, and sorting and filing paperwork.  All those things were on my list of winter jobs, lol!  

We've pottered our way through August, a lot of work in the garden, tending and cropping vegetables, and a start on some house maintenance.  Lots of discussions, ideas and plans for the future.  A wedding, seeing family and friends, and sewing, knitting and general craftiness.  And September?  Well, September will be a very good month ;))

A little (more) summer rain

So after Monday's downpour, Tuesday and Wednesday followed suit.  I really do feel for those holidaymakers looking for some sunshine.  However, things seemed to have brightened up towards the end of the week and all fingers crossed for the weekend as the town is welcoming the annual Scooter Rally, always a bit of a high spot on our incredibly hectic social calendar ;)

Ripening toms in the conservatory

Rain-bashed lettuce (and weeds!)

The garden has taken something of a battering in the rain and accompanying high winds; several sweet-corn, tomato and pepper plants needing re-staking after literally being knocked sideways, and the lettuce was in a very sorry state - I cropped what could be salvaged but I think we are coming to the end of those salad leaves for this season, they have done us proud.  The peppers are gradually turning red (loud cheering) and by upping our cucumber rations, and giving one or two to grateful family members, we have just about kept pace with their production.  We could really do with a few days of sunshine to ripen the masses of green tomatoes still growing; it's always a problem to deal with the 'green tomato glut' that is almost inevitable.  We'll see how things develop.

The dismal weather has meant we've needed to find indoor things to do, and thankful there are plenty of those to keep us busy.  A couple of really good ideas have emerged as a result of enforced indoor pottering which we are quite excited about, and I don't think there should be any reason to be bored at all this winter - I need to remind myself of these optimistic words when it's freezing, dark and dreary in a few months' time!  And there has been plenty of sewing and knitting and general craftiness going on, too, so we've kept ourselves busy and productive.  

We're waiting for some news, some very exciting and happy news.  Every time the phone rings, my heart jumps.  One day soon . . . 

Household maintenance

It has rained today, so much so that I did wonder if a monsoon season had sneaked in on the end of summer!  My goodness, did it rain.  Several roads locally have been flooded, bringing back memories of the floods of the winter before last.  We always feel for the holidaymakers who've come to the island to enjoy the sun, sea and sand - keeping a young family entertained when it's pouring with rain all day can get a little expensive :(

It was a day for working indoors, so some housework for me and a bit of household maintenance for N.  It makes sense to me to look after what we have - the things we choose to have in our home have some meaning for us and I don't have a problem spending a couple of hours a week dusting and vacuuming to keep things clean and tidy (ish).  Photos, pictures, ornaments (not that we have many!) all have an association with someone or somewhere, and it's nice to be reminded of those memories as I clean the house.   Today, however, with a little more time on my hands than usual (not being able to get out into the garden), I did make a concerted effort to tidy-up all those things which seemed to have strayed from their usual home - there did appear to be quite a lot of craft bits and pieces scattered around various rooms ;)   I have too many little projects on the go at the moment, and just about every room seemed to have an odd ball of wool, or sewing patterns, or scraps of fabric apparently abandoned.   By the end of the afternoon two of those projects had been finished off and the rest are back in the work-room waiting for my attention.   And there is a new list, of course.

N has continued with some indoor house maintenance, again looking after what we have.  A house isn't self-maintaining (at least, none of the ones we've had have been!) and we think it pays to ensure everything is in good working order and will keep us warm and dry during the winter.  If we spot a problem, we would rather do what we can there and then to deal with it, than leave it to become a far greater problem later.  Those sorts of problems often end up costing money!

We've submitted the gas and electricity meter readings for the quarter, and we were slightly bemused to be told that we have apparently used 50% less energy than similar energy-rated houses in our locality.   How is that worked out?  Which houses?   50% does seem to be a big difference.  We do try to be mindful of our energy consumption so perhaps it is not surprising that our usage is a bit lower than overage.  As we move towards autumn our meter readings will begin to go up again, but because we have tracked our consumption through the year we have a very good idea of what our bills will be and can budget accordingly.  It makes sense to us.

