A summery note.

This wonderful geranium brightens up my driveway, the photo actually doesn't do it justice, the purple is much deeper.No real reason to show it,I just fancied opening with a summery pic:-))

Emily started feeling sick last Saturday night,from about midnight we made numerous visits to the bathroom.We had my nephew staying and had to be quiet so as not to wake him. At 4 am as she was sat on the loo and we were having a whispered chat she informed me that she thought he might be a bad omen because the last time he had stayed she had been ill as well.She spent the next night coughing continually and for the next four days spent most of the time in our room listening to her story tapes watching DVDs and resting.Whatever it was knocked her out and she is still not 100%.She has been quite emotional and not wanting to venture far.

Bit of a pity really as we had planned to stay over at my sisters this weekend to look after the animals and clean the two holiday cottages they have attached to the house.This is something Emily normally loves to do but really wasn't keen to go.I would of gone on my own but Alan was working and so I couldn't leave her here.We set off after A had gone home on Friday night and got to my sisters around 8.We unpacked and went to see to the donkeys and chickens.Last time we had been Emily was so confident with them but this time was very scared and wanted me to do everything for them.We went in and took a glass of wine(Emily had a tiny bit with some water in) into the bath.It was great to be in a large bath with the tap in the middle so we both had room.We had a good chat and then she got out so I could add some more hot water in and she wrapped herself in a towel and opened the bathroom window and sat with her legs dangling out so she could watch the sun set over the fields.It really is an idyllic place.Got ourselves bundled up in bed and I read for a while and then lay with her til she dozed off and then I went down to watch some TV and have another glass of wine:-))

I had to wake Milly up at 9 and went to see to the animals before getting breakfast,then Mum and dad came over to help us clean the two cottages. We got them done in double quick time,which was a good job as the first guests arrived over 2 hours early!!

Home in time for tea and Dr who on Sat then an early night for me and a long lie in this morning.Under normal circumstances as it was Fathers day Al would have got a lie in and we would have made him breakfast in bed but he needed to be up by 7 to take some medicine, he is going in to hospital for a flexible sigmoidoscopy (bowel examination) on Mon. He has not been able to have any food today and has had a very effective laxative to take!Never one to let anything hold him back he has still managed to do a couple of the big jobs in the garden that he wanted to get done and taken Beauty out for two walks and he hasn't once moaned about not being able to eat or the constant trips to the loo!!He really is an inspiration,it has to be said I would have handled the day quite differently and sadly not in a good way!!!Fathers day has been postponed until next Sunday.

I am getting up in the morning so he can have a lie in and then we will drop him off at the hospital and meet up with a friend for a trip to a nearby soft play centre.When we pick him up he has requested fish and chips by the seafront:-)

Some other shots from the garden to end on a summery note....








This one shows some growth in the veggie plot,things seem to be growing so slowly I think I was late planting or maybe it was the cold snap just after I put things in and that gave them a bit of a shock.Either way we have not had one thing from our plot as yet,unless you count mint and parsley.I have planted cut and come again lettuce 3 times and each time it has come and gone again, pesky slugs!!!
I will attempt it once more but intend to try in a tub this time.My first two attempts to grow peas also failed but as we speak the third lot are pushing their first tender shoots through and have been protected by organic slug pellets so fingers crossed.I was given a tip about using 4 pt milk bottles as individual cloches so have transplanted some broccolli over and will see how they do.I am getting immense satisfaction from the whole process although it has to be said the watering each night can be a little time consuming.I would like Emily to take more interest but she really isn't that keen to be involved and turned down my offer of her own little plot.In previous years she has humoured me and planted things in a tub in a half hearted way.This year I have just accepted she is not interested in the process as such but I know she will enjoy the end products, especially the peas straight from the pod, if the slugs are deterred from munching this last lot of course;-)