Bonfire night

It was certainly cold yesterday morning. Went out to feed the fish -- and found they were frozen in!! Swimming around. Quite happy, as far as I could see. But there was a definite ice barrier between us. I dropped the food on top of the ice. It melted. Eventually.

I have finished the broccoli, cauliflower and cheese soup :-( Had the last of it for lunch yesterday. What soup shall I make next?

There have been lots of fireworks. There were, I think, fireworks in the park in Grassmoor last evening. And lots more in gardens and small parks and places. I am at Psalter Lane this evening, which really is bonfire night and I can see fireworks out the library window. Lots of banging. Hope we're not actually under attack!

The man who bought the house next door, blind, at auction, came to visit us yesterday evening. We were just indulging in a (rare, truly!) second gin/vodka and tonic. I had opened the bottle of tonic. A veritable geyser of tonic had gone all over the kitchen. I was in the process of mopping up, watched by the cat, when there was a tap at the kitchen door. It was he. The man, not the cat who has never, as far as I am aware, tapped at the kitchen door. He (the cat, not the man) was, in fact, glaring crossly at the door! Anyway. He came in and we had a nice chat. He had some very peculiar, convoluted, complicated suggestion about selling us the garden at the back. Along the lines of: If I sell the house at auction for x, you will pay y. If I sell it for z you will pay w. Odd. Told him we would pay between 4.5k and 6.5k and no more, regardless of how much he sold the house for. He said he would accept 6.5k if we cleared out the ENORMOUS pile of rubbish. Fair doos. I'll summon the boys for roast chicken! But please keep your fingers and toes crossed for a wee bit longer. It looks as though we might get the land, but there's many a slip ..... I hope we do. I could have chickens! I have been thinking on and off for some years now how nice it was when we had chickens and how unlikely it seemed that I could ever have them again (well, perhaps a couple of pet bantams, but you know what I mean). Then the possibility of the land at the back came up -- and chooks were the first thing I thought of!!! I can even see where we could put a chicken run. And the fruit trees. And a "walled" (well, fenced!!!) kitchen garden. Keep fingers and toes firmly crossed!!!

I made chicken kievs yesterday for dinner. From first principles. They worked :-)

The Builder has been very busy in the garden. He’s put a lovely brick path between the side path and the compost heap, edging one side of the new garden bed. He did that yesterday. This morning he has almost finished dismantling the breeze block raised bed and has been transferring the soil (removing roots, noxious weeds, junk and gunge as he went) into the first wooden box. Working on the assumption we’re going to get the land at the back, we’ve decided to put the blackcurrant bushes and strawberries in there. I have blackcurrant bushes ready to go, but I don’t think we’ve got enough soil. As I left he was re-starting the bricking process at the back. I do think it’s going to be a lovely garden. And fairly low maintenance when it’s finished.

In the meantime, I have weeded the roses, pruned back the hollyhocks, massacred the clematis, tied in the passionflower, tied in the climbing rose (to the spiky red tree!) and generally cleaned up a bit. Marlo was quite intrigued by the newly revealed trellis. I was leaning on my garden fork, chatting to Debbie over the fence, as you do. Marlo was watching. Max, the puppy next door, was pootling about. Suddenly Marlo leapt onto the trellis and scrambled his way to the top. Max recognised this as Cat Noise and belted down to the back of his garden, expecting to see the grey tabby which ambles about. Tabby there was none. He came back. And found Marlo wobbling precariously on top of the trellis and looking thoughtfully down into Max’s garden. Max was ever-so excited. Cat for lunch!! Grabbed Marlo and hauled him back down from the trellis. On *our* side of the fence! He retreated inside in a sulk. Then came back outside again when he realised he couldn’t see what was going on through the cat flap.

I think there *are* insurgents in the car park. We seem to be under attack by prettily coloured mortar shells. Lots of banging going on. Lots of yelling and cheering. Best go and find where I‘ve put my flak jacket.

The fishies weren’t frozen in this morning. It’s been much milder today. But I have worn one of my sunny thick jumpers, out in the garden, for the first time this season.

Not working next weekend. Not either day. HOORAY!!!!!!!!!!!