Flaming June....

....hasn't it just. I can't say that I'm enjoying this heat one bit. It's too hot. But to have continous sunshine is pretty unsual for us so we shouldn't complain as all to soon it will be winter and we will be complaing it's cold.

I'm a bit late posting about our June adventures as I've been planning our trip to wales, which is where we are now. I'm on my own today as Martin and Laura have gone to walk up the mountain. This will be Laura's first big walk after her spinal surgery two and half years ago. We are staying in a lovely, peacful cabin with a hot tub and poor internet connections. Update - They made it to the top and back down again. The walk took longer than anticipated but came back safe had a very late tea and then enjoyed the hot tub before going to bed.

June started off fairly quite with us watching our local gala parade and then the crowning afterwards. The new queen and princess are sisters and the queen was a Lady in Waiting to Laura when she was queen.  Sorry no pictures of the parade. As part of the gala celebrations there was a garden competition to celebrate either The Suffragets or the End of WW1. I opted for the End of WW1. I had three tomato plants growing in pots so I moved them to the front and placed them into the boarder so they blened with the other plants. I also included a bucket of carrots. (Those carrots have not been a success. They tried turning to seed way to early and are still tiny and very woody) I made a lovely herb pot to sit by the front the door. This contained a small bay tree with sage, thyme, parsley and rosemary. (before the summer ends I will repot, individually, the thyme, rosemary and sage. Also moved to the front garden (in pots) was a Blueberry bush and a trough of strawberry plants. In a planter, that lives at the front, with mini daffodils, I planted it up with some peas, at the back, and lettus at the front. I made some plastic bottle bottoms to represent poppies and fixed them on to the fence and the hung bunting around the garden. It looked very festive but I didn't win. All the pots have now been returned to the back garden but I've left the the poppies in place as I like them.

Martin and I went to Lytham Club day, the following weekend to watch their parade. This one is always well attended by particpants and supporters. We were going to go and support Fleetwood Carnival the week before but it was raining. The one and only day in June it rained it had to be on a gala/carnival day. 


Last summer Martin made a new back gate from recycled plastic from an old shed that was lying around in dad's garden after he'd dismantled the shed a few years

before (he didn't like to throw anything out). The plastic was not looking that good so Laura and I talked about painting it. But, we had to used the paint that we already had and this is the result. The paint we used is emulsion and there was still loads left.
Rather colourful. I had dad's wooden garden furniture and the table had spent most of the winter outside and was in need of restaining/painting. We bought some fence paint that is guarenteed for 5 years. We painted the legs and the frame of the table and Laura did the rest.

It now matches the gate. Our next plan is tackle the Summer house. I will do the frame work with the fence paint and Laura will do the rest. pictures to follow when it's done. You'll be wondering if Martin had much say in all this, well............. not much. but he can live with it. We won't be doing the chairs or the garden fence to match, that would be just too much.

I finally finished these squares and stitched them together for a blanket for Laura. I still have to put a boarder on it yet. The colours are yet to be decided. I'm thinking grey and white. You may be wondering what the symbols mean. They are runes from a Laura's much read serise of books about shadow hunters by Cassandra Clare, a a youg adult auther.

During Laura's first year at college one of her subjects was fish husbandry. She learnt quite a lot and decided she would like a go at keeping fish. In the attick was a small tank from our previous attempts at keeping fish. Martin got it down and helped Laura to set it up and we got a couple of fish. In the meantime four more fish were added and the gold fish was getting bigger and back in May we replaced the small tank for a bigger one. A much bigger one. Laura then wanted some more fish as the tank was looking a bit empty (still does). We went along one of the aquatics shops near us to see what they had. They had the cutest little turtles, but we didn't get them.

I lost internet for a while but I'm back.  Where was I? Oh yes...   We did't get any turtles as our tank just isn't suitable.  Laura picked a couple of little shark looking fish.  As I was paying for the fish The retail manager was chatting to Laura and asking what she was doining at collage. She told him him Animal Management and about the fish husbandry course and how she got distinctions on her course work so he asked her to submit her CV and a covering letter as they had a vacancy. We took the fish home and she worked on her CV and covering letter. This was a saturday and on Monday morning she took in her CV and letter and on the following Thursday she was offered the job. It's full time and she started the weekend before she finished college. She is the only girl working with 4 lads on the shop floor. There are other staff (male) who work in the warehouse, at the back, who deal with internet orders. She has enjoyed her first week. Laura has been so lucky to find a full time job in the industry for which she has been trained and so quickly. It's not her career choice as eventually she would like to work for the RSPCA, but what a fantastic start we are so proud of her. She is not a girl who likes to out spending so now plans to save her wages so she can have driving lessons and buy a little car and insure it.

Since the fire has been burning on Saddleworth Moor there have been others. One on Winter Hill, that was still burning, on Tuesday, when we passed, on the motorway. Luckily some one has been arrested for that one. Two in Lytham which is about 16 miles away from where we live but the smell, after it was put out, drifted on the wind and we could smell it. I think these may have been accidents caused by bbqs. I saw some pictures on facebook that two fires were started deliberatly not too far from home but were put out fairly quickly and yesterday I read that there were three in North Wales. What is wrong with people? Firemen have enough to do without clearing up after them and they have had to use some water from the reservoirs which are getting low due to this lovely weather.  Ok rant over.

Let Julys adventures continue.

Carolx