Al fresco

Whenever possible I eat lunch outdoors…and dinner in summer. In winter I eat in the sun, in summer in the shade.

Today the lunch spot was the guest deck, which is a nice little sun trap sheltered from the southeasterly breeze.

The tray I use to transport my meal is a family heirloom: of no financial but great emotional value, known as the golden tray. It was used to give Dad his supper in the sitting room in front of the fire when he was home late after visiting patients (he was a GP in the days when home visits were normal).

The biscuit tin is another family piece, of equal value as the tray. It was always stuffed full of biccies like bourbons, squashed flies, shortbread and digestives. And it was regularly emptied by my brothers.

Bean is keeping a very close eye on it because her lunch treat was also on the tray.

A busy day doing a heap of little jobs, and starting the annual raspberry pruning and tying-in marathon.

Does anybody remember carpet sweepers? My living spaces are small enough to make a carpet sweeper a realistic option instead of a vacuum cleaner, but I have no idea if they still exist. I clearly remember our first vacuum cleaner, which we all called the Hoover even though it was an Electrolux. It must have changed Mum’s life. We lived in a huge Victorian house.