Same old same old

Desperately trying to catch up on some photo editing for work. It’s OK to start with but after a while it becomes a little samey. I’ve also just taken next week off so I need to make sure I’m on – if not ahead of – schedule.

My colleague is moving back upstairs (for a little while he sat down here and it was good fun), he’s not happy about having to relocate because it means he is nearer his boss who is a bit of a tool, and sitting with a team whose work is completely different to his. I’ve bought doughnuts to make it a happier occasion but I think he’s still pissed off. He was also a good foil for misery guts colleague. I didn’t seem to notice her bad moods and rudeness quite so often when he was around.

Next week, after going sailing in Devon, we’re spending the whole week at home. I have loads of things I want to sort out and we could do with a spring clean to be blunt… tiredness and busy lives have meant things have gotten a little untidy at no. 88!

Still a little peeved about yesterday and the silly antics of some at the meeting. Seems equally childish of me to be harping on about it, but it’s always the little things that bug me. Character flaw # 84… maybe I should take my own advice “build a bridge and get over it!”

Yep, that’s done it :0)

PS. Anyone having trouble with this new blogger? I keep having problems signing in, and there's all these big gaps in my links bar...

No thanks....

I had a meeting with Slightly on Friday at his lovely new apartment; we were talking about my new website. I have decided to try and sell some of my photography and he has generously decided to help! So we talked about that (it won’t be just a site for my photography, he thinks it’s important my writing is on there too) and also I got myself a commission! He has been working on a book that’s being published this year; men and cookery, the difference is that the men are real men (as opposed to models I mean) and are all naked. But it’s not gratuitous; it’s fun, cheeky and sexy. Apparently they’ve used big men and small men and everything in between men…

The publishers want the same again, but with women this time. Now Slightly is acutely aware of how women are generally portrayed in the media, and wants the same approach as he took with the male version: real women, real food, real fun – nothing salacious or explicit. And whilst there are many, many photographers better than me, I am ideal for the job because (a) I am a good photographer and (b) I understand implicitly how he as an author wants to present the book and how as a woman I would want to see the women in the book portrayed were I too pick up a copy in my friendly neighbourhood bookstore. I’ve already had some ideas, and will be starting to keep a sketch pad so that we can progress the project, but how cool is that? New website… new job…!

Saturday we did some shopping in Dulwich and it reminded me why I am distinctly under whelmed by the area – nice shops, but stuck up people who look thoroughly miserable all the time. Didn’t stop us spending a small fortune, including two long, silver heart shaped spoons! Lit the fire pit in the evening after a tasty dinner and we sat under the stars for a couple of hours enjoying the night air… lovely.

Today we went for a great walk in the middle of the north Kent countryside with friends (book launch friends) and the dogs. Absolutely gorgeous drive and then some stunning countryside – a really lovely way to spend a Sunday morning except that I had to rush back for a rugby meeting… which I kind of wish I hadn’t bothered about. My last meeting with the Steelers and no one bothered to thank me for the work I’d done over the last four years. And actually, it’s left me a little miffed. There were also some very childish goings on with a couple of people which made my decision to move on seem an even better choice! Oh well… expect too much and you get let down!

There is such a thing as a free lunch

My project that was due to launch on Tuesday has finally been launched today – problems with printers – and we’re going out for a work lunch to celebrate. But due to not having a Christmas lunch this year (for a variety of reasons) we’re also having that today so we’re not coming back to the office! Not a boozy one for me though – I’m driving as per. The member of staff that I keep having hassle with doesn’t want to go. Suits me, and it suits the team because she can cover the phones. No explanation as to why she wouldn’t want to spend this lovely sunny afternoon with her colleagues, enjoying a free and very nice lunch (eaten at this place before and its v. v. nice).

We went to a book launch last night. A friend of ours – a history academic – was a contributory author on a book about homosexuality through the ages! Looks like a cracking read. Can’t remember the title, but the cover features the famous picture by Banksy of two policemen kissing. It was lovely to celebrate his success with him (it’s actually his second book and I doubt it will be his last). But it wasn’t all about him, we got something out of it too… a gooseberry bush (well, and I bought a book about South African history but that aside…). The friend and his partner have a gooseberry bush and no space for it (their garden is crammed full of flowers, fruit and veg) and so have offered it to us and we gladly accepted!

