Youth is when you're allowed to stay up late on New Year's Eve. Middle age is when you're forced to. ~Bill Vaughn

Well, yet another year comes to an end, as they have a habit of doing. Went for a walk this afternoon with Steve and mulled over what kind of a year it had been.... Conclusion was that we had learnt some new skills - Steve became a Bee Keeper and I started learning how to make bread and even started selling some of it! Work doesn't really deserve a mention....although we are lucky to have decent jobs, so musn't grumble. We have acquired another dog, Archie and one of the offspring has gone of to University, two down one to go!
Little else of note to report in and we will spend the evening with some friends staying up too late and drinking too much no doubt!

“It is only our bad temper that we put down to being tired or worried or hungry; we put our good temper down to ourselves" C.S. Lewis

Oops, it's been a while, I am trying to become a better blogger....too tired tonight though. Excited about going to see some land tomorrow, possiblity of keeping some animals!

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" A cold in the head causes less suffering than an idea"

Back to work today, feeling quite lethargic and headachy! Nick seems to think he has Swine flu tonight and has taken to his bed.....hope it's just a cold. Even the dog has no energy, we were wondering if he is ill as he has slept constantly since coming back from the kennels on Sunday morning. Have decided that was the last time we are sending him away like that, hate the thought of him being there and he looks quite thin as well :{
Picked quite a few shallots today and some ginormous gooseberries, then planted some cabbage type plants that were malingering in a seed tray and mithered over my toms in the greenhouse that might have blight, or alternatively might not - picked the leaves off either way!
Incidentally, the quote I borrowed for today is by Jules Renard, who I had never heard of until about a week ago when reading a book by Julian Barnes a distant relative of his. The quote caught my eye, and then I recognised its author - small world!

"Adopt the pace of nature, her secret is patience"

I'm not sure that I totally agree with the quote, after just over a week in Majorca our garden has been anything but patient. I finally conquered the greenhouse plants, picked all the peas,raspberries, turnips,broad beans,new potatoes, hoped for the best with the sickly looking main crop potatoes. Mourned my dead blueberry, and then felt a bit exhausted and like I hadn't been away on holiday! Steve inspected his Bees more closely with the lady from the Beekeeping club - who came to the conclusion that they had swarmed while we were away, and we will get some honey very soon. Can't wait! Steve went looking for the swarm, but no sign of them. Also opened the Elderflower Champagne and had a glass, it was surprisingly nice. Will stick to the recipe next year, definitely. Some of the bottles had leaked while we were away which is a shame, the resulting brew didn't taste as good. The pressure is enormous in the glass bottles, one of the corks blew off completely in the kitchen, hit the ceiling (without doing any damage thankfully) with an enormous bang, I think the dog nearly had a heart attack! Steve opened the other bottle outside and the lid blew around 30 feet away, scary stuff!