Wednesday 14th August 2024

Wednesday, and back home a day early. Which gave me the chance to catch up on the lawnmeadow.

For most of the year it's very low maintenance, with sometime ten months between having to do anything other than observe Mother Nature's handiwork. But in the summer, in August, the hay has to be harvested, the ground scarified and seeds sown.

I have collected Yellow Rattle and Corncockle seeds, so first task is the first mow.

Set the mower to the highest cut, and hope it starts. It did, so in half an hour most was cut, leaving just two patches: one where the Bird's Foot Trefoil still attracts butterflies and the Musk Mallow.

Thursday is the great raking and scarifying, or the first one anyway.

That was the main task, which I managed to handbag through most of the day. With it being so darned hot still, sleep was hard to come by. Awake at half four when it was still pretty much dark, and dawn didn't really come until half five, by which time Jools was up and getting buy. So I laid in bed and listened to her getting busy and the birds outside singing for their breakfast.

I do get up and get the day started.

There was much writing and photo-editing to do, which means I can work in the garden for half an hour and then retire to the keyboard to do some digital work.

Scully, as she has gotten older, is now more clingy than ever before. She sits at my feet, meowing, as I drink coffee, demanding that I go to sit outside. Once I agree to go out, she then gently paws my arm and hand so that I would keep stroking her head for pretty much all day.

This is a trick she learned from Mulder, who does the same. So, any time sitting on the patio means being attendance by either or both cats, demanding attention.

The day just slipped by in such a fashion, too warm really to do too much in the garden, and too hot and sunny to sit on the patio from noon until three.

But once the shadow of the hedge covered the wooden seat, I could pour an ice cold beer and sit out, watching the birds, while one or both of the cats demanded attention.

I make dinner which was chicken Kyiv's, baked potato and fresh corn. Light, summery and not too difficult, though the two ovens cooking made the kitchen damned hot.

There was football in the evening, Leeds v Middlesborough, which should have been a home win, but Boro ran out easy 3-0 winners, entertaining as I tackled a bottle of sloe port and honey roast cashews.