Thursday 7th July 2033

My visitors have gone. I cheered myself up with a slab of millionaire shortbread, tea and knitting. Oh - and watching the news channel…

It was a really lovely time, spent with such a good friend. Little break now - just time to get organised for my daughter and family who are doing some dog and house sitting, while the boy and I take a long postponed trip to my sister's in Canada. We'll have a few days with them first though. So much to do.

The weather has been horrendous - cold, rain and so much wind for this time of year. I'm not a huge fan of hot weather, but even so - this is getting beyond a joke. I've been wearing big jumpers and wooly socks all year. At least I'll get some sun when we go away - that should top me up a bit.

The summer garden has really taken a hit this year - between the weather, covid and travelling, I haven't got to grips with it. Sometimes you have to let some of the balls drop, so no tomatoes this season, but there will be a rush of winter planting when I get back.

Friday 1st July 2022

I'm just dropping in with a holiday postcard. My visitors are here and we are having a really good time. Much pottering, lunching, knitting, and sitting round the table drinking coffee. The conversations have been immense - hilariously uproarious, deep and meaningful, and completely trivial. Its all going on here, as cups are filled in so many important ways.

We've been on a couple of jaunts and eaten some really good food. We're enjoying Wimbledon, although the BBC commentary is most annoying, and had some fun with yarn dyeing. Today we're doing a bit of thrift shopping and antiquing before catching an exhibition in the museum.

Thursday 23rd June 2022

Well my house is all scrubbed and polished, ready for my visitors. Just some shopping to be done, which I'll catch in the morning.

I worked away most of the day, so there's nothing very interesting to talk about. The house feels ready for summer though.

I had set some dandelion mead to ferment, away back in April and today I racked it off into a couple of kilner jars. The smaller one in the picture contains the liquid from the bottom of the bucket, but I hope it will clear. I've put it away at the back of the hall cupboard to rest. In Lark Rise they left their mead for a year before drinking it. I will too, although I did try a wee glass - it is quite dry, but in a nice way.

It turned out to be a lovely afternoon, so I took an hour out before the school run and sat in the garden with my book. I don't often read during the day - it's a bedtime thing, so this felt very decadent, and I enjoyed it even more because of that.

Dinner was a chicken noodle stir fry. It was very tasty.

Not sure how often I'll be popping in here for a few weeks. First visitors arrive tomorrow then the school term finishes later in the week. I'll blog when I can but probably less frequently.

I'm managing to stay away from instagram quite easliy - not missing it at all.

Wednesday 22nd June 2022

Another busy day getting ready for my visitors - the guest room is ready and looks really fresh. There is more juggling of beds nowadays as the boys are a lot older now, but we manage. I got most of the floors mopped and woodwork cleaned, so I am getting there.

I put up a shelf unit that had been languishing on the hall floor for months. It was very tricky to hang and it is slightly squint. I should have waited till the boy was home, but we have walked past this and ignored it for month - even piling things on top, so I took a snap decision and went for it. I didn’t get out to the garden though.

I spent far longer than I expected organising an upgrade for my phone. I’d had a few issues with it over the past wee while, and the battery isn’t holding the charge for as long now. I have had it for a few years, and I have this important family trip coming up, so I went for the upgrade when I had the chance. My old phone has a good home to go to. But it took so long to organise - I actually knitted several rounds on my sock during the call.

Not much else to report. I am tired again, as I did do a lot of heavy lifting and was up and down to the loft several times. Dinner was leftover tuna pasta - it tasted better today. I had some for lunch too. There was a lot…

I had minutes to do for two of the meetings I clerk, and some emailing for one of them, so the emails are done and one set of minutes complete. I’m going to stop now, make a no-caff and settle down to watch The Repair Shop and the semi-final of the Great British Sewing Bee.

Berries every day now.

Tuesday 21st June 2022

It's all looking very pink and green out on the back patio this solstice evening. There's guitar playing and singing going on up at the stone circle - a mini festival of sorts. It's been very busy up there for a few days - lots of campers and vans. It was grey and drizzly at dawn. Not so much a sunrise - more a gradual lightening of grey. Its looking better this evening so a lot of folk seem to have stayed on.

