Hot Stuff!

Up until a few days ago, Lincolnshire had basked in beautifully warm weather, not the baking hot temperatures which have toasted other parts of the country.    We were very happy.     

Then along came the humidity, plus a few degrees of extra heat, the air became heavy and moist - add to that all the tiny flies which come off the fields, when harvest begins, and things can begin to get a little unpleasant.

No point dwelling on the unpleasant though.      

At the weekend I took two of my grandchildren to one of the neighbouring villages,  they were holding their annual craft fair.

It was a hot, hot day, bright sunshine and deep, deep shadows.    Nothing stops these two though, race down the lane, turn at the arched red door...beautiful music is made behind that red door.  Seriously.     It is a recording studio.

Past charming old houses...

...down to the huge old rectory and on to the church.

This was taken earlier in the year, when they held their plant sale - always a brilliant place to pick up some bargains for the garden, including sweetpea seedlings.

The handsome church was built in the Georgian style in 1738, on the site of a larger building.

My granddaughter, aged six and a half, got the bargain of the century.    Some girls had set up a stall to raise funds for charity and were selling cakes, books, dvds, bric-a-brac, and Barbie things.     A Barbie palace, a coach, caravan, car, furniture, bits and bobs, plus several horses and goodness knows how many Barbie dolls.      The price?  £10 the lot.    

Luckily their mother was there, so we checked again - yes £10, for everything...would you like us to put them into bags?   (I imagine the subtext was please, take it all away, it has cluttered up my home for too long.)   Some Barbies have had a haircut, there are odd bits which are the worse for wear, but even so!

The girls may have had a small extra donation from Gran.  (Proceeds were for a very good cause.)


Back home, to a rapturous greeting from Toby Too, he was also feeling the heat but was still trying to get someone to kick a ball around with him.

The sweetpeas are coming in thick and fast now.   I was surprised to find that they are almost all hot and pink in colour, could have sworn I chose pale and ethereal this year!    I can't complain, they were a bargain.


Even when it is hot, people still want to eat - alas!    The cake tins were empty, so was the bread bin.

I made another batch of these - Aztec 'biscuits', surely one of the easiest recipes - just chopped apricots, walnuts, chocolate (I often use choc chips) and lots of dessicated coconut mixed with condensed milk and then baked for 20 minutes.

I don't eat them, but somehow they disappear at a rate of knots from the biscuit tin.    Husband and grandchildren find them irresistible.

I also made a batch of bread - I prefer sourdough, but this is milk bread, much softer and it also keeps well.

Today is a little cooler, which makes Toby happy.     The fields are looking ripe and ready, poppies everywhere, the smell of hot barley is in the air, even on an early morning walk.       

I'm not complaining, I like the kind of heat we have here (not the humidity) but I am glad that I don't have to work in it...and if I happen to nod off after lunch ... so what?