What a difference a day makes

This morning I should have been catching the 9.37 to London, then on to Durham for my residential geology Summer School, but after being diagnosed with rather impressively low haemoglobin levels following the fainting thing, I withdrew from the course on grounds of illness. It is quite a punishing schedule as it's a year's worth of practical work crammed in to a week: daily field trips on a coach to various geological wonders follwed by tutorials and lectures in the evening, which is incredibly good fun and stimulating but not when I find walking up the stairs hard work and tablets are doing strange things to my insides. I asked the children's dad if he still wanted to have them as previously arranged and he said yes, sooooo a week off! However, Amber was distraught about going and I have had endless pleading texts asking to come home. The 'plans' their dad had arranged this week seem to involve a trip on an open top bus and erm, staying with Granny and Grandpa (who do have a swing!!) and er, did I mention the open top bus? T is not going to see Harry Potter, or get shoes, and apart from Tuesday (open top bus ride day) they aren't doing anything, not even the beach. I try very hard to give my ex-husband the benefit of the doubt and back him up but it's really not very easy at times.

So, who knows how long my week off will turn out to be as not sure how long it'll take for a full mutiny situation to develop. Sigh.

Anyway, I'm free at the moment. This morning I decanted my purple peapod wine into its demi-john with accompanying bloopy airlock thing:

I admit it looks rather like raspberry smoothie but it's blooping away encouragingly and smells pleasantly of wine...

I also went to the nursery and bought some winter veg having been all fired up from watching Gardeners' World last night:

I bought a strawberry plant for £1.29 that had at least 4 runners so that was a bargain:

I had shut the hens in before I went but they had all been really really mean to Maud so as punishment I let her out and kept the others shut in. Maud seemed to enjoy the lack of aggravation and finally got to have a dust bath without being chased off for the sake of it:

Maud luxuriates in the hen equivalent of a bath with bubbles, candles, magazine and chocolate

I then listened to the Test Match and tried to crochet a flower. It required a hook manoeuvere that I'd not done before and I think I finally got the hang of a 'popcorn' stitch on the seventh petal but anyway, here's my attempt at a geranium:

Why is my crochet always so wonky?? Anyway I love doing the flowers, they are great fun. I've done my 9th granny square for the Sissinghurst Hot Garden blanket and a few other bits too. Nicky's coming over in a while for a meeting of the Country Crafters Guild so hopefully there will be some knitting and hooking to enjoy.