Not all doom and gloom

The news has gone, it seems, from pretty dispiriting to downright bizarre. I have taken to doom scrolling in bed before breakfast to see what fresh insanity has been unleashed. Lachlan, ever sanguine, is of the view that periodic bursts of bonkers are simply part of the human condition and, like goldfish, we have foundContinue reading “Not all doom and gloom”

Taking the hint

The Gods, it seems, do not want me weeding the garden. Every time I am on the verge of donning Uncle Tommy’s excellent gardening strides the wind whips up to a howling hoolie and it starts to rain. I have mustered three, maybe four, decent days out with my tools since my last confession. (AndContinue reading “Taking the hint”

19, 20 & 21 viruses in overdrive

My “back to normal tomorrow” post on the 18th proved an extremely over optimistic prognosis. However, I am out of bed (though have had a strip ripped off me by my mum for this reckless manoeuvre). This thing has practically floored me – I’ve had shakes and shivers, bizarre fever dreams involving giant lilies, aContinue reading “19, 20 & 21 viruses in overdrive”

From the home front..

This evening’s despatches come from the Ruthven hospital wing. Mum and Lachlan are exiled to the infectious sofa where they are festering with head colds. They communicate the need for drinks and snacks in strained, nasal tones as though from the distant end of a 1920s speaking tube. Lachlan has only just risen from hisContinue reading “From the home front..”

Limbo

June passed in a frenetic blur of activity. Somehow we hit peak gardening, peak attic emptying and peak builder organising all at the same time. Something had to give and it proved to be the keyboard…. Our open garden day at the end of June was swiftly followed with a rather frenetic trip to LondonContinue reading “Limbo”

Someone left the cake out in the rain

The drear mirk continues, with intermittent flashes of sun. This, combined with a rather crippling and persistent bout of insomnia, has me distinctly frayed at the edges. Life rolls on much as ever, the vicissitudes and irritations are neither better nor worse than usual, but the energy to shrug things off and scope to deflectContinue reading “Someone left the cake out in the rain”

Reflections on reflections

As the brightness of summer begins to fade, the woods around us grow ever lighter, gaining an almost fragile airiness. Windows appear in the canopy as leaves fall down into foosseling drifts below. Now there are just a few narrowly arched casements and tiny aureoles, but by November we will look through an astragal glazedContinue reading “Reflections on reflections”

Flibbertigibbet

Oh dear, somehow I just can’t get myself back into any kind of sensible routine. I am just skittering and dittering. I start the day, as often as not, with some kind of plan but it takes but the flap of a butterfly wing to derail me. I have taking to rising and donning myContinue reading “Flibbertigibbet”