My fire pit arrived yesterday! OK, for those of you that are now looking a bit blank. It’s a very American thing and indeed, my first rather pleasant experience of a fire pit was in a friend’s stunning garden in San Fran having a BBQ that lasted until 4 in the morning. You can get various designs I’m sure, but ours is a fairly large black iron bowl, with short legs (that can be put anywhere in the garden you like). And it’s just like having a real fire indoors, in the winter, except this is outdoors and means we can stay in the garden until all hours during the summer and in fact, whenever the weather is mild…

My last rugby meeting of the season, indeed, ever, this Sunday. I’m resigning after three years of press duties to enjoy more time doing other things and trying other challenges. It will be so nice to have a break from committee duties. One thing people never realise is how much work and time goes into behind the scenes – of any club or organisation, not just ours.

Talking of work, I suppose I’d better get some done… before I take the afternoon off to enjoy a free lunch!

Final score

I need about three or four blog entries to cover everything, but I will try and nail it in one without you, dear reader, giving up the will to live…

Ireland was great, we won 55-12 in what was a really good match to watch and certainly not as one-sided as the scoreline suggests. The Warriors are a lovely bunch of lads, and always make us feel welcome. They have an ‘official’ sponsor pub, so we spent most of our drinking time in there (fantastic place, if you’re ever in the ‘hood, check out the Dragon – only a few doors away from the George, also gay.) They organised a “big magic gay bus” to take us to and from the match out to the west of the city. It was in fact just an ordinary double decker (one of the Warriors is a bus driver) but they had put a sign in front saying “Warriors vs. Steelers” and filled it with balloons!

After the match, I was asked by the Bingham Cup 08 team whether I would like a tour of the university and I jumped at the chance. So I was whisked off – in a BMW no less – to see the fantastic campus that will be the home of BC08. What great facilities! Didn’t get to see in the accommodation because students were in residence, but it will be like all (pretty new) student accommodation I would imagine: en suite, small but perfectly formed, nice and clean and of course very, very convenient. (They also have ‘luxury’ rooms which are currently used for special guests, visiting lecturers etc., so if you do want something a bit extra, you won’t have to go to a hotel to get it.)

The pitches are good (and they are spending money on making them better). There are two campus bars, a very impressive theatre, a swimming pool, Jacuzzi and sauna, restaurant, shops and a cash point. You could actually spend the whole tournament not leaving the campus. So much so I questioned whether BC would ever now be able to do anything other than a campus format because you can just imagine the atmosphere of probably around 700 + rugby players and supporters all in one place for three days. At the same time as managing to cater for those on a low budget, as well as those that want to have better rooms etc. So the BC team have already done an amazing job, which is so encouraging after the fiasco of NY 06.

We decided to minimise our carbon footprint by travelling to Dublin by train, ferry and then another train as I mentioned in another entry. I think in future I would prefer car, ferry, car because I found the whole thing very tiring but actually, despite people being horrified and asking us whether we were a bit mad, it was actually not a bad way to travel. The company was good, we could drink, chat, enjoy the scenery and the ferry itself took less than 2 hrs. The reason I say about the car is that, my knees did hurt. And on the way back we had to do platform changes and at one stage run (yes, really run) for a train, which is hard on bad knees, but add luggage and you can see why I’m sore today. If you’re in a rush, it’s not really an option, if you’re with a group of mates however, or seriously want to give up or cut down on air travel, it’s really fun and surprisingly convenient. Oh and did I say cheap, £84 for train and ferry, there and back.

You know the really nice thing about the weekend? I had a great time, laughed a lot and enjoyed the company of the boys, but I really, really loved coming back home to my partner and the dog who were, I’m delighted to say, thrilled to see me.

(I also discovered that painkillers and a lot of Guinness meant for the first time in over a week my shoulder felt OK! Actually one of the players also gave me an amazing massage which helped.)

Final note, and I don’t wish to sound mysterious but as I writer I can’t tell you how many people find my work “interesting” and promise to do something with it but who then turn out to be wannabes and losers and couldn’t greenlight a script even if they were a set of traffic lights (I’m sorry did that sound bitter?!). But I met a producer on the weekend – a very good producer with a very good track record – who asked to see a particular script of my mine, which I sent yesterday. He asked me to do a pitch and normally I’m lousy at pitching, but the Guinness made me much better. He listened, said the hairs on the back of his neck stood up and asked how quickly I could send him the script. Of course, he may think it’s rubbish, so we’ll just have to see now, won’t we…

You have failed your test

Had a lovely back rub last night and then undid all the good work when the bloody alarm went off this morning and I turned over too quickly to switch it off and wrenched my shoulder again. I couldn’t even bend down to pick up the dog bowl (don’t worry he has been fed, despite my disability!)
So I’m a bit fed up with it all to be honest with you. I realise my discomfort is minimal in the big scheme of things, but that doesn’t stop me feeling miserable after the fourth day of intense pain and interrupted sleep.

