Spring?

Hard frost this morning, but hazy sunshine all day. For the first time this year, I sat outside for lunch, while the laundry flapped gently in the breeze. A few daffodils have opened, and a honey bee was visiting the wide open crocuses when I happened to be passing. The birds are obviously starting to think about nesting sites, so it's just as well we have someone coming next week to trim the green unité d'habitation at the back of the garden. For a little over a third of the price last year's jokers charged us. Remains to be seen what the quality's like, of course.

Triumph! We have a cleaner at last: a friend of a friend. I know that could be a delicate situation if there were issues, but I don't think that's likely. On first acquaintance, I'd say that Hope's title as all-time champion cleaner is safe, but a bit of help is more than welcome.

Tomorrow brings a visit from a garage door fettler. It seems to me that we've earned a bit of luxury in our declining years, and that it is time to stop putting backs out opening and closing heavy timber doors. Remains to be seen, of course, how salty the bill will be, as the French would say. We won't be buying on the basis of a single estimate, so there ought to be some haggle-room.