Wednesday 14 July 2021

Hot.

 At last the sun has arrived after a good downpour a couple of days ago.   So today was the day to plant my last few geranium plugs.   Because I was planting them they have all been planted right up against the edge of the patio wall - that is the only place I can reach and plant safely without the risk of falling over.   Already the soil is very warm and what was a good damp mixture has dried out on the top so is best left undisturbed.   How I wish I could clamber about like I used to in the garden, cutting back plants which have gone to seed, seeing where bits of Mare's Tail are poking through and cutting them off at ground level.   But I have to accept that I can't do it and that's that - at least when D, my gardener, has done it I can admire it and that gives me pleasure.

My God-daughter and her husband are coming to see me for the day on Saturday and I am trying to get everywhere shipshape (with the help of my carer) before they come.   I am constantly staggered by how much she can get done in her allotted hour - more than I can get done in a day.   She is so very thorough - wiping the skirting boards, dusting the walls and ceiling, washing the window and the patio doors, polishing the furniture.   Makes me tired to watch her.

As I sit here a very large, very fat pigeon is wandering about on my rockery pushing between the newly-planted rock plants.   Do I go to the patio door which is open and clap my hands to chase it off or do I allow it to do whatever it is doing, which appears to be pecking in the soil?   Is it finding pests and eating them?   I hope so.   In any case, if I go to the trouble of getting up, getting my frame and walking slowly to the patio door and clapping my hands the pigeon will fly a few yards away and sit on the wall until I disappear and then it will return to carry on doing what it was doing previously.

I shall be sad when Le Tour is over at the week-end (or should I say Le week-end?) I have enjoyed the round up at 7pm every night and my son and Rachel between them have kept me educated to a large extent.   It is a complicated scoring system and many seem to drop out before the end for one reason or another.   As Rachel says it took her some years to work it all out.   So I shall stick with it.   But I shall miss that TV hour.

But I shall watch the half hour programme which, if you are a Strictly fan, should be enjoyable.   Craig and Bruno are travelling around Britain - an Australian and an Italian respectively they know so little about their adoptive country and are hoping to find out a little more.   Cornwall tonight - so here they come.   It will be interesting to see a) how they dress and b) how they behave in such a different environment.   If you decide to watch it do let us know how you think it is going.

See you tomorrow.....

33 comments:

the veg artist said...

Your cleaner dusts the walls????? Send her to me - tell her to bring whatever she dusts the ceilings with, as I have no such thing! Nice to see the sun!

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

We've had a very pleasant afternoon here, with more dry weather forecast for the next few days. Enjoy your evening TV.

CharlotteP said...

We will mis Le Tour...but I bet the riders will be glad to get to Sunday (those that are left!)

Jennyff said...

Yes we are completely bereft when the tour finishes too but in August there is La Vuelta, the tour of Spain so you can ease down gently. Next year you must watch the Giro d’Italia too, it’s the first of the three big ones. I’m so glad you’ve been converted.

Derek Faulkner said...

I feel sure that some of us probably think that your Carer's cleaning regime is a bit extreme, especially as it's unlikely that your place was needing it anyway. You don't mention your dinners anymore, has she stopped supplying them.

Jennifer said...

I've been seeing little Carolina Wrens hopping around among my tomato and herb plants, presumably eating insects. I sure hope so! It's hot here too but that's certainly not unusual.

Rachel Phillips said...

I look forward to the Olympics starting on the 23rd.

Heather said...

While our steamy weather has prevailed I have been tempted to get myself a cleaner, as I feel so washed out. However, I kid myself that whatever housework I can do myself counts as exercise!
I often feel bereft when a favourite programme or series comes to an end. But we can always look forward hopefully to the next favourite.

Minigranny said...

Your carer sounds like a gem!

Anonymous said...

I do appreciate your viewing suggestions - things I never heard of that sound like such fun. Its quite hot today on the east coast of the US (97 but "feels like 103") and so many garden plants are hanging their heads, and going for my usual walk is a non-starter.

Ceci

Susan said...

Your geraniums should do well with the warmth and rain. In no time, they will be abundant and full of flowers. Our gardens definitely provide much pleasure. I recently saw a cleaner use the Swifter to clean walls and it did an amazing job very quickly.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Derek's comment, the cleaning sounds extreme and how on earth do you manage to need the walls etc cleaning so regularly? There is only you and no pets. If you were my relative I'd be concerned that you were being taken advantage of. No single person needs a cleaner every day.

Have you thought of trying a hosepipe for the watering, you could point the spray in the direction of the plants higher up which you can't get to. Not an ordinary hosepipe that you may trip over but one of those spiral ones that go back in to a spiral without you having to coil it. They're very easy and simple to use and handy for someone not as able. You can also get an attachment to fix to the wall to keep it in place when you're not using it.

Joanne Noragon said...

