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Post by shades on Jul 1, 2018 3:08:24 GMT
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Post by Bean on Jul 1, 2018 13:31:35 GMT
That's a great picture, thanks Shades!
Happy July everyone! I'm just back from a weekend away, so am about to collapse in a heap.
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Post by 3piggles on Jul 1, 2018 15:37:55 GMT
Happy July! US Independence Day is Wednesday, July 4, so hubby has the day off from work. It's supposed to be even hotter on Wednesday than it is today. This photo was taken at 11 a.m. Less than 90 minutes later, the heat index is 106F. Way too hot!
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Post by jolovespiggies on Jul 1, 2018 16:22:54 GMT
Thanks Shades love, that is really pretty. Happy July to all. Oh dear Piggles hunni, we are suffering here too. It is very hot.
Hugs JO xx
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Post by jolovespiggies on Jul 1, 2018 16:23:38 GMT
Sorry Bean sweetie, welcome back, I hope you had a great time.
Hugs JO xx
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Post by 3piggles on Jul 1, 2018 19:23:56 GMT
Okay, definitely not a good time to be out on the deck! Digitally, we've been at 99F feels like 111F for a couple of hours! We're in the part of the country that's not supposed to get that hot! Seems as if the heat is everywhere, as it was blistering the tires on the F1 cars in Austria this morning! We have auto races in upper New York state and Chicago. I'd rather be in upper New York state than Chicago, where the drivers have been getting bags of ice cubes to put in their suits, it's so hot in Chicago! Stay cool across the pond, Happy Canada Day, and Happy Moving Day in Quebec!
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Post by Bean on Jul 2, 2018 7:44:25 GMT
Crikey, you're having a scorching time! It's hot here, but not quite that hot! Pollen levels are still very high across the country too - argh!
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Post by jolovespiggies on Jul 2, 2018 8:02:03 GMT
Good lord Piggles love, that is dreadful. Yes, it is still hot here isn't it Bean sweetie, I just wish I knew when it was going to break?
Hugs JO xx
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Post by Bean on Jul 2, 2018 8:09:01 GMT
Not in the next 10 days looking at the forecast! My garden is shrivelling up, I can't remember when we've gone this long without rain. I'd love a good thunderstorm to clear the air and water the garden!
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Post by shades on Jul 2, 2018 10:09:27 GMT
Hot but not unbearable
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Post by 3piggles on Jul 2, 2018 16:13:11 GMT
Our temps should be what you're getting, Shades, not what we're getting. This may break on Thursday, but the high that's in place causing the heat seems quite happy where it is Bean, we (I use that loosely, as hubby installed them in the heat) have the soaker hoses going. Those are hoses with holes that allow water to drip out of the whole length of the house, and just slowly soak down into the dirt. That's the best way to water around here, as we have enough wind, heat and sun to dry out anything that's watered with spray from a hose. Mostly that waters arount 1/2 inch down from the surface, while the soaker hoses just keep dripping, and the water soaks deep into the dirt, and really gets to the roots. It's also nice that you only have to start the water and walk away. Even if it rains, you're not losing enough water to feel a need to rush outside and turn off the hose. Hubby still has to get water to the other planters, and to the hanging plants and window boxes, but we haven't figured out how to do that, yet. I have noticed a drop in the water pressure with the soaker hoses dripping both back and front, but it's not enough that we can't take a shower, fill a pot or take a bath. I think it took a couple of extra minutes to fill the bathtub last night, that's about it. I've tried to fill the bath tub when the above ground water sprinklers were running, and had no water pressure worth mentioning. I definitely prefer the soaker hoses. I know people in the UK don't have a/c, so when it gets uncomfortably hot, there's little you can do. I hope the heat breaks soon, and gives everyone a break. I will say the guinea girls are quite happy with the a/c running, and I have it set at 70F, so we don't totally destroy the electric bill. The electric bill is a bit higher with the new kitchen stove being electric, anyway.
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Post by Bean on Jul 2, 2018 17:45:53 GMT
Some parts of the UK already have hosepipe bans, and there's talk of other areas following if we don't get any rain. For now people are just being asked not to use them (or paddling pools, or have baths etc) to keep the water supplies at a sustainable level. So we all have brown lawns now, but they'll bounce back as soon as the weather changes. Our garden is pretty big so it'd take a lot of water to keep it going, and it's not a priority. I'm just watering the pots and the bedding plants I just put in!
We're at about your temperature levels, Shades. It's not pleasant to be out (and busy) in over the midday hours, but other than that, quite manageable.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Jul 3, 2018 7:49:15 GMT
I think it is going to be a bit cooler today but then it is early, I really hope so. I would have air con Piggles hunni if I could afford it even if we only have a few really hot days. I didn't know they were starting to have hosepipe bans Bean love but it doesn't surprise me. I am lucky now that I can stay out of it but having to go to work in intense heat made me suicidal.
