Friday 24th May

Housework; clean pillowcases today. Changing the sheets, duvet cover and pillowcases tends to be a staged event. I'll change the pillowcases as a statement of intent, and then over the next day or so clean sheets and duvet cover happen. A day here or there - who cares! It will all come out in the wash...

Repairs; not exactly a repair. I've treated myself to cotton pyjamas this summer, and very lovely they are too, but the facing inside the fronts is the sort that crumples up instead lying flat. I ironed them when they came out of the wash - a novel event in this household, ironing - and within two nights the facing was all wrinkly and wrong again. So, this morning I back-stitched the facing on the side where the buttonholes are, and managed to invisibly stitch the other facing down. I didn't think I would really be able to do invisible stitching! Here's a picture of the back-stitch line, running up beside the orange strip on the left. You can see how wide the facing is. I'll put the pj jacket in the wash now with the other half. 

I didn't take a picture of my magnificent invisible stitching because, guess what - it's invisible!

Painting; I'm not sure what I shall do to these experiments next, but something will happen to them soon. 

Gardening; Some sly slimy molluscs has crept into my cold frame and started in on a whole load of baby marigold seedlings. A friend presented me with a paper cup full of seedlings, just beginning to have their true leaves showing (the ones that were left). I have pricked them out and moved them to another location. 

And I've ordered beer traps.