Lovely

It has been a lovely, sunny and dry day. No complaints. It was also on the warm side of cool. Though the early morning was definitely cool at 6C. My weather word for today. Lovely.

However I will complain about my night’s sleep which was not great. Consequently I woke up feeling very tired. Washed out. And I had to put major effort into getting out of bed.
But H and I made it out for our walk round Cholsey ponds in lovely sunshine. They are full of water again and H was quick to get in there. I sat on a bench ( but not for long) enjoying the relative warmth.

Bilbo had gone missing and I was asked to look out for him. I was told he was a little brown dog who had omitted to return to his owner despite her desperate calls. She went on an extended walk calling his name.

As usually happens on these occasions, she was at the furthest point from me (a mere dot in the distance) when the little scamp reappeared from a nearby field where his owner had been walking earlier. He was confused as to where to go and shy, but friendly. He was also very tiny. Almost invisible in fact. Except for his ears, which were not tiny. He loitered by a nice girl and her gentle lab who I had roped into help. H was no use at all because she didn’t realise that the treat I was offering Bilbo was not for her. And kept bouncing in the way.

Bilbo was reunited and we went home. I managed to get my remaining plants into pots but I will require more. Plants that is. I made more mess and tried to clear it up. Two peonies to go and the grass to cut … I wonder what Sunday’s weather forecast holds.

I have been a bit over enthusiastic, and have ordered a bean growing container and a similar tomato one. Silly me. I might require more of those 50 kg bags of compost to fill them up. As for the costs, by the time I have grown anything edible, I could have probably bought twice as many beans and tomatoes! For the same money.

It was then time to visit Brenda, in Newbury, who had her knee replaced 9 days ago. She has a leg that is covered in bruises reminiscent of a sinister rainbow. She also has a clot that the medics are trying to bust with dispirin. But her knee feels a lot better, despite her leg feeling heavy. The clot doesn’t help, nor does the concrete the docs used as a filler!
We had a long and cheerful chat and I had the chance to meet her sister who is staying over to keep an eye on her. A very pleasant couple of hours plus whiled themselves away.
And the drives were pleasant in both directions, particularly going home around 17.30. I could not believe the lack of traffic. Of course HGVs had been packed away for the holiday weekend which is probably why.

H was pleased to see me when I arrived home. The garden was becoming pleasing to the eye but I was disappointed by the lack of obvious growth among my newly potted plants. They have been in the pots for a whole afternoon for heaven’s sake! They are slow off the mark.

I am hoping for a dry today tomorrow so I can get the peonies into the ground, use the strimmer and the mower, and make a decision on seeds v seedlings for my beans and tomatoes. And where to put these containers when Amazon delivers them. I might visit a garden centre.

I’ve taken that Turkey out of the freezer ready to cook it for the Illis tomorrow evening.

I caught up with the boat races. I’m pleased to report that, despite predictions to the contrary, Cambridge won both, though there was controversy over the women’s race, and over E. coli on the Thames. I also learned that Oxford train at Wallingford and, as a unit, have had much less time on the water.

Why doesn’t this surprise me? Well all the flooding is responsible, making the river too dangerous for weeks now. Fergus, Debs’ son, rows to a high standard at Wallingford, and has had to train at Dorney (an hour away) with his crew.

Fleur is on a Netherlands Hockey Tour. They have won both matches so far.

Well I’m awake at an early hour again, as I sip my coffee, but with a good solid sleep behind me. Only not as long as I thought. An hour less, in fact.

It’s Sunday morning, Easter Sunday.

Another omission / miscalculation on my part. Thank goodness for Apple and other gadgets that reset their time accurately when hours go back and forth.

Thought for the Day