under another sun

Another foul night's sleep. Went to bed at 10 and lay there coughing continually for three hours. Eventually slept in exhausted snatches between coughing fits. Feeling grumpy this morning, a mood not improved by our boiler not working. We think it is because the condensation pipe is frozen, but as this is impossible to reach, even with ladders, without first dissembling our wee garden shed, so we simply deployed our two plug in heaters till it is warm enough for the heating to work again. Gah, Catch 22. A chat with the postman as I was leaving on the house and I commented on his shorts (I was wearing three jumpers, hat, gloves, coat etc.) He said you just get used to wearing them, and you soon warm up doing your round. He also said that it had been colder yesterday, than he could ever remember in his 30 years as a postie. It was minus seven when he arrived in the wee hours for work. Bussed to Evolution Arts, Ben urged me to speed up if I am going to get my piece finished. Nice ...

Gee Wisley Off to Wisley, the Royal Horticultural Society garden today, about an hour's drive from Brighton. It's still inescapably winter, and it was dripping and rainy. However there were signs everywhere enticing us to the butterfly hot house, where they house their tropical collection. A small notice informed us that the Butterflies were few at the moment, but those that were there, were being photographed like celebs. More fascinating was a chrysalis incubation case, where rows of chrysalis grouped in the different colours of their species were hanging down like coats on a rail, from greyish and leaflike to metallic golden. A couple of black and white Tree Nymph butterflies had recently emerged and gradually inflating their wings. It made me think of a library. Then out and about walking in the grounds. Lots of big trees, Lorraine hugged a pine, but didn't like it as much as much as a broad leafed tree. Lorraine got me fired up to transform my own back yard. My tree is...