I was slow to get going this morning, but I pushed through and got a few things done. On the way to the gym, I went to the recycling centre and dropped off a whole load of cardboard I had been hoarding in the shed. I had some vague notion of making several no dig beds at some point, but I wasn't being realistic. I can barely cope with the growing space I have now.

Once that was out, I had loads of room in the hut, so I was able to move the garden shredder out from the entrance hall. Another small step towards organisation.

We went back to our gym sessions today, so that was kind of normal. Not too taxing a sessionas we get slowly back into it.

I had made tuna pasta bake for dinner but there was far too much pasta to sauce. It was alright. At least it was ready to heat up quickly as we were hungry when we got home.

So that's it for today. I slept really well after my early night so I'm going to try and get as many in as I can. Day at home tomorrow so hopefully I'll get into the garden.

Monday 20th June 2022

I made a rhubarb pie yesterday. We enjoyed it and finished it off tonight for dessert. I might have been picking away at it during the day. I always use my Granny's pie plate for these type of double crust pies. It reminds me of childhood Sundays when she would arrive for lunch bearing “unbought delicacies”, to quote Virgil, and when in season, rhubarb pie was often amongst them.

We had a nice weekend. I felt really well on Saturday and got a lot done in the kitchen and spare room. I even got a couple of hours in the polycrub.

Sunday was quieter. Actually it wasn't because a neighbour was using some really noisy machinery - a strimmer I think. Its just not something that people do here. The culture of the Sabbath day rest still remains- even although not everyone goes to church. So that was irritating. It's not a bad thing to have a proper day off and the majority of us here cherish that.

Anyway it was quiet inside the house. I pottered about making a slow cooked Greek lamb dish, podded some broad beans and made the pie.

We watched some of the UFC fights from the previous night - what a great card it was. I cast on the Mysterium Tee - a free pattern on Ravelry. I'm really liking the way it works and the golden linen cotton and mohair combination I'm knitting it in.

I also started getting bits and pieces organised for our trip to Canada in the summer, but i will need to crack on with that. It's going to be a really busy couple of months ahead and I don't have much spare time.

Today was almost normal. The boy went back to school full time and I almost got back into my routine. Tidied up, laundry, watered polycrubs, made pitta bread, did a bit more in the spare room, some admin too, then into town to take the boy to his boxing gym.

Quite a lot when I see it written down.

Dinner was leftover lamb made into some kind of gyros thing with homemade pitta, green salad and tzatziki.

As I suspected, J fell asleep on the sofa after dinner, so I made him go to bed. I decided to have an early night too as I'm very tired.

For all its the eve of the summer solstice, it's cold and miserable here, so I've put a hot water bottle in the bed. I'm looking forward to catching another couple of chapters in my book.

There's a big crowd already up at the standing stones, but, looking at the forecast, I doubt they'll get their sunrise. Hopefully there won't be midnight fireworks this year.

Early Summer Reading

I thought I would do a wee round up of of my latest reading. I always have a book or sometimes two on the go, but during my recent bout of covid, I read a lot more. Here are some quick reviews from my Early Summer reads.

I read these first two books just before I came down with the virus.

Etta Lemon was a Christmas gift from my elder daughter. She knows my reading tastes very well. I had actually misplaced this book for ages and kept looking for it, so I was glad to find it again. It’s a biography of Etta Lemon, one of the three Victorian women who were instrumental in starting what became the RSPB. It tells her story and that of her campaign against the feather trade. Wild birds were hunted and slaughtered - some species to the point of extinction, to provide trimmings for womens’ hats. Etta was a formidable campaigner and worked doggedly all her adult life to bring about and end to this practice. During her time, the RSPB grew increasingly influential, and yet she was side-lined and ignored. I have to confess I knew nothing about her.

The book looks at her life and work, and also, in parallel, compares her story with that of the more well known Emeline Pankhurst. It examines how the different attitudes and circumstances of both women played a part in their different campaigns. Etta Lemon, herself, was anti - suffrage and there was a most interesting discussion around that. I really enjoyed this book and learned so much. I thought it was very well researched and touched on aspects of women’s history that I wouldn’t otherwise have known.