In the skies overhead

Sometimes, it seems that we've had a quiet few days, not doing anything special, just this and that around home.  Yet when I come to look back over the week, it's surprising what we've actually done.

From Culver Down we could see St Helens Fort (on the extreme right) ; strange to think we walked to it a couple
of weeks ago

This week has seen events around the country commemorating the 75th anniversary of 'The Hardest Day', a major air battle in the Battle of Britain.  On Tuesday, 18 Spitfires, in three flights of six, took to the skies over southern England.  One of the flight paths included the Island, albeit briefly, and we joined several hundred people on Culver Down to watch.  Telephoto lenses were required, although N did get a photo from a distance, but perhaps it was more a time to reflect on the past.  

Then today, quite out of the blue (no pun intended), a rumble of aircraft engine had us peering into the skies above our house, and we caught sight of the very distinctive delta wings of an RAF Vulcan, and watched with awe as it passed right over our garden.  Another great photo opportunity.  The Vulcan, was apparently participating in a number of events today as part of it's final flying season before it is retired, and we just happened to be on the flight path, again. A pretty incredible sight.

A hint of red ....

.... and now in full technicolour!

The weather has been decidedly un-summery, and I even found myself reaching for a fleece earlier in the week.  In August!  However, in between the rain, we've been fitting in some maintenance jobs inside and out, all of which are on the grand list of things that need to be done this year.  Why we had been putting off doing them I don't know, because as is so often the case, they didn't take any where near as long to do as we thought.  There's been some general tidying up in the garden, too.  The salad crops continue to pay for themselves many times over, and this week we have been delighted to spot our first red pepper - previous years have only ever resulted in green ones which have refused to turn red, so this is a real achievement.  We are hoping it's the first of many.

The train at platform 2 ...

After a rather hectic few days we are back home again.  Two days of travelling and a day celebrating a wedding, catching up with family and dodging the rain!  

We travelled by train, as we usually do if we go 'up north'.  Railway stations, particularly the old, original ones, have a real fascination for me; there is so much social history attached to them, not to mention the fantastic architecture. As there was bit of waiting around for connections, I snapped a few shots that interested me.  I shall have to find a reason to visit Preston again - the station is just magnificent and worthy of a proper look-around.

So many local railway stations are no longer in use or have been completely abandoned after they were closed.  I can still (just about) remember steam trains on the Island lines but of course have no photographic record of them myself, although thankfully there are many excellent books recording the steam days; wonderfully reminiscent.  I think perhaps I might try to get out and about this winter to record what is still left, both stations still in use and those that nature is reclaiming.  And I have another photographic project lined up for the quieter months ('quiet' - haha!), an idea I've been thinking about for some time.      And it will provide me with an opportunity to hopefully improve my photography skills beyond the 'point and click' level that I am at currently

Off we go again

After the sunshine and blue skies of Sunday, it's been a real mixed bag of weather this week - drizzly and dreary off and on.  The rain has been very welcome for the garden and again it's topped the water butts up a little, but we are certainly noticing the shortening of the days.  And dare I say it's getting a tad cooler of an evening, too?  We're not quite halfway through August, a month I always associated with the height of summer (school holidays, I guess), but this year I am very aware that it's more of a run in to autumn.  Strange I'd not really considered this before.

Enough of the pondering, we're still very much on the go.  Quite literally, as we are off 'up north' for a family do at the end of the week.  We seem to have had one of those phases where one or other, or both of us has been popping on and off the Island, and whilst it's been lovely to see people and do new things, we've got to a point where we are looking forward to a bit of time in one place - home!    There is so much to do here (I keep saying it but it is true), in particular some outside home maintenance that we wanted to tackle while we still had good weather, and here we are teetering on the brink of autumn and some of those jobs haven't even been started.  Time to roll my sleeves up, I think.

