Saturday 16th July - where's my woolly jumper?

 Here's a thing - there are weather warnings out for extremely hot weather, but it is actually COLD outside. Not 'winter' cold, more like Autumn or Spring cold, and I have just found a warm jumper to put on and made a nice hot cup of tea.

I expect as the day goes on the temperatures will rise, but it's not hot yet.

I'm on lunch duty today - we shall have salad, with cold meat, potatoes from the garden tossed in butter, and various salads. 

I'll have the rest of the padron peppers I bought a few days ago as an experiment;

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/padron-peppers

BBCgoodfood says to fry them in a little very hot olive oil for about 5 minutes, stirring them about, until they are wilted and beginning to char, then tip onto a dish and season with salt and eat. They are served in Spain as a tapas dish. It's an interesting flavour - like ordinary green peppers, and not at all spicy-hot like chillis. 

I had half yesterday for tea, and thought they were very good. All for me, as Himself didn't care for them. 

One of the ancient cats, McCavity, sits in the kitchen, pointedly close to her dinner plate, and looks beseechingly at us. A teaspoon of superior pate-style cat food seems to satisfy her. And why not? She's nigh on twenty years old and needs several snacks through the day rather than a couple of main meals, especially while it is warm.  

We've been very abstemious with water in the garden, and the clematis and Japanese anenomes have registered their dissatisfaction. So yesterday we did get out the hose, and give those plants a real soak. I console myself with the thought that at least we don't have a paddling pool. But I think one would be nice to sit in, with a glass of wine, and a plate of tapas-style goodies... Ah well.