I arrived back Saturday night, but haven’t really done that much – unpacking my clothes, and sorting them into what can go away and what still needs to be ironed; finding a temporary place for the books and DVDs I have accumulated down in Chingford over the last 2 months; and stocking up the fridge.
The service went well, we had a lady minister called Lesley, who had come round to see us the previous Sunday, and talked to us about mum. She turned our notes and what we told her into a very moving speech.
It was just the kind of evening I needed, and the Haagan Dazs to follow was the cherry on the top (well actually, it was not so much on the top, than in a fruit coulis slightly to one side of the sorbet).
Unfortunately, she died in the early hours of Friday morning. We are now telling friends and relatives more about what happened, so I thought it appropriate to post here, for those of you in the filk community who had met her at conventions, and knew her.
I actually tipped out the potato barrel, reather than just harvesting what I wanted, as I don’t know exactly when I will be back again. I might have got more potatoes out of it, but better to grab what I had while I’m around.
In 1845, Sir John Franklin led an expedition to find the fabled Northwest passage, an artic sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific. The two ships HMS Erebus and HMS Terror were fitted with steam engines as well as traditional sail, retractable screws and rudders, and had reinforced bows of oak and iron, for icebreaking.
Mum is back in hospital (as planned), and she has a pile of routine outpatients appointments that I needed to cancel for her.
As a result, my fig tree has lost all of its leaves, and the small pear tree has also suffered badly. I don’t think either of them have suffered permanent damage, but only time will tell.
The challenge runs from July 4 for 90 days, and the aim is to write 50 songs in that time. Originally a Yahoo! group, the challenge group moved over to FAWM a year or so ago, although it still has a presence at Yahoo!
The bad news: my Pak Choi has bolted, my courgettes have withered and the strawberries appear to have been mostly eaten by the birds. Lucky birds.
Unfortunately, on Friday, the evening of our return to Mum’s house, she fell ill, and had to be admitted to hospital. I’m not going to go into details, but it is pretty serious, although she appears to be stable and in good cheer for the moment. We are awaiting further tests, which should happen some time today.
The pears tend to grow 5 pears to a spur, and it is generally recommended to thin them out to one or two to a spur. I’ve been informed that the time to do this is July, as there can also be a natural loss of fruit. However, many of my tree’s spurs were bearing 7 fruits, and I really didn’t want it wasting energy on fruit I would only be thinning out later. So I have taken off the weediest, and thinned them down to 4-5 a spur. That way, in July, I should have a pick of healthy fruit, should I want to thin again.
