Sunshine and Rugby (though sadly not together)

Thursday was glorious, sunny and even warm, so after teaching in the morning, I spent the rest of the day in the garden.  Just as well I didn't blog about it before, as we need a bit of cheering up now that the sun and warmth have gone!  

Our garden is overshadowed by several large trees and although this cuts out a lot of the light, it does have the perk of giving the garden a woodland-y touch.

This week I noticed some tiny violets nestling in the lawn.

The more I looked the more there seemed to be!

We also have some very pretty Primroses scattered about, and what I hope are Bluebells somewhere down the bottom.

The Honeysuckle I discovered last year and pinned to the fence is completely covered in buds and looking very exciting.  I love the combination of the soft, washed out green and deep purple together, next to the grey of the fence.

My small attempts at a garden are starting to look a little more promising - my fruit trees haven't been killed by my haphazard pruning, the herbs in their pots haven't shrivelled up and died and the Rhubarb is finally starting to look less bendy and pathetic and heading slowly towards edible.

The afternoon really warmed up and so I donned a strappy top and a skirt and took lunch and work outside.  It was fab and I think I even got a teeny tiny layer of a tan.  I have been smothering myself in tinted moisturiser for the past few weeks and I have managed to work up a slight glow so as not to blind passers by with my pasty winter skin.  Phew.

I built Margot a little holiday home so that she can visit the garden in fox-proof safety.  It also saves us the ridiculous exercise of trying to round her up if I let her roam free (funny to watch but not to take part in).

It is not in fact bodge-y, as you might think on first glance, but 'Rustic' and the equivalent of Shabby Chic for hens.  Margot was very pleased with my efforts and had a very nice afternoon in the upper bed having dust baths and nibbling on unsuspecting worms.

  The sky was completely clear, not quite yet the deep azure of summer but a fresh pale blue full of bright expectance.

I aired the duvet, giving it a good beating and leaving it to hang in the breeze.

Our bed felt deliciously fresh and clean that evening, with the duvet all puffy and cool and new crisp sheets smelling of soap and lavender.  (I keep spare bars of soap and sachets of lavender between all the linen in the airing cupboard and I love the smell of a newly made bed, all clean and comforting.)

Friday evening we had some friends round for an 'Aperitif Gourmand'.

This is essentially drinks, but with  more substantial things to nibble on.  I made cheese straws, some cocktail sticks with prawns, fennel and mangetout peas and some with chorizo and cherry tomato and also little slices of baguette spread with taramasalata and tapenade.

We talked and munched and drank several gin and tonics before moving onto a surprisingly nice bottle of red and then sloe gin and mocha meringues - coffee meringues sandwiched with dark chocolate cream.

All of a sudden it was two o'clock in the morning!  Always the sign of a lovely evening when you don't even notice the time pass.

Saturday got off to a bit of a slow start...but a delicious bowl of fruit salad with yogurt and fresh coffee soon got us going.

After leaving the house and having to return two minutes later to change into something warmer (I could almost hear my mother berating me for casting off my 'clouts' before the end of May), we did manage to make it in time for cooked breakfast and Buck's Fizz at the Officer's Mess before hopping on a coach down to Twickenham for the annual Army vs Navy rugby game.

We spent the day with some lovely friends and an alarming number of pints of beer and cider - the perfect day, all that was missing was an extra ten degrees!

The game was good fun and attended by a record number of people, though sadly we still lost horribly.

Completely worn out by our exploits, we snoozed on the coach on the way home and were soon snuggled in bed with hot buttered toast and a film.