A very warm day, pretty hot in the sun.
Today was all about the hospital for tests re my hearing loss. No wonder I was getting increasingly more frustrated as have now been classed with moderate to severe hearing loss. Will now have to wear giant speakers behind my ears! Will be fitted on 22nd September, what a great birthday present?
Just need my eyes to be tested now so I can see what I can hear! Joking apart I can't wait to have my hearing back again.
Richard the painter arrived early morning to paint the garage doors and front door porch. Looking good, last painted twenty years ago.
Arriving home at 6pm I promptly did a garden walk and to my joy spotted a southern hawker on the decking with wings outstretched. Oh dear however, on close inspection it was clear this was a damaged specimen. Very sad.
Hopefully tomorrow I can have some quality time catching up in the garden.
Another hot day.
The chaps enjoyed a walk from Fobney to Southcote helping the canal trust with opening and shutting the lock gates at Fobney. Picked a particularly busy period with a fair few barges passing through.
Back home in time for lunch on the bandstand before bidding our visitors a safe journey back up North.
Has been a brilliant week, enjoyed every minute, look forward to meeting up in November now.
A lot of images to catch up on now from the trail cameras and of course the images I captured on our various days out.
A hot day, so lucky to have such great weather during the time visitors are with us.
Today visited the Swallowfield Show, another great show. So important these village shows are supported, all part of the English Heritage. A great display of fruit and veg with some amazing specimens of marrow!
Highlight for me were the axemen, amazing. Had not appreciated this is now a sport with these chaps travelling the world. The girls liked the pig and ferrit racing but of course it is difficult to judge what was best in show as everyone contributing actually creates a brilliant show.
Tonight Peter treated us to a meal at the Fox in Popham near Winchester. Another great find, brilliant pub.
What a day, brilliant.
All photographs are of Swallowfield show.
Very warm with one freak shower this morning.
Today was all about the Hellfire caves in West Wycombe. I last visited these caves back in the early seventies, clearly some changes have occurred since then with a tea room and gift shop and lighting in the caves.
Our visitors had never visited so a bit of an experience for them. Not a natural cave system but a man made cave brought about by carving out the chalk for building the main road from Wycombe to Oxford.
After a walk along the high street we stopped for lunch at the Swan, what a find. Talk about going back in time. Has just been presented with an award by English Heritage for the most unimproved pub in the country. Was like sitting in someones living room back in the forties. Landlady was born there and has never lived anywhere else. Her grand parents bought the pub 160 years ago. Wonderful place, pleased we found it.
Tonight we joined Lulu and Clive for a meal at the Crooked Billet in Hook. Been a while since Tan, Pete and William had seen Lulu and Clive so good to catch up.
Pictures 1 - 8 - Hellfire Caves.
" 9 - The Swan West Wycombe.
Very warm day and thankfully missed the storm that was forecast.
Today was all about the family picnic party. Sadly no photographs of the family gathering but pleased to say it was a large gathering. Think we all felt pretty good that Doug felt able to attend this year, not easy for him.
After everyone had left it was time to play a garden game of chucking wood about the garden and celebrating Elizabeth's birthday with a cake William had baked yesterday.
Was a good day, I am privileged to be part of such a great family.
Picture 1 - Happy Birthday Lizz.
" 2 & 3 - Playing smit.
Hot day.
While William and Lorna spent the day shopping and baking I busied myself around the garden.
Cables arrived today for two of my trail cameras. This will save the requirement of using batteries. Ideal if the cameras are close to a power socket as of course you need to plug in. Connects to the underside of the camera and includes the box of tricks that makes this work. Connecting and setting worked so now lets see if the results are as good, should be. Another Handykam invention.
Found some good looking spiders this morning on lifting a large pot, safely placed back so as not to disturb.
Mouse out every night now in the woodstack eating a few peanuts I put out every night.
Tan and Pete arrived at 10.30pm so was not an early night as loads of family gossip to catch up on. Staying for a few days now so fingers crossed for decent weather.
Picture 1 - Spider.
" 2 - Mouse night time feeding.
" 3 - Foxy.
A very warm day, hot in fact.
With William visiting friends from University I spent today mostly in the garden. Caught up with the watering and generally tidied up ready for the visit by Tan & Pete.
Foxy left an offering in a flower pot tray which by breakfast time was covered in flies, nice.
Biggest excitement of the day was the sighting of an emperor moth. Sadly I had a watering can in one hand and the camera was the other side of this glass door. Managed a reasonable photograph but was never going to be that good as on glass with reflections of red cushions.
Another dragonfly flew into the conservatory this afternoon. Not seen one flying close to the pond yet but plenty indoors!
Sunflower competition all but over for this year, I certainly lost out out this year but how about this conjoined sunflower then?
Picture 1 - Dragonfly in the conservatory.
" 2 - Pressy from the fox.
" 3 - Conjoined sunflower.
" 4 - Emperor moth on the conservatory glazed door.
Hottest day of the year, and we chose today to visit the largest greenhouse in the world, the Shard. That was hot.
Great day though particularly for William as a long time since he visited London. This being our third visit to the shard now and am sure there will be many more.
Loved the outdoor atmosphere that has been created at the skyscape since our last visit.
A long day but most enjoyable.
