Anyone paying attention (though why should you!) will note that I am now all out of order. However, having got a pressing cri de coeur about “stuff” out of my system and with an hour of luxurious spare time up my sleeve, I am now returning to the joys of our week in Glenelg. IContinue reading “Trekking”
Category Archives: novels
Snowdrop time
As the snow dwindled, the frost set in with the melt reforming overnight into hardened pools of ice, grey and strangely rounded, like melted candles. The paths around the fields set into uncomfortably frosty ridges. Mum and I trudged on stoically in the quest for extra steps and fancy camera angles and the family soupContinue reading “Snowdrop time”
Winter is here
This week has finally brought winter. A sunny walk in the woods at the weekend had lulled me into a complacent confidence that Christmas would be mild and balmy and the lifting of the dahlias could proceed at dilettante pace. The tissue paper whisper of the grass on Monday told another tale. The first ofContinue reading “Winter is here”
A middling type
Autumn, like spring, summer and winter, is definitely my favourite season. Everything just feels so much less frenetic. It is warm and sunny enough to make walking the pooch or pottering in the garden a pleasure, but there’s enough intermittent cloud cover to justify a little indoor sloth and pootering, guilt free. Lyra and IContinue reading “A middling type”
Dropsy
We are still somewhat sweltering in the late summer heat. Evenings of light rain have lessened the stress on the plants a little, but it hasn’t really penetrated and a few centimetres down it is still dry and earthenstone hard. After a burst of enthusiasm getting four of the new peonies in, taking some “insurance”Continue reading “Dropsy”
Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot
The last few days have been mighty fierce indeed. No sooner had I thrown off the remaining post viral lethargy than a whole new ambient temperature related lethargy arrived. I have spent the last three days reading yet more books (having finished all the Mick Herron spy books (quite funny, but read them now asContinue reading “Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot”
Leaning in for take off
The wild west wind is now our regular companion. In the garden, every day brings a new lawnful of detritus. The poor shredder has had an attack of the vapours and gone to convalesce at the repair shop. Hopefully it will recover as I still have a lot of mulching to do. In the meantimeContinue reading “Leaning in for take off”
Order, Order…
The last week or so has been rather frenetic. We plunged from splendid covid isolation to a week with visitors staying every night, and for the first half of the week, different ones every day. I was a veritable Mrs Tiggiwinkle, scuttling to and fro with bundles of laundry between arrivals and departures. Our firstContinue reading “Order, Order…”
Different Strokes
I’m still largely in summer sloth mode. I have had a few tentative forays out to cut things back, but in the main it’s still either (i) too hot and dry or (ii) tipping down with a summer monsoon. To maintain an illusion of activity I have filled the top of the garage with danglingContinue reading “Different Strokes”
Days of wine and roses
The clouds and mist are back, which is nice for the new plants but a bit dreary for everyone else. I feel distinctly short changed given the Met Office 10% chance of rain prediction. I suppose someone locally has to be in the 10%, but I tend to the view that it should most certainlyContinue reading “Days of wine and roses”
Live from Ruthven 