The garden continues to provide us with almost all our food for dinner; we do enjoy a good salad.  There's been some tomato sauce made, using what's being cropped right now, and I think I shall have to attempt some 'bread and butter pickles' to deal with the surfeit of cucumbers.  It's been a good year for them!

Sailing

This week sees the annual sailing regatta at Cowes.  It's usually held the first week in August but it's later this year because of exceptionally low tides (which we can vouch for, having been able to walk to the fort last week!).  The change of dates caught us out and we were anticipating having visitors with us but owing to the mix-up (I should have checked but just took it for granted, silly me) not only has our intended guest had to cancel, but we won't be here for the traditional trip to the fireworks on Friday.  Bigs sighs all round, and next year I must check the dates beforehand.  Lesson learned.

Anyhow, we had a potter out to Cowes on Sunday, taking advantage of a promising weather forecast.  Blue skies and a good breeze made ideal sailing conditions, and we watched several classes start, counting down the race for the line with the guns outside the Royal Yacht Squadron.  It's always a great sight as the yachts jostle for position, trying to cross the line between the markers buoys just as the gun is fired, but being very careful not to 'jump the gun' and end up being penalised by having to turn and cross the line again.

Cowes Week has been an annual outing for so, so many years - indeed, I have a photo of me aged about 7, standing by the guns with my fingers in my ears.  There are also many memories of the fireworks at the end of the week; you have to be in position good and early if you want a good view.  Flasks and sausage rolls were the order of the day.  And a groundsheet to sit on if it was fine, and to shelter under if it rained, and I can well remember a number of occasions when it poured and we got drenched but the fireworks still went off.  More recently we have had some quite grand picnics with bucks fizz which was quite good fun ;)

Keeping busy

A busy few days (this seems to be a recurring theme at the moment, being busy) but productive, too.  

• painting the side gate - very time-consuming but looking much smarter now
• some very enjoyable hand-sewing - patchwork over papers
• clematis cuttings - fingers crossed these take
• the cup and saucer vine (Cobaea scandens) grown from a cutting given to us finally in flower
• the greenhouse overflowing with wonderful things - dinner from the garden all week

I have had lists everywhere to remind me of everything I'm trying to fit in; it looked a little daunting at first but gradually things have been crossed off and lists amalgamated until I am now in the happy position of just having one piece of paper with a manageable number of items that still need my attention.  Yay!

I feel back in control, at least for the time being.

The evenings are beginning to close in, just a little each day; I find I need a light on by 9pm.  I suppose autumn is not so very far away really but hopefully August will continue deliver plenty of summer sunshine and warmth. 

A dramatic sunrise this week

The tide is out . . . .

There were odd goings-on in the Solent off Bembridge on Monday evening.  An exceptionally low tide meant it was possible to walk to St Helens Fort, about 3/4 of a mile off-shore, along a shingle spit which is exposed for an hour or so before the tide turns.  This has been on my 'to do' list for many years but somehow I've always missed it - it is one of those annual events that seems to just happen spontaneously without being officially organised.  However, this year we got a text from someone in the know, and, deciding that we would be spontaneous too, we packed our water shoes and headed off.

As the tide dropped, people gathered along the water's edge.  A few brave souls tested the depth and gradually the walkers began to set off into the sea.  It started with just a few but before long there were hundreds of people processing into the water, along a unseen (but obviously well-known) causeway.  Some people start from St Helens, others, us included, from across the harbour at Bembridge, and it wasn't long before the two groups met up and continued to the fort.  It was the most extraordinary sight.  

There was quite a bit of wading involved; I abandoned all hope of keeping my shorts dry and simply embraced the experience!  I was not the only lady of a certain age trying unsuccessfully to maintain some - any - decorum!  The receding tide eventually exposed the whole causeway all the way to the fort itself.  The tradition is that having reached the fort, you must climb the steps up to a narrow ledge that runs all around the structure, and complete a circumnavigation.  We did our best but had to give up near the end as it became a little congested with people taking selfies.  As we made our way back, there were still people on their way to the fort.  

