Routine in a Heatwave . . .

This is the cats' routine - come in for food and then retire to a shady spot and spend the day there until hunger pangs strike again . . . or it is 3 p.m. (they eat at Naffi times!)  Here is Little Whale, relaxing, now he is back.  He seems to have had an agreement with Alfie about guarding the house, as Alfie has now gone walkabouts . . .

 

Our routine, whilst this heatwave lasts (and apparently the end of August has been mooted . . .) is to get up early, garden when everything is still cool.  As it warms up, we move elsewhere, me to paint in the attic (it is taking several coats of white to cover the Medieval blue) and OH to potter with his furniture repairs.  Then it is normal household tasks in the heat of the day, and as it cools, I can retired to a seat in the shade with some sewing.  Bliss . . .

I found this book in Oxfam this week, brand new, and only £2.99.  As it had been on my Amazon wish list, I was delighted and have made something from it already (can't show it yet until the recipient has received it.)

This is a little seagrass stool I am recovering with new seagrass wrapped in strips of fabric.  It takes a LONG time to wrap the seagrass.

Here's some I made earlier . . . (yesterday!) :

Needless to say, the fabric is cotton clothing I have bought cheaply at car boot sales.  This way even damaged skirts or whatever can be re-purposed.

This is the scrummy Gooseberry and Orange Drizzle Cake I made yesterday (to take to friends).  I will put up the recipe over the weekend.

Meanwhile, we are off to view an auction shortly . . . when my husband has donned some clothes hopefully, as he is currently on the sun lounger in the buff . . . you can tell we live in a very quiet area here!  Let's hope that the Jehovah's Witnesses don't suddenly arrive!!!

Sewing in the shade . . .

The Christian work ethic is a hard one to ditch.  I find it very difficult, when I have a long list of jobs "still to do", to give myself time off to just sit out in the garden with a good book, much as I would like to.  Anyway, I justified some garden time yesterday once it got too hot to paint in the attic, and took out this old Welsh quilt to mend.  It has some missing quilting stitches, and a couple of bits needed darning, so I spent a couple of extremely pleasant hours outside with my needle.  Bliss . . .

I am trying to date the materials used.  Any suggestions?

A close-up of the quilting design (a very basic one, worked in green and red stitching.)  It has a well-worn blanket as the lining.

All SENSIBLE cats were in the shade.  Here's Alfie . . .

And his mum Miffy . . .

Fluff likes the sunshine though.  With her rusty coat, she is looking more like her mum every day . . .

And finally wee Banshee.  She is out all the time at the moment - she loves hot summer nights for hunting.  But sometimes you have to catch up on your sleep . . . This windowsill is one floor up - reached via the scaffolding, which is STILL HERE!!!  Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

A Crafty Day in Hay . . .

The new header, by the way, is the view across the Carmarthenshire countryside from the top of Bannau Sir Gaer (Black Mountain).  You can see forever . . .

We had to go to Brecon again for more (hopefully the LAST tin) Clay Paint yesterday, so as is our wont, we drove onto Hay-on-Wye for a Day Out.  We'd only been a couple of weeks ago, so didn't expect to find any must-have books, although I did buy the one on Horse Brasses in the above photo, as I seem to have acquired quite a few in recent months . . .  The Kirstie's Vintage Home book I bought when we stopped at Trecastle on the way.  I wanted details of making on one of the items she had in there, and then I will pass it on.

This is part of the display in the wool/crafts shop next to the cafe in Backfold where we always stop for a bacon roll (sausage in my case) and to "wet our whistle" as mum would have said.  I sooooooo want to make a rag rug (amongst other craft projects).  Anyway, instead I bought sock wool . . .

And then some pre-dyed tops for felting. Wouldn't you know when I was having a tidy up this very WEEK, I THREW OUT the 1970s reed table mat I had put on one side for YEARS with this idea in mind.  Then I thought, nope, I'll never get around to it, and my OH burned it . . .   I shall have to think outside the box now . . .

Thursday is Market day in Hay, and there were a few stalls including this one selling various baskets and bags.  

A little corner of Hay - the building on the left of this extension is the Curry House.

You never know what turns up . . . this huge plaster ceiling boss must have weighed several hundredweight.

Shop windows . . .

Reflections . . . this is the Murder and Mayhem shop I think.

Now THERE'S a window display you don't see every day!  This stuffed Clydesdale head and shoulders was obviously a much-prized horse before his demise.  Perhaps a Brewery horse . . .

This tiny peaceful garden was at the back of one of the shops and I could have sat here all day, listening to the sound of water from a little fountain.

You can't quite see the really pointy ears . . . NOT Mr Spock, but actually the Duke of Wellington - well, the nose and chin are a bit of a give-away . . .

View from a book-shop window - the road to Clyro.

We had a really lovely day and came home to find the first part of the scaffolding had been taken down, and our top field is now baled (haylage) and much tidier.  Phew . . .

Roses

The roses in the Header are growing at Haddon Hall - I think I took this photo about 2 years back.  Unfortunately I couldn't really "choose" the photo because I transferred them all onto an external hard drive and I have dates but not the actual photo, so it's a shot in the dark when I click on one to load . . .

Zepherine Drouhin (a thornless  Bourbon rose).

A not too clear photo of Cardinal Richelieu  (a Gallica rose).

The undoubted star of the show - Paul's Himalayan Musk (Moschata).

She's climbed right to the top of the apple tree - and beyond.

This is the rambler The Garland, another vigorous Moschata climber.  Like the PHM, it is very fragrant.

This is supposed to be the David Austin rose, Graham Thomas.  However, he is the wrong colour!  GT is meant to be yellow.  Still, a very pretty rose, and he is a LOT happier to have some sunshine this year.  It could be Lady Emma Hamilton . . . or possibly Abraham Darby.

My beautiful golden rose whose name I have forgotten . . .

I thought this little one I bought for mum, was called "Yesterday", but it doesn't look like the photos I've found on line.

Our top field cut for hay.  They turned it yesterday, so should be along to bale it in the next day or so.

Finally, the house all newly-decorated.  Same yellow (only another coat of the limewash to tidy it up) and then Bay Leaf, which is a heritage colour grey-green. Once the scaffolding is down, it will be going back on the market and prayers are being offered it may attract a buyer . . .

A glimpse of my garden

Amongst the weeds, there are some absolute gems in my garden.  Last week I finally got out and did some work - although there is a LOT more to do!! and I have NOT shown you the overwhelmed bits . . .  The star of the show has to be the Paul's Himalayan Musk - HOW can I ever replicate this in another garden?

This is from my office window - I couldn't get back far enough to take it ALL in.  The cat in the picture is a stray tom who turns up regularly - we call him Nelson as he has a patch over one eye . . .

One of several Clematis I have about the place.  Name tag lost/stolen by Jackdaws . . .

Another of my original Rambler roses - I think this one is The Garland - it has a fabulous perfume.

Philadelphus spilling over the wall.

This is the wrong time of day to do this post, as I am still suffering from sleep deprivation from the weekend and short term memory loss.  This is the beautiful yellow rose I bought last year? and is just flowers its socks off all summer long.  Definitely one for the next garden.

Constance Spry, who grows up through an apple tree.

  

The sunny little faces of Pot Marigolds, bought in flower and bunged in a gap in the border.  

A reliable creamy-yellow Scabious.

New-girl - Cerise Achillea "Paprika".

Johnson's Blue Hardy Geraniums.

Another old rose (Quatrafolia), but whose French name escapes me . . .

Another Clematis, this time the one growing up an apple tree.

Last but not least, some of the water lilies, just shutting up for the evening.