Rare find

Unearthed in the garden this afternoon. I didn't even remember that we had once had a wheelbarrow in regular use. Also found was the original bonfire-pit.. I haven't dug up the twigs yet, to see if there are any hedgehogs or slow worms nesting there. I haven't seen a single slow worm anywhere, in fact. There is a badger railroad at the bottom of the garden, that I discovered the other day.

I'm hoping that CleanSteve will sort out the strimmer while I am at work on Monday, because I believe we could start to use it in the ruins of the rased beds. I will die of exhaustion if I attempt to do everything with hand tools.

This grasping (the nettle) and grubbing took about three hours. The sun was beginning to set as I finished. The earlier part of the day, at the market, was largely a repeat of yesterday, only with more customers. Pouring into the hall in groups possibly made up of more than one household, mostly wearing masks and sanitising, but minus any sense of social distancing. I found this terrifying to begin with. There were just SO many people, and they kept on coming. I should explain that, for the year August 2020
to late July 2021, we had only six stalls in the huge hall , and only ten customers were allowed in at a time. Social distancing and mask wearing were compulsory. Now we have eleven stalls, and no limit on customers.

Mostly, it was just tiring, standing up and chatting and having nowhere to hide while I ate my lunch because I couldn't leave my post. Most people bought just one or two cards. I did get a bigger sale at the end of the day, though, and an order from GG, and some ideas for other events (who knows if they'll come off? We must live in hope, because the alternative is bleak).

By 2pm I was so frazzled I even asked Spotify to play Piano Classics in the hall, to slow the tempo down. By 3.30 I'd switched to the Pogues, to help us pack up and go home. Quick unpack at the other end, a few chocolate biscuits, and then I donned my grey gardening sweats (I no longer call them prison clobber, because it's not a punishment to be out in the garden). Six bin bags, two old planks and a few scratches later, I'd discovered the wheelbarrow and freed it from its bramble base. Who knows what fun I can have with it once I've actually emptied it?