- Completely forgot I had a meeting with our IFA: plasterers working in two rooms, all the furniture from those in the other room = chaos #
- I'm just glad I decided to get dressed this morning, else it could have been really embarrassing… #
- Had a lovely walk at lunch with @johnleach & lily: lunch in apperley bridge then around the marina. now want to cry with frustration. gah. #
- Grabbed the extendable lead string of the bolting dog, now index finger is one big friction burn. Going to be blistery in the morning. #
- @johnleach damn right i was. in reply to johnleach #
- Anyone want to do a sausage making course this Sat? Places booked & paid for but no way to get there (Ripon-ish) now John is on dog duty… #
- Despite it generally being chaos & the kids looking like they're going to kill themselves during happy songs, i rather enjoyed drama today. #
- I can hear a horse clip-clopping but can't see said animal. How can something so big be hiding? #
- Found some cool coral-crested fungus while walking the dog in the woods today – first time I've seen it, it's well weird #
- Run! Run! Run! Run! Thunk! reminds us that the cat flap is still locked (the dog shouldn't have been trying to use it anyway). #
- Got all excited about an evening of WoW. Dinner in the oven, a drink in my hand, logged in, took 2 steps in-game then the laptop broke. Gah! #
- Yet another phrase I never thought I would type: "although i think the hamster might be a little more bitey than a tampon" #
- I always find it slightly disarming when the kids at drama talk to me like a human being. Had a fab chat about politics w/ one of them today #
- The cats and dog have switched shifts this evening: the cats are now on 'entertaining the humans' duty while the dog is snoozing on the bed. #
- Anyone got a woodworkers' lathe we could borrow? Want to try some stuff to see if it's worth getting our own :) #
Authorlouisa
1. Carla purrs loudly: an early morning hug on the bed and in the sun. She doesn’t even care that the dog is on the other side of the bed: hugs, bed, sun – it’s all good.
2. I can’t remember what drew my attention first – the vivid orange of the rotting wood or the sight of a giant fungus growing on the dead stump – but I call Lily to go cross country (downhill between the two main paths) so we can check it out. The orange wood easily pulls away in chunks and is spongy to the touch. The giant fungus is hard – last year’s growth. Then out of the corner of my eye, I spot something more interesting – a twig dangling down, caught on two small branches, covered with coral-crested fungus. From a distance, it looks as tactile and solid as actual coral but it’s more delicate than that – each branch is flat, 2-D like it’s papercraft art.
3. The plasterers have gone but their dust remains throughout the house. It’s so thick and pervasive that I sometimes forget it’s there: assuming the whole world is just matte and dulled. Then I polish the shelves, the soon-to-be-fitted alcove units, and the grey turns into glossy conker brown. Colour and shine will return.
1. Instead of going north into the woods as normal, we decide at the last month to go south instead. We explore the delightful enclave of cottages in the hidden dell, cross the ford – the first I’ve ever seen – and head into the other woods instead.
2. Amidst the chaos of the rehearsal, progress is being made. Some of the good kids from the group are really great, a lot of fun.
3. The air is full of scents and sounds: the fish & chip shop, the curry restaurant, the take-out chinese … and a pipes & drums band playing a concert at the school.
From top dog/alpha male/pack leader down to general dogsbody.
- Boron
- John
- Carla
- Lily
- Me
- Starting the working day with a warm dog sat on my feet. Fucking A. #
- Lily's just discovered that sometimes cars, vans & people – people WITH DOGS!!! – go by the front of the house. How exciting! #
- @tim_waters isn't it just! washing out on the line, dog tired after sunshine-soaked walks in the woods, and the mini-eggs circulating, ace! in reply to tim_waters #
- Is dog-elbow –like tennis elbow but caused by a pulling-on-lead dog– a real medical condition? Because I think I have it. #
- Also got a knackered ankle – not used to so much exercise! #
- So I wasn't audio-hallucinating mews & bell tinkles – one of the neighbours' cats got trapped in our house overnight, only just emerged. #
- @strowger78 huge white & black very fluffy boy cat from next door but one. called daisy despite having a penis. he's a scaredy but likes me. in reply to strowger78 #
- I'm giving away some awesome lady things on Recycle This (@recycle_this) this week – such fun! have to do more giveaways in the future :) #
- @Doziej I'm sorry for your loss & I hope Murphy is as lovely as Lily is – although at 9, she's exhausting me, I can't imagine a 3yr old! :) in reply to Doziej #
- The dog is actually inspiring us to keep the house tidier. Getting up earlier, exercising more, tidier house – very un-Peachlike! #
- does anyone know of a train booking company where I can speak to actual people who will actually help me? trainline & nationalrail = failure #
- OH: "your nipples are all random" #
- Trying to work out whether I'm feeling blue or just tired. #
- First dog/bath interaction was largely a success. She was a little scared in the bath but the bone afterwards more than made up for it. #
- @sarahjarvis and the lovely deep pile carpet for the dog to dry herself on afterwards. our bathroom is so practical! in reply to sarahjarvis #
- @strowger78 plus, it's orangey-red — the same colour as cat-biscuit sick, so that vomit would be camouflaged until stepped in. Perfecto! in reply to strowger78 #
- One week into being a cat-and-dog household, the animals spent the night sleeping six inches apart on the bed. They're ace. :D #
1. Since she came to live with us a week ago, Lily has fought a constant battle against sleep during the day – she’s exhausted but there is a slim possibility that something exciting might happen (and everything we do is exciting at this stage) so she wants to keep watching us just in case. Slowly though, her eyes give in and the muscles around her eyes twitch as they relax. It reminds me of the time I watched my lovely boy Carbon fall fast asleep.
2. I think about lighting the stove to recreate the loveliness that was last Sunday afternoon but instead, we head out inside. After a morning of sunshine, the metal of the balcony is warm underfoot. I eat my lunch while the cats and dog sunbathe around me.
3. The cheese – a mature but creamy cheddar – is perfect on the jacket potato. The Tommy flakes* in the tuna are a hit too.
* A selection of spices supplied in a ready-to-use grinder by our friend Tom. The plan is that from his base selection, we’ll involve our own mix then pass some back to him, and so on – the spice mix evolving as our tastes change over time. Our current Tommy flakes mix is garlicky and salty, but with a spicy kick too.
© 2025 Louisa Parry