Heatwave Happenings: July

Dear friends. What a scorcher of a month. It was too hot for me. Temperatures in the 30s (90s) are fine when you're on holiday, with an air conditioned room. But in London, in houses built to keep in the heat? Nooo.  Fortunately it was a little cooler in the last few days.

It was a busy month with some fun activities.  I was turned into an "artwork" not once but twice.  I explored Bedford for the first time and went to Plymouth. 

Tues July 1

Sweltering. Over 30 degrees.  Having returned from holiday yesterday, had a reckoning with the scales. Fortunately didn't put any weight on. We did an afternoon walk in the forest. We walked off trail under the trees. The shade made the heat less arduous.  

Weds Jul 2

Less humid, a good 10 degrees cooler. Even rained as we set off on a bike ride to Lee Valley Country Park  (hereafter abbreviated as LV). Much better. Started the new series of Tour de France Unchained (Netflix). 

Thurs Jul 3

Sunny again but not humid. Went to the shop to get a few basics, then to the gym for weights and Pilates. Back home it seemed to take forever doing some admin and trying to book somewhere for J's 70th birthday dinner in October. 

Fri Jul 4

Hot. Did trail laying for the local running club, the Orion Forest 5. Confirmed J's 70th party at The Lighterman, King's Cross,  where I've taken the ladies a few times.  Also booked a theatre visit or my birthday. Subscribed to digital version of Platinum magazine.  

Sat Jul 5

Cool. Cloudy. Went in town, had a nice time. Got nail stuff, moisturiser and Chanel samples, and had a toastie and latte (free) in M&S. Ordered 2 Reiss dresses I've been stalking, now in sale. Tour de France started. J watches it avidly, usually on a tablet in the garden.

Sunday Jul 6

Overcast. Did ironing and sorted out some of J's clothes for a charity shop. He's never allowed me to do this before, but never does it himself. Roast chicken. British Grand Prix. 

Monday Jul 7

J is doing his Japanese walking (30 mins every day at 6am!) so went to the gym. Sunny.  Finished blog post for tomorrow. 

Tues July 8

Not refreshed when I woke. Didn't really want to get up. Did a bike ride to LV. Bit tired. J installed new security cameras. I did some tidying and cleaning. Mother of my friend died aged 99. 

Weds Jul 9

A bit cloudy but warm. Had a good sleep score. Went to the recycling centre with a car load. Always feels good to offload stuff. Did a forest walk after lunch. 2 dresses came, Reiss sale, which are both lovely. See one of them here. 

Thurs Jul 10

V hot. J didn't want to do a bike ride. I thought about going to the gym but heart not in it. Instead washed and oiled two garden chairs. Hard work! And they still didn't look all that good. 

Fri Jul 11

Went out early to avoid worst of heat. Did a reverse loop of LV. 22 miles. Water was emptying at the white water centre prior to starting up again later for rafts. Very hot. Spoke Mum. 

Sat Jul 12

Hot. Went to Hampstead (v posh) to the Idler Festival with Annemarie. Saw a fermentation workshop and had a Renaissance Selfie taken by @LondonDrawing, result at the top. They used some ingenious items for our costumes such as body polishers under the head wear.  Out of interest I found some authentic portraits of older women. Our selfies shows how unflattering black and grey is for the majority of women, when worn near the face. 

Lunch was a wrap with salad, couscous and feta. It was the only catering at the event, so we had coffee and cake down the road.

Below: getting ready for the selfie 

Sun Jul 13 

Did forest walk.  Had lunch at the King's Head. I had a chicken Caesar which was very gd. J had roast beef. The French don't call us "les rosbifs" for nothing!

Mon Jul 14

Bike ride to LV, 28 miles, included cycle path 1. I was shattered. Hadn't had any carbs yesterday and probably a bit dehydrated. 

Tues Jul 15

A bit overcast, finally a shower this evening. Walked to Waitrose to get fancy veg. Had this with steak. 

Weds Jul 16

A bit overcast but still blooming hot. Went to Bedford to meet Oxana. Spent some time in The Higgins, a museum and art gallery named after local benefactor Cecil Higgins. Saw an owl on a barge. I thought it was a cat at first. Had lunch in the Cob & Pen. Very enjoyable day.  

Thurs Jul 17

Still very humid. Had gym day. Enjoyed. Ordered new ebike. Tried to register for an Amanda Prowse talk but no tickets left.

Fri Jul 18

Did early walk on own, 5 miles. Went to Jodie's for hair colour and cut. Still v hot and humid. Watered garden. J bought fish n chips. Watched new Bridget Jones film which I saw in the cinema. It was less watchable at home. 

Sat Jul 19

Wasted day. Rained nearly all day, but the rain was much needed. Did some ironing. Was going for walk but didn't. Wrote a beauty blog post. 

Sunday Jul 20

Appreciated rest day yesterday as more energetic on today's bike ride. Did roast chicken. 1st time back in the dining room for ages! For weeks it was filled with stuff from the old kitchen which I gave away or took to the tip. Took several attempts to get rid of it all.

Mon July 21

Unsettled weather. J had rest day. I went to the gym. V busy unfortunately, so did mostly free weights followed by Pilates. 

Tues Jul 22

Sunny start but as soon as the bikes were out, it started raining. A prolonged shower. My feet were soaked. During coffee got a call from UPS to say they were at the house with a delivery -  my new bike from Germany! I hadn't received a notification. The driver agreed to wait while we rushed back. J assembled it but the battery will arrive separately,  so haven't ridden it yet.

