Thursday

Good morning, everyone!
No sun yet, rather like yesterday morning, but when it breaks through it should be a lovely day - sunny and warm with a gentle breeze to keep the air moving.  That will be good for the infants - it is their sports day this morning.

Yesterday went well.  I pottered around in the morning and did my bit at school in the afternoon.  After tuition, I wasted the rest of the evening watching Star Trek episodes on DVD.  Nice and undemanding.

As someone told me to, I'm being kind to myself this week.  There's a lot going on and I was starting to feel a bit pushed for time so I've cancelled the swimming until next week which gives me a lot more time.  It's odd because I do have the time really, it's just the feeling of being pushed that was getting to me.  It's the old 'one bite at a time' thing - I'm sorting out the food this week (which is going well) and sorting out the exercise next week or whenever.

However did I manage to hold down a very pressured and busy job as well as all the other stuff not that long ago?   I've definitely slowed down since retirement and am developing the mindset of 'if it doesn't get done, no problem'.  I could never have thought like that half a decade ago, I'd have been sacked!  :-)

Yesterday, I pottered round the garden and took some more photos.

 I counted the new buds on the new clematis - ten of them, plus four new flowers.  I rather love the swirly seed heads too.  I'm delighted as I've always managed to kill any clematis I've had before and gave up on them as a garden plant.  Mind you, I'm looking after this one more and it obviously likes where it is!   Fingers crossed that continues.

 The hebe is two years old and is coming along nicely.  I've just moved it near to the clematis (after taking this photo) and between them they really brighten up the end of the garden which is in dappled shade most of the afternoon.

There were a couple of raspberry canes left over from the allotment and I brought them home and stuck them in a pot.  These are autumn fruiting but these come from the bare cane so are summer fruits, just for this year.  A sort of free gift!  They're yellow berries (obviously) and there aren't many but there will be more come the autumn.  I reckon these two will be ready next week and will be 'pick'n'eat' fruit

With retirement came a greater interest in things home-horticultural and, three years in, I need a sort of annual diary of what to do and when so I've started one and keep adding to it.  There's two columns, one for garden and one for allotment, and the idea is that Beth and I don't get caught out.  So, for example, next month for the garden says 'Deadhead hebe to encourage side shoots' and for the allotment it says 'Thin apples and pears after June drop.  Start pegging down strawberry runners'.

Fingers crossed it works.

I've had Virgin TV for a very long time ago and they now need to replace my geriatric box with a nice, swish, whizz one that does everything but turn somersaults around the living room by the sound of it.  I'm looking forward to being able to access things like iPlayer and Youtube via my TV and can then do the Yoga with Adriene exercises that someone recommended.  They're delivering the new box next Tuesday and might be connecting it up; I'm not totally sure about that last.  Fingers crossed.
My only concern is that my TV is modern enough but if it isn't, what's the point of living well within my means and saving the excess if I can't get a new telly now and again when needed?  :-)

Today Alex is coming over for lunch so I'm very much looking forward to that.  Then there's tuition (last of the week).  That's about it really apart from the usual housework, washing, ironing, etc.  I might do a bit of sweeping in the garden and I have to water down the allotment, of course.

I've rambled today - sorry! 
This blog can be a bit like a pensieve. 
As Dumbledore said, "I use the Pensieve. One simply siphons the excess thoughts from one's mind, pours them into the basin, and examines them at one's leisure. It becomes easier to spot patterns and links, you understand, when they are in this form." 
Very helpful it is too!

Have a super day and enjoy the gorgeous weather.