Summing Up Sunday, August

Hello! It's been a while, hasn't it? A sort of low level business of summer time is the general sum-up. Here are a few bits and bobs:

We have welcomed: Popoki (Poppet) joined us from Alysun and Tim's house a week ago. She is black and white and now 8 weeks old, and despite a lot of conversations and scent swaps with Kirry and Koshka our resident cats, is a complete surprise and horror to them. She is very sweet and living a life of luxury in E's room whilst she gains confidence and K and K get more used to the idea.

The Garden has been growing: mulberries by the bucketload! Tomatoes (although E managed to snap a brilliant one...) Sweet peas on and on and on - 4 bunches on Friday!

The serpent radishes have finally radished and we had a bowlful of little glistening pods as a salad last night.

Dahlias, sunflowers, rudbekia...

We have had lots of: rain, thunder, lightening, slugs (huge brown and orange ones) :( 

We have made and played: a new fence in the field; a tablet stand and laptop case for T's birthday; an amazing mulberry Bundt cake in a new birthday tin;

several games of scrabble, Bananagram, and  new Ticket to rides (Nordic and Holland). (Banangram best words: philatelist; yodelling; oxidises). 

First game of chess against S that was actually a near win! (E)

We have been reading: 'Dominion' by CJ Sansom (everyone for book group, really compelling); 'The Chimes' (J); 'The Illuminations' (A); lots of YA books (E - Cassie Claire's Mortal Instruments, The Coldest Girl in Cold Town, reread of The Fault of in Stars, The Darkest Part of the Forest, Demon's Lexicon trilogy, I Capture the Castle etc etc)

We have been visited by: lovely S our family therapist to sample our gluten free baking, S and C bearing Sally Lunn Buns from their holiday on Bath, and C to work extremely hard with J in the orchard project and putting up a great fence...

We have been going: up hills in the pouring rain in swimming trunks, coming back wringing socks out (! J and C); round and about the garden and field (all); to poetry group with the theme of 'Food' (J and E, as A wasn't well enough); America, Amsterdam, Exeter (E in book world)...

On the net: brilliant cartoon here based on JK's speech at Yale. Inspiring words beautifully brought to life

Guardian Quiz: 6/15. Did you know that Lennon and McCartney met at a garden fete?

Happy Sunday!