So..... that's what it's for! Who would have guessed?

Around 10 years ago I had my conservatory built - and asked the electrician to fix an outdoor socket.  I had a flymo so it made sense to plug the mower in out doors - well, until I remember that I then got rid of the flymo and bought a petrol mower!  Like many "gadgets", the socket is rarely used - but today it came into its own!  But - just to keep up the suspense, more of that later.

I have bought a new shed and, today, it was expected to arrive between 7:30am and 9:30am.  Cue an early start then!  By the time the shed had arrived (around 8:30am) I had tidied the kitchen, washed the kitchen windows, ironed a load of washing and put another load on, unloaded the dishwasher and prepared an appliqued splendid sampler block ready for buttonhole stitching.  I was on a roll!

By 11 the house was shining and I was ready for some relaxation - but the conservatory was too warm to sit in and sew (the new table top should be fitted in the craft room next Thursday / Friday).  What's a girl to do?  Well - cue the socket - 10 mins later I was sewing at the outside table, under the parasol making up a couple more eye patches in different colours.  It felt quite decadent and relaxing - whilst the dogs just lay in the shade of the conservatory.

Other activities today involved pruning some shrubs (can't you tell that the green bin is emptied tomorrow?) and some hand sewing (desperately trying to finish the Gail Pan sewing for the bag pattern that we are completing on the 31st July at Scamblesy).  However, although the skies are currently overcast as if rain is coming, it is still very muggy here ( a neighbour's weather station recorded 31.5 degrees at noon) and the breeze, when you can catch it, is very welcome!  I'm really glad that I made the most of the early morning coolness as I am definitely flagging now!

Mind you I did end the day with a "Disney" moment.  A bird had flown in through the open conservatory doors and I found it desperately trying to get through the closed kitchen window.  Wary of the dogs, I shut them out and tried to open the window for it - only for the bird to fly behind the microwave.  Working on the basis that it will find its own way out I left the kitchen (making sure that the dogs couldn't get in).  Half an hour later I gingerly moved the microwave and the bird flew out - back into the conservatory and past the open doors up to the end where it tried desperately to get through another closed window.  As we speak it is still trying - I have left a trail of breadcrumbs to the open door (which it is ignoring) and a bowl of water in case it wants a drink.  The only real progress it makes is when other birds come to the rescue - but they fly the other side of the window and it can't understand why it can't get through.  I am squeamish about these sorts of things so don't want to touch the bird or frighten it - but I sense a bin moment coming to try and "sweep" it on its way before it becomes exhausted.

PS - as I was looking up how to get a bird out your house - it must have found its own way - phew - the conservatory is now empty and the dogs have eaten the breadcrumbs - all is well again!