Jane and Prudence, by Barbara Pym was an absolute joy, as all her books are. Set in 1950s England, with rationing and food shortages still in evidence, it tells the story of Jane, as a scatty vicar’s wife and her attempts at matchmaking for her younger, glamourous friend, Prudence.

It’s a very funny story and introduces some incredible Pym-esque characters, such as Fabian Driver and Mrs Dogget. She just evokes those run-down, slightly seedy, post war Britain vibes perfectly and I always enjoy her books.

I’d had this on my shelf for a few years, thinking it might be a good read aloud with the boy. Sadly those days are over and the book remained tucked into a bookshelf. When I was struck down with the virus I wanted something to take my mind off how I was feeling, and often a good vintage childrens’ book is just at the right level. This was absolutely perfect. A rollicking spy adventure, set again in the 1950s, with a whiff of John Buchan about it. Alastair Cameron travels to Skye to stay with a distant relative and before he even arrives, he becomes involved in a myster,y which follows him to the island. There were more than a few twists and turns in this exciting wee story. I really enjoyed it.

Elizabeth Gaskell’s Cranford was a nice wee read. Not much happens in it, to be honest. Its just really scenes of women’s lives set in a provincial town in the 1840s. The women, all either unmarried or widowed, call on each other, gossip and reminisce. There are some gentle adventures - the visit of the conjurer, the failure of a savings bank and others, which I won’t reveal. All very low key stuff - a few poignant lines and some very witty moments. A perfect read when you need to rest and recuperate.

Father, by Elizabeth Von Armin (Enchanted April) was a similar gentle read, although there were bleaker undertones to the tale. Set in the inter-war years, Jennifer has devoted her life to looking after her Father - a promise to her dying mother. Father is an acclaimed writer, but is a household tyrant. One day he arrives home for lunch with a very young and beautiful woman, to whom he has just been married. Jennifer is delighted by this turn of events (cue one of the funniest scenes I have read in a while), promptly shoots off to rent a cottage in the country and live off her small inheritance from her mother. It’s not all roses though. I’ll say no more. It started really well but I think she ran out of steam at the end. It is still a very enjoyable read with some very sharp commentary on the restrictive lives of the surplus women left after WW1

I also read Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen , but I forgot to photograph it. This was definitely my least favourite Austen. I just didn’t take to any of the characters and felt the plot and the prose was boring. It just didn’t have the sparkle that her other works have. Sorry, but there it is.

This has been my favourite book of this selection. Barchester Towers, second in the Barchester Chronicles series by Anthony Trollope. I absolutely loved everything about this book. A continuation of The Warden, this moves the story on in a masterful way into the world of church politics, with all the backstabbing, plotting and wild assumptions that ensue. It is wickedly hilarious and Trollope’s use of the ‘fourth wall’ is inspired. I definitely tried to savour this book and take it slowly - and yet I found myself reading ‘just one more chapter’.

I definitely fell wholesale into Trollope’s world and was reluctant to leave those wonderful characters. I’m currently watching the 1982 BBC series on Youtube, where the characters are so far living up to my imaginary ones. Dr Grantly is maybe slightly too thin, and the Rev. Harding maybe too plump, but all in all it’s easing my withdrawal symptoms.

I did consider going straight on to the next book in the series - Dr. Thorne, but I decided to save it for another time. I aim to work through all the Barchester and Palliser novels though, so look out for them in the future.

And now on to the books I am currently reading.

Both Word from Wormingford and Letters from Hamnavoe are collections of columns the authors wrote for local newspapers.

Ronald Blythe wrote for the Church Times about life in the Parish of Wormingford in deepest Suffolk. His entries are based around the liturgical year, starting at Advent. I started reading it then, and have dipped into it every Sunday morning. I’m being very restrained and savouring a few pages every week. It is delightful - tales of rural life - bluebell picnics, Eastertide, parish characters and history, illustrated by John Nash’s beautiful engravings.

Ronald Blythe mentioned Letters from Hamnavoe in his book, and actually goes to Orkney to visit the poet George Mackay Brown. I was encouraged by this chapter to seek out the actual book, and it is just as delightful. Again, a compilation of his columns for a local newspaper - The Orcadian, the range of subjects he covers in this collection of short pieces is deep and vast.

