“You have no idea…

… how exhausting it is to split all this firewood” says Bean.

It is done for the time being. Hurray. That’s a steady-steady job complete. The apple - and now pear - dehydrating task is still going on.

And this week there will be a delivery of 8 cubic metres of rich compost, so a whole new steady-steady job starts. I’ll shift two barrowloads a day, maybe three. In that way I can save my back and my carpal tunnel wrists from potential overuse.

More grass cutting across the property today, as well as bottling some pears and distributing peaches to neighbours…and obligatory cups of tea.

My wonderful Dad was born 100 years ago today. He died 24 years ago at exactly the right time: he would have hated proper old age.