Busy day blip

Just thought I'd post a quick one of something dead in the garden (plenty of those just now), to get it out of the way in case I don't have time later or it chucks it down.

#2 daughter is home from uni for the weekend, and I can report that after just 3 weeks in Leeds she has lost all trace of her Scouse accent: hurrah! Not got a Yorkshire one though; just sort of neutral vaguely Northern with a hint of Liverpool in the background, just as mine is that way with a hint of Leeds in it. After nearly 20 years of encouraging her to "talk proper" and years of drama lessons, it seems sending her to my home town was the only way to cure her of that dreadful affliction. (Apologies to any Liverpool blippers; there are some very pleasant Scouse accents around, but nowadays the variation most adopted by young people seems to be a mixture of nasal grunts and throaty hawking sounds, with a generous sprinkling of obscenities). Becoming a student seems to have finally instilled in her an appreciation of the value of money. Yesterday she said "I can't believe I used to spend £5 on one drink when I went out. At the students' union I can drink all night and get something to eat for that". I do hope she's also managing to fit in a little academic learning.