It was surprisingly tasty, and will be a good way to use up the other can of Spam that’s been in the cupboard for way too long.

Also today, I am mostly … listening to the Lions beat the Springboks

… at rugby, via live internet-streamed radio. And I was paying attention to the score in the women’s singles final at Wimbledon too. Ah, the power of the interwebs - what the hell did we do before?

It was nice to get a win in the Lions test series anyway, even if it was a bit too late. But I’m glad I didn’t put any money on Venus winning, as I almost did. Don’t have a bet on for the men’s tomorrow either, but I suspect Federer might clinch it. Although it’s probably a good idea not to underestimate the power of the Roddick serve, after yesterday.

I love big sporting occasions. And if that makes me a fair-weather fan, and unworthy in the eyes of the dedicated followers, then so be it.

At least it’s not as hot as in parts of Britain, where it’s supposed to edge into the low 30s this week… And I have to admit I did enjoy the warm sunny weather on the weekend. There’s a lot to be said for being able to sit out in the back garden on Saturday evening till 10pm, with the sky still bright, the cats in playful mood as they chase the bee-on-a-string, and with a glass of wine (or two) to hand. Yesterday was pretty nice too, if a bit windy, and Clover and I spent a comfortable half hour lying on the travel rug on the grass before Colin mowed it for the first time in a month and chopped down all my buttercups and clover.

The warm weather has sent my veg patch beserk too. I planted too much and too close together, I admit, which hasn’t helped with the overcrowding. But the spinach is about a foot tall, and I really need to harvest it properly and freeze some; likewise with the parsley and chives. The celery stalks aren’t very thick yet, but they are tasty, and I could probably take up some of that too to freeze for soup. The leeks and onions and rhubarb and my lone potato are doing well too; the only things that haven’t are the radishes, which the slugs ate, and the lettuces which are hidden under the spinach somewhere.
I’m planning to dig the bed bigger before next year though, and I definitely won’t be planting spinach again. (Colin wants more potatoes, but I’ll see first how this year’s does.)

The potato I planted in the veg bed is actually the brother of Spudthulu - it came from the same bag. Spudthulu itself is doing very well, as the photo shows - I kept it in the cupboard until quite recently, which is why it’s purple rather than green and leafy, but it’s time for it now to start producing some leaves… And I’ve just realised that it’s now nearly 4 months old (in its incarnation as a bonsai potato, rather than just an ordinary one).

I did a lot of driving last weekend too, though for more enjoyable reasons than just commuting. We had visitors for the first time in absolutely ages, which meant that a) we had to clean the house up thoroughly (except for our bedroom and the spare bedroom, which remain very untidy and covered in clothes) and b) we got to go places we don’t normally even though they’re not that far away…

I’ve known Tara for about 11 years online, and it was great to meet her. Yes, of course, she might have been weird and/or an axe murderer - as might I - but as she put it, if I had managed to successfully maintain a persona for 11 years, I would’ve deserved to axe-murder her.

Anyway, she and her fiance arrived on my birthday (last Thursday) for which I’d made cherry upside-down cake after spending the morning cleaning out the study so I could put the spare mattress down. They brought us wine all the way from New York state! (Lucas Vineyards - a Tug Boat red, and a Cayuga white.) I’d cooked roast chicken & the trimmings for dinner, so we had a good one with some other wine and a lot of chat.

Friday I took them up to Derry and showed them round the Guildhall and the walls and the murals, and met Marion for lunch (since she knew Tara too). We went back into Derry in the evening for my birthday dinner - Italian at a Bring-Your-Own-Bottle place to which we took the NY wine.

On Saturday, I made Colin get up early against his natural inclination, and we drove off into Donegal. We managed to track down the stone circle about 5 or 6 miles from home, which was pretty damn impressive, but was guarded by a lot of noisy sheep and a rather evil-eyed billy goat. After that, we headed on a long drive up round the northwest coast to bits I’d never even been to before, despite them not being that far away. The highlight was the Glenveagh national park - I’d like to go back and visit the castle there, definitely.

Saturday evening, Tara and Nick cooked for us - Caribbean Cola Chicken with pineapple-coconut rice, which was even better than it sounds. And I really should write down the recipe so I can make it myself some day… We had another late night, this time with a game of Monopoly (I won).

They left on Sunday to head up to the Causeway Coast, and took a wombat with them. But that’s another story…

I really enjoyed having guests though, not just because I had to get the house clean! Plus, Colin and I have decided that we really should Do Things on the weekend, and go places. I’m hoping to head up to the Medieval and Game fair in Antrim this Sunday - lots of falcons and hawks for me to ooh over! Although it will mean more driving… maybe I can get Colin to drive some of the way.

