Friday 13th

You always expect something to go wrong as soon as you know it's Friday 13th. Superstitious or not, we all seem to have no option but to heed the old tales warning.

I knew it was going to be, excuse the language, a shit day as soon as I opened my eyes. I've been shovelling the stuff like fun in the night! Yesterday I managed to empty the first of three bags of mushroom compost, the composition of which is mainly stable manure. I was halfway through the bag of topsoil and have attacked another one which has lain outside the gate for over a year. I was loath to use it on the surface as there is glass and rusty nails in it. I did get them to change it. If they hadn't delivered at the same time as picking the first bag up, I'd have assumed they'd driven round the corner and brought it back.

Far too hot for shovelling. The temperature in the shade of the porch read 29 degrees at one point. I gave up and painted chairs instead. Another bright idea! Ever tried to paint wicker without a spray gun? I won't be doing that again in a hurry either! :) Nice to see the summer though!