Back to the gym

First thing this morning I was up at the gym doing the things I need to do to keep mobile. It’s a strange kind of joy that envelopes me as I puff and pant, sweat and push myself. Odd what the human body can do.

Obviously I went shopping and Starbucking after my exercise efforts. On the way home I noticed that the Swain & Jones development is progressing behind the hoardings. When I say ‘progressing’ I obviously mean that they have put pictures on the hoardings rather than leave them plywood brown. I can’t remember how long it has taken them to get this far but there was a rather long hiatus that has only recently ended.

Was Swain and Jones

I’ve written about their closure before and will keep tabs on the developing development.

Socio-photo-history aside, I was eventually back at the house. Mirinda worked from home so I was banished to the garden. That’s not exactly true. She WAS working from home but there was no banishment. In fact I spent quite a while in the office working on our tax figures to send to the accountant. (I like to say that I’m ‘doing our tax’ but Mirinda has corrected me a number of times, saying that the accountant does the tax while I supply him with the numbers. Given my numeric dyslexia, that’s a very good thing.)

But I did work in the garden a bit. If nothing else, there was the annual allium staking to do.

It’s always lovely working in the garden this time of year. The Crazy Bed is alive with bright flowers and noisy, nosy insects…

…and the lavender fills the air with its delightful scent.

Actually, we want more lavender. A long continuous line from the row we have alongside the steps, then following the Path beside the Wildflower Patch and on beyond the holly tree. I love the way the scent just wafts when you brush past the heads at this time of year. Plus, of course, they seem to love our garden enough to survive.

Another success is the mahonia. Having finally flowered it is now setting forth its stall of berries (for the birds, I assume) and a new level of hard spiky leaves have formed at the top. I know because they tend to stab me in the head whenever I go anywhere near it. I can only hope that this is a sign of affection.

Back in the winter, I took a 360 video of where I wait for the bus after the gym. I figured it only right to do the same now that summer is almost here.