All those people (there must have been two or three thousand) and there was something of a community outing about it.  No problems that I saw, everyone properly behaved and just a jolly, fun atmosphere - there were a couple of boats and the coastguard on stand-by, just in case anyone got into difficulties.  It was one of the more bizarre things we have done, but certainly great fun.  Definitely one to tick off the list.    

Oh, and the water wasn't as cold as I was expecting ;)

Lessons from July

It seems to be all rush, rush, rush at the moment and I really want and need to just slow down a bit.  July became August without me realising, and this is the first chance, or so it seems, to take stock of things.  Reflecting back on each month has been quite a useful opportunity to see what is working (or not, as the case may be) and to try to learn from past experiences.  

Well, July certainly taught me a few things and I continue to reflect on the unexpected lessons I learned when I briefly returned to paid employment.  I realised just how much I enjoy the (unpaid) work I do at home, how it complements the work N does here, and what a good team we are together.  I missed not having time to do those things, and how it affected me.  I wasn't able to fully make my contribution to the simple lifestyle that has become such a pleasure for us, and I soon realised that earning money wasn't compensating for that feeling.  My priorities had got a bit mixed up.  Funny how financial temptation can do that.  

Consequently, many things that I had planned to do in July didn't get done and half my July list is now on the August list!  So amongst other things, I will make every attempt to paint the side gate (we have the paint so no excuse), I will make myself a dress (I have the pattern and the fabric so again, no excuse) and I have lots of 'little' things to make for a very special occasion that is coming up soon :D.  We also have a wedding to attend (an excuse for some dressing up!).  However, even though many things didn't get done last month, July saw the garden in full production, thanks to N's hard work.  So many vegetables coming into the kitchen daily, some to be eaten there and then, others to be frozen or pickled, or turned into sauces.  It has been so rewarding to see, quite literally, the fruits of our labours.  Not everything has been a resounding success and there have been lessons to be learned for the future but we love being able to eat our own produce fresh from the garden.  July also saw us finally take a trip to the New Forest Show, something we've been meaning to do for several years, and we had a great time.

So August is carrying on where July left off, with lots to do and quite a bit of to-ing and fro-ing.  And something else ticked off the bucket list . . . 

A few days in the forest

We've been back home a couple of days but I had a very pressing engagement with the sewing machine which took priority over blogging (actually, over almost everything).  However, that particular task has been completed (phew, great relief) and I can now download the holiday photos.

We had another lovely break in the New Forest, it really is such a beautiful area with so much to see and do.  The weather was kind to us - it was dry - so we spent all our time outside.  We had some good walks with lots to see and thoroughly enjoyed our day at the New Forest Show.  Goodness, it's big!  Just so much to see and do.  Despite my very good intentions of taking in the craft tents and other exhibitions, we spent most of the day watching the heavy horses, Pony Club games, the cattle, the chickens (oh so nearly bought a hen-house!) and a glorious display by the Household Cavalry.  We managed to pop into the horticultural tent - those were some mighty big vegetables on display! - and pick up a few ideas for the garden, and saw some beautiful examples of fine woodcraft, and N was very taken with the tractors - he wants one!  But there was lots we didn't see so we will just have to go back next year, and possibly the year after that, too.  An excellent day out.

The wildlife in the Forest is one of the attractions for us, and we were delighted to see deer, squirrels (grey, not red), and had a very close encounter indeed with a huge highland cow who simply appeared out of the bracken and ambled by just a few feet away from where we had sat down to eat our lunch.  It was the most bizarre experience, and one which still brings a big smile to our faces as we recollect it, although it was a slightly disconcerting interruption at the time ;-))  We spent ages watching buzzards high in the trees, having been alerted by their distinctive cries, and were entranced by some stunningly beautiful damsel flies by the river.  It never fails to amaze me what is there to be seen if you just stop and listen and watch.  

A few days away and our batteries have been recharged.  It was lovely to have the opportunity to slow down and regroup.  Just as well, really, as the next few weeks are quite busy with lots of comings and goings, things to remember and places to go.  And new people to meet :)))