Around the garden

The garden is beginning to come to life, unlike my friends we can’t come out to play. Ailie is still Covid positive, Linda came home from Denmark with it and today Katy tested positive. It seems to transmit within a couple of days - Colin tested positive on Tuesday after spending the weekend at a music event, and now Katy. So disappointing for her as her son and wife are coming from Germany for Easter.

#3 daughter and family are meeting Ailie’s daughters and children at Cragside tomorrow. The NZ daughter was our daughter’s lodger 20 years ago when she bought her first house in Blaydon. Ailie is making sure she is negative before seeing her daughter as she doesn’t want to pass Covid on when they are only here for 3 weeks.

While Mr C went to for new tyres and get the car exhaust fixed I went for a 4 mile walk on the moor. It was quite warm. I managed without the calf troubling me so I’m very grateful for that.

Domestically I’ve made an Easter Cake for the family coming on Saturday and a pudding for #3 and family tomorrow night. We got a big box of mushrooms for £2 so I’ll make garlic butter and cook them up. We main will be salmon, tomatoes and potatoes baked together, served with the end of the kale.

I have got us 2 tickets for the Lorna podcast launch in Malvern. Mr C was quite happy to look into taking the van for a jaunt down there though it doesn’t look like there’s anywhere we can park it for the day of the event. It’s a 3 mile walk from the camp site - I suggested we cycle but he thinks the roads will be very busy, making it unpleasant. We’ll find a way.

I’m enjoying my Philby book which I’m reading in conjunction with Still Life which I’m beginning to find a bit cloying and sickly sweet. It’s nice but in small doses - I do like the feeling of the warmth of Florence and its food, to the extent I’ve bought a Donna Leon for the first time in years. That’s Venice of course, but the food descriptions are good.