At Home: Turning up the Heat!

[00:00:03]Hello lovelies. How are you all doing?

[00:00:07]I'm steamy, steamy, steamy hot.

[00:00:11]Um, I've got a window open. I hope it won't be an issue with street sounds. I'm hoping not cuz it's Sunday. It should be quieter.

[00:00:22]The reason it's open, the sun's moved around and for the first time in a few days, we've actually got a really, really good stiff breeze and it's an easterly, which means it comes in across the bay.

[00:00:38]So, I can smell the sea. And yeah, every now and again a little waft of it gets into the flat and helps to cool things.

[00:00:48]Yeah, you might think I'm mad. um steam pressing. So, this cloth has just been washed.

[00:00:56]Uh press it before any of the creases have a chance to set. I think what we'll do is I've almost finished this. We'll go out the back for the rest of today. But yeah, it's um two ways about it. It is quite warm and it's it's certainly a warm day to be steam pressing, but it's work. Work goes on.

[00:01:18]It's like I was saying the other day in the garden or wherever.

[00:01:22]Um, [sighs] we can't just all sort of down tools and stop working because it's a bit warm.

[00:01:30]Bit warm. Anyway, yes, this is another one for my shop. I'll get this done. I'm actually amazed I'm standing today because last night, what a nerve wrecker. I watched the England versus Norway in the football in the World Cup.

[00:01:53]Literally every World Cup and every Euros I say the same thing. I can't ever watch England playing again. I just can't do it. It's too nerve-wracking.

[00:02:03]I'm sure everyone from every nation feels the same about their team. But it was joyous. And I won't go into detail cuz I know there's a lot of you who don't give a fig about sport, but it should have finished around about midnight UK time.

[00:02:20]But then there was extra time. So it ended up going till it must have been half 124 to 1ish. The final whistle blew of course the cheer. And at that moment, I actually turned the sound off on my telly just for a moment because I had all my windows open to try and get some of the cool of the night breeze to blow through. Just in that moment, I turned it off and I could just hear all around Swanage. All these cheers and whoops and lots of very, very happy sounds. It was great. Anyway, turn the sound back on and I thought, right, okay, I'll watch the next game. It's Argentina versus Switzerland.

[00:03:04]I don't know. Gosh, it's about 2:00. I thought No, I'm dog tired. I've got a busy day tomorrow, Sunday, which is now today. Um, I will leave it. So, by the time you see this, um, the World Cup, will it be Will it be over? It might even be over. Goodness knows what will have happened.

[00:03:24]Will will 60 years of hurt be over?

[00:03:28]I don't know. I think there are teams left in it. I think basic all three of the teams apart from us that are left in it are better than us. So it would be a fluke if we went any further. But anyway, it's been it's been fun and just that moment of the of hearing the town erupt.

[00:03:48]Sweet.

[00:03:50]Yes. So, what else has been going on? Um Oh, I made a couple of notes. Oh, yeah.

[00:03:57]So last night the the other thing that occurred to me I can't wait for this moment.

[00:04:02]It looks like the weather's going to be changing and cooling down a little bit soon. Um but water gosh we've had no rain for ages. We've I mean we've had we've had moments of drizzle that just kind of it's just enough to spoil the day but not enough to really do anything for either our gardens or more importantly for the farms for farmland.

[00:04:30]But I was looking at the forecast and it looks like maybe towards the end of next week we might start to have a couple of rain days and we might even have a bit of a thundery lightning day.

[00:04:46]Got to m I'm seriously boiling.

[00:04:50]Um we might have So we might have some rain. And as I was watering the garden last night, I was thinking, I can't wait for that first bit of rain.

[00:05:02]And if it happens in the day or if it happens when I'm awake and up, I'm going to go straight out into the garden. And I'm just going to go breathe in petri.

