The Reader

It was my birthday yesterday and the excitement was non-stop so I've had to backblip . A lovely day - friends to lunch followed by a soggy walk in soft weather; two skypeing sessions from the sons and then a birthday dinner with friends at Antonio's in Ballydehob - melon, rigattina (very fat pasta) , hazelnut and pistachio ice cream, lashings of prosecco and a limoncello to finish with. Here I am artfully arranged reading one of my new books - Extreme Greens by Sally McKenna, all about the joys of seaweed - and there are plenty of them. You can eat it, bathe in it, wash in it, use it instead of manure on your plants - all fascinating stuff. And Sally used to be a parent at school, well know for the co-author of the Bridgestone Guides ( a guide to all good eateries in Ireland) she has since become an expert kayaker and seaweed forager. All the lines look a bit wonky here - it's either my old age or that's how they are.

You know how you're meant to turn into your mother as you get older, well I think I'm becoming my Granny !! That sentence will have put the fear of God into Himself! I just mean the nose! At least I haven't succumbed to the knee high flesh coloured sock things - it's only time.

Today I popped into school and was bombarded with news and hugs. It was lovely to see everyone but do you know what - it was rather good to also walk out of the door and leave them to a steamy wet friday afternoon!

Thank you to Talpa and Mollyblobs for identifying my caterpillar - not a Swallowtail but anEmperor Moth , also pretty gorgeous.