Emulsion, Chinese Food and Loosened Crown

This morning and early afternoon I started painting the bedroom walls with emulsion. It's the edges that take most time. Su came back from her afternoon walk with Bella and gave me a present - my first conker of the season!

Then it was time to drive into Bristol - through the typical Bank Holiday Monday rain. It's been heavy enough to cause the postponement of tonight's planned open air showing of two Buster Keaton silent films at Parade Gardens - let's hope it's dry on Saturday evening for the rescheduled event!

What a great re-purposing of an old church:-)!

When we asked ourselves when we had last had a Chinese meal, we couldn't remember (and I didn't read back through the blog to find out!). So today's destination was Dynasty - first dish up was this delicious Chinese broccoli.

Here are cheung fung, yam croquette and Vietnamese spring roll - yum!

On the way back, passed some good street art on the way past Temple Meads Enterprise Zone - an offshoot of the recent "See No Evil" event.

On the way back, I started a migraine which put paid to my intentions of carrying on painting when we got home. Still, my trusty pills stopped the symptoms fairly quickly. Another casualty of the painting process was this crown on my tooth, which decided to come loose (after 26+years!) while I was priming the woodwork last night.

This day a year ago, our total number of pageviews passed 10,000. The current total is 36,898!

I also posted this picture of a sunflower in tribute to our friends' son, Ruan, who had recently died unexpectedly.

Festival of the Tree and Primer

Out with Bella this morning, it was sunny and dry as forecast if a little cool. Saw this abandoned bunny left on a wall.

Anenomes in a neighbour's garden looked good in the sunshine.

Solsbury Hill looking good too.

Back home, I was struck by how pretty these geraniums are.

After a slow leisurely breakfast, we took ourselves up to Westonbirt to visit the Festival of the Tree - an annual Bank Holiday event.

First thing we did after getting parked was to head away from the throng into Silk Wood to take Bella for a good walk to make up for yesterday's shorter than usual walk. It was not very busy there…

Autumn has come to this Full Moon Maple already. 

After that, we went up to the festival site, to be greeted by all the fun of the fair (and, no, I didn't go on the helter skelter!).

Here's a headline! Wonder what the moth says?:-)

This old-fashioned roundabout was very popular.

The going was a bit muddy and soggy in places - after yesterday's deluge it was surprisingly firm underfoot in most places. This steam engine attracted quite a bit of attention.

We went and had a look at people carving statues with chainsaws - this one is an acorn and will be located underneath one of the oaks in the arboretum.

A trick of perspective - this boy was pointing something else out to his parents just as I took this photograph. I liked the wooden crocodile too.

We escaped the crowds and came home via an ice cream. After a bit of avoidance, I decided that I should do some more decorating in our bedroom, so I primed the woodwork ready for its top coat - emulsion calls tomorrow! At this rate, I might get it finished before September…

This day a year ago, Bob came over from Nailsea so we could practice some songs for the Street Party a couple of weeks' later. Su snapped us in mid-song…

At Home All Day

I've barely been outside the front door of the house today - mind you, with skies like this it wasn't exactly enticing.

The weather threatened and finally delivered. After a flash of lightning and a peal of thunder, the hail arrived. Not long afterwards, the rain really lashed down and we had a river running down the road in front of the house.

Then it brightened up while still raining. I looked out for a rainbow but missed the one that Su saw while she was out with Bella.

In case you think I've been idling all day, I have spent most of the day in this room preparing it for painting. Washing ceiling and walls with sugar soap, preparing the woodwork for primer and filling holes. If preparation is the key to good decorating results, this will the best room in the house when it's done!

I had planned to do decorating stuff today, because the forecast for today was heavy rain and tomorrow's is for a really nice day. Tonight's sunset certainly provided a red sky to suggest it will be.

This day a year ago, the van still hadn't been fixed but was safe enough to drive until the clutch and/or gears could be sorted out. So we met up with Ben and Lena at Hailes Abbey near Winchcombe for a most enjoyable picnic in the van (while it rained, of course).

Computer Time and The Van Returns Home

It was so cold last night that we lit a fire in our stove (in August!). I was struck by the detail of the patterns left by the last log we burned in it.

Took Bella out this morning in slight misty drizzle. The ragwort is starting to go to seed - you can see why each plant can produce up to 750,00 seeds when you realise that each small flower on a stem gives rise to so many seeds.

The season marches on regardless of the amount of rain - here are ivy flowers coming ready, to make ivy berries.

Spent the morning round at a neighbour's sorting out the installation of their new-to-them upgraded MacBook. This involved a lot of looking for passwords but they seem very happy with it. This afternoon, the garage in Chippenham called to say that the van would be ready to collect today. Before that, we went off to Alice Park to give Bella some running-around-after-a-ball time. Impressed by this fulsome bed of rudbeckia.

Evidence of budding Picassos on this pavement?

Seed pods on a tree.

New growth on a young conifer.

Su gave me a lift over to Chippenham to go and collect the van. This was our welcome to the town.

This day a year ago, Su was zipping about after an early start to her day. She spent some time watering her work garden, where these anenomes were in full bloom.

Flowers and Decorating Comes Around Again

After a night sleeping on the floor in our front room upstairs, we treated ourselves to brunch at Prior Park's Secret Garden Cafe. Talked about escape plans, and what is and isn't feasible with Bella - a continuing discussion. You've probably noticed it doesn't stop us getting away! Came home and went in the back garden to get the step ladders, but ended up throwing a ball for Bella. A consequence of this was noticing the ongoing progress of the planting. Here are crab apples starting to ripen up.

Our own umbellifer, fennel has been very prolific this year - maybe we'll have enough seeds to save and dry.

Lovely scented phlox. 

The veronica has tastefully draped itself rather than standing to attention. 

The remains of clematis flowers. 

Sedum starting to get a bit of colour.

Our late-flowering clematis is doing well, despite the predations of slugs and snails.

This astrantia is happily flowering still, tucked away in its shady spot.

Expensive slug food - I had to knock one of them off the flower to take this photograph.

We were sleeping in the front room because it's that time again - when decorating needs to be done. This time, we're starting with our back room upstairs that we have been sleeping in for a few months. I have done some sanding and getting ready to tackle sugar soaping the ceiling and walls…

Took still-perky Bella out for a walk this afternoon, pausing only to take this picture of one of our many bunches of grapes. They need a bit more sun for sweetness, so here's hoping the bits in between the showers will be enough.

The stream that Bella likes to jump into was running well (she's just out of shot diving for sticks).

Mare's tail in abundance by this boggy bit of the stream.

These umbellifers are really attractive to hover flies, who were all over them in the field.

I'd love a jumper made of this thistle down - it looks so fluffy!

A neighbour's passion flower has come out since we went camping. 

This day last year, we were still catching up with ourselves from our jaunt to Taunton - when this picture of a cow licking Su's wing mirror was taken.