Midget gem

Found this tiny flower today under Mr B's garden seat. It was blowing around a bit too much for a decent shot, but I think blur is acceptable in black and white. Anyway, it was this or a brambling* trying to hide behind a bit of grass.

A very windy night last night, with a storm that seemed to blow up in minutes as I was putting the kids to bed. So we had a night of the wind echoing down chimneys and slamming shutters. Regardless, the kids were off to school and I took advantage of the good drying day that a blustery sunny day affords. Mr B was keen to get on with plastering the guest room, so I tried to remember how to make plaster (and failed, but managed to remedy the situation in the end). However, we decided on one more try to buy what we would call finishing plaster. We eventually, after a tour of builders' merchants and DIY stores, found what we needed and hurrah! After mixing it for so long I thought my arms would fall off, Mr B was happy.

A new homework regime for the kids (all homework must be done immediately after school) was enforced tonight and should give us a much calmer morning tomorrow. I may even change my alarm from 7am to 7.30am. I realised today that I've been getting up at 7am most mornings since 1 June 2001 (day after first child born) and I'm bored with it now. Of course I will wake up at 6.55am tomorrow as usual and lie awake until 7.30am. But with practice....

I am still rather disturbed by yesterday's unpleasantness, which was only posted tonight - partly because of an uploading mistake that had Saturday's blip on Sunday, and partly because I wasn't sure I wanted to get into it all. But I did forget to mention the couple on the other side of me who were lovely, and told me how much they wanted to visit Scotland to shoot grouse and eat haggis (it was therefore rather appropriate that they won the whisky we contributed as a prize - though I didn't tell them that). They are added to the number of folk who tell us how brave we are to move to another country. I wish people would stop saying that; to me 'brave' is too close to 'foolish'...

*That's a small bird like a chaffinch with a stripey head, in case you're interested. I was, mainly because Mr B mocked me when I came over all excited and shouted about the new bird I'd spotted. But I was right. Doesn't happen often, so should be marked.)