Hot, hot, hot

Well, summer has certainly hit here. Second day of temperatures over 40 degrees and the days before and after were and will not be a lot cooler. A week ago we had cool weather and rain and we played Lawn Bowls in the wet - the Saturday before that Bowls was cancelled because the temp was over 38 degrees.

I mention bowls because that is my new addiction. I only started at the beginning of the season and I am loving it - so much so that I played on Wednesday in 36 degrees, practised yesterday in 38 degrees and am playing tomorrow in 35 degrees. Am I mad??  Well I am half English and there is that thing about "Mad dogs and Englishmen" going out in the midday heat.

Here I am in my natty uniform - I do wear long shorts in the heat, but I won't bore you by showing my ageing legs.

The garden is really suffering in the heat and we have trouble keeping water up to it. We only have one tap and with about 2 acres of garden, watering is a slow process. I am always amazed at how the plants bounce back - well some of them don't, but on the whole they survive pretty well.

The poor chooks are feeling the heat and struggle to produce eggs in this weather. Who can blame them? On Christmas Eve our little bantam "Goldie" hatched out 5 chicks. They were not her eggs but the young of our handsome Plymouth Rock rooster "Rocky" and our own hens from a couple of years ago. The chicks are voracious eaters and will soon tower over their little mother.

Rocky and some of his ladies

Last time we hatched out 4 chicks - all hens. This time we have 5 chicks,but I suspect there are at least 2 roosters there!  Decisions to be made at some stage.

Liz Needle