As I write this, it's 49º F outside according to my weather app -- which is positively balmy compared to Saturday night. We have a lot of cloud cover and light rain, and I left some of the tender plants outside to soak up that moisture, but I'll bring them back in tonight because it's supposed to get cold again.
Talking about temperature reminds me of a funny story I forgot to tell in yesterday's post. I was walking along the river near the Tate Modern when I passed a family with a little kid. The kid was bundled up against the chill, but she was trying to take off her jacket, whining, "I'm HOT!" To which her mother responded, "No you're not. Not in this weather." Which prompted the kid to have a full-on screaming meltdown.
It was that mother's certainty that I thought was so funny. Why didn't she let the kid just open her jacket, or take off her hat, or do something to cool off a bit? Seems like there might have been a middle path there.
As you can see from these photos, Olga and I went to the cemetery yesterday, where a lone pink rose was blooming in the circular memorial garden. It was very Novembery, dreary and damp with most of the leaves either fallen or just barely clinging on.
The butterfly garden, which in summer is a mass of wildflowers and thistles so high that all those little gravestones are completely obscured, has been mowed flat. The cemetery workers do this every year, and I always wonder if the butterflies haven't laid eggs on those plants or might otherwise be using them in their life cycle. Isn't mowing counterproductive? But every year there are butterflies, so maybe they know what they're doing.
I am stuck at home this morning waiting for a drainage repairman. We have some kind of clog in our kitchen drain, where the pipes go into the ground outside (and eventually lead to the sewer). Wash water from the sink, washing machine and dishwasher doesn't flow into the ground as it should -- it bubbles up outside and runs down the steps to the area where we keep the garbage bins. It's not sewage, and it is draining enough to use the kitchen, but the drain obviously needs to be opened before it gets worse.
It's always something.
Late last week, Dave took out one of his Merino sweaters -- intending to wear it on Thanksgiving -- and found that it had been positively ravaged by moths. There were several fairly big holes in it. I threw the whole thing away. We have anti-moth sachets in our cupboards but they apparently need refreshing. I checked the rest of Dave's clothes and didn't find any further damage, and fortunately I own almost nothing made of wool so my wardrobe isn't likely to be targeted.
Anyway, I am off to spend the morning reading "Barnaby Rudge," at least until the repair guy gets here. My goal yesterday was to get through 100 pages, and I got through about 75, so that's not terrible. I'm about two-thirds finished.
Uf. That moth-eaten sweater would break my heart. My first Merino sweater was a gift from my sister purchased at Marks & Spencer. The rose brings back another memory of my sister and a one lone rose blooming outside her front door in Doncaster at Christmas. As for the mother and the kid, that's like me telling SG he's not cold or him telling me I'm not warm in the same weather.
ReplyDeleteFirst photo looks like the Pacific Northwest, could be anywhere,really, single rose in the next photo is certainly London- amazing how the roses keep going! Your drain pipe is probably having a thanksgiving attack.
ReplyDelete49F is balmy? Not down here mate! brrr!
ReplyDeleteI remember years ago my daughter took her kids to holiday in Tasmania and they went to the snow and the son decided he'd be fine outside the car without his coat. Daughter said okay, your choice, the son stepped out of the car and got right back in again to put on his coat hat and gloves! He was seven.
I had to translate...9 degrees. Cold but not unbearably so.
ReplyDeleteMother and child, anything for peace say you and I who are experts with child care.
I know a bit about drains and I will guess a blockage by fats from the kitchen sink, if there aren't roots involved.
Our clothing wardrobe insect repellent thingies must be well out of date. I can't remember why we hung them. Maybe tiny moths.
Sounds like a battle brewing between mother and daughter.
ReplyDeleteSo I ignore that and focus on Olga in her element.
I'm glad you have a job with some flexibility because you sure have to hang around for repair folk a lot! I suppose it all works out in the end. Bummer about the moths, though. That's always a bad discovery.
ReplyDeleteOlga looks like she's having a good time. Big smiles.
