Look Before You Leap

They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but my goodness you can't stop a young dog getting up to his old tricks. I must have forgotten to put a chair against the larder door last night, because the sight that greeted me this morning was all too familiar. There in Hugo's bed were a box of five eggs, lying upside down but with none broken, a few packets of paracetamol, untouched, a tin of sardines, and two empty packets of, respectively, brazil nuts and hazelnuts. Thank heavens that the large packet of chocolate buttons, a wry gift from a friend yesterday, had been placed on a high shelf. How I would love to have seen him nosing open the door, and then delicately lifting out a nearly-full box of eggs and the other items. I wonder how he is feeling with all those nuts inside him. I haven't asked him as he's in disgrace at the moment, sent to his bed with no kind word. He is looking very sorry for himself.

The wind has dropped at last, though there is little warmth in the air. I took advantage of the lull, if that's what it is, to give all the plants a good soak. As the day heated slightly I tossed my hat onto the grass, and straight away a long, fat whippet turned himself into a tiny ball and curled up on top of it. Not much of him was actually on it, but he didn't seem to notice. He does love a comfy bed. But soon the breeze got up again, so slightly I barely noticed, but Hugo did. The next time I looked around he was standing at the back door, shivering. I let the wimp in, and then began to tackle the front garden which has not received its share of my attention so far this year. It's in remarkably good shape, and I set to with secateurs and loppers trimming back the hornbeam hedge, and pulling up nettles and other easy weeds. When I'd had enough of that I turned my attention to the garden bench which I had already stripped clean with the power hose. I started to apply a second coat of teak oil, but I'm a bit disappointed with the results. I preferred the wood when it was scoured and bare. When I checked online, a bit belatedly, to see what the experts recommended I discovered it was to NOT apply teak oil. Now follows a long silence where I internally shout every expletive known to me, especially the best one.

F*********************************!!

I've moved this lemon-scented azalea out of the wind for protection  pro tem