5.30 a.m. and 15 deg. I can cope with that temperature. Not so with the high 20s/low 30s of later in the day. I've been up since 3.30 as it was too warm in the guest bedroom, where I ended up last night as a baby bat splatted somewhere behind the table in the bedroom just as I climbed into bed.
It was a beautiful sunrise this morning and I took some photos through the v. dirty bathroom window. I must try and clean it off somehow - the hose is leaking mightily in mid-section and I will get very wet I think!!
The plumber came and sorted out the UV system yesterday. As he arrived, with the front door left open (I had it shut to keep the flies out), a nasty little black ba*tard of a fly came straight in, landed on my arm and bit me. It looked like a house fly, but wasn't. It came back for another go later but I had the door open for a couple of hours then and thought it had departed. By 3.30 a.m. my morning antihistamine had well and truly worn off, as had the After Bite I put on the bite . . . Update: b*stard thing still here and bitten my legs 4 times now. Just put my thin trousers back on . . .
I came downstairs and have finished sewing up the blocks I was piecing yesterday - 27 in all, plus 10 I did on Wednesday. Will put them with their white halves today and lay them out on the bed to see how many more I need to do. The quilt will be called, unsurprisingly, Heatwave . . .
Unfortunately, this latest heatwave has done for my old fridge-freezer, an LG which has done sterling service for over 20 years now. When I poured milk into my tea yesterday, a lump of yoghurt came with it! I don't want to spend a fortune on replacing it as I will have to splash the cash. You used to be able to get Hire Purchase to spread the cost. Now it is done via a credit card type loan at just under 30% APR. I don't think so. Some places charge £15 just to unwrap the blardy thing, and another £35 to take away the old one. I think we will have to have a family-here DIY job when it's delivered and take the old one to the Tip. So I will have a proper look at what's on offer today and make my mind up. It of course costs twice as much or more, to get an energy-efficient one and takes about 10 years to level out savings for running it against increased cost of buying it! A cheaper one it will be then. (Signed up for a month to Which? now.)
Right, 6.10 now and I shall see if I can get back to sleep for an hour or so.
I did sleep till 8.30, when Pippi announced it was time for breakfast and Hunting. I bought the Saturday paper, to read about poor Ann Widdicombe, who did not deserve for her life to be taken away by some local murderer. I liked her, she stood up for what she believed in, called a spade a spade and had total integrity.
What an expensive nuisance, your fridge dying, but you've had a decent run with it. Do you get Consumer? I never buy anything big, before I've checked their recommendations. , Our weather has been as cold as yours has been hot. Tonight was a rugby test - All Blacks v Italy, and fortunately the weather, although cold, has cleared up just in time for it. 3 generations of the family are down there enjoying the atmosphere - my DIL and I are the only sensible ones!
ReplyDeleteI've just signed up to Which, so I can make an informed choice. Gosh, your family are going to come home frozen to the marrow! Here, we are melting.
DeleteBad luck with the fridge freezer. My ancient under-counter freezer is struggling, working almost continuously and I've turned the fridge temperature down as I also had 'tibetan' style yoghurt tea yesterday. Yuk!
ReplyDeleteJust taken out a month's subscription to Which so I can check out the best one for me and my purse. Sorry your freezer is struggling too.
ReplyDeleteAnnoying about the fridge freezer in the hottest weather . I've always fancied one of those huge American type fridge freezers but never had one! and never likely to either.
ReplyDeleteHorrifying about Ann Widdicombe - worrying for all elderly women living on their own.
Gabby sent me links to American ones, but too expensive for my budget. Which recommends the Hisense one. £319 on Amazon (plus extra to take old one away etc). Could have that on Monday, so will make my decision tomorrow.
DeleteI always make sure I lock my door at night. My nearest neighbour is often away and Ed is beyond him, so not on the doorstep.
When my husband first retired he got quite ratty at finding the back door locked when he wanted to go out into the garden and demanded "Why do you always lock it when you come in from outside?" so I reminded him about the time I had to forcibly eject an elderly 'lucky heather' seller who had spotted me entering the kitchen and had taken the open door as an invitation to snoop around whilst asking for "A little bit of sugar, or some tea, or anything else you can spare"!!!
