Mr B

I have permission from Mr B for this shot of him enjoying a restorative brandy on the terrace after a planes-trains-automobiles kind of day (though without the hand between 'pillows' incident) including him catching the start of the French rush home for la rentrée (school starting). (I had to promise to put this in black and white since he was worried his shoes didn't go with his trousers - they didn't, so I have.)

My day was similarly busy, but more in a dusting-washing-planting kind of way. That's the first of the brassicas in for winter (I cheated and bought plug plants - though I will do some sowing too to see how late I can get away with doing it) and the last of the potatoes harvested. I don't think I'll bother next year. But seeing how well the beans have done (after a short pause in August, they are all flowering again and there was enough of a harvest today for dinner and another meal's worth in the freezer. Yesterday's culinary adventure is soon to move to the freezer too - though Mr B liked it enough to have second helpings. I think it's just the kind of thing his parents will like, so they can eat it the week after next when Mr B is in Amsterdam and I'm left to cook for them.

In other exciting news: we saw an owl fly over us a couple of times this evening (my they are quiet) when chased from its quiet spot by a jay (the jays and owls have a bit of a battle going on chez nous - I don't know if that's a standard thing) and a load of bats coming out of the (derelict) property next door. It's all go in the country.

Happily the kids' school equipment arrived (actually I could have picked it up yesterday, which having ordered it with free delivery on Tuesday afternoon seems pretty good) and is pretty much all present and correct. TallGirl needed two paintbrushes of specific sizes but when she looked at them she was not impressed "I can't paint with those" she exclaimed in horrified tones before beetling off to see if any of her decent brushes were the right size. Sigh.