Purple time of the year

I noticed this morning, on my way to the ICA, that there is a long line of purple just as the woodland path emerges from between the trees; just by the pre-school. I don’t know what the plants are. This is not surprising given my lack of horticultural knowledge. But they appear to be deliberately planted. Or sown. I guess they could be butt seed but they look too regimented for that.

Anyway, they cast a delightful haze of purple over the edge of the path, almost obscuring the cars that daily blight the view.

Speaking of cars, today I read a piece about a new plan to pedestrianise East Street in Farnham. One person was not happy, declaring that it was a waste of money because he wouldn’t be able to get there. Clearly a man who has yet to work out how legs work.

Anyway, moving right on along…

Freya had a day of sleep today. We had to keep going over to the dog bed and checking she was still breathing. It was almost like we only had one dog for most of the day. She didn’t eat anything for lunch, preferring to remain virtually comatose. I did manage to force her to take her antibiotics but that was it and she hardly woke up for them.

Then, come the evening, she suddenly became part of the world again. She ate dinner, she went out into the garden with Mirinda, she walked around the house with me for a bit. She has become a Jekyll and Hyde dog but without the evil personality. More Dr Coma and Miss Awake.

While she slept through the daylight hours, I completed a few odd jobs around the house while Mirinda went for lunch with Eva and a couple of her friends. They managed to go to the little café on the river, by the Centrum; the place that is only open for a few hours every year. The hours that we regularly miss.

My odd jobs included putting up a curtain in Mirinda’s study so she could see the screen in the afternoons when the sun beams in, making everything very hard to see. It made a big difference when it came time for her Swedish class.

I also touched up some paint and made some handles for the Death Cabinet. And, of course, I went shopping. Oh, and I made some crackers.

The crackers were a test run for the upcoming Friday French Feast. I’d not made them before (they are a Geraldine special) and thought I should have a test run before subjecting our diners to them. They turned out very good. So good that Mirinda finished them up for dessert tonight. Tomorrow I shall make another batch.

All round a busy and productive day. A pity I can’t say the same about the England football team.

Nicoline can stop reading now

The other day I watched Argentina play a tippy tappy game of pass the ball around the defenders, efeectively killing off a game which they led 1-0. They went on to score a second goal but, by then, the game had reached a level of boredom usually revered for the Italian football team. Tonight I watched the England team emulate this very dull style of play.

Sure, they sometimes attacked but, effectively, they held Ghana at bay for around 100% of the game. In fact, I don’t think Ghana even had a shot on goal. What Ghana did do though was hold England to a scoreless draw.

England had a few attempts, some on target, others pathetically high, but, essentially, they practiced their passing game. It was uninspiring and made me wonder why I bother watching them play.

Of course, at full-time, as soon as the whistle blew, Ghana was over the moon. Players and supporters bounced around as if they had won the whole competition. They deserved the draw given how well their defence held.

So, a dull and boring game. The only saving grace was that it was broadcast at 10pm rather than 3am. I would have ‘enjoyed’ it a lot less had I woken up at 2am to watch it.

Some England fans in costume, in summer, in Boston. That has to be a bit warm.