Wet and Weedy

 His Lordship Malarkey’s birthday today. It is raining. Not a lot, but enough to stop him attaching the new rack and panniers kit I bought him to his bicycle. I said, ‘Bring the bicycle inside and attach them,’ and he said, ‘No, it’s all right, I’ll wait until the rain eases off and do it outside.’ I think this is because, once the panniers are attached, he reckons I’m going to send him off to Aldi to buy groceries. I’m not. I’m not one of those naggy wives who leave lists of jobs for their husband to do on their day off. 

He likes the panniers. They are capacious and I bought two because I didn’t want him to be all unbalanced  when out cycling. He said, ‘Plenty of room for my drawing equipment.’ Hmmmm. Plenty of room for Aldi groceries, I think he’ll find. 

I made a cake, of course. 

Chocolate with a chocolate fudge filling, covered in chocolate fudge icing with chocolate decorations. That’s what you want on your birthday. Overdose of chocolate. Diet begins tomorrow. Like they always do. 

I’m not fussed that it is raining today because yesterday I spent three hours gardening, which included mowing the grass, so I feel I gained a small victory over the weather. I also played with my new gardening toy, which is this…

A weed puller! Works a treat, especially on docks, dandelions and cow parsley. And tussocks of determined grass. Saves my hands, saves my knees. Of course, I shall never give up weeding on my hands and knees with a small hand fork because I like the frisson of danger it brings with it, in that you never know what might jump out of the undergrowth at you when you are in close quarters with aforesaid undergrowth. Insects, mice, toads, snakes….

Also, I feel an upright weeder adds to the green gym exercise equipment, for an all over body workout. 

Andy has attached tensile wire to the top, middle and bottom of the new bean pole/stake run. I just need to attach the strings up which the beans will climb. But I’m not going to do that today because it is raining. I have put the runner beans outside, though, to prepare them for outdoor living. And also ten of my thirty tomato plants, because I’m going to grow some tomatoes in the no dig bed this year. 

The swallows have started building a nest. In the absence of my dustpan and brush, they’ve chosen an old electric power switch and two dead cables as their base. So far the foundations consist of long bits of thin hay and a pebbledashing of mud. Sort of a shadowy outline of the main event. They are in and out of the laundry like mad things so I’ve taken to stooping when ever I go in there because I do not wish to be dinged in the head by a low flying bird travelling at high speed. 

Time for elevenses now. Birthday cake! 

Byeeeee!!!