July???

It is hard to believe it is July.  I lay in bed last night listening to the wind screaming around our property.  It was more like October or November.  Today remains the same with the trees whipping backwards and forward and the sound the same although I can drown that out with the radio.

We have not had a day in the last two weeks when there has not been rain, some of it torrential. Our lawn is like a bog, the grass is getting so long the dogs are practically disappearing into it.  Leo will not go out at all.  This was, we were told, going to be the hottest summer for 30 years!  Well, I suppose there is still time.  The forecast is better for tomorrow and Sunday before more rain sweeps in next week.

It is so annoying not being able to at least sit in the garden.  I have been spending time reading.  Currently "The Life And Times Of The Thunderbolt Kid" by Bill Bryson.  I love his writing, he is always so amusing.  It is about his growing up in Iowa during the 1950's onwards.  I guess really about small town life in the U.S. during those times.  He is very witty and on a couple of occasions I have laughed out loud.

Apart from that, we both have some bug or other.  It is nothing you can define really.  Sneezing a lot and yet not really having a cold, feeling under the weather, stomach cramps.  Nothing you can do much about except wait for it to pass. There is nothing you can really do to treat it.

However, him indoors is not one to be deterred.  He has been trying to get the outside painting finished for three weeks but the endless rain has prevented him.  So, every dry patch we have he runs out and does a little more until the skies open.

I grabbed these two shots this morning.

The first one is taken down the side of our house

The second one is taken at the back where he is painting the outside of the sunlounge

I do not envy him being out in the wind. I can hear buckets being blown around plus other things.  Even the windows are rattling.  Still, he wanted to do it.  I have not pushed him in any way.

He still has to do the garage yet.  Normally he can paint the whole of our property within a week.  By the time he finishes it will be nearly a month.

I am still getting over the affects of radiotherapy. Still have a lot of burning on the breast and it is starting to peel in places.  My doctor said that the six weeks  recovery time given is the minimum but it takes a lot longer in many cases  and my diabetes will probably slow things.  So I did not need this vague bug on top of everything else.  But, as my dear Father used to say, "these things are sent to try us."

I try to occupy my mind with others things and not dwell on it although I do get very down from time to time as you can imagine.

I want to WARN you all.  There is an e-mail going around that looks like an official one from AOL.  I have heard of several who have received it, even Dean has. Luckily, he was suspicious and phoned AOL.  They told him it is absolutely nothing to do with them and thanked him for reporting it.  It looks totally genuine and says something to the affect that a problem has arisen and they are unable to access your account.  If payments are not received then your account will be terminated within 48 hours.  You are asked to provide your bank details again.  THIS IS A SCAM.  Sorry to "shout" but I need to get the point over.  If you receive this e-mail I urge you to report it to AOL and, of course, totally ignore it.  It would be helpful if you could pass this warning on to your friends.  Not everybody reads my journal and many of you will have readers that I do not. 

I hate to think there are people who are going to have their bank accounts cleaned out.

Love,