29.08.2026 Of pots and weeds.

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  Saturday 29th 60F/16C [7.30] Heavy overcast as a second day of rain is forecast. It didn't rain until 6pm yesterday. Then tipped down with lightning and only a little thunder. Windy again. Gusting to 12m/s from the SW.

 Up at 6.45 after chasing the clock all night. I had three hours of naps yesterday evening after becoming dizzy. Which meant lots of lying awake and trying to sleep. I feel a bit dull this morning.

 Grocery shopping beckons. It will have to be in the car. Given the soggy weather forecast.

 Some of my outdoor potted plants blew over. So they now stand in larger, square, plastic pots for stability. I haven't made up my mind whether, or rather where, to plant them out yet. 

 11.30 Back from a drive into the village. Rain on the way but it soon stopped. Windy too. Groceries plus I found a hefty, outdoor, ceramic pot from a flea market. 25kroner is less than £3. 

Oh, and a nice, glass decanter from the charity shop. For my daily 1 liter drinking water allowance/requirement. On top of tea and coffee of course. I had better rinse the bottle well first. Even though it looks unused. The plastic stopper seal suggests modern. An unwanted present?

 No tell-tail stains anywhere. I'll start with hot, not boiling water and washing up liquid. Rinse well, then baking soda and water. The Internet can't be wrong. Can it?

 12.30 I have topped up the greenhouse pond. The water level had dropped by 10cm/4" over some time. I use a garden hose and spray head to oxygenate the in-going water. 

 No need to worry about water temperature with such a large volume. 123x166 x 70cm = 1430 liters Raising the water level to 80cm exceeds the nominal 1500 liters. I am ignoring the tapered sides here. I keep an eye on the refill proceedings to make sure I don't cause a flood. Though the pair of woodworking clamps on the hose keep everything secure. 

 14.30 I have been pulling weeds on the flower bed. Mostly Rosebay willowherb. Until I was hot a breathless in the sunshine. Despite it blowing a gale.

 Followed by setting the robot mower to go along the drive. It gets better every time. Reaching further and covering the full width. 

 Dinner was chicken curry. I made far too much. Had to leave two spoons full. 

  

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28.08.2026 And again.

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  Friday 28th 64F/18C [7.40] Overcast. A day of heavy rain. Up to 26mm or 1". With thunder and cloudbursts possible. Peaking at 19C/66F in highly variable temperature swings. 22C/71F in the room.18C in the closed greenhouse.

 Up at 7am after a fairly quiet night.  The dizziness before the very early bedtime gradually receded. I had gone to bed fully clothed because I was shivering. Which meant that I was soon sweating profusely. 

 Spent the day on the computer. Dizzy at 5pm. Went to bed for a nap and slept until 8pm. In three stages.

 It stayed dry all day and then tipped down at 6pm. 

 No dinner. I am having a digestive biscuit and a cup of tea in recovery mode. 

Picture of plums fallen from a single tree. 

 

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27.08.2026 Tart!

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  Thursday 27th 59F/15C [7.45] Sunny, with a 23C peak but windy from the east. Gusting to 15m/s. 21C/70F in the room. 15C/59F in the greenhouse. I left the skylights open all day and night to shed the heat. Change in the weather tomorrow. With a heavy rain warning for the whole country.

 Up at 7.00 after a quiet night.

 Cooking class restarts this morning. After the summer break. 

 14.00 Back from cooking class. Where I made a meringue and rhubarb tart. There were only five of the expected 10 people present. It was rather warm in the kitchen.

 8.15 Watching a film on TV I started feeling unwell. I am shivering. Despite it being 22C in the room.

 

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