Five (good) things on Friday (17 August 2018)

Another week, another list.

1. Exercise – day 46 of my 100 day challenge, and I’ve managed to stick to it pretty much every day.  I’ve missed maybe 4 or 5 – I’ll count them up and add them on at the end, because I do like completeness.  Regular swimming (twice a week so far) has been a revelation.  So far I’ve beaten my ‘personal best’ and managed to built up to 50 lengths in one visit.  Not so much further to the magic 60 lengths (a mile!).  And I’m feeling better for it.  And now I’ve been told I can have a go at running to see how it feels.  That will be the next challenge for me.
2. Garden visits – my garden isn’t yet a place of joy this year, but how wonderful to be able to visit other peoples.  This summer I have bought a season ticket to Derry Watkins garden (Special Plants), which includes weekly half hour talks mostly by Derry herself.  Her garden is gorgeous, in a most wonderful position, and she is such a fount of gardening knowledge and know-how.  I haven’t managed to get there every week, but have done 5 so far and plan to go to several more before they end in October.  Sometimes I take my knitting and crochet, sit on a favourite bench, and just sit there drinking it all in.  A slice of heaven.
   

   Corner of Derry Watkins’ garden, with fern sculpture

3. Eating ripe figs, from my own tree.  Can there be anything more delicious than a black, ripe fig warm from the sun?  I pick and eat them immediately.  None of them make it as far as into the house.
4. Knitting – it’s been a while since I knitted anything for myself.  I’ve made a start on a warm sweater, for the winter when it comes.  I was incredibly lucky to find enough pure wool yarn in the very colour I craved in a sale.  I’m adapting a pattern I’ve had for years.  Let’s see how it goes.
5. Library – I’ve said so many times how much I value the public library.  Recently I’ve been reserving books I want to read, and so far they’ve all arrived promptly.  This week I reserved, received and read (all in less than a week!) a book about lymphoedema by a world leader in the subject, Professor Peter Mortimer.  It’s a really interesting book and well worth reading, but not something I’m going to regularly want to dip into, so I’m pleased to have been able to access it without needing to buy it myself.  I’ve also been working my way through all the novels by Elizabeth Strout, which I’m enjoying so much.  Just finished The Burgess Boys; now starting Amy and Isabelle.  What a treat.