Wednesday May 20th, Colin & I went to Italy for a week. Rome for 4 nights and Sorrento for 3. It was exceptionally hot for the time of year (low-mid 30s °C Rome was very busy and expensive though Sorrento thankfully a bit less so. And we had a fantastic time. Photos will be forthcoming.

We got back in the early hours of Thursday 28th, and we brought the good weather back with us. Last weekend - and much of this week - the temperature has been in the low-mid 20s, with clear blue skies and nonstop sunshine. I actually got more sunburnt last weekend than during the whole week in Italy - did more sunbathing, probably, including a late afternoon hour on Sunday spent lounging in my paddling pool in the garden.

The heat even caused my PC to go a bit doo-lally on Tuesday, and refuse to boot properly from the hard disk, though I got it back to rights yesterday.

But our enjoyment in the good weather turned sour on Monday. Colin’s cousin Dale, on his day off from his job as a chef at our local hotel, went for a picnic down the river with some friends. He went for a swim in the river - and didn’t come out again. Police divers eventually found him after 5 hours.

I knew nothing until I got home from Belfast about 9 on Monday night; it had taken me nearly 3 hrs to drive home due to a damaged bumper which I finally tied on with string. Colin was up at his mum’s, minding his nieces while the rest of the family was down at the river - he’d worked that day and had to be back in again at midnight and was exhausted by Tuesday morning.

We went up to see Dale’s parents - and the rest of the family - on Tuesday night, but the wake proper began yesterday when his body was brought home. The funeral’s tomorrow, and I don’t think it’s yet sunk in for anyone. He was just 21, had a great career as a chef, had everything going for him. The family’s in pieces, and what seems like the whole village has rallied around. And although he’s not my own immediate family, he’s someone I knew, and whose family I am part of, and I’m understandably not feeling great at the moment.

We weren’t going to go back up to the wake tonight, but since the rest of the family was there, we did. Just back now, after around 2 hrs spent talking quietly to people, and worrying about his parents and granny. We’re both drained. Tomorrow will be hell for everyone.

I was in Belfast again earlier today anyway - my car was at the mechanic’s yesterday and hopefully is all healthy again now - and was struggling to concentrate. I have a hell of a lot of work on, not helped by having had a week off even though my team lead covered for me very well. Everything seems to be piling up - we have visitors arriving in 2 weeks to stay for a few days, and I need to get the study completely cleaned out so they have somewhere to sleep.

I need to make lists. Lots of lists. And stick to them. But first there’s tomorrow morning to get through.

And then this evening, helping Marion to cook by both tasting a piece of raw chilli (which resulted in burning lips and an application of butter to them) and then later rubbing a chilli-juiced finger on my eyelid without thinking. Ouch!

Also today, I am mostly … realising how long it’s been

… since I last wrote anything in this blog. I have thought of things to write, on lots of occasions; I just have never got round to typing anything.

Not that much has been happening, really. We’ve had both sunshine and showers throughout April, though it’s been raining and grey for the past few days which has depressed me. Work’s been busy; the house needs a good clean and I’ve been planning for at least a month to paint the bathroom. Cats are fine, Colin’s fine; I’ve been getting more exercise and have embarked on a first-to-walk-100-miles challenges with some friends. (That’s 100 miles over many days, not all in one go, we’re not idiots.)

It’s only two weeks until Colin and I finally go on our honeymoon though, to Italy, and I can’t believe how soon it’s crept up. Still so much to do - but I cannot wait to go back to the country I love.

On the other hand, despite my brain being insistent that it was too-early o’clock when the alarm went off, I didn’t actually have any trouble getting up, showered, dressed and organised for my drive and my day. If only that were the case every day!

At least I had a very quiet weekend, with plenty of sleep. OK, I watched too many Buffy episodes, and I’m way behind on my writing for the month, but I went out for a lovely meal with Colin - the first time in months that we’d actually been out together. I even expanded my culinary horizons by eating beetroot - something I’ve been avoiding ever since primary school dinners, where the salad comprised a limp slice of ham, some limp lettuce, and some soggy beetroot.

Also today, I am mostly … buying Easter eggs and bunnies

… but not chocolate ones. I paid a visit to Lush at lunchtime, to buy some of their Easter-themed bath ballistics. My cold is still bad enough that I could barely smell anything in there, so I might have to wait until my sense of smell is back before I actually use any of my ballistics.

