Gardening in the sun

Tuesday dawns fine again and after breakfast and a shower, we set off early to collect the terriers, slightly after nine o'clock, just giving time for the rush hour and school run traffic to die away. Not that there is that much in Tickton, but the primary school is at the start of Green Lane and it can get pretty choked up at dropping off and picking up times. On the Westwood the May on the hawthorn is in full bloom, the meadow golden with buttercups and overnight there is cow parsley everywhere, almost waist height. The terriers take their turn chasing rabbits and Norman trots along a discrete distance behind, until we emerge from the woods into the full glare of the sun, and then I clip him on his lead, so that he doesn't get lost in the dazzle. We walk a little further today, down as far as Newbald Pits wood, to see if the owls are nesting in the hollow of the beech tree again, but when I get to it there is no sign of recent activity. We walk back to the car along the ridge, parallel to Newbald road, dodging the golfers, as there are greens both above and below us. Generally dog walkers and golfers coexist quite amicably, but sometimes you get the odd idiot. As a general rule, the worse the golfer, the less tolerant they are of dogs. We return to Cherry for eleven and after giving the dogs a drink, I set too on the garden, it is amazing how quickly the grass grows at this time of year. After mowing the lawns, front and back, I weed the flower bed that separates the house from the one next door and then trim the hedge by hand, with a sharp pair of shears I have brought from Tickton. It is warm work in the bright sun, but pleasant, I could get it done much more quickly using an electric trimmer, we do in fact have one, but they are less precise, noisy and therefore less satisfying. After three hours I have had enough, the sun growing increasingly hot, as it gets towards noon, fortunately I remembered to put sun block on after my shower this morning. Nevertheless, I feel too tired after gardening to swim today and decide that a salad Nicoise, eaten in the garden, would be a nice way to spend the afternoon, so on my way home I call at Morrison's to buy a tin of tuna and a fresh baguette. When I arrive back in Tickton, I cheat a little by boiling an egg and the new potatoes for the salad in the same water and then cool them down under the tap, before adding them to the salad. I feed Normy his tin early and we both sit in the sun and eat together, before settling on the sun lounger and reading a little of another Patrick Gale novel, "Rough Music". After a chapter, I have to put it down because my eyes are closing. Norman begs to come on my lap, I recline the lounger and we both enjoy a little snooze in the sun, my garden kept reasonable cool by a light easterly breeze. Later I phone Sam and arrange to collect my granddaughter, Laura, from Molescroft Primary tomorrow, we are continuing her cooking lessons and tomorrow she wants to make schnitzels again. She is so enthusiastic and really likes them, but we need to broaden her culinary repertoire, so no more schnitzels for a while after tomorrow. Later, after taking Normy for his evening walk, I read until bedtime and turn in about ten.