Rain, rain go away

 There is a local weather station in Clevedon and it recorded double the average rainfall for the whole of February, which will come as no surprise to anyone living here.

The rain has continued into March, but a dry day today so a gardening opportunity. Weeding.

There was one main culprit to clear - Lords and Ladies, the wet conditions must be its ideal conditions.

But from seemingly nowhere there were two very long brambles, which had rooted at both ends. Fortunately with the ground being so wet it was a bit easier to dig them out roots and all. The thorns were vicious though.

An ivy growing on a wall was another unwelcome plant which took some removing.

Finally for today were three Himalayan honeysuckles already well established in between a gap in the wall and path. They look a bit gloomy to me, a bit funereal. As the stems were hollow, I left about six inches of stems on each plant and poured a bit of weedkiller into the stem.

Medical man

 Today's job for Lent was to go through all the medicines and check which are out of date. 

Goodness it is surprising what different medicines that we have tucked away that are no longer valid. Ointments and creams too.

We took them all to the pharmacy.

Whilst I wouldn't take out of date medicines I am not sure if they become dangerous or simply ineffective. 

Shrove Thursday?

 This post is before next Tuesday which is Shrove Tuesday.

So time to think what to do for Lent. We like to give up something but also do something for the forty days.

Simple, no chocolate. I hope that there will be a loss of weight as a bonus.

This year it is an opportunity again to do all the little jobs that get put off during the year.

I like to do Lent on all days apart from each Sunday, thereby resulting in forty days.

But on Shrove Tuesday it has to be pancakes with sugar and lemon.

High point of the day.

An early start because of an appointment in Bristol.

We went to Cossham Hospital. It is an impressive Victorian building with some new additions.

We had never been there before and didn't know that it is the highest part of Bristol. It wasn't a totally clear day but the view was still very impressive.

The area is well worth a visit even if you don't have a hospital appointment. We found that the local people there to be very friendly too.

New Years' Resolutions

 What resolutions, if any have you made this year? Did you keep all those that you made last year?

For me I try not to over estimate what resolutions to make, that way I am less inclined to fail or give up altogether.

10,000 steps a day? Nope. Instead rather than walking the shortest distance, I walk a different route which includes an incline. It doesn't take much longer but it does make the heart work harder. 

Going to the gym? Nope. But kettlebell exercises are easy to keep doing especially if they are in a place in the home where you constantly walk past.

Gardening is great exercise and am I a rarity in that I enjoy cleaning - though I am not obsessive about it.

Give up chocolate? Nope. Why on earth would anyone give up chocolate?

Goodbye 2023

 What to say at nearly the end of this year.

There is so much negativity going on so let's put that to one side and focus on some positives.

Well, we had a bumper crop of apples and even the very old tree that suffers from codling moth had much fewer spoilt apples this year.

We seem to have had a good variety and plenty of birds visit our garden. Whilst we do have a large selection of plants, I think that it helps that we don't use any sprays.

A street party was great fun and the weather was reasonable the whole time.

It was pleasant to see so many Christmas lights and decorations around the town.

Let's hope for a better, happier and safer New Year.

Another week till the shortest day

Not long till Christmas. There seems to be lots of outside lights and decorations this year. Is it because led lights are much better at being used outside than the old type? Or is it because people want some relief from the unrelenting doom and gloom projected in the news?

There also seems to be plenty of events going on, particularly for children. Which during these short days helps.

Rain and wind, it would be prettier if it was snow but obviously not for people travelling or with limited mobility.

But I do like fog. The mysterious effect and deadening of sound I find enchanting. But I do appreciate that it brings many problems.

Will it be a white Christmas here? No.