Great chieftain o' the puddin' race

Anyone would think it was approaching the end end of winter - temperatures above zero, all the snow going, pretty pics of Helen, etc. But no, the weatherman, the teller of tomorrow's woes, has foretold ice and gales, drifting snow and hot toddies all round. The garden, when revealed untimely in this season, looks bereft and dirty, last year's growth wet-flattened to the still-frozen ground, knowing there's more to come. Trees droop, unwilling to look skywards and the sky weighs down heavily with low over-pregnant cloud. Frequently this area is subject to inversion - where the cold air gets trapped in the valleys with mist and smog. We are, on the whole, above this and experience glorious freezing sunny mornings and are surprised to descend into the grubby town below. But now this phenomenon is intensified by the warmer air temperatures and the frozen ground, so we are in the cloud now too. It's dim all day, lights are needed and though it's not cold, the wet seeps in through the pores in our old wooden house, making for unhealthy air. I combated the ensuing lethargy by digging a drain across the sodden garden in an attempt to divert the dirty melt-water from my neighbour's beautiful manicured lawn.

Work's boring (should never admit to that I know) but little Mr Bean is growing happily inside his warm moist den. I say 'he' because the gynaecologist suggested there was an 80% chance 'it' is a Boy. Not much in terms of Boy to see yet but there's a head, arms, hands, fingers (even finger nails! - what for at 13 weeks?), legs, feet, toes, most organs and he's peeing and pooing too. How and where we were not told. Perhaps that's why Bara's feeling particularly under the weather this last few weeks. 26 July is the first date we've been given, but we'll probably not do that and take 1 August instead (like Daddy).

Tomorrow's Monday (again!?) with all that that entails. This week there'll be the monthly 400 adverts to translate into English (for a magazine - monthly work, 21st - 22nd) and our Burns Night on Friday (and Saturday in Prague). The Brno Burns Night was apparently a great success, not least because they had a fair portion of our Extra Special Hand Produced Gourmet Haggis.
Went to Germany yesterday - we strangely don't need to stop at the border any more - to buy turnips. Got 4 for 4EUR. Damnably expensive.
For a turnip.