There were some crazy mo fo’s on the road last night. One car pulled right in front of me and literally missed scraping the side of the car by cm’s – not even inches, cm’s! I almost wet myself. The scum bag had two kids in the car as well, obviously their safety is negotiable. And then, almost home (and so grateful because traffic was hell and the devil was in every other car), I went to turn right. The road was clear, but there was a jogger so I stopped and smiled to let him know that if he wanted to dash across the road I wasn’t about to mow him down (they get stuck in the grill), he smiled back and indicated that I should go. So I did, and then a car pulled right in front of me, screeched to a halt, and this woman started giving me abuse. To which the jogger swung round, pointed at me and shouted, “you were in the right, you were in the right!” I wearily just indicated that she should get her stupid car, her stupid self and yes, her poor kids who were probably relying on getting home in one piece (get a bus) out of my way because although I wasn’t about to scream abuse, I was prepared to get out of the car, take her kids out of the way, get back into my car and then go straight over the top of her. To indicate that YES, I was in the right…

So here’s a serious question… what can you do? If something is weaving all over the road and you suspect they are drunk, you call the police. If a commercial vehicle is driving like a maniac, there may be a number on the van or car you can call. But what about a private vehicle, driven by someone who should not have a licence (although apparently these days, you don’t even need a chuffing licence!) – what do you do to complain about their driving? And if they don’t then, mark my words, they will go on to cause an accident somewhere else, because quite simply they don’t care. They assume their car will protect them from everyone else on the road, not realising the painful irony that it is us that needs protecting. If you’re involved in an incident a ‘near miss’ should you call the police… is there any point? Who the fuck knows.

I have a reflexology appointment this evening and the friend that is doing it, is staying for dinner and then I need to pack my bag for Dublin. Early start tomorrow; 08:30 at Euston to meet a load of bleary eyed but excitable Steelers, lol… can’t wait!

Nothing comes to mind

Shoulder still bad. I did sleep a little better last night though. Hope I am more mobile and the very painful spasms have stopped by Friday when I’ve got a lot of travelling in front of me to get to Dublin emitting the lowest carbon emissions possible: train, ferry, train...
I wish I could find pain killers that worked. Some I can’t take because I am an asthmatic, and the ones I can, even really strong codeine, don’t seem to do much except make me a bit woozy…
Anyway, moaning won’t help. Although it does make me feel temporarily a bit better :0)

I’ve been dropping in and out of the BBC website transfixed by the horrific events at Virginia Tech two days ago. Surely now something must be done about private gun ownership in the US? It is hideously easy to get hold of a gun and pro-gun people were even calling for the laws to be relaxed yesterday, reasoning that if some of the students were able to carry guns, one could have shot the gunman before he killed so many people. Or… as sensible people would reason, if you didn’t make it so easy to buy lethal weapons in the first instance, those that are unstable enough to want to commit murderous acts, would not find it so easy to walk into a gun store and then weeks later, walk into schools and universities tooled up like Rambo. I actually don’t think it’s the right time for this kind of debate yet. It needs to happen. There needs to be a thorough investigation, but right now, it’s just unseemly to blame US domestic policy as if that alone were responsible. But I would question, what message do young people in particular get about the society in which they live where guns proliferate and violence is celebrated, not just in the US, but everywhere?
I wish all of those people that were injured a speedy recovery, and I hope everyone that lost loved ones get the answers and the support they need to get through each day…

Bad shoulder

My shoulder’s really, really bad again. So much so, it made me sick yesterday :0(

I will be booking an appointment with the British School of Osteopathy ASAP. But probably won’t get there before I’m due to go to Ireland this weekend. I have a heat pad on my shoulder and it looks like a panty pad! I have a reflexology appointment this Thursday evening which might help as well.

We had a lovely weekend. Well, I had to work on Saturday but that wasn’t too bad. We went to a local garden centre afterwards and spent £60 on plants for the garden. We were a bit more strategic this time and got some more mature plants to give the border some colour and structure. I need to pick up a water butt this week as well and I have a fire pit on order, for those long summer evenings when you want to sit in the garden late into the evening with a glass of wine. A friend came over for a bar-b-q on Sunday and helped us move the composter and finish off the fabulous new raised vegetable patch.

