Monday 11 May 2020

Monday

From here in my computer room window it looks a nice day outside.   There is a bit of a breeze blowing but the sun is shining brightly and puffy white clouds are scudding across the sky.   It is only when you step outside you realise that the temperature has gone down by at least ten degrees.   Folk going past on one of their 'allowed' walks  are no longer in shirt sleeves; anoraks, woolly hats and scarves seem to be the order of the day.   Last evening I brought my antirrhinum 
plants indoors on to the garage window sill and I have left them there all day today.   They are getting plenty of light and a sharp frost is forecast for tonight. 

And while we are on the subject of gardening - remember when I told you my Iris Pink Lady was about to come into flower.   Well - disaster - she is not out yet but her buds are beg inning to burst and there is absolutely no way she  is going to be a Pink Lady - her buds are a dark purple.   She is a healthy specimen but looks like an ordinary everyday common or garden purple iris.  A bit disappointing I would say.   But still on the subject  of gardens - that blackbird never stops and as I type this he is singing his beak off as he has been doing since daybreak.

My reading material is getting thin on the ground.  Yes, there are a hundred and one household jobs I could find to do, but my enthusiasm is lacking.  Living on one's own and being by nature a tidy person, all that is urgent seems to be a run over with the vacuum cleaner and a whizz round with a duster, two or three times a week a smart clean around the bathroom and kitchen and a once a week switch on of the washing machine.

I have ordered several used paperbacks by my favourite authors and they are promised for the weekend and in the meantime I am reading another of my old favourites - last week it was Bernard Maclaverty's 'Midwinter Break' and this week it is Aminatta Forna's 'Happiness'.   Both books easily merit a second reading  and both are brilliantly written.   If you haven't read them do give them a try.

21 comments:

Derek Faulkner said...

The last 24 hrs here on Sheppey has been awful. By 4pm yesterday a gale-force and gusty N.E. wind had set in and that raged all night and through today, cold with it. The roads are littered with leaves and small branches that have been ripped off of trees and bushes and any flowers in the garden over a couple of feet high have been snapped over. Along the sea front, pebbles and shingle have been thrown across the promenade and people out walking are wrapped up as though it's mid-winter - a far cry from the heat and sunshine over the VE weekend.

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

Yes, it soon woke me up when I stepped outside this morning! My blackbird is still singing too and I'm getting regular visits from a pair of pheasants too. Pity about the iris, I know you've been looking forward to its flowering.

Rachel Phillips said...

Have you finished Snowdrops?

the veg artist said...

Just been out to water the greenhouse and it's freezing here (not literally - just very windy and cold!). You only have 'a hundred and one household jobs' you could be getting on with? I'm not counting mine - way too long a list!!

JayCee said...

I knew it was too soon to pack away the winter duvet. Just had to add an extra blanket.
Perhaps your Pink Lady may turn out to be purple and pink??

angryparsnip said...

I have been trying to catch up after four years of mess in my studio. Daughter and Son have been helping me weed out lots of art supplies, tons of stuff hopefully soon I will have a working studio again.
I have so much I want to do that I miss.
parsnip

Heather said...

Even down here the wind has a bite to it and is very gusty, as I found this morning when I took my walk. It certainly blew the cobwebs away.
Do you think your iris may turn out to be pink but with purple edges to the flowers? I do hope so.
Thank heaven for online shopping when recreational items need replacing!

Librarian said...

We've gone back from early summer to late winter here, it seems. After 27 Celsius yesterday (I kid you not) and weeks without so much as a drop of rain, today it is 6 Celsius and has been raining steadily since about 8:00 this morning. While I am very glad about the rain, it would have been nice NOT having to drag out my padded coat and scarf for my trip to the groceries store. I think of the baby birds and other animals in their nests and hope that they will surive.
As for the pink lady - who knows, the purple may still turn paler (pink-ish maybe) when the flowers are fully open.

Penhill said...

Really cold wind here in N Cotswolds all day .Potatoes covered with old curtains and bubble wrap around runner beans I planted out too early last week seduced by hot sunny weather. Re-reading books here too ,"Mrs Miniver's Diary" at the moment.

jinxxxygirl said...

Aaaahhh gardening .. i do miss it.. Sorry to hear about your Pink Lady.. We are having two rainy cool days and i'am enjoying them... Soon it will be sweltering and i will still need to drag myself out for a walk.. Its been a cool Spring and for me thats a blessing.. Work on the Master Bath continues.. I just finished the trim and hubby has laid the last piece of tile in the shower.. shortly it will be time to grout..then install the doors THEN i can take a shower...lol Hugs! deb

justjill said...

Rain here then beautiful though coldish. Hope the Iris changes colour a bit!

donna baker said...

Hello, I am so glad to hear you are well. I usually can't comment but hearing you are well has made this unusually cold day here, better. Donna@gather

Bonnie said...

It sounds like the blackbird is doing well despite the colder weather. Isn't is wonderful to listen to the birds sing?! We have had colder weather here too. It's been overcast all day and I do miss the sun but I know it will return in a few days.

Marjorie said...

That is disappointing about your Pink Iris. I hope your books come on time. The mail in Canada which was awful to begin with, has gotten even worse. We are 1C here which is even cold for here this time of year while my oldest son who lives just south of the Arctic Circle has 36C today. My outdoor flower plant is currently residing in the guest room with the heat cracked on. I have to give it heat as the door has to stay closed to protect it from the cats DH collects. Did you get the rain you wanted? Hugs.

wherethejourneytakesme said...

Can't believe that I was wearing suntan cream but a few days ago! Do irises revert back I wonder?

Donna said...

I have Happiness due to your advice but haven't read it yet. Think it will be my next book. Thanks for the encouragement.

Hildred said...

Pat, you will perhaps remember speaking to me husband (via the internet) who was stationed in your part of the country as a Lancaster pilot - we visited around there when in England, but alas, he is no longer with me, having died almost eight years ago, - but my memories go on!

Simon Douglas Thompson said...

Outside here there's a pair of woodpigeons constantly mating

Ann said...

It was extremely chilly and very windy down here in the south west yesterday. Slightly warmer here today, but still a north easterly breeze. I wonder how many songs a Blackbird has in his repertoire?

The Weaver of Grass said...

Hildred I had completely forgotten that - so thank you for reminding me. I have of course lost my dear farmer now but we have our memories don't we - and they are precious.

angryparsnip said...

Lovely post today, Thank You.
parsnip