The leaves are beginning to turn just a little. Only about 5% of them but enough to tell us that summer is winding down. I think it's been a lovely summer, weather wise, but locals tell me its been dreadful - I guess its what you are used to.
Saturday today so a slight lie in after a very long (not) part time work week. It does seem to be a 21st Century phenomenom that the weeks prior and post your holiday see you making up the time that you were off. Could be worse. Not many people get to work with cats at their feet and crickets cricketing outside their window. So slight lie in, feed the guys then off out to Alton Mills to collect some leaflets and posters to distribute for the September Art show. By all accounts it will be fantastic because they rejected my entries so the standard must be very very high ;-).
After a beautiful 40 minute drive north to the Mill I collected my leaflets, and orders on where to take them, then spent a silent 30 minutes looking at art. They have a new exhibition with judged entry starting soon and I am working on a piece for that, so I wanted to see what "acceptable" looked like. Some of the art is mind blowingly good - huge canvas' heavy with bright oil paint, landscapes, abstract, lots inspired by Canadian flora. And some of the art, well lets just say its not to my taste, too fussy and laboured. Each to her own. I took my husband and small person to the Mill last weekend as we were out exploring. In a rare moment of praise he exclaimed "you can do better than this crap". Bless him.
Head home past some very fine Firemen running a charity car wash in aid of the local Hospice. Using their big equipment. It would be rude not to stop I reckon. I'll move on now as the temptation for paragraphs of double entendres has been beaten down.
So, leaflets in the car and off I went, spending a lovely 2 hours driving here and there giving them out. The library, the sports centre- all very accepting. The book store - no, already had them but that was okay, not a wasted trip as I found out that the new Captain UnderPants is out on Tuesday and she has a load in stock waiting to go on sale ;-)
Next stop Starbuck, with leaflets and in need of an ice tea. As I suspected Starbucks only support local community activity that is non profit, and as the Art show is folks selling their creations the corporate giant said no. Finger to the man - off to the local Art studio to see the owner who was very happy to take some. Off to the Pottery painting store, where they greeted me by name, again very happy to help. Next Second Cup thinking they'd do a Starbucks on me, but no. Poster up and off I go. (It was just like the Ruby in there, Corner Gas watchers, and it is attached to the gas station!). Final stop the ReStore. They said absolutely, poster up. All in all a great morning and I am feeling very connected to the community at last.
Home, feet up for 10 minutes when small person announces that he and his BFFs are waiting by the car, to go to the Skate Park. Now here's the thing - recently I have started saying "tomorrow we could..."; "maybe we could..." and it is being absorbed and processed as "10 minutes after she gets back we are going out". The joy of a 6 year old mind! So, I agree but with a catch. "I'll take you all to the skate park if first you come with me to the allotment to dig up some potatoes". Huge sigh from mine with wining; but the 2 BFFs were totally up for it. A fun 15 minute journey where two 6 year olds and an 8 year old try to out do each other with boasts about who has the biggest head, before One Direction comes on the radio and I have to crank up the volume as they all sing along.
Mine wanders off to play with the hose pipe whilst the 2 BFFs offer to help me get the potatoes. They had no idea where we'd find them, probably hanging from trees. My garden fork was enough to awe them. "It's like a giant fork!" they tell me. Bless. So I dig a little and turn the soil over and they are absorbed with spotting the treasure. No moans about dirt or bugs - we filled a bucket with 10lbs of spuds. It was great fun and they liked it too.
To top off an already great day, the Indian chap from the other plot came over to thank me for the Blue Potatoes that I gave him last week. He boiled them, he told us, and "they tasted so good, like butter" - he said this with great florish and sincerity. I remarked that they are a little odd looking as they go light blue when boiled but he tossed that remark away with his hands and said. "but the taste. So good." Such a nice man. Such a great day.
