mellow days

  

It's balmy down near the beach today and the garden is lovely. Dad's been busy cutting the grass and sorting out some of the borders while I do a little bit now and again. I'm experimenting with bagged spuds this year - Maris Piper variety - and the first bag is doing well. Hopefully I've staggered the planting enough to get a longer harvest!

I hadn't noticed that the apples had swollen so much  - looks like we'll have a good crop of Bramleys this year.  The late spring means all the pollinators and blossom arrived together and with the recent heat and rainfall, it's the perfect combination!

 

What is it about a shed. I wish the smell could be blogged!  The spades, fork and rake are years old - some even belonged to my grandfather - but they still do the job! 

Next job is to sort out the herbs - a few chives with the lovely purple heads and some parsley and lemon balm but everything else needs replaced.  Really miss the rosemary and thyme especially.

I should be working.  Working more.  Working on things that actually pay..... more.  It's been over nine months since I left work and while I promised myself a wee break, there's wee and there's wee.  I'm having too much fun, and as that was part of the intention, I need to be doing more actually paying work.

So today, full of the need to earn, I headed off to meet a couple of cousins (Eleanor and Gail) for a very lazy, chatty, girly lunch and mum joined us.  We had such a giggle.  I love our lunches.  Today, we met in the Dirty Duck in Holywood, Co Down and it was great.

Back home, I delivered a card to a neighbour to thank her for her lovely handknit leprachaun.  She donated him to help raise funds for a project I've been fundraising for in Uganda.  He's now been named as Darby (as in Darby O'Gill) and is soon to be delivered to his new home in Belfast. She put so much work into this wee guy.  Such a generous thing to do.

An elderly friend knit these boyos too - teddyboys for Uganda.  Soon, they'll be on their way to endless hugs and fun in grubby wee hands who'll love them until the teds are falling to bits.  Isn't that a satisfying thing to be knitting for!  So for Darby and the teddyboys, thanks Anne and Bertha.

I love that people are so generous with their craft skills.