I’m trying to find agility classes (not for me, those days are long gone) but for Mr. Pluto who we think would really enjoy the challenge and the exercise. He’s a very bright dog and always willing to work hard. So I’m currently trawling through the web to find a suitable place, preferably in south east London so we don’t have to far to go. If anyone knows of anywhere, let me know…

Talent 101

Last night I had a photo assignment for work – a youth talent show – hence the very late finish. And really, as much as I believe youth are seriously misjudged, maligned and put upon nowadays I still don’t really ‘get’ them. Not in a horrible way, I just don’t know any. They are only doing exactly what I did as a young person (posture, brag, bounce around with superhuman energy, not understand anyone over 25, wear ridiculous clothes etc.) but of course, I’m 33 years old now and it all seems like a foreign country…

The level of talent was very high and they were a really fantastic group of people. The dance groups were awesome. (Ok, again I’m going on about age, but does anyone my generation remember boys ever being that mobile? These 14 – 16 years were like professional dancers… it was incredible. It was all a girl could do to get a boy on the dance floor at the school disco when I was 14. And then you instantly regretted it because they moved like they were in pain.)

Cherise and Nadia from Big Brovaz were two of the judges and they were great too. Really patient and good natured with boys wanting to kiss and flirt with them and girls wanting to talk to them and ask advice. They didn’t even seem to mind when the host got flustered and told the crowd they were from Big Brother.

A dance troupe called Nocturnal won – a popular choice. They reminded me a little of NWA and Janet Jackson (strange mix but I shall explain…) in that some of the dancing was very militaristic. Whatever their inspiration, it was brilliantly done. The ‘head’ dancer gave me a card and told me they could do weddings. Now there’s a young man that’s going places…

The only one out of place was a small fella who I think was supposed to be an MC. He was accompanied by a fairly talented singer who did all the work while little-un’ stood at the back in enormous sunglasses occasionally saying “yo, yo…” Not his finest hour I fear.

The kids came up to thank the judges and the volunteers afterwards and I just wished every Tory councillor (actually every councillor) could have been there to witness the talent and enthusiasm, fun and graciousness of the same people they treat with fear and contempt.

We have friends coming over for dinner tonight. We’re hoping to persuade them to come with us to S’Africa next year and to sweeten the deal will be cooking vetkoek, mealies and pumpkin fritters. And if you don’t know what the first two are, you can always Google them ;0)

Carphone Warehouse: still crap

I’m a bit flat today. I think it’s because (a) I wish I was still on holiday, (b) I’m tired and have got to work till 11 tonight and (c) I’m still having problems with Carphone Warehouse. On another matter entirely now. Eventually you just can’t escape the fact that they really, really, really don’t care. I apply high standards to my job, which I believe should be the case for every job, but maybe that’s unrealistic. Maybe I should shut up and accept that in a disposable culture, good manners and service are equally disposable. (Anyone else think I sounded about 80-years-old then?!)

And talking of high standards, I should be celebrating. I’ve just had my appraisal and I “excel in most areas”. Always nice to know…

One of my office plants is desperately trying to die and I’m desperately trying to get it to live. It will be interesting to see whose will is greatest.

I joined the camping and caravanning club yesterday which for some reason made me very happy. I’ve ordered an air bed as well. My knee ached too badly on a roll mat. I’m prepared to lower my standards but when something gets between me and a good night’s sleep there’s trouble…

As you can tell, I don’t actually have anything that interesting to say. But to fair, that’s never stopped me before. But I do need to get back to work now. I may have to resort to an emergency Cadbury's cream egg to lift my spirits… I’m pretty sure 'emergency chocolate' was how we won the war…

Tentastic!

What a fantastic Easter Bank Holiday! For those of you who may not know; we have about 6 or 8 BH’s in England - not sure what it is for the rest of the UK – but basically it’s a day off work in the week and most everyone agrees BH’s rock! Easter we have two – Good Friday and Easter Monday.

We decided to make the most of our four day weekend and go camping in the New Forest. I partly grew up around Christchurch and Mudeford and spent a lot of time in the Forest and wanted to share that with my partner. So we decided to pack the car, take the dog and head out on the open road…

I should give you some background: the New Forest is England’s newest national park and one of the most stunning areas of natural beauty. It’s also a massive place famous for (among other things) wild ponies, commoner’s rights (the right to graze your animals in the forest), cream teas, magnificent trees and wildlife and pretty villages dotted here and there.

