Sunny.

What a difference a day makes. We've had a day of sun and blue skies and by the afternoon perfect surf for both beginners and experienced surfers.

Of course as soon as I'd cleared up after breakfast I was out in the garden filling more bags for the dump. Now we have a temporary path made from spare paving slabs all the way down to the gate. I went indoors at that point for a break and made truffle centres, two different kinds, for an upcoming birthday.

Once I'd cleaned up the chocolatey mess I went back out into the garden and began taking up the grass in the middle of the old lawn. Mostly it's just grass and yarrow though there are a few dandelions to dig right out. One had a root as fat as my thumb and I had to dig down at least 12 inches to get it out. As usual the two robins were close by coming down to feast on some of the worms I'd tossed onto the soil. The female blackbird was around too but would only accept worms if I threw them over to the other side of the garden. I'm guessing she needs to eat plenty in preparation for laying eggs.

The second gardening session done I returned to the kitchen to dip the truffle centres in chocolate and decorate them. I have tried in the past to temper the chocolate to get it nice and shiny but I don't think it's worth doing if I'm only using small amounts of chocolate (200 gms). Plus I would probably need to use better quality chocolate. Not that there is anything wrong with Lidl's basic chocolate which at least is made to European standards not UK standards.

We've been reassessing our food choices recently especially after listening to Food for Life by Tom Spector on R4. I've been moving away from eating ultra processed food for many years, even processed foods and Peter has too in the last few years but it's horrifying to hear exactly how much damage the food industry is doing to people's health. While we mainly eat fresh food I do have a tendency to eat the same vegetables and fruit all the time simply because I don't have to spend time planning and it makes cooking easier. However to improve my gut health which is so important I am making more of an effort to vary my diet. Yesterday's treat was fresh cherries and walnuts (the ones I'd taken out of the nut mix because Peter doesn't like walnuts) and that is a really good combination. I have to admit they were just as nice as a Lidl's chocolate brownie which used to be my treat of choice. Though I guess home-made cakes don't count as ultra processed food though there is still the sugar to think about. Another of the programme's recommendations was to change to eating whole grain foods something we already do. The only time I've ever bought white bread is if we have a guest who I think might not eat wholemeal bread or the occasional baguette to make garlic bread. Even nicer though pricy is the rye bread which the village shop sells. I guess you would have to be really motivated to follow exactly all the recommendations made by reliable experts but it's worth making some changes.