I’ll say this in a whisper: on this very warm afternoon, we had a cup of tea on what used to be called the patio.
Well, that didn’t hurt a bit. And it didn’t bring on the rain. So that’s okay then. Some of you may know already that an interesting edifice (which some might call a folly, but which we personally believe is the very antithesis of folly) has appeared in the garden, more or less where the patio used to be. Closer inspection will reveal that the patio is still there, but has become part of something far more . . . er . . . shall we say, contained? A ‘barrier’ (though that is far too harsh a word) has been created between what was formerly the humble open-plan patio and the bustle of Laskett Lane. The downside of this is that, when ensconced with a cuppa, I can no longer wave at people as they pass. Sally of course sees this as an unexpectedly positive side effect of the project.
On the plus side for me is the fact that my attention is now diverted towards the garden, in which the activity is actually far more stimulating than watching passers by. Take for instance the song thrush up in the birch tree this afternoon. He has obviously put his time to good use in the cold winter months by getting hold of a copy of The Little Book of Jingles, from which he has extracted a few new tunes with which to impress the ladies. He must have put in hours of practice, because he was note and pitch perfect. Apart from the fact that one or two of the jingles sounded vaguely reminiscent of something one might hear in the commercial breaks on ITV, his performance was faultless.
It must be said that being entertained by a song thrush whilst sipping tea is, after all, far more comforting for the soul than the distraction of craning one’s neck to see who might next be passing along the lane. So here’s to a long sunny summer and many more cups of tea.