Almost Red

21 July

We almost have red tomatoes on our tomato plants. I'm more excited than a man of my years should be. I built a sort of patio thing yesterday for our garden pots to sit on. We've had a pile of red bricks that could have been described as a barbeque, sitting in the corner of the garden for years. So I dismantled it and arranged the recovered bricks to form said patio. I rather like it. It looks a bit rough and rustic.



I got a call yesterday from the guy I hired to do the tiling in our kitchen. I asked him about a month ago if he could cap one of our chimneys because water appeared to be dripping down it and making a damp patch. He said he'd do it, but I thought he'd either forgotten, or didn't really want the work because it didn't get done. However, he called me yesterday and told me he actually did it last week. Sure enough, there is a cap on the chimney. God knows when he did it. I owe the guy £60 anyway. He's coming round tonight. I'm going to ask him how much he would charge for laying a new floor in the bathroom and installing a new tub.

The boy still doesn't appear to have chicken pox, despite being exposed to it several times. It may not be such a surprise though, sine the incubation period can be as long as three weeks. There are a couple of slightly suspicious marks on his back, but they haven't erupted into anything that could be described as a chicken pock. I've gone from hoping he doesn't get it to wishing it would happen soon.

22 July

The boy woke up and threw up over me, so I worked from home in case it was the onset of the pox. It wasn't, or at least, there are no spots yet. He was irritable and grumpy and I keep thinking he has a fever, more news as we get it.

23 July

It's warm and humid. We ate our first home-grown tomato last night. It wasn't planned. The boy saw it was red, picked it, and took a bite. We shared it.

I will be 41 years old on Friday. We are going out to celebrate. Well, I don't class it as a celebration really. I try and forget birthdays. We are going out for a meal though. It clashes with my office summer do, which takes the form of a cover band in a pub. I've politely declined. I really don't like work outings. I feel guilty though. I turned down the last two. Sooner or later I will have to attend one I imagine. There was a curry night that I intended to go on. I accepted the invite and then the date changed, and changed again, and again. In the end it was cancelled. Typical, the one event I thought I might like gets cancelled.

The boy is appearing in the local paper tonight in the best baby in the world competition. I'll keep you posted about that.

Stop Press...

I just had a call from the dragon (I'm at work, she's at home) and she's found a chicken pock on the boy's head. The little soldier has it at last. He's been a grumpy little git for the last few days. I was sure he had it yesterday.

I have a headache. It's very humid here today.