[00:05:13]That lovely smell of dry, bone dry, warm soil that then gets wet by rain. It's absolutely gorgeous. It's it's an interesting phenomena picture call. I think it's only a recently kind of not necessarily discovered, but it's a recently sort of described phenomena. I think only within the the last 20 or 30 years or so, but it's to do with when the rain rewets the soil. It's it's a release of some bacteria and that's shown to give us a dopamine hit or is it don't know what it's it's basically our endorphins. It's shown to make us happy. So yeah, soon as that rain comes, rush out to your garden or if you don't have a garden, rush out to your park, get down there with your nose and have a massive whoosh in of that gorgeous, gorgeous smell. But yeah, it has been really dry and I think there's quite a few areas are starting to be in hose pipe banan territory now.

[00:06:20]So it's just a reminder, isn't it, that we all need to use water. We should just be careful with our water. Um so so for instance, I I've got my jug in place now at the kitchen sink and a watering can that lives in the kitchen for now. One of the big watering cans.

[00:06:40]So, every time I run a tap, if I want to run it from for not a minute, but if I want to run it for a couple of seconds till it runs cold, talking of which, let me have a slug.

[00:06:54]I run it into the jug rather than just down the plug hole. And then that jug gets added to the watering can. Any little bits of spare water during the day if a tap gets run goes straight into that watering can jug watering can gets used to water.

[00:07:13]My washing up after I've done my washing up that gets used in the garden I should say. I use a really mild plantbased washing up liquid. So I wouldn't do it with fairy or I think the equivalent of fairy in the states is Dawn. I wouldn't do it with either of those. Horrible, horrible products. Um, but yeah, mine's because it's just a mild plant-based one. Happy to put it on the garden. What I don't do, I don't put it in the same part of the garden every time.

[00:07:45]So, sort of starting at one end so that the when I'm watering with a watering can with, you know, fresh water, they'll get a chance with fresh water, too. But yeah, we're we're definitely into that time of needing to think about conserving our water, using less wherever we can. I mean, we really, we ought to think like that all the time anyway, apart from anything for your own water bill. Keep it down. But there we go. Yes, I am looking forward to that first moment of rain and having a whoosh, that whooshy smell of petri also in news. What else?

[00:08:30]Oh, yes. So, this was in the news the other night. It made me giggle. The uh the Bayer Tapestry has come to the UK.

[00:08:42]The reason it made me giggle was obviously this is an incredibly important artwork. It's an incredibly important piece of art. Look, I'm sure most of you know what the Bayer tapestry is. For those who don't, really quick explanation.

[00:08:59]It's made from panels about this deep and it runs along along along along along along along along. I can't remember how many feet long it is.

[00:09:09]made gosh it was shortly after around the time of 10 it was it's around the time of the Norman conquests so willing the conqueror from France coming over to the UK yay conquers us so it's a it's it's almost like a cartoon strip this great long cartoon strip and it's all stitched it's all handstitched um a retelling of the history of that moment and it has lived for is in the town of Bayer. Hence, it's called the Bayer tapestry. Tapestry is a misnomer. It's an embroidery. But yeah, it's coming to well, it's come it's arrived and it arrived under the cover of dark in this mega secure truck. And I was thinking it's like a heist in reverse. Or maybe maybe it is a heist. Maybe the Brits have stolen the Bayer tapestry back. I don't know. Really controversial. But yeah, it's um how exciting. And it's the first time since I've moved down here that I thought, "Oh, I wish I lived in London still."

[00:10:12]So, it's going to be on display. I'm not sure when the I'm not sure when the show starts, but it's going to be on display from nowish right through until I believe July of next year. Either June or July. I know there's a J in it. June or July.

[00:10:30]It has sold out from from now till Christmas. It's sold out. So, if you want to see it, get your skates on and book a ticket. Don't know how much the tickets are, but of course, it's on at the fabulous British Museum. So, if you can, if you live near enough, you know, make a day of it, buy a ticket for the Bay Bea Tapestry, but then have the rest of the day at the British Museum because it's fantastic museum. Oh, and the more I'm talking about, the more I think, oh, I miss London. That's that is the thing I miss about London is this the museums and the galleries and what have you. I'm getting there with this cloth. I'm just going to drape it for a second. Um, yeah, just so much going on all the time. And also with the bayou. Now, I wrote this down because I had to remember her name.

