Thank you for all the entries to the “name the digger” competition. After much consideration, we’ve decided to declare Ginny the winner. She suggested Dougal; a name which, for me at least, evokes images of a solid, down-to-earth, robust type. I have to give a special mention to Becky, though, for the longest, most imaginative and most unpronounceable and impossible to remember suggestion (see comments).

After some rain over recent nights, the drive resembles a quagmire; you don’t so much drive along it as skate, praying not to slide into the gas tank behind the house. What we needed was a man with a digger and a heap of rubble. Then, as if by magic, they appeared; if you want to see them in action, click on the box at the bottom of this post.

The lads also plastered the next bedroom ceiling today; soon it will be time for me to redecorate that room.

We bought a couple of grapevines on the market yesterday; Nick wants a row of table grapevines forming a barrier along the side of the septic tank. I don’t know what they’ll taste like, but my choice was one whose leaves turn the loveliest shade of deep pink in the autumn. These two are now in place and we hope to have grapes next September.

I was teaching this afternoon; adjectives, comparatives and superlatives. Hmmm, exciting stuff! However, “Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer” contains lots of adjectives and it is nearly Christmas, so I took my guitar along and taught them the song. I was amazed; they all joined in and loved it, so next week we might do “Silent night” before we eat the mince pies I’m going to take along 🙂