Though the crappy bug sting on my forearm continues to blister, the day has been beautiful. G and I and the mutt offed early to his parents’ farm to help out. I planted so many potatoes I nigh keeled over during lunch and G scraped/cleaned dozens and dozens beeswax comb frames. The cutest part of it all was Barky, chasing butterflies and having her ball fetched across the vast fields, but mostly digging out the potatoes and bringing them back to me. She is still asleep now, as the day slowly wanes. The problem is draught – though clouds form all the time, nothing falls and for all the perfect sunshine, the soil is pepper and the beets aren’t growing. Supposedly tomorrow there will be storms. That would save the season.

I had frozen whipped cream and dry beetroot/raspberry bars for diner, watching trailers. A good Monday, indeed.