Happy Sunday

You know its been an idyllic day when we make muffins and have jelly for tea!  Today has been so good, and a very welcome and happy end to a stressful week.  Nothing special has happend today, but it all just clicked and being a family of five was easy today - we lacked our usual chaos and noise and for one day I didn't mind!!  We were up early, I went for a training swim, then we all went for a fun swim (at a different pool no less!) where the biglets showed off their increasing water confidence and Niamh was thrilled to be allowed the freedom of the steps in the shallow end. Then we made pizza's and enjoyed lunch.  Paul has worked his newly mini butt off this afternoon sorting through our clutter to put what we want to keep back into the loft, now its insulated, and the children and I have cleared and sorted and we are steadily creating a pile for the tip.

The loft insulation is complete, but we have a second booking for the cavity walls in a couple of weeks after a bit of a faff with a chap who really didn't want to do the job he was being paid to do.  Never mind, the loft was the bit that had put us in uproar with stuff everywhere, so the walls can happen whenever!

You might have noticed I wrote 'training' swim earlier..  Oh yes, thats right, I have had a bit of a miracle with my ongoing (and boring!) back saga.  I went for my physio appt last Tuesday as booked, and I got so lucky with this amazing lady who seems to be qualified in all manner of things.  We have discussed many forms of 're-hab' and I faithfully did all she recommended all of last week.  I went back for a second appt on Friday (I have a third session booked for next week)and whilst I did feel better, the pain had changed, and after a bit of manipulation the lady asked if I was happy for her to give me some acupuncture therapy.  We went through all the contra indications and she decided it would help.  Now, despite my ethereal beliefs that firmly link me and my energy to the Earth as a living being (she is a woman, if you want my opinion!), I was (I'm embarrassed to say!) extremely sceptical about her description of the chinese thoughts on my chi and how these little needles could aid my healing..  Well, I am happy to say that it is amazing!  I woke up on Saturday morning and didn't feel the need to take any pain killers (I have been on the highest dose for 2 weeks).  I spent the day sewing at Holly's house, and at some point through the day I realised that I wasn't in any proper pain and I still hadn't taken any pain killers.  So here we are, 72 hours later and I am still feeling good ( ihave taken one lot of pain killers this afternoon).  Well enough to train certainly, if not quite right.  My leg feels heavy, and my foot feels weird almost like I can't trust them, but both are so so so much better to the horrendous pins and needles of the last 2 weeks.  Typically I start to feel fit just as the children go back to school and I have more time to do other than run around like a mad hen.  Ah well!

Tomatos growing strong, there are 5 plants here that need splitting and re-potting now.  I had sewn corriander in the midst too, but nothing has come up yet, which is why I'm putting off re-homing the toms..

2 monster courgettes and 3 marvellous peas, hardening off in lean too, before going in the ground.  The courgette at the back is not looking as green as it did, but given that I have no clue what I'm doing and the very fact that I manage to grow any veg at all is a miracle, I'm not worried.

Second sowing of peas and un-sprouted strawberrys.  Peas just come up so quickly!  I intend to make a third successional sewing of peas, to try and make the harvest last as long as pos, but I think I need to wait a tad longer this time otherwise it'l be glut rather than a well thought out extended harvest.

Leeks!  I've not done leeks before, but we were given some beauties from Lucy's allotment earlier in the year and I was inspired to give them a bash.  I have no idea what to expect here, so its a true experiment.

As an aside, the girls are in bed right now (its 7.15pm) and Lochie is sat with Paul as I type, and they are watching a Ray Mears survival documentary on the tv.  Ray has just explained how pine cones can stay dormant for up to 20 years and then open up once a forest fire has heated them, and so replenish the forest (You see, only a woman, aka Mother Earth, could be so prepared!).  Ray lit a fire on the tv and showed the pine cones reacting to the fire, demonstrating how the seeds would then regenerate the forest.  Lochie was so amazed (as were we!) that he got up the from the sofa and was pointing at the tv in astonishment, proclaiming he will tell his teachers this amazing fact tomorrow.  Sigh.  How can Paul and I have made this amazing little boy?

Anyway, back to random photos.  All of our Yule and Christmas decorations are currently stacked in our bedroom, waiting to go back into the loft and the pillows I made were peeking at me this morning and I remembered that I hadn't blogged them in their finished-ness.  So here you go, consider it rectified.

I'll sign off, with one more fact from good old Ray.  1/5 of all the worlds fresh water is in Canada.  Wow.