Bridge over the Cotswold Canal

There are many such bridges along the stretch of the restored canal between Stroud and Chalford. My walking route today took me along from Bowbridge, near where I live, to the Canal Bookshop at Brinscombe, a distance of about two miles.

The sun had come out, I was hot, and tired, so I rested at several benches along the way and read a book I was carrying. When I reached the shop, there was nothing I wanted at present, so after a good rummage around just in case, I continued past Brinscombe port, a former customs port for the canal, to Felt Cafe, where I enjoyed a drink on the banks of the river Frome.

I walked back via a slightly different route, rejoining the canal at the Stroud Brewery pub. More stopping at benches. When I got home, Steve was scrubbing the cabin floor on his hands and knees. We have my sister and niece coming to stay tomorrow. I finished making the cabin into a bedroom for a teenager, which involved carting a mattress downstairs ( actually I kind of threw it ) and pinning up curtains.

Then, because I'm a glutton, I chopped up some brambles and nettles and swept up a lot of dirt in the garden. The area where the mini-greenhouse / grow-mate used to stand was going to be my hammock's new location. But by the time I'd cleared it and cut back the bay tree, I realised it would make a great spot for Steve's potting table. Only trouble is, we'll have to carry the table back up a flight of steps, having carried it down there last year! I don't think my sister will be amused. It's very heavy. However, it will solve the Pressing Problem of Potting.

The depressing thing is that the garden still looks like a total jungle, and no one would ever know that I've done a thing! There's still no place for my hammock. But we could now get a wheelchair or pushchair plus occupant(s) around the side of the house, if we ever needed to. Or I could hold a meeting at the potting table, if we need to start having meetings outside again (last year I organised a meeting in my garden for several people, then it turned out that one person couldn't attend because the big table was down some steps).

I've also scrubbed the bin, descaled the coffee machine with a second product, and attempted to clean the washing machine, though I'm not sure I like the new aroma any better than the old one.

As for the cobwebs, they can stay.