The Forest got its name in 1079 by William The Conqueror who claimed the area as his ‘new hunting forest’. The ancient system established by William to protect and manage the woodlands and wilderness heaths is still in place today through the efforts of Verderers, Agisters and Commoners – literally the judges, stockmen and land users of the forest. And its proximity to the sea is most obvious in places such as Buckler's Hard, where ships for Nelson's fleet were built, using the mighty oaks from the forest.

We had to set off on Saturday because Friday I spent the day with the RNLI Tower Pier crew on a photo assignment being taken up and down the Thames on a very fast rescue boat! It was a great day and really nice of them to let me hang around drinking tea and biscuits with them. We were due to head off at stupid o’clock on the Saturday but common sense prevailed and in the end we drove off just after 8am.

We stayed in Lymington on the edge of the forest and we couldn't wait to explore. We got to the campsite with a very mellow pooch (he slept for most of the journey, seems his travel sickness is a thing of the past) and put up our new tent. After unpacking, we made sandwiches and sat in the sunshine with a cup of freshly brewed tea before heading back out to Christchurch.

Christchurch is very pretty! There are the castle ruins, the huge and very attractive Priory and the river Stour leading down to the harbour full of sailing and rowing boats, swans and ducks. And on a lovely sunny day it’s bliss to get a really big ice-cream (strawberry and mint choc chip – weird combination but it worked for me) and look out over the water. The dog was very excited by it all and it was nice to go for a fairly long walk and stretch our legs. We then went and got a coffee and looked in a few shops before ambling back to the car. That night we sat round the fire eating pasta and drinking beer. Later that same night however, we were hunkered down in our double sleeping bag with everything we could think of either on top of us or on us – it was FREEZING! We were wearing hats and jackets and all sorts. Pluto was in with us and we made him a little den just in case even his fur wasn’t enough. The next morning very early, I stumbled out of the tent, started a fire and put a brew on. About an hour later after a hot shower, I started to thaw… and once again it turned into a hot sunny day.

Restored by egg rolls and tea, we jumped in the car and this time went to Mudeford Quay. I took lots of photos and then bought some crab lines, bait and a bucket and we sat crabbing for an hour… we caught five but they went straight back in. I managed another ice cream and when we felt we had harassed the local crab population for long enough, we took the very scenic A35 up to Lyndhurst where we stopped for pasties before heading to Emory Down to go for a long walk in the Forest. Pluto made friends with a young pony; we saw two deer (that was a real treat), a custard yellow butterfly, 2 kestrels, and a variety of other birds… We also happened upon some gorgeous young cows and bullocks (I have a thing about cows) and I took at least another 20 photos.

That night we cooked burgers and sweetcorn and thankfully it was less cold so we slept better. We needed to head home the following morning so we packed up, filled up (bacon and egg rolls and more tea) and headed off… sad to be going but really, really happy that we had such a fantastic time.

Camping is great. If you have a sense of fun and adventure then camping is definitely for you. Yes it can be a little uncomfortable and it can get very cold, but it’s a fantastic way of getting around spontaneously and without spending a huge amount of money. Our trip was so cheap and yet we did so much. So for anyone that hasn’t been camping or is fairly new to camping (this was my first ever time) here are some top tips:

1. Don’t underestimate how cold it can get. Throw in extra t-shirts which are great for adding layers, and if you have a car, take a couple of extra blankets.


2. If you have knee or back problems, a roll mat may not be comfortable enough – try an air bed.


3. A portable bar-b-q is great for cooking and warmth. Take along some bundles of wood for after you’ve cooked so it feels like a campfire.


4. Don’t take loads of pots and pans. We used one old frying pan and one pot the whole weekend. In fact don’t be suckered into thinking you need loads of fancy equipment – you really don’t. Take the basics and ask other people what they take when they go camping.


5. Pre-cook food, we took along a big pasta dish which just needed heating up and home made garlic bread which we just stuck on the barbie.


6. Don’t forget a bottle opener, a sharp knife and lots of matches/lighters!


7. Wet wipes are great for a quick spruce before bed if there is a long queue for the wash rooms.


8. Look on the review sections of campsites and listen to what people that have actually stayed there think. You might think it’s worth joining the Camping and Caravan club – we’ve just joined.


9. Remember to air tents and sleeping bags on the line when you get back in case they are still a bit damp…

We live in a very beautiful country so my last tip is just to have fun and explore. It only took us 2.5 hrs to get back and we spent a contented afternoon unpacking, doing laundry and then grabbing a very satisfying nap. One of the best Easter’s I’ve ever had… and yes, there was chocolate too!