[00:11:24]Earlier this year, I read that wonderful book by Cla Hunter called Threads of Life.

[00:11:33]It was a real surprise to me. I'll see if I can remember which video it's in, maybe link back to it. It was a real surprise to me. I picked it up as a punt. It I think the subtitle was something like a social history, social history through the eye of a needle.

[00:11:50]And I thought, well, I'll give it a go.

[00:11:52]You know, I'm very interested in textiles and sewing. Kind of studied it at uni. My doing my first degree. Yeah.

[00:11:59]Have a little look. I really really loved it. So is it sort of social history through made objects. Made as in embroidered, sewn, stitched. There's a whole section on the bio tapestry. Absolutely fascinating. Let me just turn the iron off a minute. Um, so yeah, if you are interested in particular, like I said, it's Claire Hunter is the writer. The book is Threads of Life. Brilliant.

[00:12:28]Right, I might just actually now get this outside on the line to air in this lovely sea breeze. So, whoever buys it is going to buy a whiff of the sea breeze with it. And then let's go to the back of the house where it's a bit cooler and more shady for a couple of other bits and bobs to share.

[00:13:28]It's got to chill.

[00:13:40]Well, I had hoped to sit in the shade in the garden to do this next bit. However, it's probably because it's the weekend.

[00:13:49]Two things. One, suddenly I can hear Punch and Judy. Clear. Clear as if it was like in the next door garden. It must be that wind carrying the sound.

[00:13:58]But also, there's some live music coming from somewhere. I know. not wear. Um, so if that's in the background of my video, I'll get a copyright strike and you know, I won't earn a single penny for the video, which defeats the point of making videos. Anyway, so in the kitchen for now, uh, which is fine. I should go out later on when I finish filming. I'll have my lunch out there in an hour or so. Excuse me.

[00:14:28]In the meantime, just lots and lots of water.

[00:14:31]the other day, well the year for my birthday, my lovely friend Kate bought me the this other Dale Pinnick book and I started I don't know if you see in the top I started to go through it one evening quite late in the evening. I'd had my dinner so I shouldn't have been hungry. Um but it was that kind of quiet time of day 10 at night when I start to relax. Oh, I'll go through this. I stopped putting markers in the pages because literally everything looks gorgeous. And I know Kate joked with her note to me saying, "Don't worry, you can put cheese on the top of everything."

[00:15:07]Actually, I'm not vegan cuz I do still have um a bit of cheese. I try to have less cheese now than ever before. Uh do have a bit of yogurt and that's about it. Unless I get a gift of some eggs, but the vast majority of what I eat actually is vegan. just because, you know, it's nice food, you know, it doesn't need anything else. So, I was looking through all these and I thinking, yeah, they don't need anything else. There are I mean, there's loads I want to do, but there's one I've picked out to make soon with you all because I think it's the kind of one that you I think most of you have the ingredients in your store cupboard. Um, and I thought also I might have a little chat when I make that one just about my take on recipe books and when I'm looking through them and how I'm choosing what to do and what have you.

[00:16:00]So, we'll do that.

[00:16:02][sighs] I'm thinking I'm just trying to think I've [clears throat] picked a stove top recipe rather than an oven recipe. And like I said, we're due we are due this one particular day. It's going to be rain all day. I really hope it will clear the air because it's so humid and muggy. So maybe I'll do the cooking that day. Other things to get on with I need to Oh, I Yeah, I'll do this this afternoon.

[00:16:28]I buy these um plain brown. They're like um like old luggage labels by plain brown. And then I personalize them with my stamp. And then one of these goes in with every order.

