We had a lovely weekend. Dave cooked dinner on Saturday and we ate outside in the evening sun. Scout, MIke’s dog, is very afraid of cats, though he and Zoe have a cat and, when Rummy realised that, he taunted the poor dog unmercifully. They all (not the cats) went off for Sunday brunch while we got ready for the family barbecue – Ro had said he’d go up the double ladder and cut back the creeper, which was all over the gutters and heading for the roof, but he wasn’t well. I thought it was the sun, as he had a headache and was feeling woozy, but we don’t think so now; it’s one of those mysterious viruses, probably. Anyway, Weeza and Phil kindly did the job instead. I must try and find someone for next year, who’ll go up ladders, as we don’t want to impose on the family.
Although hot, there has been a cooling breeze and it’s lovely. The countryside is crisping up though, all the grass is turning brown. We mowed part of the lawn on Saturday – the half that’s in the sun is brown and all the weeds (I like a weedy lawn and there’s plenty of plantain and clover) were seeding. The more shaded part is still green and that looked fine. There are clover flowers and coltsfoot and various other nice wild plants, and we didn’t mind them at all, but the dry part looked scruffy. So I just took off the stalky bits and didn’t cut the grass itself at all.
LT and I barbecued the meat between us. We started with two huge steaks which I then cut up, and then put on the chicken and sausages. The children wanted the sausages and had to wait, which was my fault – we should have done them first. As it was, I was just biting into a huge mouthful of steak sandwich with roasted vegetables when I caught Rufus’s reproachful eye. It was hilarious and chastening at the same time. But they all had plenty to eat. Ro had particularly asked for the delicious spicy chicken recipe that everyone loves. It is fabulous. Onion, garlic, ginger, spices (coriander, cumin, cardamom, clove and cayenne pepper), tomato purée, oil and vinegar, all whooshed up to a paste, marinaded with chicken pieces that are then grilled or barbecued – it’s not hot so much as spicily aromatic and even Ro, who wasn’t really eating, couldn’t resist. This is the third party this summer when we’ve been lucky with the weather – fingers crossed that it’ll last for the blog party, though it won’t be a barbecue and we can sit indoors or out.
I only have one bedroom definitely booked and another one possibly – still plenty of room, but let me know if you’d like to stay over. Two double rooms, after that we move on to a sofa or a blow-up bed.
Today, I donated my 25th pint of blood. All started because of my blog friend Greg, a decade or so ago.
25th pint? Wow! And you also kept track!
In INdia, they changed the rules. Apparently, a woman can only donate every 4 months now, and men can donate every 3 months 🙁 So I can only go by the end of July.
I don’t keep track, they do and told me – and it is every four months for women here too – at one time it was six, but they’ve gradually shortened the intervals; though I’ve had a couple of longer gaps because of my hip operations. And their latest e-letter said that, when booking online, they’ve added the question whether you’re a man or woman, so that it can direct you to your next available date. It explained that women have to wait longer because men naturally build up iron stocks quicker and have higher haemoglobin levels, and also women lose through menstruation, of course. I was once turned away because I was slightly anaemic, but normally I’m fine.
Oh! Here they made it 4 months from 3 months, and I have always been able to donate at 3 months with no issues, so naturally I was very upset with them.. but this is a perspective 🙂
Maybe a lot of women were failing the pre-donor test because of anaemia, so they changed.
It’s even beginning to look brown in Devon, and the hedge banks are looking very messy, AND, all my clover shrivelled up into little balls. I’m not sure how this country would cope if we had a summer like 1976.
Sx
Hello Z. I wonder if your friend Scarlet remembers that we had a snowstorm on 2nd June in 1976? It was of course followed by that glorious summer.
I’d completely forgotten, Mike, but Tim says that he remembers it. I do recall the summer of course, and that the weather broke on August Bank Holiday weekend. And then it rained and rained…
Yes, I’d forgotten the months of rain. Some pseudo-religious group in Birmingham had done a rain dance or some such ritual a few days before it started, and we ended up wanting them to change their minds.
I don’t remember the snow, but I looked it up, and apparently it was in June 1975. I do remember 1975 as being a mostly sunny summer. Anyhow, I love the met office archive pages and I found June 1975 for you.
Sx