Heatwave - Yes !

[JennieAtkinson]

I know you have it hot south, but yesterday and today have been amazing here. Yesterday was warm if out of the wind, but today WOW! Been coastal mist all day, but this cleared at about 4pm and came home from work at 5pm and we sat out in the garden until 8.30. Midges were horrendous, so we had loads of candles burning, but the temperature gauge registered 35 degrees at one point! In the shade it was registering 28, but at that time of night not normally experienced here. We only came in because the midges were so bad and we had run out of cream!

I can even report that some of my plants are wilting. Hows that for this far north!

Sorry just had to tell someone.

[SueA]

Hi Jennie, you must be delighted, having watched Springwatch with Simon wrapped up in layers of jumpers & jackets I thought it never got above freezing in your neck of the woods. My O.H. has been in Glasgow & Edinburgh for a couple of days & said it was raining & cool in Glasgow & then beautiful & pleasant in Edinburgh while I have been sitting here dying in thunderstorms & heat of over 40 degrees on our patio! Don't envy you those killer midges though, anything that bites heads straight for me! Stock up on some more cream & repellant & enjoy those long light evenings you get up there- it'll be winter again soon!

[Alice]

Glad you got to share this decent weather Jennie. Our midges are not too bad this year. It does seem to be cyclical. Some years we even have the mosquitoes but none so far this year but I do wage war on them - no standing water etc. Have you tries Avon Skin So Soft as a midge repellent ? Apparently it's what the British Army uses

[leona]

i dont dare sit out in the eves. we are right by the thames so get mozzies and i get bitten by everything going. i was getting bitten alot in the greenhouse. no idea what by but now ive upped the carnivorus plant stock, that seems to have stopped now

[Alice]

Hello Leona, it's probably the mozzies that bight you in the greenhouse. That's where they get me.

[bramble]

Hi Jennie, you must be delighted with the warm sunny weather after freezing in the Spring. But is'nt it always the way, when one thing is going well something else comes along to spoil it. Anyway enjoy it.
No midges or mossies here so far anyway. Hope it dtays like that for your holidays.

[JennieAtkinson]

It was another cracking day yesterday with temps up to 27 degrees. I had to keep damping down the paths in the polytunnel which I have never had to do before. Even this morning the temp was 18 degrees at 7.00 am.

Can't remember ever having these sort of temperatures - so keep on sending it up! Everyone here is looking so brown and its great to wear you summer clothes without being on holiday. A whole new experience for us!

Been trying to track down an Avon Rep Alice - everyone in the office is interested! I also think someone else mentioned it in another thread (though might have been you - I'm beginning to lose track!) The sun is going to my head.

[Birdie Wife]

Skin So Soft

Have you tries Avon Skin So Soft as a midge repellent ? Apparently it's what the British Army uses

Many of the keepers/stalkers/chainsaw operators use this and swear by it round here - it tickles me to think of all these rugged outdoorsy chaps lashing on with the smelly moisturiser ! - but the consensus here in the office (and we do a lot of outdoors work here too) is that it only works for about half an hour and then the smell wears off. Then you have to reapply. And again half hour after. In fact, maybe it's not so much the smell that keeps the midges away, as the slick that you get on your skin from having to slap on moisturiser every half hour! Personally I use Lifesystems Expedition 100 - maximum strength DEET - nasty stuff but works for hours! Just don't put it near anything plastic . I usually spray it on a hat and wear that instead of putting it on my skin. But then, we get midges like you wouldn't believe. I do live in a peat bog, after all!

[SueA]

Jennie, you can buy direct from Avon online.www.avonshop.co.uk