And I’ve just started The Shell Seekers. I think I am the last person I know not to have read this book. I have read Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher, and had a love/hate relationship with it. On one hand, I loved the cosiness of it all - the roaring fires, the bracing walks by the loch and the softly falling snow. The perfect Christmas atmosphere. But I had trouble with the excruciatingly stereotypical idealisation of a highland village, and I struggled to put that aside. I was also not very keen on the two main characters - in fact I actively disliked them.

So I have been quite resistant to picking this one up after I bought it in a charity shop a few years ago. However - two chapters in, I am quite enjoying it. It just seems where my reading head is right now, coming after a book I really loved. It feels pleasant and safe. I’ll report back.

Thursday 16th June 2022

Well we certainly aren't getting a heatwave today - in fact it looks decidedly dull and wet for the foreseeable future. I'm not complaining in the least though. I've got so much to do in the house right now. My dear friend and her son are coming for their annual visit next week and standards have slipped considerably during our illness. I made a good start on the bedrooms this afternoon and I'll just work away over the next few days and get it done. Hopefully I'll manage out in between rain showers to do a couple of bits and pieces outside.

This morning I took the boy into school just after morning break. He'll be back full time next week, but the phased return was a good thing to do. The term ends at the end of the week anyway, so he'll benefit from the long summer holiday too.

I had some work to do for the community council, which involved a trip to the post office. Our local PO is in the visitor centre, which has a lovely cafe, so I pretended I was some chic city person and did my work sitting at a table with a coffee. There was also cake - and a bacon roll before that… The dishwasher was broken so they had to use takeaway cups. The coffee was good though.

It was a really nice change. Lots of tourists about - French, German, English. A few locals too and I caught up with someone I last saw 3 days before the first lockdown. It was very wet though - that fine smirring rain that soaks everything, so all the cyclists were dripping wet when they came in.

That was it mainly. The boy came home on the normal school bus, we had a noodle stir fry for tea and then I went out and watered the polycrubs. I'm going to feed all the fruiting plants tomorrow in the morning so I like the soil to be nice and damp for that.

I did some rounds on my sock- always one on the go, and watched some of the insurrection hearings on CNN.

I'm planning to do a longer post about the books I've been reading lately- hopefully tomorrow or the weekend. Tonight I'm going to start The Shell Seekers. I'm just in the mood for some over the top tweeness.

Tuesday 14th June 2022

I went to the hairdressers today. I can't remember when I last had a cut - very possibly more than a year ago. I've been growing out my fringe and layers, as there is a big family wedding in July and I want to give myself options. I'm thinking either a sleek low bun, or loose beachy waves. I just went for a trim - 2 inches of dry ends, and my hair feels so much better for it. I was surprised at the price though. £27 for a dry trim? I've obviously been away longer than I thought.

I did a lot of running around this morning. J had the dentist then went into school for a few hours. I visited both garden centres as well as the Crofter's co-op, butchers and supermarket. I dropped things off at 2 charity shops - books at one and clothes at another. Hairdressers, school pickup and recycling centre. Busy day.

I had bought nice beefburgers at the butchers and when we got home we were really hungry so we each had two cheeseburger rolls. When dinnertime came, we weren't hungry and only picked at the chicken pie.

Over eaten and over tired is my end to the day, so I'm having an early night - will probably finish my book.

Slower pace tomorrow I think.

Sunday 12th June 2022

I did get Covid. It was always going to happen. A couple of days after the boy tested positive, I began to feel ill and after a couple of negatives, those two lines eventually appeared.

It's been horrible. We've only just started to feel better in the last few days. Wednesday was the first day I felt I had the energy to pick up where I left off. The boy is starting back to school tomorrow on a phased return. We've just been absolutely wiped out. I cannot imagine how awful and scary it must have been to have caught this virus in the pre-vaccine days.

My cousin was supposed to have spent last week with us but we had to cancel- hopefully we can reschedule in the Autumn.

So we've basically lost a fortnight, but, fortunately we got through it.

The garden and polycrub had to fend for themselves mostly. I did manage to drag myself over to wave a hose around, but that was it. I'm horribly behind with everything, but I'll just keep going and see what happens.

