Grey skies shining on me

Nothing but grey skies, for all that I see.   Well it would make you sing too.   I slept in this morning as there was no blazing sunshine peeping in behind the shutters.   But luckily our builder started at  730am with a pneumatic drill on the other side of the bedroom, so that had me out of bed like a shot.

No rain overnight and spits and bits now. But it doesn’t look to last.   We had a foretaste of this weather yesterday when it started to rain around 6pm.   By time time I had twinkled up to the potting shed and shut all the windows, sniffed mightily of that incredible scent, patted Artur who was also seeking refuge from the shower… it stopped.   About two and a half minutes of rain.   Let’s hope that today will yield more.

Naturally my first task of the day was to water the top vegetable bed.   It may still be on the list, as I don’t see this as the soaking type of rain.   And I must go and fill up the water trough for the stallions who are eating cherries on the lower terraces.

Last night I started in on my first batches of strawberry and rose petal jam.   The gertie jeykll roses in the courtyard were wilting fast. So I had to move likewise.   Naturally had I been here ten days ago they would have been superb; and I would have been up to my ears in rose petal jam.   But as each batch takes six plump roses I was scrabbling to get enough for my 23 jars.   But they are done.   Not a very thick set I fear, but they should taste great.   I’ll have some for breakfast this morning when I can battle my way to the kitchen.   Drilling in one ‘s living room is not conducive to eating a langorous breakfast.