25th April 2011 Monday began with a bleary-eyed 4 am run to East Midlands Airport to drop Jamie and Harley at Departures. I returned to Willow Bank for some desperately needed sleep, only to be woken later by Jamie’s call announcing they’d arrived safely. Miraculously, Ryanair had overlooked Harley’s 7 kg of excess baggage, possibly… Continue Reading

17th April 2011 It’s one of life’s ironies that when the warm weather finally arrives, bringing our gardens and allotments into glorious bloom, it also summons clouds of small, irritating insects determined to ruin our rare British summery moments. This year, however, the pests have been rather larger and far more unpleasant. On Wednesday, Charlotte… Continue Reading

10th April 2011 Monday kicked off with a trip to Glenfield Hospital for a barium scan, essentially an opportunity for medical machinery to have a good nose around my insides and check that nothing untoward was happening. The original appointment had clashed with Sarah’s interview in Sheffield, so I’d rescheduled. On arrival, I fed £3… Continue Reading

2nd April 2011 Friday Family Curry Night usually sees the whole clan gathered round the table, though ever since his move, Jamie’s appearances have been rarer than a polite driver on the M25. He’s never been a fan of curries, so he tends to pop in for a quick hello before heading off to eat… Continue Reading

30th March 2011 This week has blessed us with several sunny, warm days, the sort that makes the allotment irresistible. I’ve been there often, making good progress: the weeds (for now) have been vanquished, eleven rows of potatoes, five rows of red onions, four rows of broad beans, and one row of parsnips are now… Continue Reading

21st March 2011 After the dreary winter months, it’s been a joy to see the sun again, and even better now that it’s begun to give off something resembling warmth rather than a cold glare. Lulu, the neighbour’s cat, has resumed her morning patrols. The moment the back door opens, there’s a ‘thump’ on the… Continue Reading

13th March 2011 It’s been an eventful week for the world at large, and for the Palmer household, which has had more than its fair share of upheaval. Libya’s population has finally decided it’s had quite enough of Gaddafi’s decades of tyranny. Unfortunately, he hasn’t taken the hint and is clinging on like an unwelcome… Continue Reading

5th March 2011 The week was cold, miserable, and thoroughly uninspiring, the sort of weather that seeps into your bones and refuses to leave. My allotments remained off-limits except for an hour spent painting the shed with sump oil. The last fifteen minutes were done in a steady drizzle, so the roof remains untreated, awaiting… Continue Reading

27th February 2011 Busy at my allotments, I have so far managed to transplant what remained of my sorry-looking autumn-sown broad beans from four rows into one. A harsh December had reduced them to a bedraggled handful, and even they looked like they were clinging to life out of spite. I painted the garden shed… Continue Reading

14th February 2011 Valentine’s Day began with an unexpected twist. That evening, Lee appeared unannounced, bearing a giant card for Sarah before dashing back to Nottinghamshire after a brief visit. Earlier, I had enjoyed my first coffee of the day and was greeted with a card from Sue. Embarrassingly, I had nothing to exchange; several… Continue Reading