I had intended to write at Midsummer but the days seem to have slipped by and suddenly June is gone - the broom was spectacular this year. It’s an indication of how preoccupied I have been (which can only be a good sign !) and of how incredibly nice the weather has been. More energy and mental alertness - partly I suppose, as a result of the Thyroxine kicking in and partly the fact that I am now 2/3rds through the year they said it would take to recover from the transplant.

Outside the vegetable garden is looking happy now. The first sowing of sugar peas was a write-off.... a pesky field vole, living in the dyke and overlooked by the cats, dug up and ate most of the row before I realized what was going on. The courgettes have loved the warm June weather and we’ll probably be eating the first fruits by the end of the week. Home grown lettuce has been on the lunch menu for about a fortnight and we’ve had a good few portions of spinach over that time too. In fact it’s beginning to bolt and a second row needs sowing.

The birch tree to the south of the house was casting rather too much shade for out-door lunches so I made it a two day project to take 15 ft off the top of it. Didn’t have the energy to do it all in one day, and Inigo helped me with the thickest boughs on day 2. A few days of hot sun and the brush wood from it was ready for the bonfire - baked potatoes for supper that evening !

For quite a few weeks now I have been reviewing our energy use and examing ways to reduce it and possibly generate our own from renewables. It’s been a good way to keep my brain occupied while my swollen legs stay horizontal. The government grants for domestic properties have vanished but there are business loans available and incentive schemes to reduce the payback periods. The money that’s in the bank just now is earning so little interest I’m sure we can put it to better use. I have got a quotation from one company to put a heat pump into the workshop and fit solar PV panels (expensive !). Next week I have a meeting with a man from the government’s ‘Energy Saving Trust’. I have had to work out where we can improve insulation - roof, windows, and underfloor - and get it costed. I’ve been under the suspended wooden floor of the workshop, sliding on my back, to see how much area it is possible to cover with polystyrene. I bought one sheet for a trial run and cut it into sections to fit between the joists; I was pleased to confirm that it did look possible.
That project alone should keep me out of mischief for months in the autumn.

Meanwhile the 29th July - Potfest in the Park - looms closer and Christine is trying to get my brain focused on the fact that she needs a couple of plynths making for the display of some of her new work. The days seem so short when I am still still crashing-out for a sleep every afternoon. My damn batteries are still not carrying much of a charge to keep me going all through the day. Oh... and I got another dose of C.Diff this week... Aargh !!