I’ve felt a little more functioning today, a bit more like my self, even if I am still being very absent minded and forgetful. This morning I got the laundry washed and out, the dry clothes away, scones made (remembered the baking powder this time but forgot to try using koldskål as an experiment) and bread dough into its tin. Then I put milk in my coffee (I hate milk in coffee, why did I do that?!).

The kids had fun turning the living room into a giant den again while I was doing housework!

I’ve had my up-cycled shorts and t-shirt on, the kids have been outside, I’ve pulled quite a few rhubarb stalks, and watered the plants that need watering. Managed to pull an entire rhubarb crown out which panicked me a bit until the no-dig crowd cheered me up with a few rhubarb survival stories, one of which was of a garden fork going right through a crown and it still surviving! It’s been replanted (with a little more space) and I’ll keep an eye on it but hopefully it’ll be okay. Need to really think about what to do with all the rhubarb, and if I really do want rhubarb in my freezer for use year-round.

Erika has been watering her plants too. Mostly drowning them. I need to start giving her only as much as is needed for a single plant at a time! Hope those strawberries perk up again.

Tiger-Mochi is mewing outside the porch door begging to come in… She’s been getting brave, since we put the insect screen up we’ve been having the door open pretty much all day. Yesterday while I was at school Steve came in with the kids and noticed her on the top step leading to the attic (which is shut), quite possibly having just had a snooze! She trotted off as soon as she realised everyone had noticed her! Today she snuck in even while the living room was full of our noisy children. And this evening she’s spent a lot of time on the bench looking into the kitchen, waiting for a human to come in so she can beg to come in. Not happening yet. Still need to get those ticks off her, and get her used to tick removal, and find a brush so she’s not so moulty!

While Erika was napping this afternoon the boys spent some time designing new skins for their Minecraft characters, and once I was no longer needed for troubleshooting I got back out to the garden. There was ivy to clear from a flowerbed and grass to weed out of the strawberries and both back in full sun as the network connection troubleshooting had taken a lot longer than expected and I’d missed the chance to work in the shade. But, I cleared the ivy roots (and nettle roots, and a lot of ground elder roots too) and uncovered another odd big concrete disc with a hole in the middle, with a metal strip around the edge, just casually buried in the flowerbed, as you do. Thankfully it was broken which meant it wasn’t so heavy that I couldn’t lift it out by myself, and now there’s another flowerbed and this time it’s mine, with my stuff in it. I sowed a mixture of “red” flower seeds so I hope some of them come up. Might transplant one of my smaller shrubs to there too.

Steve came home with donuts and pizza so that was tea sorted! The kids had had enough of outside for a bit and elected to watch Paw Patrol and eat donuts inside, so Steve and I took our pizza outside with beer and sat and enjoyed the sunshine together. We’ve been trying to do that for weeks now – finally managed!