Friday

I'm definitely still a little bit in school mode from time to time.  Half term has started for our children.  Today is report writing day.  I'm feeling buzzy!   Of course, my school mode won't stretch far enough to cause any guilt about not writing reports; I seem to be retaining all the nice feelings and fairly easily discarding the less pleasant aspects of the job except in a 'thank goodness I don't have to do that any more' kind of fashion.

In a way it is a holiday for me too - I won't be going in to hear readers and I won't be tutoring my two tutees (is that a word?) next week so we're all having a break.

After a dull start yesterday, out came the sun and, when you were in it, it was nice and warm.  When you were in the shade there was still a bit of a chilly feel and the evening was cool.  It was very pleasant though and I got quite a lot of gardening done.  Weeds out, runner beans in the right place, a trimmed rosemary and some general tidying up.

Last week I bought a little saw for the rosemary.  It's very old now and pretty woody at base (the rosemary, not the saw!) and the secateurs just weren't winging it.  I've taken cuttings and it really ought to be replaced but I am rather dreading the job.  I might do what I did with another bush and saw it right back to ground level, leaving the roots to rot.  Maybe . . .

To make room for some the runners I had to dig up a few strawberry plants and they sat in the strawberry planter looking sorry for themselves.  Goodness knows if they will survive, I thought, but never mind, give them a chance!  I've just looked out of the window and they've perked up nicely so you never know.  The big question for me now is what do I do with all this year's runners?  Strawberries produce so many offspring it's a surprise the world hasn't been completely taken over by them!

Also the bush that doesn't think it's a tree (yet) is in its forever pot now looking small and sweet and as if it was meant to be there from the word go.  Butter wouldn't melt in its mouth but I know better!  The problem is that it flowers on the previous year's growth so one has to prune carefully and knowingly rather than just hacking it about.
It was a lot easier to put in than the redlove apple was to take out, believe me!

And then I went online to Thompson and Morgan to replace the delphinium that just didn't survive and noticed that I could order six mini alstroemerias for 6p so I did.  They might have to go in a pot because of space but, hey, you can't turn down an offer like that, can you?  You just can't.

It was nice to spend some time out of doors.

Maybe, today, I will sort out my little patch at the front.  I have a couple of pots of hyacinth bulbs to deal with and I think I want to plant a couple of hardy fuchsias in a space created after something else had to come out (too old and woody).
And then there's the weeds!  Not too many, thank goodness, but they need dealing with before there ARE too many.

Today's food.
B:  yogurt with blueberries
L:  greek salad with a bit of smoked salmon, yogurt
D:  turkey patties, new potatoes, side salad, fruit