A snail shell for a solitary bee

This morning Mummy hazelh and I were guests of Véronique, Chris and Tzipporah for coffee/tea and ginger cake (plus the flapjacks that I made yesterday). My blip shows Tzipporha's latest embroidery project. This is a cepaea nemoralis (snail) shell in which osmia spinulosa (solitary bees) make their nests.

After lunch (by which time it had stopped raining), Mr hazelh headed off on a round of errands. First stop was the library to return my book (Golden Hill by Francis Spufford), then we walked up to the Apple store because I changed my mind over one of the purchases that I made there yesterday. This was easily sorted with a quick exchange of goods. We took the long way home via Little Dobbies in Stockbridge. Here I spent the garden gift vultures* that my mother-in-law gave me for Christmas. I bought four hellebores, each in a beautiful pot, that were reduced in the sale to almost half price. I will plant them in the garden tomorrow when - according to the weather forecast - the sun will be out.

This evening the three of us are going out for dinner. I'm looking forward to a night off duty in the kitchen.

*This is one of the Mr hazelh's little sister's mistaken terms from when she was much younger. Another fun one is Marks and Spensive.

Exercise today: walking (13,677 steps).