Early Mornings Late Nights

 Early morning on Sunday middle sister and I drove up to Luton to assist our big sister

in packing up her daughter's belongings in order to ship them out to Sardinia. Both my sisters are brilliant packers - judging space, juggling shapes, fitting it all in - 30 kilos in each box. My job was to keep the inventory - and make the lunch - much more my forte.  

On Monday in Sidmouth with Robin after a day of rain.....

the holidaymakers stay mostly in the town....

leaving the beach for a few determined bathers.

  A lot of early mornings and late nights this week.....

Early mornings because the decorators arrive at 8am...unless it's raining....they are stripping, repainting, repairing all the outside window frames, window sills and the front door. I naively assumed they would stay outside but because a lot of our windows are high up and awkward to get at they are also working from inside.....which means dust. Dust everywhere - a fine layer of it in every room...on my desk.....in the soap dishes in the bathroom.....on the loo seat....on the photo albums on the bookshelves.....on the pile of clothes on the chair in the bedroom.

Luckily I was out most of today....after making more sugar coated almonds and walnut shortbread with Robin... having gorgeous lunch with two gorgeous women. And even though they are lovely decorators who we've known for 12 years, still I feel invaded, unsettled by men on the stairs.... in my private, safe spaces.

Late nights because I still don't know how to fit my life into the hours of my days which turn into nights before I'm finished what I want/need to do.

PS Re the rose being related to the tomato - not so - it's  related to the apple ... obvious really when you look at the beauty of apple blossom.