DeleteOh gosh, we used to have the "lucky heather" ladies in our road when I was growing up, but they were wheedling rather than foot (or more) in the door, and would come round with bunches of Primroses in the spring. I can remember letting them have an ill-fitting pair of jodhpur boots once, when they came round for clothes and shoes. The old lass was delighted. So was I - they pinched no end! I only lock the door at night or if I'm going out. We don't have many passers by here.
DeleteOur last fridge freezer only lasted a few years but the Bush fridge freezer that was in the house when we bought it and must be at least 20 years, maybe 30 years old is still going strong. When I wanted to buy a second freezer I was shocked that unlike in Devon the library doesn't have a Which subscription. Be careful of the one month free trial as I've heard even Which makes it hard to cancel.
ReplyDeleteJust checked the Which subscription and I can cancel it today if I wished, but will let it get nearer to 11 August before I do so, and have written it on the calendar. The old things often work on and on - my last under the counter freezer came 2nd hand and lasted 25 years!
DeleteHope it was not a Branford fly, one bit my wife a few years ago and I had to take her to hospital. She has been bitten few times this week by some bug or other. Love the sunrise. We have ad a few fridges go on us and they were not that old
ReplyDeleteNot Blandford Fly - not near water, and a month too late really. Got bitten by one in Dorset, and had a huge blister the size of a can of baked beans lid come up on my tummy. Makes you quite ill, as your wife found out. Best fridge we ever had my dad got in 1960, converted it from gas, and we finally had to get rid of it in about 2010, when we needed the space it was in for something else. It was a Prestcold, and froze milk - you don't want to know what it did to cucumbers!!
DeleteIts always the way, when the cash is a bit short something dies. Have you got an Euronics shop near you. I've always found them very helpful and knowledgeable. Went to our local garden centre today and got some bargains but had a funny turn (almost fainted) by the tills, but they wheeled out a chair and a bottle of water and I was fine (ish). Think it was the heat. Xx
ReplyDeleteOh gosh Gill, not a nice thing to happen. This heat has been so wearing (but it is more bearable for me with lower humidity.) There is a Euronics shop in Rhayader, which stocks the fridge-freezer I liked the sound of yesterday, at the right price, so may trot along there tomorrow.
DeleteThose flies that bite are awful, we have them here they are called horseflies they are nasty, I hope it bugs off outside and leaves you alone, have a nice weekend.
ReplyDeleteYes, this wasn't the standard cleg-type horsefly, but a smaller one like a housefly but it BIT. Not such a nasty bite as on my wrist, but it didn't get to stay long as I batted it off. I opened windows and the door yesterday and hope it pushed off.
DeleteI'm looking forward to Heatwave Quilt pics and update.
ReplyDeleteMy fridge is going too. It's maybe 20 years old? But this week's reair is the microwave [only 3 or 4 years old!], a must have. I am in the habit of cooking in bulk then reheating. I cooked from scratch for years since I was a teenager, and now that I am alone I am happy NOT to do so.I've been reheating on my stovetop but it's tiresome. I love a huge fridge w lots of ice making but in my kitchen my space limits what I have. My friends here often have TWO huge fridges, as did my parents. Bec of guests and also storm prepping. My dad had a vintage fridge in the garage just for his beer, lol.
I thought you were getting screens so you could open windows w/out bats coming?
love
lizzy
I am going to sew up a little corner this morning to check I haven't mucked it up. I usually cook several meals and freeze a couple of portions. I use the microwave for defrosting/reheating.
DeleteTam sent two links for screens, one twice the price of the other. Think one has gone out of business as you can't order and no reply from email. Wasn't prepared to pay £40+ just for a small one window screen, so have made up my own!
It will be nice to have a new fridge even if it is an unexpected purchase. In our pretty little town, think Doc Martin's Port Wenn, a 70yr old woman was viciously attacked yesterday by a drug addict. I'm trying to think positive, happy thoughts but some days it's hard.
ReplyDeleteYes, it will just have to come out of savings and hopefully my Unit may help pay for it. We'll see. Oh gosh, how awful for that woman to be attacked by the drug addict. I am out of town a bit, and our little town is very quiet (until Royal Welsh week, but they they are busy boozing! in the evenings).
Delete