Cheers to that last rose!
ReplyDeleteSounds like some shopping is in order to get Dave a new sweater. I'm betting that mother would not like it if someone told her she wasn't hot or cold. Bravo to that rose!
ReplyDeleteI shall hope for you that the plumber or repair person shows up on time, fixes the problem, and the day continues as usual!
ReplyDeleteI would have to believe neither of you guys would be pouring fat down the drain! Some Liquid Plumber is a good thing to keep handy under the kitchen sink!!
I hope the rest of the week runs smoothly for you!
It's only 52 here in North Florida right now. Chilly, indeed!
ReplyDeleteThat poor little girl! It's such a cliche that mothers are always forcing their children to wear warmer clothes because they, the mothers, are cold. I'm sure I've done it. Then you have your young teens who wear hoodies in 80 degree temperatures who insist that they are not hot.
I still have some roses blooming too. They look quite startling against the gray sky, don't they?
That rose really stands out it is so bright!
ReplyDeleteHow do those moths get in? Now you can get Dave a new wool sweater for Christmas.
I remember high school kids in Wisconsin going around in sub zero weather with coats open because it wasn't cool to fasten them!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if tree roots are making inroads on your pipes! It tends to be gradual as you've described it.
I rented my first apartment while in college and by luck, chose the top floor of a two floor building. Our downstairs neighbors were always dumping bacon grease down the drain (according to the plumber) and so eventually clogged the drains and our drainage would then flood their apartment. This happened many times over the three years I lived there. It reinforced a lesson that I never want to live on the ground floor of any apartment building.
ReplyDeleteThere might be a couple good reasons for mowing off the dead debris in the butterfly garden. The debris will shade off the understory causing plants to begin growing a bit slower in the spring time. It might prevent other insect eggs laid in the soil from hatching. The rotting debris could harbor some non-beneficial insects to butterflies. I'm not a butterfly expert by any means but these would be my guesses.
Don’t you know kids always get bundled up when mom is cold.
ReplyDeleteWhen we first moved into this house the kitchen sink stopped up. Turned out the drain pipe under the house to the septic tank was a 45degree angle instead of a curved sweep so that had to be replaced. It still clogs up fairly easily though last time the plumber switched out some thing under the sink and it seems much better.
That little girl reminds me of me - Mike is forever going through the house turning the heat up assuming I'm cold. Yesterday I finally told him that I wasn't actually cold, but that I could start shedding layers if he would like. Ha!
ReplyDeleteI find your comments on weather interesting as I compare it to what we have here.
ReplyDeleteOne of the worst places I have ever lived with moths is Tucson, AZ. We brought wool socks with us, anticipating a cold El Nino winter, and they are all in a zip lock baggie. Plastic sweater boxes are also good for defeating the wretched things.
ReplyDeletePhotos featuring Olga are always lovely, but that one with the rose is especially nice! Yes, it's always something. (you're making good progress on the Dickens)
ReplyDeleteI never think of moths and wool--but how weird! I hate the thought of moths flying around. It is always something indeed.
ReplyDeleteEngland's climate is fascinating. One December I was in England for Christmas and it snowed lightly overnight. The next day, the daffodils were blooming brightly in the snow. The November single pink rose is quite lovely. Drain problems? The last time I had a drain problem the entire system got snaked and pumped out and the guy doing the job told me never to allow any grease go down the kitchen drain. I was unaware. Now, all grease gets wiped out using a paper towel. I've had no drain issues since.
ReplyDeleteGet your pipes sorted
ReplyDeleteOh Steve, you must learn to relax!!!
ReplyDeleteThat mom must have been related to my mother, who always knew how I felt much better than I did.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
I feel the heat. My mother felt the cold. I know exactly what that poor kid was going through!
ReplyDeleteDrains. Yuk. I am assuming your landlord pays for the plumber?
Could also be carpet beetles, if you have not seen moths flying. Carpet beetles, or rather their worms, love good quality wool and silk ...
ReplyDelete