Splice the mainbrace

I went for my walk across the local fields and I was surprised how dry the footpaths are, ground cracking in some places! On the walk I heard a cuckoo for the first time in many years, a badger set that I haven’t noticed before and the farmer is busy ploughing ridges and planting potatoes. I’m glad that I can walk the various field footpaths again instead of road pavements.

We haven’t had many completely dry days, I know because of factoring in when to mow the lawns, but we haven’t had the quantity of rain that some areas have had, I know because our son lives in Southampton and is always complaining about it☔️

Yeah washout for some unfortunately. I see your location, my son went to the Totton v Salisbury football play off yesterday afternoon as he follows Totton as well as a season ticket holder at Southampton. Salisbury won on penalties after extra time so were promoted to National League South 👏

13c cloudy but dry here today. It was also dry here yesterday but it looks like we had some light rain overnight. Some newspaper headlines state a Bank Holiday washout but they are selective where it was a washout, it was pleasant here. I’ll try and go for a walk today over the local fields, hopefully they have dried out somewhat the last week or so, it’s been so wet and muddy that I haven’t walked over them for the last 6 months. I think that the ‘mystery’ plant is a Horse Chestnut. We have many wildlife planted plants in our garden. Hazel, Holly, Mountain Ash, Walnut and Elderberry, I weed out most but let others mature as I have quite a wildlife friendly garden. I am a bit restricted what I can do in the garden at the moment because of the birds nesting, I can tell when I am close to them because I can hear their warning calls (Blackbird, Great Tits, Robin + Wood Pigeon that doesn’t call anything but just panicks 😂). I need to trim back some Ivy but I know there is a Blackbird nest in there somewhere, so I’m waiting for now until I see/hear the babies out of the nest. It also means that we are on cat and magpie watch who we energetically scare off if seen in our garden.

Photo my son took last night of Queen Anne’s departure.

Photo my son took last night of Queen Anne’s departure and fireworks.

11c but dull and grey at the moment. We watched the maiden departure of Queen Anne with the fireworks last night on YouTube. Our son, who lives in Southampton, watched them from Mayflower park and being there with the crowds was in his words spectacular. Our Sunday lunch tomorrow with the MIL is one that we always have at this time of year. Salmon, asparagus, Jersey Royal potatoes with home made watercress sauce, one of our favourites and a real taste of late spring.🌷🌸

BBC weather is showing only a low chance of light rain showers for Newmarket.

The exterior design and colour scheme is much more pleasing than Arvia and Iona IMO. Hopefully she’s as classy inside as she looks outside, too many other cruise lines have gone down the shopping mall look inside.

I got up this morning thinking that it was 6.45 and Saturday, when I got downstairs I saw that it was 5.45 and then thought it was Thursday and then went on my iPad and saw that it was Wednesday 🤔 13c with light cloud and breeze here currently forecast to be up to 19c and no rain until this evening, dry and 21c tomorrow 🍾🥂👏 I’m planning to go for a long walk today and a gardening day tomorrow, depending on how the snooker is going😊

Queen Anne is apparently (I looked it up I'm not a ship nerd!!) a Pinnacle class ship only Holland America has the 2 other ships of the class so far. I like the look of it, I always think that the colour scheme of Cunard ships is more attractive and traditional than some other cruise lines.

The commentary is normally better and factual when the 'captain' is on his own and he reads the posted comments, they're always more annoying chatter when they are both on.

Ships TV is broadcasting the arrival of Cunard Queen Anne into Southampton for her first time this evening from 18.00 for those that are interested. There could be a flotilla of boats following her in including fire boat sprays.

Ships TV on YouTube is broadcasting Queen Anne arrival into Southampton this evening from 18.00 uk time.

That could be it, I always use my phone for verification codes.

Over the weekend our son had both of his email accounts hacked and they locked him out so that he can’t reverse the change. So he spent most of yesterday changing the passwords of his various accounts and other websites. He now needs to create a new email account and then update all of the sites again the new address. It makes me realise the number of companies and other sites I’d have to contact if it happened to me 😩 It’s a mystery how they accessed both of his accounts in one go.

Arvia was due to depart at 17.30 but is still in port. Haven't seen why yet. EDIT: Technical problem

Follow 4 ships out on Ships TV now with commentary including Arvia SHIPS TV - 4 Cruise Ships Queen Victoria, Queen Mary 2, Arvia & MSC Poesia LIVE, Port of Southampton (youtube.com)

We avoided any meaningful rain this morning with just a few rain drops. The cloud has cleared now and its a clear blue sky sunny but breezy afternoon. After watching Ronnie this morning in the snooker I'm settling down now for an afternoon of football watching ⚽

I’ve been ok viewing cc so far today and that’s on an iPad.

I’m awake early (for me) this morning, it’s 4c clear and sunny, listening to Tony Blackburn Sounds of the Sixties. DW is out today with her mum to a nurses reunion, MIL is 90 soon and was a nurse all of her working life, so a quiet day for me staying at home sport watching. Yesterday we finally had our new dishwasher fitted which for various reasons has taken 4 months to arrange (let down by plumber, month long holiday and apathy). I also batch cooked a chilli con carne yesterday which did 8 portions, 2 for tea and 3 x 2 portions into the freezer. 750g of beef mince, 2 onions, 8 cloves of garlic, 2 cans of chopped tomatoes and kidney beans, a can of lentils, some water and flavoured with chilli flakes, cumin, smoked paprika, marjoram and 2 beef stock cubes.

8c and partly sunny here. I redid the washing up liquid method of moss killing on our patio yesterday on the forecast prospect of 2 days of dry weather but woke up to damp ground, so we must have had some light rain overnight😪. The same happened the last time I did it a few weeks ago, I drenched it more this time with the solution so I hope that it has worked. I also pencilled in today for cutting the grass so I hope that it dries off in the sun and breeze.

It was probably the Cowherds pub which backs onto Southampton Common, it’s only a short walk up the Avenue from Elizabeth House.