Stick Groyne

We had a bit of sun today. In fact it was wall to wall sunshine while the sun was there. Almost as soon as it set, the rain returned but, hey ho, we were inside and didn’t really care.

First thing we went into town, hauling the big bag of change that mum counted in order to deposit it in the bank. She claimed it was £66. It was actually £75. Which is quite good when you think it was just 1p, 2p, 5p and 10p pieces a few weeks ago.

Speaking of the bank, there was a bit of a wait because three oldies in front of me didn’t have cards. They were complaining about the bank making them wait. If they’d had cards, like most people, they’d have been gone in about five minutes.

Having dragged the coins into the bank (and the calendars and a parcel for Japan), we had an empty trolley on the way home.

Back at the house, I made a casserole for dinner (mum said it was delicious) then headed into the garden to start on the first Stick Groyne.

The Stick Groynes are to replace the stick pile which was (almost completely) moved by Chris the Gardener. The idea is to make sort of open topped wire boxes where the sticks go. These will create a place for wildlife to hang out as well as create a sort of natural boundary running across the back of The Former Residence of Xun Ma.

Using up the final bits of wire from the temporary wildflower fence, I managed to erect three sides then I started pruning.

In particular, I attacked the wild rose bush at the holly tree in order to teach it a lesson. Every time I walked through the arch, one cheeky stalk would take my hat off and throw it to the ground! Well, with a satisfying snip, I put an end to that Tomfoolery!

Anyway, by the end of the sunlight, the new, almost completed, Stick Groyne looked like this:

I feel I should mention that Freya was a big help. She spent most of the time sat atop one of the staddle stones. I have no idea why.

After lunch I managed to talk mum into attempting a walk in the park with us. She tugged her wellies on and off we went very, very slowly. Still, it was good to get out in the (icy) breeze and say hello to the other dog walkers.

Back at home, I finished hanging our Christmas lights. I’ve attached them to timer plugs so they can come on and off while we’re away. I’d timed them to switch off at 10pm. Mum was in the extension listening to the radio when the announcer said “It’s now ten o’clock…” and all of the lights went off. It was very funny. But effective.