Bits and Bobs

Now where did that little saying originate I wonder?  It's something my mum used to say a lot.  In this case I'm using it to mean an assortment of unrelated things.

First there's the marathon that didn't happen.  This was the weekend before last when temperatures reached 31+ degrees on the Sunday.  The event was at the Cyclopark in Gravesend, a venue I know very well and was well prepared with my hydration, fuel and suncream.

When I arrived at the venue at 8:30am it was already 25 degrees. Hmmm, I thought knowing that I do not fare well in the heat.  The Cyclopark is very exposed and there is no shade.  Traviss and Rachel had ensured there was plenty of water etc available and also gave everyone ice lollies to help us cool down.  By the time we started at 9am the heat was beginning to make its presence known and it felt like breathing in steam as it was very humid plus the tarmac track seemed to reflect the heat up at us.

I had intended to use this event as a test of my pacing as I'm trying to get faster rather than just plodding along all the time.  It's an undulating route so I had to push extra hard but I found my pace was metronomic which was very pleasing.  After 2 hours and 12 miles the heat was starting to get to me and I decided there was no point in just grinding out the miles at a slower pace so I called it a day and headed for home which gave Mike a nice surprise and I got to watch the Wimbledon final!

Tilly was pleased to see me too!

At that point I left, around 11 am, it was already 29 degrees and it reached 32 degrees later with several more people dropping out whilst some others suffered bad heat stroke.  The event had an 8 hour time limit and some people were out in that heat right up until the end which I thought was ill-advised (get me with my sensible head on!).

I have to confess that it's rather liberating not to be chasing marathon numbers at the moment so I'm stuck on number 152 for a while longer.  I have another marathon booked for this coming weekend but if the temperature stays like this then I'll probably give it a miss.  I'm doing all my training runs really early in the morning when the air is cool and fresh but even then I'm struggling sometimes as Hayfever and Asthma are pesky at the moment.

Now for a bit of yarn-related stuff.

I've completed all the full hexagons for Frida's Flowers so I laid them out to see how they looked together:

It's nowhere near as big as a blanket which was intentional as it's been a great way to use up some of my stash of Rowan Cotton Glace and when finished it will be draped over the back of one of the chairs in the music room purely for decoration.

I've just got to do 8 half hexagons for the sides and then decide on a border.

It's the simplest of patterns but I kept misreading one of the rows ending up with the wrong stitch count and having to undo it (twice for goodness sake!)

Now for some knitting.  Yes, I know I don't usually knit much in the Summer months but hey, I'm complicated and my arthritis has been bearable this past week!

What caught my eye?  The Allie wrap by Jennifer Wood, that's what.  

Do I need another shawl/wrap-type thing?  Of course not but I love its quirky shape and it's a good way to use up some 4ply stash although I did need to buy a hank of multi-coloured speckly wool once I chosen my colourway (ahem!).

From left to right: Fyberspates Vivacious 4ply 'Spiced Plum',  Limegreenjelly 'Beauty' sock, Debonnaire 'Bliss', Fat Lace/Skinny Sock  in 'Stormy'.  The latter is slightly thinner than the others so I may knit it with some Kidsilk Haze in a deep grey blue but I'll wait to see how it works on its own first.

I've hardly done any gardening except very early in the morning as it's been too hot out there.  It's impossible to get a fork into the rock-hard clay and there are huge fissures in the soil.  I'm amazed that anything is managing to survive and some of the shallow-rooted plants have shrivelled up completely.  I've been saving rinsing water from the kitchen to give to any of the larger shrubs which are showing distress  but the garden is too large to water everything so I just water any plants in pots using water stored in our many water butts, although even they are getting very low now.

Our tomato plants, all grown outside, are relishing the heat, as are the courgettes.  The Aubergines in my shed are doing remarkably well. 

 I love the colour of their deep-purple stems

The plant below is an experiment to see how it fared outdoors.  It's sited at the front of the house where it gets baked for over half the day and it's doing remarkably well, with nearly as many fruits as those grown under cover.  What's interesting is that its stems are almost black and the leaves have deep purple veins which looks really beautiful.

I love their flowers too.  It looks rather like a Clematis flower.

Whilst I was watering my pots in the shed the other day I spotted this pretty butterfly flapping against the window:

It's a 'Speckled Wood', so named because it spends most of its time in woodland

It's wings look furry don't they and they were soft as silk

Last weekend we attended an event at a local farm where a Moth Trap had been set the night before and was then opened in the morning and the moths identified by a local expert.  It was fascinating and there were over 45 different moths identified which didn't include any of the micro-moths.  I'll let the photos do the talking:

Assembled and waiting for the opening of the trap

The moths took shelter in the egg boxes overnight which were lifted out individually for identification.  Some were left in the egg boxes and passed around whilst others were placed carefully into transparent containers, passed around and then released.

