I have just uploaded all of the above photos to my blog in one fell swoop and it has made me so happy. I used to be able to do lots at once, then something weird happened and every single one had to be done individually. I just tried it the old way and hurray, it is back. All in a random order, but I'm not complaining.
The magnolia in the top photo is a stunted little tree in a pot. It was supposed to be a white one, but it was grafted and the grafted top died, so I was just left with the root. Every year it hardly grows and snails eat at least half of it and all summer it just looks sad and I think, 'I'll compost it and move on", and yet I never do. And then in spring it pushes out a handful of flowers and I vow to look after it better.
The middle boy loves a bit of philosophy and the dog likes to visit his room and bring his toys with him. In this case a zebra with no ears left. Or any other parts either really. That is the joy of a dog toy to Bertie, taking the bits off of them, one by one. And when it comes to new dog beds, the real pleasure is discovering what the stuffing is like.
He had a bit of a disgraceful walk this morning, just for a change. First of all he ate something before I could call him off. Okay, I wouldn't have been able to call him off, but let's just pretend I could if I'd spotted it all in time. Then he found a pigeon's egg and ate that and it didn't smell fresh. At all. Then he spotted his friend and ran to catch up because her person has a pocket full of really big dog treats. He sat down in front of her so that she couldn't keep walking and felt obliged to get the treats out. He gulped his down in one, then when his friend popped hers on the path for a minute so that she could readjust it, he ate that one too. It's not the first time he's done it either, he has form. She's a rescue dog who used to live on the street in a far-flung country, but to look at the two of them you would think he was the one who was worried about where his next meal is coming from. She is all dainty and polite and he is a grabber and a stuffer.
The younger two urchins were away on a school trip last week. Oh the peace. Literally not one raised voice all week. Teachers are utterly marvellous aren't they. A whole week with other people's children. I got so much work done. Which is just as well as I've got stacks of it at the moment. All good, but a bit wearing. The odd afternoon off would be nice, but I'm pretty much working every day, have been for ages. It makes me slightly stressed when I think about the other things that need to be done, but it's nice to have the work and I'm not complaining.
I am reading Ninth House and avoiding David Copperfield, which is what the middle boy says I should be reading, before I get to Barbara Kingsolver's Demon Copperhead, which I am very much looking forward to. David Copperfield has a lot of pages and all of them have a lot of words on them and they are printed in a very small font. I wouldn't mind, I do like Charles Dickens, but my reading time is short and David would take up all of it for a very long time.
I fear the cricket season is on the horizon. Grass has been mowed, boundary netting is up, white lines are being painted. There are four pairs of cricket pads in the house (at least) and the littlest boy claims that none of them fit him. It will pain me to have to purchase more. And we are running out of storage space. There must be at least seven golf bags in the garage and three giant cricket bags in the house as well as a piano and several guitars. I take up almost no room in comparison to everyone else. Just a small cardigan collection modest capsule wardrobe, a jar of kefir and 42 notebooks.
How is everything at your end? Lots of space or all crammed in amongst the cricket gear? Hope all going well. CJ xx
How funny, I dreamt about cricket last night. I am not a cricket fan in any way, shape or form
ReplyDeleteI'm in 2 minds about teachers going on school trips. Yes, they have to cope with other people's children for a week or so and they're never off duty for the duration, but then hey, it's a free holiday! A teacher at my girls' old school used to get my daughter and her friend to fetch her lunch from the dining room every day as she couldn't walk easily owing to a knee injury. Fair enough, but my sympathy rapidly wained when she then went on the annual school ski trip! That's nothing compared to the Classics department who went on trips to various destinations in Italy, Greece etc. once a year, all expenses covered by the parents of course. They couldn't volunteer to go quickly enough. I think they pushed their luck too far when they tried to organise a trip to China (I can't recall the supposed justification). Parents smelt a rat, terms like 'taking advantage' were bandied about, they looked a bit sheepish and it all calmed down for a bit. :O)
ReplyDeleteGood old Bertie with his grabbing and stuffing; it's a life skill. As for a house full of offsprings' stuff - we still have 2 bedrooms and a loft full ....... and they each have their own flats now! xx
I used to do weekends with Quaker teenagers 3 or 4 times a year as a volunteer. Its bloomin hard work, you're never off duty, even at night you get woken or are checking that someone is OK. Yes they can get to go to nice places but it's still incredibly hard work mentally and often physically too - teenagers have a lot more stamina than I did in my 30s and 40s!
DeleteAn enjoyable post and good pictures. The dog's antics made me smile as usual. Enjoy reading David Copperfield when you do get round to reading it. Did you really count the notebooks?
ReplyDeleteAll okay here thanks as there's no cricket gear. Take care. xx
when I was teaching each year I took my class of 11 year olds on whet we called a residential visit. It often involve abseiling and pot holing etc, It was a case of working 24 hours for five days as even when I was in bed one ear was listening for trouble. When I came home I slept for a whole weekend.
ReplyDeleteGood old Bertie! I hope he doesn't have a stomach upset after eating unmentionably ancient pigeon eggs. Oh the joys of being a dog! James went on a residential study trip for a weekend. When I picked him up from the bus, the teachers had aged ten years... poor things. No cricket gear here, or notebooks. I have huge numbers of pencils but they don't take up much space. I hope you get some time to read in between work and mum duties. It is good for the soul. Have a wonderful week xx
ReplyDeleteLovely to read a post from you and that all is good in your world. I have wardrobes that need a very good clear out. As usual I’m waiting for a rainy day but somehow always find something else to do on that day. Love the magnolia even if it’s small. Hoping for bigger and better next year. B x
ReplyDeleteOh Bertie! My Angus loves to eat rubbish outside too! No sports equipment here, my oldest was into hockey for a time. After he moved out, we got rid of all his unwanted things but he kept his hockey stick. Maybe one day he'll go back to it. It's all F1 fans in this house now. Decluttering is a never ending business, one day I should have lots of space... I hope x
ReplyDeleteAs an American, I literally thought you were talking about crickets the insect. I imagined you had some sort of invasion and cricket pads were those sticky traps you put out to catch bugs. Eventually I figured out you meant the sport!
ReplyDeleteNo cricket gear here which is just as well as it sounds like it takes up a lot of space which we don't have lots of here either. It is not really filled with anything significant, it just feels full probably something to do with husbands penchant for buying things in charity shops, not enough goes out the door to justify what comes in.
ReplyDeleteA quiet week sounds heavenly. Your life sounds so much like mine, full, too full really without space to turn around
Hope Bertie has not eaten anything else so stomach churning recently!
My dear daughter (age 42, married with 2 children, in a 6 bedroom house), tells me I should declutter. I gave her carte blanche a coupe of months ago to go through and suggest where I could cut down. She threw out about 20 bits of paper from a box of HER stuff. No mention of her wedding dress, CDs, dolls house, rocking horse and a couple of bookshelves full. And she has 3 empty bedrooms. Do they acquire blinkers when they move out?
ReplyDelete