On a mission

Spoke to Mum this morning before Lorraine and I began our epic Easter garden mission. Taking Sarah's advice I took out lots of oxygenating elodea from the fishpond, as it was so abundant it crowded out the fish. Then building the first of the big beds. Lorraine held things steady and I drilling in the guide holes, then putting in the bit that fit the end of long thick coach bolts and twisting those in with the drill. Some of them went in sweetly, others had to be twisted in manually while grunting and cursing. An unusual sense of accomplishment at having finishing the first raised bed at the end of the day. 

In the afternoon Dawn and Paul called by, and we sat in the sun (on our new garden furniture) living the dream, sipping tea and eating fruit cake that Dawn had made. Also later we sat in the summer house -- a first with guests. Paul is recovering from a health scare but is now cautiously optimistic that everything will be fine. Dawn and Paul are getting married later this year. I am happy Dawn, who is such a lovely person, has found someone right for her.  Talking to Paul is always interesting, and he is full of ideas. He was telling me that he is very pessimistic about the dangers posed by artificial intelligence to add to his despair about the state of the environment. 

Feeling a bit broken and achey this evening. However Lorraine made us a magnificent fish pie, which when washed down, in my case, with a can of beer seemed to revive me.

At the risk of being flora heavy... Look at this pink tradescantia -- I have never seen one flowering so much as the one on our bedroom windowsill...