Random photos

I took this a few nights ago

 It's been too hot to walk this week. I've taken Rue out early in the mornings and sometimes late evening so he at least gets time out and off the lead. Like us, he has suffered in the high temperatures and I'm pleased it has finally cooled down. Now I'm just waiting for the rain to arrive later today to drench my garden. I've been keeping a few new seedlings going, and I have three tomato plants that have made it, but the ground elsewhere is cracking and I'm not sure how my raspberries will fare this year.

Most of the week I've been hiding from the sun, doing as little as possible. The washing dried pretty quickly, but the thought of ironing!

I did venture into London on Saturday to meet up with some writing friends, but that's the furthest I have been. So, the photos are really random, and all I have to share with you this week.

We have discovered there is a family of young rats in the garden. Having kept pet rats, I don't fear them like some people, except they are wild and you do not want to get bitten by them. I've been on the receiving end of a rat bite when we adopted a white rat (white rats' eyesight isn't good, and you can tell the way they swing their heads from side to side trying to fix on a point). This rat, Ollie, had been reunited with his cage mate called Charlie after the two were separated in the same cage, but not well treated. So, the two had a grudge to settle. However, Charlie was a sweetie, but very nervous. Poor Charlie just collapsed and died one day, so there was just Ollie. Ollie would bite you without thought (very uncommon in rats...pet ones). I had to resort to using an oven glove to pick him up in order to clean the cage. Eventually, as he become older, he toned it down a bit, and we were able to have him out on the sofa with us. But I would never push my luck. I would always have one eye on him. We tried to introduce our other rat to him (his cage mate had died) as rats shouldn't be alone. We gave up because fur would fly and we were worried Ollie would cause real damage to our other rat. Eventually, our own rat was introduced to a group of baby male rats, and they took to him just like that. He took a bit of convincing, but we left it to him to accept them, and he did. As for Ollie, I'm afraid he had to remain alone for the safety of others. But I never gave up on him and made sure he had time alone on the sofa with us, and he enjoyed a little stroking. Just call me the rat whisperer!

So, wild rats, yes, they look sweet, and are fine outdoors where they belong, but not indoors, and if you cannot get rid of them, you will need expert help. Anyway, hence my photo of a young wild rat after several attempts. 

The crow has become a regular visitor to the garden, and I've been attempting to take a photo for ages. It always flies off just as I get my camera! For shots like these, I need my bridge camera as it has a good zoom, and often that camera is upstairs.

I braved the hot kitchen to make this twist on bread and butter pudding using some reduced nectarines and dried raisins and cranberries. It was really yummy.

Rue has really missed being in the garden. He asks to go out, lies in the sun, and within minutes he is asking to come in again. Sometimes we have managed to find a sheltered spot, and he lies on the grass while I read, but he loves the bench outside the back door. He particularly likes a cushion!

The King has his cushion!

Making it to the big park with Rue has been too much most days. Leaving the house at 7am enabled me to do one round of the park. The volunteers have been working wonders with the rose garden, which is where this photo was taken.

And then London on Saturday. I was the first to arrive, so I purchased suitable refreshment, and got out my writing materials. We had a lovely session together. Everything was hand written as there was no way I was carting my laptop to London in that heat! I didn't even stay for a nose around London afterwards.

Don't judge me!

One last thing I did over the last few days of the heatwave, I bought a 500 piece jigsaw puzzle. I had a craving for one, and found this one in a charity shop. It only took me a few days to complete, but there was great satisfaction.

With the weather breaking this week, it will be more a case of trying to avoid the rain/thunder. I have  no plans so far, but hopefully I can dodge the showers and take some photos somewhere!