Weds Jul 23

A little overcast. Went to the Courtauld Gallery, my favourite art museum. Saw the exhibition The Barber In London, highlights from the Barber Institute of Fine Art in Birmingham which is closed for renovation. This was my favourite, The Blue Bower by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1865). She is a former lover of his, Fanny Cornforth. 

I also saw some of our old friends in the permanent collection:

I had a Van Gogh inspired selfie taken in a photo booth. And I bought a beautiful ring in the shop. A delightful outing. I haven't been to many art exhibitions this year because most of what has been on offer is modern art, which doesn't really float my boat. 

Thursday Jul 24 

Mostly overcast.  Went to the gym, weights and Pilates.  Quiet class because of the school holidays. 

Friday Jul 25

Sunny and a good temperature,  not humid. Did bike ride to Lee Valley, 21 miles. Did a 5 second video for the 9th anniversary of #AgeismIsNotinStyle and their IG campaign.  I'm full of admiration for Jacynth Bassett who started it. Back in 2018 I took part in a campaign for Jacynth's inclusive clothing retailer, The Bias Cut, along with Hilda and Laurie.   Great fun. 

Saturday July 26 

Did bike ride, short one, under 20 miles to LV.  Got ready for trip to Plymouth tomorrow.  Going to see Mum. 

Sunday July 27

Always a lot of faffing before a Plymouth trip (John doesn't come ). Today's faffing included sorting out 3 birthday cards and posting them. Left at 10.15, got to Plymouth at 3.45. Two EV charging stops, both very easy. Mum in fine fettle. 

Monday July 28

Mum doesn't go out with me on outings like we used to do. I did a walk I've never done before, from her house to Plymouth city centre. It was a pleasant walk, most of it along a shoreline path on the Saltram estate. 6 miles altogether.  I went in several shops, intending to buy something,  but nothing appealed. Overcast in morning,  sunny by late afternoon. 

Tuesday July 29

Overcast start. Did a short walk, 3.5 miles. Bought a vintage Givenchy bag in lilac at a charity shop. Picked up slices of raspberry cheesecake from Devon's Finest Dessert Bar, Plympton. We enjoyed this! 

Wednesday July 30

Long drive back to London.  Fairly good trip.  Gridserve @ Reading Services has lost its crown as my favourite electric charging hub.  Although it scores well for number of high speed chargers, a Costa Coffee and an M&S, today I had to move off 2 chargers that weren't working. My new favourite is Salmon's Leap (Osprey) at Buckfastleigh just off the A38.  Lots of chargers and a wonderful farm shop! (Listen to me!). 

Thursday July 31

Overcast but still very humid. Slept well after 3 poor nights of sleep in Plymouth (don't know why). Woke up to rain. Did a bike ride to the LV, long route, 27 miles. Stumbled across a quirky "sculpture" with a metal bug and flower on a tree log. 

TV WATCHED 

Ballard (Prime)

There are so many crime thrillers and police procedurals on TV now, but this one stands out. I enjoyed the character development over the season. 

Ballard, a senior detective, has been banished to a basement to run a cold case department.  At first she has no staff except for volunteers. One of the cases is linked to police corruption which affects Ballard and a new recruit very personally. 

Tour de France Unchained  (Netflix)

This lacks the glamour of Drive to Survive. Some of the sponsors are very small with hokey names. Those running the teams are mostly white men of a certain age. There were few stories that pulled on the heart strings, except for Mark Cavendish's final attempt to equal Eddy Mercx's record of green jerseys. 

Mix Tape (BBC iPlayer)

Co- funded by UK, Australia,  Ireland and Finland, this had wonderful songs from the 70s/80s if you liked The Cure and the Psychedelic Furs, which I did. But the drama itself was slow. The story could have been written on a stamp. I loved the luminous heroine Alison (Teresa Palmer) who carried the production.  Daniel (Jim Sturgess) made me scream with boredom. 

Tried it, Didn't Like....

The Assassin (Prime)

A different role for Keeley Hawes as a retired assassin. Episode 1 was full-on and attracted my attention, but the storyline meandered into "daft" territory.  Did Not Finish.

Untamed (Netflix)

On paper this drama set in a vast national park and featuring Eric Bana as a surly, troubled detective should have appealed. The hubs enjoyed it to the end. I found it slow and frustrating.  

PODCAST RECOMMENDATIONS 

Rosebud with Gyles Brandreth: Sir Gary Oldman 

I'd never heard of this but a recommendation in The Times of the Gary Oldman interview prompted me to listen. I can't praise it highly enough. 

Oldman came across as a very likable and grounded. He started life in a council house in New Cross and becoming an actor was an unexpected choice. His greatest achievement, he said, was not winning an Oscar but having 3 sons who are lovely young men.  He was a single parent living in virtual poverty with two of the boys, under the Hollywood sign. Brandreth is a good interviewer, listening to the answers and asking follow-ups. This rarely happens in many other podcasts. Read my post on Oldman. 

The Rest is Politics 

Penny from Conversations with an Older Woman recommended this. Two men who have opposite  political views,  Alistair Campbell and Rory Stewart, discuss latest political developments both nationally and internationally.  It's become a phenomenon.  A good lesson for young people who won't even countenance a view that challenges their own, let alone brave a debate.  

Jane and Fi 

Ive listened to these two since they started. Now they have a daily Times Radio podcast.  I can't listen to every episode but they always make me snort with laughter. 

That's my July. Hope yours was a good ' un. Any particular highlights? Do tell in the comments. 

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