Great news

"I am afraid," replied Elinor, "that the pleasantness of an employment does not always evince its propriety."

Prosaic stuff happens in my world, the highlight being the acquisition and spreading of a bulk bag of gravel on various muddy paths.

Claire’s coming down after school and a gym class. I’ve pulled some venison fillet out of the freezer, dug potatoes, picked black kale. The sauce is a very rich red wine, Madeira, and balsamic vinegar reduction.

She arrives with a bottle of Prosecco and a job offer from Fife. She’ll have to wait to see what school they offer her. We celebrate.

To complete the evening, we sally forth into the frozen waste of the chicken enclosure and select three cockerels for the freezer. A blow for the chickens, who now will only be bullied by a single cock.