The lure of the infinitesimal white dot

An unfortunate brush with a butter burr on the way home from a tramp around the fields recently necessitated some unscheduled canine hair brushing. Lyra must have realised the dreadful consequences of her decision to explore the undergrowth in the little wood almost immediately as, rather than linger chatting to the coos with me atContinue reading “The lure of the infinitesimal white dot”

The kindly smirr

A gentle smirr of rain has been hanging in the air all day today so I have been gifted a cast iron excuse to keep out of the garden (where I have been labouring in stakhanovite fashion the last few days). As always, initial excitement at the boundless horizon of possible indoor activities caused aContinue reading “The kindly smirr”

Pigeon post

Mum is now confined to barracks. Under extensive forensic cross examination she finally admitted that the sore ankle previously designated as “fine” was actually extremely painful. As she refused to lie on the sofa eating violet creams in the required manner, I gave her the much ignored (other than by moths and one of theContinue reading “Pigeon post”

Not the only fruit

A week or so ago we took delivery of sixteen kilos of organic seville oranges. As you do… Keith, who instigated this foray into wholesale fruit, had first dibs for his marmalade. He lined up a friend to come and enjoy a “marmalade masterclass”. Alas, delivery date confusion meant that Anne’s visit preceded delivery ofContinue reading “Not the only fruit”

Whiteout?

In an ironic turn of events, the day I awoke to the photography prompt “red” I drew the curtains on a scene of the most brilliant white. Undeterred, I hustled mum into her wellies and assorted jumpers and we set out on a quest for colour. All things considered, we did not badly and theContinue reading “Whiteout?”

Luxury Stuffing!

I managed to hold onto the feeling that matters festive were completely under control until the 19th this year – rather a triumph! In the days running up to the Great Christmas Party on the 17th there was much cake icing and canapĂ© making (making canapĂ©s that is, the cake is sacrosanct) is the veryContinue reading “Luxury Stuffing!”

Low Noon

A little overnight snow brought the temperature up a touch yesterday and today there are signs of a slight thaw. The crackle and crunch as we pass has been replaced by a soft shoe shuffle. Evidence of overnight revels abound. One of the compost heap bunnies has dashed across the frozen pond top, pursued byContinue reading “Low Noon”

December Dilettantism

Oh my, I have been remiss! First post of December and it’s almost half way through! In my defence, it has been just a little frenetic the last couple of weeks. A quick catch up follows and I shall return to the usual beat of dog walks and hedgerow watching tomorrow. The first few daysContinue reading “December Dilettantism”

As ye reap..

As summer ends I find myself jealously collecting in the fruits of all our labours in the garden for the winter. All my saved seed has been decanted into envelopes and labelled (hopefully correctly) and the summer’s dried flowers and herbs are sorted, tied and (mostly) bagged. It is, therefore, finally possible to walk acrossContinue reading “As ye reap..”

About time

I’ve never got to grips with relativity (the scientific type, not the study of second cousins – in which I am well versed). I abandoned physics shortly after the ticker tape machine because I hankered after Art. Consequently, I have no sensible explanation for why time speeds up, seemingly exponentially, mid June. One minute thereContinue reading “About time”