I’m all on my own for a few days this week, with the boys in St Andrews and husband deep south on a school reunion.  It feels quite strange – I don’t have to take anyone anywhere and can cook and eat what I want when I want.  So instead of cooking dinner at the normal time last night, I went into the tropical rain forest that is masquerading as our garden and cut the grass, filled the brown wheelie bin and picked all the currants and gooseberries.  I excavated the compost bins from a blackberry jungle – goodness knows what’s happened to the raspberries – and tried to identify the location of the pond.  I know it’s there, as I dug it.  In fact, I dug it twice, the second time after the boys punctured the liner when it was covered in ice a couple of winters back.  Most definitely a wildlife pond; very wild and harbouring plenty of life, with frogs jumping clear as I tried to pull out some of the water mint.  I’d bought some rock plants for the edges in April and unfortunately 10 weeks of neglect hasn’t been good for them.  I should have been sensible and found a gardener as soon as I realised I was going to be out of action.

I’ve been getting phonecalls from GP2 at odd times during the day, very excited with eveything they’re up to, and planning to jump in the sea this afternoon.  Last year there was Big NYBBS and Wee NYBBS (the reserve band).  This year they’ve added in a training band (?Wee Wee NYBBS) and GP2 and his pal are in this.  He’s dead chuffed as he’s playing solo horn – much better than being 3rd horn in the reserves.  GP1 is in the Reserve band; I’ve had a 10 word text and expect that’s my lot! 

GP2 has been wandering about the golf course watching competitors for the Open practising.  If it had been the men’s Open, he would have known who a lot of the players were, even though we’re not golfers.  I’ve never noticed before how much of a second class activity women’s golf is – the players must get very frustrated with it.

Oh, excitement, I’ve just discovered that I can check that the boys aren’t behaving like hooligans in public (their hall is not far from top right on the Old Course webcam wide angle view).   Well, that’s wasted a minute or two of my time!

And finally, with Standard Grade results looming at the weekend, I’ve been finding that there’s a little knot developing in the region of my stomach.  I don’t remember feeling like this when I did my own exams!