▲: pulled up loads and loads of “onion weed”. It’s an absolute swine. You get rid of almost all the leaves, which are sort of strap like, and stink of onions, and there’s one or two left. So you dig down as far as you can, and there, hiding, is a whole bunch of tiny little bulbs, just waiting to come up. I started off with a long-handled fork, but had to get down on my hands and knees because the damn things were all muddled up with the hardy geraniums. Then I found a load more all intertwined with the photinia. I had to thread my head in through the branches and just dig with the hand fork. I am keeping my eyes peeled for more of the damn things.

▼: dropped our lovely red kettle. Only the spout smashed, but still. I’m very clumsy some days. So I phoned hubby, who was at the local Tesco’s, and he bought a new one while he was there. Mmph. It works. It boils water. It’s quite cute. But it’s not red. It’s black.

▲: whilst crocheting another small blanket (another practice piece), I had been struggling to work out exactly which loops to put the hook through on one of the two pattern rows. I’d done about two thirds of the blanket, and for some reason I decided to tilt the work slightly towards me to see what was what – and bingo! there are the loops I should have been using! so I undid almost the whole thing, and am quite excited, in a nerdy sort of way, to do it again properly. (footnote: the first one has become a “superhero cape” for a certain three year-old, who swishes around in it like a boss).

▼: went to have a blood test at the local hospital today. It’s a ten minute drive, but there was a very long queue TO GET INTO THE CAR PARK. So I turned around and went to the doctor’s surgery to book the blood test there. No problems with car parking, or car parking fees, and no waiting for an hour and being herded like cattle. And then went home and am drinking tea.

▲: am waiting, agog, for the Procion dye to arrive so that I can dye three white t-shirts cream. It’s a bit of a faff, more faffy than Dylon, but Dylon don’t do the colour I want. It’s quite exciting. I was a bit worried about pre-dye machine washing but remembered I have some “Vanish” in the cupboard which will do very nicely indeed. I’ve also ordered some special dye fixer called soda ash or something. I used to dye old clothes and towels a lot, but last time I used Dylon liquid dye it came up all blotchy, so haven’t done any for years. We shall see.