Wednesday 6th May - serves me right...

 Don't waste any sympathy on me when I whinge about getting a stiff neck again. I knew this would happen when I spent too long on my tablet at the weekend, on Monday, yesterday. 'You'll be sorry,' I warned myself, but I didn't listen.

So, two paracetamol and my rechargeable heated neck wrap are doing their work and I'm slowly feeling less fragile.

I've put my tablet out of reach and am monitoring phone use. A few days of 'adulting' and I shall be fine.

I stood outside in the only sunny patch I can get to near the back door, which happens to be where the neighbours haven't yet replaced their fence. They took a few panels down, having checked with us beforehand, when they were having their extension done last summer.  It made access much easier for the builders, especially when demolishing the old garage. Being able to seeing what was going on suited us very nicely as we thought and plotted and planned ours, hopefully (when's the next blue moon?) starting in the next month or so. 

I was waiting for the sun to reach the hazel tree I am following this year - the past few days have been quite clouded over whenever I've thought of taking a picture. The sun creeps along the garden up towards the house. By midsummer the back of our house (and therefore our proposed extension) will be in the sun from about 11am, but there are a few weeks to go yet.

Anyway, the sun reached the tree just before 10, and BB took a picture on my phone for me;

I noticed its leaves were drooping over the weekend, but a couple of buckets of water seem to have perked it up. I suppose it just gets leafier and leafier, and the pale green-ness becomes darker and darker as the year goes on now. To think it was just a few thin little twiggy bits in a pot last Summer when we got it...

....

   I follow the blog of an author called Kathleen Jowitt, and she posted about a great-great-great-relative of hers a composer and conductor called Sir Julius Benedict, who seems to be largely forgotten today although very well known in his own life. He was born in 1804, and conducted the Norfolk Music Festival for over 30 years. The Burnham Music Festival in Norfolk is celebrating his work this year.

At Kathleen Jowitt's recommendation I've just listened to his C minor piano concerto - one single continuous piece, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Think Mendlessohn, ebullience, energy, spectacle...