The soft fruit is coming in now - strawberries everyday, early blueberries and summer raspberries beginning to show up too. I picked a load yesterday in a very stylish cardboard box from amazon - my instagrammable wicker basket just never seems to be at hand when I need it.

I haven't been on instagram since I fell ill. It's really annoying me right now. So full of “content creation” and it just feels so fake. I'm contemplating breaking free from it. Quite a telling sentence right there…

I've read so many books lately. I might do a reading post sometime soon if I get the time. Right now I'm reading Barchester Towers, by Anthony Trollope. I love it - so funny and gentle; brilliant characters that I really enjoy spending time with. In fact - I'm just off to join them now.

Tuesday 31st May 2022

The boy has covid. He caught it at school and his three of his friends have it too. He's getting better - bright enough but then feels wiped out. I thought I had started symptoms last night. Feeling very raspy and a stinging feeling in my throat - but the test was still negative this morning.

I did do a lot of hard physical work yesterday and I'm trying to keep on top of things in case I do succumb, so maybe just tired. The gravelly voice is still here this morning though.

In other news, the fruit is beginning to ripen in the polycrub and I ate two homegrown strawberries on Sunday. The earliest yet.

Thursday 26th May 2022

It was a freezing cold gusty day with every combination of weather possible. Of course it would be when the Electricity company planned to replace the pole and transformer that is situated on the croft. Those guys had an arduous shift, I xan tell you, and I was pretty distracted watching them most of the day. I documented the process in my instagram stories if you want to see - there are a lot of them.

Aside from that, I did some housework and laundry, and made a pasta bake for dinner.

Both yesterday and today I had back to back online meetings or seminars to attend. Two sessions were interview and recruitment training for members of the School Parent Council. We have a Head Teacher vacancy that has just been advertised. One was a Community meeting with potential offshore wind power developers, and the other was part of a Scottish Government consultation on a net zero carbon strategy for Island Communities. All very interesting stuff.

It's not all cleaning, shopping and pizza…

Tuesday 24th May 2022

Of course I went for a swim. Why wouldn't I? It was a beautiful clear still morning and the water was perfect. Cold at first, but once we were in it was lovely. We swam the length of the bay and back, talking about offshore wind power.

My friend had to leave for a work call, but I stayed on a bit and gave the dog a run on the sand. What a great way to start the morning.

I was back in just after 10 and got some tidying up done and a washing hung up. Tuesday is one of my town days. Both the boy and I have gym sessions and I had a bit of food shopping to do. I wanted to visit the garden centre to buy a couple of lupin plants, but I ran out of time. Still, a bit of delayed gratification never hurts.

Back home and another stir fry - a request, but this one was better than last night's. We had noodles instead of rice.

I went out later to a Grazings Shareholder meeting. I don't often go, as I no longer have grazing animals, but it was the first one since 2019, so I made an effort. Lots of talk about fences. Nice to see everyone though.

Monday 23rd May 2022

Was a good day. The forecast was for showers, but in the end they stayed away and it was very pleasant. I have been wanting to wash my sofa covers for a while and had decided not to in case I couldn't get them dried. I probably could have after all.

I was planning a morning in the house as the boy has kick boxing after school on a Monday and I normally pick him up in town, but his trainer messaged early on to cancel, so I had all day at home instead.

I did my housework in the morning then had the afternoon in the garden. I finished planting the potatoes and then got the onion and carrot bed ready. I'm trying a new technique called planking, where you sow the seed then cover the row with a plank of wood. It's supposed to encourage quicker and more even germination. You have to check under the planks every day for slugs. Nothing lost by trying I suppose, although it took ages to find enough planks and cut them to size.

I'm slowly ticking off jobs to be done but there are always new ones being added on at the other end.

Dinner was a leftover affair of stir fried rice, vegetables and some roast pork. It was alright - bit dry. We finished off the apricot tart.

Did a bit of knitting and watched a documentary I found on iplayer about John Buchan. Interesting life.

I finished my book too. Barbara Pym is so easy to read and very funny. I'm starting Cranford tonight. I'm just in that sort of mood.

