In the way of these things, the best gardening days for weeks arrived and both my wellies and gardening boots gave up the ghost. Nothing for it, I ordered some new ones and persevered with the weird sensation that there was a tortoise inside my boot whilst they scoured the country for a teeny tinyContinue reading “New Boot Reboot”
Category Archives: musings
Spring in our steps
There are finally signs of spring. The snowdrops in the wood are starting to fade and bright green spears of garlic are just emerging. Soon the air will be redolent of pasta and cassoulet and this will doubtless prove fatal to my desultory attempts to be rid of the winter lard. It is cool andContinue reading “Spring in our steps”
Public Service Announcement
I’ve been out to check and it’s still horrible. Shelter in place until further notice. We had a tantalisingly sunny day earlier in the week. It had started overcast but by the time Lyra and I hit the trail patches of blue were visible so a skip around the riverside was in order. As weContinue reading “Public Service Announcement”
Crewel weather
We are suspended between disappearances. It is not black over Bill’s mother, she has simply disappeared, together with the Lammermuir and the Cheviot, all quietly erased by smirr. The wet hangs, bone-chilling, in the air. Drainage ditches are lipping with weak tea and the water table has escaped, with glassy sheets covering fanned out buttercupsContinue reading “Crewel weather”
Rain did not stop play
It has been exceeding vile abroad. Lyra and I have bravely ventured forth every day, but it has not been delightful. The back lane is awash with puddles and the ditches are running lipping full with cold milky tea. By the end of our daily perambulation my finger ends are numb and Lyra is aContinue reading “Rain did not stop play”
New Habits
The same, but different is the new Ruthven House motto. We finally unpacked enough boxes to enable Mum to move into her new house in the middle of the month. There remain a number of cardboard hold outs, squirrelled away in corners where Mum thinks I don’t know about them, and a vast realm ofContinue reading “New Habits”
New year nip
Things are gradually getting back to normal. All our visitors have gone now and, aside from intermittent confrontations in the battlefield of Mum’s unpacking (usually after a landmine discovery of yet another box of china/glassware/towels), peace has descended. All of the fruitcake and almost all the Christmas sweeties have been snarfed and we are graduallyContinue reading “New year nip”
Almost quarter way through
A twitter compadre has just noted that this is the last day of the first quarter of the current century. So you are probably expecting me to say something momentous and deep about the state of our times. Fear not…… I shall leave you to your own ruminations and conclusions, but hope you find someContinue reading “Almost quarter way through”
The Christmas Remix
Yesterday was fairly full on! I think I sat down for the first time around 6.30 – and then got up again as there was weary sighing and tutting from the cranberry sauce team about the fire not being lit and the table not being set yet. As I looked around the just wiped downContinue reading “The Christmas Remix”
Christmas Eve
I have just sat down, for the first time today. Mum took on solo dog walking today so that I could catch up with myself. As she set off I rolled up my sleeves. By the time she staggered back, having gone much too far, and taken it at a positive sprint because “the dogContinue reading “Christmas Eve”