Pottering about is really good......

This is "Grubby Finger Nails" reporting in here. The rain has stopped - Hallelujah- and I have spent most of the day pottering about in the garden planting things, hence the grubby nails. I cannot plant or work with seedlings in gloves. I have tried. We have had a howling gale all day, so the hair took off for unknown parts and consequently, I look like the bride of Frankenstein, but I was in the garden. I was not wet. YES!!!!!

Do you remember the nest I found on my ladder down the side of the house? Well, I saw the bird flying back and forth, and went to see how the nest was growing. She now has a neighbour. I have a double-story bird condominium in my garden. See? The photo below - 2 nests. Ignore the ancient paddle ski, please. And the green stuff on it. It is just there. And it provides a windbreak for the birds in the nest, so I provide all amenities at my place.

 Now look a little closer............. Mama Bird is in residence, and totally unfazed by the camera. I have a suspicion that my ladder may need cleaning when the babies have hatched and departed.

 Jean decided to go to our nearest Ikea yesterday, so I hopped in the car and went with her. An adventure. The fields are so green after our non-stop rain and the rape-seed is all in flower, so the countryside is bright yellow and green. I tried to take photos from the moving car, but they are a little blurry.

 And here is Jean at the wheel. We drive on the other side of the road here. I am not hanging out of a window to take the photo.

 As usual, we went to the restaurant to have something to eat and more to the point, some coffee before we wandered around the place. It has been changed and things have moved, but it was great. I had no intention of buying anything, and of course I found a few little things. Like a new seat for the throne room. As I am about to have American guests, I decided that a toilet seat which swivelled around and made you fall off was not quite what they would be used to, so I got a new one. I can do toilet seats. I have replaced them more times than I care to remember.

And on to Costco because I wanted peanut butter and prawns. (And to have a good look at Missy's little cedar cottage which her Daddy constructed for her last weekend - it is too cute for words!) Such an eclectic shopping basket. And it was just so much fun to be out with a friend again.

When we got home, I tried to remove the old seat. But nothing would make it budge, so I called for help, and Simon, Jackie's husband popped round to sort it out. My fingers are just not strong enough. Sigh. That wasn't in the manual either - the fact that fingers would lose their power as one passed 50. Approached 60. Groan. I am just exceedingly thankful that I have friends who help me when I cant do something. And I didn't have to get out the hacksaw.

Simon. Fixing the new seat in place. I can cross that off the list at last.

 I can still do things. I unearthed another Ikea purchase from a few months back - this rail, and out came my Dremel, and I had it up in place really quickly this evening. I kept knocking the pot of pegs over, and then  I remembered the rail, measured it, and voila - there is room to hang my peg pot and also a basket for my gardening gloves and secateurs. Right at the door to the garden. Perfect.

Now if I could pluck up the courage to drill the holes into my tiles above my stove and hang up the other rail where I want it to go, it would be even more perfect. Tiles. Me. Drill. Hmmm. I know I need to use masking tape on the tiles and then drill through them, but i have visions of them cracking or of me hitting a wire. Excuses. I know. Maybe tomorrow.

I think the sun may shine here tomorrow. Wonderful. More grubby nails. I can't wait..............