Anyway, I finally made it up to Belfast today after a few days of cowering at home, being way too full of snot to want to inflict it on other people. I’m still very snotty (and some sod had used up the box of tisses I’d left in work) but it’s under control at last. Especially since I got some very nice soft tissues at lunchtime - I actually went for a bit of a walk in the sunshine, and bought 2 second-hand books and some Mexican takeaway. Not that I could taste my lunch though apart from, weirdly, the cheese. Oh well.

It’s been a really quiet week anyway. I did very little on the weekend except watch the last matches of this year’s 6 Nations. I was disappointed that Wales didn’t manage to win their match, of course, but it was quite sweet to see Ireland get their first Grand Slam in 61 years. I can afford to be magnanimous as well, seeing as Wales have had 2 in the past 5 years…

I’ve mostly been watching an awful lot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer: 4 or 5 episodes a day. I’m up to the start of Season 3 now, thanks to the box set of DVDs I splurged on last month (well, they were ridiculously cheap). Watching Buffy has taken the place of reading for me for a while, which feels a bit weird - but not that much, since watching it is almost the equivalent of reading a favourite novel. Character development, plot points, and wanting to experience what happens next even though I know what is going to happen…

Speaking of TV, of course, it was the last ever episode of Battlestar Galactica on Tuesday. I watched by myself since Colin was in work, and I’m glad I did since I unashamedly cried myself to a headache. I was about 90% satisfied with what happened, which isn’t a bad percentage. And that’s another box set I’ll need to buy…

And apart from a stupid, brain-dead, ignorant, violent few (many of whom are in their teens and early 20s and can’t even remember the Troubles), most of the people in Northern Ireland want things to just stay peaceful, thank you very much.

To that end, yesterday there were peace rallies in several towns and cities across NI. And since I was in Belfast yesterday, I went down to the one at City Hall. Couldn’t hear the speakers very well; could hear the piper (although his high notes sounded a bit wrong); could definitely hear how several thousand people can all be silent at once.

Things might get a bit fucked-up again. (Note that I don’t normally swear on this blog, but this is something that calls for strong language.) I really really really hope not.

Also today, I am mostly … not being a wimp

… while getting more of my skin tags removed, since the doctor went straight for the liquid nitrogen this time. No scalpels involved. On the downside, he was poking some of the smaller ones, which meant the surrounding skin got scalded as well, and will probably be painful for quite a while.

So I have multiple pains in the neck at the moment. It’ll all be worth it though. One more visit should see the majority of them gone for good.

Marion bought me a Bonsai Potato kit back from the States a couple of trips ago (though they’re also available in the UK), and I’ve forgotten to use it at all. But today I spotted it on the bookshelves, realised I had a perfect potato sprouting in the cupboard, and decided to finally have a go.

So I give you…. *drum roll please* ……

SPUDTHULU!

Of course, it (he?) has much growing to do. And I haven’t done more than trimmed off some of his hairier bits, so far. But I sense that my relationship with this potato will be a long and happy one - although I might need to put him back in the dark for a bit.

Well, that’s not the only reason I’ve been checking out the Red Nose Day climb webpage, following its Twitter feed, listening to the updates on Radio 1, and watching the online video footage. I’m genuinely very very impressed that 9 celebrities, some of whom wouldn’t be in obviously the best physical shape (looking at you, Moyles, and you, Girls Aloud), have managed to climb pretty much all the way up Mount Kilimanjaro. They should reach the summit tonight, and moreover, they’ve raised more than a million quid for Comic Relief.

I couldn’t do it, and I wouldn’t even want to try. I have done a few charity challenges though. The last was a sponsored swim a few years ago - 50 lengths, and I spent the last 10 of them cursing the person who hadn’t shown up, thus meaning we had to split 200 lengths between 4 of us instead of 5.

And of course, back when I was in school, I took part in the annual walk to Bethlehem. That’s Bethlehem in west Wales - the place they feature every Christmas on the news as a ‘light item’ because you can have cards postmarked there. The total length of the 3-day walk from Barry to Bethlehem was 64 miles, and I did it twice (5th and 6th years) although I admit I had a ride in the van for a short while both times due to hideous blisters. It was good fun despite the effort and sore feet; I have fond memories of singing our way down the A48, although not so fond ones of the weird soup we used to be given for final-day lunch by Ammanford Round Table.

The Bethlehem walk also had a rather lasting effect on me too, in the form of shin splints; I’ve suffered from them ever since, alas.

Also today, I am mostly … trying to write

… because I’ve promised myself that I’d do a personal Novel Writing Month - MyNoWriMo - during March. By the end of today, I should have written 9,678 words. So far I have 1,125. I have a bit of catching up to do.

Better get on with it…