Season of Mists and Mellow Fruitfulness

 


What a lovely day it has turned out to be despite feeling extra chilly first thing. The water temperature was still a fairly balmy 12.6° and with no wind, the sea was calm. It seldom is anything else but calm at Porty unlike Stromness which is usually ‘lively’.

I am trying to perfect the best way to get to the waves whilst my swimming buddy is away. With the darker mornings, travelling as it gets light coincides with people going to work, so the necessary bus journey takes a long time. There’s no use telling me to go later - I’m an  early bird and I like to get home in time to have the rest of the day to do things. Today that included giving a severe haircut to ‘the vine that round the window runs’ and a gentle trim to the hydrangea petiolaris that is threatening to enter the house by another window.

With the winter sun shining through the patio door and showing up the shoddy work of the window cleaners who visited whilst I was away, I felt obliged to redo their work. Even then I wasn’t  finished. The floors were swept to stop the feeling of walking over the overspill from Porty beach -more housework than I’ve done in 6 weeks but more to come tomorrow before son#1 and family arrive from the north to pay a visit to the big smoke.

Later, I took  my Brompton up the Bike Coop for its free mudguard modification which will be done tomorrow but unfortunately probably won’t be ready for collection until the afternoon. 

Now I’ve had an unconscionably late lunch and I’m able to sit and read the book for the next book group. It’s a homage to Hilary Mantel who died this week - ‘Every Day is Mother’s Day’. It sounds less taxing than her historical Cromwell books.
…….And the sun is still shining…..