Tuesday morning

. . . and I've found out the reason for the lethargy and the aches and pains over the last few days.  I've got a summer cold.  Darn it, you'd think I'd had enough colds this year, one way and another.  The blocked nose, the sore throat, the sinuses and resulting headache, the croaky voice . . . ah, well, it's good that I can rest and relax and do not-a-lot this time if necessary.

I was very impressed with my local council.  They often get criticism for incompetence but credit given where due, I think.  On Sunday I emailed what I hoped was the right department to let them know that my brown bin has disappeared.  I've asked around the rest of the witches and no-one has it in their garden by mistake.  Soon after nine yesterday morning there was an email copied to me, asking the right department to help and by soon after lunch there was another email to say a new bin should be arriving within ten days.  Fast work, well done that department.

I fell asleep yesterday afternoon (I know - so what's new!!) and was woken up by a sharp knock on the door.  It was my maslin pan!  Well, no, not literally, it was the delivery person with the pan.  Now, again, credit where it is due, I only ordered it on Saturday and it was free postage, so I wasn't expecting it for days.  Now I HAVE to go strawberry picking so I can christen it with some jam, don't I?

Not so good news.  That golden pear drop tomato plant is dropping its fruit.  Grrr.  I'm hoping it's because it has been so wet and, being a bush variety, it hasn't dried out underneath as it needed to but it could be blossom end rot (I think that's what it is called) as it's not a grafted plant, which are supposed to be more immune to nasties like that.  It's not blight, as most of the plant looks extremely healthy, it's just underneath that's having problem.  I will see how things go before dumping the plant.  The other plants are going great guns still (fingers crossed) but are very slow to start ripening.

Today's plans are extremely vague.  I was going into school but given that I'm feeling mildly yuck, I have shelved that plan.  I have to make some bread and I might do it the old fashioned way - by hand.  I might also make some muffins.  Ages ago I bought a book called Muffins Fast and Fantastic, within which there was a recipe for oatmeal yogurt muffins.  They were delicious.  Then I lost the book!  I looked high and low for it without success.  Yesterday I wandered into the yellow room where my books are kept, looking for something to read, and there it was, in totally the wrong place.  So, as I have yogurt that needs using up, I guess I will do a batch for the freezer.

I'd like to welcome two new 'members' to this blog.  Sue and Valerie, welcome,  it's good to have you on board, so to speak, and thanks for letting me know.   Sue is that 'lovely checkout lady' from Lakeland (best shop in town, in case you hadn't realised) who I mentioned yesterday and Valerie is an Open Uni and Facebook friend who has gardening and food blogs and who takes lovely photos.  I now have forty followers - not a lot in blogging terms, I know, but I'm well happy with it given that it's a no-theme, whatever-I'm-thinking-of-at-the-time, inconsequential, streams-of-stuff blog with no over-riding message or point except, perhaps, that generally life is good, it is fun and that I appreciate how fortunate I am to be able to say that.