It’s oh, so quiet

It’s awfully quiet. Too quiet. Ned packed his belongings in a spotted hanky and tied it to a stick, and this morning I drove him and his gang to Leamington station to send them safely on their way to the beautiful Border country for their jaunt. Ian (who has packed his rucksack full of food and therefore has no change of clothing) has apparently been practicing his Geordie accent to ensure he feels at home, which doesn’t bode well for anyone. Steve has set off well greased to avoid chafing (though I dread to think what chafing could occur on the train!) and smells ‘interesting’. Paul was told that he was being allowed to accompany them in the role of emergency rations. If they get lost they plan to eat him. Ned is all of a tizzy wondering whether he’s organised everything properly, if it’s going to be too hot, what happens if they don’t reach their B&Bs in time etc. The first stretch won’t be easy. Their train wasn’t due to arrive in Newcastle till about 3 this afternoon, then it’s 12 miles to their first night’s lodging. He hasn’t taken the mobile with him, so I’m not expecting to hear any news until I go to collect them from Leamington station at about midnight on Friday.

To change the subject entirely I have a dilemma. I was doing some weeding and general tidying in the garden this afternoon, it being such a beautiful day, and the ground still damp enough to work. When my bucket was full of weeds I took it over to add to an old sack of garden rubbish which was shoved just inside the back gate some weeks ago. As I opened the sack a bird flew out, and there, neatly tucked in a corner, was a nest containing 5 tiny brown-speckled robin’s eggs. What do I do? They’re okay at the moment, but when the chicks hatch and start cheeping the dogs are going to find them. Bye-bye chickies. If I move the sack to a safer place, the mother-bird might abandon them. I think the best I can do is barricade off the sack to make the babies unreachable. Tchoh! What a silly place to build a nest. It’s like trying to raise a family on the central reservation of a motorway, or the lion enclosure of a safari park.

Phew! Two blogs in one day! Finding I'd volunteered to guest Carol's blog was a real shock. That'll teach me not to pick up such obvious gauntlets!