Three French Hems

Day 3 – the Great Leap Forward remains elusive. I awoke feeling the after effects of yesterdays pilates. Nonetheless, after only two warm up coffees I did at least 80 per cent. of my physio exercises (no headless gift rodents today – perhaps they are contingent on completing the pelvic floor routine) and donned myContinue reading “Three French Hems”

On the first day of Christmas……

The festive season approaches and it is time for the traditional T-25 Sit Rep by Santa’s increasingly creaky elf. So that’s all excellent. What could possibly go wrong? I have resolved (in my own mind) to keep a running update to generate solidarity and fellow feeling amongst all those adopting the same modern and efficientContinue reading “On the first day of Christmas……”

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”

Mad March

I’ve been tied up with all manner of “stuff” of late and somehow March has slipped through my fingers. A catch up is well overdue and a combination of truly miserable weather and the blissful peace of an empty house (I have been largely deserted for various holidays, meetings, lectures and what have you) meansContinue reading “Mad March”

Softly Softly

To my drilled nose (healing nicely thank you – really not that bad at all, just a lingering sore throat and strange “dangly” sensation like a tonsil trying to escape) we must add Keith’s extracted tooth. It is now incumbent on Mum to bite her tongue whilst Lachlan pokes a finger in his eye for theContinue reading “Softly Softly”

God rest ye merry gentle wife

It is Christmas Eve and, in the time honoured manner, my feet are gently throbbing and I am enjoying last year’s plum gin and tonic. But Monkey’s Christmas jumper is made, the vast haul of twigs from the garden have been decanted into vases, the fridge is full of stuffing and there are crème caramelsContinue reading “God rest ye merry gentle wife”

The Zen of the Last Post

With the passing of the last sensible posting date and the annual Christmas party (when a few by-hands can be made) there comes, a brief period of seasonal zen. What could be done has been done and what could not be done can always be added to the list of interesting projects for next year. The finalContinue reading “The Zen of the Last Post”

The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come

There is a haunted look about the place today. The orchard is a spectral grove of skeletal trees bearing baubles of hollowed out apples. The gravel garden has the air of Miss Havesham’s wedding feast, with eerily preserved frozen shades of summer’s bounty. Driving down our rollercoaster of a road into town for coffee withContinue reading “The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come”