Yesterday Olga and I took a long early-spring walk on Hampstead Heath, where the irises are coming up in the ponds.
Soon those irises will be covered with yellow blossoms.
Olga, who'd been cooped up at home all day Saturday, worked out her excess energy and had a great time. She lost her tennis ball somewhere, but fortunately it was close to the end of our outing and that was no great tragedy.
She even went wading, a sure sign that the weather has grown warmer!
I also mowed the lawn for the first time this year. So we're back on that treadmill.
Our upstairs neighbor, the Russian guy, came knocking on our door wanting to pressure-wash the front steps. He'd even borrowed a pressure washer from someone else on the street. All he needed was to hook up the washer to a water supply. So we ran our garden hose from our outdoor spigot at the side of the house, and he was out there for hours washing not just the steps but his parking space. It would never have even occurred to me to pressure-wash the steps -- and I'm fairly obsessive -- but I have to admit they look better.
Oh, and remember how I applied for a refund from Thameslink because of our train ticket mix-up coming back from Malta? Well, they did give me £11.20 back -- after taking a £10 "administration fee." Kind of a hefty fee, but I was happy to get anything back, honestly.
You are not the only American who has colluded with Russians. As for tennis balls and other lost doggy items, the countryside is awash with them - reminding me of plastic in the oceans. Was it a biodegradable tennis ball?
ReplyDeleteHappy dog! She deserves her own blog...
ReplyDeleteLovely photos, love the colors and reflection of the trees. Olga is sooooo cute. Last week I saw crocuses here in Maine, which took me by surprise, so it is officially Spring here! Yay!
ReplyDeleteIt's so nice to see spring finally here. Last week while raking the yard, I uncovered some crocus! Yahoo! So excited this awful winter has passed.
ReplyDeleteThat's terrible they took such a hefty fee from your refund.
My whole house needs pressure-washing. Inside and out.
ReplyDeleteOur pecan leaves are sprouting which is our sure sign of spring.
Nice to have a neighbor who pressure washes the steps rather than co-opting your garbage bin! And shame on YP for trying to bait your environmental conscience about tennis balls lol. Olga looks like she's having a blast.
ReplyDeletewe're having a reprise of winter here and I am not happy about it. spring is definitely coming to the Heath. wish I had someplace around here like that only if I did it would be full of poison ivy.
ReplyDeleteSome day I should buy a pressure washer. They are a handy gadget.
ReplyDeleteYP made me laugh about your Russian collusion. Nice to have those steps pressure-washed. Ah spring, it really is here.
ReplyDeleteThose yellow iris are the same as the ones that grow in the pond at the Japanese Friendship Garden here. I went there weekend before last hoping to see some blooms and none of them had started to bloom yet. I never would have thought of pressure washing either but now that you've mentioned it, there are a couple of places at my complex that could use a good wash.
ReplyDeleteWhen we briefly lived in North Carolina, pressure washing the house was a regular event to remove the mildew. Leaving NC was a happy day for us, to much humidity! I love the picture of Olga coming up out of the water.
ReplyDeleteWe are enjoying our early Spring weather with our fingers crossed. In the past, we have gotten another fairly heavy snow this late in the game. C'mon, May!
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to your picture of the iris in bloom - please!
ReplyDeletePressure wash is addictive. I could do this all day.
My late mom's house in Illinois also struggled the mold and moss. She hired a neighbor every spring.
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm over from Hiawatha House. I'd like to come back but I don't see a follow button.
ReplyDelete@ Susan Kane - there's a "follow by email" spot at the top right side of the page :)
ReplyDeleteDo you have metered water (pay by the volume used)? If so, it was a decent trade-off by the guy upstairs to clean your steps in return for using your water. If not, it was even more decent :)
ReplyDeleteOlga's a good girl. Please tell her an extra time from me. It beats me how dogs can wade through slime and pick up everything wet with their mouths and not get sick!
My crocuses have put up their tiny leaves, so the blooms won't be far behind. They're hardy little things. Irises, though? probably about another month to wait!
YP: I'll bet we've picked up far more tennis balls than we've abandoned. We're still running a net benefit to the environment!
ReplyDeleteE: She HAS her own blog. This one!
Joanne: Yay, crocuses! It's always so encouraging when they come out.
Patty: Well, I expected it. When I applied for the refund they said a fee was likely. Like I said, I was just happy we didn't lose the whole shebang.
Ms Moon: I'm laughing at the idea of indoor pressure-washing! That sounds like a comedy skit for sure.
37P: Yeah, they're good, cooperative neighbors. (And they are united with me against Mrs. Kravitz.)
Ellen: Oh no! A cold front? Hopefully not TOO cold.
Red: Maybe you can borrow one like we did!
Robin: It IS nice, although, like I said, I never would have thought of it myself.
Sharon: I guess those yellow irises are some kind of swamp variety. They love growing in water.
Allison: Well, I grew up in Florida, so I know what you mean! Our house used to need pressure-washing too, primarily to knock all the bugs off it.
Catalyst: Ugh! No more snow!
Sabine: That's what my neighbor said! I was surprised he was still washing when I came back with the dog, and he said, "It's kind of fun. It's a powerful machine."
Susan: Hello and welcome! Do I not have a follow button? I wonder why? You'd think it would come with the Blogger template. I don't use the follow function, personally -- I always just click down the links of blogs in my sidebar to keep track of everyone. (And as Jenny-O pointed out, you can follow by e-mail if you'd like!) Hope to see you back again!
Jenny-O: I don't think we have metered water (I'm embarrassed that I don't know off the top of my head) and I did wonder about the water consumption at the time. I figured it would be no worse than watering the garden once or twice, but then, he WAS out there quite a while! Still, I don't mind contributing to the cause of cleaner steps. :)