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by Bean on Jul 3, 2018 7:59:57 GMT
It's just Northern Ireland at the moment, Jo. We're supposed to drop a few degrees today too, and it'll be quite welcome here! Normally, we don't get enough nice weather over the year for me to get to the point of wanting it to cool down, but this year has been exceptional. I'm just glad that the temperatures are dropping overnight, so the nights haven't been too clammy.
Have you seen the new story about the Thai boys stuck in a cave? They've been found after 10 days (they were exploring when water levels suddenly rose and blocked their exit), but because the water levels have since risen and getting through the complex cave structures in reduced visibility is complicated, they don't know if they're going to be able to get them out before the rainy season ends in October (when water levels will drop so that they can pass through the caves and tunnels on foot). They'll be able to get food to them, and are hoping to get phones so they can speak to their families, but currently there's no way of getting them out safely. Oh it doesn't bear thinking about.
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Post by 3piggles on Jul 3, 2018 21:22:48 GMT
I think scuba gear is going to be the best bet for getting those boys safely out of the cave. For now, rescuers are bringing them food and water to bolster their strength, as they are all too weak to make it through the still flooded parts of the cave. I feel so badly for the families waiting at the mouth of the cave, having no way to see what's happening with their children. I wish there were a way to get an a/v link down there, so they could communicate, especially if there's a real chance the cave will flood again, before rescuers can get them out. It might be the last communications they have with each other I'm sure the spelunking seemed like a great idea at the time. If they all get out safely, it's likely none of them will ever go in a cave again. I'm just keeping my figurative fingers crossed for them all to get out safely! What is a hosepipe? I've heard other Brits use that word. We have hoses, and we have pipes, but they're totally not the same thing. In-ground irrigation is probably the closest we have to a combination of both. I'd like to get in-ground irrigation, once the lawn and everything is finished and healthy. It's so easy to set up zones and timers, so everything gets watered. I think it saves a lot of water, as long as the system has a rain sensor shut off, so it doesn't water when it's raining. We keep seeing irrigation systems running in the pouring rain. I've heard town/city governments are really cracking down on those businesses that have the irrigation come on regardless of the weather. Total waste of water.
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Post by Bean on Jul 4, 2018 7:14:07 GMT
This is the bit we call a hosepipe, but it also gets called just a hose. It's often on a reel, so it can be wound up tidily. Apparently the way out of those caves (2.5 miles from the entrance) is a challenge even for experienced scuba divers (small openings to get through, debris and zero visibility), so how they'd manage to teach a bunch of kids who can't even swim to navigate it safely is beyond me. As the waters may rise, it's not a case of definitely being able to sit it out though. I'm sure there are many experts frying their brains trying to come up with a solution and I really hope they find one.
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Post by shades on Jul 4, 2018 7:31:05 GMT
First harvest; local farmers are not worried
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Post by jolovespiggies on Jul 4, 2018 8:10:50 GMT
Oh right, thank you Bean hunni I didn't know that. I am worried about those little guys in the caves, I hope are going to be OK. They look gorgeous Shades love. Talk about a bumper crop!
Hugs JO xx
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Post by 3piggles on Jul 4, 2018 15:43:48 GMT
Ooh, those look fabulous, Shades! I wanted to reach in, get one and take a bite Enjoy Ah, okay. We call that a hose, Bean. It's good to know. We have some very different words for the same things We had a salad with our lettuce, our tomatoes, our peppers, and our dill and basil. It's nice to have some things to eat. It seems as if the garden takes so long to produce, we plant it, then go into waiting mode. Hubby says we have yellow squash growing, which I think is the butternut squash we planted, as I don't recall planting any summer squash. We ate our first zucchini. I sliced it, rubbed the slices with olive oil,sprinkled it with herbs and spices, and hubby grilled the slices on the grill Very tasty, and definitely a new way for me to eat zucchini and enjoy it When the heat breaks, Saturday, I'll go out to the garden with hubby, and try to identify what's growing. Our Borage plant is growing like crazy, and has some beautiful flowers on it. It's supposed to be an all around garden pest deterent. It seems to be doing a good job, though we haven't gotten to when the Japanese beetles arrived, last year. I think that was later in July, early August. Hubby did redo the landscaping fabric in the planter that got invaded with grubs/Japanese beetles, so hopefully they won't come around this year!
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Post by Bean on Jul 4, 2018 17:26:40 GMT
I wonder that as communication between different countries becomes easier, over the years we will all start using more of the same words for the same thing?!
Oooh nice work with the courgette, I haven't got one big enough to pick yet! I think many of my veg have slowed down in the heat - they don't seem to be growing anywhere near as fast as they usually do and I have been watering them (which I often forget about).
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