Chitchat thread #24

[lottie dolly]

a quick good morning,am up and ready for for GGboys,gees is so hot at this time of day,thinks i will be asleep between the school runs,they are being let out at 1.30 today and tomoz,better go they be hhere anytime soon,stay safe and try to keep cool,i gt some cold water i the fridge,

[mothhawk]

Morning all.

I've had all the windows and doors open for an hour to let the heat out, but now it's 21C outside so time to close them up again. Pots and tubs all watered, so time for another brew. Take care in the heat, everyone.

[Nicos]

Mornin n’alln’all

Good call about water in the fridge lottie.
Not sure what I’m doing today….probably hiding indoors!

Keep cool and hydrated peeps

[Snoop Puss]

Morning all.

Once around the veg patch with my trusty watering can. Got a barrel filling up via the solar pump and then I'll set the seep hose to watering the onions and leeks. I was thinking this morning about the people who used the well before me. It was deepened around 120 years ago but has existed for donkey's years. Mr Snoop reckons even the Iberians would have had a water source here. Quite possible. Anyway, before me and my solar pump there was me and my petrol-driven pump, before that the owners had a huge concrete pit dug alongside the well so they could drop a generator into it to draw water up. Must have been a huge undertaking and they must have thought that was a massive improvement over the donkey they had before that, walking round and round in circles to fill up earthenware vessels that tipped out at the top into a trough. Probably be back to donkeys again at some point in the future. Anyway, solar pump doing a fine job for now.

No robin today, but I did get buzzed by a huge European hornet while trying to tie up the toms at long last. Clearly she thinks it's her turf. I deferred and left her to it. Maybe she's the reason why there are no spiders in among the plants. Anyway, I'll have to get up even earlier if I'm to beat her tomorrow morning. The tom plants are looking amazing this year. They're obviously enjoying the heat. Amazing really, as they're getting between 2 and 3 litres each of water a day. Not much for all that leaf matter and standing in the sun all day. I must remember to make some changes next year. I'm a bit of an all or nothing kind of gardener, but next year I'll start a few plants off before the rest so we get a harvest earlier. Too much to be taking all of them in and out at night for months on end, but a few would be OK and an earlier crop would be good. We had our first home-grown tomato yesterday. Best thing on the plate!

Anyway, the smiles enjoyed admiring the tom plants with me, but were a bit alarmed by the hornet so buzzed off themselves pretty sharpish. Doubtless they'll be with you soon if not already.

Stay cool, everyone (doesn't that sound a bit hippyish but so appropriate?) and have a great day.

[greenishfing]

I've been awake for ages. In the end I just decided getting up and having a cup of coffee is far nicer than tossing and turning. It's already in the 20s and we're forecast 35°C here later.

I've got to take Mr GF for blood tests later this morning so I might then call at the (air-conditioned) supermarket while I'm out.

While I was hiding from the sun yesterday both my younger sisters phoned. Mr GF just cannot understand what we can find to talk about for nearly 3 hours!

I'm glad phone calls have become far cheaper over the years, particularly with inclusive minutes. I remember in the 70s and 80s they could be extortionate....and as for international calls! And pre-broadband internet when you could only use one computer and not use the phone at the same time. My mother used to go mad when our phone was continually engaged. I think she thought we were deliberately trying to annoy her.

Stay cool everybody!

[Nicos]

International calls gf?
I remember in the mid 70s we had to book an appointment ( for a few days later) at a post office in Greece to be able to phone the uk!

Nowadays we get free phone calls video calls using WhatsApp .
Boy how things have changed.
Gawd - I sound like my granny used to

[Nicos]

Te he…I was just remembering chatting with my OH when we first started to go out ( aged 17)
I used to sit on the stairs in an unheated hallway and my father would pop out of the lounge ( door closed to keep the heat in - all pre central heating of course) and tap on his watch so I’d keep the call short.

[Bren In Pots]

Morning

Snoop interest history of your well, we take water for granted just turn the tap and its there, apart from when we're camping then its a tap in the corner of the field.
My friend who lives a few doors down only had a bathroom and indoor loo fitted around 30 years ago we have her tin bath was handy for isolating new fish before introducing them into our pond. No pond now but I did use it as a make shift cold frame.

things to do back later. enjoy your day.

[Nicos]

My well history isn’t as interesting as Snoops!

we live in a hamlet of 3 houses. In the early 1900s there were 80 people living here ( several of the houses became ruins and ‘robbed out’ to extend what are now the three residences.
Next door has his own well and uses it for all his grey water.
We have the communal well which still contains the broken , rusty, hand pump. It’s not particularly deep but the deeds say absolutely anyone can have access to it. It runs dry most summers so we prefer to depend on collected rainwater from our roof for watering veggies.
I’d love to know if there is anything interesting down at the bottom!
Its right next to a narrow lane so can’t imagine a donkey would have room to walk round in circles . But maybe they did! I’m guessing ours was more likely a bucket and rope job before the hand pump. Boy- that must have felt like new technology at the time!

There are loads of capped wells in all the fields around here - for the livestock , but farmers prefer to depend on towing massive bowsers on a daily basis in summer for them. We still see the occasional small wind pump astride a well in a field.

[bramble]

Good morni g all.lVery interesting conversations about wells and their history,
We dont realise how easy we have it, just turn on the tap,
I lived with my grandmother for a few years when I was a child and we used to pump water by the bucket,
She had no running water at that time,

Anyway, no plans for the day other than going to my sons house to feed the goldfish and water the plants,
I have just been speaking to my sister earlier, she tells me the temp in London was 29 degs.
She is flying home to Dublin this afternoon, so hope she will be ok.

Take care all, stay cool and dont forget the suncream.

[greenishfing]

All the talk of wells reminds me of when a friend in Spain called in the dowser as his existing well was running dry.

After the dowser had wandered around with his rods and done his job he let us have a go with them. I had absolutely no confidence in anything happening but eureka they suddenly crossed and pulled downwards. Mr GF, also known as the cynic, then had a go and his face was a picture when it happened for him too.

No idea how or why....but really weird.

[Nicos]

I’d love to have a play with a proper set of dowser rods! How exciting

[Bren In Pots]

Afternoon

I’d planned on bread baking today but I can’t see it happening now, it just to hot in the kitchen. Will think about it this evening.

The first house we bought had a bath in the middle of a bedroom but no inside loo the previous owners though it was dirty to have one indoors We turned the smaller bedroom into a bathroom before moving in.
Gas fittings were still on the wall but it did have electricity fitted. So a mix of old and new.

Loving these old stories thanks everyone.

[greenishfing]

I'm back home. Mr GF's blood tests done. Having looked on my phone at how busy the supermarket was ..... we passed, and I called in at the little local Sainsbury's mini market and bought cream, the only thing that I was desperate for.

We once had a well, and l've no doubt that somewhere at the bottom of it will be the pickaxe that "Mr Accidentprone" had in his hand when he managed to fall in it many years ago......and he tried to convince me that his middle name was "careful".

[Nicos]

Hahaha Gf!…sorry that really made me chuckle!

Hope he wasn’t too badly injured?…maybe just his pride?