Up there

Seconds after finishing her tea, Tess was straight up a tree.
(I was holding the camera at an angle which made next door's house look rather wonky and when I straightened the photo I lost quite a bit of clarity.)

We ate outside tonight - whoop! It was 7 o'clock and getting a bit chilly, but grab it while you can, I say! (remembering last year...). Living in a country with regular bad or disappointing weather makes the good days extra special.

She's been climbing this sycamore tree for 6 years now and we've been cutting it back every year so it doesn't take over the garden. It's very close to the house and sycamores can grow very fast so it probably shouldn't be where it is - I remember how my dad used to tut every time he looked at it - but it makes a great climbing tree and a great place to hang bird nuts. And it's strangely comforting to see it and think of Dad.

After doing loads of washing and paying the wages for the shop, I washed down the greenhouse - with Tess helping (kind of), and then I found all the pots I tried to grow tomatoes in last year. I emptied them and cleaned them because I've heard tomatoes can be a bit fussy.

I peeked inside the cloches on the veg beds and saw that the broccoli, cabbages and cauliflowers are still alive and growing - so that's an improvement on last year! The change in weather has brought everything up - including the onions I thought I'd killed. Then after putting a chicken in the oven (not a live one) I persuaded Richard to drive me to B&Q when he finished work so I could get some compost for my tomatoes.

I was ridiculously excited to find that the chilli seeds Joel planted have finally germinated. That's the 3rd lot he's tried. This time I've been keeping them really warm and moving them around the house to find the sunny spots.

I've been thinking a lot in the last few days... about blipping and blogging and the endless defining of oneself, and just general habits and patterns. It's such a bind - to have to have a bio online and some sort of identity. People expect you to stick to it.
I've also been thinking about how I worry too much about this journal - to the point where I often can't think what to write. I miss out a lot of stuff because it might be boring to read. I probably shouldn't worry about that and should write whatever I want to. I'm not doing it for other people.
(Except you, of course :) )

I was outside until 8pm tonight and then watched Due Date with Richard and Joel. Films are better than Saturday night TV.

Well, not all films...


Anyway, today was up there with the good days of 2013

(Oh - and Tess took one look at the chicken and decided she's doesn't want to be a pescetarian anymore. She's going to be like me and avoid eating mammals)