How are you? A wonderful thing happened yesterday.... it rained! All day! The whole day! It wasn't heavy rain, it wasn't anywhere near a storm. It was just gentle, freshening-the-air rain and it was lovely honeys 😊
To hear a Scot bemoaning the lack of rain in Summer is unusual to say the least dear ones 😊 We're more used to almost constant rain on the west coast of Scotland than sunshine, so any break in the grey clouds these past few years has been heartily welcomed with BBQs, ice lollies, everyone wearing flip flops and celebrations 🎉
This year has been one of extremes honeys. In March we had a very disruptive visit from a storm the press called "the beast from the east" which brought with it biting Siberian winds and so, so much snow! It literally brought the country to a standstill and caused absolute chaos.
It's so odd honeys to think that all of that snow was only a couple of months ago. To compare the weather in the above photos with the sweltering temperatures we've had for weeks now is more than a little odd.
Summer temperatures here might reach the highs of 15-17 C or if we're being spoiled maybe even reaching the low 20sC. For the past few weeks these have been our night time temperatures! Daytime temperatures have been in the high 20s and even reaching 30C! Scots weren't made for temperatures like those! We melt! 😊
It's been (except for the very brief hammering by Storm Hector around a month ago) an almost endless stream of beautiful, perfect, sun soaked days, which I've absolutely loved! I swear, I'm not complaining! Hang on to that thought for a second 😊
Opening the curtains to limitless sunshine streaming in every single morning! Laundry pegged outside every day! Who could find a downside to that? Well.... Again honeys I swear I'm not complaining. I know that far too soon I'll be looking back at now and wishing we still had these beautiful sunny days and missing them terribly.
Winter has, for years now, been made up of long, long stretches of cold, rainy, miserable days. Not snow honeys, just week after interminable week of never ending grey skies and rain where the only variable is how chilly the accompanying winds are (seriously Rosie? This is you not complaining?)
Is it any wonder that every year when the clocks change in October, I begin my yearly count down to spring? Everyone at work is quite used to me now and I even get asked by customers "how many weeks now?" It seems to make everyone smile so why not? I designed a little badge I could print, laminate and wear at work. Here it is...
So, dear ones, I'm not complaining about the heat and definitely not complaining about the gorgeous sunny skies but I was so, so happy to see the beautiful, gentle rain yesterday. It lasted all day and all through last night and I fell asleep listening to it 😊
I know the gardens will have welcomed the rain...
I found these perfect rosebuds hidden inside the rose shrub when I pruned it all back. It had bloomed beautifully and the roses had all withered too soon because of the heat. So, in tidying the branches, which had grown so much they were over the fence and outside the garden, and clipping them back, I discovered a whole new bunch of perfect, beautiful roses waiting to bloom....
Do you remember the miniature roses a dear friend gifted me with honeys? I kept them safely on the kitchen window ledge from November 2016 until last summer when I finally planted them outside, in one of the planters by the side of our front door...
In early March, when that snow storm to end all snow storms hit us, those poor little roses were, literally, buried under it all....
I felt for sure they'd never survive such dreadful punishment by the elements but as you can see honeys...
These wonderful tiny roses have survived and they too were enjoying the rain yesterday. Can you spot all of the tiny rosebuds waiting to bloom? There aren't as many as there were when I originally planted it outside last summer...
Given the extremes of temperatures this little plant has endured out there, I'm beyond thrilled that it's still going strong. Oh dear. I just glanced at the photo above and what hit me was the shocking state of the entryway to our home. The steps that lead up to our front door are awful in the photo!
OK, I was going to share what Hubby did during our joint holiday from work this past week in another post but since seeing that photo has made me wince more than a little (seriously honeys...yuk!) well this is what it looks like now out there now...
It's not finished yet by any means. The rest of the down pipe by the planter will need painting with white Hammerite (a metal, anti rust type paint he's used on the lower part already as well as on the metal handrail by the door.) The brass fixtures on the door are badly in need of polishing up again till they're back to their lovely shiny selves too.
I've also noticed that the older doormat is in front of the door still too in that photo. I bought a new one, which has a slightly silly design on it but it made me smile so it came home with us 😊 Give me a minute and I'll go snap a photo of the new doormat so you can see it...
I do love this door mat honeys 😊 Who could resist a doormat with a deer design and the message "welcome home deer" on it?
I've since seen another one I like and might well have to buy, if only to give our postman a smile. It has a very identifiable logo on it (that of rock band AC/DC) and in large font the words "for those about to knock!" It's fabulous and may have to find its way to our front door 😊
How has your July been so far honeys? I hope you're having the best summer ever. Till next time dear ones, smile lots and hug even more, huggles always xx
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