Tiptree Strawberries

A slow’ish start to the day, as I woke up feeling absolutely terrible with this awful cold. After some porridge and a dose of ibuprofen I started to improve enough to get ready, and then caught up with all the blip journals I’ve got behind with.

It seems I missed a great discussion at book club last night, but I can always catch up a little with the others’ views on the strange novel in July. Our next book is ‘The Beekeeper of Aleppo’ by Christy Lefteri, which I hope will be more cheerful reading.

I began moving selected furniture into the newly-refurbished bedroom, trying things out in different places until the room felt balanced and retained a more spacious and lighter feel than it had when it was Mum and Dad’s. I’m going to leave out one wicker drawer unit which I used to have in my bedroom at the flat, which has of necessity been replaced by the bookcase which Dad made for me. The extra wicker drawer unit will look good in the summerhouse (eventually!!) with a table lamp on top.

I went with my friend Alison to the new premises of our hairdressing salon, Strawberry Locks, for their official opening drinks and nibbles. They are so named because of Tiptree’s connection with strawberries (the rare, tiny and sweet Little Scarlet berry is famously grown here for making Wilkin & Sons’ conserve). My Extra shows some wild strawberries growing along the edge of the patio in my garden. They’re absolutely everywhere! I always leave them to grow as the birds love them. Although these are tiny, I don’t think they are Little Scarlets, though being in Tiptree you never know… Obviously the Strawberry Locks launch party theme had to be strawberries, and my blip shows the amazing cake which one of the stylists made for the occasion. We were able to chat with the business owner Kara, who is inheriting both of us from Liz now that she has left the salon.

Back home I called my sister, who continues to suffer from the virus she’s had. It sounds like I have the same one, though I didn’t catch it from her. We decided not to see each other tomorrow, as neither of us is feeling too great, but are hopeful that we might be well enough next Wednesday.