Re: Diary summary week ending 18th January 2026

[louisa maud]

Morning folks,  yes, I am up at this unreasonable hour,  having a can't sleep night

Wasn't quite so cold on Sunday morning  but cold enough , some of us had this bright idea as the church was so cold we would bring our own hot water bottles, works a treat, a friend did it last week and had a spare and lent it to me, made all the difference and doesn't bother anyone.

On Saturday  night I went out with the family to a really nice  Italian  restaurant,  talk about not doing things by halves I knocked my wine glass over, didn't like the Pinot anyway but it was no excuse, I had only taken 2 sips,  the waiters were at our  table as quick as a flash, when if was time to leave I apologised and I got 2 hugs and a kiss,  I did feel a fool though, I had water from then on.

Last night was a bit of a wild evening , we haven't really been bothered by the weather except Thursday evening  when it was a bit of a wild night, let's hope I settled down a bit but it is still January.

Hope everyone is feeling chipper today, think we are getting back to what might be called normal now.

LM

[mare]

Hopefully you've eventually got some kip LM and in a deep sleep now as I'm preparing to head to kitchen to set out evening meal other end of day. With family staying over weekend and really late nights and early starts, our youngest and her husband set off for home at 1.55am Sunday morning! ... eldest set off for home in the north yesterday afternoon and so a decent sleep last night 

We have resorted to using the air con and doors closed with a bit more heat outside over weekend.
Lovely impromptu visit late morning with a niece dropping by, her husband had a work call in area and then came back for his lunch break with us before they had to be off elsewhere.

[Gillg]

It's feeling positively tropical here in Devon today with a temperature of 10 degrees!  There have been occasional showers, but it's so nice not to have to wear heavy layers of clothing.  Our village Wassailing ceremony yesterday was postponed because the orchard was so muddy and it was wet and windy.  Our community choir usually sing a few jolly wassailing songs and people bang noisy pans to scare away evil spirits.  The community orchard is well established now with many different varieties of apples. The fruit is free to pick in season and a juicing session is held in the autumn, too.

[Viktoria]

Hope you get a good night’s rest tonightL.M
I end up doing a crossword —-

Well called United Utilities this morning re the smell, they came and of course it had gone but they did all the drainage system in the street, which is their responsibility and nothing found.
The smell is still here.

Found my utility room very wet - I think the u bend in the washer outlet ,near the floor to the drain outside must have frozen so water would bubble up until the blockage melted —— my utility room is like the Tardis bigger on the inside than the outside!
It was reasonably tidy but I will do a thorough job and then do a wash but watch to see all is clear.My machine is insured so no worries there if the machine is faulty .
But doesn’t water spread!
I have a “runner “ on the floor a dark one so the water was not seen.
Not the end of the world.
.
Much milder today but rainy.

Son came with a new Carbon Monoxide alarm ,I foolishly did not put the date on the previous one ,it was for seven years but I can’t remember when  I got it.
So covered again now.

Reading a Linda La Plant book, based in lovely Ludlow but I am not liking it at all.
Ludlow Castle was where Katherine of Aragon and Prince Arthur,heir to the throne lived, but he died and she was a young widow for a few years then Henry Vlll married her - altering the Commandments to suit and then changing them again when he wished to divorce her!!!

Wassailing, isn’t that to hope and ensure that the apple harvest will be good
next Summer?
Lovely such an old custom is still observed .



Daughter will phone in a little while so will just say Cheerio, and hope all are well.
Cheerio.Viktoria.

[Gillg]

Yes, Wassailing is to ensure a good crop later in the year, also to frighten away any evil spirits that might be lurking in the orchard.  That's what the noisy part is about and people bring drums, whistles and pans to bang.  In some places pieces of bread or toast are place in the trees to feed the good spirits.  Cider is drunk, Morris dancers dance and a good time is had by young and old.  It's an old heathen custom, of course!

[BushInn1746]

Hello L.M., No night out like yours, with cuddles and a kiss too!

You are supposed to knock the wine glass over when empty, I mean drink it first 

Hopefully, you'll catch up on your sleep soon, I'm having a lot of dream sleep, almost every night 

Here, the weather is damp, dreary and Grey, this morning.


Gillg, oh my word an Orchard of apple trees, at least it beats the newspaper advert a New Development of 20 Luxury Houses (which many locals cannot afford).

"Juicing Session" in Devon in the Autumn = CIDER   

When I was young, a lady working on a farm with a strong Devon accent offered me a pint glass of their Devon Farm Scrumpy at their Farm and it was the most potent stuff I had ever drunk, as though she had drugged it. Later I found myself on a farm bench coming round, feeling really happy and as though I had not a care in the World 


Viktoria
I had a strange smell, it seemed to be in my mouth  picked up by my nose on breathing in, just for one evening, I went to bed and it had largely gone in the morning. Had it before I think.

