Brick wall . . .

I hit one today.  I was feeling so much better this morning, having had 9 hours' sleep despite taking the steroids after tea.  I pottered about as Keith had gone to a Charity event he'd been asked to stand at with his militaria.

My tomatoes were blighted, so I took them out of the greenhouse and put them on the bonfire base, along with the cucumbers which had got sickly too.  Then as I had the secateurs in my hand, I cut back a few stems of the Buddleia at the gate, now it has mostly bloomed.  That was O.K.

I took down/out various hooks and nails which had been for the pictures I've removed from the sitting room.  Then I had the bright idea of moving some books, so I got a box full of mostly paperbacks from the Back Room and started carrying outdated editions of Millers Antiques guides to put in their place.  A Bad Move.  My chest began to feel the strain and protested, and then as I moved a few more (alright, about 50) books across to fill the gaps in the main bookcase, my legs went quite wobbly.  I got the message, and sat down for the entire afternoon, watching 4 back to back episodes of the first series of Outlander, as there is another series coming out in September (can't wait, though it will probably get delayed getting to us in the UK).  I also blew the dust off a x-stitch gift for a friend and carried on with that.  Bliss!  I was the real me all afternoon.  Carefully picking through and rewinding tangles of embroidery silks which had been put away untidily in the little ceramic drawer which is my work in progress store for sewing.  It was very relaxing. 

I felt well enough to mix and bake a cake (using the mixing machine), and make a loaf of bread (bread machine), and also put a tagine in the slow cooker.  Sitting down in between each little job.  The cake is one from The Great British Bake Off Everyday cookbook, and is a recipe of Mary Berry's.  I wouldn't buy the book new but was happy to pay £3 for it at a car boot sale from a lady who had every book from the series, given her at Christmas by her darling son, who didn't realize his mum didn't bake much any more!  The recipe was for Cranberry and Marzipan cake and it is LUSH.  Recipe later (and I haven't forgotten the Hedgepick Jam one either.  Monday.  Promise.