Husband and I have some issues with laundry. Or rather, I have some issues with Husband's way of hanging laundry up to dry. He doesn't check that all the sleeves are shaken out from shirts, he doesn't make sure that things are hung flat so they dry properly. I always have to follow along behind… Continue reading The Problem with Pillowcases
33.20 – the heatwave breaks
The thunderstorm on Thursday night may have interrupted my sleep a little bit, but as it brought the temperature down I didn't mind so much, and when it was done, it was cool enough to sleep. My cat was not very happy during the heatwave. He had pretty much stopped eating and we were having… Continue reading 33.20 – the heatwave breaks
The heatwave breaks
After so many days of breathless heat, rainfall sounds like music. The first drops like strings introducing the melody, then the full orchestra joins as the rain becomes a downpour, with thunder like timpani rolling wildly overhead. And when the performance ends the dripping and trickling sounds like applause and the footsteps of an audience… Continue reading The heatwave breaks
The Devil’s staircase
Many years ago when I lived in Edinburgh, I did an evening class that had a title something along the lines of "Scottish place names and mythology". I'm wondering now how I got the time and the money to do this as I remember my Edinburgh time as working two jobs to keep my head… Continue reading The Devil’s staircase
32.20 – the heat goes on
This week's sleep: Noctus interruptus. It's been a difficult time for sleeping over the past week. Last Friday night it was Eid fireworks at 11.30pm, followed by a helicopter hovering for an hour at 3.30am; Saturday night there was some kind of altercation further down our street and a window was smashed, with more arguing… Continue reading 32.20 – the heat goes on
31.2020 or “I can’t believe it’s August already”
I cannot believe it's August already. August. Summer proper. We even had a day and night of significantly hot and distinctly Un-British weather (36C/96F in my part of London). Even with a fan it was difficult to concentrate in the home office on a Friday afternoon with those temperatures. So I felt fully justified in… Continue reading 31.2020 or “I can’t believe it’s August already”
The pain and pleasure of Lupins
I love lupins. They have purple flowers - and purple is a favourite colour of mine - and I love the shape of the flower spikes. They are also very attractive to bees, and who doesn't like to see bees in their garden? I ordered some lupins plants back in the cold days of January… Continue reading The pain and pleasure of Lupins
A hot and sticky week (30.2020)
The weather this week has been all over the place. Hot, sunny, cool, rainy, sometimes all of these within one hour. So it's been hard to know how to dress and how to feel. Do I have a fever? No, it's just humid. Do I have a chill? No, it's just raining and windy now.… Continue reading A hot and sticky week (30.2020)
The long short week (29.2020)
Monday was a bank holiday. Not an official one in my part of the world, just a day’s holiday granted by my employer, a bank. It was their way of encouraging people to take time off, take a break, slow down, maybe book some extra holiday to recover from all the stress we have been… Continue reading The long short week (29.2020)
20 years of transition
So today is the day I officially reach 20 years of employment with the one institution. That feels pretty amazing, as after my last interview before I started here I felt I would never get a permanent job ever again. The interviewer said to me, "Why would anyone hire you? You haven't held a job… Continue reading 20 years of transition
Tales from Tobhamhor 