Author: Rusty

Pen & ink

Fountain pen on pad of paper

If I’m honest, I’m a bit of a show-off about my typing.  I love being super-speedy, hearing the efficient rattle of pressed keys at a rate that keeps up with my talking out loud (which I tell myself is not crazy; and while we’re at it, neither is talking back at the radio..)   Typing has the fresh, clean-edged feel of Getting Stuff Done.

But it could never compete with putting pen to paper.  I love the easy pen-in-your-pocket freedom, no need for chargers and no worries about sand in the keys or coffee on the screen.  I’m a hoarder of notebooks, a scrappy scribbler and incessant list-maker.  Tom reminded me today that ‘writing it down is not the same as doing it’, but in my head it’s halfway there.  There’s a certain magic to a well-timed scribble.  And it’s a lot harder to doodle on a to-do list trapped in a screen.

Where road bikes fear to tread

Bryony cycling on Freshwater Down

I’m a big fan of skinny tyres.  I love the easy momentum and smooth sweeping curve of a well-paved road.  Tom’s more of an all-terrain tourer, with his tough Dawes touring bike and plenitude of gears.  He’s always suggesting detours down  bridleways or old byways and there is only so many times I can put him off with mumbles of punctures and bent spokes.

So, this is how I found myself taking my precious Pinarello way beyond it’s comfort zone, up over the Downs above Freshwater Bay.  Turns out, heading up steep hills over grass and rocks is hard work on a racer, and not a little precarious.  But the views at the top were worth it, and Tom and his bike were in their element.  My skinny tyres faired pretty well; no punctures today.  Who says road bikes are only for the road, eh?!

A few flowers

With the first summer on our allotment fast-approaching, I am getting equally excited about giving the back garden over to flowers for the first time.  I went to the nursery with optimistic visions of returning with trays of sweet peas and geraniums to fill the garden.  But, in my predictable way, my not-so-green-thumb timing is off and I’m about three weeks too keen.

All was not lost, as I did return with this lovely ranunculus  and a few other finds.  I am realising that a flower garden is a slow process; I can’t make it happen in one weekend!  So I will slowly add to these first few flowers and welcome bees, butterflies and all good creepy crawlies.  We already have a toad resident in our tiny spot and I’m hoping more life will soon follow.

The first of many

Bryony on the beach

An extra hour of sunlight this evening seemed the perfect excuse for a beach barbecue, and this gorgeous weather is just asking to be enjoyed!  We’ve spent the last few days out in the fresh air, riding round Briddlesford and walking up Appuldurcombe.

This has been the first weekend of the year that we have ended with a barbecue at the ‘secret beach’ (which is made no less secret by all the locals calling it this.)  With delicious food, cold beer, and warm sea air, this feels a good start to British Summer Time.