Where did June go?

I blinked and missed it. I swear it was May a couple of days ago.

I still haven't downloaded my beach photo's yet, nor have I managed to get a picture of my dress. The flower picture didn't even come out.

The garden is in full swing. We have harvested our early potatoes (and they are simply divine), and our strawberries are bursting out of their pots. We have had peas, carrots, peppers, lettuce and various onions, and we have been busy with planting succession crops.

We have been tidying the house up, because we are hoping for a new addition to the household soon. Not long ago I got an e-mail asking if I could help find homes for a litter of kittens. They did have owners lined up for them, but when the kittens were born blind, all the owners backed out.

So I've spoken to the current owners and they will get back to me. When I told them we already have six monsters (and one is of those is partially sighted) she was clearly excited. Other people have called already, but since the kittens are blind, they are being very careful over who gets them, and so hopefully we will soon be welcoming another cat to our home.

Willow escaped on Saturday. She snuck out into the garden, and before we knew what had happened she was on the shed. She was standing on the shed, just out of reach, and then somehow she fell off and landed next door. For a cat with two eyes this wouldn't have been a problem, but Willow isn't the most confident jumper. There is a foot gap between our fences (contested land) and so the jump was just too much for her. So she hid under the bush.

After five hours she came out and started crying. The kind elderly lady, to whom the garden belongs, let me in to try and coax her out. For my trouble I got bitten, both by Wllow (who hates to be carried) and the fire ants that were in the grass. It was the first time in years that I wore a skirt, and typically the first time in some time I had to crawl under a bush to retrieve a cat.

I went home to treat the stings (Lila promptly licked all the cream off my leg) and to get some food for Willy. A couple of hours later, the Baron went round to try again. After a good half an hour of chasing Miss Willy, he managed to post her back over the fence into our garden. I coaxed her into the conservatory and all was well (until she tried to leg it again).

It was nice - she seemed to be very pleased to be home and safe again, as she was very cuddly and affectionate in bed. I know we overreacted to her escaping, but as you all know, Harvey's death hit me very hard and I just can't face the thought of losing another cat that way.

School is drawing to a close for the Boy, and so we have had a tea and cake afternoon, a play, and Sports Day is on Thursday. For someone with no children, I seem to spend a lot of time at school talking to his teachers.

Work is slowing down for the summer. I am enjoying the more relaxed pace after the frantic workload of the previous six months. Admittedly, I should be writing a report now, but I really can't be bothered tonight.

The diet. Ha!

I lost the ten pounds I really wanted to. And I seem to have lost motivation. I put the weight on mainly because with the torn tendon, I couldn't do as much walking as I usually do (nor could I manage stairs very well). Now that it has healed, I am back to maintaining this weight. I've been this weight for several years and my diet is not that bad. I don't want to eat less, and so far, finding time to exercise hasn't happened. And until I start exercising, I'm just not going to lose anything. I know that from long experience.

We have had lots of RSVP's come back. So far everyone we invited is coming. I'm glad, of couse, since we only invited people we wanted there (with the exception of the Arsewipe Brother, who had to be invited) but I do feel a little overwhelmed with the whole wedding thing.

I've bought my shoes, and when I get round to taking pictures of the dress and flowers, I will also take a picture of the shoes. They are a non traditional black, with a zirconia and amethyst detail on the front. I love them, and they were half price. I figured that most people will be more entranced by my beautifully corsetted chest to notice that the shoes are black and not white.

I also bought my wedding underwear. The Baron will be in for a shock. I didn't opt for some white frilly lacey number. I went for the Bridget Jones style "suck everything up" control knickers. They don't look great on, but the end result is worth it!

And that takes us neatly to the present day.

It is just gone 10pm. My laptop is open on the dining room table, so I can at least pretend that I am working, when in reality I am blogging and watching "The Empire Strikes Back". I have a cup of tea next to me and an iced chocolate bun that I baked over the weekend when I was feeling particularly homey and in need of cakey comfort. I blame it on the skirt I was wearing.

The rain is beating down. The gutter on the conservatory can't keep up with the torrents, and is bending threateningly. We keep meaning to fix it, but we've never got around to doing it. Lila is barking at the Baron. He is trying to get her to howl and they are driving me bonkers. Ellie is sleeping in the pepper plant in the conservatory, Charlie and Ozzie are playing upstairs, Frankie is cleaning himself with his ears folded back, Willow is snoozing on her rottweiler and Holly is in the spare bedroom under a chair.

Very peaceful. And now I am going to gather my sleepy cats, and take them to bed for a cuddle.
Goodnight!