The weather here in Bristol has been frankly too hot to do anything of late, due to some prolonged very hot weather that has seen the first extreme heat warning issued in the UK. Now it's nowhere near as bad as those temperatures seen in the North West of the USA and Canada, but still it's pretty hard to bear as it's in the low to mid 30's C in the bedrooms at night! Thank God a neighbour lent us a fan to help cool things down again as there has been no breeze at all to help.
So I thought I'd post some pics of our garden which after a very funny year on the weather front, is looking good but is some 2 weeks or more behind compared to normal. Fortunately we have a nice space to be able to sit outside and cool down a bit once the sun has begun to set, which has been a real God send!
 |
| The view from the patio doors, which we currently can't enjoy as we need to keep the blinds closed to help keep the house cool. |
 |
| My wife wanted some Jasmine on a trellis and who am I to refuse her? The smell in the evening is delightful. |
 |
| My hot border that bakes in the sun for most of the day. |
 |
| The more shady border with shrubs and perennials. Still a work in progress. |
 |
| Another hot border that needs some editing, but is nearly there. |
To counter all this heat and in keeping with my desire to game more of early part of WWII, I bought the following book, which is rather weird to be reading in such heat given the conditions in which it was fought:
I'm only a couple of chapters in, but it is an extremely well written and readable history of a conflict I know so little about. Whether it tempts me to game it remains to be seen as as mentioned previously, the big issue is new terrain and of course troops on snow bases. I am keen to learn more on the Continuation War which is much more doable as it would only require new figures.
So hopefully the weather will break soon and some gaming related activity can return. Sadly Covid cases in our neck of the woods have hit an all time high (60% increase in one week) and hospital cases are on the rise, so little prospect of any FtF gaming for quite some time.
So until next time stay safe and keep healthy.
Hey Steve, that’s a beautiful looking garden mate! Good tip on keeping cool in this ruddy heat as well - I’ve got a book on conflict in the Arctic somewhere, I’ll try and find it and give it a flip through. Lol.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks! Gardening is one oy my other passions, so since 'retirement' I have had plenty more time to indulge, which has been lovely. Being outdoors so much of the time after a working life in dark workshops has been brilliant.
DeleteSeeing pictures of snowy winter wastes is not the same as a nice fan or AC unit, but needs must;)
That’s a classic, pretty, English garden you’ve got there Steve. Very nice!
ReplyDeleteYou seem to have the worst if the hot weather at the moment in the SW.should break by the weekend.
Can I recommend Unknown Soldier (novel and film) to wet/whet your whistle on the Continuation War, if you haven’t already read/seen it?
Thankyou! Yes, this part and Wales are particularly hard hit at present. The heat is not too bad (I lived in Africa and played cricket in hotter weather), but it's the lack of ventilation at night to cool things down that's the killer. Not getting much sleep is exhausting!
ReplyDeleteThe book is on my list to get, as is the film to watch if and when it becomes free to view on Netflix or Amazon. I'm certainly enjoying learning about this part of WWII.
Garden looks very nice, a wonderful place to sit and cool down. Based in Saskatchewan, we’ve been feeling the heat for most of the month. We are in a bit of a break from the regular extreme heat warning, but it came a the price of an air quality warning over forest fire smoke.
ReplyDeleteThanks Peter! We really don't get such a prolonged hot spell here in the UK, with our maritime climate and all that, so are not used to such temperatures, especially at night. Still we shouldn't complain given what you guys have been going through of late.
DeleteBeautiful garden! The heat wave must have have the Atlantic. While we are no longer setting All Time highs daily, daytime highs still remain stuck in the 90s. Darn hot!
ReplyDeleteStay cool.
Thanks Jonathan. We are trying to stay cool, but the lack of any real breeze and no cross ventilation means it's hard to cool down. Our neighbours inflatable pool is looking rather inviting...
DeleteSteve,
ReplyDeleteYou have a very nice Garden there - so relaxing on a hot day with a good book and a cool drink or a warm winters afternoon and a hot cuppa. It is cold here -1 Deg C last night. Daytime is warm- nights are freezing. Regards. KEV.
Thanks Kev. We do have one shady bit that's rather nice and peaceful come late afternoon to relax in out of the sun. Actually a nice icy blast would feel wonderfully refreshing at the moment!
DeleteAll sounds very familiar Steve, with curtains drawn to keep the heat out, fans in the bedroom and the garden out of bounds unless early morning or late evening with a glass of cold beer.
ReplyDeleteThanks Pat and all along our street everyone is doing the same thing or drawn curtains etc. A nice cold glass of homemade elderflower cordial has proved a wonderful tonic this week!
DeleteLooking good Steve, definitely not painting weather.
ReplyDeleteWait till tomorrow when the summer storms hit and we all complain about the wet :-)
Cheers
Stu
Thanks Stu. The weather has broken and some torrential downpours in the night, but it is nice and cool now and I don't have to water the garden:)
Delete