Success!

I just picked over 2lbs strawberries from the allotment! Anyone want to share them with me?

Today we successfully exchanged contracts - next Friday is moving day. Lots to do.

Allotment Delights

We've been feasting on strawberries from the allotment this week. I was over there doing some weeding today and enjoying the fragrance of the sweet peas, and the vibrant colour of these Californian poppies.

Race for Life - Stoke Park, Guildford

This was my first time doing the Race for Life. I got a lift there, and then was on my own. I was early, so found a park bench out of the way and sat there for a while people-watching, listening to the public announcements and the music being played over the PA system. Nearby there was a bunch of Army Cadets looking very smart in their uniforms. It was enjoyable watching their interactions - one young female cadet was also enjoying the moment, smiling and dancing (despite her army boots) to the music with natural rhythm and a seeming lack of inhibitions. After a while one of the cadets came over and sat beside me on the bench, engaging me in friendly conversation. Within a few moments the rest of his crew came over and joined him, and for a while I was part of the group, chatting with them. When they were called away to begin work, they wished me good luck. It was a most pleasant way to begin the afternoon. I admired their energy and fluent teamwork as they set to their allotted tasks, sorting out the pile of goody bags and water to be given out at the end of the event to all the 3,500 participants.

After a fun warm-up, the event began. The runners set off first, the fastest completing the 5 kilometres in just under 20 minutes. I set off at a slightly more sedate pace, finishing in around 46 minutes. The weather was cool with a gentle light rainfall. Many of the participants were running or walking in a group wearing co-ordinated outfits - for example the four ladies in the photo above with their bunny-ears, multi-coloured leggings, pink tutus and pink t-shirts. The youngest participant was a wee tot who could only have been around 18 months at the most, gamely holding her mother's hand as she toddled along with the rest of the bunch. I was also impressed with a number of girls who looked to be around 8 years old running the course. Maybe next year, I told myself, if I keep up the good work at the gym.

Race for Life is the largest women-only fundraising event, all proceeds going to Cancer Research UK. Earlier in the week I had the privilege of helping a cancer survivor - I went over the allotment to do some watering in the early evening. It was wonderfully peaceful over there - a truly beautiful evening - and a couple of plots over, a fellow allotment-holder was sitting outside his shed soaking up the last rays of the warm sunshine and enjoying the peace. After a bit he went into his shed. I carried on with what I was doing, and then something prompted me to walk over to his plot. We greeted each other and exchanged a few pleasantries, and then he asked me if I could help him get his boots off. In the heat, his wellingtons had somehow moulded themselves to his legs and stuck firmly, and he hadn't the strength to get them off. It made my day, being in the right place at the right time to be able to help!

Car Boot Sale Virgin

This week we sorted out a load of stuff for the car boot sale today. We went along not quite sure what to expect. I found it surprising what sold and what didn't! In theory setting-up time was from 11 am to 12 noon, but even before the car wheels had stopped rolling, there was a gentleman peering through the windows at the stuff in the back. He spotted an ancient cabin trunk and recognised it as being German (my father brought it home with him from Berlin in World War II). It was in terrible condition, having been stored in the greenhouse for a while and then the garage, yet he quickly agreed to pay £15 for it! Trade was brisker in that first hour before the sale officially opened than in the following three hours. What was also surprising was the stuff that was left over unsold at the end of the sale - the things that I thought would sell quickly (including, for example, a Spode muffin plate). Anyway, we came home with a lot less stuff than we went, so it was a successful day. The weather was ideal.

Out & About - Civic Pride and all that

I recently attended a meeting at the Council Offices of the neighbouring borough, and was delighted by this artistic topiary in a pretty garden decorating the entrance to the offices. It needs no explanation, an attractive standalone piece symbolising harmonious relationships.

Compare it to this weird sculpture (below) that has pride of place in front of the entrance to my local borough council offices ... what is THAT about? What is it trying to say? It begs the question of who exactly got to choose the sculpture and how. I've yet to meet a local who likes it.

More floral beauty

Sunshine after the rain, and the flowers look more beautiful than ever, the raindrops like jewels reflecting the light on the luscious peony and rhododendron.

The Wisteria looks pretty too.

Blue skies, sunshine, blossom: beautiful!

The warmth of this April has brought an early peony into bloom in the garden.