I really enjoyed my walk today, up hill and down dale, with my hips free and some energy again. I stopped for a chat with my horsey friend, who was mucking out. Then Tam did a video call, so I sat down for that one.
Today was Operation Wasp and I feel like a mass murderer now (which I am, but it had to be done as they were all up in the attic as well . . .) Once all dead I will get Pam to help me cover over the hole in the plasterboard caused by the roof guys when the chimney was taken down.
The steepest bit of my walk today and I managed it well. This should help my peak flow levels which had dropped significantly from not being able to walk much in the hot summer.
I managed 15 blocks this afternoon. I shall get some more of the snowflake fabric and make a calming buffer around the brighter blue. I will probably get some more of the beigey butterfly fabric too. That came from Doughty's but I will wait until I go to Malvern Sewing and Quilt Festival and buy it there, to save the fuel on a journey to Hereford. £2 a litre round here now . . . I enjoyed my sewing today.
I listened to SUCH a brilliant podcast on the Rest is History today (NO. 583). It was a chap who was born in the area of my home town where I grew up! Sadly there was just that one reference to it at the beginning. It is called: The Lion, the Priest and the Parlourmaids: A1930's Sex scandal. It was all absolutely true but blimey you couldn't have made it up and the newspapers must have been loving every second of the trial. Dom and Tom seemed to think he was largely not guilty but very naive. . . DO listen if you can. Chap was on a very good stipend in Norfolk, but spent all week down in London, helping "fallen girls" - he liked them around 16 or so! But he was just helping them, really! He used to bring them bak - 200 or so a year - to his wife and family and get them to be maids with no pay. His wife NOT best pleased! The lion was apparently what did for him . . . Enjoy. I use Spotify to channel in to these podcasts.
Off to have a glass of wine and enjoy a new library book, The Turning Tide by Catriona McPherson. "The perfect read for those who enjoy the bygone world charm of Nancy Mitford, Evenlyn Waugh and Agatha Christie".
Not seem many jaspers this year though we did have Hornets on the house Zi had to get rid of, glass I sad one cardboard under if solved than and I let it go. The other little stinging beasties get squished normally. I think there is an old wasps nest in the void over the porch.
ReplyDeleteI have Hornets who live under the tiles on the side of the house (and I do hope not affected by the spray in the edge of the front Dormer.) I leave them alone and they go about their business and greatly love the holly/hivey/tiny pink flowered shrub hedge.
ReplyDeleteivy not hivey . . .
ReplyDeleteOOOOh I love those quilt blocks!!!! I had a wasp follow me into the house again and held my breath until I could get it back outside. I blame the increase on my neighbour, a youngun who has allowed the fruit to fall off the apple tree and rot on the ground.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
I've had quite a few wasps in the house since they took up residence. I open the window/door and hope they go out. A couple yesterday morning needed a helping hand with a towel. I checked this morning, but only one to be seen up by the entrance. If that goes in, it probably won't come out again.
ReplyDeleteAh yes, they will go to damaged fruit and then they get drunk!
This is the first year for many years when there hasn't been a wasps nest somewhere around our house and garden. We've had them coming in through airbricks, the hole around the overflow pipe from the water tank and taking over nest boxes. They might not have been living here this year but they have certainly enjoyed the fruit on my trees. No waiting for it to fall, just attack it as it hangs.
ReplyDeleteWe had one 3 yrs back (same chap came to deal with it). It was in the external apex of the dormer. A horsey friend down the road has about 15 or 20 in her hay barn, up in the open roof inside. I didn't see a single wasp until these turned up and moved in back in August.
DeleteThe quilt looks lovely, the co!ours really work. The podcast sounds really interesting, I will have to listen to it. We have had a lot of wasps buzzing about this year. One of our neighbours has several fruit trees that he just leaves the fruit on and the wasps have a field day, especially the plums. Several of us neighbours have offered to pick the fruit and share it out but he has so far declined. Take care Sue H
ReplyDeleteThe blue is very deep against the mid-blue pattern on white in the quilt but could find NOTHING along that design/colourway in Doughtys or on line. Perhaps I may see some at the Quilt Festival and incorporate it in the buffer border as these blocks are the extension to turn the square into a single quilt.
DeleteWhat a shame your neighbour would rather have fruit rot than share it amongst neighbours. What a waste too.
Have you ever tried putting a few fake wasps nest around the place. I had a wasp building a nest in my shed ... fascinating to watch, but not a lodger I wanted to encourage ... but I managed to get a couple of fake ones via Amazon and I have had no problem with any wasps since. They come flat like those big round paper lampshades from years ago, and you simply insert the wire frame inside to make it nest shaped.
ReplyDeleteWell, these wasps came into the wall via a gap between the roof tiles and under the lead flashing. Nowhere there we could hang a pretend nest, but thanks for the suggestion. I will have to get a helpful neighbour (no names, no pack drill!) to come and fill that area so they can't return another year.
Delete