Summer Arrived

Since I wrote last we've had a spell of warm, sometimes hot weather. The kind where you need to throw the windows wide open at night so you don't suffocate.

Thankfully this year there has been little of the really hot, uncomfortable weather. We've had just enough (for me) to remind me that it's summer.

To cope with the heat and stale air inside, I've been taking my breakfast outside on the patio.  It's very refreshing.

Blueberries, shredded wheat and almond milk.


I haven't yet got around to the small projects I need to do around the house. the weather has been a bit too warm for that and I've been feeling tired since Thursday.

It turns out I have a summer cold.
I haven't had one of those for ages. I must have caught cold with the fan going and at night it can be a bit chilly with the windows open.

I've been using my time to sleep and catch up on reading.
I recently completed The Paris Secret.

 
I'm nearing completion of The Valley of Amazement (81% completed)
and, I'm about one third of the way through a new book
The Children of the Stone.

I am not sure if I've mentioned it before but I'm working on getting consistent sleep and better sleep as a way of helping my health.
I've been at this new regime for about one month with varying degrees of success.
I thought it would be a way to determine if inadequate sleep is impacting my blood glucose management.
My new sleep routine seems to be having a very positive impact on my blood glucose numbers. In fact, now I'm having problems keeping from getting numbers that are too low, at least when I get good sleep.
In addition to impacts on blood glucose, I've found lack of sleep has immediate effects on blood pressure (mine is normal but can run on high side of normal at times), body aches and pains and general tolerance for the daily things of life.
I've always known this intellectually, but experiencing and observing the affects first hand is something quite different.

I found an interesting study on the impact of lack of sleep on diabetics and took this photo (click to enlarge) of  one interesting page.

I'm slowly catching up to paperwork and a few small tasks.
It feels good to move forward but I'm expecting another summer guest soon.
Before she arrives I need to make progress on all my errands and a few projects around the house and garden.

A photo of my patio garden taken on Friday.


I hope your summer is going well.

We have so many summer festivals here.  There are multiple festivals and events going on every week and it's hard to keep up to what is going on in the city.  I guess that is all good for the tourists.
As for me, I'm enjoying staying home and the peace and quiet as I convalesce.
Another long weekend comes to an end today. I found it quiet and peaceful in my neighbourhood.  Long weekends the locals like to get out to visit relatives or go camping.

We will be back to rain this week if the weather forecast is to be believed.
I don't mind for the garden to get another good soak.
Thanks for stopping by.
Happy August!

Our World Tuesday

Wild About Colour

As I've mentioned a few times already the weather in this part of the world has been very unusual. I think that is true the world over these days. In Kericho, Kenya where I do missions work, they have been having so much rain and that is also unusual at this time of year. One of the things I've always loved about Kericho is the temperate climate. It rains virtually every day but outside of rainy season it is just enough to make everything fresh and new and then the sun comes out.  It can get quite hot for a Canadian girl like me but nothing like the dry, arid areas of the north and south.

I'm mentioning the weather again because we've had a spell of hot days. It was supposed to rain or cool off for a few days but I don't remember it really doing so.  Too much rain or too much heat is not good for my little garden which is very fragile.

I go out to water the garden late at night and try and soak the ground but there are still so many very sandy patches despite all my efforts over years to enrich the soil. It makes it rather difficult to grow things. I have better luck with growing things in containers but I keep trying to grow something edible or pretty in the small patch of land I call my garden.

Here is what the garden is growing right now.  These photos were taken at night so aren't as clear as they might be. All the drops of water on petals are from the hose. Not the sky.

Cherry tomatoes are coming up. Cabbage in back.

The leaves still show hail damage from a few weeks ago but the plant is growing well.

I love this tree but it sheds so much throughout the year. It is responsible for a lot of my time in the garden.

Thank you for stopping by. I'm joining in with Our World Tuesday this week.