Keep active when you can and when you need to sit down, make sure you sit down 

The Doctor at the hospital said to me don't let yourself get thirsty and when my balance changes sit down.


Mare, I suppose you are glad  of the air conditioning in all that heat. I found it unbearable midday in NZ over 20 years ago.


Hello Roobarb, hope all is okay.


General Chat
I have read various Reports 2022, 2024 and 2025 saying that Covid was also affecting the sensory processing and causing sensory issues, regarding smell etc.

A lady 35ish in our village goes blind and she has a Guide Dog. I said hello to her yesterday as she walked by and she has that straight through you look, as though she is totally blind.

She is dressed in high visibility reflective clothing. I feel terribly sorry for her she seems a really nice person, there seems a lot with health troubles.

I had a good organic porridge breakfast yesterday with several fruit, but by 11:30am had terrible hunger, so I toasted two slices of Wholemeal, buttered them with pure butter and made 2 poached eggs. Midday a Hot Milk Cacao Drink, noted some walnuts and 2 squares of 90% Dark (Lindt) Chocolate and then my midday meal about 4.30 pm.

My day is habitually written down as my memory is okay, then it changes to unable to remember, they diagnosed me with inflammation as well.

Take care, Mark

[mare]

It can be a bit unbearable Mark in the intense heat of very hot day, a lot of variation throughout the summers across NZ, luckily for us in Auckland the really scorching days come and go a bit though it is often quite humid too but yes, the aircon is a boon for those days. Night time temperatures vary up and down too, a bit too warm last night and more comfortable the night before.  Similarly, the variations in temperatures throughout the year and regions, quite mild winters for us 
...added, also known often to have four seasons in one day!

Forecast was for some rain today, quite overcast but managed a very early morning walk, washing done and hung out and brought in dry, an errand further afield for a couple of hours and small patch of lawn all tidied up before any patches of precipitation we had this afternoon 

Cheers all ... I seem to have arrived at evening meal prep time again, days and meal times just come and go!

[Caw1]

Beautifully sunny day in my neck of the wood today…
 washing on the line..
Might not dry but it’ll smell fresh!

Mare would love some warmth to potter in the garden and feel those rays!

The aconites are already showing their little yellow heads around the sycamore tree in our front garden.. I love spring time with all those pretty colours showing through.. can’t believe despite the frosts our pot of red geraniums by the front door still have some flowers on then.. how 🤷‍♀️.

Hope Viktoria you’ve got to the bottom of your ‘smell’ now and all is back to normal.

Restful sleep LM is so important but I’m afraid like you I get sleepless/restless nights and end up feeling like chewed string the next day.. last night was one!

Take care all and stay warm and safe.

Caroline

[BushInn1746]

Hi All

Hope All is Well.

Mare my neighbours are back from Australia and have been sheltering from the sun and using Factor 50 and Mrs Neighbour has no tan for 5 weeks of hot sun  .

Sunny here Caroline,
I went out to the local shop for some Organic milk (as Organic is currently guaranteed in the UK that the Cows feed is Bovaer free).

Cheese
At the moment we are being told that Cheese with "GB LK 002" that the Cows feed is Bovaer free.

Some of the products that are own brands are produced by known manufacturers.

Danish Farmers
Farmers in Denmark claim Bovaer in the Cattle feed was making their animals sick and also reducing the milk yield.

Natural Dairy
I need natural cows milk and dairy for my stomach and digestion system etc., to be continually built up with good bacteria, natural and additive free as possible.

I'm fine with several Natural Organic Yogurt, but another has an extra bacteria type and it does not agree.

Whilst reading the labels, another shopper came in saw me looking at the label and said he could only eat some types of Yogurt.

Dental Floss
I couldn't get my usual dental floss on delivery and another reel has a coating on it. I was in town in December and could of got my usual, but forgot.


Some farmers are spraying a crop to make it water resistant, to keep it dry around harvest time.


Plastics and Chemicals
It seems Forever Chemicals are being used and they don't break down, hence the word Forever, but in Europe some PFAS use has been banned, but not all.

 ---------------

A Light Hearted Note ...

Having a really terrible job playing this on my piano   

Regarding the link it goes to Google and that Play link goes to Youtube and the adverts run a few seconds (you might be able to press skip) press play button and the playing and sound should appear.

Bach Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 https://share.google/kNQScA6VMwnCAnc6X

A Third hand appears, but I can't find my Third hand?   

(Hopefully, the link went to the version with three hands).

Foot Pedals
The third hand is usually played with the foot pedals on the organ.

My late Grandfather had a lot of double (short/long) foot pedals on his Hammond.

Added:
Having bother with two hands, I am catching the next key (noticed this when typing too).

Mark