I got a last minute message from a swim friend asking if I was up for an early morning dip as soon as the school bus had gone. I'll wait and see as that is very early. I am tempted because it will be lovely and calm at that time. It really depends on what sort of sleep I have.

Sunday 22nd May 2022

It's rained all day today, but i didn't really mind, it being Sunday. It hasn't really been a good Spring, weather wise. Very windy, wet and cold, but with a handful of warm sunny days. Still, I've managed to get a few bits and pieces of gardening work done over the months.

I had a quiet day. Bit of a long lie, drinking my coffee, reading Barbara Pym, then a nice chat with a dear friend in Lincolnshire. She was planning a day in the garden and a barbecue later - I was wondering if I should switch the heating on!

I pottered about most of the day. We had a substantial omelette for brunch, then I made an apricot crostata for Sunday dessert.

I've been clearing out the spare room - an ongoing task, and had sorted out the filing and paperwork, so I had a huge pile of stuff to be shredded. I spent a happy hour, in the afternoon, shredding paper and watching a TV programme about a family decluttering their home…

Dinner was roast pork and the crostata, then we watched UFC Ultimate Fighter and I did some knitting.

Very quiet Sunday, but I was needing that rest. Not very exciting for my first blog in a few months, but there you go. It's just for me anyway, this space, not selling or promoting anything

Off to bed to read a bit more - finish as I started.

Thursday 27th January 2022

I keep forgetting to blog. I usually post at night, as an end of day thing, but I’ve been quite tired at bedtime lately. I’ve also started reading The Brothers Karamazov, which has diverted my attention from the online world. I’m still ambivalent about it - the online world, I mean. Dostoevsky is wonderful.

Life has been going along in it’s usual rhythm - home, shopping, workouts, meetings etc. I planted garlic and tulips, very late, but they should be ok. I sowed some radish and mooli in the polycrub - hopefully for some future ferments. I have a whole assortment of jars on the dresser now. Yesterday I made some kimchi, which tastes amazing right now, so it’s going to be pretty special in a fortnight’s time. I also made a celeriac kraut, with celeriac that I grew myself! They weren’t very big, but there was enough for a litre jar once they were shredded and pounded down. I also have fermented cranberry relish on the go and today’s experiment was Japanese miso pickles - misozuke - delicious wee flavour bombs.

I went for a swim at the weekend. It was so amazing being in the cold water, and I felt brilliant, but it did take me the rest of the day to feel warm again and even on Sunday I felt a bit chilled. I might leave off for a month or so now, until the temperature creeps up a bit. I only stayed in for 10 minutes. Maybe it was the windchill - I haven’t really mastered the art of getting dressed quickly once I get out.

Not much else to report. I finished the socks - I’m wearing them now, and I’ve cast on another pair. I still have the boy’s jumper on the go too. The snowdrops are out. Think that’s about it.

Tuesday 19th January 2022

I felt really flat for a few days. Maybe just the effects of John's birthday. These things sometimes catch me out. I had really been feeling full of energy and positivity and then crashed quite abruptly. There was nothing else for it but wait for it to pass, which it did a couple of days later - as suddenly as it arrived.

I found that the online world- especially social media, was really annoying, and it was best to stay away. The political situation was (and still is) horrendous and I think that might have had a lot to do with my low mood.

I’m feeling better now - still just doing my usual things around the house and in and out of town. I’m starting to think more about the garden and the coming growing season. I’m determined not to start too early though, as I got caught out with some late frosts last year - unusual for us here. Also, I hope some travel may be on the cards this year, so I need to factor that in to any growing plans.

I took a walk down the croft today to look at the trees and pond. It was really windy and cold and I procrastinated all day, but finally went down late afternoon. It was a good call - the light was beautiful and the trees have grown well and look really strong. There were a couple of ducks on the pond, but they flew off as I approached. It was nice to spend some time there and it cheered me no end - especially when I look at what I have created in this space.

I’m hoping to plant some more in different areas this year, but I don't want to become overwhelmed. I need to remember that there is only one of me, however many inspired ideas and plans I come up with.

