Summer !

All over the country it's been the hottest day of the year with the good weather continuing on to tomorrow. After that we're back to thunderstorms, well it is a Bank holiday weekend. 

This morning there was the usual running around putting things away for a mid-day viewing. I had a dentist's appointment and left early to leave more parking space for the viewers and the estate agent's cars. Peter said they loved the place but were viewing another 5 places today so who knows? As I had a bit of time before my appointment I went right into town to change my library books and do a few other things. In celebration of the early appearance of summer I wore a light flowy skirt, vest top and flip-flops. To complete my ensemble I wore the straw hat I bought recently. I was glad that I'd added a cord and toggle to secure the hat as every now and again a gust of wind tried to blow the hat away.

The dentist's appointment was just a check up and all was fine. I did enquire about the cost of an implant for the visible gap that I cover up with my standard dentures. I never wear them at home but am self conscious when I'm amongst people. Sharp intake of breath when I was told the cost of an implant would be £2,500. However the dentist showed me 2 alternatives, a denture fitted on a slim metal bar which would fill all the gaps for £1,500 or a nifty small denture that clips to the teeth on either side of the gap for about £750. I shall mull over the options and talk again with the dentist at my next check up in 6 months time.

Today I finally solved the puzzle of the small brown seeds that are all over the place. The closest I came to an identification on line was ash keys but they weren't quite right and there are only a few ash trees in the area. Determined to track them down I inspected the trees around the garden and duh..... they aren't seeds at all but the discarded cases to the new beech tree leaves. I've lived here for 23 years and never thought about it before. Did I mention I have a degree in Plant Sciences?

For once I couldn't resist the marketing and bought these Dragon Egg Potatoes in Lidl's.

 Raw, they were a rich purple colour,

which faded a little on cooking (the camera flash has lightened them and they were more purple than the photo). They tasted delicious. Imagine serving purple mashed potatoes perhaps with bright orange swede and carrot mash.