Wednesday 4th June - Early Start

 What is it about 5am in the morning? I'm sure it is wonderful for some people to rise at dawn, but I'm not one of them. There's some deep force at work trying to convert me to early rising - or perhaps it's just the milkman. 

I gave in at half past five. By then we were both awake, each trying not to wake the other. So we both got up, and once again the day ran early, all day. 

Ah well, plenty got done in the morning, including the rest of the edges of the Cover Story Collaboration. I think Ang and I have agreed the wording so I can make a start on it tomorrow. 

I'll try out my solution for the knitted cowl this evening after I've written this post. It might work, or it might become a random texture. Either way that's OK by me - it's not really going to show. 

I was flagging by the end of the afternoon, so I wasn't really put out when my piano student cancelled just as her zoom lesson was about to start. She sounded all flustered and bothered and apologetic. Her computer had crashed and she couldn't get it to work. That's one of the biggest problems with zoom lessons. We are at the mercy of the technology!

Instead I went outside and had a look at the garden;

Hello, lavender! It hadn't quite started flowering a couple of days ago, look at it now

We gave this rose to our neighbours as a thank you for putting up with the inconvenience when the fence was replaced about 10 years ago. Aren't we lucky to be able to share it

The fence is 6 feet tall. So the cardoons must be at least 8 feet high. Our neighbours get to share them too. There's rather an aphid infestation, but hopefully the cardoons are diverting the pests from the roses.

It's still not quite warm enough in the mornings to commune with my crimson flowering broad beans. I have a feeling I should be pinching the tops out, or maybe I'm too late.

And peas.

There are no beans. Perhaps it was too cold when I sowed them, perhaps the seeds were too old. I bought a packet of 'Racing Runner Beans' from the children's seed selection along with my grocery order, and I'll put them in today or tomorrow. 

This is really what I wentbout to photograph;

The apple tree! I haven't done my tree pictures for May (I'm taking them at the end of the month,each month so I'm a bit behind) but just look at all those little apples.

Here's the apple tree at the end of March, just 2 months ago. The difference is astonishing.

Music

I've always loved the Clog Dance from 'La Fille Mal Gardée'. I saw it live in a big top in Sheffield, oh, about 40 years ago, back when we lived in Yorkshire, a most spectacular production. 

Now for some knitting...