Washday blues and birds

What strange weather today. This morning fine - three rabbits gambolling in the garden; pink blossom on the copper beech and other trees; more bulbs coming up, as well as the daffodils – little blue grape hyacinths (muscari) and other pink hycacinths we planted a couple of years ago, and lots of polyanthus dotted around. Then a blast of cold air surged through the house and I rushed to put the heating on. By the time M rang from the station half an hour later, the sun had come out again. Then there was some thunder and then hail. You can’t see it falling on the picture below, but you can see it on the garden, coupled with the blue sky and sunshine.

Two birds just wandered through, and I didn’t recognise them. I seized my camera and tried to get them through the office window, but I don’t know if they’re recognisable. They walked rather daintily and the expression goose stepping came into my mind. But I wouldn’t know if they were geese. They looked rather like pheasants to me, but without the colour – just black with a white stripe.

I have been a regular Goody Two-Shoes, a proper little housewife this morning, as I am about one day a week, before boredom sets in. Changed the sheets; emptied the tumble dryer; ironed some things; emptied the washing machine and hung up the clothes; loaded the machine with the next lot; put out a new dustbin bag. All so time consuming and unexciting.

After a call from SIL yesterday, currently in Liverpool on a visit, I’ve booked afternoon tea for 15 in a few weeks’ time. After our family dinner last week, when we were going to take out an aunt for a posh English tea on Sunday afternoon, but which didn’t happen, because SIL had a virus, various of the cousins want to join in, so we have been promoted to an Event, and I had to speak to the Events Manager. Should be fun. What will they give us? Cucumber sandwiches, do you think?

I got my ALCS payment a couple of days ago. Not a fortune, and only about half of what I got a year ago, but it’s always nice to receive writing income, however small – particularly when it means that people somewhere that I don’t know are picking up my work, reading it and wanting to photocopy it, for whatever reason. It's well worth finding out about it if you're a writer and have had something published, particularly non-fiction.