A fresh outlook

The kitchen at the Retirement Home

was dark, cold and only superficially functional

with its high cupboards and 

very odd eye-level drawers.

We took out this cupboard and its concussing drawers, 

and the wall behind it for good measure.

(What we put behind that is another post.)

Then we ripped out all the other cupboards

 and poked a new window in this wall

and we liked what we saw.

Of course when I say 'we', I mean 'they', and 'they'

have been taking an unconscionable time about it.

It's not finished yet and I will spare you 

the grief they have put us through, because that will recede

but I thought you might like a sneak preview.

Way to go

As the ambulance on a blue light

hurtled towards me on my drive to Pilates this morning,

this was playing on the radio:

Well there are worse ways to go.

Jacob's Ladder by William Blake.

Light work

While grubby building work continues in a laggardly fashion,

I take solace in these swift, clean, weightless

shadows and reflections.

HIPY PAPY BTHUTHDTH THUTHDA BTHUTHDY

But wasn't it yesterday? said Pooh a little anxiously.

'Wasn't what yesterday?' said Owl.

'His birthday. Isn't that what you are writing about?'

'Well yes, it does seem like only yesterday,

but I am getting a little confused lately.'

Pooh looked on with a thoughtful expression.

'Well then I think you must make up for your forgetting

to write about it yesterday.

I daresay he is a Forgiving Sort.

Write something in capital letters

and he will hear you shouting.'

So Owl wrote with her long pencil,

HIPY HAPY BTHUTHDTH THUTHDA BTHUTHDY

FOR YISTUDY.

And everyone hoped he would like his

nicely painted bedroom when next he came home.

The candle factory

In the Bleak Midwinter
Wordled and fiddled about with.
16 million HTML colour codes to play with.
Such fun.

Catching up

I should be planting bulbs

but I'm late.

I'd like to be the sort of gardener who 

can listen to exploding fireworks, 

smug in the knowledge that hundreds of narcissi,

tulips, and alliums  

have long since been interred in pots, lawn and borders.  

Sadly there won't be any hyacinths flowering indoors

for Christmas because I didn't force them in time

and I haven't even received my Paperwhites yet.

I'm going to have to plant these with more support this year

as artfully balancing them on pebbles

has more than once resulted in an unwieldy mass

of toppling foliage.

I have got a few sprouting crocuses and muscari.

Sarah Raven advised planting crocuses in a sunny spot

to encourage them to open fully.

The shyest of our visiting cats pinpointed

the ideal position under a silver birch

visible from the kitchen window.

By the time I got out there,

he'd skedaddled.

Let's hope the squirrels weren't watching where I put them.