In which I am tempted by velvet polyester.

How have you been?

Trying a new format, here's a little vlog post about what I'm working on.

A few years ago, a friend said to me, "You're very driven by duty, aren't you?"

Because you can never have too many cat photos, can you?

"Are you harvesting dandelions?" my next-door neighbour asked me, hopefully.

The Royal Horticultural Society's Encyclopedia of Herbs tells me that it contains thujone; "In excess, this compound is hallucinogenic, addictive, and toxic."

I admire bodgery. I don't just tolerate it as acceptable when there's no-one available with the skills to do the job properly, I value bodgery in its own right.

I made nettle vinegar last spring. It was supposed to be nettle beer, but I left it too long before bottling, and ended up with vinegar instead.

For the first time in my life, I'm living on benefits. I've been learning a lot about how the system works, and a few things have surprised me.

I think it's about time I explained the name of this blog.

My facebook feed has been full of photos of snowdrops recently. There may be snowdrops in my garden, but if so, they're buried under mounds of dead grass. What I'm getting excited about is ground elder.

Just before Christmas, the UK Chancellor was widely ridiculed for saying that people who'd built up savings during the pandemic should help the economy by going on a spending spree when it ends. This week, the govenor of the Bank of England joined in Looking at the numbers, I can see where they're coming from.

Grandma's recipe for marmalade is the most ludicrously inconvenient recipe you'll ever read.

This morning I caught myself thinking, "I won't try to do that because there are plenty of other people doing it better."

Season's greetings, and all that.

I have a problem with anxiety. My first husband had a severe anxiety disorder. Not just, "a bit of a worrier" sort of anxiety, but jealousy, paranoia, hyperchondria... he had the works.

If you'd like to know how to make mincemeat, consult Delia, or someone else who knows what they're talking about. This is how I do it.

It's been almost ten years since the last time my sitting room wall was properly decorated. It's about time I got that job finished.

I went for a dip in the sea the other day. That is, I did swim, but not for long enough to count as "going for a swim". Yes, it was cold.

I have three posts so far - what happens if I add a fourth?

I've been stuck in front of the computer far too much over the last few days, battling with layout and navigation (my programming skills are both very rusty and very out of date). I desperately needed to get out.

Well here we are, in my new online home - what do you think? No, don't answer that, it's not finished yet.

Hello and welcome to my blog. Here, I'll be talking about my life in the Welsh hills with my cat, George.