Wednesday 12th January 2022

Today would have been John's birthday. I always feel a wee bit fragile on big days like this. It always used to catch me out - so close after Christmas. Birthday gifts were often last minute or bought at the sales. We usually went out for a nice lunch or dinner, though, and I would always make a cake.

My brother in law phoned, as he always did when John was here, but he continues to mark the day. I appreciate that so much. We had a good chat - mostly jokey banter, but we both remembered.

I mostly pottered about today. Cleaned out the fridge, made a start on the spare room, flattened out some cardboard boxes and organised the recycling, ready to take to the dump.

Dinner was the leftover dahl from yesterday. I made enough for two nights. It was still as good. I could eat a bowl everyday.

The weather hasn't been great today - windy and rainy. Everywhere else seemed to have sunshine and amazing sunrises.

Hopefully it will be a bit nicer tomorrow and I can get outside into the garden.

Tuesday 11th January 2022

It was a showery blustery day. I was really tired because I kept waking up, lying on my sore arm. I had watched a physiotherapist's video which showed different sleeping positions and pillow formations for arm and shoulder injuries. The trouble was, if you wanted to change position you had to completely change the way your pillows were arranged. So I gave up on that, but my sleep was quite disturbed. I felt so slow and heavy until late on in the morning, dragging myself around.

Despite that, I managed to tidy up, get a washing on and fold a basket of dry laundry, attend to my ferments and make dinner ready to reheat when we got in.

Off into town - a gym day for us both. This is my bike day, and i’ve been doing well, building up my speed and stamina. I started off strong, but halfway through I just completely fizzled out, like a clockwork toy running out. I did do some arm exercises but with much lighter weights than normal, and then did mostly stretches after that. On the way home I suddenly remembered that last week I had been pushing a loaded wheelbarrow and moving some pretty heavy tubs. I’m wondering if I pulled a muscle or tendon doing that. The idea actually made me feel better - knowing what could have caused it.

Drove home and realised I hadn't needed to use the full beam on my headlights, and the other drivers weren't either. I hate that part of driving in the dark - calculating when to dip.

Nice to get in to dinner ready - just the rice to cook. We had lentil dahl with coconut and tomato, brown rice and chilli spiced broccoli which I cooked in the airfryer. It was all really delicious. The dahl was amazing - recipe from Tesco online, although I added a grated carrot with the onion, and half a teaspoon of hot chilli powder.

Not much else going on - evening by the fire and TV. I’m still not knitting as I don't want to aggravate my injury. Interesting archaeology program on, which I enjoyed very much.

I had ordered a book on fermenting, by the woman who is running the course I’m doing, so looking forward to flipping through that shortly.

Getting very windy outside.

Monday 10th January 2022

Good weekend. I went swimming on Saturday morning. It was cold but glorious. Was lovely to meet up with someone I hadn't seen for a few years. Sadly she told me her husband has been diagnosed with dementia. So sorry to hear that- when I saw them last he was so strong and vital, but it was still good to see her get out and back into the water for a wee bit respite. The waves were quite strong, but we found a calm area and swam facing the sunrise.

After months of humming and hawing, I finally ordered an air fryer and when I got home it had arrived. We couldn't wait to try it, so we sat down to steak frites at 2 pm. I've used it every day since, trying out different things. Yesterday we had chicken and roast potatoes and today it was teriyaki pork skewers with stir fry veg. I think it’s going to be a real asset, although we might have a meat free day tomorrow.

I’m continuing happily with my fermentation course, and caught up with all my assignments now my ingredients are here. I posted about it on my instagram.

I still haven't been able to knit, because of pain in my arm, but I feel its improving. I’m fairly certain it’s a combination of posture and repetitive strain injury, so i’m doing all the right things. I do miss just picking up my knitting and working a few rows, though.

Training day today, so into town to pick the boy up. In the coop they had organic broccoli reduced to 25p a head because it was short dated. It felt really firm so I bought 6. I’ll make soup and put the rest in the freezer. I would have bought more but I'm a bit short of space and there is a crop almost ready in the polycrub.

We noticed a real change in the light, driving home tonight. Still pink in the Western sky at 5 o'clock.

Nice evening. Caught up with the Great Pottery Throwdown on TV. An absolute joy of a programme.