I'm glad you leave the serious gardening to the serious gardener.

Janie Junebug said...

Pigeons are like my dogs, then. Franklin and Penelope delight in the moments I turn my back so they can roll in the mud.

Love,
Janie

Bonnie said...

How nice that your God-daughter and her husband will visit on Saturday. I'm sure they don't expect you to go to any trouble for them though. The main thing is for you to enjoy their company.

You mentioned Craig and Bruno. Of course, I won't be able to get the show you are talking about but I do know Bruno as he is often on our Dancing With the Stars here.

Rachel Phillips said...

If I were you at home in the afternoon doing nothing may I suggest to you that you can't beat watching the Tour live.

Frances said...

Dusting the walls??? I have never dusted a wall in my life! Your carer certainly earns her money! ( and how much dust can there be on a ceiling?)

The Weaver of Grass said...

Frances - maybe not dust but certainly the odd cobweb

Rachel - I do occasionally but not if it warm enough to go out into the garden.

Bonnies - I was very disappointed in the programme - they were far too silly for my ste

Anonymous - you have misunderstood - my carer is there because I am immobile without my various walking frames. She gets me up, showers me, gets my breakfast, puts my washing in the machine and runs the hoover round. She does all of this in one hour each morning. I then emply her for an hour and a half once a month to clean through the house - cobwebs, carpets, kitchen and bathroom,

The Weaver of Grass said...

and all the other rooms. I like everywhere to look nice and she makes sure that it does. She is a local, professional carer and is now a friend. Many of my friends have known her for many years - she is much respected and I would trust her with anything.

Lynn Marie said...

Dusting walls and ceilings periodically is helpful in keeping allergens to a minimum and cobwebs at bay. It's addicting once you see how dirty your clean cloth becomes because of all the dust that floats up and clings to those surfaces. With todays flat mops and Swiffers, it's not laborious. It's something good professional cleaners do as a matter of course as it helps keep the rest of the house and furniture less dusty, therefore that much easier and quicker to clean.

Rachel Phillips said...

How or why did you take on being a God parent if you do not believe in God? As for the cleaning, I think you are lucky in that you and the cleaner/carer have two minds that come together one in terms of cleaning.

Derek Faulkner said...

Probably more a case of being lucky enough to be able to afford what the cleaner/carer costs.

Ursula said...

In answer to Rachel "why did you take on being a God parent if you don't believe in God"? Being a god parent has little to do with one's faith in any particular god or none. It's all to do with the faith that a parent puts in you (should things go pear shaped) that you will look after their offspring and have their interests at heart, go the extra mile. I have several godchildren - and feel honoured by the trust their parents put in me. Having said that I'd have looked after any of my siblings' and friends' children - god parent or not - if push had come to shove. Of course, they are now all adult - not that that makes them less vulnerable to life's vicissitudes.

On a general level: The church and its rites - be they christenings, weddings, funerals give us a framework. I had my son christened in the same church as I got married in (motherland). It was a rite of passage not least bringing family wide and far together, welcoming a new life into the world, introducing them to a community.

End of sermon.

All the best, Weaver, may your Geraniums (such a joy) come good,
U

Rachel Phillips said...

Yes but Derek I think to clean to those levels the cleaner/carer must be on the same wavelength as Weave because not all folk would be dusting ceilings and walls within the paid hour unless it was in their psyche.

As for the God mother question I was hoping to hear from Weave herself. However, God parents for me always had a firmly religious meaning in the sense of church, God and religious education and care.

Ellen D. said...

One of these days you should have your carer or your son take some photos of your garden. Would love to see it if possible! It sounds so lovely and so well taken care of!

Derek Faulkner said...

I entirely agree with your answer Rachel but I still think that there is an element of, you get what you pay for.

Rachel Phillips said...

Oh yes Derek, I agree, but there is no doubt that Weave struck lucky with the lady's cleaning skills.

Rachel Phillips said...

You wouldn't be doing much of sitting around outside in the sun today down here, it's 15 degrees.

Derek Faulkner said...

Same here Rachel, strong and chilly wind coming in off the Thames Estuary and very cloudy.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Being a God parent.

A, my god-daughter- was born in the 1970 s - when I still had some religious faith although it was beginning to be quwstionable. A was born to my dearest friends. By the time she married - about 8 years ago - my dear friends were both dead and she asked me to stand in in lieu at her wedding and 'give her away', I was hhonoured to do so.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Scorching hot here today - my garden is suffering - so am I

Anonymous said...

Thank you for your reply and I hadn't realised you were so immobile that you need a carer to come in and get you out of bed. Does this mean you have to stay in bed on the days that she doesn't come?

My mother had carers going to help her but they were on a rota so that she wasn't left to fend for herself if one was on holiday. As you're so immobile I'm guessing you have a replacement carer who comes in on those days you regular carer if off.

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