Happy hands

Yesterday was a tedious bramble clearing day (my least favourite gardening), but today was a day to get my hands dirty. I was only moving plants (out of the way of the wall builders) but some of them could be split into smaller plants - which felt like real gardening. And all under warm, sunny skies. (So warm that my neighbour lay down outside for a snooze).

Later, the kids were home early, CarbBoy was feverish and couldn't go to basketball - which made the evening simpler. The mason not showing up wasn't ideal, but he did at least phone and apologise and will come next week instead. And this evening we had apéros at the house of a neighbour who is moving out so we could meet their buyers (including a 14 year old girl who is astonishingly enough, taller than TallGirl!) And we also met the other new neighbours.

As always, it started slow, though I had to reflect that if no-one had been offered a drink for 30 minutes in Scotland there would have been a riot... But it was a fun evening once it got going. (I'm not saying alcohol is essential, but it feels a bit odd when guests are offered nothing despite everyone arriving a polite 5-15 minutes late.) And, as I am learning, apéros round here does not mean 'a couple of drinks before dinner' but rather 'many drinks and very little food and it's rude to leave before midnight'. I tend to start edging towards the door when the home made 'rum' comes out. Nothing good can come out of that bottle...

Then home to hello a recently-arrived-from-the-airport Mr B, and some cheese to fill the gap left by no dinner,.