We’ve had a routine now for several years. On Saturday evening we cook a slightly special meal, set the table using the 1960s china and open a bottle of wine. It is a quiet little ritual that even the dogs recognise. Charlie, the youngest, jumps onto the chair next to me, hoping for a few special tidbits. I’ll be honest, he’s rarely disappointed though this is the only time any of them are fed from the table. We sit and talk and virtually every week we toast the week just passed with the words “What a week we’ve had”. Well, the last couple of weeks certainly deserved that epithet.
We began, of course, with the bad news about Jacqui’s knee. This was made worse by the news that we will probably get a hospital consultation in around six months and perhaps a knee replacement in a year or so. After resisting the temptation to shout and throw things in frustration we looked at ways to handle our new situation. Living so far from a large(ish) town we had three options for shopping. Jacqui can still drive the car as the leg is fine until it has to take any weight. I decided to try the main shop alone after she hobbled in and selected the fruit and vegetables.
We managed though it was a struggle as my shoulders are still very weak and painful. Last week we went for a combination of “click and collect” and a quick shop to get things we’d forgotten or couldn’t order on line. This was much more successful and less tiring. There are always a few strange or unexpected items but hey, there’s always something. The third option, a full delivery is in reserve for emergencies. Some jobs we just look at and shrug. It’s amazing how your priorities shift in times like this.
The computer was one of the reasons we said “What a week”. Our PC man found a replacement – a huge tower that had been a work station. He added Windows 7 and got it running, sort of, then he was off on holiday. It took over a week and some extreme head banging on the desk but finally we had a virus checker installed, Office and a working browser. It seems a lot of programs and drivers can’t be installed onto Windows 7 any more so the mouse works sometimes (but doesn’t scroll) and the printer and PC won’t recognize one another. It’s a scratch job but only for a week or so now.
After Storm Amy – sounds benign, acted like a deranged teenager – we had eight days of thick, low cloud. Perpetual gloom mixed with some rain to liven things up. It was a tremendous relief to open the door a few days ago and see a rainbow arching over the fairy fort and into our wood. I think I know how Noah felt! I was able to get into the wood for a few hours and collected some kindling and logs for the fire. Autumn shows just how damaged and dead a lot of the wood is with bare trees standing stark next to the living colours of our new planting. Even so there are patches of beauty around the dying ash and bindweed. We are winning, slowly, though recent health problems have frustrated our efforts somewhat.
Still, despite all of this there are bright spots. I struggle with my room, as ever, but decided to tackle my desk as I hope to do more writing this winter. As part of this I unpacked and installed a rather nice printer that’s been sitting under my desk for several years. It is wonderful but you know the best thing about it, apart from the fact it works and prints in colour? It is white! I am so sick of endless tech encased in black plastic, with black buttons and black writing under them. Who designs this? Who decided it was a good idea to hide all the controls? Douglas Adams first noted this in his marvelous “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” and honestly, nothing has improved. Until the arrival of my white printer, of course. Designers, in my opinion, should damn well read more.
Finally a garden and wildlife update. Late one night I was watching the dogs and spotted something splashing around in a bucket of water. It was a frog struggling to climb out and obviously getting very tired. I tipped the bucket carefully and he surfed out onto the grass. I was a bit worried as one leg looked crooked and he didn’t move but when I checked ten minutes later he was gone so hopefully he’s okay. Thank you Rachel for your help identifying him as a frog, not a toad.
Earlier this week I was with Charlie in the orchard, looked up and there was a buzzard watching us from a tree, barely ten metres away. I managed a few quick snaps before he got bored and glided away. A beautiful sight. We’ve got our annual invasion of field mice again and I’ve been kept busy setting and emptying the traps. I don’t like killing anything but we can’t have mice in the house. As they are caught without using poison I put them out in the wood for the bigger predators. Maybe the buzzard will spot one and have a quick, safe snack.
And to return to our Saturday meal, we shared our first Marmande tomato last night. It has ripened in a box, wrapped in newspaper, and it’s certainly not the prettiest tomato in the world but it tasted heavenly. The supposedly difficult Marmandes have been far more successful than the small plum tomatoes so Jacqui is planning to focus on them next year. I can’t wait.
Yes, what a week we had this week – and last. Hopefully things will run more smoothly as we get a grip on new routines. Meanwhile thank you for reading, thank you for all your supportive messages and I hope to see you all in a couple of weeks.
Jennie.