The clocks change...

John was off out with the boys on their bikes this morning and I was on cleaning, cooking and gardening.  We had a little camouflaged visitor in the conservatory, not sure whether one of the cats had brought it in or whether it was actually alive but I picked it up and placed it out in the garden.  It was a beautiful morning so I was keen to do some gardening but not before I had got the meat cooked for tonight's meal.  We had invited Nicky and Mark to come for supper because they are kitchenless and it is a bit of an ongoing saga which isn't going to rectified in the next few days.  Bless Nicky she has managed without a proper kitchen since they moved in but a few weeks ago they had to clear everything out in ready for the new one to be installed so she doesn't even have a sink.

It was most definitely a day for gardening.  The crocosmia or whatever they are now called (Montbretia I think) have gone bananas and are flowering with spikes over 6 foot tall and some of the recent bad weather has battered them down so I decided to clear out some of them.  There is some lovely colour in the garden provided by the self-seeded Gazanias and the Californian poppies, wild poppies and a couple of Ranunculas which have survived over the years.

When John returned we decided to sit outside and have coffee and the remains of the banana cake he had made the other day.  Boris came to join us making a schoolboy error as he chose to sit on what is Charlie's favourite chair in the sun.  Charlie soon realised and decided to point out said error and rectify the mistake by plonking his bulk on top of Boo who remained there for a while until he got pissed off and chose to sit elsewhere.

Clare was calling in this afternoon to retrieve the keys she leaves with us.  She has recently had a nasty fall whilst out running so was sporting a suture stripped nose and forehead and two massive black eyes which made it look like she had purple eye shadow on.  Fortunately nothing broken but she said that when she picked herself up the blood was pouring and nobody stopped to offer assistance which is a bit sad.

Nicky and Mark arrived around 5.30pm for supper, we sat and had a catch up in the conservatory before I went and finished off the meal.  We were having stir fry pork.  I had cooked Nicky's separately because I know she doesn't like spicy and the rest of us do.  I have to say it was absolutely delicious - probably the best I have ever made.  Apart from being a bit labour intensive at the outset plus frying off the meat makes a right old mess it is quite easy to make and worth the effort.

We had a nice evening - it is never a late one with N&M and that was probably just as well because we lose an hours sleep tonight with the clock change.