Honest toil ...

Today reminded me of days when I was mother to a small boy and a baby, fairly newly in this house, not in paid employment, not going for long walks, fitting in a sneaky read or - at one time - teaching myself to touch-type on my father's portable typewriter while the baby had his afternoon nap. Why was I thinking of this? Because I didn't go beyond the garden gate all day, that's why, and yet seemed endlessly busy and consequently knackered this evening.

First I was seduced by the sunshine and the forecast that the rain wouldn't arrive till mid-afternoon or later into leaping out of bed (I exaggerate), stripping off the duvet cover and pillowslips and taking them down with me to put straight into the wash. After breakfast I hung them on the line (I have this crafty way with the king-sized duvet cover on the whirly) and got the bottom sheet and the other pillowcases and did the same with them, fitting in a quick Italian session while they washed. 

That over, I moved out into the front garden. I never really enjoy working there, as the shadow of the house falls increasingly over it as the day goes on, but I wanted to tame the tricuspidaria before it gets out of hand again, having been reduced from a large tree to a manageable shrub by our gardener last year. A few tall branches chopped, a couple that were blocking the way to the compost, and that was that. Himself, meantime, took three sacks of previously-chopped garden rubbish to the recycling - it had been abandoned in the shed the last time. 

After lunch I returned to the fray with the rosa rugosa bush in the front garden, aware that my back was getting more and more achy as I stood over it, and filled another tubful of prunings. I was just lugging it up the steps to take it through to the back when I was once again startled by the sight of HMS Queen Elizabeth heading back down the Firth after apparently offloading all her armaments so that repairs can be done at Rosyth. I think the officious naval tugs, as well as the roofs of Dunoon, give a good idea of her not inconsiderable size - it's quite a presence as it passes.

By this time the sunshine - which had actually had some warmth in it - was gone, replaced by cloud and a slight dampness in the air, so it was back to the other garden to take in the sheets. I even did a little ironing, partly to make sure the pillowslips were dry ...

On the culinary side, I poached some prunes in tea with star anise, and much later made Greek beans (gigantes plaki) for dinner, along with some roasted broccoli (cos I had a hot oven). While it was cooking we made the bed again, having forgotten till it was almost unbearably late for such things)  I managed to fit in a quick exercise session on the mat as well, aware that my aching back was likely to give trouble later if I didn't. By this time the rain was once more bashing down outside.

All this was so like these days 45 years ago, when I'd try to pretend I knew something about gardening and wrestle with the hydrangeas ...

...which I still need to prune or they'll overwhelm us all. Help!