Morning all. A beautiful sunny morning after yesterday's washout. The lane leading to the fields has become overgrown again with the combination of rain and heat. Grass that was up to my knees last week is now waist high. It will take all the morning to strim the 300 metres of it before I can get the mower over it. Have a good day everyone.
Take is easy! Busy potting on beans and courgettes here... not planting out for a couple more weeks...according to the wisdom of the allotment growers
Sad news - my favourite singer is no more - died yesterday at the age of 84. Musically not everyone's cup of tea, but he was certainly mine throughout the 70s and 80s - I still rank his concert at the Royal Albert hall in London in 1981 as the height of musical perfection.
Morning all. A day of sunshine and showers here, so the past couple of days being hard at it maybe pay off. My son-in-law will be sat at the desk in the polling station, issuing ballot forms. At 6.00 a.m. he collected the keys, prepared the booths and put the polling station banner out. After the 7.00 a.m. influx of people voting on their way to work, there will be long periods when no one appears through the door, but then there is another influx in the evening. He will shut the doors at 10.00 p.m. clear up and do the paperwork before the boxes are collected, and he can go home. A long day, and the last time he did it received the princely sum of £135. Have a good day everyone.
Sounds like slave labour - or a labour of love. I've never understood why some countries do it the hard way - in Australia voting always takes place on a Saturday, with booths open from 8:00am to 6:00pm. So much more civilised.
When we went in at 10.00 there was no one else there apart from the four staff.... 4 candidates....and the only one with and address in the ward was the one i was going to vote for anyway
8.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. here, but on a Sunday when the shops are closed to a large extent. On the ID issue, I was sent a voting card by the town hall without even asking for it. As a foreign national living permanently in France, I could show this card or my passport. I still have the card as a reminder of being able to vote in EU and local elections before Johnson made a total pigs ear of the Brexit deal.
Voting is almost a family affair in Oz - a lot of polling booths hold sausage sizzles - barbequing what are known as 'Democracy sausages' - and voters bring along their children for a feed, a play with friends and a chat. Candidates often turn up to do the cooking - more than once I've drawn the line at accepting a sausage from one of the seedier candidates - usually the Liberal ones.
Nearly lost some morning coffee there. That sounds like voter bribery. Think I'll stick to the bacon sarnies!
Got a big holiday later in the year to South America - held over from 2021. Involves an overnight at Schipol, Netherlands. My passport expires July 2024. By the time we go it will be over 10 years old from date of issue, invalid for the EU. So I have to buy a new passport. Another irritating brexshit benefit.
Morning all. A lot of overnight rain, so doing the shopping will come first. The council workmen have been out strimming the verges looking like spacemen with their full bodysuits and fuel cannisters strapped to their backs. If I had known they were coming, I would not have bothered earlier in the week to have cut some of it with the mower. With the warmth and rain, it will soon need doing again. Have a good day everyone.
Morning all. Lovely day at the moment, with a temperature of 28°C forecast. I hate to say it as it was 70 years ago, but I was stood on The Mall with thousands of other school children for the last coronation. The day as I remember it was largely one of boredom as we waited for something to happen. It is clear that attitudes have changed in the intervening years, but it is a very different world in many ways now. Have a good day everyone.
Attitudes certainly have changed. The primary school next door to us - and the school my wife works in - were festooned with bunting last year for the queen's platinum jubilee - this time nothing at all, and I'm getting the same story from teachers at all the other schools in the area. None of them have bothered with 'Coronation Lesson Plan Packs' that the UK government sent direct to Councils, rather pointedly bypassing the Scottish Government. During the week, we had a visit from "His Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of Banffshire" - he and his crew have been out and about in the area offering residents bunting and/or flags for today's occasion. My wife was amazed by, and congratulated me on, the polite manner in which I refused (to be honest, I amazed myself ). Strolling down to the shop for some bread this morning, I was pleased to see that no-one else had taken him up on his offer either.
Watched a lively historical drama on TV this morning Now off to the airport to visit mmes family in Greece
Morning all. Gardening on hold again after overnight rain and occasional showers now. Maybe it will improve this afternoon, when I can continue my cabbage planting masterclass. Yesterday afternoon, I ground to a halt as it was too hot. There is always an excuse if you look for it. Have a good day everyone.
Morning all. Overcast and damp from earlier rain. Today is the second of four public holidays in May, and the flags are out to celebrate the Fête de la Victoire 1945. Our neighbour has her daughter from Paris here for a stay, and she is wandering up and down the lane in her nightdress looking for a mobile phone signal. Probably be arrested for a breach of the peace in England. Have a good day everyone.
Morning all. Wet and rather miserable for Mme's birthday today. She is out all day, so no chance to have a celebration, but I am in her good books as I remembered it was coming and found her a card. Some parts of the country have imposed a ban already on car washing, hose pipe use, and refilling swimming pools after a totally dry April. It doesn't apply here for now, but a hot dry spell could quickly see that change. Have a good day everyone.
Morning all. A stiff breeze is bringing about sudden changes from sun to cloud, with some rain. No gardening again as it is expected to worsen this afternoon with heavy downpours and thunderstorms. A piece in the local paper reports that a farmer could not see the edge of his field due to the height of the grass, and his tractor finished up in the ditch. The fire brigade, ever helpful, came out with the heavy lifting gear to rescue him. The newspaper has many items on what they find of interest. Have a good day everyone.
Morning all. Bright sunshine one minute, followed by a downpour the next. No gardening, but a visit to the very large garden centre in Limoges that you can spend ages in. Unlike the one we used to visit in England, this one has not handed over a lot of space to coffee shops and cafés. It does have a machine for a cold drink or Twix bar, but with a restaurant just across the road, a proper meal can be had at a reasonable price if desperate. Have a good day everyone.
Afternoon all. Due to the public holiday Monday, Mme had her physio today rather than yesterday. Sat outside watching the comings and goings of people, it was noticeable just how many came out, and immediately started looking at their mobile phone in case something had happened while they were in the medical centre. What did people do before it became an essential piece of their lives? Have a good day everyone.
