Month: November 2010

frostings

This morning the first frost of the year visited the back garden ;I could feel it under my feet as I went to fetch my bike. Now I’m traveling through a mist-hung, pink-tinged morning on the way to work. It really is quite stunning, despite my trite and clichéd description.

It’s been an excellent weekend, with a lot of stuff done with a minimum of stress. We painted the inside of the understairs area; took the door off the washer/dryer cupboard and painted that (three coats of heavy, black, tar-like paint which will turn it into a magnetic blackboard. Hm, I don’t mean magnetic, I mean attractive to magnets), and sanded down the inside of the front door, removing that awful maroon stain.

I got out in the garden with the girls. Took down the beans, cleared leaves, tied back the crysanthemums, dug over some beds. On Sunday, I got over to the allotment, cleared some of the top end and finished pulling the tall weeds. Will I double-dig? We shall see.

We got out on the bikes briefly on Saturday, but only to pop down to Mill Road to do some washing in the laundrette; then back home for a quick pasta before Isa went off to the cinema with Ally to watch the new Mike Leigh film. She came back all sentimental, so it must be good.

trick or treat

The Hooper coven was abroad last night, frightening the neighbours into letting go of their yummiest possessions.Isa, Lola and Neve as witches

That’d be the first time I’ve ever been trick-or-treating; it’s not really a tradition I have any connection with. Hallowe’en in Cornwall meant the stealing of gates and, perhaps, the pelting of houses with eggs. Trickery only — and fairly destructive trickery at that.

But Lola got excited by the whole idea and Asda had some insanely cheap witch costumes, so Lola and Neve both got dressed up and went round to five local houses fishing for treats. Quite successfully.

In more mundane news, we had two fairly productive hour-long sessions at the allotment this weekend. It suits the routine quite well to take the girls over there after breakfast and before Neve’s nap. Neve tends just to plonk herself down on the ground and play with the mud — often eating it, too. I often catch her just staring into space with a far-away look in her eyes. Lola will busy herself digging with a little trowel, pulling weeds, planting sticks.

I’ve now managed to pull most of the more-than-ankle-high weeds; then I’ll just turn it all over before the frosts come. I suspect I won’t get to double-digging it this year.