Time and socks

In the great scheme of life you never have enough. Of course there are protective measures you can take with socks. They can be assiduously flyped before hitting the laundry bin. You can hang them on the line Ark style, pegged neatly two by two. In the end, if push comes to shove, Asda doContinue reading “Time and socks”

Windswept and interesting

Friday was Lyra’s third birthday. It is hard to think we’ve had her for such a short time so embedded is she in our lives. Mornings without a sleepy snuffle when you come into the kitchen must have been a sorry thing indeed and what did I do for exercise before the daily field yomp??Continue reading “Windswept and interesting”

It’s all gone Pete Tong

Where to begin….. We set off for the Isle of Wight primped and prepped. Our little party was staying at the Grand, where an ongoing ambience of being in the middle of a Hercule Poirot adventure coexisted slightly uneasily, but in a good way, with the breakfast mix tape of 70s funk classics. The weddingContinue reading “It’s all gone Pete Tong”

Open season is closed (for a bit)

Finally, or at least for a month, we have the garden to ourselves and license to ignore it or appreciate it from a sedentary position, as the mood takes us. The annual garden open day took place last Sunday, on the coldest and windiest (but thankfully not rainiest) day for ages. The cohort of stalwartContinue reading “Open season is closed (for a bit)”

The Carpenters were wrong…

Well, perhaps they had a point about Mondays, but rainy days do rather have their own charm. By and large it’s been lovely recently. I’ve been out in my dungarees (now the proud possessor of 4 pairs…) digging and shovelling like someone who is most definitely not a retired, slightly lardy, former solicitor. The newContinue reading “The Carpenters were wrong…”

Seeing the wood and the Trees

I have been out of sorts recently. A sinus infection has gripped me by the temples and, yet again, blown my eardrum. Nothing terribly painful, but hard to sleep and low level headaches and a general, weary ‘not rightness’. So in Pollyanna style I shall write not of my angry bear reaction to all domesticContinue reading “Seeing the wood and the Trees”

The productivity illusion

It has been niggling at me recently that somehow this year I have “got less done” than last year. The Ruthven output index seems hovering well below its peak. This thought particularly tugs at me when my inclination mid afternoon is to hit the sofa with a book and my knitting – “tch, tch” theContinue reading “The productivity illusion”

Send Ark Urgently…

It is tipping down. All productivity has been halted pending an improvement in the precipitation levels. Keith and I started early, as Edna the Morgan was scheduled for a service first thing and I had to drive Keith back from the garage. Sadly, the heavens opened just as we set off. I scooted off inContinue reading “Send Ark Urgently…”

The Aftersloth

Another huge gap with no post! The late August wave of visitors had barely broken on the shore when the September tsunami rose. The Highland branch of the Bee clan finally made it down and, in nothing short of a miracle, both of the esteemed offspring came (down from Edinburgh and up from Surrey respectively)Continue reading “The Aftersloth”

Home Alone

Circumstances have taken everyone off recently and I am left behind self isolating with symptomless Covid. Well, I seem to be the only person who thinks the strawberries are a bit tasteless this year so I may have one symptom – the loss of taste thing (though it is not, as you will hear, reducingContinue reading “Home Alone”