Exchanges

I should never have taken my colour printer to London. When I collected it, I should have remembered to bring back my good paper and spare ink cartridges as well.

A couple of days ago, while I was multitasking - complaining loudly at the impossibility of getting sensibly-priced ink cartridges at the same time as checking messages on Freegle to see whether anyone had asked for my Crittall windows from the demolished shed - up popped a complete set of unopened cartridges for my printer. Yess! What were the chances?! Within the hour they were promised to me then I realised the donor was someone I'd given a whole lot of plumbing paraphernalia to last autumn after her utterly endearing message, 'Hi, I'd be happy to take your plumbing bits, if still available. My 6-year-old has, somewhat bizarrely, taken up a sudden interest in plumbing, and is spending considerable time wrapped around the u-bend. These would make an economical Xmas present.' Later she collected my stack of wooden slats which she wanted for the Forest School. So this morning I cycled in the heat to hers where we continued our conversation about the importance of children learning woodwork (I used to teach it occasionally to 5-9-year-olds) and I met the young plumber.

Fortified by such a successful exchange over ten months, I approached Freyr this afternoon with more aplomb than yesterday. I pretended not to be remotely interested while he kicked around noisily in the sky. Nope, I'm staying at the outside table under the parasol. Freyr sent in the wind and next door on one side took down their parasol. Mine and I stayed put. Freyr spat a few drops at me. The humidity vanished and the temperature dropped 5 degrees. I went inside and got the washing-up bowl full of water and poured it on the tomatoes. Freyr spat some more. I sat back down under the parasol. Freyr flicked some lightning out of his fingers. I stood in the middle of the garden and stared up. Huge drops of rain started to fall. I was briefly distracted by next door on the other side emptying their paddling pool, folding it up, putting it in their shed and retreating indoors. I stayed outside, rain evaporating off me as fast as it fell. Freyr spat harder. I fetched a knife and went to harvest lettuces. Harder. I washed the lettuce leaves and carried the soily water back out to the garden for the tomatoes. Harder. I went back indoors and had a shower.

Freyr gave up and I cycled in shorts, sandals and no waterproofs to the first in-person meeting of my XR group for months. Plans are afoot.