Just Another Day in Nowhere

This dismal summer is trundling along.  Everything that needs to be done  gets done, eventually.  Often in pouring rain.  The rain causes its own problems.  Drainage problems, of all kinds.  Something I never gave thought to when I was a town or city dweller.  This summer, drainage has been an everyday problem.

Holes and inspection pits have had to be dug as problems with soakaways have been an ever present headache.

Here George and Jonny are captured in a rare moment of inactivity.

The large pits are about three feet deep, so they have shifted a lot of smelly, wet, very heavy clay soil to get down there.  They have worked in sunshine and in heavy rain.

Late yesterday the job was finally declared finished, the pits were closed.


We shall see when the next monsoon rains fall.

I am happy to dig, empty wheelbarrows, etc.  but my role this time was to make coffees and hand out biscuits.


I took Toby to the fish ponds and was delighted to see that the water lilies are in bloom - the water may look murky, but the lilies are beautiful.

Toby seemed eager to go on, leg problems forgotten - so we went through the fields to Claythorpe.  

I had just climbed a stile and was watching the sheep when I felt something touch my hand - it was a sheep.



Here she is.  I spent a moment petting her and remembering the two lambs which I was fortunate to have bottle fed, many years ago in the Western Isles.

I also pondered over whether this could be the same sheep which my friend The Viking encountered on his recent walk.

This was the view from your cottage, Meggie.


It was oh so peaceful.

We walked home slowly as Toby was getting a bit tired.  He slept contentedly for the rest of the afternoon, chasing rabbits and dreaming of juicy marrowbones no doubt.


This pretty poppy was gifted to me several years ago.  It was a gift from the blue tits who took over the electric meter box one summer.

I kept them safe and protected from meter readers and in return they left me a single poppy.   I saved the seeds and now have them growing around the place.  I always think of them as my thank-you gift.

This beautiful rose grows up the cottage wall.  I don't know what it is called, but the blooms are large and the perfume is wonderful.

It was finally time for me to come back down to earth and get the kettle on, make sandwiches and check on the workers.