Welcome to June

I managed to sleep through until just 3.30 a.m. again so it will be another loooooong day today.  The calendar turns a page and I wonder what the month holds for us.  Still more Lockdown here in Wales, where the devolved Government works to its own rules.  I am relieved that we are not suddenly "allowed to drive anywhere we want" as in England, as that seems a step too far, too soon, and judging by the madness and mayhem on beaches and at beauty spots, with no regard to the fact that Covid-19 is still out there and claiming more lives seems just madness.   It seems to me that the original plan of herd immunity is being implemented . . .

The news brings us coverage of several heath fires up and down the country  from discarded BBQ's (those cheap rubbishy things should be banned from sale) or a fag end chucked out of a car window with subsequent loss of habitat and wildlife.  

Who wants to drive to a beauty spots heaving with people?  After two months at home, I am quite content to wait until it is deemed safe to venture forth, and I am glad that we have lots of wonderful beaches here in Wales and far fewer people to share them with (though I think our closest beach at  Llansteffan is going to be busy this summer when Lockdown is lifted, so we shan't be going there for a while.)

There has been much coverage of idiotic young men leaping into the water from Durdle Door - 200 feet up for heaven's sake - it's like throwing themselves off a CLIFF - and then belly-flopping sickeningly into shallow water and having to be air lifted off to hospital and the prospect of life in a wheelchair makes me shake my head in dismay.  Have they NO sense whatsoever?  

Anyway, thank heavens I have a beautiful garden to enjoy.  The roses are just coming into bloom.  Here is Jacques Cartier - a David Austin English rose.

Hmmm - I've been trying to change photos and can only have the one-size-fits-all with the new Blogger set up. I can't centre it either.  How stupid is that?  Anyway, this is Litchfield Cathedral (David Austin New English rose).

This came labelled as Graham Thomas (but is the wrong colour) has never flowered so well - I gave them all a good feeding of blood, fish and bone at the back end of winter and it has paid off with him.

Tam cooked tea last night - a punchy chilli and garlic topping on a salmon fillet, with a noodle and stir fry accompaniment.  I drew whilst she worked . . .  There was much rubbing out and redrawing, but it came together in the end.  A shame there was so much shade to hide the detail in the original photo.  It is a Crabbet Arabian (my lovely lad Fahly was Crabbet/Old English bloodlines).  I miss him so.

So, yesterday ended up being a productive day as I did ten minutes here and there having a garden tidy-up, and cutting back the (many!) Weeping Widow Cranesbills which had gotten to their last flower and needed cutting back to flower again and provide the bees with sustenance.  These spread everywhere so every now and then I have to have a cull or they would be wall to wall!  I managed two wheel-barrowfulls anyway. Then I painted the pine bookcase Keith had made for Gabby using wood from his Useful Store.  I'll take a photo and add it later.  I was outside more than I ideally wanted to be, but with weather so beautiful, it is hard to stay indoors.

I have come to the end of a weeks' steroid course, so I hope that is sufficient.  I will find out in the next few days.

Today I will try and stay indoors more.  I will carry on with some decorating as there are a couple of windows which would benefit from a fresh coat of paint.  I touched up the bannister rail on the staircase yesterday, whilst I had that colour paint out for the bookcase.

Oh, and nearly forgot - we had an email from the estate agent last week, saying that someone wanted to come and view the house (and that there had been interest during lockdown, which is a positive.)  As I am shielding myself until infection rates and deaths are much much lower, I really do NOT want complete strangers in my house, especially as I can't see my other grown-up children as they are out of the 5 mile permitted meet up zone (although they have said people in the countryside could make their own decisions about this zone.)  I have mentioned viewing by video to the agent, but haven't heard anything back yet.  Anyway, in advance of this possibly happening, I need to get everything pristine again.  Hah!  I may be gone some time . . .

Right, back to bed in the hope of a few more zzzzzzzzzzzzzzs.