“But in its wild scenery lies its greatest charm...... Nowhere, in extent at least, spread such stretches of heath and moor, golden in the spring with the blaze of furze, and in the autumn purple with heather, and bronzed with the fading fern. Nowhere in England rise such oak-woods, their boughs rimed with the frostwork of lichens, and dark beech-groves with their floor of red brown leaves, on which the branches weave their own warp and woof of light and shade."
John Wise, 1895 - The New Forest. It’s History and Its Scenery.

Blueberry fields for ever...

I know I've only just blogged, and blatently, I'm trying to avoid work but two nice things have just happened: I've just had a lovely blueberry muffin. Blueberries rock. And secondly, after persuading my boss that we need plants in the office, she gave me £40 to go and get some. (The same boss that's just bought me a chocolate Lindt bunny for Easter!)

There's a great garden centre near my office called Ginkgo - a bit more expensive than your average homobase, but I bet the plants last a lot longer... It was so tempting to find a seat and disappear among the greenery so that I could enjoy the warm sunshine - but I was strong! Sort of... I mooched around finally choosing three plants which I hope will survive in our office which despite having large windows is quite dark.

Now if I could just grow blueberries in the office...

Navigating my way to safety

Yesterday was a bit of a drama. For a couple of weeks now, there’s been an intermittent noise when I use the brakes on the car - not very frequent and not very loud. But driving home on Tuesday night, the noise became much more frequent and much more loud! I was so concerned that I called Green Flag when I got home. (I have a very high level of cover and get home assistance too). The woman I spoke to was helpful and nice and told me which local garage would be responding to my call. And bloody hell did they respond quickly! A mechanic turned up less than half and hour later with ID. Turns out I had no brake pads and had possibly damaged the disk! OK, so my knowledge of cars is extremely basic but this really hadn’t been going on very long at all so to know that the pads were completely worn away and the disks potentially damaged in such a short space of time was a little worrying.

The next morning I organised a home work day and took Peggy into Kwik Fit. They did a brake inspection and ended up replacing the disks and pads. I have to say although the £130 bill made me a bit teary eyed, I did thank my guardian angel that I drive a Ford. The guy in front of me in the queue also needed two new brake disks and pads but because he drove a high end Saab (turbo, convertible etc., etc.) his bill was over £400!

So credit where it's due, both Green Flag and Kwik Fit provided a speedy, efficient and friendly service. Thanks to them, I’m now safely back on the road!

I ordered a very expensive Sat Nav the other evening. I’m not saying how much because it still makes me wince but it’s a top of the line Blaupunkt with all sorts of exciting software that should make even the most complicated journey easy peesy; as well as some extras like an MP3 player and a video player…

Tonight the in-laws are over for dinner, tomorrow I spend the day with the RNLI on a photo assignment, Saturday we’re off camping!

S’all go!

Homes for hedgehogs and vegetables

A whole day spent in the garden yesterday, bliss! I’m achy and need a rub down with a copy of Gardener’s World but am very happy that I managed to spend time in our own little ecology centre yesterday…

Friday we went for dinner in the evening with friends which was a lot of fun. Saturday I had to go and get some camping stuff (we’re off to the New Forest at Easter! The missus, me and the dog makes three!). I ended up buying another sleeping bag; two roll mats; a dog tether (don’t ask) and plastic plates. And then Sunday we took the dog up Crystal Palace Park where, as you can imagine, he had a whale of a time. Then we came back to a huge breakfast which we ate in the garden, followed by a day of planting, trying to save our lawn and garden maintenance. I bought my partner some asparagus and a rose called Cambridge Castle (she went to Cambridge University) for her Easter present. I couldn’t exactly hide them for a week so she got them yesterday. And so they got planted with liberal helpings of horse poo.

We’re building a raised vegetable patch (we have clay soil and most veggies prefer good drainage) and we’ve now decided to extend the vegetable patch outward. So yesterday I was treating the wood with preserver, and by the amount I got on myself, I should stay looking 33 for quite a number of years to come…

My partner also sanded the lawn. Our turf never really took for a variety of reasons, so she spent hours spiking the lawn and brushing in sand to improve the drainage. Then we sprinkled lawn seed and gave it a good watering. Hopefully, we should have a decent lawn (or getting that way) within a month or so.

I was going to start building my hedgehog house as well but covered in wood preserver and dirt; I decided to head inside at 6 and soak myself clean in the bath and then made a rather fabulous roast dinner. The organic beef that was left is now in my sandwiches and its touch and go whether I’m going to make it till lunchtime…