Busy, busy, busy

Well, my dears, one can only describe the past ten days or more as busy, why I really cannot think where to begin. Perhaps 'tis best to start with our dear little home.

You may remember that each year we review the fabric of the house, consider the upkeep required and projects to be undertaken? Dear souls it has been full steam ahead, taking advantage of the good weather and utilising it for the better. Once again one must credit the small but merry band of workmen that we are most fortunate to have available to us. It has been most gratifying to see the work come together as they weave around one another to ensure timely completion of their individual crafts. Such delightful gentlemen. The male guardian and I bought this small estate in the knowledge that one could not afford to undertake major restoration all at once, therefore, we set ourselves a twenty five year plan to slowly but surely safeguard and maintain our home. My dears, we are nearing the end of the plan but the benefit of following our plan has allowed us to learn about our home, how the light affects it, how the weather can batter it and, importantly, how the essential rhythmic ebb and flow our daily lives affects it. When we arrived, it was a cold, damp, draughty building with a small amount of surrounding land that required a moderate amount of love and attention. Like any old estate it will need to be maintained and we are merely guardians for our time, preserving it, one hopes, for generations to come. For now, we are enjoying the fruits of our, and our merry band of workmens,  labours and what joy it does give. A lawyer, Mr Edward Coke,  in 1628 was credited with the Maxim "an Englishman's home is his castle" never more true today, I do believe, although perhaps the term "Englishperson's" would be more appropriate in these modern times.

The second woollen garment bound for the Australias is now in full production, growing stitch by stitch, day by day. Such a delightfully enjoyable pastime and so gratifying to produce such a useful garment. I was, this very day, the recipient of THE most finest knitted socks from a most generous individual who has taught male and female alike, across the generations, to knit woollen socks. My dears, they really are the most exquisitely stitched pair of socks, why I was quite beside myself with surprise and delight. Quite the most generous of gestures do you not agree?

We do hope you too have been enjoying the recent spell of warm weather though, as many a gardener can be heard muttering, we do need some rain for the garden. Happy pootling my dears.