We live on the border of the conservation area - and I do mean 'on the border' as our back garden (which is really mostly a lovely small patio) shares a dry stone garden wall with a historic landmark garden. Just now there is no privacy when the garden is open to visitors (and the garden gets a lot of visitors) and most of those visitors have no shame about looking over into our property. Hopefully by the end of summer we'll have erected a privacy screen - but the plan has to be approved by the Historic Trust operating the landmark garden and must comply with their 'in keeping with' rule. The screening plan has already been granted provisional approval but the national office has yet to approve it 'officially'. No doubt it will be granted but the wheels turn slowly...

Any road, another consequence of living right on the border of a conservation area is outdoors anything has to be done in a way that doesn't detract from the historic appearance of the area - no flashing Santa and Sleigh displays on the roof at Christmas, for example, and any garden art can't be 'too modern'. No worries, we're not 'too modern' (we tend to vintage decor indoors and 'tasteful' cottagey garden ornaments and planting outdoors).

SIDEBAR MOMENT:
Our town is a town, officially. Unofficially it is more like a large village and we can't say enough about how happy we are to live here. Every month we have an open air market in the town centre, we enjoy travelling concerts and theatre performances (including the obligatory panto at Christmas), and at Christmas the locals gather in small congenial groups to do walking tours of the Christmas lights more and more residents are putting on display. Here in the conservation area most of the main road residents go Victorian-Edwardian with their displays, the shopkeepers, also in the conservation area, do the same, and it really is such a satisfying round Christmas 2018 Paul and I didn't even bother driving down to Dundee to do a driving lights tour. 

The designated 'front' of our property is best described as secluded and next to tiny (which suits us at our age as it's less to have to maintain) so technically I suppose if we were interested in lining the front with, say, 4 foot tall plastic snowmen or a Nativity scene, we could. (I suppose here is where I must confess I've long dreamt of a plastic pink flamingo flock but some dreams aren't meant to come true and the pink flamingo flock is one of those not meant to come true dreams)

The neighbouring lane residents (also in the conservation area but nearly as secluded as we are on our goat track) 'go to town' with their Christmas lighting - one house in particular seems serious about attempting to be seen from the ISS. Luckily all we get from their display is the flash reflection as their display changes colours and 'twinkle' speeds - not a problem, really, it is akin to the Aurora Borealis in colours and 'flashing'. Of course, the neighbour who prefers more tasteful Christmas lighting (his tree is on display through the front bay window from afternoon until 10pm when his wife draws the curtains), loathes the 'excess' - the lights go on at dusk and continue to light up the lane until after midnight and shine straight into every window on the front elevation of the poor man's home...

As for Paul and me, we liked our 2018 display of a bit of white lighting on the topiaries flanking our front door. I loved the twinkle effect but it drains the batteries so I kept the display on steady. If I'd been thinking when I bought the battery 'micro lights' (OMGoodness, those new-fangled 'micro lights' battery or solar are AMAZING!!) I would have gone for the solar version, but heigh ho, live and learn as me old dad used to say.

Paul generally leaves these things to me with the request being 'Please, don't go overboard' and I like he trusts my judgement. Last year I used just two 20bulb light strands for the topiaries - which was nice enough but not really. So I watched the January sales on the two online lights retailers and scored some more white micro light sets, and some coloured micro lights sets, and one tasteful 'stars' drop light set for the kitchen window (which fronts our front garden and path and can be seen by the lovely 80ish year old lady from her upper floor living room window in the property two goat tracks over).

And I've just now bought the last of the 2019 Christmas (and beyond, I now have everything for making a tasteful 'in keeping' Christmas lights display) lights. Yes, I've bought 2x100bulb solar fairy lights (traditional as the 100bulb solar micro light strands are a bit over of my budget). I will string these atop the border fencing and my outdoor lights display will be lovely - simple, nothing flashy or over the top, and best of all, nothing so extravagant the walking lights tourers will not be drawn down the goat track to gawp but will see the lighting as a sort of peripheral effect as they stroll the goat track connecting to the 'seeable from the ISS' property goat track.

The heat, humidity, and torrential rain here across the UK continues on, and yesterday Down South a reservoir was partially breached causing an entire village to be evacuated for fear of dangerous flooding.

Wednesday afternoon we had to go down to Dundee but were 'waylaid' by the gardener at the historic property - stood out there in the heat and humidity for nearly an hour chatting and paid for it once home several hours later - swollen limbs, shortness of breath, some angina pain, and a few other unpleasant heat-humidity related effects. The older I become the harder it is becoming to cope well with heat and humidity. As advised by the cardiologist, I have been keeping track of temperature and humidity (LOVE my cheap Chinese combi-thermometer/hygrometer!) and am dismayed to find any temp over 22C/72F+70% humidity is a sure trigger for heart symptoms.

My 'stoopid little heart thingie' is now a 'stoopid biggish heart thingie'. dammit.