First Skywatch in August and a Bit of a Catch Up

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope you are all fine and enjoying summer. After several days of rain we had quite a hot day today. Every day for two weeks, various contractors have been coming to my home to do little jobs here and there to get the place move in ready. Today someone came to wash the master bedroom carpet and this should conclude the interior renovations. I've arranged for contents to be returned next week. I can't wait to get everything unpacked and back to normal.

It was a hot day but I had to get out and mail several parcels. I also had to stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables. I snapped these photos while I was out.

Some of you might remember that the master bathroom exhaust fan died after the water leak. A new one was installed yesterday. It's quite a bit larger, much quieter and has stronger air intake.  I think I'll be having the exhaust fan in the main bathroom changed to the same as the new one, a Panasonic model.

I've been on a bit of a cooking spree trying to use up a lot of what is already in the freezer and pantry. I couldn't run out every day with workers coming and going so I also ended up baking some bread which I haven't done in a long while. Thankfully it was raining heavily on the day I baked the bread so it wasn't an issue to have the oven on.

I saw these flowers by the side of the road. I thought they were cute.

When it's too hot to do much of anything, I read. I finished the crime novel, This Body of Death by Elizabeth George. I enjoyed it a lot despite the fact that I tend not to read crime novels.  

I'm now reading a few different books.  I need to hurry up and complete the book on the vagus nerve because the book is due soon and there is a wait list for it so it can't be renewed.

Are you reading any good books?  Let me know.

I'm joining in with Skywatch Friday today. Thank you for stopping by.

Scenes from the Month

Hello everyone,

I hope you are all doing well.

I thought I'd catch you up to my month of August in photo collages (click on a collage to enlarge it).

The weather has continued to be very hot during the month so I go out for errands and a walk just before dinner when it's cooler.

This first collage shows some street scenes a little farther east of where I usually go to shop. I wanted to stop for Vietnamese food nearby, then make my way to the local library.

These sky photos were taken on my way to check the postal box a few days ago. You can see the sky is cloudy which makes it more interesting than a clear, blue sky. Also, the clouds portended rain which we desperately need. The rains did at last arrive overnight Monday and continued into Tuesday.

I like to keep some kind of record of my decluttering project so I can look back on the progress I've made . This next collage shows a small selection of the items I've decluttered in August.

I meant to include this photo of the Fiddle Leaf Fig in my last post but got busy. The plant only had 2 half dead leaves on it (one of them is pictured in the photo on the left). I finally put it outside in the hot sun and watered it sparingly.  You can see how much it grew in the span of about 5 weeks. If we get any more hot, sunny days before the rainy season arrives, I'll put it outside again. I want to get it as healthy as possible before I bring it indoors for the dark and cold months.  This plant really needs sunshine or good light to survive and thrive.

These flowers are in public planters on the side of the street. They are 2 different varieties of Rose of Sharon, a type of Hibiscus. They always bring a smile to my face whenever I pass by them.

I've done a bit of reading but not a lot. One novel I enjoyed was Sunflower Sisters by Martha Hall Kelly.

Dear hubby has gone for a short visit to Kenya with very little advance preparation. He has just a small window of time before he gets busy again so I suggested he go without me.  There is a lot to do here before winter and someone has to be here to deal with the remediation of the patio.

The special assessment for patio remediation was finally dealt with late last week. Work should begin soon but because of the late start, the scope of the work and also the fact that rainy season will arrive soon the work won't be completed by December's end.  I'm not exactly sure when the work will be completed ir how this will affect the patio garden in 2024, but I'm hopeful work will be done in time to plant something next spring.

Things continue to keep me busy but I've also been taking things more slowly than usual.  Since my discharge from hospital I want to be sure to heal well before pushing myself too hard. I think I'm now fully recovered but have been feeling tired these past few days.

My thoughts and prayers are focused on all those dealing with natural disasters and whose lives have been upended in Canada (due to wildfires), in USA (due to wildfires and hurricanes), and all around the world with so many different issues. May you and your loved ones stay safe and May God hold you in the palm of His mighty hand.