Working back

 I have no idea whatsoever how far to work back on my camera to find a possible starting picture for my tank top. Probably about as far back as the point where I did any regular blogging!

 It amazes me that you only have to work back to yesterday to see proof that we have experienced sunshine here in the Frozen North this summer. Certainly today it is all mythical, mystical Ireland once more.

 Yesterday I was barefoot in the garden, and had moved my chair deeper into some shade. On the table you can see the recently completed back of my attempted tank-top, and on the hook a nearly completed front. Prince Charming seems to have taken the picture. You can see how relaxed I am whilst in a state of crochet!

Alas, these balls stand testimony to too inaccurate a counting of stitches at some fatal point and are all that remain of said front panel. Working back to work forward this week! It struck me, while pulling out row after row, that the model of said tank-top looks very likes Rodin's Thinker. She too is obviously deep in thought as to just what skinny size Nicki Trench has in mind when she says 12...

In which our protagonist puts her hope in a tomato plant

 Way back when last I wrote we were in quite some commotion of hospitals, medication and trying to maintain some semblance of working life. Thus it was that, walking through the village one sunny afternoon, I took the uncharacteristically horticultural decision to attempt to keep a tomato plant alive. There it was outside our local florist's looking healthy and burgeoning. I'm not doing a very good job with humans. I thought; maybe I'll scale down and concentrate on this.

 Somewhere in the recesses of my more than slightly addled mind I wondered if success with tomatoes might give me some hope for the strawberries as well! So I tended with watering, feeding, and the occasional chat. Very similar attention to that bestowed upon the poorly, if I'm honest!

And indeed, as the weeks have worn on, both strawberries and tomatoes have ripened into health and strength and vibrant redness of face. Well, Jo got a tad too much sun at tennis yesterday, but the suncream is out now.

So here we are, at the start of our summer holidays, marked as usual by a birthday. The Meadowplace is back in its happy place, the sun appears to be doing its Irish best to shine, and tomatoes continue to grow. Thus far!