The lady in pink was recording all the specimens identified - 45 not including any of the many micro-moths

This Poplar Hawkmoth was the largest specimen

After a while he got fed up of sitting in the sun and went and hid under a chair

Then he sat on my hand for a while, whirring his wings to warm them up before flight

He was so soft and a magnificent specimen

Buff Tip - he looks like a twig from the side (see below)!

Buff Ermine

Large Emerald

Ruby Tiger

I can't remember all the names of these but they're pretty so I've included them anyway:

It was a truly magical experience and it really made me want to go out with a torch again one evening to see what we could spot.  I used to do that because I always grow lots of flowers pollinated by moths and it's amazing all the different ones you can see.

Now we wait to see how hot the weekend is before I make a decision about my marathon.............

Pottering

Pottering, I love that word.  The Oxford English dictionary defines it as "to occupy oneself in a  desultory but pleasant way" but although there may not be a proper plan to my pottering I do have plenty of enthusiasm for it.

I've been re-potting and dividing some houseplants.  Some of them go outside in the shade for the summer break whilst others are repositioned in any space available on a window ledge.

I enjoyed taking photos of some of them from above:

I love this Kalenchoe.  Look at all it's babies along each leaf edge!

You can just make out their tiny roots and they drop at the slightest touch and form new plants.

Billbergia Nutans, a gift from a gardening friend.  I gave her an Aspidistra in exchange.

I love the exotic-looking flowers.....

.....which open out like this.  They drip a sticky substance so I position it over a tiled floor or on the marble worktop when it's at this stage so it's easy to clean off.

One of my favourite Rex Begonias - 'Escargot'

This is my favourite cane-type Begonia ready to go outside for the Summer.  When it's time to come back in I take cuttings, which root in water easily, and throw the parent plant on the compost heap in case it's infested with Vine Weevil eggs.

Beautiful spotty leaves

My poor neglected Maranta.  Very congested and showing signs of distress - lack of water and direct sunlight with possible attack from Red Spider Mites.  I'm so sorry you poor plant!

A collection of cuttings rooted in water and ready for potting.

During my pottering I remembered to take photos of some craft things.  In an act of sheer defiance against arthritis I took out a 1.5mm crochet hook and some fine cotton thread and set about this old pattern I found in my scrapbook of cuttings.  I had to use my magnifying glass (that hangs around my neck) and only did it in good light so although it took a long time I'm quite pleased with it and enjoyed the challenge although those picots around the edge caused a bit of bad language I can tell you!

It fits perfectly on one of our 3 tall, narrow window ledges where it's difficult to find just the right plant or ornament.

It still needs wet-blocking to straighten out the squares

Next there's a bit of needlepoint which I haven't done for ages.  The Swallows come back and nest in our field shelters every year and I love watching their amazing aerobatic displays.  Seen here with Magnolia blossom.  I used a chart from a page of an old copy of Needlewoman magazine from the 1970s (I think) or early 1980s.  I already had enough crewel wool in my stash but had to buy the canvas.

I stretched and mounted it myself then got it framed with non-reflective glass although it does still reflect a bit as you can see on the chest of the swallow on the left.  Still, it's less reflective than ordinary glass.

Swallows & Magnolia blossom

Then there's Frida's Flowers from Jane Crowfoot which I started when it was released as a CAL but abandoned after a few instalments as that was when Mike became ill.  I'd only completed the 2 sets of plain white/beige hexagons.

I found the yarn and pattern in a bag when I was tidying and have started working on it again.  I've done 3 sets of flower hexagons.  I'm enjoying working on it now knowing that Mike is well again (touch wood etc etc).

This is the one I'm working on at the moment.  There are 4 more to make.

In the garden the soil is mostly rock hard as it's been so hot for ages so digging is out of the question so I'm just managing the weeds as best I can.  I do think the weeds are winning though as they are flowering and producing seed so quickly it's difficult to keep up with them!

There are lots of young birds about now as the Rooks, Jackdaws, Magpies, Sparrows and assorted Tits have all fledged so the garden is full of chatter and squawking.  I've been enjoying watching all the different creatures using our birdbath on the ground; it's a favourite of Blackbirds, Collared Doves, Woodpigeons, Green Woodpeckers, Rooks/Crows/Jackdaws, foxes & badgers):

This young squirrel came tiptoeing cautiously across the patio.

Isn't he gorgeous!

He's also found the seed feeder on the window!

The ducks enjoy a bit of a paddle and preening session

One evening recently I was leaning out of the bedroom window waiting to see the young badger (as you do!) who's been visiting when I heard a slurping noise.  I looked down and saw a large dog fox enjoying a drink there too.  I didn't take a photo as I didn't want to disturb him and spoil the moment.

Here he is.  He'd just finished pinching the last few remaining gooseberries from my bush nearby.  I left them for him as badgers seem to love them and they've beaten me to them before now and decimated a crop overnight so I have to choose just the right moment to harvest them.

I hoping the weather cools down a bit for the weekend as I've got a marathon on Sunday!