[00:16:48]Usually with a little note, but always with a thank you to say thank you to people. Anyone who bought something from my shop. Anyway, I've run out. So that's that'll take me a minute or two. That's a job for this afternoon.

[00:17:02]Um, oh, also I got out. Oh, also also also um the other day, you know, I did the yogurt and in the freezer.

[00:17:13]What I forgot to do because I've seen this when I've I've seen people talking about, you know, ice cream making and frozen yogurt making in the freezer is that before it sets, you're supposed to sort of beat it to help kind of beat out any ice crystals. I didn't do that. I forgot to do that. So, what I've done is I I took that out of the freezer. I only took about a kind of gouged about a third of it out, let it slightly melt a little bit, and then I kind of mashed it with my fork. Uh, and it was lovely. It was really lovely. That strawberry I have so I've been so enjoying it um with yogurt. So, I've been having it not as a frozen dessert cuz I've still got I think I've got one portion of that left, but just out of the fridge. Such a lovely kind of It just feels cool, but it also I think because the yogurt is so creamy, it feels like it does feel a bit indulgent. And then that Oh god, the on the top. It's so lovely. The other thing I fished out is my box of my paint brushes.

[00:18:30]I want to pick Yeah, that's a good size.

[00:18:36]I'm going to take a size eight paintbrush. So, it's it's of a decent size.

[00:18:43]Having spotted that um paint my face, what did I spot the cheeky curi fruit forming? I thought, oh yeah, let's do some hand pollinating.

[00:18:58]So, literally all all I will do is go into the flower, give it a wiggle, go and find another flower, give it a wiggle, come back to the first flower, give it just keep giving them a wiggle between all the flowers.

[00:19:08]I learned to do this from my grandfather who made a homemade pollinator hand pollinator for my mom which I remember from when I was a kid and it was around for years. Now I don't want to be anyone to be squeamish about this. My grandparents lived off the land. They were land you know self-sufficient people. So um they for a long time they raised rabbits. They bred rabbits for both meat. So they would eat the meat, they'd sell the meat, and then with the the pelt, uh, granddad would treat the pelt and then send them all off up to London to a glove maker in London, and they use the rabbit fur as trim. Now, of course, I wouldn't want rabbit trimmed fur, rabbit fur, trimmed gloves. I wouldn't want that in my life now. And I I wouldn't I personally wouldn't breed rabbits for their meat purely because, well, vegetarian.

[00:20:04]However, if you're going to live off the land, you know, raising your own animals, at least you know that you're giving those animals, if you're going to do, if you're going to eat meat, eat meat that's been ra that's, you know what I'm trying to get emotional about all of this. Make sure those animals have had a good life. Anyway, so one of the things my my granddad made for my mom years ago, it's just a stick, but with just a bit of one of the bits of rabbit pelt that I don't know, maybe that it was a scrap, not good enough for the glove maker. I don't know what it was, but it's on the end of this stick. It's a little bit of rabbit fur, but it's so soft. It's great for pollinating. Now, I'm not going to be doing it with rabbit fur, obviously. So, a little paint brush is good enough for me. an old makeup brush, a little, you know, you want it to be, you want it to be gently enough you're not going to damage anything in there. You want it to be big enough to be able to get a bit of pollen onto it.

[00:21:07]So, you can dot that pollen around. Who was I? Oh, I was talking about this with Paul. We were talking about when you get those really wonky corettes which seem sort of like normal fatless, normal fatless, normal fatness and then suddenly they go on the end like a sort of remember those long balloons when you were a kid and you blow them up and they'd be long and long and fat and there was always a bit at the end that went at the end. That's probably through poor pollination.

[00:21:39]that one flower hasn't had enough visits. So, I should be visiting my flowers. I should do that this afternoon. Actually, while the flowers are open, while there's no dew on them while I remember due, I don't think there's any chance of dew at the moment.

