An Old Friend.

Native iris growing in the pond. I took a break from pressure washing to take more stuff to the dump and there I came across another example of how, even in this fairly large community, people's lives are linked like a giant spider's web. I was just discussing the price for a pair of garden chairs ( I knew I didn't have much cash on me) when the young man said "You're Romas' and Linas' mum aren't you?" I agreed but didn't recognise him for a little while until things suddenly fell into place. He and Linas had been in the same class at school, through his involvement with the local Sea Cadets, Linas and later Romas also joined the Sea Cadets and Mark often came to our house. Linas didn't stay as long in the cadets as Romas but they both learned to sail and had many excellent sailing holidays and weekends away subsidised by the navy. Now Mark is one of the committee members for the Sea Cadets which adds another link as Peter's crowd in the Reform pub have formed a gig (large rowing boat) club and are currently in negotiations with the Sea Cadets to share their premises which are handily located next to a slip-way leading down to a tributary of the river in Barnstaple.

Work in progress. It's a good thing that we have unlimited water from our own bore-hole as many people on a main water supply are on water meters (it's so we don't waste water in this wet climate). I've spent most of the day washing concrete slabs and I can see that it is going to take me the whole week to get everything done. The cleaned slabs are gleaming almost white unlike their previous dark grey, OK black, state. I really got the pressure washer so I can clean up the slabs around the scree garden but I'm doing the boring bit first.