Tuesday anyone? I seem to have a spare one if anybody lost theirs. This one has started sunny but holds little promise. Tuesday officially most depressing day of the week, which I always think is a cheery thought to start the day!

Yesterday was kinda uneventful, which to be honest is absolutely fine! As I've said many times before, we've had more than enough edge-of-the-commode excitement over the last year for boring to seem positively blissful! David contacted the person at his work who is organising the Budapest trip, to ask a list of questions and her reply was very reassuring. I think now she has a better understanding of my level of disability she'll do everything she can to make things easy for us - taxis instead of walking places etc. I feel so much better about things now and hopefully, we'll be able to have a great time without me needing to spend the duration in pain!

Garden is looking well, although the peas have just not germinated (I had a broddle around in the pots yesterday and no sign of anything) so I'm trying a different tack and have had some seed soaking in water for 24 hours. That may just give them the encouragement to buck their ideas up and start growing. Will plant later. I'll post a pic or two later in the week, weather permitting. Other stuff is doing well, although lots of slugs about. Won't be long until I can pull some radishes, if the slimy buggers don't get them first. The 'pet-friendly' slug pellets seem to be of no use at all so I'm on slug patrol. Pick it, unstick it, flick it! Threw one over the fence yesterday just as a jogger was going past. So will watch out on news tonight for story of mysterious flying invertebrates discovered in Salford Suburbs! I blame the jogger. Too fit you see. If it had been me you'd have heard the puffing, wheezing and panting well in advance. Not that I'm going to be jogging any time soon. Just about manage a sort of flailing stumble if I try to do much more than shuffle!


Thought I'd show you the Google Maps view of our little empire. I've marked the corner of the tennis courts on all three images for a frame of reference. (Click on the picture for a bigger version) For somewhere 2 miles from the city centre it is remarkably rural here! We back onto a fitness centre (exclusive use of residents, pool, gym, sauna, very nice) and tennis courts, around which the unfortunate jogger found himself molested!

There used to be low-rise flats here but they were knocked down sometime in the 80s I think. Now it is very open and green. The tennis court at least means we'll never have any building out the back that can overlook us, and sitting in the garden it can feel remarkably like you are in the countryside.

Beyond the court there is a field and then the river Irwell which bends in a huge horseshoe forming a U shaped area of field/wasteland. This U shape forms part of the flood defences for the river - they just let it fill up into an enormous lake, but that protects the lower-lying houses (including ours). It is quite spectacular when it does flood and pretty scary. I would tell you about the huge dike that also holds back the waters, but she doesn't like the publicity. We're apparently only a very low risk for flooding and the home contents insurance is assessed based on a scale, 1 - very likely to flood, 2 - possibility of flooding, 3 - very little likelihood of flooding. We're rated 3, and that means no need for extra flood protection premiums and so on. Still, we have a large inflatable mattress to hand just in case!

Yesterday I also spent a bit of time playing with some t-shirt designs for a friend - a job I have been promising to do for ages but never felt too inspired. Came up with about a dozen options with a few more ideas yet to try. At least it keeps me thinking about design so my creative juices don't dry up completely. David was kick-boxing last night but came home early as there were not enough stopping for the second session. I was terrible and spent ages teasing him about going to get the iPhones, which he almost sacrificed his training to go and do. Fingers crossed we'll get them tonight if all goes through with the payment plan approval etc. So no doubt tomorrow I'll have decided I hate mine and will have something to rant about!