[00:21:55]Dew would kind of conote that there was any moisture anywhere. I mean, there's moisture in the air. [sighs] No doubt about that. The other thing, do you remember I mentioned this was a birthday gift from Sarah New. Ooh gosh.

[00:22:09]Shiny shiny.

[00:22:11]The solid hand cream bar. There you go.

[00:22:15]Again, got a little bee and sort of almost honeycomb on it cuz it's got beeswax in it. So, it's actually really similar to the balm I've always made for myself. This though smells gorgeous. The scents in it are lavender, geranium, sweet orange, lime, frankincense, myrr, and clove. Beautiful. I would have it for the smell alone. However, that's silly. Boiling. I had to close the back door because of the music. I'll open it again in a moment. [snorts] It's silly to use something just because of the smell. It has to work, doesn't it? Otherwise, what's the point?

[00:22:53]So, I used this on my hands and I literally just with the bar, I just sort of rubbed it against the other palm for a moment. That was enough the warmth of my skin to melt it a bit and then rubbed it all over my hands. I like to instantly like I said it's very similar to the balms I use or that I make or used to make haven't got enough colundula.

[00:23:14][snorts] What I would say though is I think a lot of people would find it quite greasy on their hands just because if you're used to buying hand cream, proprietary hand cream from the shops, the biggest ingredient in pretty much all these hand creams is water. So once you've got it on your hands, they go, "Oh, it's nice and silky and smooth, isn't it?" That water is going to evaporate and you go, "Oh, look, it's all soaked in." A lot of it has evaporated.

[00:23:43]So I would say on your hands maybe at bedtime. Great for gardener's hands or for kitchen porters hands. I remember what it's like to be a kitchen porter when you're up to your elbows in steaming greasy water all day. Nurs's hands of course. So you might want to just have it on at night. But I didn't stop there with it. I actually used it as an all over my body.

[00:24:09]Um, obviously we're all, well, not all, but I am catching quite a lot of sun at the moment, you know, if you're in and out of the water.

[00:24:19]It was lovely after my shower. Again, just warmed it between my hands and then I could put it onto shoulders, but again, it's it's a really rich, creamy one. So, I think I love it, but I think some folk may prefer it as a more as a winter treat, maybe from October onwards, where after your bath or shower at night and you slather it on and then you're getting into sort of thick pajamas and socks and a hoodie to cull up on the sofa with your book or whatever. Gorgeous. And it's going to soak into your skin and really give it a nice moisturize. But for the summer at the moment, it certainly I certainly wouldn't want it on my face because my face is literally sliding off every two minutes. Yeah, I think it would be a bit too much on a face in the summer. You might find it too much anywhere on your body at the moment because Yeah, at night time it's still been really quite hot at night, hasn't it? And I think we just want to feel like our skin is just breathing. Please let my skin breathe.

[00:25:27]I need more water. I'll have some water off camera.

[00:25:30][sighs and gasps] That's better. Glob of water. I've chatted for longer than I realized, so I think I better say goodbye to you all. I've got plenty to be getting on with. Keep me out of mischief until well, a certain sporting fixture this afternoon that starts with whim and ends in bullden.

[00:25:50][laughter] It's the uh it's the men's final today.

[00:25:54]Um I watched the women's final yesterday. I I always make time for it.

[00:25:59]So even if it's a working day, I'm going to say to myself, right at 4:00, everything stops for tennis. I don't care what's happening. I have to stop for tennis. So I'm going to motor on now and get everything else done that's on my list. Hopefully get it all done by 4.

[00:26:15]Um anyway, waffling. I will see you all again really soon. I hope. I'm not sure who knows for what. Probably a bit more in the garden. Um, and hopefully by the time you see you're seeing this, things are cooling down a little bit, at least to a level of comfort that means you can sleep at night. Um, we're a nation of sleepdeprived people, aren't we? We're surprised we're not all hissing and gring and grumping at each other in the street, but apparently we're not. Too much to be cheerful about. All right, lovelies, until the next one. Cheerio.